SF commute bike (8.8 roundtrip, hills, 2nd floor apartment)?

G

gryphon82

New Member
4.4 miles each way, I live on a steep hill and my work is close to sea level. I live on a 2nd floor apartment with no elevator. I had a non-electric bike when I moved here but I sold it because I never used it.

The main bike I'm considering is the RadCity. What else should I be looking at? Is that too heavy to reasonably carry up the stairs every day? I have a parking spot at home but it isn't super safe. There's a pole I can lock it to but thieves could just walk right up to it. I have safe, ground floor parking at work.

My only hard requirement is a throttle and I would prefer to have a rack for a backpack.

This is my commute: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/409...c122bded0!2m2!1d-122.3919488!2d37.7765973!3e1

Any recommendations for cheap bike insurance?

Thanks!
 
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RadCity = 61 lbs. Not something I'd want to hump up and down a flight of stairs every day. I've seen a few ebikes that are <50 lbs, none that are <30 lbs.

It may help to know that some, such as my Juiced Bikes CrossCurrent S, have a "walk mode" that provides a low level of power to help situations where you might be walking your bike. I've used it to help get up stairs before. Awkward, but better than trying to muscle the bike all the way by myself.

AFAIK, Velosurance is the only company selling ebike insurance.
 
Good tips, thanks! Velosurance looks reasonable. They quoted me at $9.42/mo -- it's a no-brainer at that price.
 
I have a Radrover (exact same weight as Radcity) and I store on the 2nd floor next to my office in a server room. I use the elevator to take up; but, I did use the throttle with full 750w/80nm tq and push the rover up the stairs when the elevator was out easily. I walk my rover down the stairs and I modulate both hand brakes as I go down. Really depends how steep the stairs are and the amount of room to maneuver around corners if you can do the same.

You might think about the Radmini because you can fold the ebike, remove the battery, seat, and/or front tire to lighten the load to take up/down the stairs.
 
Depending on what else you plan to do with the bike (and your height), I'd say look at the Blix Vika Travel. It's aboud 40 pounds, folds, has a throttle, and an internal gear hub. Downsides would be no rack or fenders, and the seatpost isn't terribly long. It has 16 inch wheels like a Brompton, but they're fatter.
 
I'm 5'10" and am going to use it 95% for commuting, 5% for errands. I forgot to say fenders are a pretty strict requirement, given SF weather. I would have to add aftermarket ones to a bike that doesn't have them.
 
One other question: there's a 2017 RadCity bike in my size on Craigslist for a good price. Are the changes between 2017 and 2018 very significant? I just got an email from Rad Power Bikes saying the 2018s are in stock starting tomorrow.
 
The main difference between 2017 -vs- 2018 Radcity is the extra 115 Wh extra battery capacity:

2017: 11.6ahX48v = 556.8 Wh
2018: 14ahX48v = 672 Wh

Translate to more power for longer range, climb hills longer, less charging cycles, and more power available if you need to max out the load. Other 2018 improvement is a larger/brighter headlight, no on/off button on battery pack, 12 magnets instead of 6 for better PAS response, and standard rack mounts on front head tube for Rad Power Bikes front rack system.

The advantage with going with the 2017 Radcity would be the used ebike price and you still might have some time left on the 1 year warranty. Downsides would be:
- wear/tear to frame, suspension, brakes, chain, etc...
- tire treadwear
- how many charge cycles used from the average 700-800 total cycles
- was regular maintenance done
- any error codes or other repair items that might be out of warranty
- any mods done
 
Dragging an ebike (even with walk assist) up 2 flights of stairs sounds like an exercise in daily frustration. Question: where you live is there anywhere in your building you could stash and lock up your ebike securely rather than drag it upstairs? A garage? Is there a backyard area that connects by alleyway/passage somewhere on the ground floor of the building? I'd be looking for any viable, secure solution besides taking the bike up 2 flights of stairs, but that's me and that's what immediately came to mind when I read your initial post.
 
gryphon82 said:
4.4 miles each way, I live on a steep hill and my work is close to sea level. I live on a 2nd floor apartment with no elevator. I had a non-electric bike when I moved here but I sold it because I never used it.

