Rad Rover vs Volt Yukon 750 ( 2021)

[Jmggc]

I know some one posted this a couple of years ago but I have the same decision to make and would appreciate updated feedback.

Yukon has a bigger battery 17 ah or 19 ah vs Rover with 14 ah.
Yukon has hydraulic brakes vs Rover with disk brakes. Yukon comes with rear rack and helmet. Rover rack is $100 extra but never in stock. Volt is out of most stock and bikes can take quite a lot longer to ship than website states. I was told they may have Yukon stock in two weeks. Rad has Rover in stock. 10 days to ship.

Biggest selling point for me is the bigger Yukon battery.
Although hydraulic brake are suppose to be better, most of my friends that have them notice no difference, plus they are more of a pain to fix. Disk brakes are easy.

The only area I cannot find much info on is motor torque, (going up hills) and reliability. Does the Yukon 19 v power tweak help on hills?
As far as reliability, I read a few posts about volt controller issues but that may just be the odd one. I have not found anything on Rover issues.
Thanks for any feedback.

 

[AHicks]

If you look in the specs for the Yukon, they show the motor is rated at 500 watts (750 peak). That's about what the RAD bike has been in the past. No clear winner here the way I see it.

Hydraulic vs. cable/mechanical brakes, the mechanicals work good, but the hydraulics are more powerful and have a better feel.

I have a really modified '17 Rad City that's been my "go to" bike for quite a while. I love it, mechanical brakes and all. I also have 2 other bikes. One is a Rize, similar to the bike you're looking at, only its the RX Pro with the Ultra motor. The rest is similar (tire size, brakes, shifter, etc. ). I think they are a LOT of bang for the buck, but hard to compare directly with a RAD. The Rad has a HUGE following, plug and play aftermarket hop up kits, and absolutely incredible resale value.

The Yukon appears to be built using all over the counter parts, so even if Yukon were to go under it should be serviceable for a long time. The downside is they are not nearly as popular as the RAD.

Tough call here. Best of luck making it! Betting you'll love either bike....

 

[Jmggc]

Hydraulic is better than mechanical.

In fact, Rad Rover has hydraulic brakes now.

Also the rack is included.

RadRover™ 6 Plus Electric Fat Tire Bike

Shop the RadRover 6 Plus electric bike at Rad Power Bikes, the makers of best-in-class electric bikes for all types of different riders and applications.

www.radpowerbikes.com

Yes I looked at the Rad 6 in the store but they are charging about $300 more for the batteries and rack, plus you can’t get one for four months.
I wish they had of upgraded the battery
14 ah vs 19 ah on the $50 Volt Yukon option. That’s 25% more run time.
There is also some debate about the Rad 750 watt motor not really being 750 watts and to unlock its power you have to upgrade the controller. On the Yukon you can change the power setting easily.
But the Rover resale option is interesting. If I buy one, I could sell it in two years and buy a volt or some other new contender. The Aventon Adventurer looks interesting too but so hard to find stock.

 

[Jmggc]

If you look in the specs for the Yukon, they show the motor is rated at 500 watts (750 peak). That's about what the RAD bike has been in the past. No clear winner here the way I see it.

Hydraulic vs. cable/mechanical brakes, the mechanicals work good, but the hydraulics are more powerful and have a better feel.

I have a really modified '17 Rad City that's been my "go to" bike for quite a while. I love it, mechanical brakes and all. I also have 2 other bikes. One is a Rize, similar to the bike you're looking at, only its the RX Pro with the Ultra motor. The rest is similar (tire size, brakes, shifter, etc. ). I think they are a LOT of bang for the buck, but hard to compare directly with a RAD. The Rad has a HUGE following, plug and play aftermarket hop up kits, and absolutely incredible resale value.

The Yukon appears to be built using all over the counter parts, so even if Yukon were to go under it should be serviceable for a long time. The downside is they are not nearly as popular as the RAD.

Tough call here. Best of luck making it! Betting you'll love either bike....

