Hey. I ordered a Rad Mission last month- black high step, with a few goodies including the sus. seat post and Rad Mirror which on a fluke they had one of that day. (Wooo!) As this was my first new bike in 15 years (though I'm still on and riding my '95 Schwinn Centennial Roadster) and to this date I've never even ridden an e-bike, I did a fair amount of research. Initially, my choice at the $1000 range was between the still excellent looking Ride1Up 500 or perhaps Core, the Mission, and the Espin Nero, which had what looked like an incredible deal with their premium package of racks, rear light, pannier, water bottle cage and phone holder for $1099 (now $200 more. The Rad line yesterday with exception of a few models has all now gone up in price including the Mission which is now up $100 at $1099, so I hope you got one!) The Radwagon 4 was considered as well but didn't fit my needs- would have been excellent at one point in my life. So, it was the Ride1Ups, Mission and Nero, then the Roadster came on the scene. Court's videos and website were excellent in helping me decide, and I gave a reference while making the purchase. But the Mission and Nero are too new, so those had to be compared vs. Mission on my own.
In comparing Mission vs. the Core/500
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there were many similarities. The prices on both these bikes are now $100 more than they were at time of comparison! Technically the 500 is somewhat better, especially with motor, speed, range. It's possible the Core/500 are a bit more off-road than the Mission, based on videos I saw. What it came down to, for me, was that I don't necessarily need to be going that fast- 20mph is fine. And I liked the integrated lights, and that it was $100 less. (Well $85 less with kickstand. Seeing the complaints about no kickstand, I wanted to joke that Rad was coming out with a version that has a kickstand for $1014.99.) Mostly it came down to 3 things: $100 less, less weight, and I liked the look of the Mission a bit more- and it looked like it was designed with just a slightly more forward position than the 500.
Very soon into my decision making I saw the V2 Roadster- which is still at $995! The only bike left at the entry level $1000 price. The Roadster, with its belt drive and 32lb. weight (in an apt.) became a contender. The Roadster and Mission seem to have all the features the other one doesn't.
Weight: V2 (30lbs) (Mission and Core are almost 50lbs)
Gears- both are single speed (like my Schwinn, which I haven't changed gears on for 10 years cause that's asking for trouble)
Motor: Mission at 500w (V2 is 350w sustained, 500w peak)
Speed: Probably even. V2 is a Class 3 bike at a top speed of 24mph but no throttle just pedal assist. Mission is a Class 2 bike with a top speed of 20mph, but has a ride side twist throttle.
Range: Mission has est. min 25 mile range, up to 45 miles. (V2 has est. 20 mile range, up to 35 miles)
Drive: V2 has a belt drive with maintenance free chain.
Brakes: Mission has disk brakes (V2 has rim brakes which may not be as good.)
Tires: Mission has puncture resistant liner, reflective sidewall.
Stealth: V2 has integrated battery, looks like regular bike except for the belt drive on the back wheel. (Mission has battery and motor components attached to bike).
Display: V2 has LCD display, shows spedometer, odometer, pedal assist level and battery level. (Mission has simple LED display only showing pedal assist, battery level and lights.)
Lights: Mission has integrated 40 lux front light, integrated taillight with brakelight indicator functionality feeding off the battery. (V2 has no lights.)
Geometry: Both bikes have a more forward position for more of the rider's weight on pedals. (Core 5 and 500 have a more upright rider position.)
Appearance: Mission Black High Step and Roadster V2 Red are the best looking bikes, IMO.
Ultimately, I chose the Mission due to its throttle, brakes, lights, possibly better range, and appearance. But it was close. The weight, belt drive, stealth and display of the V2 made a good case. I think it was Ryan from Ebike Escape who had a good article comparing them, too.
The Nero is also a beautiful bike, almost looks like a cargo bike with that longer rear rack. Again, more weight making it a pain to haul up stairs. But I liked the look of it, had me wanting a step through where I was only looking at high-steps. That deal for $1099 looked unbeatable, if not for the weight.
And sometime after buying, for fun, I looked at other models- remember, I've never been on an Ebike, yet biking is my primary transportation. So I'm a bit obsessed, I guess. The VanMoof S3. If that were available with free shipping and the company were a bigger presence, and if it didn't seem allergic to the occasional bike trail even compared to the Mission, I'd have plunked down the extra thousand. Amazing theft system, beautiful euro design and display (looks like the bikes Kraftwerk would ride) and good lights and brakes and all that. 90 mile range in eco mode, are you kidding? I'd love to be able to go another city on a bike.
