You need to make sure that it can handle the total weight of all bikes you intend to carry. EBikes are generally heavier than standard bikes, especially cargo bikes such as the RadWagon.

Since I mention RadWagon, you also need to consider the width of your bikes as well.  The RadWagon rear footrest requires a rack that can handle their heavy weight and wider width.  One such as Hollywood Racks HR1450Z-W.

https://hollywoodracks.com/collections/electric-bike-hitch-racks/products/sport-rider-for-cargo-bikes?variant=19653572067397

Also available from etrailer at:

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Hollywood-Racks/HR1450Z-W.html

This rack can carry two cargo bikes or one standard bike and a cargo bike.

REMEMBER to remove your battery and carry it inside the car.  That will lower the weight and worry of damage or loss.

I have two 2018 RadWagons and when I purchased the then recommended bike rack from Rad Power Bikes that they said would carry two RadWagons I discovered that it would NOT. I had to remove the two inward facing footrest... one from each of my RadWagons.  I called RadWagon support and it surprised them!  I emailed Hollywood Rack to confirm the issue and they agreed, the rack could not handle two wide Cargo Bikes.  They asked me about market size, do I think it's big enough for them to design a solution... I told them they best contact Rad Power Bikes.  I stated I believe so as I see so many offered by different manufactures.  Guess they did and the result was their new rack above.   They sold me a retrofit kit for 20% off the parts for my rack.  Still meant I paid more in the end for my rack than the price above, but at least I don't have to remove the two footrest any longer.

So, in short,  find the total, no battery weight of the bikes you plan to carry and consider width as well.  Also if you have Fat Tires... make sure what you purchase handles this safely.  Especially the weight.

I'm working on a mod to my Hollywood Rack now that will allow me to roll my RadWagons up a ramp and across from one side to the other.  But that will be for another thread. 


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His and Her's White 2018 RadWagons...


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Just reviewed on Bolton EBikes

https://youtu.be/_WKpJCsX91k


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This last weekend I took it out for a test drive after the upgrade.  I started with the max power limited and then worked my way up to max power.

I still need to redo the testing, but here are my first observations. 

The color display looks great!   The pedal assist seems more responsive and I can control how much power is available via the settings.

The limiting factor now seems to be the motor and you have to be careful not to push it as I assume it will fail if pushed too hard.

The motor will NOT go faster with the more power you make available to it. It hits a wall of no return and all that seems to happen is that battery life takes a dive.

My test run was up my street which has a slight incline and a steeper one at the end. I would ride up and then back down trying the brake regenerative feature.  Once in a while taking a trip around the block.

Again, if the motor is the one I provided the link for before, then it is obviously the limiting factor.  At one point the display reported 800 to up to 1000 watts of power and I did not stay there long. NO the bike did NOT take off.

I was easily able to maintain 23 MPH and on the uphill pulling more power I could comfortably reach 16-18 MPH but that was for a short time and I was helping with a bit of pedaling.  But not heavy pedaling.

I need to adjust the settings to what I believe is reasonable for the motor and I'll probably keep the max power down to about the 750 watts RAD has rated the bike for.   Then I'll take it out for a longer ride.

Also, I need to study the settings for the battery life as that seem to not work at all like I expected.   It reported voltage and the bars did not really diminish as expected.  I started with a reported voltage above 50.  I believe it was about 52 volts.  I did not top off the battery before the test drive. I have my DVM ready to take some measurements next time.

My concern right now is my range was really poor/bad.  I believe this had to do with my pushing as much power as I could as many times as I did on a upward slope most of the time.  When I reset the parameters and check the fuel gauge settings, I'll go for a longer ride and take a spare battery with me.

Overall, I see great potential and control I never had with this controller.  I see my next upgrade being that 1500 watt motor they will hopefully come out with at Bolton Bikes and then maybe build higher voltage packs out of the tooo many Rad Battery packs I have. 

More to come after I adjust parameters and go for that longer ride.


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Just email Rad Support or give them a call.  That is how I found the info for the RadWagon.  Sent them an email request about length and tension specs.

Quotesupport@radpowerbikes.com
(800) 939-0310 x2
Monday - Friday
6 a.m. - 5 p.m. PT
Saturday - Sunday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. PT[\quote]


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So it's finally installed.  Received the extension cables for the Pedal Assist Sensor so decided to start with my bike before tackling my wife's...

