The Aventon Abound has turn flashers in the tail light. A reviewer said hand signals are better because, depending on a following driver's position, the lights might not get his attention.

To be seen, I wear a fluorescent yellow reflective vest, like cops and maintenance workers.

The most important change I made to my Radrunner was to move the seat back for better control when I took a hand off the bar to signal. That also made hand signaling safer on my Radmission.

If I needed a battery, I'd check Amazon. They have several that look like Rad batteries for under $300 US. I saw one that's UL listed. They come with carriers in case they won't slide onto the Rad carrier. I'd want to make sure the connector on the new carrier would plug into the Rad wiring harness.

I'd like to hear how the motorcycle tire performs.

Quote from: crnhusker on October 21, 2023, 02:26:03 PM
I have contacted support but also interested in your thoughts. My rad rover 6 plus (purchased in August 2023) had an issue w the headlight not turning on but nonetheless it was rideable. As I am working w support through email there's some delay's back and forth but still able to ride casually on warm days, never in the rain. Today when riding within a block of our house the bike made a loud pop/grinding sound as if a small rock was in the break. I immediately stopped, got off the bike, and looking it over saw smoke coming from the pedal area...wondering now if perhaps there's a fuse in that area that popped? I've not taken things off the bike other than the batter once I got it home. It's a nice day out - mid 70's, no humidity, no rain, bike has never been in the rain and ist stored in the garage. Any thoughts on what I might look at while I wait for support to get back to me?

The controller is in the pedal area. The Radpower site has photos showing how to get a look at the controller and the connected cables.

Quote from: Radio Runner on October 20, 2023, 05:00:59 PM
The newer (2020) Rads have the power cable on the none chain side. This makes removal easy with the proper tool.

Which side is yours on?

I went out and looked. You're right! They're on opposite sides.

Now I see why I was sure they were both on the right. I knew the chain is on the right because I see it every day. I don't see the cable unless I invert the bike to unplug it and remove the wheel. That's how I remembered for sure that the cable is on the right. So, they're both on the right, but like Clark Kent and Superman, they've never been seen on the same side at the same time.

You've made my day. Nothing cheers me up like finding out I'm really really dumb, because finding out means I'm not quite as dumb as I was a minute ago. That's even better than finding out I can easily install a better freewheel. Thanks!

Early in 2021, the freewheel on my Runner would sometimes fail to engage. I didn't have a tool to remove it, but it has worked since I got a little light oil to go in through a crack. It also worked more quietly.

A couple of days ago I removed the chain, cleaned it, cleaned the sprocket wheels, put the chain back on, and lubed every pin. I backpedaled with my hand and felt a lot of friction. I lubed every roller. That didn't help, but a few hours later, when the solvent dried from the lube and left a waxy film, turning the crank backward was much easier.

I figured it out. My Radmission backpedals silently, but backpedaling the Radrunner had caused a sort of rattle since the bike was new. The back sprocket isn't quite matched to the chain. As I backpedal, an incoming roller will catch on the tip of a sprocket and, as it rotates farther fat, slip down against the bottom of the valley.

I noticed something else. If I spin the wheel with the chain stationary, the rear sprocket will wobble. The runnout is more than a milllmeter. Either the freewheel or the part it screws into must be bent.

I've read that the cable and connector of the Bafang motor prevents the use of an ordinary removal tool, and a special tool costs $50. That's a lot more than a new freewheel. Is there a better way to get the old one off?

A wrench marked 12 gauge fits my Radrunner nipples.

I listen. The first time around, I tighten the dead-sounding ones. The second time around, I guess I go for something like Middle C. As long as the sounds are roughly the same and there's no runout on the rim, I think that's fine.

I love the spoke wrench I bought last year. I can see it on the nipple, which makes it easy to know which way to turn. I like the side that engages three corners of a nipple. That's foolproof. I can use the wrench as a mini hammer to sound a spoke.

Quote from: John Rose on October 19, 2023, 01:22:38 AM

Quote from: Naranja_CT5+ on October 18, 2023, 07:31:00 AM
I am going to steal your idea but instead of taking power away from the main battery I would use a couple of 18650 batteries and a dynamo. They are small and lightweight enough that I can fit it anywhere.

A dynamo? Like the one of these, spun by the tire?

Don't forget that the tire is at least partly turned by the motor which is powered by the main battery. You'll either be using the main battery to drive the dynamo, or else creating extra drag when you pedal without pedal assist.

This one won't drag on the tire.

Quote from: Naranja_CT5+ on October 19, 2023, 06:33:20 AM
I wish they would have just adopted the same rules they already have on the road system. You could drive a 4 or an 8 cylinder but you can only drive it as fast as the speed limit.

I saw a video review of a bike with a 60-volt battery and a 40-amp controller that comes with a Class 2 sticker. At times, he read 1500 watts on the display, but I guess the manufacturer demonstrated that the motor output was only 750 watts. The mechanical output of an ebike motor may be much less than the electrical input.

