Purchase Rad Wagon with Velofix setup

[wolfie99]

Hi all!
Thanks for a great forum! I'm on the verge of purchasing my first E-bike and hoping it'll be a Rad Wagon to use to take one kid to school, then myself to work. I have to admit reading all the pros/cons makes me slightly nervous as it's a lot of money, and some here seem to have really bad luck with their purchase But hoping for the best! My question is, I'm planning on buying the bike including the Velofix setup - that would really include someone going over the bike and assembling it properly I hope? If parts are broken or loose the Rad Power bike would take their word for it and send replacement? Would velofix then be the one to add the fixed part on Rad Power Bike dime or how does it work?
Thanks in advance!!

 

[christob]

Welcome to the forums, and nearly-welcome to ebiking!
I used Velofix for my ebike's assembly -- but everything went smoothly, so there weren't any damaged bits, etc. that had to be sorted out between Velo and the manufacturer... so I'm afraid I can't chime in on that part! My *guess* would be, if you're tacking on "Velofix Setup" at the time of purchase, then Velofix would work directly with Rad in the event of any hardware issues Velo finds during assembly, prior to delivery to you...

 

[wolfie99]

Welcome to the forums, and nearly-welcome to ebiking!
I used Velofix for my ebike's assembly -- but everything went smoothly, so there weren't any damaged bits, etc. that had to be sorted out between Velo and the manufacturer... so I'm afraid I can't chime in on that part! My *guess* would be, if you're tacking on "Velofix Setup" at the time of purchase, then Velofix would work directly with Rad in the event of any hardware issues Velo finds during assembly, prior to delivery to you...

Appreciate the reply) All happy with your purchase???

 

[christob]

Oops -- yes, and I neglected to say -- it wasn't a Rad bike -- but I replied anyway, since I'd used Velo...

 

[Pay Jota]

This is just a personal observation, and I purchased a Rad Rover and a Rad City Step Thru, not a Rad Wagon. 2019 models.

Surprisingly, there is no Velofix available in the Boise, Idaho area. This is the fastest growing metropolitan area, by percentage, above 500K persons in the nation. And it is a very bicycle-crazy town with lots of good bike paths. Very surprising.

So, I had no choice but to assemble mine, outside of taking it to a LBS. I figured if I screwed things up, I could always do that.

Anyway, I would have felt that I had thrown money away if I had paid Velofix the 199.00 (per bicycle) they were charging to assemble these bikes. It was not hard at all, if you are of average-or-less mechanical ability. After assembling the first one, I had the second one together in 20 minutes. Later on, I did re-adjust the brakes on both, as they were a bit tight. That time was not included in the 20 minutes I mentioned. But that was fast, too. And I was determined to learn this procedure anyway.

OK, you do get a 30 day tuneup from Velofix for that price. I figure whatever they are doing, I need to learn anyway. So much is available on You Tube these days. One simply MUST learn to, at the very least, learn to adjust a derailleur and adjust disc brakes. And change a flat, of course.

I do have a Park Tools bike stand that helps immensely. Nice to get a 65 lb bike in mid-air when you want to install wheels or adjust brakes.

Look at the Rad website under Assembly, under Technical Support. There are decent videos there that really help.

Maybe the Wagons are different, but all I had to do was install the front tire (with quick releases) and install the handlebars, the front headlight, the rear taillight and the display. I ordered the rear rack for the Rover at the time I ordered the bikes, but that was a snap, too, even including relocating the rear taillight to the back of the rack.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Anyway, I would have felt that I had thrown money away if I had paid Velofix the 199.00 (per bicycle) they were charging to assemble these bikes. It was not hard at all, if you are of average-or-less mechanical ability.

I completely concur. There wasn't nearly as much "assembly" as I had imagined. I seriously thought about hiring Velofix -- the disclaimers about skills and competency, etc., were a little scary, but I too would have almost felt cheated if I'd paid someone $199 to do what little was necessary.

There probably are people who don't have the tools or skills so the Velofix option is great, but you make good points that any bike rider ought to be able to change a flat and do some basic adjustments.

TT

 

[wolfie99]

This is just a personal observation, and I purchased a Rad Rover and a Rad City Step Thru, not a Rad Wagon. 2019 models.

Surprisingly, there is no Velofix available in the Boise, Idaho area. This is the fastest growing metropolitan area, by percentage, above 500K persons in the nation. And it is a very bicycle-crazy town with lots of good bike paths. Very surprising.

So, I had no choice but to assemble mine, outside of taking it to a LBS. I figured if I screwed things up, I could always do that.

Anyway, I would have felt that I had thrown money away if I had paid Velofix the 199.00 (per bicycle) they were charging to assemble these bikes. It was not hard at all, if you are of average-or-less mechanical ability. After assembling the first one, I had the second one together in 20 minutes. Later on, I did re-adjust the brakes on both, as they were a bit tight. That time was not included in the 20 minutes I mentioned. But that was fast, too. And I was determined to learn this procedure anyway.

