It’s been a long wait but Bridget finally has her e-bike. It is a
RadMini Step-Thru that was just released on February 28th. It has a 750-watt motor, a 48volt 14 AH battery and has a range of 30-40 miles depending on terrain and the rider’s level of participation, I.e. The more the rider pedals, the longer the battery lasts. It also has 20” rims and 4” wide “fat tires” though they are more oriented to street use. I assembled it today and adjusted the brakes and the rear derailleur and took it for a short test ride around the RV park. Handles nice and you can tell it has twice as many magnets on the cadence sensor. The pedal assist reacts much faster and smoother than the GreenBike-USA that I have. What is missing when compared to the GreenBike model are things like the rear rack, fenders, turn signals, and horn. But it did come with a bell which I had to add. They seemed to be following the Henry Ford model for color. Any color you want as long as it’s white. The color for the non-Step-Thru RadMini is only black.
A huge thank you to David and Cee for accepting the shipment at their apartment in Loma Linda. Many RV parks won’t accept packages including the Palm Springs Resort that we are at now. The Needles Marina was an exception as was the Benson, AZ, park. We had checked out before the bike would ship. Right now, Bridget is attending a basket weaving class here at the RV park next to the pool. (Underwater basket weaving?) And I’m getting ready for another audio conference.
BTW, you may have noticed that the day-counter in the title restarted and that’s because I looped back through Fairbanks. I want to keep track of the days outside of Alaska. After yesterday’s wind and rain, today was wonderful weather. A perfect day for riding the new e-bike around the RV park.
The picture below shows the palm trees around the pool. The palms are all in line and I think they are date palms. The RV park probably used to be a date farm.
I have been looking at Rad Bikes and for utility rather prefer the full size step through -mudguards etc as you listed. It seems electric bikes really are becoming what motorcyclists thought scooters would become: 2nd car replacements.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing how the bike serves you.
The RadMini’s primary feature, which I didn’t show was that it folds. It seems very well made and has some nice features such as the leather grips and saddle. And the 12 magnet cadence sensor. It would’ve been nice if it included the fenders and rack but they are available though only from them. I believe the 2nd car replacement piece. They weigh a lot less, don’t need a license, and are more than fast enough for running errands.
DeleteLet the farkling of Bridget's e-bike begin! Wow 4" wide tires, should be great on the "non-paved" trails.
ReplyDeleteWhat's next, little dog carriers allowing each of you to carry one of the dogs for little rides? :)
No dog carrier and unlike me, they can run along just fine. The 4” tires were mandatory for any new bike. They ride so much nicer and deal with sand and dirt. Though we didn’t opt for the knobby tires. But they look more like motorcycle tires than bicycle tires.
DeleteLove the tires! If we were into procuring a bike for our VW camper we would go with a foldable one but for now it's not in the plans.
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice combination of fat tires, folding, and pedal assist. And the Rad bikes get good reviews.
DeleteI agree, Richard. I really like the Rad but for some reason it's not (yet) sold in Europe.
DeleteProbably the same reason that they don’t ship to Alaska. The large LiFePO4 battery complicates shipping.
DeleteWell this answers my question on the last post I read. :-) The RadMini sounds like a great choice! Looking forward to hearing more as she gets to use it! Welcome back south!
ReplyDelete