Upgraded Radrover 5. So happy!!!

[Lightning 123]

Absolutely! When I bought the Rad, it was really less clear which bikes had the torque and which didn’t. And most bikes weren’t available anyway. So I bought the Rad knowing I could upgrade it if I was unhappy. And, if I weighed a lot less or in a less hilly place, the Rad would be fine. But I weigh 210 and can’t go anywhere without at least one long climb.

If I was shopping now I’d be looking at a Juiced RipCurrent S or maybe a Bitrix Juggernaught. I’m also intrigued by the new Sondors LX.

But I got to try the Rad before I bought it because I live in Seattle and it was available immediately.

Also, at the end of the day, I spent roughly 700 bucks extra plus my time to get a bike that has more raw power than any similarly priced bike

And the Rad is a tank. A car actually turned into me as I was crossing an intersection last week and I didn’t even go down. The car hit me on the rear left side The fat tires and heavy bike muscled forward. The only casualty was my kickstand. I think the car took more damage.

I also ride on a lot of gravel and packed dirt with railway ties and a lot of roots and rocks. And the Rad is solid. It’s put together well.

I didn't mean any disrespect, they make a nice product, I guess it all depends on where it's going to be used, how fast you want to get there and how far.

 

[bluetick]

I didn't mean any disrespect, they make a nice product, I guess it all depends on where it's going to be used, how fast you want to get there and how far.

I didn’t take any disrespect. I think you have a good point.

 

[AHicks]

I have to wonder if the thought of needed
extra power should be considered before buying an ebike so one would be able to instead purchase a more powerful ebike in the first place by combining the upgrade money needed to make the original purchase work.

Not all take this approach. For instance a DIY'er may be able to take a RAD product (or any of the bikes in this price class) and upgrade it into something that's not available elsewhere, and do that at a VERY competitive price!

The state of the art GMAC geared hub motor from Grin boasts 1000w+ and features regenerative braking available nowhere else. If you find that interesting, the entire kit sells for about 1100. Add that to a bike costing 14-1500, and you have a one of a kind bike with some pretty special performance features for 2500 bucks.

No intent to bash. Just trying to illustrate one possibility I find interesting. One, among thousands of different ways you cold go if you wanted/were interested in....

 

[Lightning 123]

That is a very good point, I didn't know
That.

 

[AHicks]

That is a very good point, I didn't know
That.

I didn't mean to over emphasize the GMAC option. There are several aftermarket motor options available. Other examples of customizing to a higher standard could be seat suspensions, front forks, different tires, hand grips, handlebars, etc. The bigger point is, pick out a bike as close to your "ideal" bike as you can, with the thought the bike can generally be customized after the purchase - to ANY degree you'd like.

 

[Lightning 123]

I definitely agree with that.

 

[hughresearch]

I live in the Seattle area. I bought an ebike because I love to ride but health issues + hills make a regular bike impractical. I bought a Radrover because I was able to try it, it was available, and I really liked it. But it's very hilly here and I weigh 210 pounds, so I found up hill riding to be underwhelming. The bike could do it. But only with a lot of help from me and at a fairly slow pace. But one of the great things about the Radrover is the support for upgrades. So, after putting a mere 300 miles on the stock bike, I got started.

My first upgrade was the one everyone talks about. I swapped out the controller for the 35 amp KT controller and head unit. This makes a huge difference to hill climbing ability. I highly recommend this upgrade.

While researching the upgrade I read and watched a lot about how the motor in the Radrover isn't a true 750 watt motor. From what I can tell, this is true. It appears to be the Bafang G060.500 which is rated at 500 watts. Of course, you can run more watts through it which is what Rad is doing and what the 35 amp controller is doing as well. In both cases, you get more torque. But I couldn't leave it alone. I needed to know if the Bafang G060.750 would make any difference. It weighs about a pound more. That's all I really knew for sure.

So, I did the upgrade and this is what I found. My top speed on level ground, throttle only was about 22 mph with the stock controller and motor. With the upgraded controller it was 25. With the upgraded controller and motor it is now 31.

Up the same hill, the stock setup could go about 10 mph with my help. The upgraded controller could go about 18 with my help. The fully upgraded bike could goes about 25 with help.

Also, I've noticed that the bike is faster while pulling the same watts from the battery. I have no idea why.

The controller upgrade had no impact on range as long as I keep my power consumption the same as with the stock controller. That is, I could easily bike 30 miles with one big hill climb at the end with 3 quarters of the batter left at the end. But for most of that ride I was going 15 mph in PAS 1 or 2. I haven't gone on a long ride with the new motor yet.

The motor will happily pull 1600 watts now. The new controller plus stock motor would only pull about 1300 with the same settings. I'm now limiting the motor to 1200 watts because that is plenty.

I also upgraded the brakes to mechanically actuated hydraulic calipers. They work and don't need a lot of adjustment.

One last thing. I just put Origin8 road tires on the bike as the stock Kendas are stupidly loud. The bike is stealthier and grippier now. Not sure about faster.

