Lots has happened in the last few months and I have not been posting much. My brother passed away and I'm still cleaning up the mess he left behind, we've been house hunting because our landlord is selling the house we're in now, but on the good side I did a major career change which is working out well. I still have some time to ride after work, but it's usually a quick one while the sun is going down. Local group rides started recently and I've been on three of them in two weeks:

1. "Wrench and Ride" sponsored by Trek. Short ride around Detroit, casual pace with a mix of e-bikes and pedal bikes.
2. "Electric Thursdays" not specifically sponsored by Trek, but hosted by the Trek Bicycle shop. Slightly faster pace and longer route, with more OneWheels and EUC's.
3. "A2 Tech" ride with YouTuber Rik Cordero (Runplayback). This was just an impromptu get together, and possibly due to the cold, there was only the four of us. However it was the longest ride at close to 20 miles.

I was supposed to go this weekend on group rides in Maryland, Washington DC, and possibly Delaware, but complications arouse and I stayed home.

The bike is running VERY well, and efficiency has gone way up. On the "Wrench and Ride", I did 12 miles on a single 20ah battery, and finished with the battery at 99%. On the A2 Tech ride yesterday, we mostly throttled, and at the end Onyx LZR Pro was down to 40% and the Ariel Rider X Class battery was almost dead. The RadMini was running the dual Tesla batteries, so I was not concerned about range, but even I was surprised to finish the day at 94%. Only downside to this ride was the mediocre pizza, and almost freezing! It was raining and we had micro-hail as well, and I was shivering after riding back to my car. Thank goodness for excellent heat on the way home! I'll post pictures from the rides soon.

Quote from: MagnumPA on March 07, 2023, 06:01:18 PM

Quote from: Altema on March 07, 2023, 04:03:57 PM
Today there were a bunch of stories about "E-bike battery sparks 5 alarm fire". It was a terrible fire indeed, and they had news conferences and everything.

Only one problem: It wasn't an e-bike.

So what was it?

It was a sit-down electric scooter with the battery pack under the footboard. 

That washer definitely should not have been there. The skewer nut should rest on the naked fork surface, and mates with the serrated surface you mentioned.

If you are going over the weight limit, then I'd go with something else. If you can keep your loads in check, then a simple controller swap will get good torque out of the stock Rad 750 watt motor, which is actually fine with 1600 watts peak. Upgrade your brakes though, as getting up to speed quicker will put you in situations where you need to stop quicker.

The Lectric XPedition mentioned by BeachWagon is a good choice with a higher weight capacity. The Lectric is 750 watts nominal, 1310 watts peak, while the Rad is 750 watts nominal, 750 peak because Rad wants to stay legal. Even if it means a poor public perception for people hanging on wattage numbers. Rad could do a 1000 watt peak motor with ease, but bigger companies are more frequently targeted by lawsuits.

Start your decision by being honest about the weight capacity, and start with a good foundation that handles that weight, even if it isn't Rad.

When my tail light went bad, it caused my controller to error out, and I have a Phaserunner! Replaced the rear light and no problem since.

Today there were a bunch of stories about "E-bike battery sparks 5 alarm fire". It was a terrible fire indeed, and they had news conferences and everything.

Only one problem: It wasn't an e-bike.

Quote from: handlebar on March 07, 2023, 01:01:07 PM
https://www.ul.com/services/e-bikes-certification-testing-ul-2849

If you scroll down to Addressing Public Safety, it's an informative talk by Ibrahim Jilani, followed by Matthew Thomas.

Good article, and having UL certified batteries will benefit everyone except shady battery makers. I watched a YouTuber interview a company that makes battery packs for Onyx's and so forth, and although they boast about their batteries being safer than others, the one worker didn't understand the basics of battery pack science.

The confirmed number is 274 fires which MAY have been e-bike related. The majority of them with photos showed it was scooters, hoverboards, and home-made e-bikes. If there's a fire and an e-bike is in the vicinity, the e-bike usually gets blamed even if it didn't start it. We do need to be cautious, and I get my batteries from trusted manufacturers, but not every bike is bursting into flames. It's odd that there are 21,800 fires caused directly by space heaters every year, but they focus on e-bike fires...

I have not come across any parks yet in Michigan that are class 1 only, but if that event occurs, I can disable the throttle via controller settings. Not sure what the crime is regarding the throttle, as it makes your bike 0% faster. Some parks and trails have their own restrictions though, and my have strict rules in place to accommodate grants for funding.

The likely cause is the factory screw mounts were not even, forcing the battery mounting bracket to distort when tightened. Your fix solved that though! My original battery was a little snug, but not that snug. My aftermarket battery mount was less tolerant of the unevenness, so I had to use a thin washer on the middle screw to act as a spacer.

Clever location for the DATEX3, and the capped blanks were an excellent idea.

Hi, and welcome to the forums! Clicking or creaking of the handle bars is usually from the stem faceplate that clamps onto the handlebars, or the connection between the stem and the steering tube. Make sure the faceplate has a gap at all four corners so that the faceplate is not actually touching the stem. If the faceplate is touching the stem at one or more corners, it means the clamping forces are uneven. To correct this, you'll need to remove the display to get it out of the way, remove the faceplate, clean the handlebar, faceplate, and stem mating surfaces, and reassemble. The faceplate should be installed so that there is an even gap at all four corners, then tighten each bolt, alternating in an "x" pattern until all four are tightened to 10 nm of torque.

If this does not correct the issue, then you should remove the stem from the steerer tube, clean the surfaces, and reassemble. Be careful with the stem, as some of the inside edges may be sharp. After the top screw in the cap is adjusted for proper steerer tube bearing tension, tighten the main horizontal stem bolts to 15 nm of torque, alternating between the upper and lower bolt evenly.

If the problem persists, then contact Rad, and they may send you a new stem to rule out any hidden manufacturing defect.

Quote from: Muskie1 on January 01, 2023, 06:04:39 AM
A lock is essential. My bike is only recreational. I never leave without 2 guns. Detroit area is hell.

Really? I drive TO Detroit to ride 😂

Folding locks are awesome for their convenience. I have a couple of huge U Lock's, one of them with a theft "guarantee", but it excludes e-bikes. I've used the folding lock dozens of times, the U locks only once because they are such a hassle. What I really wish we had is a fat tire version of an Amsterdam lock, but in the US it would not prevent someone from throwing your bike in the back of a truck.

I didn't find neoprene covers specifically for controllers, but I did find the items below which could be useful

Sleeve with zipper, can be connected together side-by-side for larger diameter
https://amzn.to/3WtkkLj

Similar to above, but with velcro that can also be cut to length
https://amzn.to/3I8vrFe

Neoprene fabric for custom solutions (perhaps attach with velcro straps?)
https://amzn.to/3vm1pGs