I've been doing a lot of digging recently on the competitive landscape for ebikes, particularly the direct to consumer brands. I am finding very few options that are compelling compared to Rad Power Bikes. I'm curious what other brands folks considered buying before they landed on a Rad. For me I place a high value on customer support and having confidence that the company is going to be in business for the long haul.
Bolton, xtracycle, yuba, luna, pedego, blix, and build my own. Probably a few more to i forgot about.
I am kinda on the fence still I have built a bike and cost is basically the same, Maybe more for me to build but I get exactly the parts I want. The radwagon is under powered for my area, I dont mind the extra work going up hills but if I had built a yuba, or surley I would have put a motor on with more power and would have went 52volts. I am happy with the rad but will diffidently being swapping motor and controls the day the warranty is out.
The Juice Bikes look pretty good, 52V, I like that Scorpion moped type, mag wheels, thick seat rear shocks. :)
Quote from: CENTURION on April 18, 2020, 11:00:29 AM
The Juice Bikes look pretty good, 52V, I like that Scorpion moped type, mag wheels, thick seat rear shocks. :)
The Juiced, Super73, Rize etc. are very interesting and I'd love to try one out but I feel like they put pedals on these just so they can call it a bike. It's definitely a different market, but still intriguing. What I like about the RadRunner which is similar (but doesn't look quite as aggressive) is that you can still raise the seat. And yes, I can't wait to try out a 52V bike 8)
52v is way better. The bike I built is 52v power battery life everything seems better.
Quote from: sloppy on April 21, 2020, 05:29:10 AM
52v is way better. The bike I built is 52v power battery life everything seems better.
More voltage less amps - your battery says thank you ;)
Juiced RipCurrent, Cyrusher XF800, Blix, Ecotric and a few others I don't recall.
Quote from: jshill on May 19, 2020, 11:10:47 AM
Juiced RipCurrent, Cyrusher XF800, Blix, Ecotric and a few others I don't recall.
Interesting list. I was not familiar with Cyrusher. Some others I've been keeping a close eye on: Ride1Up, Ariel Rider, Dost, Voltbike, Aventon and Biktrix
I might have bought the Gravity Bullseye Monster electric if I was aware of it at the time. The fork, wheels, hubs are all a big upgrade from the rover. Otherwise comparable.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have a couple of Trek 950s that we have owned for many years. They were USA owned and made. No Longer. The cost of the Trek e-bikes are prohibitive. Most of their bikes are $3k and up. Also they don't have a 4" fat tire.
Although Rad isn't made in the US, for cost, features, fat tires, and positive reviews, we decided to go with them.
We ordered a rover hi-step and a step-thru in April. We received the step-thru right away and are enjoying it, but we are still waiting for the other one. When we ordered they said late May or early June. I hope its soon.
i had considered one of the 52v juiced bikes before i purchased my radrunner. love my radrunner...but couldn't resist the lure of the juiced hyperscorpion. now i love them both! i take the one out that aligns with my current mood...
I sort of compiled a list of requirements, and went though the process of elimination. Critical aspects for me were it had to be folding, have more than 500 watts, have multiple gears including a low 1st gear, be well built and rugged, and be a class 2. I appreciate extra speed, but class 3 bikes would be illegal on 90% of the bike paths where I live.
Bolton E Bikes have great products. Juiced E bike do too! I choose Rad as I have three Rad bikes and the batteries fit all. And, the price was right!
I purchased the RadRunner and its perfect for its intended use. Now I REALLY like the ONYX RCR but know it would end up just like a motorcycle as far as the law is concerned. Here mopeds have to be tagged but no state inspection, insurance, or M class required, but if you get stopped for going over 35mph the moped is now treated like a motorcycle- you get fined for no state inspection, no insurance, no Motorcycle class license. I know I'm to stupid to control myself on the RCR because its more emotorcycle than ebike.. But in reality I may just pick up a RadMini next so a friend can go on ebike adventures as well, plus I can fold it to fit in my car. More power and speed is always tempting though, but as long as my ebike goes 20mph I'm happy. Juiced makes some nice looking stuff though.
i'm sure it must be possible to build a limiter button, that you could engage/disengage at will in order to limit yourself in the places where you can be caught?
Quote from: massassi on September 18, 2020, 08:25:46 AM
i'm sure it must be possible to build a limiter button, that you could engage/disengage at will in order to limit yourself in the places where you can be caught?
The ideal system would detect police radar and automatically slow you down to the correct speed ;)
Quote from: Altema on September 18, 2020, 11:42:51 AM
Quote from: massassi on September 18, 2020, 08:25:46 AM
i'm sure it must be possible to build a limiter button, that you could engage/disengage at will in order to limit yourself in the places where you can be caught?
The ideal system would detect police radar and automatically slow you down to the correct speed ;)
It wouldn't make any difference as the ONYX RCR has no Pedal Assist (PAS) sensor or system, so it can never be passed off as a Class 1 or 2 pedelec or Ebike (ALL RADs purport to be the later). It is a moped or motorcycle pure and simple and merely slowing down does not activate some magic transformer mechanism that applies a Class 1 Ebike sticker to the frame of the machine. In some jurisdictions, nonconforming Ebikes can and have been confiscated by the authorities.
I almost forgot, I almost got the Addmotor M-66 R7. Love the looks and it was close but it came down to a adjustable seat, no need for gears and a sturdy rear rack option. Now back to the ONYX RCR, if my Piaggio scooter starts giving me issues I'm replacing it with something electric. I could slip the ONYX in as a moped or just do it as a motorcycle. I test rode the Zero motorcycle when it first came out, and while fun I no longer ride on the interstate and have no need to really go faster than 45mph, so the ONYX fits my intended use hands-down. Piaggio wants to much for their Electra escooter and it only goes 30mph. But then we got NUI with the impressive GT/S. So far the RadRunner has exceeded my expectations. I rode it all last week to work putting 150 happy miles on it. Pedal about 70% of the time at level 3 intervention. Maybe a ebike is all I need?
Quote from: RadJohn on September 18, 2020, 03:17:56 PMIt wouldn't make any difference as the ONYX RCR has no Pedal Assist (PAS) sensor or system, so it can never be passed off as a Class 1 pedelec or Ebike, which is what ALL the RADs purport to be. It is a moped or motorcycle pure and simple and merely slowing down does not activate some magic transformer mechanism that applies a Class 1 Ebike sticker to the frame of the machine. In some jurisdictions, nonconforming Ebikes can and have been confiscated by the authorities.
I was thinking in the context of an actual class 2 that was modified, but you are absolutely right. I can't imagine riding something that light at 60 mph, even though I have had my regular road bike over 40 mph when my knees still worked, lol.
When I was shopping for an e-bike, class 3 or mopeds were off the list. I needed a class 2 for where I ride, including state parks that have a suggested speed of 10 mph.
We looked hard at Juiced RipCurrent bike along with the others. It has been a few years since we have ridden so we went with Rad Mini's for now. There still might be a Juiced in the future but we are still waiting on our Rads for now. We will see. :)
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk