What's your farthest ride on your Radrover?

[woodsusa]

I got mine in September. I've slowly been increasing the lengths of my rides. Friday I rode 15 miles which is my farthest so far. About half of it was in PAS 3 level. Some full throttle on one long straightaway. At the end I had one bar of power left. Though I didn't let it set for a bit and recheck to see if it might have gone up another bar. My biggest problem with biking is a sore butt. I added Cirrus Body Float and a more cushioned seat and that helps. I wonder why they don't build bikes with full suspension other than mountain bikes. I'll have to get an extra battery next year if my plan on riding to my brothers house comes to fruition.

 

[Scott Briggs]

The longest ride I've made on a single charge is just over 30 miles and there were 2 bars left. To be fair, over those 30 miles I had a 450' elevation change so there was a lot of downhill and flat sections. Generally, I ride in PAS 2.

 

[mrgold35]

I have two RadRovers for the wife and I. We tested out the range on a flat bike trail at around 14-15 miles at PAS 3-5. I'm at 270lbs and was around 1-2 bars and the wife is around 130lbs was around 2-3 bars of power afterwards (also turned on light 1/2 way into the ride). I always try to put the RR in the highest gear and keep the watts on the display as low as possible for a comfortable road speed of around 14-18 mph. I've notice the power level shows 1-2 bars under power and jumps up to 3-4 bars at zero watts sometimes.

I also use my RR to commute around 14 miles roundtrip to work at 5400ft at my house to 4900ft at my job using a single charge. I use PAS 5 the entire way and still have full bars (or +80% power) when I get to work because it is mostly downhill. Not sure how the mid 40 degree morning temps also affects power levels? On the way home, I usually end up with one bar (under 20% power) biking home under full power. Sometimes the bar reading jumps up to 2 bars if the bike is not moving. It would be nice to have a battery % reading also like on a smartphone.

The wife and I used the Sunlite Cloud 9, 12.5 long & 11.5 wide cruiser saddle, $28, Amazon, for almost 3 years on our other bikes and never had a sore bottom ever (both of us are +50yrs). We moved the seats over to our RR and the Sunlite seats are way more comfortable compared to the RR standard seat. I also added the Suntour SP-12 NCX 27.2 X 400mm adjustable seat post, eBay, $90. The Suntour give me some extra cushion on my commute to work because a small asphalt crack goes unnoticed in a car; but, is very jarring on a bike at 20 mph. I even had my camelbak water bottle bounce out its holder with some of the road bumps on my commutes.

I rode my RR a few days before I decided to checked the tire PSI. It as at 11 PSI and the RR felt lexus smooth at that PSI compared to my 700c bike at 50 PSI. Increased to 19-20 PSI and there was a noticeable difference in increase stiffness and road feel on my back side. This was the reason why I ordered the Suntour and switched out seats. You might try dropping the PSI to around 15-17 to see if that takes away some of the dips/bumps from your backside.

 

[woodsusa]

I'll try dropping the tire pressure, I'm pretty sure I'm at about 25 right now.

 

[woodsusa]

I have a Sunlite Cloud 9 seat but the seat rails won't fit my bodyfloat seat post, they're too wide on the seat. I tried pulling them together with a clamp but it didn't work

 

[mrgold35]

I rather go with the Sunlite seat with RadRover post compared to RadRover seat with bodyfloat seatpost. Maybe you have a different brand of the Cloud9? If the Sunlite Cloud9 doesn't fit the bodyfloat, there is a good chance it won't fit the RadRover seat also. This is the Sunlite seat I have on both RadRovers:

https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Clou...ite+cloud+9+bicycle+suspension+cruiser+saddle

I even order a 3rd Cloud 9 to put back on my Transeo GT 3.0 commuter bike. The RadRover seat I put on there to reuse just wasn't as comfortable as the Cloud 9 (700X40c tires at 50psi, more pressure on male parts with RR seat compared to more butt cheek support with Sunlite).

