Upgrade from RadMission to what???

[strobukm]

This spring my husband and I purchased 2 RadMissions and have generally been happy with how they've held up. I've read Rad horror stories, but we've had none of the negative experiences that some others claim to have. We assembled them easily, and haven't had to make any fixes or adjustments other than to adjust the brakes as the pads have worn down. We went with cheap bikes because we wanted to see how much we'd use them before investing too much. My sister and her wife have a RadRover and a RadRunner and have been happy with them, so we were happy to order Rad bikes without doing a ton of research into other options. They've served us well this summer, but I've ridden for over 1k miles this summer and now that I'm confident that I'll use the bike a lot, I'd like to upgrade. I realize that pretty much anything will be an upgrade over the RadMission, but I have a few requirements that may help you make recommendations. First, I'm not super impressed with the range on the RadMission. I have a 30 pound toddler that rides with me (5'9" 165 lbs) either in a Thule Yepp Maxi seat mounted to the rear rack, or pulled behind in a 30 lb single Chariot trailer. In the trailer, we get around 20-25 miles on a full charge, even at lower speeds and only using the pedal assist at level 2. When I take my daughter on rides by myself, I bring my husband's battery, but we still are limited to only around 40-45 miles. She loves bike rides with stops at the park every hour or so, and would happily ride for another few hours, so I'd really like something with a longer range, even when pulling a trailer. She can only last about 30 minutes or so in the child seat on the rear rack because without any shocks, she really bounces around and is uncomfortable, so maybe something with shocks would be better? I'm fine with the single speed drive train, but would definitely be open to a geared bike.

Must haves:
*Long range - ideally 100+ miles for a single rider, since I'd probably get much less than that pulling a trailer with a kid in it
*Ability to mount a child seat
*Class 1 - I could probably get away with a Class 3, but in MN the law technically states that to ride on trails, an ebike must be "incapable of propelling faster than 20 miles per hour" and have a maximum of 1000 watts of power
*Decent performance on hills - our current favorite route has about 1,500 feet of elevation gain, so not a ton, but help getting the trailer up hills would be appreciated!

Nice to haves:
*Throttle for getting moving after coming to a complete stop - I don't need a throttle that works without pedaling, it's just nice being able to get moving with a throttle when pulling a trailer with our chubby toddler in it
*No fat tires, I've ridden my sister's RadRover and prefer the RadMission's narrower tires.
*Shocks or something to lessen how jolting the ride is for my daughter when she's riding in the child seat

My budget is up to $4k. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[strobukm]

Don't change from the Rad.

You don't deserve a better e-bike yet. Just sayin'

Hey, be nice! It's under "nice to have" not "must have" and my kid is huge for her age so with her trailer, the extra battery, and all of our gear, I'm pulling around an extra 75 pounds or so. Also, way to make a new member of this forum asking for help feel really welcome...

 

[Dewey]

I use the throttle on my BBS01 for the same reason you do, to get moving from stationary, overcome the limitations of the basic cadence sensor on my DIY ebike kit motor, when I need to keep balance during slow speed maneuvers, etc. I used to pull a Chariot trailer and now a weehoo with a 6yo, and for family cycling with a heavy rig, a throttle is very useful. Front shocks are common, full suspension less so, the Two Wheeling Tots folk recommend the Thule RideAlong or Hamax Caress child seats for some shock absorption. For range consider a dual battery or larger battery pack model eg: Rize ebikes, Dost Kope, some Trek Allant+ and Gazelle Ultimate models with the Bosch dual battery option (though they don't have a throttle), some Biktrix models, Blix Packa

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I use the throttle on my BBS01 for the same reason you do, to get moving from stationary, overcome the limitations of the basic cadence sensor on my DIY ebike kit motor, when I need to keep balance during slow speed maneuvers, etc. I used to pull a Chariot trailer and now a weehoo with a 6yo, and for family cycling with a heavy rig, a throttle is very useful. Front shocks are common, full suspension less so. For range consider a dual battery or larger battery pack model eg: Rize ebikes, Dost Kope, some Trek Allant+ and Gazelle Ultimate models with the Bosch dual battery option, some Biktrix models, Blix Packa, Juiced Cross Current X

Dewey, ever wondered what derailleur was for?

