Recent Posts

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 10
1
RadExpand / Re: A new remarkably light RadExpand 5?
« Last post by handlebar on Today at 05:49:35 PM »
When I assembled my first Rad bike, I discovered that the step-by-step manual skipped the front wheel. I'd never mounted a quick-release wheel or a disk-brake wheel. I had to guess. It came out okay.

My second Rad bike was worse. The skewer assembly came mounted with a hard stainless steel spacer between the nut and the dropout. I figured they wouldn't use hard stainless steel as packing material, so I used it when I mounted the wheel. Several weeks later I noticed that the nut was loose because the spacer had let it rotate. I don't know why it was there in the first place.

My Aventon came with a solid front axle. I can remove the wheel about as fast as with a quick release, and it's safer because it's foolproof besides making a stronger assembly.

The drag and long lever movement of your front brake suggest to me that the caliper is misaligned, like the rear caliper of my first Rad bike. The fix is easy. Make sure that the cable is loose enough to let the lever on the caliper open to the stop. Loosen the two bolts holding the caliper half a turn or so, allowing it to be repositioned.

With a 5mm hex bit on a shaft maybe 6" long, reach through the spokes to turn the adjuster on the spoke side of the caliper. Turn it clockwise until the wheel won't turn. Then back off a click or two until the wheel turns freely.

Now apply the brake with the lever on the handlebar. If the lever bottoms out agains the bar, you'll need to tighten the cable. If you tie the lever to the handlebar to keep the brake applied, the disk will keep the caliper aligned while you tighten the two mounting bolts.

The result should be firm lever action and no drag.
2
Service & Repair / Re: Replacement Brake Pads
« Last post by handlebar on Today at 05:25:58 PM »
When I needed new pads, I noted the brand of the brakes and put a pad on my desk for comparison. I checked Amazon for pads to fit that brand. I compared those offered to the one on my desk. Then it was a matter of choosing organic, semimetalic, or metalic.
3
Service & Repair / Re: Replacement Brake Pads
« Last post by John Rose on Today at 05:17:27 PM »
Have you tried using their online chat in Support? I've had pretty good luck with that.

Do the brake calipers have a make and model name or number? Maybe try that company.
4
Service & Repair / Replacement Brake Pads
« Last post by Franklueck on Today at 03:59:04 PM »
I have a Radcity 5 and am looking for replacement Brake Pads, any suggestions on finding the correct ones?
I have tried generic pads from Bay and also getting Brake Pads and Information from Rad and can't get a answer
Any Suggestions ??
5
Service & Repair / Re: Dreaded Error 21
« Last post by inoxa on Today at 09:30:17 AM »
Glad to hear you have a fix. I am in Error 21 hell now with my wife's white Rad City 5 Plus step thru. I paid $60 for a new wiring harness that we connected but no luck. I contacted Rad support and now they sent me an email with an invoice for a new battery mount and controller @ $200 but when I went to order it was out of stock and when I complained they said it is a supply chain issue and they hope to have the part in January 2024! Almost laughable if not so disappointing.

I am not sure what to do next. The bike is a 2021 so out of warranty but it only had a 100 miles on it.

Sorry for your problem.  Since it is out of stock and warranty, Order an upgraded one from Area13.  They had them in stock last week for your model.  It is worth the upgrade.  You will get more torque/power on your bike.
6
RadExpand / Re: A new remarkably light RadExpand 5?
« Last post by John Rose on Today at 12:20:03 AM »
Yay! it came today (Dec 6). And it's considerably more than 1 pound. The mirror came too but, sadly, the driver forgot to leave the third parcel, which was the saddle bag. The new ETA for that is tomorrow. The tracking info indicates "Local weather delay - Delivery not attempted". Yeah, right. It was on the same truck already. But, the saddle bag is the least critical of the three.

I was surprised to see that it had the Tektro brakes and Shimano shifter, instead of the Radius brakes and Microshift shifter that all the reviewers had been pointing out. The radpowerbikes.ca product description says Microshift underbar shifter too.
Oh, and it has the bell integrated with the left brake handle, like on the RadMini ST2.

The biggest problem in assembly was the front wheel. There was a plastic cap on one end of the axle (not mentioned in the instructions), and when I got it off there a piece left in the axle. I could not get the quick-release skewer through the axle. One end had what looked like a black hexagonal stud sticking out of it. I was beginning to think that maybe this was a third (and undocumented) type of axle. It deformed when I tried to get it out with a wrench, and vise-grips just mashed it further. I this point I decided it was just plastic that broke off the protective cap. I found a steel rod, put it into the axle, and tapped at it with a hammer. Out popped the plastic fragment, making it possible to install the skewer.

Then I hit another problem trying to line up the brake rotor and fit the axle onto the fork. I had to take the brake caliper off completely to get the wheel on. Now the reinstalled front brake either scrapes ever-so-faintly or else the brake handle has to travel a lot more than I'd like before the brake engages firmly. I'll have to fine-tune that before the test ride.

The handlebars are a pill to tighten. I keep tightening the four stem clamp bolts, worrying that something will break. Some kind of knurling would've helped.
Or some of these?


Finally (after midnight) I got it all together and decided to light it up. Could NOT find the keys. I had them earlier in the unboxing. I looked all over my work area and was prepared to dump out the mini trashcan to see if they fell in there. I lifted up the can and there they were, underneath it.  ::)
It did fire up. LED display/control pad worked, headlight and tail/brake lights light up. I drove it two feet forward with the throttle. Four times.
I'll kinda' miss all the info on the LCD display for a while, but I do like having the dedicated light switch. A phone app will give me speed/odometer info.
Quote from: Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud with 30 percent chance of flurries. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40. High minus 3 [Celsius]. Wind chill minus 14 in the morning and minus 9 in the afternoon.
Good enough for me.
7
RadExpand / Re: Will it Fit in____Trunk
« Last post by John Rose on December 05, 2023, 07:34:09 PM »
Added detail.  I bought a big tub.  This makes getting it in and out of my back seat a breeze compared to the trunk!   If anyone wants dimensions I can look.  In Canada only Home Depot Carries that large of a size ... With wheels as a non optional bonus😅. ...
Which brand and model of tub is that, and do the folded handlebars fit inside the tub or hang over the outside?
8
Group Rides / Re: A different kind of group ride
« Last post by John Rose on December 04, 2023, 09:36:01 PM »
I did lose my leftover pizza crossing some rough railroad tracks, and that was the worst of the night for me 😊
As long as the pizza you already ate stayed with you, I count that as an overall positive experience.
9
Group Rides / Re: Copenhagen - Cyclists Heaven
« Last post by John Rose on December 04, 2023, 09:26:34 PM »
PS: The Danes keep saying "wow" when we zoom past them...  8)
Is that with even a Class 1 or Pedelec bike?

Just make sure you don't get carried away though.

10
Group Rides / Re: Copenhagen - Cyclists Heaven
« Last post by John Rose on December 04, 2023, 09:02:12 PM »
I think it would be great if everyone had their national flag attached to their profile so we could see where everyone is from.
It takes a bit of hunting around to find out how to add an avatar to one's Profile.
But I found it.
It's under Rad Power Bike Owners Forum >> Profile of [user name] >> Forum Profile
Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 10