dtownkobra
New Member
trying to decide between these 2 bikes, any advice would be great. thanks
lectric XP or rad mini
- Thread starter dtownkobra
- Start date
I looked at both bikes before we purchased our Rad Mini Step Thru's. Price was not the determining factor here, but after reading all the reviews and watching videos on YouTube the Rad was our choice. The lectric didn't offer a step thru model and hidden battery and easy of use (removal) was important to us as we take our bikes camping with us. I thought Rad offered a much better service program and customers rated their service very good and they can actually talk to someone on the phone. There are a lot of upgrades on the Rad that the lectric didn't offer, I won't go into all of them here, but you should be able to review both bikes and decide for yourself, one will work for you.
dtownkobra
New Member
thanks for your time, i’ve looked at 100s of videos still a tough choice. what are the upgrades?
The only upgrades that I can really see today are, front forks have suspension and it's adjustable, the Bafang is 750w vs. the lectric 500w, the battery is 14ah vs. the lectric 10ah, the headlight is a top name LED that is much brighter, plus we wanted a step thru model and Rad offers both. I wanted the smooth street tires over the knobby tires and we do ride off road and the smooth tires work well on dry dirt. I personally thought the Rad was a much stronger built bike and no reports of flex were reported in any of the reviews, but some thought the lectric had some flex, note here, I'm 240, so I wanted a sturdy ebike and I do ride some off road. Since you are looking at $899 vs. $1499 which looks like $600 difference to me, but if you buy two Rads you can save $200 on two ebikes, still at $500 difference you will have to make a decision on what you think is the best way to go for you. All I can say is, if I had to buy again I would go with another Rad knowing what I know today. Here are two pics of our Rad Mini Step Thru's with an accessory rack and bag, plus a pic of our Abus 6500 strap lock mounted to the holes includes in the Rad frame.
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dtownkobra
New Member
thank you! one last question. I’m about 225 lbs so close to your weight. Him much ride time do you get out of a charge?
I can get about 25 miles on a charge peddling in range 2-3 and using the throttle on uphill conditions. This is what I would call easy peddling, I do not peddle hard under any road conditions. I'm very happy with the performance of the Rad Mini, I think the 20" tire size gives me better range and power for my size and I like the feel of the 20" fat tire ebike.
Beardystarstuff
Member
I’ve got a Lectric and a Rad Rover. I had the Lectric first then bought the Rover because I wanted more range, shocks and larger wheeled bike.
My thoughts on the Lectric: Fantastic bike. Very well made! I have NO complaints. It performs as stated on the Lectric website and is a blast to ride. And at the price it’s a fantastic bargain. That said, there are 2 big drawbacks to the Lectric. The battery in the frame and no shocks. A third worth mentioning if long range is important is the lower capacity battery.
I weigh in at 175lbs and offered moderate and constant peddling. I’m on hilly terrain but not crazy hills. I consistently had no problem reaching 22 to 25 mile range but I would not plan on more than that. If you weigh more, peddle less, you’ll get less range. By comparison, when I ride the Rad Rover that has the same battery that comes with the Rad Mini I‘m getting 35+ miles with 35% left after those longer rides. It’s possible the larger wheels are helping with that range, I’m not sure how much they would be a factor. But certainly the greater capacity battery helps.
The Rad battery has more stored energy and will get you further. The battery on the Lectric only comes out by unfolding the bike. It’s not hard but it’s not as easy as the method on the Rad bike. I think being able to easily remove the battery is more important than most might realize if you will be in areas of heat and cold. The battery is best stored and charged at 55 to 75 degrees. Too hot or cold for storage and charging is worth considering. With a removable battery you can bring the battery inside. Of course your bike should, at the least, be in a garage or weather tight shed during overly wet weather!
Shocks are more important if you expect to be on rough roads at all. If you’re going to be on good pavement it might be less of a concern. I live in a rural area with some rough gravel and old, rough pavement with lots of holes. No shocks proved more rough than I thought it would. The bike still works great and a suspension seatpost helps, but it’s a pretty rough ride. You can lower tire pressure to soften the ride but I was doing lots of 15+ mile rides on pavement and wanted to keep my pressure higher for better on-road mileage.
In short, if you can afford the extra cost on the Rad bikes it’s worth it I think. If you’re on a tight budget the Lectric is still a fantastic bike that performs really well. I don’t think you’d be disappointed. For proper battery care in certain hot/cold conditions you’ll have to bring the bike inside or at least unfold to bring in the battery.
