Radcity or Rook or RadMini for My Short Wife?

[rockstarinlife]

I am looking to buy my wife her first eBike. I just bought my first eBike (Radrover) and love it! I rode it twice so far (Got it on Friday). Been taking it on the streets, gravel paths and even a little on a hiking trail which took a lot of peddling to get up with peddle assist 5.

For my wife, she will probably mostly ride it on the road and some gravel paths meant for walking and horses. We have a lot of the paths in Coto De Caza CA.

I am leaning towards the RadMini since it has fat tires and plenty of power like the Radrover. But I was also looking at some of the Step-thru bikes like the Radcity Commuter or the Surface Rook. Both would fit my wife who is 5' 2" according to the specs.

I want to keep it under 2k for this purchase.

It seems like if I went with the Rook or the Radcity I would probably want to change the tires. Need some advice on that.

Any of you own these bikes and can give me some opinions to lean me one way or the other?


Bikes I am considering...

Step-thru Bikes:

Radcity Commuter: https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radcity-step-thru-electric-commuter-bike

750W - 48V - 14Ah
Frame Size: 14.5"
Standover Height: 20"
Seat Height Minimum: 25.5"
Cost: $1699


Surface Rook: https://surface604bikes.com/products/rook-electric-cruiser-bike

500W (peaks at 750W) - 48V - 10.4Ah (some reviews complained the battery was weak at 10.4Ah)
Frame Size: 17.5"
Standover Height: 20"
Seat Height Minimum: Not listed but says for
Cost: $1799



RadMini 750W: https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radmini-electric-folding-fat-bike

750W - 48V - 14Ah
Frame Size: 17.25"
Standover Height: 28"
Seat Height Minimum: 27"
Cost: $1699


Veego 750: https://www.ridescoozy.com/products/veego-750-fat-tire-electric-bicycle

750W - 48V - ??Ah
says its for 5' through 6'4
Cost: $1699


Any other eBikes I should be looking at?

Appreciate any tips or advice you can offer



Update: I ended up ordering her a Veego fat tire folding eBike for $1599 (free shipping).

I was leaning towards the Radcity Step-thru, but it's not in stock for another 1-2 weeks according to their support and I don't wanna wait.

Kinda cool that they come 99% assembled. You only have to install the pedals and insert the seat post and you will be good to go.

I will report back after I get it in case anyone else is looking for a folding step-thru eBike too.

 

[vincent]

I would strongly consider going with another rad power bike since They use the same battery

Hopefully someone with a radcity will chime in on how wide what kind of tires you can put on that one

I would also look at the overall weight on the bikes and maybe consider the city if it is lighter than the mini/can take larger tires

The 4 inch fat tires are very stable and will roll over most terrain but my guess is it’s a little heavier bike

Do they list reach for each of those bikes? I would put the mini up against the city for reach and consider that also if it was me

I had a mini think it was a 2016 model, had a lot of shorter friends ride it and seem to do fine but it’s kind of a long bike unless the 2018’s are shorter

 

[rockstarinlife]

Thanks Vincent.

I am leaning more towards the Rad Bikes.

The Radcity Commuter handlebar reach is listed at 13.5"

The RadMini handlebar reach is listed at 16"

I have seen a review where they said the RadMini 2018 is a little taller than the 2017 model.

I also recently read a great review on taking the Radcity commuter on trails here on the forum: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/the-new-rpb-city-step-thru-city-trails-too.22322/

I would strongly consider going with another rad power bike since They use the same battery

Hopefully someone with a radcity will chime in on how wide what kind of tires you can put on that one

I would also look at the overall weight on the bikes and maybe consider the city if it is lighter than the mini/can take larger tires

The 4 inch fat tires are very stable and will roll over most terrain but my guess is it’s a little heavier bike

Do they list reach for each of those bikes? I would put the mini up against the city for reach and consider that also if it was me

I had a mini think it was a 2016 model, had a lot of shorter friends ride it and seem to do fine but it’s kind of a long bike unless the 2018’s are shorter

 

[Alex M]

Might consider other folding step-through models as well. Like this one : https://electricbikereview.com/amego/freedom/.

The chances of 48x14 battery on Amego having same connectors and same or nearly same size as 48x14 on Mini are... significant.
Amego tires are cruiser width, not fat.

Mini is on the heavier side and has pretty high step-over, for a 5.2" person. She'd better try it before ordering.

 

[ebikemom]

We have multiple ebikes and having more than one bike with the same battery is super handy.

 

[rockstarinlife]

Update: I ended up ordering her a Veego fat tire folding eBike for $1599 (free shipping).

I was leaning towards the Radcity Step-thru, but it's not in stock for another 1-2 weeks according to their support and I don't wanna wait.

Kinda cool that they come 99% assembled. You only have to install the pedals and insert the seat post and you will be good to go.

I will report back after I get it in case anyone else is looking for a folding step-thru eBike too.

 

[MadManMark]

The chances of 48x14 battery on Amego having same connectors and same or nearly same size as 48x14 on Mini are... significant.

I'm in a similar situation, looking for a good bike for my 5'1" wife but I have a RadCity and would like to have compatible batteries since I commute and would like the convenience of never having to worry about dead battery, while she would probably only ride occasionally. I got excited when I read your suggestion about compatibility here & saw the form factor on the Amego Freedom, but when I got to the part of the video where they showed the battery removed, to me what I saw immediately suggested a 0% chance of battery compatibility (the connectors are on the end vs the side and the capacity is completely different, for starters). Am I missing something -- are you presuming a mod perhaps?

It looks like an appealing option otherwise, however -- thanks for bringing it to my attention! I'm surprised the OP apparently didn't consider it?

 

[rockstarinlife]

It would be nice to have the same battery for me but not necessary since I don't need to commute. My first priority was for it to be comfortable for my 5' wifey and preferred to have fat tires. Also helps if I didnt have to wait 2 more weeks before I can order it.

The Veego fat tire was in stock, has fat tires, and most importantly is a step-thru. Also, a bonus that it folds since I have 3 kids and would like to be able to haul 5 bikes to the beach to ride as a family.

I'm in a similar situation, looking for a good bike for my 5'1" wife but I have a RadCity and would like to have compatible batteries since I commute and would like the convenience of never having to worry about dead battery, while she would probably only ride occasionally. I got excited when I read your suggestion about compatibility here & saw the form factor on the Amego Freedom, but when I got to the part of the video where they showed the battery removed, to me what I saw immediately suggested a 0% chance of battery compatibility (the connectors are on the end vs the side and the capacity is completely different, for starters). Am I missing something -- are you presuming a mod perhaps?

It looks like an appealing option otherwise, however -- thanks for bringing it to my attention! I'm surprised the OP apparently didn't consider it?

 

[Sally Fitzgerald]

Get you wife a folding e-bike, they're easy to carry around and take with you anywhere! The bikes you're considering are good but there are cheaper ones out there. I heard there are brands, especially quality ones offering discounts, like ones that are launching campaigns on site like Indiegogo. Where "electric bike" is a trending search.