My bike arrived today, just as I was getting home from golf. Great timing. Took me about 3 hours to assemble, but only because I watched and rewatched the assembly video as I went step by step. Could have done it in an hour or less, but did not want to rush and screw something up. Got done and went on a short 3 or 4 mile ride and OMG.
But let me begin with first impressions. The bike (Rad City Step-Through) is much heavier than I expected. It's much better made than I feared. It is very quiet. Q to the point Im not sure anyone being passed on one of our many bike paths here in Hilton Head would be aware of the electric assist. It was dusk by the time I started my ride and the headlight just sucks. The taillight doesn't suck its just worthless. However, for this price I assumed i would need to accesorize. The key is that the bike presented me with a terrific base upon which to move forward.
I didn't use the derailleur, so Im not sure how this will effect my riding. but just using PAS 1 & 2 i was doing 15 to 20 MPH and any more than that, while convenient, would be dangerous. At least in the environment in which I am riding.
One thing confused me a bit and that's the battery. As soon as I began to unpack the bike, I removed the battery and began to charge it. The charging unit got really quite hot but the battery pack did not. I unplugged it and reset it in the bike. Showed 100% charged. I did not see any indication of the charge on either the battery or charger, but I will read up on this.
Have to make a few purchases. A mirror. A handlebar extender. A holder for my iPhone. New lights, front and back. Finally, as soon as RAD gets their supplies in I will be buying a complete set of racks and baskets. This is going to be fun.