RadCity 4 or RadMission? Other Alternative?

[cryptacle]

Hi all! The winter blues are upon me, and I'm obsessively researching a new e-bike--almost ready to pull the trigger.

I usually ride a road bike 15 - 20 miles a few times a week in a relatively flat, suburban setting. I'd love to extend those rides a bit and have the option to leverage a motor if I want to ride longer/further/faster.

I'm trying to decide between the RadCity Electric Commuter Bike Version 4 and the RadMission Electric Metro Bike.

Back in 2016, I had an eZip Skyline electric bike that weighed around 55lbs. It was fun when the motor kicked in and miserable to ride as a "standard" bike. I want to avoid that!

I'm leaning towards the Commuter Bike Version 4 because of the gears--but the 60 lbs. weight scares the cr@p outta me! And the single gear of the RadMission is a concern, too, for when I just want to take a nice 15-mile ride w/o PAS.

Any thoughts on which (or an alternative) is best for my needs?

All thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Dewey]

OK so 55-65lb is too heavy, and the RadMission is under 50lb but you don’t like that it’s a single speed. You might like to consider the Aventon Pace 500 or Ride1Up Core-5. Both weigh 49lb and are equipped with derailleur gears and a torquey 48v 500w geared rear hub motor capable of Class 3 speeds.

 

[AHicks]

The Rad City has a direct drive motor that is probably fine in a level area with few hills with an average weight rider who is not in a hurry aboard.

That same bike, or a similar bike with a gear driven hub motor, even if it was just 500 watts, would offer MUCH sportier performance. It would have much better acceleration from a stop, and it's ability to climb a hill would also be much better.

And no, the direct drives do not run quieter, or suffer fewer break down due to fewer moving parts (until you start talking about HUGE mileage). That's all sales hype. You may even find, like I did, that while peppier, they also offer more miles on a battery charge.

I would not buy a bike without a throttle, nor would a buy one with a single speed. For me, that would narrow down the mission the bike is able to fill if equipped with both those options....

 

[cryptacle]

The Rad City has a direct drive motor that is probably fine in a level area with few hills with an average weight rider who is not in a hurry aboard.

That same bike, or a similar bike with a gear driven hub motor, even if it was just 500 watts, would offer MUCH sportier performance. It would have much better acceleration from a stop, and it's ability to climb a hill would also be much better.

And no, the direct drives do not run quieter, or suffer fewer break down due to fewer moving parts (until you start talking about HUGE mileage). That's all sales hype. You may even find, like I did, that while peppier, they also offer more miles on a battery charge.

I would not buy a bike without a throttle, nor would a buy one with a single speed. For me, that would narrow down the mission the bike is able to fill if equipped with both those options....

Thank you for the input...I think I was falling for the marketing hype of geared vs. gearless motor. Does the Aventon Level feel like a better choice?

 

[AHicks]

From the review in your link "The standard configuration of Aventon Ebikes means that you cannot use the throttle from a dead stop"

That would be an absolute show stopper here. I use the throttle to get the bike moving and collect my balance the first couple of feet on every start from a full stop. Other than that, I rarely have any use for the throttle. If it won't work from a full stop, it just won't do what I want it to do. Call me spoiled!

Others may have differing opinions....

It's too bad they haven't gotten around to updating the City with a gear drive. Other than that it's a really nice design.

Ride 1 Up has some nice bikes, as do Rize with their torque sensing feature

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