Rad Trike vs Liberty Trike

elizilla

Member
I have owned the Liberty Trike for several years now and it has served me well. This year I added a Rad Trike to my garage. There are so many similarities that I decided to write a comparo.

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Both trikes have a front disk brake and a rear coaster brake. Both have front hub motors. Both are single speed with one rear wheel driven by the pedals, and one rear wheel that freewheels. Both have reverse. They have similar geometry; both can turn on a dime. (Be careful with that!)


Size:
The most noticeable thing in this picture is the size. The Rad is bigger. I am almost six feet tall and I always felt like a bear on a bicycle, on the Liberty Trike. In fact I replaced the Liberty Trike seat post with a longer one. (Which broke, ouch! I put the stock post back on.)

The Liberty Trike also has teeny tiny short cranks, which make it hard for me, as a large person, to pedal. I measured and found that the cranks on the Rad are 40mm longer. Feels vastly better.

The Rad is about ten inches wider than the Liberty. Which makes it more stable. Note that I never had a problem with tipping the Liberty. And the narrower Liberty Trike is easier to take into tight spots like the farmers market or to watch a parade. And I have ridden the Liberty Trike right into the supermarket; I would never do that on the Rad. But I am more comfortable going fast on the Rad.

Both trikes come apart in the middle, to pack into smaller spaces. But the Liberty definitely wins in this area. I carried it in my small hatchback several times. I am never going to attempt that with the Rad. It requires tools to take that joint apart and it’s still huge when disassembled, even though the bars fold down. It is probably possible to get it in my car but I am not physically strong enough to play Tetris with it.

Frame and Components:

Neither of these trikes come out smelling like roses, in this area.

The Liberty Trike is a pedal trike from Worksman Cycle, that has had ebike stuff added to it. Worksman Cycle is the oldest bike manufacturer in the USA, but they aren’t in the mainstream of bicycling. They specialize in bicycles for the disabled, and for industrial uses. They have never focused on making things work smoothly and efficiently. The frame and components are sturdy but crude. For example, the steering head bearings on my Liberty Trike were loose, and could not be adjusted. You can hand tighten them but there is no locknut so they loosen instantly. I just rode with it like that. It didn’t get noticeably worse, it was just perpetually loose and crunchy. Another example is the cheap one-piece crankset. You can’t upgrade the headset or the cranks, because they are a completely different size than modern components. You can’t change the pedals for normal ones, because they are 1/2” and everyone else uses 9/16”. (Though I was able to buy pedal extenders that adapted them to normal size. And I see that the current Liberty Trike comes with those.) Despute all this, I rode my Liberty Trike for years and it served me well! It’s just that it’s more comparable to a mobility scooter than to a bicycle. You can’t really tune it up and make it smooth, but it doesn’t disintegrate from lack of tuning, either. It will be below average without failing, for the long term. Hardly any point taking it for a professional tuneup.

The Rad has a nicer frame with normal headset that can be adjusted, normal three piece cranks, smooth bearings, etc. But it arrived improperly assembled, with a bent axle, and I also had to do some wheel truing. These quality issues were fixable and now it’s smooth as silk. The Rad trike responds well to tinkering, but it needed more tinkering than it should have, to make it roadworthy when new. If you aren’t a bicycle mechanic, you might want to hire one to set the Rad up, and take it in for a tuneup now and then. You don’t need an ebike specialist (unless something breaks), just a normal bicycle mechanic should be able to handle it.