 

[Dewey]

Dewey, ever wondered what derailleur was for?

I first converted a derailleur equipped pedal bike with my BBS01 but constantly found myself in too high gear in stop start traffic. I had my shop switch the bike to an IGH then bought an IGH replacement model and will never go back to a derailleur bike again, one less thing for my crumbling brain to have to think about in traffic when my head is on a swivel and I'm paying more attention to what other people might do next.

 

[strobukm]

I use the throttle on my BBS01 for the same reason you do, to get moving from stationary, overcome the limitations of the basic cadence sensor on my DIY ebike kit motor, when I need to keep balance during slow speed maneuvers, etc. I used to pull a Chariot trailer and now a weehoo with a 6yo, and for family cycling with a heavy rig, a throttle is very useful. Front shocks are common, full suspension less so. For range consider a dual battery or larger battery pack model eg: Rize ebikes, Dost Kope, some Trek Allant+ and Gazelle Ultimate models with the Bosch dual battery option, some Biktrix models, Blix Packa, Juiced Cross Current X

Thank you for the helpful reply with actual recommendations It's good to know I'm not the only one who is apparently "undeserving" of a better bicycle simply because I find one of the features of my current bike useful. Side note, how do you like the weehoo? I've seen people pulling slightly older kids on them and they looked like a good next step once our daughter is old enough to use one. She's only 16 months now, so it will probably be a year or two before she's ready.

 

[Dewey]

Thank you for the helpful reply with actual recommendations It's good to know I'm not the only one who is apparently "undeserving" of a better bicycle simply because I find one of the features of my current bike useful. Side note, how do you like the weehoo? I've seen people pulling slightly older kids on them and they looked like a good next step once our daughter is old enough to use one. She's only 16 months now, so it will probably be a year or two before she's ready.

The weehoo is great, my 6yo loves to pedal along, which is is great because she doesn't want to learn to ride her own bike. The design of their older models is a bit basic using some cheap parts, this summer I had to replace the rear wheel and freewheel, mechanically it was a simple fix for my local bike shop using BMX parts, I posted on another forum about the repair, I recommend a weehoo or the FollowMeTandem for when your child is older.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I first converted a derailleur equipped pedal bike with my BBS01 but constantly found myself in too high gear in stop start traffic. I had my shop switch the bike to an IGH then bought an IGH replacement model and will never go back to a derailleur bike again, one less thing for my crumbling brain to have to think about in traffic when my head is on a swivel and I'm paying more attention to what other people might do next.

You're driving an automatic transmission car don't you Dewey Just checking.

 

[Dewey]

You're driving an automatic transmission car don't you Dewey Just checking.

How did you guess! To be fair its actually quite hard to buy a manual/stick-shift car in the US these days. I learned to drive and drove teeny weeny cars when I lived in England, Kia Pride, Fiesta, Peugeot 106. Now I live in the US and currently drive an older 2007 Subaru Forester (automatic) which is estate-car/station-wagon sized, the next model year they got too big, I'll probably get a used Crosstrek next because the all wheel drive is useful albeit heavy, the smaller lighter cars were much cheaper to run as parts didn't wear out as quickly. On the whole I'd rather be riding my bike.

