Any RadRover contributors out there ?

[Phrodos]

Questions you've probably asked a Scandinavian: http://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/stuff-scandinavians-get-asked-all-the-time/#.VgF99dnuihE.facebook

 

[scmike]

Questions you've probably asked a Scandinavian: http://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/stuff-scandinavians-get-asked-all-the-time/#.VgF99dnuihE.facebook

FJ, Very funny... but I didn't see any Viking questions in there.... I'll get back to you on that...

 

[totalnovice]

me and the RR hit the SoCal sand today

put a smile on my face ... thought I’d share a couple photos

 

[jazz]

I like how on the Sondor's FB page people are adding large capacity batteries, front forks, LCD displays, better tires and seats and some going as far as to converting it to 48V system with new controller, hub motor and battery. By the time you add up all the upgrades, they should've just bought a Rad Rover, might have been a little cheaper in the end.

 

[TSOX100]

I like how on the Sondor's FB page people are adding large capacity batteries, front forks, LCD displays, better tires and seats and some going as far as to converting it to 48V system with new controller, hub motor and battery. By the time you add up all the upgrades, they should've just bought a Rad Rover, might have been a little cheaper in the end.

I previously purchased the Sondors (1st wave) and now I have sold the bike for a small profit. After seeing Courts review I thought the same thing. Why bother upgrading parts, just sell and buy a RadRover??? I'm now patiently waiting my RR for delivery. The Sondors bike had TERRIBLE customer service (I never had any problems) plenty of people are complaining on the FB Owners page about the lack of responses. Has anyone tried getting into the LCD programming to bypass the MPH? I know this may void the warranty (and some laws depending on location), but just curious.

 

[azamigo]

Only thing that I found on the RadRover is the front chainring & LCD speed limiter. Between the two, you're limited on speed. The 60 tooth front chainring doesn't allow you to crank assist much at 20 MPH+ (too many RPMs), and the LCD speed limiter keeps you speed limited to 25 MPH (40 KPM max) with the motor. Sure these are legal limits set for manufacturers, but they're only necessary for on-street / bike path provisions.

To go beyond this, you'll need to swap the front chainring (or rear cassette) and/or LCD to go >25 MPH (depending on if you want assist or just raw motor power). It has the potential to do at least 30, probably 35 MPH with light pedaling on a flat surface. The rear cassette would be the easiest place to start - broadening the gear ratio there could provide extra pedal assist (you can play the numbes with the Sheldon Brown gear calculator - Google it). The endlesssphere forums are better suited for more info on that process though (controllers, displays, gearing) - its beyond typcially this forum's intent.

 

[Phrodos]

I've written a lot about my experience with getting my bike to Norway, and I just want to complete the story by adding a happy ending/ or beginning, if you like.

So, what happened after I finally got it in the beginning of September, is that the back wheel fell off - two times (and the front fork also had been damaged in shipping). And basically was broken, because the the threads were damaged. That was the reason it fell off too. I got help securing the backwheel with a torque arm at the shop where I bought the battery, but after a short while I realized that the wheel basically just was a new accident waiting to happen.

I wrote the Rad Power guys pretty immediately after the wheel fell off and they promised to replace both the wheel and the fork, as well as compensating the money I had to use on the repair/the torque arm. It took a month and a half, both due to delays in getting new parts to them and I suspect forgetting me a little, because things didn't seem to move until I reminded them. But finally both the wheel (and motor) and the fork was shipped with a day apart, arriving a week later with no delays.

The wheel was an upgrade of the previous one with an even smoother ride and I believe more silent (I almost can't hear the motor running!), but with the wiring going out on the right side, not left as with the originale wheel. There also was no cut off connection, the wiring going straight into the controller (this was an easier task than I feared, as they made a very nice instructional video about it). This means that it is a lot more difficult to just change the tire (I was thinking a bout getting studded tires, but not now - maybe in the future) and that I can't use the torque arm, as it can't be mounted on the other side of the frame. So that was money out of the window. As I've mentioned before, the bike ended up costing me more than double of what most of you guys paid, and a lot more than I had thought. My initial calculation, worse case scenario, was in the range of $1500. It has ended up costing me at least $2300. I sold my previous (budget) e-bike for $1100, so the whole thing came down to $1200, instead of the (worse case) calculated $350. It is a reminder of the risks in buying something from far away and importing it yourself.

That said, I would not have had such a GREAT bike and head turner if it weren't for the guarantee and service of Rad Power Bikes. Sure, I will not have the privilege of having a nearby service in my hometown, but the bike itself is spectacular and I almost don't dare to ride it around town, in fear of it being stolen or damaged! I'm gonna get a new big lock and I also backed these pedals which I will receive in spring, hopefully putting my mind to ease: http://connectedcycle.com. I'm also a bit worried about the legality of it and since it's an easy bike to spot, the possibility of me being stopped my the police is higher than with a "normal" bike. I have limited the speed to 28 kph, as I feel the bike flows better with that max speed and it's on the border of what would be legal top speed. That said, this is not a top priority for the law enforcers, I just need to ride it carefully for my own good - as insurance would not cover a bad accident with other people (not a big issue, with free healthcare, but still with really bad cases). It's perfect for riding outside of the city, though, so moving again could be a good thing in the long run. ;-)

Here's my baby outside my work place, after attaching the premium fenders (which had terrible instructions, but it worked itself out - despite me not being the most practical person).

