I was not very happy with my ammo side cases so I've decided to mount my old Honda CBR250 top case. I thought it looked better.

I have read that you can increase battery life by NOT charging to 100% if your ride style does not used up the majority of the charge per ride. My regular maximum return trips usually no more than 4 LED bars.

I am guilty of old school thinking that batteries must be charge fully every time I put it in a charger. Plus RAD recommends charging to 100% at the end of your ride.

I realized that the post was in reference to the old batteries but I assumed it pertains to the semi-integrated as well.

I liked what this member said therefore going forward I will stop charging somewhre in the 8th LED indicator.

https://www.radowners.com/index.php?topic=1001.msg5067#msg5067

Quote from: DickB on May 12, 2021, 04:40:55 PMIf you are not using the full capacity of your Rad battery when riding, you can take advantage of this characteristic and extend the life of your Rad battery. I typically ride 10-12 miles per day, with minimum level (1-2) assist, and my battery capacity drops only about 20% on the battery meter. On trips into town, I ride about 15 miles at higher assist (3-4), and then use about 40% capacity. Clearly, I could charge to only 80% capacity and have ample reserve capacity at the end of my rides.
 
The Rad battery charger will on its own charge to 100% capacity.  You can charge to a lesser capacity with it by simply disconnecting the charger before it has completed a normal charge cycle

Before I even got my RC5+ on the road. I read that a lot of people were having problems with their batteries getting unlocked (stolen) using a blank Honda keys.

Am I confusing this issue with the older type batteries and nothing to do with the semi-integrated battery?

The reason why I am asking is that I am wondering if I should be taking the semi-integrated out of the bike when I leave my RC5+ unattended.

For obvious reasons, I really do not want to be carrying my battery every time I have to leave my bike.

Any thoughts?

I took the bike out for a ride this afternoon unfortunately I only got 10 blocks and I had to turn back. My area was flat so I was not noticing I had no power on my motor. I had power to both UI and PAS console but no wattage levels when I twist the accelerator. I tried powering on and off but still no joy. Got off the bike lift the rear wheel and test the motor. Checked all the connectors. Same result so I went back home because I left my tools behind.

The problem turned out to be a misadjusted brake lever. Earlier in the day my brakes felt like it needs tightening up. So per instructions I adjusted the little screw, I guess I have overdone it. Reversing what I did solved the problem.

I am only posting this as a warning to someone new to electric bikes like myself. I thought I had the dreaded controller problem but I'm glad it's a user error.

I recently read someone losing their bike to thieves. And it made me think of my own situation. Ever since I took possession of my bike. I have never left it unattended. I am so paranoid of losing it that I strictly use it for recreation. I used it to commute to work but I have a secured storage at work. There are times I wished I could take it to Costco for light grocery shopping but I'm always afraid that's too long to leave the bike unattended.

As a precautionary measures my bike has a frame lock, an Apple AirTag, and alarm system. I also used an old Targus laptop cable lock to secure the handlebars. It also acts as a second alarm. I also marked my bike with something unique so that if it ever gets stolen, I can point this out to the cops as proof that it's mine. Photos come in handy too. I have learned that giving the cops the location of your property is not enough due to privacy issues. I do not kid myself that these steps will prevent someone from stealing my bike but it is enough for my peace of mind.

Having said this, I think once the bike gets older, I'm probably going to relax a bit and start being less paranoid and treat it like my car for running errands.

Some of the inconveniences that I see are:
I have to find a secure place to lock it.
I have to take the battery and items on the handlebars that can be easily removed with me.
Secure the removable front wheel & seat.
I have to keep my errands short (under 30 minutes long).

It also makes me wonder if thieves realize that stealing an e-bike is similar to stealing a car. It is no longer a petty crime.

I noticed I am only using PAS1 most of the time. But there are occasions when I needed the 500w to get me up the hill.

This conversion is only 250w but is this a way to salvage your old bikes without doing to much mechanical changes to the original components?

https://www.swytchbike.com/

Nothing new motorcyclist has been doing it before e-bikes. Zip tie and a piece of rubber.

I think I am still more comfortable climbing a hill using my MTB rather than on my e-bike because of the weight.

On my City5+ I make sure
1. the PA is on 5
2. I put the shifter on 4 at the start and shift it higher accordingly.
3. Once I feel slowing down. Then I try giving the throttle a twist. But by this time the motor no longer responds.

I am terrible describing how steep a hill is so I've attached pictures. But even pictures does not show well the slopes. Now I'm getting a little phobia tackling hills even going downhills.


On this particular hill. I manage to get to the viewpoint before I had to stop.

As a motorcyclist when we pass each other on the road we do a wave or a hand gesture that acknowledge each other. Like saying have a good ride or have a nice day. With the exception of Harley riders 

While riding my e-bike I always do a friendly nod or a smile when I come near another rider. I'm disappointed that I'm not getting the same response.

It's sunny today so taking my bike out and do more practice on timing of PA when climbing big hills.

