The Rad display will allow you to "unlock" a little speed, but it's only a few MPH, and it won't improve the torque.

No, you won't harm the stock motor by running it without a load. It will just reach it's specified RPM and stay there for as long as it has power.
Balancing the battery is a good thing to do, but don't feel like it's an emergency or you have to rush it. The purpose of it is to balance out the individual battery cells inside your battery pack, and it's usually recommended for batteries which are new or have been unused for a while.

If you do decide to go though the process (it WILL give you something to do!), then make sure there are no pets of visiting children that could injure themselves on the spinning wheel. It will take a long time to run the battery down like this because, without a load, it will only draw enough power to keep the wheel spinning, and that is not much (8 to 12 watts?). To make it easier, take a wide rubber band, and put it right on the gap between the twist throttle and the handlebar grip. This will act like a cruse control, and the friction will keep the throttle in whatever position you twist it to. Make sure you take the band off before riding, and never try a thin rubber band because it can go down into the gap, and possibly jam or break, leaving debris inside the gap. Have fun, and resist the temptation to open a bottle of beer on the spinning tire 

Quote from: nextcity on December 14, 2022, 12:51:15 PM
Good thread.  Anyone find a good way of protecting your controller from the cold and rain?  Controller (box), not the LCD screen.

Like a neoprene sleeve that wraps around them.  I can't find anything online.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I did not find neoprene covers, but there are several hard covers on Amazon. One of them is listed below, but you'll need to measure whichever box you are considering to make sure it's big enough, but not too big. I thin neoprene would work better though in your case. That being said, the Rad controller does not really need any special protection. I've ridden mine in rain, mud and snow, and I wash the controller off with a pressure sprayer. Cold has never bothered my controller, and I've ridden mine at -2?F. Rad does not recommend riding in temperatures below 4?F, but that is for the sake of the battery, and I was using a battery jacket. If I fin any other suitable covers, I post it here. Stay safe in the cold!

Link to hard cover:  https://amzn.to/3WmEO8B

I have not been on as regularly thinks to things being a bit busy. Our landlord decided to sell our house so we are looking for someplace to move to, and I finally got a job I can love, but it took crash courses and cramming to knock out all the requirements. Still trying to clean out my brother's house and deal with that as well, so it has not left me with much spare time.

The RadMini has been fun and fine, but it's dark when I get home, so rides are limited. I leave my batteries at storage charge levels, and charge them the rest of the way when I know I'm going to ride. Last night I decided to have some fun, loaded two of the high amperage batteries, and turned up the power. It was a hoot, and hopefully I'll get some more riding in before any serious snow lands.

The correct pads are the Tektro E10.11 found here:
https://amzn.to/3V8KrFP

The official replacement video is here:
https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002088973-Brake-Pad-Replacement-Guide

They are not hard to replace. In summary, you bend the retainer cotter so it's straight, remove the two bolts holding the caliper to the bike, pull out the cotter pin, and remove the pads being mindful of the spreader spring. Back off the caliper adjuster, insert the new pads with the spreader spring, insert the cotter pin, and bend the end to lock it in place. Re-install the caliper without tightening the bolts down, and adjust the position so the inside pad is almost touching the brake rotor (only the outside pad moves). That's just a summary from memory, so watch the video for any additional details.

For stock Rad batteries, they make battery jackets that keep them clean and a bit warmer. The batteries generate a little heat while discharging, so the jacket helps quite a bit. Without the jacket, battery loss was between 25 and 35%. With the jacket, loss is only 10%. I bought mine from DeepCycleBags, but my link is broken.

Quote from: rjp on November 30, 2022, 05:00:35 PM
Altema, I think the new area 13 replacement motor cores are different than what you have been using. They come as just the core now and not a complete motor. Check the picture in there ad and let use know what you think.

Yes, I saw that just after I posted. Smart move, and you don't wind up with empty motor cases laying around, but I expected a lower price.

I'm like Eric7, and rotate the use of my batteries. I have my favorites, like the 19.3Ah "fat shark" battery with Tesla cells, but I make sure I use the other four to keep them active.

How you do it as in individual is up to you, and you can use all the batteries and have them last a long time as a group, or you can beat one battery, and move on to the next one when it's worn out. 

Quote from: Eric7 on December 08, 2022, 01:37:28 PM
I don't have experience riding a trike but here is an interesting point or question.

The left wheel freewheels.  The right wheel is on a coaster brake.  So say a person is going downhill and is uneducated in the workings of this trike, and the person only apply the rear brakes - which in this case is only the right wheel brake.

Is the right rear brake only sufficient to stop a bike + rider + luggage going 12 mph without the application of the front brake?

Would the trike pull hard to make a right turn if only the right rear brake is applied?  How much steering correction is needed?

I am a bit hesitant, I'll wait for the long term reviews.

Naturally, the safe way is to apply all the brakes all the time on a bike regardless of whether it is a 2, 3 or 4 wheels.

On the plus side of things, it seems to be a modular system - to a point. Even if Rad stops making it, you can add your own front drive system. This actually reassures me knowing I am not dependent on one company. Of course, if the rear drive breaks, one would still have a hard time if Rad stops making it but that's (not having a second source for all the parts) pretty standard I think for trikes.

If a person applies the rear brake only, hard, the wheel will just skid and be dragged. Maybe on wet ice there would be an issue with control, but on pavement or dirt, you still have 66.6% traction on the other 2 wheels (depending on loading conditions). Ideally, they could have had inboard disc brakes on both back wheels, but the cable would be a complication on a bike that's designed to be unbolted and split in half.

Quote from: Ryan on December 08, 2022, 08:40:11 AM
Good question, from what I was told it's the same motor found in other models. Unfortunately, I don't know how they made it go backward. The drag seems the same as the other Rad motors unlike a direct drive motor.

The motor may be the same, but the standard motor has a clutch that the planetary gears are mounted to. Reverse would not work with the clutch, so Rad most likely eliminated it, and compensated for the drag with virtual freewheeling. Of course this raises a question: If there is no clutch in this model, is regenerative braking available?

Sucks indeed to lose a job. Hope things work out for yourself, as well as those who are taking a bigger hit.

I don't feel like I'm losing anything significant. I use the same levels of pedal assist, and have not noticed the need for more. If I was one of those lycra clad chaps who has to "prove" themselves every ride, I might be more concerned, but I'm not! 😂

Yes, the Suntour post raises your seat's minimum height. Measure how much exposed seat post you have now, and if it's less than four inches, you will need a different solution.

You can use a throttle rest like the one below, but you may need to adjust the size to fit.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1564878

You can turn it to a good position, and just the weight of your hand holds it in place.

If you want actual cruise control, you'll need to swap your controller for that feature. The 35amp controllers from Area 13 and Electro Bike World both have built in cruise control which works very well, but does not like it if you pedal. Phaserunners have cruise control, but it does not work well unless you change your throttle control mode to "speed" and make some adjustments. On the good side, the Phaserunner cruise control meshes perfectly with your pedaling, unlike the 35amp controller. I disable my cruise control in the settings, and just turn it on when I know I'm going to intentionally use it. When you are using it though, it's a joy to relax your hands and arms, or even go without hands if it is safe to do so. Touching the mode switch, throttle, or brake levers instantly turns it off.

That looks awesome!