Quote from: DutchRadler on March 08, 2022, 07:42:46 AMThank you for your idea. I will purchase one.

You're welcome.  You might want to double-check the diameter of the bristles to make sure it'll fit between the tire and the screens - there are smaller-diameter bottle brushes available if needed; the one I linked says it's too large to fit into a beer bottle, for example.

Maybe a long-handled bottle brush, something like this?
https://amzn.to/3ucCpAa

I don't have an RW, so this is just speculation.

Thanks!  Yes, I think bar-end mirrors might work with those.  There's no way I'm riding in the snow here during the winter, but they might make the go/no-go difference on the regular cold days.

Hoping against hope, are those white things on the end an opening for bar-end mirrors, maybe? 

Quote from: mtblair on March 04, 2022, 09:10:17 AMNow, upgrade the Mini to do 40 mph. It's likely that we'll find ourselves under the same regulations as the motorcycle rider. And I'm more likely to don a lot more gear at 40 mph. (I work in a hospital emergency room so I get to see what 40 mph road rash looks like versus 12 mph road rash).

Fortunately, upgrading an e-bike to hit 40 mph isn't as simple as just replacing the stock controller with a higher-amperage model (as I'm about to do for my MiniST with the Bolton upgrade to get more torque for hill-climbing and acceleration in traffic) - to increase top speed beyond the (unlocked) factory capability of about 25 mph with 750 watts, you need a new battery that outputs higher voltage as well as a new controller - the motor will spin faster with higher voltage, not higher amperage.  With proprietary Rad batteries, that's not so simple; the battery mount and wiring has to be reworked as well as the battery.  People do it, but they're more mechanically-talented than the average e-bike owner.  Check out CitizenCycle's YouTube channel for the 2-wheel-drive and battery mods he's made to a stock Rad Rover, for instance.  Now he's got an all-terrain beast.

Beyond riding at a much higher speed and being obnoxious about it, my biggest concern is the original design of the bike - frame materials and geometry, weld quality and especially the brakes are probably designed for loads and stresses up to maybe 30-35 mph or so, to provide a safety margin well above normal riding.  A heavy rider on a 40+ mph Mini would be a handful at that speed if the frame gets squirrelly over a rough surface or if a quick stop is needed.  That's small-motorcycle territory, as you've pointed out.

Quote from: Eric7 on March 03, 2022, 03:27:31 PM
https://amzn.to/36bOxJR

This is rock solid and does not rotate or move on the handlebar even if I am on a trail.

I second Eric's suggestion: I have one on my MiniST and once everything is tightened down where you want it, this is a rock-solid phone holder for a good price; it's the same one sold by Rad on their accessories page. 

Note that the Amazon link is also on Ryan's accessory list (third one on the cellphone-mount list at the moment, the brand is GUB) - buying through that link gets Ryan a little gratuity on your purchase at no extra cost to you:
https://www.radowners.com/index.php?topic=104.0

Slightly less-convenient than some others due to having to loosen/tighten a thumbscrew to remove/attach your phone, but the payoff is that nothing will shake loose, and it's all rustproof metal so there's no rubber or plastic to wear out or degrade from sunlight UV.  It's also capable of handling wide/thick setups, like my Samsung S10e in a 5/8" thick Otterbox Defender case.  Some holders have trouble with thickness as well as overall screen size.

Quote from: Eric7 on March 03, 2022, 08:40:00 AMOn another point.  I enjoy the freedom from rules, insurance, license, dumb car tax and all of that.  I can enjoy fixing up something and taking it on the road without concern about safety checks, inspection stickers and all the regulations.

Gotcha.  I won't even consider living in a state with those ridiculous "safety check" shakedown scams, dumb stickers on the windshields etc.  And tollways are right out.  That stuff is just a tipoff about being in a corrupt environment.  Fortunately most of those things are back East, which was entirely ruled out after a couple of business trips, so hasn't impacted my life choices.  Another little annoyance is to never buy a vehicle from a dealer that either glues or (worse) drills and bolts on their logo to the rear of a new car - that's mutilation.  The most I'll tolerate is a license-plate frame with the dealer's name on it, but those are gone soon after it gets home.

Quote from: SemperVee on March 02, 2022, 07:45:55 AMIn this day and age I can hardly believe this!!!  There must be more securing thought brought by production for security issues - not less!  SMH...

