RadMini Step-Thru or Electra Townie Go! 8D?

[kloxxe]

I am debating between these two as our first ebikes (I need two of them for my wife and me). I am a heavy rider, she is normal built. We want to use the bikes for recreational city rides, bike lanes, some hard packed trails, nothing extreme, no big hills to climb (Toronto)...

- The RadMini Step Thru is 1899 C$ (after 200 off from the price of 2 bikes)

- The Electra Townie Go! 8D is on sale now for 2549 C$

Both have their own advantages:

- the Townie is a nicer bike, engineered/made to specification by Trek, local service/warranty support is available and of course it has a refined Bosch mid drive system (250w Active Line Gen3)

- the Mini Step-Thru built upon off-the-shelf Chinese components (not saying they are not good), but better equipped (lights) and has it's portability advantage (fits in the trunk of a regular car when folded - I hope)

https://www.cyclepath.ca/product/electra-townie-go-8d-step-over-350464-1.htm
https://radpowerbikes.ca/products/radmini-step-thru

Which one would you recommend and why?

Thanks for any advice!

 

[ebikemom]

My druthers is better components and local support.

 

[Alex M]

From what I hear, owners of 70 lbs Mini are not thrilled about its portability and often prefer to use a rack with ramp.

No hills, no need for throttle, so - if budget allows, get Townie. Plan on spending more in future, too. Bosch systems are quality but proprietary, no 3rd party components to replace with.

 

[kloxxe]

I saw videos on youtube people putting the rad mini into a sedan (in a Subaru STI to be specific). It is sort of important for me as both my wife and I driving sedans - so adding a hitch mount and the rack would come as additional cost and headache to store, etc.. (and not even sure if its possible as both cars are hybrid - Toyota/Lexus)

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Alex M]

It's not that Mini won't fit in sedan. It's just that it's heavy to put it in and take out of there.

 

[trainman]

I know this is an old post, but do people really buy folding bikes and expect them to fit into every vehicle and then scratch there heads and wonder why they don't, really.

 

[Browneye]

If'n ya got a airplane yacht or RV - folder. Otherwise...nah. JMHO
Some like the Townie style frame - for me it would be the Verve+. I test rode one, looked at the Electra, and it was not even a contest. And really, the townies I saw had bafang IGH's - not the bosch mid-drive like the Verve had. Maybe there are different models. [shrug]

I wonder what OP decided.

 

[tomjasz]

bafang IGH's

Really? I've never seen or heard of a Bafang IGH! Nexus or other 8i?

 

[Browneye]

Really? I've never seen or heard of a Bafang IGH! Nexus or other 8i?

Could well be. The ones my LBS had next to their Treks were definitely hub-drive, but I didn't pay close attention as to whether they were geared or direct, nor the manufacturer. They definitely weren't mid-drive bosch units.

Edit: Searching for 'hydrive' as Electra describes their hub appears to be a 'Brose' unit.

Doing a quick search again I see they do offer mid-drive bikes, as well as "250 watt hub-drive", which appear to be IGH based on the drive hub diameter:

Electra Bicycle Company | Bikes & Accessories

The only hard part about riding an Electra bike is choosing which one to get. They're all easy to ride and they look amazing.

www.electrabike.com

 

[tomjasz]

OK you mean GH Geared Hub Drive with derailleur, NOT IGH, Internal Geared hub. That is the bottom line Electra just introduced. I believe it also does not have a throttle just PAS. Thus the lower price.

 

[Marci jo]

On Electra’s website the 2020 ebikes list two mid-drive bikes with a Power Tube on the down tube.
Vale Go and Cafe Moto Go
Would either of those bikes fit your situation?

 

[Browneye]

OK you mean GH geared Hub, NOT IGH, Internal Geared hub. That is the bottom line Electra just introduced. I believe it also does not have a throttle just PAS. Thus the lower price.

Yup. Did not impress. I had no idea they had a mid-drive - one would have thought the sales guy I spoke to would mention that, no?

So a 'geared hub' is an electric drive hub with gears in it, and an 'internal geared hub' can shift internally? My apologies - I'm not up on all the proper nomenclature yet.

And then there's a direct drive hub. Okay, I won't call them IGH's anymore.

 

[tomjasz]

Yup. Did not impress. I had no idea they had a mid-drive - one would have thought the sales guy I spoke to would mention that, no?

So a 'geared hub' is an electric drive hub with gears in it, and an 'internal geared hub' can shift internally? My apologies - I'm not up on all the proper nomenclature yet.

And then there's a direct drive hub. Okay, I won't call them IGH's anymore.

Don't worry, we were all once in the same position. For a mid drive Electra Townie Go! 8D add $500! They maybe don't have the mid drives in their inventory. Some shops haven't had a big market for eBikes yet and don't like having stock sit around till the next model year.

 

[tomjasz]

https://www.electrabike.com/sites/default/files/styles/bike_large/public/skus/568474_2.jpg?itok=KFOFuCZn