Radrover my RadROLLER!

Metalusion

Active Member
starting my own Radrover thread to share my take on this bike. for good or bad, it's just my take, not very technical as i have limited experience with bikes in general. pretty much a novice so hopefully will get good feedback from more knowledgeable peeps as well as encourage others in the same boat as me.

here's my initial feedback that i posted in another thread that i want to transfer here for the sake of keeping all of it in one thread:

picked up my RR today from the bike shop. went for my first ride mostly flat land, moderate hills in park by the beach.
The power/torque from a dead stop is so so. i'm clocking in at 265 so it may feel more spritely for you lighter folks. gotta
say though compared to my previous bike (Volton Alation 500w rear hub brushless geared motor) this one doesn't feel as powerful from a dead stop. i was expecting it to be more powerful since the specs are very similar and the Radrover is rated even higher at 750w. maybe it's because the overall bike is a bit heavier (Volton is 6lbs lighter). otherwise i don't know why this would be.
Since the Volton is my closest point of reference i can't help but compare the two.

My immediate thought even when getting on the bike is this is one heavy bike. but once it gets going it doesn't matter since the motor helps in a major way. if i can use a car analogy the difference between the two bikes is the Volton feels closer to a race car with insane torque and the Radrover feels like a luxury sedan that is smoother, heavier and more cushy because of the big fat tires. it rolls over just about anything, bumpy roads are welcome and when you glide over uneven pavement, rocks, potholes you practically don't feel it and that puts a smile on your face.

my first ride for a total of about 20 miles was great! this is a fun bike. it's built like a tank and flattens out all the bumps in the road. going over bumpy grassy hills was fun fun fun! the steering felt a bit cumbersome compared to my previous ebike (mountain bike tires). maybe because i'm still getting used to the feel of the RR. it doesn't feel like it wants to be thrown around to zip around corners etc. that's the trade off with the fat tires i suppose.
at the end of the ride the battery had 3 bars left. i was doing plenty of pedaling but wasn't shy with the throttle either. still have to dial things in, maybe swap the seat out though the supplied one is nice but it's very personal thing with seats :)

one nice thing is that you don't need the key inserted into the battery to turn the RR on which the volton did require. no chance of snapping the key while riding.

so far i'm happy with it for the price i paid and even at the retail of 1499. it's still a good deal
 
pic of my beauty the day i got it assembled
 

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went for my second ride today, mostly flat terrain but lots of bumpy roads in my neighborhood (oakland, bay area).
the bike is great at rolling over every crack,bump and dip, i'm loving that aspect of it!!

i swapped out the seat and put on a seat that doesn't have the pointy bit in the front. much more comfortable for me.

may swap out the bar as well to get a more upright seating position. one thing that is a bit annoying is the fact that i can't set the assistance to "0" would love to not have the bike lunge forward from a stop when in traffic. if only riding on bike paths it might not be a problem but when dealing with people and cars right in front of you i would like the bike to just be on pedal power only.

a not so elegant workaround i have is to turn the bike off for when dealing with stopping and crowds.

which leads to my next eureka moment! Noticed while riding with the bike set to OFF. This bike likes to roll. yes it is heavy but the weight gives it momentum and in relatively flat terrain the Radrover just wants to roll on and on which weirdly makes it easier to coast than my other non motorized fat bike (Trek farley 6)

and guess what? it is a JOY to ride it this way! i imagine this technique would greatly lengthen the total distance capable with the Radrover. my only wish is that the odometer could calculate distance while it engine is off.

this bike just keeps getting better and better. Thank you RAD POWER BIKES!
 
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Nice thanks for the review and update. Still on the fence about buying one this, the radwagon, or just building my own. I am leaning toward just building one because I want at least a 1000watt motor. I already have a couple of ebikes and just want something with power and can go more than the 20mph limit. I also don't have a fat bike and I like to off-road so I think fatbike is the next natural move for me.
 
Nice thanks for the review and update. Still on the fence about buying one this, the radwagon, or just building my own. I am leaning toward just building one because I want at least a 1000watt motor. I already have a couple of ebikes and just want something with power and can go more than the 20mph limit. I also don't have a fat bike and I like to off-road so I think fatbike is the next natural move for me.

couldn't you get a different controller for this one or modify it? if you're technical enough to build one i believe you can make it go faster than 20mph by pairing it with a different controller. i'm not knowledgeable enough to recommend anything specific just remember hearing someone comment on that. good luck whichever way you choose to go. this ebike thing is so much fun. so many possibilities :)
 
one thing that is a bit annoying is the fact that i can't set the assistance to "0" would love to not have the bike lunge forward from a stop when in traffic. if only riding on bike paths it might not be a problem but when dealing with people and cars right in front of you i would like the bike to just be on pedal power only.

I feel exactly the same way. I've been considering various options to make the RadRover a bit safer when going slowly.

1. Loosen the brakes so that there is more movement from the lever between disengaging the motor and applying the brakes. The rider can pull the lever slightly to shut off the motor and pull the lever fully to apply the brakes. An easy fix, but I feel this could still be unsafe as there would be no feedback to the rider to confirm that the motor is disengaged.

2. Re-wire the red throttle button so that it's included in the brake lever safety loop. This is a bit more difficult - it requires a bit of soldering and access to the switch terminals, but it will allow the rider to easily shut off the motor without shutting off power to the LCD display and light.

3. Add a switch/sensor that can detect if the rider is in first gear and cut off the motor. This would be very tricky, but I think it would be the best option. If you want to ride the bike slowly, just put it in first gear and the motor will automatically shut off.

4. Get a new controller - the same as the RadWagon which has a Zero pedal assist option.

I'd also like to replace the control buttons. The current ones aren't very tactile and I would expect them to be difficult to operate while wearing gloves.
 
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4. Get a new controller - the same as the RadWagon which has a Zero pedal assist option.

i wonder how easily that is to do?
i've looked online to see how others have done it and it kinda seems complicated but if the radwagon controller is compatible one to one. it might be a simple thing.
 
well. it's not been a good day. i was on my way to the local bike store when my radrover which was attached to my car via a Thule rack. (the easyfold model) fell over while i was driving over a bridge.
No thanks to Thule!!! i know they are supposed to make good racks but this model has not been good to me.
the clamps for some reason (when locked of course) cannot deal with road vibrations as they loosen their grip and allow the "clamped" bike to fall over.

the grips are toast. the shifter exploded, the brake levers really scuffed up the battery popped out with skid marks and possible compromised housing. will have to bring it to local experts to diagnose if safe to use.

Dang it to heck! not a good day.
 
I should mention that the weight max for those Easyfold Thule models are 65lbs per bike. So you're right on the edge of the max weight limit with these Radrovers. In hindsight, probably should have added some extra strapping or retainment when using these bikes on those racks.
 
Sorry about your RadRover.
Let me start by saying I have not locked my battery; My battery popped out on a mt bike trail. It was a rough portion of trail. Wanted you folks to know, so it does not happen to you.
I also noticed batch 1 bikes the front spokes are not crossed(?), but batch 2 the front spokes are crossed correctly.
Here are a few pics of the differences in the frames between the white RadRover and the black RadRover.
 

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I should mention that the weight max for those Easyfold Thule models are 65lbs per bike. So you're right on the edge of the max weight limit with these Radrovers. In hindsight, probably should have added some extra strapping or retainment when using these bikes on those racks.
i should have. i thought of it but the fact that i had 4 clamps on one bike and a short trip to the bike shop i thought foolishly that it would hold. normally you have 1 clamp hold onto each bike. from now on a chain goes around any bike attached to that rack.
 
thanks for the sympathy guys. i should have the bike back in a week or so. the wait is excruciating.

on the topic of what is causing this bike to feel a little weak compared to my Volton Alation 500
someone suggested that i might have the tires at a low pressure so i checked and they were at about 12 psi so i bumped them both up to 20psi with no noticeable change in torque.
 
Oh, s*it! Feel for you @Metalusion and kind of know the feeling...

Tires/rolling: I pumped up the tires to 22 psi and the bike rolls and rolls like a champion! I almost doesn't have to pedal or use the throttle when there's little bit of downhill
 
i should have. i thought of it but the fact that i had 4 clamps on one bike and a short trip to the bike shop i thought foolishly that it would hold. normally you have 1 clamp hold onto each bike. from now on a chain goes around any bike attached to that rack.

Yeah, your trajedy serves as a good reminder for other members though, these bikes are heavy and shouldn't be treated the same as a regular bike.
 
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