I love my RadCity 5 but it has this minor problem where while I'm pedaling or giving it throttle the speedometer works but when I stop pedaling or using throttle the speedometer will go down to 0. It's like there has to be power going to the motor for the speedometer to work

I messaged Rad about it and they replied quickly saying it likely was either a loose connection or the speed sensor in the motor was bad.  They said check the connections and if it's still bad let them know and they will send me a new motor.  Well the next day I went for a ride and it acted normal again with the speedometer working so I thought it fixed itself.

Me being busy working and cold weather (Yeah I know lame excuses LOL) meant I didn't ride it for a month or so.  I get back to riding and it's doing the same thing.  I unplug and replug the connectors and they seem tight but it's still doing it so I replied to the same email that the problem is back and I checked the connectors.  A different guy replies and says it's the display.  I replied that just to be clear it's showing a speed but just a 0 instead of the speed I was going but he understood that.  It seemed weird to me because I would think a bad display wouldn't display anything but they know more than me about their bikes.  He said they're sending out a new display for me.

Well fast forward about a week and there's a package on my door from Rad!  I was excited and opened it up getting ready to replace the display but it looks different than the current one on my bike.  It has a toggle switch and a screw in connector but none of my connectors look like that.  I attached a photo.

So I'm guessing they sent me a display for a different model Rad or perhaps the RadCity 5 comes with different displays depending on when it was made? I'm sure they'll exchange it though.

Do y'all think a new display is going to fix it or was the first guy right?  Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated!

Quote from: Veggyhed on February 14, 2022, 05:06:46 AM
There is a good difference. Do you have any pictures of the light on your bike and what leyzene model light did you use?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

Here is the one I got.  Make sure to get the "High Volt" if you get this model or whatever models you get make sure it is the correct voltage.

LEZYNE E-Bike Micro Drive 500 https://amzn.to/3segKIe

Quote from: Veggyhed on February 14, 2022, 05:06:46 AM
There is a good difference. Do you have any pictures of the light on your bike and what leyzene model light did you use?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

I will take a few when I get home

Quote from: jcvdd on February 11, 2022, 05:19:27 PM
Hello-
Just got my second RadCity 5 Plus bike and like the first, DOA right out of the box.
I have lost all faith in this company and as soon as this bike is returned back for a second
time, its Aventon for me.

Good luck with the Aventon.  I hear their customer service is nonexistent but I've never owned one so I can't say for sure.  Maybe it will work and you won't need it 

Wow I need to figure out how to turn on  notifications for the forums because I didn't realize I had so many replies.  So far still loving my RadCity and other than a minor speedo issue it's perfect. 

The headlight is a big problem for me because most of my riding is at night.  I work at night and on my days off I'm awake and ride at night.  I realize I'm probably in the extreme minority when it comes to that because I think the headlight was mostly intended as a daytime running light.  It looks really cool and makes you more visible.  I had a battery powered headlight to supplement the light and that worked but it was a pain because the battery lasted a little less than an hour so every time I had to take it off and recharge it.

I fixed the headlight problem with a Lezyne headlight.  Don't go out and buy any Lezyne headlight because there are some that will work and some that won't.  I did a bit of research and took an chance.  I made a separate post on the forums listing what I did but I was in a hurry so I hope I didn't forget anything.  It's the same 500 lm at the Rad Premium but it's so much better spread out.  The difference is night and day with the new headlight (pun intended).  With the Rad Premium I had to be on my toes watching out for potholes and I felt this distracted me from watching out for other cars.   With my new light everything is clearly visible!  The only thing I dislike is that it doesn't look nearly as cool as the Rad Premium... If Rad ever fixes their Premium headlight to work like the Lezyne I would pay $200 right now!  It would be the best of both worlds.

Okay enough of my ranting about the headlight.  What do you guys think about the PA levels?  I'm usually in PA 3 max because PA 4 seems a bit much.  I don't see how you guys do the 1500w motors because about 400w seems about the limit where I'm getting a bit uncomfortable.  I guess in the straight away with top speed it might be a thing but taking off from a stop it would scare me 🤣

jcvdd If you don't want fat tires get the City.  What interests you about the Rover if not the tires?  I think they offer a smoother ride with some off road capability with a penalty in range of course.  If you're thinking about snow or off road get the Rover because the tires on the City are meant for low rolling resistance and not traction.  Maybe the geometry might be different but I would bet the electronics, motor and components like shifter and brakes are the same.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Amocat07 you will fry the headlight circuit and maybe something else if you wire up a 1100 lm headlight to your Rad.  From what I've learned the circuit only supports 12.5 w (I can't confirm this and to my knowledge Rad doesn't make this data public) and that includes the tail light and LCD backlight.  Your choices are some type of rechargeable light or if you're skilled you could wire a relay on the headlight circuit then tap directly to the battery.  Of course ideally you would also add a battery protection circuit.  This is something for someone very skilled with electronics and would likely void your warranty.  My recommendation is to stick with a rechargeable headlight if you want 1100 lm

BooneDawg!  I hope you like it.  I don't think I mentioned it in my earlier posts but it can be difficult to get on and off with the non step though version.  I'm about 5' 10" with a 32" inseam and I've gotten better at swinging my leg over the back but it's still a chore.  I think most of it is because I added a basket to the back but I want to be able to bring stuff home without hanging bags off my handlebars.  Don't be too proud like me to get the step through unless your younger or more flexible 🤣

Quote from: Amocat07 on February 10, 2022, 10:17:20 AM
Got 2 Radcity 5 Plus bikes last Saturday; so far, I'd give the bicycle shop that put them together with a D-, the quality of workmanship on the Radcity is a C- while the Step-Thru appears to be better.

