Quote from: taskrov on July 25, 2021, 11:57:57 AM...I never ride the bike when it is wet, but I have run through small puddles if I could not avoid it. The controller is not water tight at all...

Amen (except for the couple of times I got caught out in the rain, but hid under bridges before getting soaked, and maybe started out again on wet  pavement too soon, before it completely dried out).

Anyway, after examining the seals on my 2020 RadMini4 controller, I came to the same conclusion you did, and I was always cleaning mud and other gunk off the outside of it. So I made a shield out of clear 6 mil polyester/Mylar/BoPET secured by just 2 small 14 lb tie wraps that I planned on leaving in place just through the spring mud/puddle season. We've had a relatively wet last few months so it's still there, and just may be a (semi)permanent thing. It wraps around underneath the bottom bracket to also protect the rats nest bundle of wires there from road splash up and dust.

Time will tell if the lack of airflow over the controller causes overheating on long steep Assist Level 4 or 5 climbs, but so far no problems.

I have a 2020 RadMini 4 that's just a little over a year old. Last year I probably did at least five ~20 mile rides at 90+°F, with one 51 miler (never again!). As far as I can tell the capacity of my Rad OEM battery hasn't diminished, but it's only been a year. The battery never felt overly hot after those trips (I wish I had checked it with the IR thermometer), but after all, they were mostly in Mode 1 assist level. If you're running at higher assist levels, a battery cool down period of a couple of hours might be in order.

When pushing for maximum range last year on a relatively flat canal trail with the just off the charger 100% charged Rad OEM battery I got 55.5 miles (in Mode 1 for 95+% of the time).

This year I pushed it to 63.5 miles under similar conditions, again Mode 1 for 95+% of the time.

While neither of those trips were at 90+°F, I think they show that last years hot trips didn't kill my battery (at least not blatantly obviously).

Also, despite the warnings, OCCASIONAL instances of fully depleting my Rad battery have not destroyed  or even harmed it in any measurable way so far, but I do recharge it to at least 80% IMMEDIATELY after getting home.

The #1 thing to do is to formally document the problem and submit a report to Rad support, if for nothing more than a CYA. Be sure to take pictures of the bike not folded, they're notorious for asking for dumb things like that.

You might want to try a TRUE penetrating oil or spray like KROIL.

The next thing might be to to try to budge or even remove the hinge pin, but I wouldn't do this without documented direction from Rad Support. They may instead tell you to take the bike to a local bike shop so a professional can beat on it with a hammer because they assume that all their customers are dumb a__es.

From the information provided in the OP it's difficult to give a specific response:

1) Did a tire or a whole wheel fall off?

2) Was it the front or the rear?

The main reason for tires "falling off" is low air pressure from a puncture or blowout (been there done that, hurts, also cracked/buckled helmet(s))

The referenced "Bicycle Fork Safety Retaining Washers" generally come on the front forks of "department store bikes" with bolted thru axles. The tabs are designed to fit into rectangular holes machined above the dropout slots. My Rad forks don't have holes for the tabs, but I don't have a RR+ to look at. To install them on a bike without the required slots would require using something like a Dremel tool to modify your forks, which may weaken them and would certainly void your warranty.

Instead of "Bicycle Fork Safety Retaining Washers", the OEM forks on your Rad use "Lawyer Lips", the raised protrusions at the bottom of the front fork dropout slots, which are much more common these days on higher end bikes/those with quick release (QR) skewers.

Most purpose built tubeless bicycle tires have special bead profiles that are designed to mate and seal with a corresponding tubeless compatible rim bead profile. The OEM rims on a RW4 have a standard clincher bead profile, close but technically not compatible with a tubeless tire bead, even if you could find one in 22x3.

With that said, the internets are full of people who have gone tubeless by just taping up their clincher rims, installing regular clincher tires and loading them with gunk, with varying degrees of success (and spectacular fails).