 

[George S.]

@Phrodos -- I seem to recall that there was a point along the way where you almost gave up. There were always people lending support, offering suggestions. There are a lot of good things going on here. There are a lot of good things going on with ebikes. It's great you never gave up. Thanks.

 

[Phrodos]

@Phrodos -- I seem to recall that there was a point along the way where you almost gave up. There were always people lending support, offering suggestions. There are a lot of good things going on here. There are a lot of good things going on with ebikes. It's great you never gave up. Thanks.

That is true - I almost gave up (the bike was in hold up for over a month back in July, and then I got the message that it couldn't be shipped here), but this community was a great way to keep up the motivation! Thank you!

BTW: I've become more interested in getting a "normal" offroad bike as well, as owning an ebike has made my interest in bikes as a whole come back.

 

[Skuli Steinn Vilbergsson]

@Phrodos Do you have any snow yet? I'm in Iceland, we have -11°C at the moment and a lot snow, just ordered a Rad Rover this morning and I'm thinking about studded tires for the ice and snow

 

[roberto ferrando]

Welcome to the Radrover home
Hope to see lots of pictures,reviews and thoughts on all the Radrovers out there !!

in the process of replacing controller and electrical hardness.
Problems with 30 communication alarm ,rad bikes shipping both items,had difficulty removing controller
( hole for electrical plug is too small)
had to file a small slot for brake cable,tested controller at work looks like one of the mosfet burned out.

 

[mrgold35]

I had the same error on my 2016 Radrover back in March/2017 with 675 miles on the odo. The RR would randomly flash the "30 maintain" error and shutdown in the middle of the ride. It was very inconsistent and could happen 5-10 times during a ride or not for several days. Rad Power Bikes sent me a LCD, wiring harness, and Controller. I had the old controller programming set to mph cutoff and the new replacement controller was set to X watts per PAS.

I would recommend the long string tied to the end of the wiring harness trick when you pull out the old wiring harness out. Makes it easier to tread the new harness when you have the string to pull it through. My screws to the controller were so tight and I ended up stripping the head on one. I had to head to Home Depot for replacement screws after I used my Dremel to cut the screw in half.

I think the issue was with the controller compared to the wiring harness or LCD screen. It would have saved me a lot of time just doing the controller first, wiring harness second, and then LCD. I started out by replacing all three (LCD, harness, controller), and the problem got worst because I was getting the 30 maintain error everytime the PAS was engaged. Since the old LCD was the easiest to switch out, I did this first (just unplugged the new LCD and had the old LCD hanging by the wires). Zero errors with my old LCD and I now have about 1500 miles with the new controller+wiring harness with zero errors.

I have two (his/her) 2016 Radrovers purchased back in Sept/2016 and both controllers have been replaced under 700 miles. Both controllers had the old mph cuttoff and had errors. I now have the new watts limit per PAS controllers and they have worked perfectly with +1500 miles per Radrover.

 

[roberto ferrando]

 

[roberto ferrando]

made some mods to my radmini

 

[mrgold35]

Do you use your Radmini for Bow and/or rifle hunting? I like the large knife you have in the rear rack bag. We have a problem of black bears, coyotes, and mountain lions that sometimes get too close to trails and homes near the foothills in Albuquerque when they get real hungry. Thought about the same thing and packing a "quick reaction" knife larger than my leatherman when I ride in those area.

 

[roberto ferrando]

It's not a knife it's a Japanese Pruning Saw
that i used on the trail

 

[roberto ferrando]

I just received from rad bikes new controller and harness.
I plug in controller nothing happens no power to HMI
replace hardness same results now I'm really frustrated was thinking taking bike for a ride on the weekend,
will call rad bikes for their comments on the situation .Shiping from California takes five days to nyc.

 

[roberto ferrando]

Rad bikes shipping overnight a new LCD display hope this takes care of the problem,

 

[mrgold35]

Rad bikes shipping overnight a new LCD display hope this takes care of the problem,

My mileage was reset back to zero when I replaced my LCD screen. I would connect the LCD screen to test without un-installing the current LCD to see if this fixes your issue. I would trouble shoot with existing parts still in place. Then you can mix and match new and current parts to see if any combo solves your problem before going through the time consuming effort of replacing and hoping for the best.

 

[roberto ferrando]

RadPower Bikes is not shipping overnight the LCD is shipping parcel post
disappointing. USPS takes forever.
call Radpower bikes with my disappointment,may get LCD shipped UPS next day
I'm anxiously waiting for UPS tracking number.going camping to the Adirondack
and would like to take the bike

Rad Power ship the LCD overnight UPS
the bike works PPPPPERFECT

Thank God I'm dealing with USA base company