I had the same problem putting a Cloud 9 seat on the standard Mini ST2 seat post. I used a large channel pliers to squeeze the rails together about 2mm to make it fit. Eventually, I bought another seat post so I could use the Cloud 9 clamp so I would have the option to change the seat angle.

I work in an emergency room and can honestly say that if you go down with your bike and have your arm(s) stretched out to catch yourself (instinct), you will likely break one or both of the bones in your forearm. You'll also have some serious road rash on the palm. I agree with those that suggest leather or faux leather. I ride with motorcycle gloves that have a leather reinforced palm and protection for the knuckles.

I take the battery off and store it in the house after each ride. It's a 30 second step to put it on the charger. I like the idea of charging once it gets down to 50%.

I'm also a believer in the "ride, not worry" philosophy. Hopefully, in a couple of years, someone will come up with replacement batteries with a longer range and that aren't a 7-pound brick.

I know there are other threads here about batteries, but the members here are often "tinkering" and seem to have a better understanding of them than other resources.

I have a Rad Mini ST2. Right now I do daily short rides to work and back and local errands on the bike. It may take two or three days of riding for the battery level bars on the LCD display to go down one bar, although I know that it's being drained each time I ride.

My question is: Should I put the battery on the charger after each ride regardless of the display status or should I wait until it's down to one or two bars to charge it?

It seems like the battery, next to tires, is the most expensive replacement item so it makes sense to get the most out of it.

Thanks in advance.

I had the same issues before I bought my ebike (Mini ST2). I live in an apartment, 2nd floor, with two sets of stairs outside up to the floor. For my motorcycle, I rent a small storage unit about 2 blocks away that works as an ideal "garage". But I wanted quicker access to the ebike. After doing some measurements on my Ford Explorer, I discovered that I can fold down the handlebars, lift the front wheel up into the car then "roll" the bike up and in. It clears the ceiling a couple of inches with the handlebars folded down. So, the Explorer has become my ebike "garage". I put the Mini together in my living room and was able to get it down the stairs. Don't know if I could get it back up without something like a ramp.

I recently read the threads talking about the fact that a blank key will unlock a Rad battery. I know the absolute prevention is to take the battery with me whenever I go into a shop. But I wonder what innovative ways people here have come up with to protect the battery. Could a bracket be epoxied onto the battery through which a cable lock could be passed? I know that anything is just going to slow down the persistent thief, but it might deter the lazy criminal. 

Quote from: JimInPT on March 11, 2022, 07:50:56 PM
Seattle, eh?  I can picture that encounter; did the guy look like this?

Actually it was an older guy, clean-shaven and well-dressed. The kind of guy I'd expect to see in Trader Joes or Whole Foods. 

There are a couple small bike shops near me like you described that I will investigate. I'll post what my experience is with them.

Last weekend I stopped by one of the largest bike shops in the Seattle area to look at locks. I asked if I could bring my Rad Mini in for a safety inspection. The guy was pretty wishy-washy about it and said that they couldn't work on the Rad Power components. I asked if they worked on bikes and he said "Of course". I then said, so my Rad Mini is at least 85% bicycle. Does that count? He told me to bring it in for an "estimate". Did not instill confidence in me.

Thanks, @JimInPT, for the Amazon/seat tip! I'll also look at the Redshift post. That's the only other comfort measure I can think of.

As far as motorcycles go, I have a Honda Shadow Aero, and the seat has been described as "riding a sofa". Now if I can just get my ebike seat to be as comfortable! 

In just the past month, I researched, test rode and purchased an ebike. Having read several helpful posts from others, I thought I would document my experience for people on a similar path.

First, a little background. I am 65 years old, ride a motorcycle but haven't been on a bicycle in 20 years. I live in the Seattle area in an apartment. There is no place for me to assemble or work on an ebike outside and, through a process of minimalizing my life, I have only the basics of tools.

My best friend owns a Rad Power City and had a good experience with their customer service, so that was a good place for me to start. I wouldn't consider buying a bike without test riding it so it was an easy decision to visit their facility in Ballard, north of Seattle.

I first did a lot of online research and found there were many ebike "manufacturers" out there. Many bikes looked similar and I discovered that these companies bought from common fabricators and assembled the components into their own models. I still was impressed with Rad Power because of the price point and variety of models from which to choose. So I visited Rad Power and test rode the City, Runner and Rover. I came away pretty much sold on the Runner 2.

When I got home, I made a list of pros and cons. Free shipping was a nice option and I decided that I could assemble the bike in my living room. I watched their assembly video and was sure I could do it with the tools they provided and the odds and ends that I still had. But there were some cons for me to the Runner 2 that I couldn't get past.

I would never ride with a passenger (I don't on my motorcycle, either) so I didn't need the "passenger package". I would end up replacing the passenger seat with a luggage rack anyway.

And every test ride told me I would be replacing the seat to appease my butt. The Runner 2 seat is fixed to the post so I would have to replace both.

For some reason, I had convinced myself that I didn't want a "folding" bike, so I didn't test ride the Mini. But the more I read about it, including the info in this forum, the more I thought I should give it a try. So I made another visit to Rad Power and test rode the Mini Step-Through 2. It turns out that was the bike for me!

