Rad Rover 5 good for going up hills?
- Thread starter Rogie
- Start date
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
you really want a mid drive for hill climbing. rad is not known for hill climbing.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
This statement needs a lot of qualifying prior to it being worth anything more than a passing thought....
For instance, saying any mid drive will out climb a Rover while going up any hill might be a bit of a stretch for some.
That said, no experience riding SF hills, so I'll hold off saying a Rover will climb them all.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
they are steep famously so and the rider is heavy then if you throw in a heavy bike your going to be really slow or no go. of course not all mid drives will work well and it may be out of their price range.
Thank you for that insight. This will be my first E-bike and really don't want to spend more than 2k for now and don't want to settle on cheaper brands.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
You might want to check out the Juiced line of bikes. A hair more money, but there's a little more power and better brakes to justify the price difference. Those bikes should be able to handle SF streets.
I like the Rover as it's inexpensive and easily modified to get about any level of performance you might desire. Key word being modified. Many have no interest there.
I like the Rover as it's inexpensive and easily modified to get about any level of performance you might desire. Key word being modified. Many have no interest there.
2wheelsturning
New Member
The Rad Rover 5 with the Bolton upgrade should make it work on hills, even those in SF.
Bolton upgrade? Sorry again if I'm sounding dumb, I'm really a novice at this but been itching to get into it.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
ya 2000 may not get you a mid drive. but check out https://www.crazylennysebikes.com you may find something.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
You CAN get a mid drive for $2000:
www.giant-bicycles.com
Not sure about SF hills, but with checking out.
This bike is Class 1, though, so no throttle. I'm not a throttle girl, but, if ever I were too consider needing one, SF would be the place.
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Not sure about SF hills, but with checking out.
This bike is Class 1, though, so no throttle. I'm not a throttle girl, but, if ever I were too consider needing one, SF would be the place.
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I have a Rad Rover, live in a hilly area. I am 160 lbs, on the stock Rad-Rover if I pedal with PAS 5 in 1 st gear I could make it up most hills. Throttle only, no chance!
The Bolton upgrade replaces the controller and LCD , it boosts the available power to 1500 watts. Takes 60- 90 minutes. Difficulty on a scale of 1-10 about 5.
Bolton Upgrade
You can also get a bigger motor from Bolton and other sources, this is slightly more tricky because of the extra tools required. The new motor doesn't run out of steam so quickly after you start climbing.
My Rover has both upgrades, I have it dialed back to 1200W and it's awesome. For the first 20 feet, it is faster than most ICE vehicles. That said you don't need to use all the power so range is still good.
You also need to decide on whether you want to have a throttle. A lot of the Euro bikes are Class 1 (no throttle) because of their regulations. There are folks here who will chime in regarding the "purity" of having throttle.
When you accidentally leave your derailleur in the wrong gear , maybe you stopped suddenly at a light on an incline it's nice to be able to throttle way from standstill and just focus on traffic. Or you come around a corner on a trail and suddenly hit a steep unexpected incline.
The problem right now is the supply chain, almost everything is back-ordered including bikes and upgrades.
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Thank you for that very detailed info, it's much appreciated.
I've lived in San Francisco and feel your pain, but these are potentially great times for cyclists there, if they chose the right E-bike.
ExPatBrits summary of various mod options nails it, but I'll offer a different perspective on hills with stock Rad offerings.
It was not uncommon during my time in San Francisco to see "climbing bikes" with ratios down to to ~19 gear inches. Some jackshaft and "granny gear" equipped bikes went as low as 13 gear inches, but in that range, it was faster to get off and walk, and safer too as the chances of falling over were a real threat.
The current RadRover goes down to about 36 gear inches on the 34 tooth sprocket, which really isn't considered a super climber by any means when it comes to your part of the contribution. Since the motor doesn't work through the geartrain (except on mid-drive bikes), it is seeing a "ratio" of about 91 gear inches, again not the greatest for climbing, even with a planetary geared hub motor.
Now consider the current RadMini 4. Out of the box, it has exactly the same motor and controller as the Rover, but its smaller wheels provide an instant improvement in climbing abilities, with a geartrain low of 31 gear inches and the motor seeing about 69 gear inches. Again, not the greatest climber, but a significant improvement over the Rover.