I've pondered the thought that if I were a Rad executive, I'd be a little worried about negligent-design civil lawsuits once enough of them are easily stolen by opportunistic thieves who have figured out what to look for in front of the cafes.  People will "just stop for a minute to grab a quick coffee." 

Since it was a solved issue in the previous generations, they can't argue "it's coming later as a new feature".

Quote from: Eric7 on March 02, 2022, 05:21:02 AMMy thought is that it is too much effort to try to turn a 1 horsepower bike into a 1.5 horsepower bike.

With two motorcycles in the garage with the e-bike, I get what you're saying.  It's nice to go slower, enjoy the cows, woods, beach and sun and not have to heavily gear-up to do it if I'm in no hurry.

However, to increase top speed (other than by "fixing" the factory strangulation), you have to increase battery voltage, not just the controller amperage.  I can get close to 25 mph now with my liberated MiniST2, and that's fine.  Most of the time I set PAS and gearing to pedal hard enough for exercise without making my knees mad and meander around at 12-15 mph.  But now and then I get to whee! at 25 just for fun and have hit slightly over 30 downhill, pedaling like mad in 7th gear.

But I'm swapping out the 17A controller for Bolton's 35A model soon for improved torque, not top speed - I'd like to conquer those two pesky steep hills in town at long last without exhausting myself pedaling to assist the motor, and I'd appreciate more acceleration when merging, crossing or escaping traffic.  Having peak 1600w available vs. 750w will do the trick.

Since we're heading into peak riding season soon, I was surprised to see a sale on the latest models already - maybe the price increase isn't going over so well?  I don't know how much, if at all, the competition has increased theirs, but sooner or later inflation pressures will affect them all.  I still see new brands appearing in ads and reviews, so it doesn't look like there's been a big shakeout - plenty of competition out there.

I'd be interested to hear about which solution worked for you when you get it figured out.

Quote from: Altema on February 27, 2022, 08:08:16 AMYes, people are quick to be afraid and condemn "new things". It's almost amusing to see a couple walking on a mixed use trail, and moments after they ignore a regular bike passing them, I'll approach at a slower speed than the regular bike did. I ring my cute little bell and announce "Passing on your left", and see the couple rush completely off the trail with one "protecting" the other in a defensive stance against the evil e-bike 🙄.

That happens to me occasionally around here; we have a lot of fear-porn people who cower at many things, including reacting as you describe on bike/horse/walking trails.  It's both amusing and annoying, and seems to be correlated with those who feel compelled to strap on their face diapers when outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air, even along the beach.

I'd say just ignore them, but these are the same Karens who get silly local laws passed against the many things they're unreasonably fearful of, so we should remain aware.

Quote from: Radio Runner on February 26, 2022, 12:34:14 PM
Lay an 8 foot 2x4 on the stairs and roll it up?

That's a good idea and along the lines of what I was thinking - if it's a straight shot staircase (no landing, no bends), lay down a 2x8 board (wider for safety to not roll off the side), leave the battery in place and use "walking mode" (hold down the PAS-down button for 3 seconds) to let it power itself up your ramp while you climb the stairs alongside.  I use this method to walk my MiniST2 up or down a ramp under power to my hitch-receiver carrying rack on the back of the SUV; works great.  No heavy lifting needed.

If you're not familiar with walking mode, practice a few times on level ground to get the feel for it first - it's a fairly-brisk walking pace but stops immediately when you let off the gas.

Then the issue is: where do you stash the board?

Quote from: mtngrl on February 26, 2022, 06:13:13 AMI'm not sure how to encourage better ridership, but it seems like we need to do something.

Keep a thick stick in hand to shove into their spokes when they blow by you.   

When I ordered my MiniST2 a year ago, I saw they had swapped in the CST Big Boats and had planned to swap them out, but after riding for a few hundred miles I think I'll probably end up replacing them with the same tire when these wear out.  They handle great on just about every surface and don't have the noise and inefficiency of knobbies on pavement. 

I think unless you're on sand or unstable surfaces a lot, the Big Boat tread is just fine.  The bike itself isn't really designed for more hardcore trail-riding that might demand the knobby tires.  I ride streets, compacted wood/beach trails and sometimes packed sand and the BBs do fine for me.  Yes, I was surprised that I ended up liking these a lot.