I'm confused.  Do you mean the bicycle shop did a poor job putting them together or you feel the RadCity is poor quality?  I have a RadCity 5 non step through version and I don't see any quality issues with it.  The components seem appropriate for the price.  I put mine together myself but I think it's best to have someone do it if you're not mechanically inclined or can't/ don't feel like manhandling a very heavy bike.  If you mean the shop then that would make more sense.  I thought about having mine assembled but the closest bike shop that would touch an ebike is an hour drive away from my home.

Here are all four photos...  I'm not sure why it won't let me put them in the post but makes them to be an attachment.  Hopefully this works!  So the JPEG ones are the ones I edited on my phone to put the name of the light but my app wouldn't work after the two so I gave up.  Hopefully you guys can view the HEIC format if not I can convert it to JPEG

I just upgraded from the Rad Premium headlight to this Lezyne headlight.  I’ve seen some people post that they’ve upgraded their headlight and due to the high current draw it burned out the headlight circuit on the controller.  I suspect this is because they were using one that put out 1000 lm or maybe one for the incorrect voltage. You must get the high voltage model.  This one is rated at 500 lm.

So far no problems with it drawing too much current.  It’s listed as 7.5 watts.  I’m not sure how this compares with Rad headlights since I’ve been unable to find specs.  I charged the battery fully just to make sure that when it’s at maximum voltage everything is still good.


I took some pictures of the Lezyne headlight, the Rad Premium headlight and my Niterider 300 lm rechargeable for comparison.  There are two pictures of the Rad Premium where I aimed it further out in one.  I attached the pictures but it's not showing in preview so they might not show up in the post.  Perhaps since I'm a new member photo attachments aren't allowed?  I will say the Lezyne headlight is a significant upgrade over either Rad headlight

My issue with the Rad Premium headlight is you get this dead zone then the super bright spotlight. It would be a bit harsh of me to call it unusable because I could use it if I’m careful, but the beam pattern is nowhere near as good as most bicycle lights. That’s unfortunate because I think it’s the best looking bicycle headlight I’ve seen.

This modification requires removing the plug off the Rad headlight and soldering it to the wires coming from the Lezyne.  With some heat shrink tubing and dielectric grease to keep water out it will look nice and you won’t have to worry about shorts.  This was my first attempt at soldering anything but if you’re a bit worried buy some cheap wire and practice first.  It just takes two alligator clips and a vise or someway to hold the wires while you solder.

I posted this on Facebook but I figured it might be more useful to people here.  If I missed anything or you have questions please ask.  I wish I had this information before I just did it thinking “what’s the worst that can happen”

Edit so it only posted one picture‍♂️.  I'll try to reply with the others.

I just came across this thread.  It looks like I'm a bit late to the party but if you decide to make more I would be interested in buying one.  I thought about getting a timer but this would be easier.

I put about 55 but I notice it slowly goes down so I check it once a week or so.

Okay I just noticed all of these replies so I'm writing a long reply back to everyone.  Sorry this is so long or if I missed something.


JimInPT I'm not sure if it needed it but I did the 12 hour charge thing three times.  They have a newer style charger shipping with the RadCity 5 but the one I got isn't that.  It's branded Kunshan ST electronics.  Says input 100-240 VAC and output 48V 2A.  It's not hot enough to burn you but hot enough were you wouldn't want to hold it for an extended period of time.  I wish I had a way to measure the temperature but I'd say slightly less than a paper cup with hot coffee in it.

The bell stopped ringing on bumps so maybe it just needed to break in or something?  The bell from Amazon looks nice and I added the horn to my Amazon shopping list.

It's a shame that a bike that costs close to 2k has poorly designed headlight like that.  I really hope Rad fixes this in the future.  It makes me wonder if they actually took it out at night and tested it.  The premium headlight is slightly better but still bad.  I have other removable headlights that charge with micro USB but it's a PITA compared to a built in headlight.  The built in headlight powered by the electrical system is just something you don't have to think about and if this is going to be a "car replacement" like it's been marketed as, this is a big failure IMO.  Imagine if you had to remove your car's headlights and take them inside to charge before you drove at night LOL.

The stock seat isn't too bad.  It seems to be more for comfort.  I don't have a lot to compare it to other than much harder traditional seats.  I did add a Thudbuster ST suspension seatpost and that seems to help.  Everyone talks about the Cloud 9 seats so that might be my next purchase.



geoman that's an awesome video!  I turned the box upside down to get it out since it was just me.  I think your cutters must be poor quality or worn to not cut zip ties.  I think they used some fancy side cutters but I didn't want to buy another tool so I used a safety box cutter that I had. 

