A little help choosing please

[Jecraigvt]

I think I may be leaning toward the rad wagon 4. My primary reason to get an ebike is to cut my carbon emissions. My wife wants a bigger car with a second child on the way and my compromise for not getting a really expensive electric car is getting an ebike for my daily commute (15 to 20 miles round trip). I live in Florida, so hills are not an issue at all. I'm also considering more "commuter" ebikes too. Some more info:
I'm 6 feet tall. Style is nice, but not mandatory. Being able to haul 2 kids once the second gets older seems like a plus to be able to pick them up from daycare. If that's not an option, riding home then picking them up in the car is fine. I'd like to stay in the 1k to 2k price range. Obviously I'll need to get some accessories unless they come with the bike. I will be riding in the dark so safety is important as well. I'm a little worried about the rad wagon being "klunky" to handle.

What do you guys think?

 

[Art Deco]

Sounds like you will be wanting a cargo bike for hauling kids and groceries, the Rad is a popular choice, but there are many others on the forum. There is a big pictures thread about bikes loaded with groceries That you can find by searching 'groceries' in the title and some active members who will probably jump in. Meanwhile, welcome to EBR.

 

[Jecraigvt]

Sounds like you will be wanting a cargo bike for hauling kids and groceries, the Rad is a popular choice, but there are many others on the forum. There is a big pictures thread about bikes loaded with groceries That you can find by searching 'groceries' in the title and some active members who will probably jump in. Meanwhile, welcome to EBR.

Thanks a lot. I will dive into what I can find with the groceries search.

 

[WattsUpDude]

Consider the Hilltopper Discover. You won’t need a middrive since you’re not taking on hills but it still has a responsive torque sensor. I’d spend good money on a child trailer to tow the kids around. We currently have a Burley Encore X trailer since it has suspension to soften up the ride. We used to have a trailer without suspension and the poor kids were always bouncing around in it if going more than 12 MPH.

 

[Dewey]

Sounds reasonable. Radwagon 4 made some key changes for the better, motor, battery, and wheel size in particular, the smaller wheel size lowers the bike which you want when carrying weight on the bike.

 

[indianajo]

Radwagon 4 made some key changes for the better, motor, battery, and wheel size in particular, the smaller wheel size lowers the bike which you want when carrying weight on the bike.

I don't want smaller wheels. We have actual gas + water valve holes, pot holes, & ruts in my town. You may live in Germany, that has perfect pavement on their fire trails in the hunting preserves. I carry up to 80 lb in the bags, and sometimes a 2.5 gallon jug of weed killer or an appliance or furniture tied to the child rack.
A compromise is the blix packa which has 24" wheels. You can buy the tires & tubes at the grocery store or anywhere.
Other 26" wheel cargo bikes include Kona Ute (the original), Magnum, M2s, xtracycle, Surly (heavy steel frame) Reiss & Mueller (expensive). My bodaboda left is perfect for short me, but yuba no longer stocks 26" wheel cargo bikes. Pity, yuba has 33 less reports of loose spokes than Radwagon on the known problems thread (ie, zero).
BTW, I don't drive a car anymore, except for vacation with the wife in her (our) elanta. I ride about 2000 miles a year. I carry home groceries, since shipt couldn't find 1/3 of the items on my order. (I can substitute if I am in the store myself, maybe 2 items will actually be out of stock). I carry 7 to 8 gallons of water from a local church hydrant (4 miles) to my summer property, since the water pipe would freeze up again in the winter if I'm not there to call the electric company after it goes out.
I don't find the handling of a stretch cargo bike a problem. I never need to turn around in a 96" lane without stopping. Actually, the stretch frame has not dumped me on my chin over the handlebars, as the 3 previous bikes did (diamondback MTB, Pacific Quantum MTB, Huffy cruiser). My weight on the front tire keeps if from snapping sideways on high things like speed bump, pavement separator, ridge of gravel, a stick.