Quote from: radgranddad on July 23, 2021, 01:13:11 PMCouldn't you purchase a device like this to allow the use of a 2" rack?

The 3500 pound rating of that adapter is a PULLING load rating, but in actuality it will effectively DECREASE the tongue weight or load carrying capability of a 1 1/4" hitch because it increases force applied to your installed hitch by increasing the length of the bending moment/lever by moving the load (bike + rack) back 6 or so inches. The increased length at the rear also reduces "departure angle, making it more likely that your rack will drag on driveway and parking lot entrance "ramps".

It's also another joint to introduce potentially wobble, unless special pins/locking devices are used.

They have their place though, I've used one many times to move boat & car trailers around driveways or lots with a more nimble car as opposed to a full-size truck. They're also fine for moving empty or lightly loaded trailers short distances between locations but for carrying two ebikes (or even one) stuck further out from the back of a 1 1/4" hitch, no thanks.

As for inverters, since your Rad charger is rated at 120 Watts at 120 VAC input, a 150 Watt inverter should work but a 300 Watt one would provide a safer margin and an inverter with a  "Pure Sine Wave" output would be less likely to cause problems with the electronics in your Rad charger. Amazon sells 300 Watt Bestek brand inverters that are generally well rated and relatively inexpensive. I've charged Rad batteries with one several times.

However, modern inverters with typical efficiency draw about 12 Amps from your cars electrical system with a charger drawing 120 Watts during the first part of the charge cycle, which might push the limit of some automotive plastic accessory sockets and installed fuses (some are only rated for 10 Amps, check your vehicle owners manual, but installing a 15 Amp rated socket isn't that difficult if necessary). If you're going to be driving between campgrounds while charging for the up to 7 hours it could take to fully charge a Rad battery, that shouldn't put too much strain on a modern vehicle with a fairly robust electrical system, but may push the limits of some economy cars.

If you end up only driving a couple of hours between campgrounds, it wouldn't be a good idea to plan on letting the inverter draw 12  Amps from the battery of a non-running car for the up to 5 or so hours it could take to finish the charge. You could run the engine at a slightly boosted idle to finish, but that might not be good for your vehicle and some modern ones might actually protest.

The smallest Honda Inverter Generator is rated at 1000 Watts, can be found for less than $1000, would do the job, but you may not be allowed to run it in some more rustic non-RV campgrounds.

You're lucky living where you do, I would really love to ride that trail, particularly the Myra Canyon trestle section!

Since when did Rad start  putting protective tire liners in as shipped RM4s? Mine didn't come with liners, I added Mr Tuffys after getting three flats in the first week.

Most canned "spray in" tire sealants are designed for temporary emergency inflation and sealing and any tube they're use in should usually be replaced when you get home (check the specific recommendations on the can). Sometimes you can get away with letting all the chemical propellant out of the tire, patching the tube, and reinflating using real air.

The two most commonly used and highly rated bike tire sealants are both "squeeze in" types from Slime or Stans, again, follow each manufacturers recommendations.

If you're talking about buying one of the aftermarket bike odometers that works off a magnet sensor attached to one of your spokes, 20" is definite NOT the number to use. Some cheaper ones may have a wheel diameter quick set feature but our oversize tires have a vastly different circumference than a typical 20 x 1.5 inch tire. Most of the better ones provide tire circumference measurement instructions and a way to enter that number into the computer's memory (and make minor corrections if necessary).

You might want to check them out at your local bike shop, there have been some with multiple trip counters, a handy  feature in some cases, but I cant remember which one(s) now.

3500+ miles on my '20 RM4 and I still get really ticked every time my Rad trip odometer resets to zero when I stop for more than the ~5 minute display turnoff/reset timeout. People have been complaining about this since the first Rad was produced, another sign that Rad doesn't really listen to or care about users despite their self aggrandizing lip service.

