Changes to my RadRover

[Mike in Spokane]

After riding 200 miles with this bike stock, I decided I needed some changes. 1) I added a bottle holder. 2) I went with a new seat and a Cane Creek Thudbuster post. I would have preferred the bodyfloat but couldn't justify its costs. 3) I put on an Ibera PakRak rear rack. 4) The ugliest part of the bike was the battery which really stood out and screamed ebike. So I mounted a Ibera triangle pack. I didn't even notice until after installation that the orange on the bag matches the radrover orange, I like that. 5) I added a device to the throttle that acts as a cruise control. It's a little gimmicky but a fun option. It attaches on and off the bike in seconds. I rarely use it, mainly on long bicycle path type of rides. 6) I wanted to sit more upright so I added an adjustable stem that brought the handlebars both closer and higher. 7) The biggest change would be the tires. During the summer I realized I wanted to go on longer pavement type of rides. I went with the Vee Speedster. A much quieter ride, with the knobbies people would hear me coming a hundred feet away. I gained 2 mph with throttle only. These tires stick like glue on hard surfaces. The trade-off is when I do go off payment you have to be more careful, they do slide out on loose gravel fairly easily. I do live where there is snow in the winter so I will go back to the stock tire in the fall so I can ride in the snow a little bit.

 

[eRock]

Cool!
What water bottle holder is that? Would you recommend it?

 

[BHP]

Looks good. I'm planning on debadging my downtube like you did.

What size is the triangle bag? That's a good idea. Also, which handlebar stem is that?

 

[Mike in Spokane]

It's a Sainspeed bottle cage. It works well with a beer bottle koozie or a water bottle on pavement. The weight and jarring when using a full water bottle off pavement cause it to slip down but not off. On long rides I use my camelback, this works fine for shorter casual neighborhood rides. The triangle bag is a large. I cut off the top loops since they wouldn't reach the top bar and were just sitting there looking weird. I had to cut a hole in the bag to get the battery wire through. The stem is a Geediar which is a lower end one that was given to me. There are many adjustable stems on the market and if I was having to buy one I would probably buy a little higher quality one.

 

[walawn]

Very nice!

 

[eRock]

Cool, cheers!

 

[Jolly]

looks good.

 

[Marvin]

Everything I would do, except the tires.

 

[walawn]

@Mike in Spokane I want to the bag mod that you did. Could you tell me where you purchased it and which size you went with?

 

[Mike in Spokane]

@walawn I ordered it through Amazon from BikepakUSA . I cut off the top loops and mounted it under the battery holder which needs to get removed. I also cut a slit in bag in the back bottom to run the wire through. A large bag. There are other bags out there that I'm sure will work but they only wanted $15 for their bag which is a lot less than others. I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but for $15 I was willing to experiment.

 

[walawn]

@Mike in Spokane Thanks so much for the fast reply. I'm thinking that I will try it for mine. I got some nasty comments on the trail today about having an ebike.

 

[walawn]

@Mike in Spokane I just got my bag and carbon leather chainstay in today. I'm hoping I can make my bag look as good as you did when you covered your battery!

 

[SpiderDice]

@Mike in Spokane Hey Mike, hate to be a pain. But could you go into a little more detail about the Ibera Triangle Pack? Did you cut a hole in the bottom of the bag and slide it over the battery?

 

[walawn]

@SpiderDice I'm not sure what Mike did, but I installed this same mod on my bike last week. Take off the battery, remove the 3 screws holding the mount to the frame, and unplug the wire coming out of the mount. Cut a small slit in the back of the bag and feed the wire through it as you place the holder in the bag. Place the bag with the mount inside on the frame and figure out what location fits best. Feel for the 3 holes and mark them with a sharpie. Take out the mount and cut 3 slits where the marks are. Feed the wire back through, place the mount in the bag, and bolt it down. Install the battery, zip up the bag, and plug in the wire. You are good to go!

 

[SpiderDice]

@SpiderDice I'm not sure what Mike did, but I installed this same mod on my bike last week. Take off the battery, remove the 3 screws holding the mount to the frame, and unplug the wire coming out of the mount. Cut a small slit in the back of the bag and feed the wire through it as you place the holder in the bag. Place the bag with the mount inside on the frame and figure out what location fits best. Feel for the 3 holes and mark them with a sharpie. Take out the mount and cut 3 slits where the marks are. Feed the wire back through, place the mount in the bag, and bolt it down. Install the battery, zip up the bag, and plug in the wire. You are good to go!

Ahh, very clever. Thank you! This bag and the rear rack are going to be my first purchases.

 

[Mike in Spokane]

Yes, that's exactly what I did. You do have to slit the bag to get the battery mount inside. The holes in the bottom for the screws don't have to be perfect, they are covered up. I chose to cut the top loops off. It looks so much nicer. I really disliked the look of the battery. Whenever I buy my next ebike it won't have this type of battery mount. More of a in frame style.

 

[SpiderDice]

So thinking about how I could make this just a little better, I went out and got some grommets for the holes I'll be slicing in the bag. I looked at the image online of the wire connecting the battery, and I think these should be big enough for that and the screws.

 

[walawn]

@SpiderDice If the diameter is 3/8" inner, then you should be fine. You may have to push the plug through with a little force. Even the grommet in the frame took a little effort since some other wires ran through it. Just remember to measure a bunch of times before you cut the holes to mount the plate. You don't want to force trying to screw it down which could strip the threads or tear the bag. I made holes that were more like slits to give me some leeway in positioning the mounting bracket just right.

 

[NinjaNick]

Love that bag mod!

 

[walawn]

@NinjaNick I will post pics of mine with all the mods tomorrow after it gets the new tires and cassette installed. It's getting kind of crazy now with all the add-ons.