Electric bike stuff:
Liberty does not have pedal assist. The Rad has one of the better cadence sensing pedal assists I have tried.
Liberty has a nice LCD display with speedo and odo. Rad does not.
Liberty has five bars for the battery, Rad has ten.
Both have reverse but Liberty reverse switch is easier to operate.
Rad has headlight and taillight that run off the bike battery, no separate batteries to charge. The taillight has a slick integrated brake light. Liberty has no lights.
Rad has more battery range.
Both have five levels to choose from, but the levels do different things. The levels on the Liberty control the max speed from the throttle. The levels on the Rad control the max power from the pedal assist; the throttle has max power available all the time.
Both have computer-limited top speed. The Liberty is limited to 12mph and the Rad is limited to 14mph. While it is technically possible to pedal either of them faster, you would have to have more agility than me since they are single speed and the cadence would be superman fast. You can also get them going faster on a downhill, but I would only do that on the Rad, the Liberty gets scarier at high speed.

Accessories and cosmetics:
The Rad has great lights and three high quality fenders. You pay extra for racks and baskets and display. There are more choices of accessories for the Rad. Gray is the only color choice.
The Liberty has a nice display and a rear basket, and some may come with a very basic front fender. You pay extra for lights and rear fenders. Liberty is available in ten colors.

Conclusion:
The Liberty is better if you need to transport it, if you need to ride it in tight spaces, or if cost is a big factor. The Rad is better if you are a bigger person, if you want to go faster, or if you like to tune it up so it will ride smooth and quiet.
 
Thank you so much for this thorough write up!

I was gifted a Liberty Trike and it's honestly been nothing short of life changing. I have not been able to leave my house without taking a car for years, and now I'm out seeing flowers and life at a slower, quieter pace. I've even done some short easy errands with it...so lovely to not have to always take my car. Triking is my new way of life.

I have Ehlers Danlos (among other issues). My neck dislocates super easily, which has unfortunately been the case when hitting concrete cracks, rough ramps, and the occasional gravel connector path on the Liberty. I've added a springier seat and suspension seatpost, which definitely made it better than my scooter, but I'd really like to dampen the vibrations and jolts even further. I'm hurt and sometimes incapacitated after longer rides.

I did wonder if the Rad Trike rode damper or more smoothly than the Liberty? Is the ride composition comparable? I wasn't sure if when you said "tune it up so it will ride smooth" if you meant mechanically or roadfeel.

I do not pedal and am 100% reliant on the throttle to go. With the Rad, do you have to pedal to get it moving?

I reallllly wish one of these manufacturers would add rear shocks...maybe they're listening!
 
I am talking about tuning for mechanical smoothness. I am enough of a mechanic that gritty bottom brackets and loose steering head bearing, grate on my nerves. For roadfeel, well, neither of them have suspension, the bumps in the road remain bumpy. You could try a suspension seatpost such as the Thudbuster, but I haven’t done that myself and cannot comment on how much it helps.

You do not have to pedal to get either trike moving, unless your front wheel has no traction. That behavior is the same on both.

Did you see my other thread about repairing the Rad trike right out of the box? They have some quality control issues, not impossible to solve, but if you don’t tinker, you should line up some support before buying.
 
I am talking about tuning for mechanical smoothness. I am enough of a mechanic that gritty bottom brackets and loose steering head bearing, grate on my nerves. For roadfeel, well, neither of them have suspension, the bumps in the road remain bumpy. You could try a suspension seatpost such as the Thudbuster, but I haven’t done that myself and cannot comment on how much it helps.

You do not have to pedal to get either trike moving, unless your front wheel has no traction. That behavior is the same on both.

Did you see my other thread about repairing the Rad trike right out of the box? They have some quality control issues, not impossible to solve, but if you don’t tinker, you should line up some support before buying.
Thanks so much!

I'm NOT a tinker-er, but I did see your warning on that above! I'd love to find a Thudbuster or similar, but the Liberty takes a size that hasn't been made since like...the 90s. So the elastopolymers are all shot. The Rad has a more normal size for upgrading to a Thudbuster (or alternative). I've settled on a cheesy $30 suspension seatpost for now, which does help, but I need more to go further.
 