I live 25 minutes away from the Volt Manufacturer, so warranty service is easy, but when I asked the Volt sales guy about buying an extra tire, he said it could take a year to get, but at the Rad Store they had them in stock.
Rad being much larger, is most likely have a lot of stock parts in North America than Volt. But then again, people have been complaining there have been no Rad rear racks in stock for a year. I understand because of Covid, supply lines are bad. It would be a shame to buy a new bike, have something defective on it, and then have to wait 6 months for a part. Another argument to buy a Radpower.

I read some reviews on Rize, but one buyer has a picture of a broken frame that Rize would not cover under warranty. Even the cheap Walmart bikes of my youth I rode hard never had a broken frame.

 

[tomjasz]

Hydraulic is better than mechanical.

In fact, Rad Rover has hydraulic brakes now.

Also the rack is included.

RadRover™ 6 Plus Electric Fat Tire Bike

Shop the RadRover 6 Plus electric bike at Rad Power Bikes, the makers of best-in-class electric bikes for all types of different riders and applications.

www.radpowerbikes.com

Application application.

Hydraulic is better than mechanical.

avid BB7 are very good. You’re the search and research master. But it appears, I know you hate when I preach experience. But unless you’v used them you’re just repeating others opinions.

for me it’s all about stopping distance. Not everyone rides class 3 and faster.
Hydraulics are over rated on bikes sub 20mph. I’m sure some of my attitude comes from adjusting cables for 55 years.
I guess I’m being as stubborn with opinions. The more I experience the more I realize one mans dessert is another mans poison. Id agree high sped bikes need hydraulic brake but the quality spread is very wide. Lots of s*it hydraulic brakes. Magura 4 piston and that class are excellent.

 

[Jmggc]

If you look in the specs for the Yukon, they show the motor is rated at 500 watts (750 peak). That's about what the RAD bike has been in the past. No clear winner here the way I see it.

Hydraulic vs. cable/mechanical brakes, the mechanicals work good, but the hydraulics are more powerful and have a better feel.

I have a really modified '17 Rad City that's been my "go to" bike for quite a while. I love it, mechanical brakes and all. I also have 2 other bikes. One is a Rize, similar to the bike you're looking at, only its the RX Pro with the Ultra motor. The rest is similar (tire size, brakes, shifter, etc. ). I think they are a LOT of bang for the buck, but hard to compare directly with a RAD. The Rad has a HUGE following, plug and play aftermarket hop up kits, and absolutely incredible resale value.

The Yukon appears to be built using all over the counter parts, so even if Yukon were to go under it should be serviceable for a long time. The downside is they are not nearly as popular as the RAD.

Tough call here. Best of luck making it! Betting you'll love either bike....

Thanks for the reply. I was going to buy a Volt Mariner for my wife. Volt had the bikes in stock but no batteries for them for a month, so I ordered the Rad Mini a few days ago The Mariner was exactly the same as the Rad mini except it had hydraulic brakes and a 16 ah battery.
Volt told me they have Yukon stock coming the end of the month, but can’t guarantee, it could be 2 months. The Rad mini is already on route, arriving next week. So if I order a Rad Rover, I can be riding it in 10 days.
My only hesitation in ordering ia Rad Rover is that big 19 ah battery on the Volt. Will my battery run out on a ride in a few months and I’ll say, “I should have gotten the Volt”?

Application application.

avid BB7 are very good. You’re the search and research master. But it appears, I know you hate when I preach experience. But unless you’v used them you’re just repeating others opinions.

for me it’s all about stopping distance. Not everyone rides class 3 and faster.
Hydraulics are over rated on bikes sub 20mph. I’m sure some of my attitude comes from adjusting cables for 55 years.
I guess I’m being as stubborn with opinions. The more I experience the more I realize one mans dessert is another mans poison. Id agree high sped bikes need hydraulic brake but the quality spread is very wide. Lots of s*it hydraulic brakes. Magura 4 piston and that class are excellent.

Two of my friends are avid bike riders. Their previous bikes were 10 years old with disk brakes. They bought two Giant E-bikes last month with hydraulic brakes and did not really notice any differences for casual riding.

 

[ElevenAD]

Both VoltBike Yukon and Rad Rover have 500W (or was it 350W?) motor overboosted to 750W.

You need to change the motor itself, the stator is smaller.