 

[woodsusa]

That's different than the one I have. I may order it and try it out

 

[mrgold35]

That's different than the one I have. I may order it and try it out

I like Amazon because you have 30 day return policy. Once you start the return process, you still have another 30-days to drop in the mail. You could try the Sunlite out for almost a 60 day test drive.

 

[vincent]

This is the seat i use on all the bikes

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010VZGIO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Depending on who is riding it and how tall they are sometimes I have a suntour suspension seat post on it,sometimes the body
Float and sometimes just a regular seat post

I have gotten 40 miles running down to the last notch and 44 running it down to where it just started blinking

I don't like to run the batterys down that low but it's just the way it worked out on those rides

Mine is a 2015 and pas is too fast so that is only using throttle when needed

I just changed the controller etc over to 2016 stuff and level one and level two are more controlled, so we'll see how they do the next couple of weeks using pas some

 

[Commuter101]

Got mine up and running this past weekend. Commuted in to work today from Dulles to DC, 29 miles. Plenty of uphills along the way, hit a max elevation of 467ft, those of you familiar with Arlington, before you get into DC, that zone is a battery killer. But I managed to do this at PAS 3 and at PAS 4. Still had two bars left on the meter, when I parked my bike. Going to gear up a little better tomorrow. It was real cold coming in, when I left my place it was 39.

 

[mrgold35]

Got mine up and running this past weekend. Commuted in to work today from Dulles to DC, 29 miles. Plenty of uphills along the way, hit a max elevation of 467ft, those of you familiar with Arlington, before you get into DC, that zone is a battery killer. But I managed to do this at PAS 3 and at PAS 4. Still had two bars left on the meter, when I parked my bike. Going to gear up a little better tomorrow. It was real cold coming in, when I left my place it was 39.

I'm planning on riding my RadRover during the winter as long as the roads are dry. It usually gets in the 20s at its coldest and average around mid-uppper 30s before the sun comes up. I don't know how much range we lose because of the cold temps?

I installed the Luna Cycles Triangle battery bag, $25, to cover the battery. It has plenty of room to add something additional to insulate the battery more and the bag helps keep the wet stuff off the battery with the occasional unavoidable puddles. I figured if the battery was wet+30 degree temps+15-20 mph speed would affect my commute range. It also has two pockets on either side of the bag if you need to store something (I keep zip-ties in there and the Velcro strips I cut out the Luna bag).

It was just 3 bolts just like the ones for your bottle cage holding the battery pack holder to the RR downtube frame. The hard part was lining up the three holes I needed to make down the bottom center on the Luna bag and getting the (almost too short) cage screws started. I didn't like the white "Luna Cycle" lettering on both sides and just took a black marker to fill them in.

http://lunacycle.com/batteries/battery-bags/luna-cycles-triangle-battery-bag/

From this morning commute with a couple of mud puddles along the way:
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Luna Bag kept the battery dust/dirt free when riding the trails in the foothills last weekend:
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[walawn]

@mrgold35 Looks good! I'm planning to do that this week to mine. I have the same rear rack and bag as you do too.

 

[Commuter101]

Nice setup, @mrgold35, that might be exactly what I am looking for. I like the idea of being able to put additional items like maybe insulation material or hand warmers in that pack to keep the battery in good operational temps. Does it hinder the removal process for the battery?

 

[walawn]

@Commuter101 It will slightly. I have the same setup on my Mongoose which uses the 48V Radrover battery and dock. But it's manageable as long as you mount the dock at the correct point in the bag.

 

[mrgold35]

I really like the Topeak rack and DXP bag! I didn't pay attention and got the bag you secure with velcro straps instead of the sliding track system. I have the Topeak 22.6 liter rack bag with the optional spanners in the side pouches. I'm usually freezing my butt off for the morning 7 mile commute and it is 72-78 degrees when I leave work. I use it to store my work cloths in the morning. The spanners make it easy to store my bulky jacket, riding pants, full fingered gloves, and balaclava for the trip home. I keep bike shorts, bike shirt, light wind breaker, and half finger gloves in the center pouch for the cool to really warm afternoons.