The Liberty Trike also has teeny tiny short cranks, which make it hard for me, as a large person, to pedal. I measured and found that the cranks on the Rad are 40mm longer. Feels vastly better.
Use the pedals for ghost pedaling exercise or at speed 3 for some mild pedal assist exercise. Also added pedal extensions for my size 11 so as not to hit heel on frame.

You never mentioned whether you NOW actually appreciate the quiet ride of your Rad trike over the noise of a motorcycle engine? Almost bought a IC scooter 5 yrs ago, but by accident more than planned tried out a Liberty Trike that the bike shop had just received for a client in his 80s. Was allowed to try it out and fell in love at first sight and ride. So ordered one direct from Jason Kraft.

Once retired and now 79, am no longer in a hurry to get anywhere. Enjoy taking my time at a slower pace (10-12mph or even 8mph). Didn't know if i could get along without a car, but after 4 years and 6,350 miles on my LT don't miss not having 4 wheels, insurance, maintenance and other drivers not paying attention. Always got a certain satifaction doing my own maintenace. Even body work on my used 70 Thunderbird and rebuilding the engine of my used 1998 Honda Civic ... besides all the other required upkeep and preventive maintenance.

Now enjoying the Good Life with a few hobbies like designing, building and monitoring my bluebird nest boxes along my 6 mile bluebird trail. Also designed and built my own 36v 30Q experimental battery for backup and extra capacity range for my LT.
Conclusion:
The Liberty is better if you need to transport it, if you need to ride it in tight spaces, or if cost is a big factor. The Rad is better if you are a bigger person, if you want to go faster, or if you like to tune it up so it will ride smooth and quiet.
Weigh 210lbs, 6ft.
Yes, there are times i wish it's top speed was 15mph so i could cruise at 10-12mph on smooth urban paths when at 3 bars and just 2 bars. Also wish it was 12s with 25amp Controller instead of 20A for hill climbing.

EDIT: Also made adjustments and a few modifications so my LT is as quiet as quiet can be
 
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My wife has had her Liberty Trike for about .5 years. Unfortunately the battery needs to be replaced. A very spendy proposition for an older well used e-trike. With her mobility issues it’s certainly served its purpose. Good price point. Fairly low step through. Very maneuverable. Pretty stable for a trike. Used mainly when we are RV’ing. May consider a new replacement trike in lieu of a replacement battery.
 
I bought a Liberty trike for my wife. The range with the 36v8ah battery was pretty poor at 12-16 miles around town. But I bought a second battery from Amazon a 36v15ah for $274.
It has the same C13 female plug and slides & locks into the mounting plate. It does stick out about 4". (4-1/4" longer) It works fine and comes with the same spec charger and costs $154 less than what Liberty sells their battery for. The extra 7ah of battery capacity helps with "range" angziety. By going out on the 8ah batt. We know we can switch and always get home if a strong headwind starts blowing. If the trike is not giving any problems I would go with the new battery.
 
I bought a Liberty trike for my wife. The range with the 36v8ah battery was pretty poor at 12-16 miles around town. But I bought a second battery from Amazon a 36v15ah for $274.
It has the same C13 female plug and slides & locks into the mounting plate. It does stick out about 4". (4-1/4" longer) It works fine and comes with the same spec charger and costs $154 less than what Liberty sells their battery for. The extra 7ah of battery capacity helps with "range" angziety. By going out on the 8ah batt. We know we can switch and always get home if a strong headwind starts blowing. If the trike is not giving any problems I would go with the new battery.
Can you send me that Amazon link for your battery purchase? Thank you.
 