After thinking a little more about how to install the controller I decided it's probably not a good idea to install it on a block of wood as that would not maximize are flow and cooling.  So I was thinking about standoffs and maybe a platform that I cut the center out of..... then I found the brackets below at work and tried these first and they seem to work.



The controller sits nicely on top.  My only concern is vibration, so I'll have to keep an eye on it and possibly use Loctite.



These shots show some of the cable management.  You can see how I coiled up the extra PAS cable.




The display was a straight forward replacement.  Have to say the quality of the mount doesn't seem to be the same of the original, but it works fine.



More on settings next as I need to double check these.

Yea, that means I haven't hit the road yet...


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Quote from: Ryan on January 13, 2020, 12:05:43 PM
Really interesting...thanks for the detailed steps. So for the longevity of a stock bike everyone should attempt to keep watts around 500 most of the time. Curious if you've looked at all what the motor is capable of as far as pushing it. Will the controller push more than 750 watts to it?

There's two places where this is apparent, maybe four if you see the web page from the manufacture of the motor that shows it as a 500watt motor and watch a few of Bolton Bike videos where it seems that motors can be pushed sometimes beyond their rating.

The first hint of a power issue is in the Owners Manual page 19 where it states,

QuoteNotice: It is recommended that users pay close attention and ride within the following limitations to ensure the hub motor does not overheat or become damaged from excessive loading.

• Do not climb hills steeper than 15% in grade.
• Pedal to assist the motor when climbing hills and accelerating from a stop.
• Avoid sudden starts and stops.oWhen climbing hills reduce the power output when possible. This can be accomplished by pedaling with the bike while in pedal assist modes 1 or 2.
• Accelerate slowly.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0799/9645/files/2018RadWagonOwnersManualUSA_updated_9-3-19.pdf?8669

Also repeated on their site:

https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002190354-Riding-on-Hilly-Terrain

*** UPDATE ***   THE ABOVE LINK IS NOW DEAD!!!  I should have quoted what it said for prosperity. Now all I could find on their site is:

https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002193913

Why would you not keep it cranked to PAS 5 and full throttle?

I have... and yes the motor wattage on the display sure does climb to above 740 watts, but hell, its a 750 watt motor and Rad is selling it as a 750 watt eBike....  But I only do this for very short periods of time.  I have never pushed it on a big long hill...

Guess what happens when you follow the directions and turn down your PAS to 1-3... ahhh you don't go above the magic 500 watts.

Here's is where Rad states the type of motor the RadWagon has:

https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000949274-What-kind-of-motor-does-the-RadWagon-use-

Now I know its possible that the manufacture has made a special version of the motor for RAD, however, it's also possible that the motor is actually their:

http://www.syimotor.com/productDe_5.html

And is rated at 350W/500W as shown on their site and when asked it it could handle 750watts they said sure it can...

Either way, the controller is not designed to push out the power needed to maintain above 500 watts.  It can for short periods, but its "rated current" is 9A or 432 watts cruising.

The second source I cannot seem to find online.  I'll have to search my emails.  But I seems to remember their responding to one of my emails where I sent them info on a trail I was hoping to take my bike on that starts with a rather steep 2.5 mile long uphill.  Their response was the same as stated above with the one addition to try and keep the power down to 500 watts or less on the climb.

Just ordered two PAS 3 Wire Extension Cables from Bolton Biles:

https://boltonebikes.com/collections/electrical-accessories/products/sondors-lcd-extension-cable?variant=12380729638935

Only really need probably 4-6 " so I'll have to coil up the extra.


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Here's the sticker I found on the bottom of the RAD Controller with the watts I added using Ohms Law:





Looks like the nominal current is 9 amps, below 500 watts, but can be pushed up to above 800 watts.  That explains why RAD wants us to keep it to about 500 max and only push it higher for short periods. 


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Time for a few photos.

Here,s the original RAD controller in position:


Here's the screws that need to be removed.


Controller Removed:


Template I made by stretching Painters Tape layered across tubes and the another layer length wise.  Then using a sharp long knife I could follow inside along tubes I ended up with:


New Controller laid in place for a fit check:


I'll be needing an extension a cable for the PAS:



Here's the a few views of the inside of the RAD Controller:



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I finally started the install on one of my two RadWagons.