The main bike I'm considering is the RadCity. What else should I be looking at? Is that too heavy to reasonably carry up the stairs every day? I have a parking spot at home but it isn't super safe. There's a pole I can lock it to but thieves could just walk right up to it. I have safe, ground floor parking at work.

My only hard requirement is a throttle and I would prefer to have a rack for a backpack.

This is my commute: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/409...c122bded0!2m2!1d-122.3919488!2d37.7765973!3e1

Any recommendations for cheap bike insurance?

Thanks!
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Hey the rad bikes have a walk mode (hold the down arrow to start) that means you can walk them up stairs fairly easily.

If I was you I would be more worried about the rad city getting you up those SF hills easily. There’s less torque with the city compared to the rover and they say not to climb hills with the city above PA 3 or you’ll put too much strain on the motor.


Depending on your weight the rover or even mini might be the better choice from rad.
 
Yeah, there's a back area I can use. It isn't super safe, but with insurance it should be fine.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybuses_in_San_Francisco, about my hill:

The system includes the single steepest known grade on any existing trolley bus line in the world,[3][4][5][6] specifically 22.8% in the block of Noe Street between Cesar Chavez Street and 26th Street on route 24-Divisadero...
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I won't approach from that angle, but yeah, it's a steep hill.

Now I'm leaning toward the RadRover. Maybe I can just put fenders on for the rainy season and live without a rack? That way I can use the bike for trail riding too, even though that isn't something I originally wanted.
 
I lived in SF for many years, I know those hills.

Get the most powerful motor and battery you can within your budget. And get the most massive chain you can with a big ass boron lock for stowing your bike at home. By big ass chain, I'm talking about ones like 19mm that weigh like 20lbs and a lock like an 18mm Squire or a XENA. You'll want to secure your bike to something immovable and get that big ass chain around the frame and tires, as well as around the immovable object.
 
I just ordered a https://www.skunklock.com. I already have a Kryptonite New York chain lock.

I just looked at Squire reviews -- looks good. If a thief gets through my current setup, I'll use that next.

PowerMe: Do you have a bike recommendation, if my budget is $1500 - $2000?
 
The Radrover 4" fat tires has a very large foot print for storage, almost no public trans option, and you pretty much need a platform rack on a vehicle to transport. I have a 7 passenger SUV and it can hardly fit in the rear hatch with the 2nd/3rd rows down (Acura MDX). Imagine trying to stuff a full grown Great Dane in the overhead compartment on an airplane type of hard.

Excellent ebike for long distance hauls of 25-40 miles, single track/trail riding, and paved road work commuting all on the same ride (I've done this many times). The front suspension and 4" fat tires soak up a lot of the bumps at a higher speed on almost any road surface that would rattle smaller tire bikes. I added a rear rack, larger seat and suspension seatpost for hours of riding comfort (topeak fat tire rack, Cloud-9+Bodyfloat v2.0 420mm w/ orange springs).

Radrover is good if storage and stairs isn't an issue at home or work. That is why I was thinking Radmini with the same 750w/80 nm rear hub, 20" fat tires, built-in rear rack, front suspension, and the ability to remove battery/front tire/seat for easy uber/public transportation, storage, and securing with chain.
 
I have a pickup truck. It looks like I won't be storing the bike in my apartment, so footprint there isn't an issue. I just checked at work and I can fit it in there, too.

I'm planning on ordering a RadRover tomorrow at 9am, unless someone has a better recommendation.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!
 
I've had my two radrovers since Sept/16 and have +4600 miles between them. I like riding the rad so much, I decide to be a year round ebike work commuter 3-5 times a week. I love the added benefit of trail riding compared to only urban roads with other types of commuter ebikes. I would still get the Radrovers if I needed to do it all over again today.
 
gryphon82 said:
PowerMe: Do you have a bike recommendation, if my budget is $1500 - $2000?
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The only ebike I'm familiar with is the one I purchased in 2015, which you can see in my avatar. Easy Motion Evo Street. However, the Easy Motion line is a good one but their price point tends to be higher than your stated range.
 
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