Rover ST or Mini ST??????

[Whatdevs]

Hey Rad fam,

I recently purchased a Rover Step Thru (shipping next month, I hope) but after reading sooooo many glowing reviews of the Mini ST and how much fun it is, I'm worried I should have picked that instead! I have a test ride scheduled for next weekend so I'll be able to compare the two, but I'm wondering how anyone who has BOTH bikes feels about them and if they favor one over the other and why. I'm guessing riding both will help me make my decision, but what if they both feel really good and fun and I can't choose! Just hoping for some insight as to advantages/disadvantages other than the obvious folding feature in the Mini. Any terrain that has been easier conquered with one or the other? Shorter people (I'm 5'4") have you had any control issues with the Rover that you didn't have with the Mini? Any components (like trailers/racks/bottle cages/etc) that work better with one over the other? Any nuggets of experience are much appreciated!

 

[mrgold35]

I have two Rad rovers (2016) and Radcity ST. The wife and I started out with the two Radrovers. She didn't enjoy riding the Radrover because is just felt so big to her (felt like she was riding a small motorcycle). She didn't like how the Radrover felt in low speed maneuvers compared to her smaller 700c pedal bike. Plus, the Radrover took up soooo much real estate being very long, having wide tires, and really bulky to man handle in tight spots or lift on bike rack. She was only using the Rover for leisurely weekend fun rides on paved or hard-packed surfaces. I was using the rover +5X a week for 50-70 miles for work commuting and single track riding. The rover was just right for me; but, overkill for her.

We were able to test ride the Radcity ST when it first came out and that was the 99.9% solution for her riding style. Both the rover and radcity ebikes come in at the same weight; but, the radcity looked, felt, and handled like a smaller bike with smaller width tires, lower seat, cruiser handle bars for a more comfy riding position. I think she just felt more confident on the city compared to the rover.

I would compared the Rover and the Mini on how it handles at low speeds and how comfy the riding position feels for a +20 mile ride. The rover is an extremely large ebike and I need my 7 passenger SUV and platform bike rack to move it around.