I can remove the battery with the bag the same as before without the bag (plenty of room inside this bag). Would not be an issue to remove the battery after every ride to keep it warm and/or recharge inside. I just made sure to slide the battery pack up to make room for the Luna bag to cleared the seatpost tube with ease before securing it down. I have to unzip every time to power the battery. I also have to unzip all the way to spread the bag apart to plug in the re-charge cord on the opposite side. It would be nice if this bag had two small zippers on opposite sides where the power and re-charge plug were located. So far, not a big deal unzipping every-time. The bag and zipper look like high quality material that can take that kind of daily use.

Plus, I like the bag because it turns my e-bike into a sleeper and looks like any other fat tire or MTB bike. I look like a real athlete when I pass folks at +20 mph on the bike paths.

 

[vincent]

lol mrgold

very cool set up

doesnt get cold here so i dont have to worry about that but nice to keep the battery from getting dusty

 

[SteelHorseRider]

Mr Gold what is the brand of your top bag that looks like a gas tank? Also the handle bar extension bar? Where did you get them?

And what the heck is that super cool big flashlight and smaller one you have on your RR?

 

[mrgold35]

Mr Gold what is the brand of your top bag that looks like a gas tank? Also the handle bar extension bar? Where did you get them?

And what the heck is that super cool big flashlight and smaller one you have on your RR?

I sent you a message back with the full details of the gizmos on the RadRover. The handlebar extender is BM Works Speed Extender for about $20, Amazon. It connects perfectly under the RR display and it stays puts on bumps. The top bag is a large Topeak Fuel Tank bag, $37, eBay. I store the spare headlight battery and sunglasses.

The headlights are:
- TianNorth Bike Headlight 9T6 15,000LM with 3 modes, $50, Amazon, cheap, only last around an 60-90 mins on high, 2X-4X longer on low or flashing, no where near 15,000LM, bright enough and wide enough on low or high where you won't overrun the light at PAS 5 at 5:30am. You will blind other bikers on narrow bike paths even on low (all main/side streets on my commute to work). The long and wide beam really comes in handy avoiding road debris and lift you off your seat bumps/dips when it is extremely dark on the side roads at PAS 5.
- 8.4v 12000mAh extra battery pack for TianNorth, $25, Amazon, 18650 battery packs supply steady power until they die with zero warning, I always carry a charged spare for back-up.
- Two Fish Lockblocks Flashlight holder (mounted on handle bar), $9, Amazon
- FOME Quick release Bike Mount ALB-10 (mounted on BM Works extender in front of Two Fish Lockblocks), $20, Amazon
- Super Bright 3800lm 3Xcree flashlight with 3X18650 battery, $20, Amazon (trail riding only, car high beam bright, very long, reason for FOME & Two Fish holders)
- Orbtronic 18650 Panasonic 3.7v batteries, 2 for $30, Amazon

I also have a helmet mounted Topeak Mega 10 watt light I've had for years. Very good at illuminating everywhere I look and around corners at night as I zig-zag the side streets to work.

 

[dm nelson]

I sent you a message back with the full details of the gizmos on the RadRover. The handlebar extender is BM Works Speed Extender for about $20, Amazon. It connects perfectly under the RR display and it stays puts on bumps. The top bag is a large Topeak Fuel Tank bag, $37, eBay. I store the spare headlight battery and sunglasses.

A bar extender seems quite useful. Looks like that rover is equipped for adventure & night riding! Great that the rover has adequate power for numerous attachments.

My furthest ride so far is about 40 miles, with a few small hills, mostly flat & no wind; with the stock battery.

 

[mrgold35]

I really need to see how far my RadRover can go cruising around bike paths and lanes in town. I have range anxiety and worry about running out of juice at the bottom of hill on the way home. Might take the wife's RR battery as back-up and just see how far I get with a single charge on my battery this weekend. Would love to see 30-35 miles at PAS 3-4 at 250-500 watts max on the LCD.