I've been sitting on the fence for awhile now deciding on a radwagon. The problem I face is not knowing its ability to climb up hills. I just took the car to the pharmacy and measured 1.9 miles using what I would call the back roads through neighborhoods. The other route is on a bigger road with a bike lane. The other route is more direct but involves a long hill from my house to the pharmacy, about 1 mile. I am 66 years young and not sure if the bike will assist enough for me to make the grades. I could use the exercise and the motor assist would be nice in case I get tired while riding. It's so hard to know without seeing its performance (I have looked at youtube vids). If anyone in San Antonio has one I'd like to hear from you. Thanks for your help and comments.
Radwagon on hills?
- Thread starter skypup
- Start date
I'm south east of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascade range, and commute down into the Kent valley, 14 miles round trip with a gain in elevation of a little over 1000'. One hill is a mile long at a 15% grade, another is a couple of blocks at a 18% grade. It takes some effort on those hills, but nothing like a regular bike requires and I weigh 220 lbs.
San Antonio is as flat as a pancake in comparison to the Seattle area, I believe it would be up to the task for any hills in your area.
San Antonio is as flat as a pancake in comparison to the Seattle area, I believe it would be up to the task for any hills in your area.
WilliamT
Active Member
My brother in law is 67 and doesn't really bike at all. When they came to visit I let him use my RadWagon to ride with us. In casual riding between 12-14 mph, he was able to keep pace with us with no problems. I think we did 30 miles that day and he wasn't tired at all. The largest hill we did was 338 ft over a 6 mile stretch so it was very gradual. After the visit, he wanted an e-bike for himself. The RadWagon has 5 levels of assist. 90% of the time he was at level 1 or 2.
At level 3, the motor provides plenty of assist at low speeds. At that level, it feels more like your on an stationary elliptical. At levels 4 and 5, there really isn't any point in pedaling after it begins picking up speed. Level 2 is strong enough to offset the weight of the bike and allow you to get some exercise. I find the throttle useful to get the bike moving initially and when you just need some additional assists over hills.
At level 3, the motor provides plenty of assist at low speeds. At that level, it feels more like your on an stationary elliptical. At levels 4 and 5, there really isn't any point in pedaling after it begins picking up speed. Level 2 is strong enough to offset the weight of the bike and allow you to get some exercise. I find the throttle useful to get the bike moving initially and when you just need some additional assists over hills.
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