I personally run 2 Garmin GPS units, usually with one set to constantly show miles to home/starting point using the shortest route

It's difficult to answer your question directly without knowing a LOT more about your situation such as:
  Does your Mini have a rack/racks, and if so, back, front or both?
  Do you have a rack mounted bag (or panniers) to carry an extra battery?
  What's your skill level in terms of doing mechanical and wiring mods?
  Does your 2019 Mini have the battery behind the seat tube, the same a the 2020 RadMini 4?

The easiest, if not the most elegant way to get to >27 Ah would be to buy the replacement Rad OEM battery you linked and carry it in some form of protection on the bike, physically swapping it when needed, which would give the Mini 28 Ah total.

If you buy ANY other single ~27Ah battery (and mounting tray?), you're going to have to deal with modifying something about the wiring in some way to accommodate it (Bolton makes adapters to help with this http://boltonebikes.com/products/radpower-battery-adapter).

I have found the back of seat tube battery location only accommodates up to ~17.5 Ah "Shark" cased series batteries, easily if you don't have a rear rack, or some Dremel work may be required if you do. Wiring  will require modification/adapters and mounting may not be bolt-on but presents no real challenges if you have decent skills/tools.

A "second" battery can be more rigidly mounted to a rack in a variety of ways using the mounting tray almost always supplied with alternative battery brands, or a spare traye ordered from Rad if you buy their OEM replacement battery (and their tray wouldn't even have to be wired in, just used as a carrier).

There are several 3D printed Rad OEM battery compatible carriers (tray ONLY, no electrical connectors/cable)  floating around the internets, just be aware that not all 3D printed stuff is equal, or even adequate.

On my 2020 RM4, the original 14 Ah Rad battery has been supplemented by a 17.5 Ah one from BafangUSA for 31.5 Ah total. All on-bike wiring was left stock during the warranty, I "swapped" batteries by reconnecting the 2 connector plugs in the wiring bundle under the seat tube. I bought one of the electronic parallel battery connectors, but this winter I'll probably switch to an A-B switch as I'm more comfortable with that type of troglodyte circuitry when I'm far from home.

I've hit 102 miles so far (98+% in Mode 1) with some juice left in the battery (if not the legs), should be able to do ~130+ if I work my tail off.       

I became convinced long ago that there was no such thing as a comfortable bicycle seat, but thankfully there are a few that are significantly less uncomfortable than others (I've had just about everything from Brooks to Z over the years).

Something like the Cloud-9 Cruiser Select Airflow ES Softtouch Vinyl 49526 has worked well for me on my Min 4 for 3500+ miles (the ES means elastomer suspension, not steel coil springs).

BUT, what kind of cloths you wear can make just as much difference as the brand or construction of the saddle on your bike.

Coarse weave cotton underwear can be like sandpaper after 20 miles, there's a reason that many cyclists wear shiny smooth padded stuff. Synthetic or high thread count/hard cotton can be quite comfortable in the 20 to 40 mile range, but I switch to padding when planning on doing 50 or more miles.  I wear jeans because of the amount of time my legs spend in contact with brush and the ground, but Gevjon Paded Men's Cycling Underwear from Amazon have worked well for me out to 100+ miles so far (butt lotions can help a lot too.)   

Have you checked the 5 Amp "CHARGE" fuse on your battery? It's a bladed ATC type, under a rubber cover that can be pried out. They've been known to blow for no apparent reason and when they do, will produce similar symptoms to what you are experiencing. Rad instructions for checking/replacing battery fuses can be found here:
http://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002324673-Battery-Fuse-Replacement-Guide

All this C/x and voltage measurement stuff is far more complicated that it may initially seem, and is only serving to obscure a practical answer to the OPs original question. The last article cited, while containing no truly misleading information, was written in 2008, long before the Samsung 35E (or equivalent?) cells used in our Rad batteries were released (2015), and the Battery Management Systems (BMS modules) inside our battery packs reached their current level of sophistication. If one wants to design their own charger, bear in mind that our Rad batteries are 13 Series/4 PARALLEL packs, and that affects the C value (as in multiply by 4). Also, did you have your battery switch Off or On when taking voltage readings (it makes a difference)?

