Rad Rover 5 Too Big

[robinsondd]

Hi all,

Here is what I posted earlier about my Rad Rover 5 in the introductions;

"Hi all, I've been watching the development of ebikes for quite awhile. I truly like the idea behind them. I decided to purchase a Rad Rover 5. At the time I was 64 years old, 6 ft. tall, and weighed around 250 lbs. and was living in southern Maryland. I figured this ebike could handle me. Once I received it and put it together I realized that this ebike is a tank. It's actually too big for me! In all the reviews I looked at I never got a sense of how high that top bar is. At that time I'd had my left knee replaced and now I've had my right knee replaced too. Getting these now 65 year old knees and hips over the top bar is difficult for me. My sister gave me some sage advice since the purchase, "Buying something sight unseen on the internet does not give you the whole picture." She was right. Story continues on the Rad Power Bike part of the forum."

So, what to do? Do I sell it? How hard would that be? Upon deeper reflection I wondered if my 14 year old grandson would be up to it. He is a growing young man currently about 5 ft. 5 around 120 lbs. and is athletic.. I thought about how agile I was at that age. So I asked his dad to run it buy him. He is ecstatic at the thought of having this ebike. He is in San Antonio too about a mile from me and it can be hilly when he rides his mountain bike over to see his best friends about a mile and a half away. The thought of pedal assist and a throttle excites him very much. So that is a great solution! For him. I still want another ebike.

With my knee and hip issues I should have looked at the step through before. Like I said earlier I had no idea how tall the Rad Rover 5 is. The new Rad Rover 6 plus step through is VERY appealing even with a higher price tag. Right now I think that that is the way I'm going to go. Now, do I want black or white?

See ya....

P.S., In the 2000's I was a road bike person. I road in at least 5 Century's in the Maryland Area. My goal was to ride 2000 miles a year minimum. I would take it to work on top of my car and ride it home after work, twenty miles. My wife worked worked in the same area. Loved it until my biking buddy moved away and I got older. I still have it. Jamus Quest circa 2000.

 

[mrgold35]

I have a 2016 Radrover with a 420mm seatpost+Cloud9 Cruiser seat (I'm 6'3" and 280lbs). I find it easier to mount the rover by leaning it to the side towards me at around a 45 degree angle to lower the seat height to swing my leg over from the rear. I'm then standing over the drop bar and can easily step on the pedal and mount the seat. It was much more difficult to step over the bar; especially, in cold weather with all my commuter gear on. That might be a quick fix until you can change over to a step-thru.

 

[arcom]

Looking at the specs for the "5" it appears the lowest point of the top tube (measured next to the seat tube) is less than 30". My DJ Bikes is a little over 31" at the same point. I found unmounting to be a chore, if not downright dangerous, due to balance problems associated with Parkinson's disease. But I so far have found a method that works for me and should work for you. It incorporates most of @mrgold35's method posted above.

As I come to a stop I slide off the seat so I am not quite straddling the top tube--my inseam is just 30"--so I end up with my right foot on the ground after tilting the bike to the right which lowers the top tube distance. My thigh rests on the top tube while my left foot is a few inches off the ground. I then simultaneously push the bike towards the upright position while swinging my left leg over the top tube in front of the seat. My explanation is longer than it takes to accomplish the task. An alternate method could be to slide off the seat towards the rear then swing over the rear wheel/fender. A dropper seat post would work for me except I have a folding seatpost that allows me to remove the battery without having to remove the entire seat and seatpost as the battery is mounted on the seat tube..

eBike sellers always use a rider's height as a measure of what size riders can use the bike and I think this is a mistake. I'm 5'9" but have short legs and while DJ-Ebikes says my bike is intended for folks 5'4" to 6'4", my wife who is 5'5" simply cannot get off the bike without great difficulty. A much better sizing method would be a rider's inseam as opposed to overall height.

I think the Rad 5 is great ebike and was my first choice when I bought my first ebike, but the wait time was +/- 2 months and I had the bug, big time.

 

[AHicks]

I would wonder how necessary you find those fat tires for the riding you do? There's a few pieces here, the first being how BIG those bikes are. I bought a different "fattie" and for my mostly paved riding area/style, they didn't work out well for me at all, not just from the size aspect (I'm 6'2"/300lbs, and 70 years old), but the bike FEELS huge too! Like the others, I pull the bike WAY over to climb on and off.

That in mind, thinking maybe the new RAD "City" might be worth checking out. A MUCH smaller bike, and way more suited for use on pavement.

Agree regarding the sale of your current bike. That may be one of the more popular e-bikes ever sold, and will not be hard to sell at all if you decide to.

 

[Marci jo]

Robinson, welcome to ebike world. Lots of good info from the members on this forum.
My suggestion is to trust your instincts. If the bike feels too big, then it is. And it needs a new home, so don't feel guilty about saying good bye to it.
Depending on where you live, is it possible to test ride some step through frames? Even if you don't plan to buy it, it will give you a sense of what is available. The other factor is wheel size, the bigger the wheel the higher the frame is off the ground.
I too was a road cyclist for many years and turned my nose up to step through frames. Now I love them, so much easier for hopping on and off.
Looking forward to a pic of your new ebike.

 

[robinsondd]

Hi all, and many thanks for your inputs. The bottom line is that the top bar is higher than the bicycles I grew up with and road bikes I rode in the 2000's. No where in the videos I watched was the size of this bike "conveyed" so that one watch the video might say, "dang, this bike is tall'.

So I gave the beast to my 14 year grandson and I purchased the new Rad Rover 6 Plus "step thru" yesterday. Can't wait for it to get delivered!!!

