Quote from: klurejr on May 26, 2023, 01:00:44 PM
That is awesome, I would love to be able to reduce down to a bike for commuting. I go into the office 3 days a week and at 34 miles one way, changing from my motorcycle to a bike, even a fast eBike would triple my commute time.

If I lived 15 miles or less from the office I would be all over this.

May I ask what sort of medical emergency you had?

When I was 34 my Aorta dissected and I landed in the ICU for a few weeks. Initial symptoms were similar to a heart attack, but it took a CT to show my heart was fine and my pipes were not. That was almost 11 years ago now.

In my case, I passed out behind the wheel of my car.  I was driving home and was feeling light-headed.  I managed to pull over to the side of the road, but passed out and ran into a telephone pole before getting the car into park.

The hospital ran a battery of tests including XRays, CT Scans, echocardiograms, stress tests, and dozens of blood tests.

Everything came back normal.  I then spent a month with an endocrinologist checking my blood sugar levels.  Again, perfectly normal.

So I did my own research and concluded I was suffering from vasovagal syncope.  Basically, a nervous system disorder where the heart doesn't get a signal to speed up and work harder.  It was most noticeable after a meal (post prandial hypotension), where the blood pressure falls after a meal.... especially if I consumed rapidly digestible carbs.

So I cut down portions, stayed hydrated, cut down on carbs, and did more exercise.

It took 12-months, but I'm 90% of the way to full recovery.

Glad to hear you survived your aortal issue....most don't.

It was about one year ago that I suffered a medical emergency that put me in hospital for 1-week, and sent my car to the scrap-heap.

Despite a battery of tests and being placed under the care of an Endocrinologist, no cause of my medical condition could be determined.

Rather that performing more tests, our medical system washed their hands of me and left me to my own devices.

So, over the last year, I've taken matters into my own hands, did my own research, and made some lifestyle changes.  And although tests indicated that there was nothing wrong with my ticker and my blood sugar levels were normal, I wasn't so sure.

Adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle was easy.  More veggies, fewer carbs, cut calories, more fish, less red meat, regular exercise... you know the routine. 

Having no car, and with car dealers without inventory, I decided to give a no-car lifestyle a try.  First, I needed a bike for necessities.  To meet that need, the Radwagon cargo ebike did the trick.  And although the bike is great for local grocery runs, I was limited to about a 20Mile radius.

So, I became a regular user of Amazon and Big-Box store delivery services.

And although living without a car is indeed manageable here in the lower mainland of BC where the weather is rather temperate, I'm sure excited about getting my new car next month.

I am pleased to report that over the last year, my health is much improved.  I haven't had any medical issues for months and lost 60-pounds.

I plan to continue my health-restoration journey; however, I fear if I lose any more weight, half my clothes will be unwearable.  😊

Just received an update from Rad.....  all RW4's that have been impacted by the tire (tyre) fiasco will see their bike warranty extended to March 2024.

No action required....Rads files have been updated accordingly.

Just received notification from Rad via email that my replacement tires are on their way.  So it looks like Canadians will start seeing their replacement rubber soon (at least on the West Coast).


Curious, has anyone received notification that their RW4 warranty will be extended to compensate for months of downtime?

Quote from: RadMig on January 15, 2023, 03:10:30 AM
Update January 2023. The company has notified me and shipped the repair kit which covers the safety concern from last year. The repair kit including the two new tires tubes and so on have been shipped to me and I should have them by the end of this week. They will probably refer me to a local bike repair shop and I'll take it in and let them replace the tires. Then I can finally start writing the bike!

Where are you located?  Up here in Canada, I haven't heard of anyone taking delivery of the replacement tires.

There are only two locks out there worth considering....the Hiplok, and the Litelok.


Both out of the UK.

Quote from: Altema on December 11, 2022, 07:10:43 AM
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.

I'll have to give that a try...thx.

After totaling my SUV this summer, and spending a week in hospital, I decided to see if I could survive without a vehicle in my life.

Of course, I would need something to get around and to pick up supplies.  And the Radwagon-4 fit the bill.

I'm pleased to report that after a few lifestyle adjustments, and some refinement of expectations, I've adjusted just fine to relying on my ebike for my day-to-day needs.

I do plan on getting another vehicle, however with supply line constraints, getting a suitable replacement vehicle may take another 6-months.

Perhaps another ebike is in order? 

Took my first winter ride yesterday.  Temperatures hovered just below freezing.   My battery was about 80% charge and stored indoors where it's warm (70degF).

It didn't take long before the bikes performance started to suffer.  I would estimate at least a 30% drop in power with a similar loss in range.

I've learned that low temperature riding can do permanent damage to your battery.

Has anyone experimented with insulating or perhaps wrapping your battery with a heater?  I've sourced a 12V-15W heater that I'm considering fastening to the battery in an effort to keep it warm.

Would be interested in hearing about your experiences as it promises to be a long, cold winter.

Given the milage you've reordered, it would appear that your ribbed tires escaped the QA issue and should be fine.  Still, who needs to worry.

I fired an email to RAD and they confirmed that I'm on 'The list'.  Still, an auto-generated email would have been preferable.

The Specialized I have on order is indeed a premium bike.  I'm hoping the premium price reflects a superior customer service experience, should it be needed.

Latest update from Rad...we're now looking to March 2023.

https://radpowerbikes.ca/pages/RW4-repair-process?_kx=RjJIAvgypc4aQNDle9K8fu3opHfcxZMsfGQaF-J-tUA%3D.NYQ3iY

I'm riding on the spares now...I don't like being in a position where I'm one tire failure from having the bike up on blocks.

Rad best come through soon.

I'm fairly confident that that Rad will re-list the RW4 for sale once they've established a source for safe replacement tires.

I just spoke with a neighbor who owns a bike repair shop.  He recently returned from a meeting with Rad at their head-office where they said the RW4 replacement tires will be shipped out some time in December.  I speculate that based on Rads track record, we won't see them until 2023.

In respect to resale, if Rad can get the stink of this recall sorted, then the RW4 will see resale values in line with any other ebike. (Perhaps marginally better given it's unique features)

However, if they can't shake off the bad press, then value will tank like the Titatnic.

 

After months of dead-air from Rad in respect to the shipping of replacement tires, and now they don't even respond to my inquiries, I've decided to replace my ebike.

To that end, I've ordered a new ebike from Specialized which is scheduled to arrive in about 2-weeks.

I'm hoping that purchasing a bike from a reputable company with a great dealer network will result in decent customer service.

If and when I receive safe replacement tires from Rad, I'll put my RW4 up for sale and wash my hands of the matter.

Perhaps now we'll see some action on the defective RW4 tires:

https://www.geekwire.com/2022/rad-power-bikes-ceo-mike-radenbaugh-replaced-by-former-sony-leader-phil-molyneux/?fbclid=IwAR0D-pm_JICjKGOYzWXNVgJ2_oNRJ6iSHf_s8laMNcGCE6rbc3rAh3SwyO4