I bought a Radrover 5 in 2020. Still going but I did get Error 25 but after unplugging the brake light is fine. I bout a $1,000 Trek bike a couple months a go as a backup but I'm getting the itch for another bike.
How many and what type you own? How many is to many?
Jim
I expect to own two next Tuesday. I bought my Radrunner in December, 2020. It was available, and I needed transportation while I figured out what was wrong with my antique car. I've kept up auto insurance and registration, but biking is so much better that I haven't paid much attention to fixing it.
A few days ago I found that the heads on two rear spokes had broken, allowing them to come out of the hub. Other spoke heads had sunk into the holes, meaning they were on the way to popping loose. I've read that it's fairly common for rear spokes on an ebike to break because the big hub means they're shorter than the front, and that means they pull at greater angles from a radius. This would be especially acute for a Radrunner due to its small rim diameter. However, spokes almost always break at the elbow or the threads. When they fail at the head, it usually means defective spokes or a bad hub design. I'll go with hub design. The Bfang hub probably wasn't intended for the small rims that Radpower chose.
Like the tires, the spokes are an oddball size. I couldn't find any except in China, with a lead time of several weeks. I contacted Customer Service three days ago, and they have ignored me. Radpower is not a good company. I'm reduced to walking so maybe my bike will still work when I absolutely need it.
So I ordered a Six Three Zero. More than one expert has said that if you want a good ebike, start with a good bike. Would anyone want a Radrunner without the motor? The company started in 2007 when the CEO, at 15, built an ebike in his garage. When a kid does that, I call the result a toy. Six Three Zero started in 2005 when several enthusiasts began building bicycles in a garage.
The CEO says theirs aren't fast like road bikes or tough like mountain bikes, but his cost less while meeting the needs of a typical rider very well. That sounds like Henry Ford; as he developed his designs, others were marketing impractical toys for the rich. It wasn't until 1913 that he could begin bringing the price down drastically. By then, his car was known to meet consumer needs especially well. For bicycles, Six Three Zero accepts returns for 365 days. I guess that shows confidence in customer satisfaction.
The CEO says he never even rode an ebike until 4 years ago. That's like the Wright Brothers, developing a good glider before building an airplane.
Their advertising is largely for women. That's good. Women don't want bikes that are toys. Considering the amount I have spent trying to make my Radrunner suit my needs, I'd say I've had an expensive adventure with a toy. Two bikes is too many for me. Ebikes have little resale value. I think I'll give my Radrunner to a neighbor. For some time, he and his wife have been getting by on one car. Before then, he used to say he envied me because my Radrunner looked like so much fun. He drove a Stryker in Afghanistan, and I haven't met many combat veterans in the last 50 years. A few weeks ago he got laid off and landed a great job 2 miles away. I guess a Radrunner can go that far.