I was not sure about Yukon, but somebody here on EBR confirmed that it was indeed, 500W motor overboosted to 750W.

almost all of them are using the overvolted 500, so far the only company i know who use the full 750 for sure is Bolton E-Bikes! Juiced is unclear, i think they are using 3 different hub motors but who knows if their 750 is the Fullfat or some type of juiced exclusive?

 

[ElevenAD]

Hydraulic is better than mechanical.

In fact, Rad Rover has hydraulic brakes now.

Also the rack is included.

RadRover™ 6 Plus Electric Fat Tire Bike

Shop the RadRover 6 Plus electric bike at Rad Power Bikes, the makers of best-in-class electric bikes for all types of different riders and applications.

www.radpowerbikes.com

The New Rover also supposedly has a slightly more powerful new motor but the Volt has a Dorado battery pack that you can easily find after market replacements for and the motor in the Volt can be easily upgraded if need be. Tough choice for the OP.

 

[tomjasz]

I don't know, maybe I'm the rare person who thinks hydraulic is better.

No you’ll find a lot of support...
For your riding style and situation you’re untitled to you choice and opinion. I’ve said this before, there’s a tendency hear for us to profess our personal choices as best. I’m thinking that’s a perilous path, for me.
For me “hydraulic brake” covers a wide spectrum of quality. I’d admit Magura 4 piston are better, best?, for high speed bikes. I’d say disc brakes are better in many applications. I respect your opinion and choice. I’ve sold my 35mph motors old resurrected and purchased several 36v BBS01B motors. From a USA branded ebike seller who misjudged to USA market. $350 motors for $100 shipped. My Tektro rim brakes with KoolStop ebike pads on those builds provide all the braking I need. I’m clumsily trying to say generic statements don’t fit all situations.
Thank you for a thoughtful discussion. The shop I support sells Magura and BBSxx harnesses with the correct Higo connectors for Bafang. Since I have the ability to purchase at wholesale I considered tryin a set but decided I’m done supporting come November and its no longer important to me to add experience. I’m souring on the newer Bafang mids and I’m guessing we will face another phase out by Bafang promoting their proprietary systems.

 

[hoboin]

I know it's not either of the bike, but i just got the Arial Rider Rideal, $1000 for 750w motor and 48v 14ah battery. I was looking at bikes over $2k and i went with the Rideal. No suspension is the only downside, and lesser quality shifting. But for the price i think the motor is very very good and the price is hard to beat.

 

[AHicks]

I live 25 minutes away from the Volt Manufacturer, so warranty service is easy, but when I asked the Volt sales guy about buying an extra tire, he said it could take a year to get, but at the Rad Store they had them in stock.
Rad being much larger, is most likely have a lot of stock parts in North America than Volt. But then again, people have been complaining there have been no Rad rear racks in stock for a year. I understand because of Covid, supply lines are bad. It would be a shame to buy a new bike, have something defective on it, and then have to wait 6 months for a part. Another argument to buy a Radpower.

I read some reviews on Rize, but one buyer has a picture of a broken frame that Rize would not cover under warranty. Even the cheap Walmart bikes of my youth I rode hard never had a broken frame.

I think what you are going to find is that when seeking parts, one of the reasons a bike built using easily obtainable non proprietary parts is that you can buy them anywhere parts are available. Going back to the bike manf for a part, any part, will be a time consuming expensive venture. Going to Amazon for that same part won't take nearly as long, and will be dramatically less expensive. Tires are a wonderful example. It could also include most anything you would ever need for either of the bikes you're looking at. Point being, I could care less if the manf carries the same parts I can get on the open market....

As far as the broken frame on the Rize, the only one I know of is almost certainly due to customer abuse. On the one I know about, the seat post clamp area broke off. That's very easily done, on frames by ANY manf, by somebody riding hard with a seat post that's too short/set too high and is not inserted into the down tube far enough to gain the necessary strength.

On the cable/mechanical vs. hyd. brake argument, it's not so much about being able to stop the bike. They both will. It's WAY more about the feel of the brake, and how hard that lever needs to be pulled. You could say that the hyd brakes compare similarly to power brakes on a car.

One bike vs. the other is still a tough call with these 2 bikes.....

 

[Jmggc]

Do you know what kind of distance you will do? The battery capacity will depend on that.

