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which accessories should I buy from Rad and which should I get elsewhere?

Started by kshare, June 20, 2023, 04:58:48 AM

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kshare

I am new to this group. I am buying my first RAD. I chose the RAD RUNNER PLUS, (so I can put my teenage son on the back when needed)

I see so many accessories for this bike. Some I must buy from RAD to be 100 % constable, Like the Passenger pack and front basket. But others like inner tubes 20" x 3.3" might be easy to buy and cheaper at my local bike shop or sporting goods store?

How about mirrors? Do I really need to buy the RAD mirrors or can I mount a standard one.

Please advise.

JimInPT

If you can match the size, any aftermarket quality tube should work, and mirrors the same - both clamp-on and bar-end mirrors from anywhere will work fine as long as you check the bar diameter of your bike to get the right size.  I have Mirrycle mirrors on my MiniST2 as shown below; I'm very happy with these.  https://amzn.to/3PqnXkt
Shucks Ma'am, I'm no "Hero Member", I just like to wear this cape.

handlebar

Three or four times, I bought what I thought were flat mirrors for my Radrunner and found they were convex. Convex mirrors creep me out. The image is too small to trust on a public road.

On my Radrunner and my Radmission, I have flat mirrors available for about $13, IIRC, from Amazon. The long stems bring the mirrors higher, closer to my face, for a wider view. The soft steel clamps arrive square, as I recall. I bend a new clamp around the fattest socket I can, from a ratchet wrench set. I tighten the mirror nuts to bend the clamp around the socket. Then I loosen the nuts and repeat it with a bigger socket until the clamp will go around one about as fat as the handlebar. On the Radmission I added flat washers so I could tighten the nuts enough that the stem wouldn't rotate as I rode.

My baskets are plastic crates fastened to racks from Radpower.

JimInPT

Nice accessory bar; that fancy-dancey carbon-fiber stuff just too snooty for ya?
Shucks Ma'am, I'm no "Hero Member", I just like to wear this cape.

handlebar

Quote from: JimInPT on June 20, 2023, 07:34:34 PM
Nice accessory bar; that fancy-dancey carbon-fiber stuff just too snooty for ya?

It might be a piece of broom handle. I put on aftermarket bars to get a better wrist angle and a little more rise. I needed a crossbar for my display. My black zip ties are stronger than the ones I used, but they're too formal for everyday use. I save them for black-tie affairs.

To stay with the motif, I wonder if I can find a wooden Clarabell horn to mount on it. Maybe I can position the horn to shield the display from glare.

JimInPT

Quote from: handlebar on June 21, 2023, 05:06:09 AMTo stay with the motif, I wonder if I can find a wooden Clarabell horn to mount on it. Maybe I can position the horn to shield the display from glare.

Yes, I think you can find those; one was included with this bike I was given as a gift.  The entire thing is only a foot long, though, so the horn isn't very loud.  The good part is that it doesn't leave oil stains underneath, just the occasional tiny pile of sawdust.
Shucks Ma'am, I'm no "Hero Member", I just like to wear this cape.

handlebar

Quote from: JimInPT on June 21, 2023, 07:46:48 AM

Yes, I think you can find those; one was included with this bike I was given as a gift.  The entire thing is only a foot long, though, so the horn isn't very loud.  The good part is that it doesn't leave oil stains underneath, just the occasional tiny pile of sawdust.

A tiny pile of sawdust? That's a sure sign of carpenter bees, the reason bicycles didn't become popular until James Starley made one from steel. You might get a pet woodpecker or praying mantis or puff a little diatomaceous earth into the  hole.

Akitaboy

Got these mirrors off Amazon, fit well in handle bar

https://amzn.to/3KaucWi

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