I ordered the bike on Thursday. I ordered an Ibera rack, trunk bag and panniers from Amazon. Also ordered a Cloud 9 seat. The Amazon order showed up on Sunday and Monday and the bike arrived on Tuesday.

I set up the living room so I could watch the assembly video as I put together the bike. It took about an hour and a half. The video was easy to follow and the tools provided were adequate. The perfectionist in me wanted a torque wrench, but I have lived all of my life without one, so I went with my gut feel on tightening things.

I only hit a couple of things that the video didn't cover. The rear brake lever didn't move at all. I had to loosen the rear brake cable to give it some slack and move the pads away from the disc. Also, a connector at the front and the brake light connector were not plugged in.

The rack and bags were easy to install. I later ordered an extension cable to move the brake light out to the end of the rack. Changing the seat was a little challenging. The rails were a couple mm wider than on the stock seat. I had to squeeze the rails together just a bit so the Rad seat bracket would fit onto the Cloud 9 rails. Luckily one tool I kept was a huge vice grips which gave me enough leverage to do that.

The battery was fully charged, so I could take it out for a spin right away. I spent some time adjusting the seat and brakes and getting familiar with the controls.

I wanted to be able to throw the bike into the back of my Ford Explorer. More research and I read about people using a 50 gallon tote to store and move the bike. That looked reasonable, but I wondered about lifting the whole thing up into the Explorer, given it was a 70 pound bike.

It turns out that I can fold the handlebars down and lift the front wheel into the Explorer, then lift the rear wheel up and roll the bike in. A couple of bungee cords secure the bike in place. There is just enough clearance to do that. No back strain! 

I am definitely sold on this ebike. It is fun to ride and I find myself taking the long route on it to do errands. My plan is to use it to commute to work and run local errands. There are several scenic rides locally that I'm looking forward to as well.

So I hope this helps someone as they are planning their first ebike purchase. I know that the posts on this forum helped me a lot in that process.

Here's my version of 4-wheel drive  :

Good stuff here. There's another thread in this forum that has a lot of overlap ("Speed and Responsibility").

https://www.radowners.com/index.php?topic=1823.0

I appreciate my Mini more since I can just throw on a bike helmet and go for a ride. Compared to what is required to own and ride a motorcycle (in Washington state), my Mini fills an interesting niche. It will never replace my motorcycle. And hopefully, ebikes never become so regulated that they become as complex to own and ride as a motorcycle.

This has become a very interesting thread. It makes me wonder what niche do ebikes serve?

I have a motorcycle and a Rad Mini ST. To legally ride the motorcycle here in Washington State, I have to take a class (or two) and pass one (or two) driving tests. I have to have a motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license. The bike has to be licensed and I have to carry insurance. Because of the risks of injury, I ride with a full-face helmet, leather jacket with enforced armor, reinforced riding jeans, ankle-high riding boots and reinforced riding gloves. It's about $1000 of riding gear.

To ride my Mini, I throw on my jeans, sweatshirt and bike helmet. No training, no licenses, no insurance. Off I go, out to the park or down to the store.

Now, 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).

At that point, I'm just going to ride the motorcycle and skip the ebike.

To avoid this, I think people need to have a clear understanding of what an ebike is and the niche it serves as a transportation device that maxes out at 20mph.

That's quite the Frankenstein bike you have there, @MagnumPA!

I'm interested in seeing the differences in road rules, @SemperVee. Like signaling for turns, triggering the damn light sensors at intersections and right turns after red. Around here, bicycle riders blast through red lights and stop signs like they don't exist. I don't think I can get used to that.

I received my Mini last week, assembled and adjusted it, but haven't had the chance to ride much. Blame our Seattle rainy weather!

What I did discover is that it was easier to find large bags for the Mini than for my motorcycle.  That puts in a vote for the Mini being the best for local errands.

One factor that determines when I ride which "two wheel" is the gear I'll wear. I'm a firm believer in ATGATT (all the gear all the time), so there's about $800 worth of gear that I ride when on the Honda. The bulk of that is to protect me from the asphalt. Which brings up an interesting question that I'm researching... how much gear is necessary to protect one on an ebike doing 20 mph?

Road rash still happens at 20 mph!

I agree with mtngrl. In fact this is a topic that I've wanted to bring up in some of the motorcycle forums I belong to. It looks like some of the same things are happening in the ebike world that happened in motorcycling.

There are those that buy a motorcycle and their first thought is "how can I modify this to go faster?". They are the ones that speed through traffic, lane split, zip past me on the interstate and ride through residential areas at twice the speed limit. I assume it's an adrenaline thing and a rebellious nature. But those are the people that give us a bad name. As well as end up in some horrendous accidents.

Whether I'm on my motorcycle or ebike, I follow the rules of the road, am mindful of other riders/drivers around me, keep safe distances and speeds, and just enjoy the ride. Yes, to some that's dull and boring. But, I'm confident that I'll be riding many years because of my philosophies.

I expect that as long as there are people who think that the ONLY important thing is to push the limits, there will be unsafe riders on bicycles, ebikes, motorcycles, scooters, skateboards and anything else that moves.

We are all accountable and responsible for our actions on the road.