Can you send me that Amazon link for your battery purchase? Thank you.
Sure I'm not the most computor literate but here goes: amazon.com/PANDA-CYCLE-Delivery-Lithium-ion-Conversion/dp/BOB7JGRXY6/ref=dp_fod_sccl_1/134-7838072-8997551?pd_rd_rw=STxiT&content-id=amzn1.sym.550e945f-c48... (at least that is what is at the top of the header bar when I look at it when I am on that Amazon page.) Or it might be simpler to go to a amazon page and search for Panda Cycle which will get you to a page that has all the products that Amazon sells. Scroll through until you see a box battery that looks like the one on the Liberty trike listed for $293; click on that to get to the page and under the description there are a number of different battery selections. The price will change as you makr your selection. A 36v13ah w/o rack is $233 the 36v15ah w/o rack is $274. It will come with the silver mounting plate and the battery charger. Just double check that the polarity of the discharge plug is the same as the battery you have. I bought 2 48v18ah from 2 different companies about 4 years ago. 1 with and 1 without the rack and both of them had the polarty swithched internaly. The red positive wires were soldered to the wrong side of the plug inside the battery. I use the same C13-C14 connections that are used on the Liberty Trike on my other 2 recumbent trikes and a velomobile's batteries. I recieved my 1st recumbent tadpole trike back in Jan. of 2020. From the parent company of Liberty trikes with a 48v20ah bag battery. (It's still charging to 54.5v after 4-1/4 years.) But the rack that came with the trike would not let me mount the slide in battery plate. Good luck with your riding. I am glad that I could help you.

Chuck
 
I bought a pair of 52v24ah triangle batteries to use in the Trisled RV-2 velomobile that I put a 8TGMAC geared hub motor kit. I use a Cycle Satiator charger from Grin, that is programed for auto charge to 85% and only run the battery down to just under 40% (50v). I get about 40-45 miles on that 45% of a battery. The first time I did a long ride from a full charge, after 80 miles the CA3 cycle analyst controller display said that I used 1,000 watt hours of the battery at a 17.5 mph average speed. The motor can do REGEN braking. But on a road trip that amounts to around 5% of the power used. Around town it says the REGEN is 10-14%. With the controller unlocked at full throttle and a full 52v battery the top speed on flat ground it tops out at a little over 30 mph. But I noticed that the watt hours being used dropped down to around 350-375 w/hrs. I am guessing that is because the areo-dynmatic drag of the velo is so low that it is all the motor power needed to maintain the speed to over come the wind and rolling resistance of the tires. In the winter I do charge the batteries up to 100% leaving the on the charger for a couple hours after full charge to let the cells balance. I do that every couple months and then go for a ride so they don't sit fully charged. In the summer I full charge about once a month before going on a long ride. I have noticed that with the Satiator chargers display reaches 58.8v it will begin reducing the charge rate from 4 amps. But if I take it off right away, the battery after a hour or so is actually charged to just 58v. The charger does the same thing when set to do a 85% charge. The last half hour the amp rate of charging slowly drops to 0amps.
 
About ready to buy another Liberty Trike this winter after having checked out other trikes. Decided not to go with 48v, 7-speed derailleur w/cadence sensor Trike. Most of my cruising is on urban pathways averaging 8mph (in 4th) with 7,380 miles since 2019 As you can see from the photo its use is as much for cargo as recreation. So far no problem getting up mild incliines. It's my primary means of transportation for the last five years since i was rear-ended .... so decided to see how long i could get along without a car ... so far so good. Last winter was mild so first winter i put a few hundred miles on my LT. Have no problems with the front hub motor.

The primary reason for buying another Liberty is with its modified weight it's just under 50 lbs. Occasionally need to help lift it onto raised patio to bring inside (entry storage area) which is about 15" above sidewalk. Couldn't do this with the 82 lb Rad (73.6 lb with battery removed) without risk of injuring my 80yr back. Will post later this week with other photos e.g. pedal extra extension for strapping on collapsible camp chair, bluebirding support columns, etc.

YES, the first few years WISHED I could cruise at 12-15mph so i could keep up with other bikers ... but Thank God i'm over that and content to ghost pedal sometimes or occasionally pedaling on 3rd for easy resistant exercise :)
No longer interested in keeping up with other bikers and content going at my own pace ;)
 

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