 

[indianajo]

The Gazelle ultimate C8 is showing at $3500, 54 lb, 13 ah battery instead of 10.5 A second battery should run you $600-700. Premium brand, few complaints. Mid drive so you need battery all the time. https://electricbikereview.com/gazelle/ultimate-c8-hmb/
The blix packa genie has the geared hub motor you are used to, 24" wheels for easy loading, and a serious rack for when your kid grows and can sit on a shelf with grab bars around him/her. $1700, has a dual battery option with a rack for the 2nd battery. 48 v 12.4 AH battery. 68 lb, 74 with 2nd battery & rack. https://electricbikereview.com/blix/packa-genie/
Can pedal a geared hub motor home without drag if the rain takes out the throttle. Can power home if the chain falls off.
I like my yubabike bodaboda left, cost me $2000 without a motor. Maybe more reliable spokes, wheel rims, cables than a $1700 bike. https://yubabikes.com/ I've had almost no adjustment in 7800 miles. If you put a rear geared hubmotor on a pedal bike, you can buy a 48v 25 ah or 31 ah battery and ride 100 miles without a battery change. https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/is-this-battery-pack-for-real-106.43001/unread I hung my battery off the front, since yuba has mounts in the frame for a front rack that doesn't require steering the weight. Rack is 1/2" aluminum angle & #10 SS screws with elastic stop nuts. The rack mounts are 1/4"x20 SS screws, 3 1/2". Make sure installing a geared hub motor that you put a torque arm on it, and secure with a solid steel clamp, not a worm hose clamp. Wiring up, you just match the colors. If andersn connector battery, you just screw that on. The power wires on the controller end, you crimp on ring terminals or .157" bullet terminals from dorman at the auto supply. 14 ga wire. I mounted the controller under the seat out of the rain, using Spam can lids for clamps.
Yuba also has the mondo with a large front wheel for easy bumps on the adult, and 20" rear wheel, for easy loading of kids. Lots of kid specific accesorries.

 

[Dewey]

The Gazelle ultimate C8 is showing at $3500, 54 lb, 13 ah battery instead of 10.5 A second battery should run you $600-700. Premium brand, few complaints. Mid drive so you need battery all the time.

Good choice, this model is available with a dual battery option. I am a total fan boy of Gazelle ebikes, I like the gear spread on the Nexus 8 IGH on my ebike (same as on the Gazelle C8), particularly the low gears for hill climbing, and Thule make an axle nut adapter which lets you attach a Chariot trailer hitch cup, again no throttle because it's a Bosch ebike. Main problem is in the US a Gazelle C8 is $3,500 and the dual battery adds another grand according to the spec sheet I link to above, pushing it above the OP's price. This week, following certain votes on Capitol Hill, we should find out if the 15% ebike tax credit is a go-er that should bring the cost of the C8 down by $500 potentially bringing the price with dual battery under the OP's $4,000 budget

 

[AHicks]

Dewey, we Europeans drive manual transmission cars. It is natural to us to go from the 1st gear through the sixth if we intend to drive onto a freeway.

E-bikes typically sport 9 through 12 gears. Intentionally. That's why Europe uses no throttle

And that's why I said the OP didn't deserve a better e-bike

Stefan, get back with us when you're a not so fit, not do smug senior, potentially one with a few health issues that make it difficult to ride. THEN what you have to say about throttles may have more relevance.......

Oh, and let's assume they are legal in your country....

 

[strobukm]

Good choice, this model is available with a dual battery option. I am a total fan boy of Gazelle ebikes, I like the gear spread on the Nexus 8 IGH on my ebike (same as on the Gazelle C8), particularly the low gears for hill climbing, and Thule make an axle nut adapter which lets you attach a Chariot trailer hitch cup, again no throttle because it's a Bosch ebike. Main problem is in the US a Gazelle C8 is $3,500 and the dual battery adds another grand according to the spec sheet I link to above, pushing it above the OP's price. This week, following certain votes on Capitol Hill, we should find out if the 15% ebike tax credit is a go-er that should bring the cost of the C8 down by $500 potentially bringing the price with dual battery under the OP's $4,000 budget