Of course, on the greenways the limit is 15 mph and I stick to that. I wouldn't want to give ebikes a bad name. On the road though, it's great to keep up with traffic in town.

Put a 52 volt battery on and see what happens. With PAS settings wide open I have to be very careful when I take off and top speed in excess of 55k/h

 

[Lightning 123]

That's pretty darned fast for a Rover, I don't know how long could stay there.

 

[Brad86]

I live in the Seattle area. I bought an ebike because I love to ride but health issues + hills make a regular bike impractical. I bought a Radrover because I was able to try it, it was available, and I really liked it. But it's very hilly here and I weigh 210 pounds, so I found up hill riding to be underwhelming. The bike could do it. But only with a lot of help from me and at a fairly slow pace. But one of the great things about the Radrover is the support for upgrades. So, after putting a mere 300 miles on the stock bike, I got started.

My first upgrade was the one everyone talks about. I swapped out the controller for the 35 amp KT controller and head unit. This makes a huge difference to hill climbing ability. I highly recommend this upgrade.

While researching the upgrade I read and watched a lot about how the motor in the Radrover isn't a true 750 watt motor. From what I can tell, this is true. It appears to be the Bafang G060.500 which is rated at 500 watts. Of course, you can run more watts through it which is what Rad is doing and what the 35 amp controller is doing as well. In both cases, you get more torque. But I couldn't leave it alone. I needed to know if the Bafang G060.750 would make any difference. It weighs about a pound more. That's all I really knew for sure.

So, I did the upgrade and this is what I found. My top speed on level ground, throttle only was about 22 mph with the stock controller and motor. With the upgraded controller it was 25. With the upgraded controller and motor it is now 31.

Up the same hill, the stock setup could go about 10 mph with my help. The upgraded controller could go about 18 with my help. The fully upgraded bike could goes about 25 with help.

Also, I've noticed that the bike is faster while pulling the same watts from the battery. I have no idea why.

The controller upgrade had no impact on range as long as I keep my power consumption the same as with the stock controller. That is, I could easily bike 30 miles with one big hill climb at the end with 3 quarters of the batter left at the end. But for most of that ride I was going 15 mph in PAS 1 or 2. I haven't gone on a long ride with the new motor yet.

The motor will happily pull 1600 watts now. The new controller plus stock motor would only pull about 1300 with the same settings. I'm now limiting the motor to 1200 watts because that is plenty.

I also upgraded the brakes to mechanically actuated hydraulic calipers. They work and don't need a lot of adjustment.

One last thing. I just put Origin8 road tires on the bike as the stock Kendas are stupidly loud. The bike is stealthier and grippier now. Not sure about faster.

Of course, on the greenways the limit is 15 mph and I stick to that. I wouldn't want to give ebikes a bad name. On the road though, it's great to keep up with traffic in town.

That's pretty amazing for a Rad Rover. I am looking at buying one with the upgrade lcd and controller already installed is it worth it? Or should I stick with the juiced Scorpion x which has lots of torque and speed built in? I'm looking to use an ebike for commuting to work of 20 miles round trip with 2 gradual hills(aka overpasses the highway). You seem like the kind of guy that has had lots of experience and that's why I am asking you

 

[Brad86]

Absolutely! When I bought the Rad, it was really less clear which bikes had the torque and which didn’t. And most bikes weren’t available anyway. So I bought the Rad knowing I could upgrade it if I was unhappy. And, if I weighed a lot less or in a less hilly place, the Rad would be fine. But I weigh 210 and can’t go anywhere without at least one long climb.

If I was shopping now I’d be looking at a Juiced RipCurrent S or maybe a Bitrix Juggernaught. I’m also intrigued by the new Sondors LX.

But I got to try the Rad before I bought it because I live in Seattle and it was available immediately.

Also, at the end of the day, I spent roughly 700 bucks extra plus my time to get a bike that has more raw power than any similarly priced bike

And the Rad is a tank. A car actually turned into me as I was crossing an intersection last week and I didn’t even go down. The car hit me on the rear left side The fat tires and heavy bike muscled forward. The only casualty was my kickstand. I think the car took more damage.

I also ride on a lot of gravel and packed dirt with railway ties and a lot of roots and rocks. And the Rad is solid. It’s put together well.

Would you suggest a juiced scorpion over a Rad rover?

 

[bluetick]

Would you suggest a juiced scorpion over a Rad rover?

Those are really different bikes. The scorpion is a moped style bike. Not great for pedaling. Really designed to ride with throttle and occasional pedaling. The Rad rides like a bike. I now have a Juiced RipCurrent S as well as my upgraded Rad and it’s great. So I would recommend Juiced. But RadRover vs Scorpion is really apples to oranges.

 

[Brad86]

Those are really different bikes. The scorpion is a moped style bike. Not great for pedaling. Really designed to ride with throttle and occasional pedaling. The Rad rides like a bike. I now have a Juiced RipCurrent S as well as my upgraded Rad and it’s great. So I would recommend Juiced. But RadRover vs Scorpion is really apples to oranges.

Thanks