Rad Power, how is it so in-expensive

P

Piguy54

New Member
Hi there

So I've been looking at a variety of e-bikes, from Blix, Easy Motion etc. All in the 3-4k range, the reviews on Rad Power look good, everything looks fine. So why is it less than $2k?

Are there gotchas that nobody is talking about? Is there a maintenance issue buried somewhere? Or is this a case of a well built, efficient production that just isn't out to gouge the buyer?
 
Mike and his company have put together a decent bike. The components are solid, but overall entry level. They work well together, and ultimately they have also decided to sell their bike for less than they probably could, which builds their name as a solid value and as a result gets them better sales volume to compensate for the lower price.

I have a radrover, as well as an easy motion evo snow and my wife just got a haibike. There is no comparison on overall build quality with the two latter bikes over the radrover, but it is still a nice bike.
 
I have no experience with other E-Bikes, but I have biked for decades. After a couple back surgeries I wanted to get back on a bike. The RadRover seemed like the perfect ride for me. I've got a little over 50 miles on it and couldn't be more pleased. All the components work perfectly together, and when I pedal, the battery seems to last forever. I live in the Seattle area so I installed fenders, and I mounted an Ibera PakRak to carry stuff. The combination works Very well for me.
 
I use mine to commute 22 miles a day. I bought on a budget and am very pleased. Almost 700 miles in 3 months.... Components are perform well and have only had a couple of tweaks... Battery is still as strong as the day I bought it.
 
I have had a couple of ebikes, including a Stealth Bomber, BH Xtrem, BH Neo, and a RadRover.

Very impressed with the RadRover - has proven to be more reliable than some much more expensive bikes, it is very good quality. Doesn't have the torque sensor of the BH bikes, or the power of the Stealth - but it is as much or more fun, and has less complexity to go wrong.
 
The Radrover was my first ebike. A friend of mine and I went in and bought a package deal for two bikes and got them even cheaper. Court's review of the Radrover was a huge deciding factor for me and I'm glad I bought it. I think it is one of the best bikes for the price. You're not going to find any top end components on this bike, but it is still a very solid bike.
I have since purchased a 2016 Haibike Xduro AMT RX (for 4 times the price) and still find myself jumping on the Radrover from time to time! It's a great starter bike that you can't go wrong with.
 
Piguy54 said:
So why is it less than $2k
Click to expand...

I think you're asking the wrong question. I think the real question is; "why are all the other bikes so expensive?".

If you break the bicycle down to components and compare price and quality you can certainly see that there should be some premium paid for certain components based on quality difference and function, but it's very difficult to see why two bikes with similar components should sell for a difference of $2,000 to $4,000+ dollars. There is a premium to expect for a unique design, but that is in the eye of the beholder, from a function standpoint there isn't a lot of difference between the least expensive and the most expensive bikes, depending upon how you measure "performance". I'd say for the price, a Rad Rover is a very good ebike.

Court J.
 
flymeaway said:
I think you're asking the wrong question. I think the real question is; "why are all the other bikes so expensive?".

If you break the bicycle down to components and compare price and quality you can certainly see that there should be some premium paid for certain components based on quality difference and function, but it's very difficult to see why two bikes with similar components should sell for a difference of $2,000 to $4,000+ dollars.
Click to expand...

To me, this is just so true. I think the original Crowdfund price on the RadRover was $1,000, and now it is 50% more. If you were willing to front them the money, the price was really low.

Just depends on how hard you plan to push the bike. If the sales videos show the bike on quiet streets or bike paths, you can figure that is what the design capability is. If they are going down difficult single track, generally they are upgrading a lot of stuff.
 
So you all sold me on this bike, picked one up yesterday evening, rode it home, was so impressed I hopped back on it this morning to commute into work, and I couldn't be happier.

For someone well over 200lbs and at least 3 years since my last serious exercise , I love how empowered I feel to commute with it, and this blows away all the anxiety I always felt cycling in traffic.

Thanks for the advice, I'm pretty sure I'll drop more for a second bike for my wife, although she likes the wagon.

I'm in Seattle, fender a must have? I'd imagine those tyres throw up a monstrous amount of water?
 
I'm looking at one real seriously as a buddy/gf bike and would prefer to spend in this range. Seems like a great combination of parts chosen, but there is no difficulty seeing the differences to a more expensive bike.
I"ve seen no mention of the brand of fork, not even Suntour, so fair to assume it's a really cheap Chinese brand that may or may not be worth much. *Edit - Coil spring, no oil, really cheap.
My Haibike come with a RoxShox Reba? that retails for about $500 new. ;)
Single ring up front, cheaper (very old) 7 spd gear setup, mechanical brakes vs hydraulic, headset, cranks, wheels, etc etc Cheaper = Heavier
MOSTLY, what brand of motor is that? Cuz they sure don't list it anywhere. ")
Parts cost. Better parts cost more. Sometimes better parts work better, sometimes they are just lighter and actually break easier! Light weight is KING when it comes to new bike parts and $$.

Not knocking it, I'm thinking of buying one. Maybe this week.
I look forward to trying it.

I wish they offered the hub motor on the front wheel. Having a real cassette in back, on a regular hub, is just nicer than a freewheel and all that stuff (weight) in back. Motor in front, gears in back. Gears don't get messed with and weight is more balanced. JMO :)
 
Last edited:
Here is a fun review of the Radrover
The review is about 1/2 hour but it gives good detail. Definitely need to add fenders on the fat tires as they really splash dirt and mud up. MLB I argued with you about needing hydraulic brakes before. I was wrong. Being too new to them, I had them adjusted wrong. If the cable is even a little loose, making a gap before the levers engage, the brakes are terrible. But if tight they work very well. An allen wrench for the cable tightness, and the barrel adjusters where the cable enters the brake levers, make it easy to keep mechanical brakes tight. Radpower covers most of a riders needs with the tech they use on their bikes.
 
@MLB the fork is next to junk! I took it off right away, the bike thanked me for it. Rides so much better. Live anywhere near Minnesota? I'm probably selling my radrover myself, like my non electric fat more.
 
@MLB, I assume you're asking about the motor on the Rover, of which I'm not sure, but I know at least for awhile was a Bafang. The Wagon uses a Shengyi motor.
 
MRk chalmers said:
I use mine to commute 22 miles a day. I bought on a budget and am very pleased. Almost 700 miles in 3 months.... Components are perform well and have only had a couple of tweaks... Battery is still as strong as the day I bought it.
Click to expand...
May I ask what tweaks? I will have a Radwagon in a few weeks hopefully.
 
TenBlinkers said:
After 800 miles and a couple of flats, the only change I've made (besides panniers and a 2nd head lamp) are some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.
Click to expand...
I am getting Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tour tires before I take it out on the road. Advertised as flat-less. I have a health issues so what ever I can do to prevent getting stuck somewhere is worth it.
 
Yep, I had to call in the Cavalry on the first flat (the wife w/ car). Second flat luckily was a slow leak. I'm looking forward to never having another one.

The only other issue I've had is this odd rattling of the spokes, just on the back wheel. I had a shop check to make sure they weren't loose (they weren't), but I have to lube where the spokes touch each other mid-span, otherwise they make this rattle-y, clank-y sound. It's very strange, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, other than the annoying noise. The lube (tri-flow) takes care of that for about a month between applications.
 
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