New RadMission Mid-Step on the way to me!

[Tars Tarkas]

They got back to me last night. The headlamp supplied with the RadMission does not work for mounting on the Front Mounted Basket. They are shipping me their "Standard Headlamp" (which is used on all their other models) free of charge.

Great! For what it's worth, I like a strobe light on the front and back, at least when I'm in anything like traffic. I use usb rechargeable lights from Amazon or an LBS. I use the stock lights too (but my Rover came without a taillight.)

TT

 

[fuyume]

I have a Cat Eye Auto Rapid 3 tail light mounted to my milk crate. I don't like lights with proprietary, non-replaceable batteries, and the Auto Rapid 3 takes a single AA battery. Sadly, it's a discontinued model, so I sort of wish I had bought two, so I would have an extra as backup.

 

[stanmiller]

I have a Cat Eye Auto Rapid 3 tail light mounted to my milk crate. I don't like lights with proprietary, non-replaceable batteries, and the Auto Rapid 3 takes a single AA battery. Sadly, it's a discontinued model, so I sort of wish I had bought two, so I would have an extra as backup.

Planet Bike has a really nice tail light, named 'Grateful Red', available in a AAA battery and USB editions.

This link is to the AAA battery one:

Grateful Red bike tail light

Boost your bike's visibility with the Grateful Red tail light featuring a 28 LED Array™, multiple modes, and up to 150 hours of runtime

www.planetbike.com

 

[Tars Tarkas]

The thing about non-replaceable batteries is a valid point. For me, the counterpoint is that regular AA or AAA batteries run down and your lights get dimmer, maybe without you realizing it. Not to mention the cost of replacing all those batteries. I don't have strong feelings either way but I tend to go with the USB rechargeables. Plus, my experience is that most lights don't last long enough for it to matter very much which way you go. I know there are exceptions....

TT

 

[fuyume]

FWIW, I got my Cat Eye back in September, and I’m still on the first alkaline AA I put in it. I carry a spare for when it dies, but I’d say 8 months of grocery shopping an average of twice a week at night is pretty good battery life.

 

[fuyume]

A kind and generous friend sent me a set of panniers she wasn’t using any longer. I had to remove my milk crate to put them on, but I will figure out a way to quickly mount and remove the milk crate so I can use the panniers for grocery shopping.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Congrats on the ebike! We got the rad mission a few months ago and love it. Really nice cruising speed and coasts really well when not pedaling. I’m 6’2 and have found it quite comfortable with the seat up. Love the single speed and find it very relaxing to pedal on pas2. Enjoy the new ride! Love the panniers. We got the front basket for groceries and has worked pretty well for us so far. We are using the stock tires and like them a lot, I like that they are a little more aggressive than my other bike which are more slick. Was a bit concerned about no front suspension but haven’t found that to be an issue and roads here in Illinois are pretty rough coming out of winter. Glad to hear it was east to assemble, we paid $100 for local bike shop to put it together. We have a few larger hills here in our river valley and found the motor is plenty capable of making it up.

 

[fuyume]

I got down to my local hardware and picked out some M5 stainless bolts and nuts to attach my Farmplast milk crate to the rear rack. It fits perfectly, and will be easy to remove if I need to also use the panniers.

I used M5 x 30 mm bolts, but will probably swap them for 25 mm bolts. Also, I might reverse the bolts so just the fender washer and bolt head is in the crate.

The rear end of the saddle actually sits i side the handhold of the crate, but I may move the crate abaft about 3/4".

I remounted my Cat Eye tail light so that if I really wanted to, I could stack a second milk crate on top.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

So, how is the bike working out?

I have, in the past, mounted a basket similar to what you've done, to hold my Jack Russell. I'm not sure she knows what to think about it but she tolerates it quite well. I normally have a Topeak rail mounted bag on my back rack, and, of course it has all of my tools and flat tire junk so I mostly have to sacrifice that for the pup.

TT

 

[Dewey]

I bought one of these and it fits really well on the rear rack and holds my second battery:

TailRider Bike Trunk Bag - Bicycle Rack Bag | By Arkel

Attached with Velcro straps, our TailRider bike trunk bag is padded and has lots of pockets for easy access. This is truly a great bicycle rack bag!

www.arkel-od.com

I use that same trunk bag on my commute to work, I fit a camera bag strap to the hooks because I prefer the comfortable shoulder padding and use it to carry my battery into the office, great bag and the Velcro straps mean it can fit to a wide variety of rack tubing.

Regarding easily removing a milk crate, Dutch brand MIK offer a Carrier Plate adapter you can buy from Propel, Trek, Specialized etc shops, that attaches to most racks and works with Basil brand milk crates

 

[JohnJohn]

Great call on the camera bag strap.

 

[BikingSoCal]

Thank You for the information on the Abus locks. I have been looking around to purchase one. Abus is now off my list.

 

[tds101]

Does anyone know the BCD of the chainring? I'm planning on swapping the 50t for a 40t. I just need to know if it's a 130 BCD chainring. Thanks in advance!

 

[fuyume]

So, I've had my RadMission for over a year now, and she has carried me through the thick and thin of a Northern New England Winter with aplomb as my primary transportation. Between the baskets and the panniers, I can hold a lot of groceries, plus my handbag and briefcase and locks and 40 oz. Klean Kanteen water bottle. I can even use bungie cords to strap a pizza to the rear rack.

I did buy a set of Pirelli CYCL-e WT winter tires, but then I thought maybe I should get studded tires, so I got a set of Schwalbe studded tires. Then I realized if I put the studded tires on, they might tear up the wooden floors in my apartment, so I ordered three heavy-duty floormats to protect the floors. But, you know what? I never ever put either set of Winter tires on. I rode the whole Winter on the stock tires.

I was really chagrinned last year when RadPower put the RadMission on sale for $700 off, just a few months after I took delivery, and I didn't have the money to purchase a second as a backup. I paid $1200 for mine, and they were selling them for $500 (with a $50 referral discount to bring that down to $450). I really feel like they should have refunded me the difference, but of course they didn't. If I'd been able to get a second RadMission, I'd have got a white one, and put the studded tires on it. That way, I could change out on a whim.

I replaced the stock grips with a pair of Ergon GP1 Biokork grips, and I highly recommend them. I replaced the stock motor controller with the upgraded one with the LCD screen and USB charger, so now I can charge my iPhone directly from the bicycle's battery. I should replace the saddle with something more comfy for my bony skinny butt, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

I ordered new brake pads, but haven't put them on yet. I did need to adjust the brakes after a few months of wear, but that was an easy job.

I did originally think about the Basil crates, but they are expensive for what they are and shipping from Europe is expensive and slow, so I decided to go with the Farmplast crates, instead. The Basil ones are much prettier, though.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Great info and update! Glad to hear the bike is working so well for you! We also love ours after a little more than a year. Felt the same way when they put the bike on discount but oh well. Thanks for the recommendation on the handlebars, we also found they aren't the best so nice to hear about an upgrade option. We also rode through the winter on stock tires and the tread is tough enough that it works pretty well and didn't have many issues but it was a milder winter in Illinois this year. We put a suspension seat post on from our local bike shop for $50 and it's made a nice upgrade in ride quality on the bumps. Safe riding!