The Gazelle ultimate C8 is showing at $3500, 54 lb, 13 ah battery instead of 10.5 A second battery should run you $600-700. Premium brand, few complaints. Mid drive so you need battery all the time. https://electricbikereview.com/gazelle/ultimate-c8-hmb/
The blix packa genie has the geared hub motor you are used to, 24" wheels for easy loading, and a serious rack for when your kid grows and can sit on a shelf with grab bars around him/her. $1700, has a dual battery option with a rack for the 2nd battery. 48 v 12.4 AH battery. 68 lb, 74 with 2nd battery & rack. https://electricbikereview.com/blix/packa-genie/
Can pedal a geared hub motor home without drag if the rain takes out the throttle. Can power home if the chain falls off.
I like my yubabike bodaboda left, cost me $2000 without a motor. Maybe more reliable spokes, wheel rims, cables than a $1700 bike. https://yubabikes.com/ I've had almost no adjustment in 7800 miles. If you put a rear geared hubmotor on a pedal bike, you can buy a 48v 25 ah or 31 ah battery and ride 100 miles without a battery change. https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/is-this-battery-pack-for-real-106.43001/unread I hung my battery off the front, since yuba has mounts in the frame for a front rack that doesn't require steering the weight. Rack is 1/2" aluminum angle & #10 SS screws with elastic stop nuts. The rack mounts are 1/4"x20 SS screws, 3 1/2". Make sure installing a geared hub motor that you put a torque arm on it, and secure with a solid steel clamp, not a worm hose clamp. Wiring up, you just match the colors. If andersn connector battery, you just screw that on. The power wires on the controller end, you crimp on ring terminals or .157" bullet terminals from dorman at the auto supply. 14 ga wire. I mounted the controller under the seat out of the rain, using Spam can lids for clamps.
Yuba also has the mondo with a large front wheel for easy bumps on the adult, and 20" rear wheel, for easy loading of kids. Lots of kid specific accesorries.

Thanks for all the info! I’ll research all of the options suggested and come back with questions!

 

[fuyume]

First, I'm not super impressed with the range on the RadMission. I have a 30 pound toddler that rides with me (5'9" 165 lbs) either in a Thule Yepp Maxi seat mounted to the rear rack, or pulled behind in a 30 lb single Chariot trailer. In the trailer, we get around 20-25 miles on a full charge, even at lower speeds and only using the pedal assist at level 2.

Must haves:
*Long range - ideally 100+ miles for a single rider, since I'd probably get much less than that pulling a trailer with a kid in it

The RadMission with its 10.4 Ah battery pack is rated for "up to 45 miles", which every sensible person understands to mean "under ideal/optimal conditions" (no elevation change, no wind, minimal assist, light load). 20-25 miles in your situation is about what I think you should expect. You could extended that by using the larger 14 Ah battery pack that RadPower sells for their other bikes (works just fine on the RadMission), which would give you about 35% greater range.

I'm not aware of *any* ebikes on the market that are going to give you 100 mile range from a single battery pack. The solution here is to buy at least two battery packs, and swap them when the first one dies. But, seriously 20 miles is a long way to go on any bicycle on a daily basis.

 

[strobukm]

In case anyone is ever in the same situation and is looking for an ebike with a longer range that doesn't require hauling around 3-4 batteries which is what I would have needed to do if I stuck with the Mission, I went with a Juggernaut Hub Duo and it was the perfect choice for me. I purchased the largest size batteries available and the range is amazing. I also prefer the combo cadence & torque sensor of the Duo to the simple candence sensor of the Mission.

But, seriously 20 miles is a long way to go on any bicycle on a daily basis.

I may not use my bike in the same way as others, but my commute is 13 miles round trip, and after work, I pick my daughter up from daycare and we take 15-25 mile rides in the afternoons/evenings to play at parks, pick up dinner, etc. several nights a week. On weekends, our normal bike route is between 45-75 miles depending on how much time we have. We make several stops at parks, the beach, and for lunch and ice cream along the way. Being able to travel that distance without hauling around several extra batteries and needing to stop to change them out has been great! Last summer we put maybe 2k miles on the bike without any issues.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

That's a good looking bike! I'll have to keep that in mind when looking again. I would like to get torque sensor on my next bike too, that's one of the only issues I have with the RadMission I have, otherwise it's perfect. That's a lot of riding, good for you!

 

[cbiker]

Thanks a lot to the OP for coming back and updating the thread, have my own thread going trying to find my perfect fit as well