I now live in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York, and while the hills are not gererally as extreme as San Francisco, the rolling drumlins left behind by the last Ice Age can be a real annoyance for young, fit cyclists, and a killer for aging ones with failing body parts. The Rover did not cut it for me (but to be fair, mine was an older one, before they went to the current DNP freewheel with a 34 tooth low sprocket). My 2020 RadMini 4 handles hills with ease that the Rover would struggle or give up on, it's all in the maths.
The major downside is the way the Mini "spins out" sooner on the top end on downhills and level ground. In 7th gear, 20 MPH is about 70 RPM pedal cadence, while on the Rover 70 RPM = 23 MPH. I am personally not comfortable at or above 70 RPM without clipless pedals, and there's no way I'm going to give up folding pedals on my Mini.
Whether you go with, stock or modified, geared hub or mid-drive, the hills of San Francisco are going to eat your battery. I routinely do 50 mile trips along the relatively level Erie Canalway Trail (in PAS 2 most of the time), but when I get into them thar hills, I have to crank up the PAS, and have taken a fully charged battery down to one bar in ~21 miles.
If you intend to take on ALL the major hills head-on, you have some tough choices to make, the only thing that is absolutely certain is that you do NOT want a RadCity with a direct drive motor.
ExPatBrits summary of various mod options nails it, but I'll offer a different perspective on hills with stock Rad offerings.
It was not uncommon during my time in San Francisco to see "climbing bikes" with ratios down to to ~19 gear inches. Some jackshaft and "granny gear" equipped bikes went as low as 13 gear inches, but in that range, it was faster to get off and walk, and safer too as the chances of falling over were a real threat.
The current RadRover goes down to about 36 gear inches on the 34 tooth sprocket, which really isn't considered a super climber by any means when it comes to your part of the contribution. Since the motor doesn't work through the geartrain (except on mid-drive bikes), it is seeing a "ratio" of about 91 gear inches, again not the greatest for climbing, even with a planetary geared hub motor.
Now consider the current RadMini 4. Out of the box, it has exactly the same motor and controller as the Rover, but its smaller wheels provide an instant improvement in climbing abilities, with a geartrain low of 31 gear inches and the motor seeing about 69 gear inches. Again, not the greatest climber, but a significant improvement over the Rover.
I now live in the Finger Lakes region of Western New York, and while the hills are not gererally as extreme as San Francisco, the rolling drumlins left behind by the last Ice Age can be a real annoyance for young, fit cyclists, and a killer for aging ones with failing body parts. The Rover did not cut it for me (but to be fair, mine was an older one, before they went to the current DNP freewheel with a 34 tooth low sprocket). My 2020 RadMini 4 handles hills with ease that the Rover would struggle or give up on, it's all in the maths.
The major downside is the way the Mini "spins out" sooner on the top end on downhills and level ground. In 7th gear, 20 MPH is about 70 RPM pedal cadence, while on the Rover 70 RPM = 23 MPH. I am personally not comfortable at or above 70 RPM without clipless pedals, and there's no way I'm going to give up folding pedals on my Mini.
Whether you go with, stock or modified, geared hub or mid-drive, the hills of San Francisco are going to eat your battery. I routinely do 50 mile trips along the relatively level Erie Canalway Trail (in PAS 2 most of the time), but when I get into them thar hills, I have to crank up the PAS, and have taken a fully charged battery down to one bar in ~21 miles.
If you intend to take on ALL the major hills head-on, you have some tough choices to make, the only thing that is absolutely certain is that you do NOT want a RadCity with a direct drive motor.
Sorry to hijack but since talking about the Bolton upgrade for the Rover I have a question. My rover is supposed to be delivered in August and since everything seems to be out of stock etc. should I order the upgrade kit immediately? Or I guess another question is, do these upgrade kits go on sale around the holidays?
Because as soon as my warranty is expired I am for sure going to do the upgrade. I don't want to deal with everything being back ordered etc. next August whether it be from Covid or the U.S. being pissy with China.
Thanks for the help.
Because as soon as my warranty is expired I am for sure going to do the upgrade. I don't want to deal with everything being back ordered etc. next August whether it be from Covid or the U.S. being pissy with China.
Thanks for the help.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
I can't say I remember him ever offering much of a sale, but the minute I say that, that's just what he'll do!
Warranty a non event. Just don't brag to RAD you have a kit installed if there are any issues. If there's an issue with any part of the kit, call Bolton....
Warranty a non event. Just don't brag to RAD you have a kit installed if there are any issues. If there's an issue with any part of the kit, call Bolton....