So, if an average Rad user wants to try get a little more life out of their battery pack without getting a math headache every time they think about charging it, and don't want to build a special contraption to charge to ~3.81 volt per cell termination overshoot voltage (to provide the Samsung specified 3.60 nominal "rested" voltage), only ride ~5 miles or less at no more than Assist Level 1, and keep it in the refrigerator between uses, then something like the Luna Advanced 48 Volt Charger is a proven commodity that's hard to beat (when it's available).

Here's the bottom line; Charging  to 80% at 2 or 3 Amps whenever possible is probably the best thing most typical users can do to add significantly to their Rad battery longevity IF most trips are short enough to not go below 2 Battery Capacity Bars showing on the Rad LCD Display. If you find yourself frequently ending up with 1 Bar showing, it would probably be safer to charge to 90% (the Luna Advanced charger will also do that) initially to try to reduce the number of times you end up at 1 bar. If you've already charged to 80% and decide to go on a longer trip, topping up to 100% JUST BEFORE THE TRIP will be less harmful to the battery than charging to 100% and letting it sit in a fully charged "just in case" state (100% charging has two negative aspects, just doing it, and leaving the battery in that state for significant periods of time, and the same applies to leaving batteries sitting around in a FULLY discharge state, avoid it). Charging to 100% in two time separated stages also reduces individual cell heating, another plus.

Here are some more factoids relevant to using a Luna Advanced 48 Volt Charger, in no particular order:

A Rad Battery pack charged to 80% will still show ALL 5 Battery Capacity  Bars on the Rad LCD Display, you just won't get as far before dropping to 4 Bars.

Always charge with the power switch on the Rad battery pack in the ON position, it WILL make a difference in charge termination profile & behavior (PARTICULARLY with current Luna Advanced chargers, at least as of early 2021). You can turn the Rad LCD display OFF, but if you don't, it should go off by itself after a while (at least until Rad fixes the PITA thing about losing your Trip Odometer count every time you stop to smell the roses, or something).

Like any other charger, ALWAYS plug a Luna into the AC wall/mains outlet FIRST, so the spark that comes from the surge associated with filling up the chargers capacitors will happen at the more robust power plug/wall socket where it will cause the least damage, rather than the wimpy 5.5 x 2.1 mm DC coaxial connectors on the charger/battery pack (which should be connected LAST and disconnected FIRST).

The Luna comes with an XT60 DC Male output connector (could be replaced with an anti-sparking XT90 if you like re-engineering things) so it needs an adapter with an XT60 Female to 5.5 x 2.1 mm Male Coaxial connector to fit the 5.5 x 2.1 mm Female (plastic) socket on the Rad Battery Pack. When shopping for 5.5 x 2.1 mm Male plugs to make your adapter (if Luna doesn't have them in stock at the time, a frequent occurrence) you may note that many of the listings on Ebay and Amazon say theirs are rated at 10 Amps, don't believe it, they're either lying or talking about Chinese Amps. Figure 4 Amps at best to be safe, (which makes the maximum 5 Amp charge rate of the Luna Advanced of questionable use, at least with our present batteries). I noticed the coax connectors getting warm with ALL my chargers, so attached is a thermal scan of the back end of a 5.5 x 2.1 mm coax connector plugged into my battery while being fed 4 Amps by my Luna. The plastic cover has been removed from the back of the plug to get a more accurate temperature measurement. 140.7°F is as high as I'm going to let things get, considering that the internal temperature at the actual connector contact junction(s) has to be even hotter than that. Limiting charge current to 3 Amps would be safer.   