My thoughts on the Lectric: Fantastic bike. Very well made! I have NO complaints. It performs as stated on the Lectric website and is a blast to ride. And at the price it’s a fantastic bargain. That said, there are 2 big drawbacks to the Lectric. The battery in the frame and no shocks. A third worth mentioning if long range is important is the lower capacity battery.
I weigh in at 175lbs and offered moderate and constant peddling. I’m on hilly terrain but not crazy hills. I consistently had no problem reaching 22 to 25 mile range but I would not plan on more than that. If you weigh more, peddle less, you’ll get less range. By comparison, when I ride the Rad Rover that has the same battery that comes with the Rad Mini I‘m getting 35+ miles with 35% left after those longer rides. It’s possible the larger wheels are helping with that range, I’m not sure how much they would be a factor. But certainly the greater capacity battery helps.
The Rad battery has more stored energy and will get you further. The battery on the Lectric only comes out by unfolding the bike. It’s not hard but it’s not as easy as the method on the Rad bike. I think being able to easily remove the battery is more important than most might realize if you will be in areas of heat and cold. The battery is best stored and charged at 55 to 75 degrees. Too hot or cold for storage and charging is worth considering. With a removable battery you can bring the battery inside. Of course your bike should, at the least, be in a garage or weather tight shed during overly wet weather!
Shocks are more important if you expect to be on rough roads at all. If you’re going to be on good pavement it might be less of a concern. I live in a rural area with some rough gravel and old, rough pavement with lots of holes. No shocks proved more rough than I thought it would. The bike still works great and a suspension seatpost helps, but it’s a pretty rough ride. You can lower tire pressure to soften the ride but I was doing lots of 15+ mile rides on pavement and wanted to keep my pressure higher for better on-road mileage.
In short, if you can afford the extra cost on the Rad bikes it’s worth it I think. If you’re on a tight budget the Lectric is still a fantastic bike that performs really well. I don’t think you’d be disappointed. For proper battery care in certain hot/cold conditions you’ll have to bring the bike inside or at least unfold to bring in the battery.
dtownkobra
New Member
wow never thought about charging the battery, now i’m really on the fence!
harryS
Well-Known Member
You can buy an Ecotric 48V folder for $829 on amazon, but you don't want a failure. You might get parts under warranty, like what Lectric and RAD both do, but you have to put them in yourself. On the facebook Ecotric owners forum, I see that some owners have been given some credits for labor at shops. However, Ecotric has no one doing support, so the process is likely to be slow.
Probably has the same infant mortality and long term failure rate as either of the two other models. Owners who have little bike or electrical knowledge fare the worst with this business model. They're usually stuck with dead bikes and loud complaints. In the same ballpark, competing for fans are the Eahora, Rattan and doubtless more of the same fat tire models.
Ecotric has a removeable battery that is easy to find . Can be upgraded with a higher capacity battery if desired. The whole bike is aftermarket, so there's no downside. Similar frame. Similar performance. Half the price. One could almost buy two and have spare parts.
I paid $700 for my 36V version. Just an impulse purchase to see if I liked the 20" fat tire concept. Well, it's a fun ride, and I think this bike, and all the others mentioned, are well made. You might get some controller failures. That's typical. I've not had any failures myself with the Ecotric. I'm pimping it out. Air shocks installed, Will make it two wheel drive this Spring.
I'd buy the Lectric. Paying a lot more money for the RAD name, basically some different parts and a decal.
Probably has the same infant mortality and long term failure rate as either of the two other models. Owners who have little bike or electrical knowledge fare the worst with this business model. They're usually stuck with dead bikes and loud complaints. In the same ballpark, competing for fans are the Eahora, Rattan and doubtless more of the same fat tire models.
Ecotric has a removeable battery that is easy to find . Can be upgraded with a higher capacity battery if desired. The whole bike is aftermarket, so there's no downside. Similar frame. Similar performance. Half the price. One could almost buy two and have spare parts.
I paid $700 for my 36V version. Just an impulse purchase to see if I liked the 20" fat tire concept. Well, it's a fun ride, and I think this bike, and all the others mentioned, are well made. You might get some controller failures. That's typical. I've not had any failures myself with the Ecotric. I'm pimping it out. Air shocks installed, Will make it two wheel drive this Spring.
I'd buy the Lectric. Paying a lot more money for the RAD name, basically some different parts and a decal.
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