RadMini or RadCity/RadCity Step-thru? Need help to decide which one to get

A

AZOldTech

Active Member
I'm a 60yo 6'2" road biker that does 30mi a day at average speed of 19mi/hr (no matter the wind cause I do the same 15mi road coming and going). My wife is 5'4" a weekend road biker as well but we end up not biking together because of the vast difference in speed. I would also love to bike a longer distance (40mi/day) in the future. So I have been looking for an e-bike for her that depending on the pedal assist level we can both keep up with each other (more likely I will have to keep up with her LOL, which should give me added motivation to improve my physical ability and speed). So I have been looking at the RadMini and RadCity step-thru versions, mainly because of her standover height (even though I think even the 16" RadCity will do for her).

Since both are heavy bikes (63.5lb vs 61lb) the RadMini has an added advantage in that you can pretty much put it in any car (or an Uber for that matter) in case of a flat or mechanical breakdown. I have a 2 bike carrier on my truck (the other car is a 5dr Mazda 3 hatchback) but I do not know if the carrier can carry 65lb safely (ebike with bag/panniers). So advantage on the RadMini for being portable enough to take it anywhere no matter how small the car.

Both will accommodate the standover height of my 5'4" wife and in case I need to use it for a quick run to the grocery story, both will also accommodate my 6'2" "squashed" self (I won't be doing much pedaling).

So considering the main differences between the RadMini and RadCity ST (like geared motor vs direct drive, Tourney Shimano vs Acera Shimano, rolling resistance 20"x4" Kenda Krusade tires vs 26"x2.3" Kenda K-Rad tires ), I would like input from other people who had to make the same decision or are owners of the RadMini/RadCity/RadCity ST, and their opinion of why one will be a better choice than the other. BTW, I have never seen in person any of those e-bikes so it will be a sight unseen purchase, so your input will be very valuable to me.

Also, assume that most of the riding will be done on paved roads and NOT dirt roads, so most likely I will be looking for replacement of the Kenda Krusade tires to ones that will be more paved road friendly with better rolling resistance. Don't know how the Kenda K-Rad tires behave but looking at some videos I would say they are somewhere in between a true road tire and the Kenda Krusade. Also I understand 20x4" tires are slim pickings out there (I can only find 4 tires with 2 of them at 20x4.25" which I have no idea if they will even fit).

So let the comments begin and I thank you all in advance of all your knowledge and expertise in helping me make this decision.
 
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My wife is 4'11" and she absolutely loves her Radcity Step-Thru. Everything about the Radcity Step-Thru seems to fit her size, ability, and riding style much better than the rover. Her riding skills are in the beginner stage and limited to paved urban fun rides and light exercising around the neighborhood. We started out with two his/her 2016 Radrovers. She never felt comfortable with the fat tire rover because it looked so big and heavy (Radcity and Rover weigh about the same). She never felt comfortable with the any off road riding with the rover and full MTB fat tire capability was never used by her.

I can see the Radmini almost being in the same boat as the Radrover depending on how you like to use it. The big advantage being able to fold the mini if space/transportation is an issue. I can still see moving the folded mini would be 100% on me because it would still be too heavy and bulky for my wife even with the seat, battery, and/or front tire removed. I purchased a 4 bike platform rack that can also do 2 ebikes. Much easier to mount my Radrover and Radcity alone or help from her with the Saris rack compared to a hatch or backseat.

Some differences I've noticed with Rover (maybe mini) -vs- city are:
- Radcity regen braking works when coasting in PAS 1-5 or when the brakes are engaged. Could increase range by 5%-10% depending on declines
- Radcity adjustable stem, easily configured for you or wife
- Radcity cruiser style handlebars, very comfy for hours of riding
- Radcity only has 1/2 the tq of the Radrover/mini (40 nm -vs- 80 nm); but, it sure doesn't feel like less. The Radcity will keep up with the Rover.
- Radcity step-thru design, it is always a pain in the bottom to step over the rover/mini top drop bar or swing your leg over the seat compared to the step thru design
- Radcity looks, feels, and handles like a small bike than the +60 lbs weight. The Radrover/mini look larger and heavier.
- So far, the Radcity Kenda 2.3" tires are quiet and handle very well at all speeds compared to the fat tire Kenda. I have no issues keeping the Radcity tires until they wear out on the ebike. I couldn't wait to get rid of the fat tire Kenda because of weekly flats, killer bee road noise, squirrelly feeling on turns at +15 mph, and sometimes tq steer at lower PSI.
 
mrgold35 said it all. Can't add anything more except I solved the problem regarding making this choice by getting both those bikes. Still cheaper than buying one Pedego, if that's any consolation.
Good luck Larryv and happy trails...
 
So to see if I have this right, you want to buy an e-bike for the wife that will keep up with you on your 19mph 40 mile cruises? If so, you may be pushing it.

At minimum, I think some re-gearing may be in order. My stock '18 City was tough to keep up with over about 15mph. I changed over to a different 11 tooth freewheel unit to fix that. Now 20 mph isn't that big a deal and available gear ratios much more usable (no longer spending most of my time in the top 2 gears).

