New Bike Announcements

[Ncgo4]

Just released the changes for 2019. A new step-through, this one in black. New rear gear set-up. Ratios will be 11-34, should create a more resistive pedaling sensation at higher speeds. Tires will have anti-flat characteristics (Kevlar ?) belting and will have reflective sidewalls. Rear facing red light will now be hard wired to battery and have brake reaction brightening.

Pricing appears the same.

 

[cayjak]

So, they finally took a hint from all the people here who swapped freewheels to the DNP 11-34T. Nice change - a manufacturer who is willing to improve their product! Be interesting to see what brand is the freewheel.

The slick tires on the new step-thru RadMini look interesting. We needed another source of smooth street tires in the 20 x 4-1/4" size. Wonder what they cost?

 

[CodyDog]

Love the new mods by Rad. Wish I had them on my 2018 Rover!

 

[mrgold35]

I like the upgrades also at no price increase (other than the tariff increase). Options or upgrades missing now are hydraulic brakes and upgraded forks.

 

[AHicks]

Kudos to their marketing/research team for paying attention to the remarks made here. That's great! I think the gearing and tire changes might be a direct result of discussions here. The brake light mod makes all kinds of sense without costing more than a few cents.

One of the things Rad does to keep the prices down on their bikes is to refuse to have options. It comes the way it comes. If you don't like it, you're welcome to change it on your own. Just don't expect any support on your changes (warranty or otherwise).

It would be nice actually, if they added more after market options to their catalog. A decent headlight perhaps? Seats? A retrofit '19 tail/brake light mod? Even an easily installed hydraulic brake kit (though some ham fisted DIYer may cause a safety issue with something like that). -Al

 

[Vern60]

Yes, the price is the same, but ... I don't see any rear racks on the new mini's so in effect, that could be considered an increase.
Yup, I'm curios about the new slick tires with puncture protection. I do like this company and have been very happy with my 2018 mini

 

[Vern60]

Just released the changes for 2019. A new step-through, this one in black. New rear gear set-up. Ratios will be 11-34, should create a more resistive pedaling sensation at higher speeds. Tires will have anti-flat characteristics (Kevlar ?) belting and will have reflective sidewalls. Rear facing red light will now be hard wired to battery and have brake reaction brightening.

Pricing appears the same.

Their website says the liners are made of aramid and ceramic particles? But nice to know they are integrated into the tire, ... they will also be backwards compatible, (well duh ) and for sale on the Rad Power site, nice!

 

[larry-new]

The changes make sense, a lot of which many of us, myself included, have addressed on our own.
Flatproofing tires, done. Higher top gear, done.

The taillight mod is what commuters really need. For myself, as a road rider, no.

Someone said early on, before I decided to buy, that batteries had reached a plateau, and that further development would not be for a while. I see this to be the case, and with a spare battery, I have all the power I need.

I remain impressed by the rugged versatile design of the City, which I am taking in a counter direction to most, for purposes counter to most. The one brilliant inclusion is the adjustable stem, which allows almost unlimited versatility in riding posture. Another feature is the welded rear rack, which together with the front mounts, gives huge cargo capability while really stiffening the frame.

 

[Alex M]

Have just noticed this post. They are listening indeed. Traditional black color on City Step-Through is nice. Massive white tube on 2018 looked a little like something from Home Depot plumbing aisle . Inertial rear light will be appreciated by many, if it's any good - not all of them are.

Couldn't help but notice that 2018 City Step is out of stock - again, as it happened so many times before. Apparently a part of their business model is keeping very low inventory, making just enough stuff to sell. When they don't have it in stock half the time during the year, I wonder how they are going to run Black Friday event.

 

[Vern60]

I think they already did run their black Friday event. I even got an email from them last week saying to log on early and have a back up model in mind in case your first choice is out of stock. I assumed then they were a bit light on inventory.

 

[AHicks]

When it comes to inventory, they have a really unique business plan. It's almost as if they are trying to prevent market saturation to keep demand at very high levels. I've never heard of anything else like it.

And they aren't building these bikes stateside. They're having them built in China to their specifications, then importing them a container at a time. I have no issue with that. There's nothing new there. It's just that they keep their imports controlled really tight. That's different....

 

[Alex M]

Given the numbers of ebikes sold nation-wide and world-wide, I doubt Rad Power or any other company is able to cause marker saturation on their own.

More likely, they are not sure which way the wind will blow tomorrow in this fast-changing environment and don't want to get stuck with slightly obsolete models. Their profit margin must be thin, they can't afford losses. Yes, it's made in China like everything else today.