RadWagon - just arrived and a few questions

[Jaegee]

Hi guys, I just got my RadWagon today. I was able to put it together with not too much trouble. I did need to call when installing the front wheel because I'm not used to disc brakes and the wheel wasn't moving freely, a quick adjustment and I was good to go.

Some random questions that I'm sure you all have seen.
1) Just because I'm a bit irritated, the accessories I got just came with the caboose, my alumnium rack and 2 seat pads were missing. UPS said it shipped 2 packages, which they did. So perhaps RadPower forgot to include them in the package with the caboose? :-/ I emailed them and will call tomorrow.

Okay real questions.
1) The battery took about 3 hours to charge from empty, this seemed pretty good. When I installed the battery back to the bike I couldn't quite get the rubber plug to go fully into the charging port on the battery. This seems super simple, but did anyone else experience this? The more I try the more warped the rubber nub is getting, so I just stopped. It doesn't affect much, but would like to eventually get it in there easily.
2) I hear some metal grinding very faintly when riding. does this go away over time or should I take it to a shop and have them do some alignments?
3) When I put it on PAS 5 and get it up to speed the battery meter on the LCD screen goes to 3 bars. When I stop pedaling and coast it goes back to 5 (or 6 whatever is full) bars. When I am stopped it's at 5 bars. I assume I still have full battery, but why would it do this? I assumed the battery will go down gradually throughout the ride to tell me my actual power level.
4) how do I turn on the light?
5) I'm 6'1'' and got the bike seat at the highest it says it should be set to. It isn't bad at all, but another 1/2 inch or so would be wonderful, anyone do this on theirs? run into any concerns?
6) over some bumps my wife said the kickstand went down and then back up, is this natural or is there a way to tighten it more so it doesn't move unless I force it to open?

Other than those small things I love the first 5ish miles I was going around my neighborhood. Can't wait to stick the kids on and get to riding around town. My intent is to go to a one car family and use the bike around town. I live in a city where the max speed limit is 25mph, so the bike seems like a great way to do all my normal routines around town.

Happy trails...

 

[finerbiner]

Hi guys, I just got my RadWagon today. I was able to put it together with not too much trouble. I did need to call when installing the front wheel because I'm not used to disc brakes and the wheel wasn't moving freely, a quick adjustment and I was good to go.

Some random questions that I'm sure you all have seen.
1) Just because I'm a bit irritated, the accessories I got just came with the caboose, my alumnium rack and 2 seat pads were missing. UPS said it shipped 2 packages, which they did. So perhaps RadPower forgot to include them in the package with the caboose? :-/ I emailed them and will call tomorrow.

Okay real questions.
1) The battery took about 3 hours to charge from empty, this seemed pretty good. When I installed the battery back to the bike I couldn't quite get the rubber plug to go fully into the charging port on the battery. This seems super simple, but did anyone else experience this? The more I try the more warped the rubber nub is getting, so I just stopped. It doesn't affect much, but would like to eventually get it in there easily.
2) I hear some metal grinding very faintly when riding. does this go away over time or should I take it to a shop and have them do some alignments?
3) When I put it on PAS 5 and get it up to speed the battery meter on the LCD screen goes to 3 bars. When I stop pedaling and coast it goes back to 5 (or 6 whatever is full) bars. When I am stopped it's at 5 bars. I assume I still have full battery, but why would it do this? I assumed the battery will go down gradually throughout the ride to tell me my actual power level.
4) how do I turn on the light?
5) I'm 6'1'' and got the bike seat at the highest it says it should be set to. It isn't bad at all, but another 1/2 inch or so would be wonderful, anyone do this on theirs? run into any concerns?
6) over some bumps my wife said the kickstand went down and then back up, is this natural or is there a way to tighten it more so it doesn't move unless I force it to open?

Other than those small things I love the first 5ish miles I was going around my neighborhood. Can't wait to stick the kids on and get to riding around town. My intent is to go to a one car family and use the bike around town. I live in a city where the max speed limit is 25mph, so the bike seems like a great way to do all my normal routines around town.

Happy trails...

I've had a wagon for 700 miles and think i can help.

1. The Dolphin battery pack rubber stopper sucks. It is a pain.
2. probably the brake rotors scraping just a little
3. That is normal. Nothing to worry about. I really never use PAS 5 though. On flat terrain it is pretty easy to maintain 20mph with 1 or 2.
4. Hold down the top 2 controller buttons. First the LCD will back light, then the headlight will come on.
5. I'm 5'7" sorry
6. I got velcro tape and made a loop to hold up the kickstand when riding. I just slide it forward to put the kickstand down and then slide it back when I put it up. Works great. No more slapping.

I have the tires filled to 60psi and have not had any flats. I added a cheap suspension seatpost, a stem mounted cell phone holder, the Yuba bread basket (awesome) and love this bike.

Enjoy yours.

 

[mbirds]

Hi, enjoy your new bike. A couple of comments:

It's not clear where the "grinding" is coming from in your description. Could be rubbing brake rotors as mentioned above, or a derailleur needing a tuneup, if it happens while pedaling. Both are simple and can be done at home or in a bike shop. If the grinding is from somewhere else on the bike, let us know...

Under power, the voltage drops on any battery; that's what you are seeing in the readout. My radmini does the same and I think a lot of bikes do this. Let it rest for a moment to get a true rating.

For the seatpost, you could replace with a longer seatpost just to be on the safe side.

 

[Barkme Wolf]

First thing I did was remove the running boards. I have them handy if I need them.
Next, Local Bike Shop (LBS) for a tune up- breaks and derailleurs.
Bike shop will fix the rubbing noise. Might need the tires trued- if not now, in a few hundred miles.
Better tail light?
Upgrade tires. Mr. Tuffy liners or Marathon Flat-less tires- I am going with Mr. Tuffy because of cost.

I have had my RW for about 2 months and have had it in and out of the shop. 3 flats in the front and a slow leak in the rear. Blackberry thorns everywhere.
Have put 1000 miles on it in this time, no previous bike riding experience (not since the 80s). My LBS has been good to me. Getting ready for a solo camping trip with the Radwagon soon.

 

[Barkme Wolf]

P.S. The battery hatch is a P-A-I-N !!!!!! Mine simply doesn't work so if anyone has a solution...

 

[Jaegee]

Thank you all for the great replies. Much appreciated.

To answer a few questions raised above.

• The grinding occurs on every revolution to the back wheel, whether I am pedaling or just coasting. I assume it has to do with the rear disc brake.
• I'll take it to the LBS in a week or two, I'd rather it break in a bit and settle instead of doing 2 tune ups.
• Velcro tape sounds like a fantastic idea, I'll give that a go for the kickstand.
• With the battery I really don't mind it, I could just rip it off for all I care, but I am worried during rain that little plug seems pretty important. Maybe I'll shave the inside nub a bit and see if I can get it to fit better that way. Or have a piece of electric tape handy over the plug if it does rain.
• The bread basket looks great, seems like a good addition to carry things along with my kids. But at $170 I think I'll wait a bit until I realize it is a necessity. Did the screws and stuff that came with it fit the RW well?
• I'm ordering the Tuffy tire inserts, I don't mind changing tubes on my road bike, but getting the rear wheel off of this beast seems daunting.

I'll probably end up getting a phone mount and speaker as well for the kids and me to listen to music while we roam around.

 

[Mike in Spokane]

The plug fails on almost everyone of their batteries, it doesn't mater which bike. It's probably best that you put several miles on the bike and get extremely comfortable on it before you put the kids on the back.

 

[walawn]

@Jaegee I used some wire cutters to snip a little bit off of the plug until it fit just right. I cut it long wise making a D shape and did not cut the end off since that wouldn't change the diameter of the plug. Start a little at a time until you get a tight, but manageable fit. If it's the brake pads touching the rotors causing the grinding noise, then you should be able to adjust them. There is a large allen bolt on the calipers which should move one of the pads in and out until you get the right "fit". Install a larger seat post to fix your issue, or one with suspension, which should be taller. Some bailing or thick gauge wire should be a quick fix to your kickstand problem. Just bend it to fit and make a loop. The LCD battery gauge is a volt meter, so if you are hard on the throttle or on PAS 5, then it will drop under load. But it will show approximately the correct amount once you come to a stop or cease using the power of the motor.