He was disappointed the first day. Then he found out what controller changes to make through the display. Now he got a lot of torque from pedal assist, and it would do 40 mph.

That was dangerous in a bike lane. Way over there, other drivers might not see you in time. Also, he was overtaking unsuspecting slower bikes too fast and unable to leave much room. He thought he really belonged out in traffic. I agree, but he didn't know how to ride a two wheeler in traffic. He wasn't dressed conspicuously, and he didn't maintain a position where other drivers would have an unobstructed view. I guess that's why they require licenses for a bike fast enough to ride in traffic.

He rode on a public bike path at the beach. I thought he was overtaking slower bikes and pedestrians too fast. I guess he thought so, too; every time he saw a cop, he'd slow down. He learned to disable the motor by pulling a brake lever slightly whenever he was close to other people. Otherwise, if he moved a pedal, PAS would cause a dangerous burst of power.

Quote from: JimInPT on October 16, 2023, 03:41:32 PM

If I ever find myself having to dart across an intersection or get out of the way of a tailgater about to hit me, I don't want to have any speed limits.

I've never seen a tailgater hit anyone unless of course he was breaking wind. Anyone who blows by a tailgate party at 24/25 mph is sure to be breaking wind.

Quote from: Naranja_CT5+ on October 13, 2023, 06:55:06 AM
I'm sure you are not the first person to own a RAD bike  in England, just wait and someone will chime in.
Before I joined this forum I was also confused between Pedal Assist vs Throttle Power (Throttle Assist).

I think you fall under EAPC https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules#:~:text=You%20can%20ride%20an%20electric,be%20registered%2C%20taxed%20or%20insured.

"These electric bikes are known as ?electrically assisted pedal cycles? (EAPCs). You do not need a licence to ride one and it does not need to be registered, taxed or insured."

Thanks for the link. I imagined the solution would be to unplug the throttle and slide it off, but your link says manufacturers' stickers are required. It surprised me to see that with stickers, a bike with a throttle could be okay.

Quote from: Bobk on October 12, 2023, 02:11:41 PM
When I was younger, I was an active cyclist who put thousands of miles annually on my 10 speed  racing bike. I used 3 in 1 oil on my chain. 3 in 1 was designed for bicycle in 1895. It is still an excellent chain lube. That said, for my Radcity 5 plus step through, I use Muc Off dry lube. It is wax baed, does not attract dirt. 21st century bike have come a long way since 1895.

I believe 3 in 1 was invented to keep from soiling a rider's pants like motor oil. I wonder if low film strength was a big tradeoff. You push hard on the pedal to pull the chain around the rear sprocket, and that force is concentrated on a very small contact area between pins and rails.

I rode thousands of miles on English bikes with 3-speed hubs. A chain guard kept my pants clean, and a front fender that ended five inches from the road helped protect the chain from grit. I'd remove the chain, soak it in solvent, and soak it in motor oil. In retrospect, I think the higher film strength of 30-weight motor oil gave me better lubrication.

Rad bikes don't have chain guards. To keep my pants clean, I tried Finish Line teflon lube 19 months ago. The first application was disappointing. It was expensive because most of what flooded the chain ended up on the ground. It didn't keep my pants clean and, as others had warned, I soon needed to apply more.

I began applying it with a 20-gauge needle on a 1oz polyethylene squeeze bottle, putting one drop on each side of each pin and watching it wick in. I could do a chain with 2.4 grams or about 3ml, meaning that a 240 ml bottle would lube a chain 80 times.

If you apply it directly from the black bottle, you can't see if it has been shaken enough for the heptane to dissolve all the teflon. I think that's why many say it doesn't last. If you squirt some into a squeeze bottle, you can squirt it back  into the black bottle if it doesn't look milky; with enough teflon dissolved, it's viscous enough that it will look milky from the tiny air bubbles that remain for a minute or so after shaking. Another clue is to squirt a drop on a finger. Like 5 w motor oil, it should feel more viscous than 3 in 1.

Teflon has an affinity for iron. If I lube the pins and the next day spray the chain with water, beading will show that the teflon has spread over all the metal surfaces. As long as I don't wipe the chain before the heptane evaporates, this protection will last indefinitely as will the lubrication. It's smoother and quieter than I thought a chain could be. I give the credit to teflon's high film strength.

My odometer didn't reset, but for 7 months I had so much trouble with my Radmission controller/display/buttons that I bought an aftermarket system. No more trouble.

Thanks. Now I understand.

Spokes seem to be measured from the threaded end to the bottom side of the bent wire at the other end. That corresponds to the distance from the hole in the rim to the near edge of the appropriate hole in the hub. A six-inch steel rule marked in mm would be great to measure that distance on the rear wheel of a Radrunner. I measured 125mm. Not having the spoke too long would have made installation easier.