Just ordered a RadRunner 1 looking at seat option and user experiences.

Limeybastard

Member
Region
USA
City
Florida Unfortunately.
I just placed an order for a RR1 for myself, my wife ordered the rad commuter step through.
I would like to change the seat, but believe Id need to also change the seat post. Can someone advise on what type of seat post I would need so that I may get a soft thick wide comfy seat ? Also, is a seat post with suspension be useful ? thanks
 
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Rad sells one, most companies use this one as the factory option. They work well for the money. You can find them on Amazon too.


There are other fancier ones like the Kinect series ($$$), or some dropper style ones that can adjust height from the handlebar button, but most of those would be overkill on a rad.

You just need one with a 27.2mm diameter tube, and stock size is 350mm length. 450mm is available if you are a tall rider.

And if you just want to change the seat only, you should get one with 7mm rails and grab a matching 27.2mm adjustable post (tilt/slide). That way you can swap out other options down the road. The stock seat is a fixed mount one piece thing on the Rad 1.
 
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I just placed an order for a RR1 for myself, my wife ordered the rad commuter step through.
I would like to change the seat, but believe Id need to also change the seat post. Can someone advise on what type of seat post I would need so that I may get a soft thick wide comfy seat ? Also, is a seat post with suspension be useful ? thanks
I would recommend trying the seat on the Radrunner first. I got a Radrunner about a month ago, and I find the seat is actually fairly comfortable, more comfortable than the seat on my RadRover. I had read other people complaining about the seat, and I was expecting i would need to replace it, but I find it’s actually not bad.
 
I would recommend trying the seat on the Radrunner first. I got a Radrunner about a month ago, and I find the seat is actually fairly comfortable, more comfortable than the seat on my RadRover. I had read other people complaining about the seat, and I was expecting i would need to replace it, but I find it’s actually not bad.
Valid point, I will do as such. thanks.
 
I have a brand new forest green Radrunner 1 and here are my first impressions. To clarify, this is not first my e-bike and I've been riding for 40 years on San Francisco hills.

1. Built like a tank. Tough and strong all around, and the forest green color reinforces the image of a classic Jeep. The rack can easily handle an adult in the back. The minus is, of course, weight so it's not a sharp handler and doesn't stop on a dime. Difficult to lift into the back of my minivan, or onto a bike rack.

2. Plenty of power and plenty of battery. Gears unnecessary. I use the throttle for about 2 seconds to help startup the bike. I weigh 178 pounds and just did a 23-mile loop around San Francisco with total 1,499 elevation gain (see photo 1). On the flats, I was on assist 2 and on the hills I used assist 3 or 4. I'm sure a controller/display upgrade would be a lot of fun, and I'd likely recommend it if you routinely carry an adult in the back. On this 23-mile loop, I started on a full battery and rode the entire time with lights on, and when finished, battery voltage was 47.8 volts (still ~57% full).

3. Upright seating position is excellent. Very comfortable for those with back problems. Reminds me of the banana seat bikes that I had as a kid.

4. Double leg kickstand is a must. Terrible that it's not included in the Radrunner Plus, but if you're going to be using this bike for utility, the double leg is going to help with stability while you're loading all the stuff on the racks, etc.

5. Seat is horrible. It's hard, poorly contoured, and impossible to replace without replacing the seat post at the same time. It's designed to "blend in" with the passenger seat (if you get one), which is foolish because you can't get any leg extension at all when the seat is that low. Balloon tires at lower inflation pressures only help a little, and the trade-off is increased risk of picking up debris that causes a flat. Thankfully the seat post is a standard size, so I just transplantrf my seat/post from another bike.

6. Headlight is so-so. Tail light is a joke. I believe in running lights day and night. The headlight is for you to be seen only (not illuminate the road much) and sadly there's no flash option. The "upgraded" headlight from RAD is worse than the original, with an extremely narrow beam that provides no side visibility, and even worse for traffic from the side to see you. The tail light is awful, even with the flash option and even with the increased brightness when braking. A cheap USB tail light is brighter. I think the headlight circuit in the controller is a major weak spot.

7. Foot peg location is terrible. It's so high up on the rear rack that any adult passenger has to bend their knees A LOT and keep their legs in an uncomfortable position. I'm looking at attaching pegs at the rear axle, where they're much lower. Something like this: https://www.thebikeseat.com/store/p12/Ebike_Pegs.html

8. Battery security is non-existent. The fact that a blank Honda X84 / HD-74 motorcycle key that you can get for $1 at the local hardware store can be used to steal any battery from any Rad Power Bike is downright criminal. Granted it's a bad idea to leave your bike parked unattended with battery attached since the battery is, even with the lock, pretty easy to steal. That said, the situation is analogous to old Kryptonite locks being opened with a BIC pen - and Kryptonite replaced all their U-locks if you made a warranty claim. I personally think that Rad Power Bikes should replace all batteries still under warranty for free, and give a pro-rated discount to all batteries out of warranty based on age. Yes, that's an expensive move but realistically the right thing to do. You could use a locking (not so) quick release collar for the seat post to block the battery from being lifted out, but then you'd have to unlock that as well every time you wanted to charge the battery off bike.

Lastly, some iconic eye candy with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.
 

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The OEM seat is a butt smasher. You will end up buying a new one. Wally World sells the made in Italy Sella Royal seats for a very fair price. And then there's Cloud 9 seats that get great user reviews. Both great options. Now concerning seat post. Most higher priced seat post need to be ran a bit higher for the suspension to work. So if you plan on running the seat kinda low keep this in mind. I use a cheaper pogo seat post from a Pedego. Most Pedego dealers will have them gently used for cheap because some people upgrade the seat post at the time of purchase. The seat post size is listed as 27.2mm on Rads site. I'm to cheap to spend $150-$250 on a seat post because my $20 pogo post just fine for me, but I was told once I ride a better post I'll see the light. Hope that helps!
 
I just placed an order for a RR1 for myself, my wife ordered the rad commuter step through.
I would like to change the seat, but believe Id need to also change the seat post. Can someone advise on what type of seat post I would need so that I may get a soft thick wide comfy seat ? Also, is a seat post with suspension be useful ? thanks
I agree with most others; the stock RR1 rider's saddle is junk. There are lots of alternatives out there, but I purchased a Bikeroo saddle (over a year ago) for ~$35. It's pretty comfortable, IMO, and is holding up well after the first year with lots of miles logged. Perhaps more importantly, I would recommend the Satori Animaris suspension seat post for around $80-90 USD -- works well and is worth the price.
 
The standard seat on any of these bikes is junk, I don't know anyone who hasn't replaced it.

I use Bikeroo (best seat for seniors) with a $35 spring post from Amazon. Perfectly adequate. I am 165 lbs.
 
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