OK, you do get a 30 day tuneup from Velofix for that price. I figure whatever they are doing, I need to learn anyway. So much is available on You Tube these days. One simply MUST learn to, at the very least, learn to adjust a derailleur and adjust disc brakes. And change a flat, of course.

I do have a Park Tools bike stand that helps immensely. Nice to get a 65 lb bike in mid-air when you want to install wheels or adjust brakes.

Look at the Rad website under Assembly, under Technical Support. There are decent videos there that really help.

Maybe the Wagons are different, but all I had to do was install the front tire (with quick releases) and install the handlebars, the front headlight, the rear taillight and the display. I ordered the rear rack for the Rover at the time I ordered the bikes, but that was a snap, too, even including relocating the rear taillight to the back of the rack.

Oh thank you for all this info!! I think the assembly then seems like when I’ve had other bikes delivered! Not too bad! Seems per everyone’s notes I need get on board with the dereilleur adjustments! Ok cool!!
Hope you’re loving your bikes!!!
Thank again!

 

[Pay Jota]

I will say that, with the weight of these bikes, it would be a good idea to have a second person there; assuming you don't have a bike stand. It's very difficult to lift either bike tire with one hand and adjust with the other.

I am fortunate enough to have "inherited" a high-quality bike stand. I had never owned one before owning this one. After having used it, I can honestly say that I wouldnt be without one. Pay the piper and get one. Look on Craigslist in your area for a used one. Park Tool makes good one, but there are cheaper options that rate well on Amazon.

I have even seen some hydraulic bike stands that are very pricey. The hydraulics operate the clamp that grips the bike. You raise the bike into the clamp with both hands and a foot switch activates the clamp. With a conventional bike stand, and the weight of these bikes, it helps to have two people; one to lift the bike and one to operate the clamp.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Again, I pretty much agree with Pay jota. I didn't have a stand when I assembled my bike, and it wasn't hard, but for well less than the price of Velofix assembling one bike you can get a nice Park bike stand. There are times when one is necessary, or almost necessary, (I suppose one can always find a workaround) but a bike stand can make it soooo much nicer and easier to work on your bike.

TT

 

[wolfie99]

Again, I pretty much agree with Pay jota. I didn't have a stand when I assembled my bike, and it wasn't hard, but for well less than the price of Velofix assembling one bike you can get a nice Park bike stand. There are times when one is necessary, or almost necessary, (I suppose one can always find a workaround) but a bike stand can make it soooo much nicer and easier to work on your bike.

TT

That is really great feedback!! Thanks for the info!! And wow that they're so heavy Guess gives a good arm workout if I ever need to lift one!

 

[ritestuf]

Welcome to the Rad madness! lol...It's a GOOD thing.
I'd like to chime in here that if you go the stand route, be ready to spend big $$ on something that will last. An e-bike even with the battery removed is still prob going to be over 60 lbs. with all, you'll put on it.
I bought 2 different ones that were "supposed" to support 80 lbs. and I got rid of both. Unless you manage to perfectly balance your bike suspended, moving it even a little is going to torque the heck out of the stand.
I finally just spent $50 on a quality vise especially for holding up to an 80 lb bike. I also use my truck ramps to drive it up to where I can grip it with the vise
A decent folding chair so I don't have to bend over to work on it is nice as well.

 

[MarkF]

You know if your confident in your abilities that is one thing but if your not, Velofix is a good way to go. Some people spend hours trying to figure stuff out and then end up going to a bike shop to solve there problems anyway.
To me it was worth letting my local bike shop assemble my bike so everything is done right the first time. They also deal with Rad if something is wrong. You can learn to adjust things after you get your bike and figure it out then. Some times it makes sense to save money and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[jcanavera]

I was willing to pay the price although my brother-in-law and I each purchased a RadCity and the local Velofix outlet was willing to drop their price for the assembly if both bikes were at one location. With our 2 bikes, the service person found the derailer guard slightly bent and made adjustments to the derailer aligned on both bikes. She had assembled about 30 Rad bikes previously and noted that she also owned a RadCity. Bottom line we got started on the right foot and I felt good that my new bike was in top form.

If there had been a problem the process was to get a price estimate from Velofix to replace the bad component, contact Rad with pictures and with the Velofix estimate. Rad would send the part and reimburse you for the cost for Velofix to return and correct the problem with the part that Rad sends you.

 

[snipun]

I put it together myself but hired Velofix to do a first-time tuneup. It was a nice comfort level for me to make sure a professional had eyes on things. It turned out to be for the better because both rotors were warped and needed replacing, derailer needed a lot of alignment work, and both wheels had spokes horribly calibrated.