When I installed the kickstand it felt awkward how it was standing. It looked like it was not installed properly because the kickstand was in the way of the cables so I reinstalled it the opposite way. Now I am not sure. How was yours installed?

Added an ABUS frame lock on my City5+. It fits nicely on the frame. I had to move the brake light cable a little bit. It's as heavy as a regular U-lock.

When I took my City for the first time. I pumped 30 psi because 35 seemed excessive but I did not even got a block when I noticed that I can feel all the cracks on the road and sidewalks. It felt like I am going to damage the wheel. So I filled it to 35 and it feels better.

Then I stumbled across an old post and relieved that some riders were using 50. I was afraid that if I pumped more than 45 that I would blow my tires. I feel better now that I know that the tires can handle such high pressure.

How are you riding yours?

I have reached the 75 km odo and according to the manual. check the brake pads for wear and tear. My eyesight is not very good so I resorted to taking a picture of the brakes. But that really did not work that well.

Even at my 250+ lbs, I don't believe I would wear the brake pads that quickly.

My thoughts are more into 500 km before I start taking the a look and inspecting it. I like to apply the notion "if it ain't broke don't fix" on the more sensitive items of the bike (less movement).

Is there any other way to check the brake pads without actually pulling the pads off the callipers?

I swapped the RAD seat to a 2023 Trek suspension seat. After nearly 40 km it became unbearable to continue riding. I took off the RAD seat because I wanted to use Treks suspension post. I'll test how the RAD seat with the Trek post next.

Total Distance: 38.5 km
Elev gain: 277 m
Avg speed: 17.7 km/h
Energy used: 4 bars

Last winter when I hopped onto my bike. It felt big for me but fortunately I was wrong. I was able to raise the seat so that it is comfortable pedalling without feeling I'm not able to touch the ground.

I am disappointed to find that I may not be able to use the front basket because it is obstructing the wiring harness. I have to find a way to route it through the basket and the only way I can think of doing that is to remove everything from the handlebars.

I did not have time to test it on real hill climb but so far I am satisfied with my purchase. It was a long wait but I am happy.

I have a couple of foot pumps at home plus a 12v car inflator. I was thinking of the one I carry with me on the road. I saw deal at Amazon for $50 bucks for electric. But I don?t know their quality.

On the other hand I can probably get a more reliable hand pump with gauge for the same price.
One thing I have to keep in check are the accessories that I add to the bike. Electric pumps are heavier than hand pumps.

Opinions?

I received my new bike a few weeks ago. I put aside the battery aside since I have no use of it due to weather outside.
Now it?s time to start setting it up therefore I begin looking at charging the battery. I took the battery out of the bike and placed it at my work table. When I pressed the button for 3 to 5 secs to take it out of shipping mode, Nothing happened, no light at all.

So I decided to put the battery back in the bike and turn it on. On the LCD display there was a single flashing LED on the battery level indicator. Therefore I assumed since it has so low power was the reason that the shipping mode was not functioning.

I took a picture and proceeded to charge it anyways.

I was thinking why it was not in Shipping Mode? And has anyone received a new bike in such a low voltage state?

First of all, it doesn?t escape me that I am most likely overthinking this issue.
Having said that. Since the bike alarm is going to be hidden. I don?t want the inconvenience of having to pull out the AAA batteries inside the case of the alarm often therefore I want to convert it to a USB.

my concern is the type of battery I should be using. This is my thinking.
A single 18650 battery is safer because the max output is 4.2v. As compared to using a powerbank which I assumed output 5v.

The Fosmon bike alarm is not a sensitive piece of electronic therefore I think either way is fine but I will go ahead and use just a single 18650 battery.

The new battery will no longer inside the bike alarm.

Your thoughts?

I am sure most of us have spent a lot of time researching the type eBike that we have chosen for ourselves.

But have you ever thought that maybe you've made a mistake and wished you had picked different model?

Strictly speaking of RAD Power Bikes lineup. Like what Cher said "If I could turn back time".
Which models would you have chosen instead of the one you bought?

For my own criteria (my age, weight. maintaining balance. health), I think I would have chosen a RADRunner3+

I have pre-ordered the RADcity 5. At the time the original delivery was Sept 26th and a few weeks later received an update saying the delivery was delayed until Oct 6th.

I have no update email regarding more delays or a good news of shipping information like tracking number.

I hate to draw conclusions that what happened to RAD Europe may be happening to RAD Canada as well. I say this because the last update email I got from RAD indicating the delay in delivery. I replied back to this email and got a return reply saying this email address is not being monitored. Since it was regarding the shipment status I assumed it came from RAD customer service.

The other signs was that RADcity 5 is out of stock any colours and Zendesk no longer exists.

It is Sunday and Monday is a holiday therefore I cannot even reach out to RAD Canada customer service.

I originally thought of getting a Juiced eBike but opted to RAD because they have a Canadian branch and they?re been around a long time therefore we?ll established. I?m optimistic that I?ve made the right choice but it?s testing my patience.

It?s still too early to pull the trigger and get my credit card company involved.