With the change to an 11 tooth gear, she might have a chance on a City. Which one is your call, but thinking the ST would be the safer bet. But she's going to have to be willing to put a lot of effort (using a fairly low PAS level) into it for a 40 mile range at that speed. 20-30 miles should be easy, but 40, maybe not so much.

Last, you were talking about a bike rack on a truck. I would have to agree that many bike racks, even HD versions, would be struggling with the weight of an e-bike. What might make more sense would be to use a receiver type hitch on your truck, and one of those cargo racks that plug into a receiver type hitch. Something like that would handle an e-bike, or even 2 ebikes, without a lot of trouble. They're pretty sturdy. -Al
 
mrgold35 said:
My wife is 4'11" and she absolutely loves her Radcity Step-Thru. Everything about the Radcity Step-Thru seems to fit her size, ability, and riding style much better than the rover. Her riding skills are in the beginner stage and limited to paved urban fun rides and light exercising around the neighborhood. We started out with two his/her 2016 Radrovers. She never felt comfortable with the fat tire rover because it looked so big and heavy (Radcity and Rover weigh about the same). She never felt comfortable with the any off road riding with the rover and full MTB fat tire capability was never used by her.

I can see the Radmini almost being in the same boat as the Radrover depending on how you like to use it. The big advantage being able to fold the mini if space/transportation is an issue. I can still see moving the folded mini would be 100% on me because it would still be too heavy and bulky for my wife even with the seat, battery, and/or front tire removed. I purchased a 4 bike platform rack that can also do 2 ebikes. Much easier to mount my Radrover and Radcity alone or help from her with the Saris rack compared to a hatch or backseat.

Some differences I've noticed with Rover (maybe mini) -vs- city are:
- Radcity regen braking works when coasting in PAS 1-5 or when the brakes are engaged. Could increase range by 5%-10% depending on declines
- Radcity adjustable stem, easily configured for you or wife
- Radcity cruiser style handlebars, very comfy for hours of riding
- Radcity only has 1/2 the tq of the Radrover/mini (40 nm -vs- 80 nm); but, it sure doesn't feel like less. The Radcity will keep up with the Rover.
- Radcity step-thru design, it is always a pain in the bottom to step over the rover/mini top drop bar or swing your leg over the seat compared to the step thru design
- Radcity looks, feels, and handles like a small bike than the +60 lbs weight. The Radrover/mini look larger and heavier.
- So far, the Radcity Kenda 2.3" tires are quiet and handle very well at all speeds compared to the fat tire Kenda. I have no issues keeping the Radcity tires until they wear out on the ebike. I couldn't wait to get rid of the fat tire Kenda because of weekly flats, killer bee road noise, squirrelly feeling on turns at +15 mph, and sometimes tq steer at lower PSI.
Click to expand...
Thanks @mrgold35 for your detail input. You make some very good points. And if you think I should not have a problem using my 2 bike carrier with the RadCityStep, then I think that is the one that we will go with. I especially like the regen feature to extend range of the RadCity motor. However I was still thinking I would need to invest on an addition battery (no matter which ebike I choose) to make sure she makes the 40 mile round trip.
 
The 40 mile Radcity range could happen if the PAS is 2 and speed is around 13-17 mph. I did test to see if the Radcity battery would fit in my topeak MTX DXP pannier and it did with room to spare.
 
@AHicks many thanks for your input. You bring a very good point. I think the RadCity comes a 14-34T Cassette, which you are right, shows the issue you are talking about by having to spin fast at 19mph. However I also think that an 11 tooth cassette may also not be the solution (at least longer term) as it drastically changes the torque forces and dynamics that the frame was designed for especially when you are in the wrong gear and at various low speeds. Maybe a 13-32T would be more appropriate. For example, a 13T cog with a 46T chainring (like the RadCity has) will only require 80rpm for 22+mph which IMO is easily doable

I will also like to hear what RadCity designers of the bike/have to say about it, if they are reading this thread
 
Larry, planning on the regen feature to extend your range, even a little bit, is very likely going to lead to disappointment. When it comes to charging the battery, the regen function is incredibly inefficient. Much better to plan on it as a braking device.

I'm not sure how important your warranty is to you (I do all my own work so it's near worthless here). I was thinking that rather than carrying an extra battery, maybe looking into the potential for installing an aftermarket battery with more capacity. If you could get something closer to a 20ah battery that would fit where the 14.5ah battery is now? A single, more capable, battery would be lighter, and if you plan on the purchase price of a second battery anyway, it wouldn't be that much more money. It could actually be less.....

Not a gearing wizard here. I have no experience in this area regarding what is available, and what will work. If you decide to go with a City, and find a more efficient way to gear it for your mission, I would love to hear about your experience. Hope you share it here. -Al
 
Rad City, with spare battery...all road riding, running 80/90# in the Kenda, 50t. chainring, drop bar extensions. A great road rider...love
 

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larry-new said:
Rad City, with spare battery...all road riding, running 80/90# in the Kenda, 50t. chainring, drop bar extensions. A great road rider...love
Click to expand...
Hi there, I am considering of purchasing this bike, did you switch out your tires to ones that can be used on hike/dirt trails? If so, please share the brand and size, thank you!
 
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