Sorry I didn't understand the last part.
Did you friend have 10 year old hydraulic disc brake or mechanical disc brake?
Are you saying that your friend switched from hydraulic to mechanical, then didn't notice any difference?

I don't know, maybe I'm the rare person who thinks hydraulic is better.
But from my experience, I'm not turning back to mechanical disc brakes, hydraulic is so much easier and more powerful.

No the other way around. My friend and his girlfriend changed from standard bikes with disk brakes to two Giant bikes with hydraulic brakes.

 

[Jmggc]

I think what you are going to find is that when seeking parts, one of the reasons a bike built using easily obtainable non proprietary parts is that you can buy them anywhere parts are available. Going back to the bike manf for a part, any part, will be a time consuming expensive venture. Going to Amazon for that same part won't take nearly as long, and will be dramatically less expensive. Tires are a wonderful example. It could also include most anything you would ever need for either of the bikes you're looking at. Point being, I could care less if the manf carries the same parts I can get on the open market....

As far as the broken frame on the Rize, the only one I know of is almost certainly due to customer abuse. On the one I know about, the seat post clamp area broke off. That's very easily done, on frames by ANY manf, by somebody riding hard with a seat post that's too short/set too high and is not inserted into the down tube far enough to gain the necessary strength.

On the cable/mechanical vs. hyd. brake argument, it's not so much about being able to stop the bike. They both will. It's WAY more about the feel of the brake, and how hard that lever needs to be pulled. You could say that the hyd brakes compare similarly to power brakes on a car.

One bike vs. the other is still a tough call with these 2 bikes.....

Thanks being new to E-biking I did not know how many parts were non proprietary and how easily they were to obtain.

I see your point about the Rize. In the picture post the owner contested the seat post being too high and even if it was a manufacturing defect, even the best brands may have a bad weld every 10,000 bikes or so. My point is you rarely see broken frames even in cheaper bikes.

From a business perspective, if I were a bike company since broken frames are so rare, I would extend the warranty to 2 years. The cost would be minimal. You may have a great bike but the 1 in 10,000 breaks and you end up with bad press online.

As far as hydraulic stopping power, years ago riding my Diamondback mountain bike I slammed my disk brakes on really hard, did an endo and broke two fingers. So the question is does a two wheel bike need as much stoping power as a four wheel vehicle? As for the light two finger hydraulic squeeze being better argument, I like the harder four finger squeeze on disk brakes and you can adjust them easily. Some people mentioned laying a bike on its side with hydraulic brakes can mess up the fluid?

Then again I only rode a demo bike with hydraulic brakes for 20 minutes so I am the least qualified to answer this question.
We should start another post, “Disk brakes vs Hydraulic brakes.”

 

[AHicks]

Thanks being new to E-biking I did not know how many parts were non proprietary and how easily they were to obtain.


We should start another post, “Disk brakes vs Hydraulic brakes.”

Inquiring about parts was a good question. A darn good one if you are considering some of the more expensive bikes that are darn full of parts only available from the original manf. I do all of my own work, so that kind of thing is the kiss of death for me. I refuse!

"Mechanical vs. hydraulic" conversations, that then turn into (endless) debates, have happened a few times already. It's always going to boil down to "feel" and a person's 'druthers. I've used both, and would buy a bike with either, but given my 'druthers, would go hyd.

 

[Jmggc]

Inquiring about parts was a good question. A darn good one if you are considering some of the more expensive bikes that are darn full of parts only available from the original manf. I do all of my own work, so that kind of thing is the kiss of death for me. I refuse!

"Mechanical vs. hydraulic" conversations, that then turn into (endless) debates, have happened a few times already. It's always going to boil down to "feel" and a person's 'druthers. I've used both, and would buy a bike with either, but given my 'druthers, would go hyd.

 

[antboy]

"Mechanical vs. hydraulic" conversations, that then turn into (endless) debates, have happened a few times already. It's always going to boil down to "feel" and a person's 'druthers. I've used both, and would buy a bike with either, but given my 'druthers, would go hyd.

I'd agree with this.

I like hydraulic brakes because they feel better, but if someone is unfamiliar with hydraulics and/or doesn't have a good maintenance setup mechanicals are easier to deal with compared to doing a full brake bleed (a lever bleed is often enough, of course, until the fluid is contaminated).