After one attempt of putting on the wheel I felt that it was too heavy for one person to lift and do that without risking damage.  I turned the bike upside down resting the handlebars on pillows to protect the displays.  This should be what they should put in the Rad assembly video because it worked very well and was easy.  You could tell with those weird camera angles in their video that they had multiple people off camera holding the bike to make that happen.

Mine also had the Microshift Mezzu.  I didn't notice it wasn't what was listed till you mentioned it.  It seems to work perfectly for me.  The position of the shifter takes getting used to compared to my MTB but I'm not shifting nearly as often so no big deal.

I go from PA2 to PA3 plus sometimes use the throttle for taking off at lights when I'm not in the right gear.  I've even rode it on PA0 and I was surprised it wasn't more difficult.  Of course that's on flat ground.  I couldn't imagine going uphill on a 74 pound bike with a 250 pound rider.  As to the 20 MPH limit I'm not messing with it just yet.  It's fast enough for my comfort zone and if I'm in a hurry and want to go faster I'll drive my car.

I looked at the "ebike" helmets but I suspiciously feel that they're relabeling bicycle helmets and putting some good marking on it.  I couldn't find any certifications to distinguish between the two.  Also if you get a helmet make sure it's MIPS.  I noticed some ebike helmets didn't even have that.  I need to research this more though.



PlacePerson did Rad ever fix your stuck bolt issue?  I can imagine getting a new bike and finding out something needs fixing would be bad.  This is the downside to buying a bicycle that needs assembly.  I have a feeling this would be an easy fix for an experienced bicycle mechanic but for someone like you or me not so much.  Rad really can't do anything other than give advice over the phone and if that doesn't work exchange the bike for another one.  It would be nice if they could ship it a little bit more assembled.



I've had it for a month and a half now and it's been going well for the most part. For the first two weeks or so I had some anxiety about leaving it locked up outside at my work but I came to realize that if it stays in my room then it was just a waste of money.  I bought a very heavy chain that I used to lock it up.  I have some difficulty getting on and off it since mine isn't a step through model.  I think I underestimated this since I didn't have any issues with my MTB but it doesn't have a basket or weigh 74 pounds.  I think this is just something I'll have to work on with my technique.  Riding it has been fun.  It's a little dangerous on the road here but I usually wear a reflective vest and the lights help.  I put on the wheel reflectors and even the reflector on the mud guard.  I did lay it down once going too fast around a corner.  That was a painful lesson to be more careful.  Just some bruises, road rash and a little embarrassment.  I can't let that discourage me though.

This is my first ebike and I'm super excited!  I got my RadCity 5 Plus in today, assembled it, and went for a short ride.  I wanted to share my thoughts as a new person to ebikes and maybe get some input from the knowledgeable people here.  Sorry if this is becomes too wordy!

The box was freaking huge!  That poor FedEx lady looked like she was going to die carrying it.  When I got it in I took pictures of all four sides as suggested by Rad bikes.  Then I cut the tape on the top and thought how am I going to get this out.  I didn't want to cut up the box in case it was damaged and I needed it for return so I carefully leaned it on something and pulled it out at an angle.  Nothing was damaged at least nothing I found yet

Assembly was easy but not as easy as in the video.  That trick where he kicks away the stand and easily drops the fork on the wheel... Yeah I couldn't do that especially since it has you doing it before tightening the handlebars.  I ended up turning it upside down (on carpet) then putting the wheel on that way.  The only other thing I thought was weird was they said insert the quick release on the brake rotor side.  I've seen videos saying you should do the opposite but since Rad made a point to say do it that specific way that's what I did.  Other than setting the kickstand down on my foot it went off without a problem. 


I took it for a ride but it was dark so I had to cut it short due to the headlight being pretty much a daytime running light.  I couldn't see it illuminating anything in front of me.  It's not an issue though because I ordered the premium headlight and just waiting on the post office to deliver it.  I suspect most people don't ride at night so I can't fault Rad for not putting a more expensive headlight on because it would be a waste.  At least they give the option to buy it. 

I tried power level 0-2 and it was not bad.  Even on power level 0 without the assist I had no problems pedaling it.  I could ride it to the store like that.  On 1 I definitely could feel the help and 2 seemed a bit more peppy and maybe it went a little faster.  I'll have a better feel of it tomorrow because I plan to take it out after the battery does it 12 hour charge thing.  I think I'll love the upright riding position once I get used to it.  It feels like you're riding one of those old school bicycles and I really like the look and feel!

I forgot about the bell.  I noticed it would ring a little when I hit a bump.  Is this normal or does it need adjusting or something?

The charger gets very hot like holding a hot cup of coffee hot.  I put a fan on it so now it's cool.  I read somewhere that it's only the first few times it does this.

Sorry for the rambling and please delete if not allowed.  I just wanted to share my thoughts as someone who never had an ebike or even that style of bike before.  Any advice or suggestions are more than welcome!