 

[AHicks]

Congrats on the new bike! Best of luck with it.

 

[arcom]

Nice choice! And kudos to RadRover for coming up with an innovative size chart which more accurately determines whether a particular model will fit you.
p.s Lucky grandson!

 

[Comfortably Numb]

My own experience is a bit different. I bought a trapeze frame Cube. I wanted to stay away from the diamond frame as they call it. (high top tube) After awhile I realized I preferred leaning my bike over and swinging my leg over in conventional fashion. I never step thru over the lower bar. I imagine a true step through might work better but the lower bar on a trapeze frame was no solution for me. I ruled a couple of bikes out because the dealer couldn't supply me with the trapeze. I could have just bought the diamond framed bike and I'd have been OK. People need to keep that in mind. A trapeze frame may, or may not work any better than the diamond frame, or even a true step through. If swinging your leg over is what works, any one of the three frames could work. At least for getting on the bike. Standover height not addressed here.
I would suggest actually try what you're planning on getting. At my age, getting on a bike isn't an easy experience, but any frame could have worked for me. CN

 

[robinsondd]

My own experience is a bit different. I bought a trapeze frame Cube. I wanted to stay away from the diamond frame as they call it. (high top tube) After awhile I realized I preferred leaning my bike over and swinging my leg over in conventional fashion. I never step thru over the lower bar. I imagine a true step through might work better but the lower bar on a trapeze frame was no solution for me. I ruled a couple of bikes out because the dealer couldn't supply me with the trapeze. I could have just bought the diamond framed bike and I'd have been OK. People need to keep that in mind. A trapeze frame may, or may not work any better than the diamond frame, or even a true step through. If swinging your leg over is what works, any one of the three frames could work. At least for getting on the bike. Standover height not addressed here.
I would suggest actually try what you're planning on getting. At my age, getting on a bike isn't an easy experience, but any frame could have worked for me. CN

Thank you for your response. I did not consider any specific specs when I bought the bike. My bad. Funny, I did when I bought my road bike back when. I used to do Century rides.

 

[Seasaw]

I had a similar experience. I bought a RadRover 5. I loved the bike but at 71 I'm not as flexible as I once was. I grew up with a 10 speed with a high cross bar and didn't think twice about it. After dumping the bike twice, getting on and off, I recognized it was not for me. Anyway, I put the bike on craigs list and sold it in 3 days for $100 less than I paid for it. Next day I bought a RR5 step thru and life is beautiful. Good luck with yours.

 

[robinsondd]

I had a similar experience. I bought a RadRover 5. I loved the bike but at 71 I'm not as flexible as I once was. I grew up with a 10 speed with a high cross bar and didn't think twice about it. After dumping the bike twice, getting on and off, I recognized it was not for me. Anyway, I put the bike on craigs list and sold it in 3 days for $100 less than I paid for it. Next day I bought a RR5 step thru and life is beautiful. Good luck with yours.

Thanks for your reply. The RR6 Plus step thru is awesome. I'm loving it. Got about 50 miles on it so far and my Grandson is loving his RR5.

 

[john peck]

Hi all,

Here is what I posted earlier about my Rad Rover 5 in the introductions;

"Hi all, I've been watching the development of ebikes for quite awhile. I truly like the idea behind them. I decided to purchase a Rad Rover 5. At the time I was 64 years old, 6 ft. tall, and weighed around 250 lbs. and was living in southern Maryland. I figured this ebike could handle me. Once I received it and put it together I realized that this ebike is a tank. It's actually too big for me! In all the reviews I looked at I never got a sense of how high that top bar is. At that time I'd had my left knee replaced and now I've had my right knee replaced too. Getting these now 65 year old knees and hips over the top bar is difficult for me. My sister gave me some sage advice since the purchase, "Buying something sight unseen on the internet does not give you the whole picture." She was right. Story continues on the Rad Power Bike part of the forum."

So, what to do? Do I sell it? How hard would that be? Upon deeper reflection I wondered if my 14 year old grandson would be up to it. He is a growing young man currently about 5 ft. 5 around 120 lbs. and is athletic.. I thought about how agile I was at that age. So I asked his dad to run it buy him. He is ecstatic at the thought of having this ebike. He is in San Antonio too about a mile from me and it can be hilly when he rides his mountain bike over to see his best friends about a mile and a half away. The thought of pedal assist and a throttle excites him very much. So that is a great solution! For him. I still want another ebike.

With my knee and hip issues I should have looked at the step through before. Like I said earlier I had no idea how tall the Rad Rover 5 is. The new Rad Rover 6 plus step through is VERY appealing even with a higher price tag. Right now I think that that is the way I'm going to go. Now, do I want black or white?

See ya....

P.S., In the 2000's I was a road bike person. I road in at least 5 Century's in the Maryland Area. My goal was to ride 2000 miles a year minimum. I would take it to work on top of my car and ride it home after work, twenty miles. My wife worked worked in the same area. Loved it until my biking buddy moved away and I got older. I still have it. Jamus Quest circa 2000.

My bike is tall too, I´ve adopted the practice of turning the whl slightly & tilting the bike to throw my leg over.
I have rice crispy knees that like to go snap, crackle, pop.

 

[robinsondd]

My bike is tall too, I´ve adopted the practice of turning the whl slightly & tilting the bike to throw my leg over.
I have rice crispy knees that like to go snap, crackle, pop.

Thanks for replying. When doing my research on the web the bike seemed like it was a fit for most of us. I never did see in the videos or references just how big and tall this bike is. If RAD made a 4/5th size of this bike I think it would be a better fit or most of us and be very successful. However, my new RR5 Plus step thru is awesome. I love the new instrument panel and hydraulic brakes.