Most current Rad full size Battery Packs have a 5 Amp fuse in the charging circuit, which should be OK for charging at up to 4 Amps (as long as you follow recommended practices/sequences to avoid connector plug in surges). Samsung says the normal charge rate for 35E Cells can be up to 1700 mA, which multiplied by 4 (because of the parallel circuitry use in our battery packs) would be OK for a 6.8 Amp charge rate. Samsung also specifies a  "Maximum Cycle Life" charge rate of 1020 mA for the 35E cells, which would be 4.08 Amps for the pack, which fits nicely with Lunas next to the highest switch selectable charge rate. I sometimes charge at 4 Amps just before going out the door after a last minute change of plans, and although it's nice to have that option, I'd limit the rate to 3 Amps with all but the best coaxial connectors (verified by actual thermal scans).

For those who hang up their bikes for longer periods of time during winter and want to store their batteries at the Samsung recommended life maximizing long term storage voltage of 3.6 volts per cell or 46.8 volts for the pack (resting voltage after at least 20 minutes, NOT charge termination voltage) Luna chargers don't offer and easy way to do that, but fortunately our bikes do, sort of. Just run the battery down a little past the point where 2 Bars show up and "stick" on the LCD Display and it should be fine. Avoid high storage temperatures, the colder the better as long as the battery pack doesn't get below ~0°F. When it's time to use it again, let it warm up to room temperature before charging/use (8 hours or so should be fine, no forced heating/condensation).

If you have a choice of parking your bike in the shade or in direct sunlight on a hot day, go for the shade.

Don't slip into a state of Analysis Paralysis! Treat your battery with the respect it deserves, but remember to have fun. I'm only planning on my Rad batteries lasting 5 or 6 years (even though I'm current using MANY individual 18650 Lithium Ion cells much older than that on a regular basis, I just don't charge/discharge them as often as I do my Rad batteries). If some of the things I enjoy doing end up shortening the lives of my battery packs by a few months, I could care less.

Quote from: Veggyhed on May 06, 2021, 06:38:08 AMWhat size save your seat lock did you buy for the mini four 2020?

Sorry, their 32mm size is the correct one for our bikes (which have 27.2mm Seat Post, and 32mm Seat Tube ODs).

Quote from: Veggyhed on May 05, 2021, 05:19:25 AM...what size save your seat lock did you have to buy for your mini 2020?...

27.2mm

I initially did something like the washer in the video you linked BUT:
  1) You have to turn the lock crosswise, which means the clamping force on the seatpost tube is reduced, allowing it to slip easier.
      The lock is designed to work with its slit aligned with the one in the Rad seat tube for maximum pinch force/grip.
      Some people have squirmier butts than others (I'm apparently one), which probably exacerbates any potential slipping problem.
  2) With the long dimension of the lock sticking out to the side, the inside of my leg used to brush against the tip of the swing out locking arm,
      irritating my leg and psyche. I cut a bit of the tip off, which helped.

I eventually made an insert with pins which just slipped into the two screw holes at the top of the Rad OEM battery, wedged between the  battery the seatpost, and  caught under the Grove Seat Lock, which kept the battery from being lifted up. Twisting the seat lock at an angle as shown got the pinch slits closer to each other and helped reduced leg interference and seatpost slipping (pictures 1 & 2).

In measuring things while planning to replace the original Rad battery with a larger one, I discovered the three frame mounting screws on the OEM Rad battery mounting tray of my 2020 RadMini 4 could be loosened and the battery pushed  down a bit, which allowed the Grove Seat Lock to be turned to the correct orientation (with no extra washers or special inserts needed) after lengthening the slots of the battery mounting tray only slightly. It was so close that some Minis may not even need to have the slots lengthened, depending on manufacturing tolerances. Picture 3 shows the final arrangement, and although that isn't a Rad OEM battery, my Jumbo Shark case is similar enough in that respect. Note the cut off tip on the swing out locking arm of my lock, no longer necessary with this configuration.

Also shown is my my double redundant, non-quick release seatpost clamp above the Grove lock. It's permanently attached to the seatpost  just to aid in slamming things back together after the seat has been removed for servicing or transport without having to do anything to set extension.