CHALLENGE #1:
===========
Had to cut two screws from original controller to get it out.  Felt like they were put in as self tapping because the resisted coming out for almost there complete length.  I did not see any evidence of lock-tight being used. They are small Phillips head screws and you cannot get a decent screw driver into that area.  They should have been Hex Allen head screws.  I used a small 1/4" Ratchet and a socket I could place a screw driver head into.  Two screws came out and two refused to move and the heads stripped. So I used my Oscillating Saw to cut the heads off and Vice Grips to finally twist the screws out once I had the controller in my hands. 

CHALLENGE #2:
===========
Second challenge is that the new controller is wider and does not fit into the same location between the RadWagon frame tubes in that area.  I have made a template of the area and plan on making a spacer block out of wood for now that I'll paint.  Eventually I'll design a spacer and 3D Print one.

CHALLENGE #3:
===========
Next challenge is that the Pedal Assist Sensor cable coming from the sensor on bike is short and so is the one coming from the new controller. Thus I'll need an extension cable to make that connection.  Looks like all the other cables are fine.  I'm on the hunt for an extension cable now.  I also sent Bolton Bikes an email.  I think I found one on Amazon.

I'll takes pics and post them soon. 

NEXT STEPS:
=========
1) Find and order PAS extension cables

2) Make the spacer block and secure new Control in place.

3) Take pictures


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Here's what Santa brought me to add to my tool kit I carry on my RadWagon:

https://www.handlebarjack.com/




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I purchased a set of front spokes for my RadWagon from:
https://sunnyspokes.com/

These should be the ones I ordered for my RadWagon.  You have to select a length:
https://sunnyspokes.com/products/12-gauge-sapim-leader-silver-18-spokes-with-silver-nipples?_pos=1&_sid=d77485fb0&_ss=r

I figured I can cut them down for the rear, so I have a tool to cut and another that I'll thread them.  Of course, i probably should have just ordered a set of read as well.

Here's what I have:

Spoke Cutter: https://amzn.to/3kQFgds

Spoke Tension Meter: https://amzn.to/3zHuXyv

Spoke Wrench: https://amzn.to/3DH8yUI

Spoke threader:  From eBay originally but could not find again.  Here's the amazon links.

   Cyclo Spoke Thread Rolling Tool for 12g 13g & 14g
   (rollers available separately)
   https://amzn.to/3kR5sVd


   Cyclo Spoke Thread Rolling Head 12G (2.6mm):
   https://amzn.to/3zHGm1k

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Quote from: CZHipster on July 15, 2019, 05:47:07 PM
Well I do not have a Spoke issue. I had all the spokes checked and they were all fine. I also had the brakes checked. Unfortunately, I am still having some drive train noise that appears to be coming from the cranks or gears.   I am headed back to the shop tomorrow,  though the noise is not affecting the performance.   105 miles in 12 days, not too bad.

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It's been a while now... any conclusions on what was causing the noise?  I'm also hearing something on my RadWagon.  Appreciate any updates.  I'll be checking my spokes before my next ride.


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I have a 2018 RadWagon and my commute is about 24-26 miles one way depending on route.  That's a max of about 52 miles round trip.

On my last commute I put it in pedal assist 5, I have the max speed set to 25 so on down hills it doesn't cut out.  The idea is I want to get to work as fast as possible.  My typical rides are PAS 3.  I have a slight down hill grade overall on the way to work. Up and down but overall, heading down.

I weight about 210.   I carry an extra battery and I have an extra charger at work.

I get to work and placed the battery on the charger.  Later in the day it was not fully charged, but I still used it for the ride home which is typically a little more uphill than down.

About 1-2 miles from home, I had to change batteries as I was not getting enough power to move myself and the 70 pounds of bike.  I was also tired as I do pedal with PAS 5 and only use throttle from a stop if I forgot to shift down at lights. 

So... one battery would not be enough.  Two batteries is a must for me and my commute.  Also, having extra batteries opens up longer fun rides, especially when I use PAS 2-3 and only jump up to PAS 4-5 on steep uphills.


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