While hydraulics don't need to be maintained as frequently (from my experience), said maintenance is more of a hassle.

Of course if you're the kind of person who always takes your bike to a shop for maintenance, the above is pretty much irrelevant.

 

[Jmggc]

I guess back to my original question. So Volt parts are standard and easy to find from different distributors? I assume Radpower is the same.
They both use basically the same parts from China except for the Rad, “maybe 750 watt motor”
Is the Volt a real 750 watt motor?
To my understanding you can unlock more power on the Volt but on the Rad in order to do so, you have to buy a $200 new controller.
Let’s look at the comparison from the info I could find so far.

Volt Yukon 750 upside
Bigger battery 19 ah
Hydraulic brakes
Free rear rack
Free helmet
No cost to unlock more power
Parts are easy to find
I live 20 minutes from them for any warranty service.

Downside
Customer service
Delivery times very slow, could take months
Less reliable?
Lower resale value

Radpower upside
Better customer service
Can deliver bike in 10 days
Better resale value
Smoother ride
More reliable?
I live 40 minutes from them for warranty service.

Downside
Smaller battery 14 ah
No hydraulic brakes
No rear rack ( Can take forever to find one)
Accessories are way overpriced double the price of Volt.
To unlock more power $200 controller upgrade

In conclusion, the Volt looks better if don’t mind waiting a few months but if that’s the case, you could wait for the Rad Runner 6 coming out in October, but the 6 still only has a 14 ah battery and is priced $300 more.
One more question, although aftermarket parts are easy to find, during the warranty period you are relying on the seller to have the parts in stock
for free replacement and if they don’t, your bike could be down for a long time?

 

[AHicks]

To answer the "real 750w" question, all you need to do is look at the Volt's specs. As mentioned, it's clearly stated that it's a 500 that can be pushed to 750 for a minute. Sure that can be done safely, as long as you keep it very brief. You risk overheating the motor if you stay into it too long. As an aside, my 500 came with a controller that sucked for my purposes. It was replced by an aftermarket controller made by the same people that supply Bolton for his kits. This controller is able to supply the 500 with nearly 1000w - that motor REALLY scoots when fed that kind of power! But you can only play like that for a few seconds. Plenty to cross a street, catch up with a riding buddy, or to climb a short hill.

I would rate both bikes equally well from a reliability stand point.

As far as a broken part while under warranty, I look at it like this. I am NOT going to fuss with them over anything minor. Why in the world would I want to tie up my new toy while screwing with the manf, over a 15 dollar part? I just don't have the patience for something like that. I can have the new part installed and be on my way by time they even respond to my email asking for warranty assistance! My concern would be over major components only e.g. battery, motor, frame. That kind of thing should be fine once you've assembled it and inspected it carefully (something that needs to be done with either bike). If it works when you get it, generally you're good to go. That stuff is historically very reliable.

I think the Volt IS the better deal - when shopping on a bucks spent for bang received basis. The RAD can't be judged simply that way though. There's other things in play adding value.....

 

[Kayakguy]

I know some one posted this a couple of years ago but I have the same decision to make and would appreciate updated feedback.

Yukon has a bigger battery 17 ah or 19 ah vs Rover with 14 ah.
Yukon has hydraulic brakes vs Rover with disk brakes. Yukon comes with rear rack and helmet. Rover rack is $100 extra but never in stock. Volt is out of most stock and bikes can take quite a lot longer to ship than website states. I was told they may have Yukon stock in two weeks. Rad has Rover in stock. 10 days to ship.

Biggest selling point for me is the bigger Yukon battery.
Although hydraulic brake are suppose to be better, most of my friends that have them notice no difference, plus they are more of a pain to fix. Disk brakes are easy.

The only area I cannot find much info on is motor torque, (going up hills) and reliability. Does the Yukon 19 v power tweak help on hills?
As far as reliability, I read a few posts about volt controller issues but that may just be the odd one. I have not found anything on Rover issues.
Thanks for any feedback.

Disc vs. hydraulic is apples to oranges.

 

[Jmggc]

I just left the Volt warehouse and bought the Yukon 750