 

[DesertTortoise]

The only downside to RadWagon is proprietary 22 inch tires and tubes.
If you get a flat tire today, you can't just go to your local shop and get it fixed.
Even if you can change the tube or tire by yourself, you will still need to order one from Rad.

Or, you could just fix the flat using a patch kit, no?

 

[joel52402]

I think I may be leaning toward the rad wagon 4. My primary reason to get an ebike is to cut my carbon emissions. My wife wants a bigger car with a second child on the way and my compromise for not getting a really expensive electric car is getting an ebike for my daily commute (15 to 20 miles round trip). I live in Florida, so hills are not an issue at all. I'm also considering more "commuter" ebikes too. Some more info:
I'm 6 feet tall. Style is nice, but not mandatory. Being able to haul 2 kids once the second gets older seems like a plus to be able to pick them up from daycare. If that's not an option, riding home then picking them up in the car is fine. I'd like to stay in the 1k to 2k price range. Obviously I'll need to get some accessories unless they come with the bike. I will be riding in the dark so safety is important as well. I'm a little worried about the rad wagon being "klunky" to handle.

What do you guys think?

 

[joel52402]

It took some time to get my RW4 also. I ordered it in October 2020 and got it in late December 2020. I did manage to get a $100 rebate for waiting so long. That's why calling them is always best! I ordered accessories too, not all were in stock. You get on a waiting list, they send an email & hop on fast! I'm only waiting on one additional part.

I don't have kids, but the dual kid bike seat looks very nice. When we had kids (a while ago) we used the peddle behind the pushbike, and a double trailer, and a single seat. All worked well. Work with them. All bicycle sales are just NUTS, and Rad is no different.

The quality and price points can't be beaten. I did extensive research. Fortunately, these aren't "go to Walmart" bicycles. RadPower is direct to you, with no middle sales (bike shops) taking a cut. I mean this market is so lucrative, Harley Davidson has started an e-bike division. They are NOT a deal. My best advice is "patience grasshopper" This thing is not clunky, it has power even on the lowest boost settings. IDK if I'd ever go higher? Don't spend MORE, just be patient. Best Wishes, JLH No this is my humble opinion, not an affiliate with rad...

 

[DesertTortoise]

I don't want smaller wheels. We have actual gas + water valve holes, pot holes, & ruts in my town. You may live in Germany, that has perfect pavement on their fire trails in the hunting preserves. I carry up to 80 lb in the bags, and sometimes a 2.5 gallon jug of weed killer or an appliance or furniture tied to the child rack.

Dude, you should come to Tucson sometime. The only places with worse roads than Tucson are a little bit south of here, in Mexico. The combination of brutal summer sun and freezing temps in the winter make short work of any asphalt. I've only put a little over 100 miles on the Wagon 4, but exclusively on city streets, and so far, I have not missed a front suspension. The balloon tires absorb a lot of the bumps in the road. Now, with gear as heavy as you describe, it might be different.

 

[DesertTortoise]

I think I may be leaning toward the rad wagon 4. ..... I will be riding in the dark so safety is important as well. I'm a little worried about the rad wagon being "klunky" to handle.

What do you guys think?

Not clunky at all. Yes, it is heavy, and pushing it around feels like pushing around my old Vespa scooter, which weighs about three times as much as the Radwagon. But, once you ride it, and especially once you engage the pedal assist, the Radwagon gets REALLY zippy. Sometimes, when I feel like exercising, I even ride it without pedal assist, which is not a lot of fun, but doable. In pedal assist level 2 is where it really shines, 3 has you zoom along with a grin on your face, and 4 and 5 I have not even bothered to use because there is absolutely no need for that kind of acceleration on a bike. As for lights, I find the Radwagon a little underwhelming. The stock lights are ok, but the front beam cone is super-narrow, plus, there is no flash setting, and the rear light isn't the brightest of the bunch. For serious night riding in traffic, I would definitely add a set of powerful battery lights.

 

[oldlivefart]

At 6 feet, your choice for the commute would be the RadMission high bar at $1099, which is a big boy's bike. Get Momma the RW so the both of you can haul the kids.