Why I won't buy another Rad Power bike (aka support your local bike shop)

[AcesSting]

Suggestion for those concerned about mechanical aptitude regarding DIY.

Useful, but doesn't really help with RAD asking you to install a new controller or reinstall a flange they made you take out because of an Error 30, though.

Bottom line, you need to own a multi-meter and be handy to own a RAD -- that's been my takeaway from this thread. I don't own a multi-meter and I'm only handy to a point. I'm not an ideal RAD owner. I wish RAD made this clearer before I dropped two grand on their bike.

 

[tomjasz]

Far more problems get highlighted than successes.
Learning to use Google search is a lifesaver. Especially searching for videos. Everything I've learned has come from Google search. Soldering, multimeter use, battery troubleshooting, and more. All there for the reading or viewing.

 

[Alex M]

Assembling RAD takes way, way less skills than what is required of a bike mechanic.
It's troubleshooting later on that you will need to know what you're doing. Electrical troubles typically take less of actual sweat but a different knowledge than mechanical.

 

[ritestuf]

Of course, everyone's mileage will vary. For me with the money I save buying my Rad, I can have a mobile mechanic come to my house 10 times.
I can't afford 3 or 4 grand for a bike. So, it was either keep saving and buy 2 years from now or start riding now. Yes, there's a crapton of comparable bikes out there.
I think most would agree that Rad bikes tech support is the best as far as buying online.

 

[Alex M]

Bottom line, you need to own a multi-meter and be handy to own a RAD -- that's been my takeaway from this thread. I don't own a multi-meter and I'm only handy to a point. I'm not an ideal RAD owner. I wish RAD made this clearer before I dropped two grand on their bike.

Understandable frustration.
AHicks mentioned things to that effect already - it is highly desirable to know how to troubleshoot and service your bike. Unless you have a dealer or repair shop willing to do it. This is applicable to any bike, non-powered too.
In case of an ebike troubleshooting includes things electrical, hence - multimeter.

RAD don't have dealers, this is clear enough.
Regular repair shops won't touch any things electrical and if they do, it won't be covered by warranty so you'll be paying. This issue is not advertised by online sellers, but, no offense, it is a common knowledge.

 

[ebikemom]

I'm stunned by the number of buyers that choose internet bikes or kits and don't own a multimeter!

Um, many of us might not even know what a multimeter is!!! Ignorance may seem to be bliss till ... well ... it isn't!

 

[ebikemom]

Regular repair shops won't touch any things electrical and if they do, it won't be covered by warranty so you'll be paying. This issue is not advertised by online sellers, but, no offense, it is a common knowledge.

I think where online buyers get into trouble is in their assumption that all will be well, that things won't break, or that a local shop will take care of whatever-needs-doing for a fee. When I chat with someone thinking of buying a bike online I suggest they contact their local bike shops about what shops can or will do or not do before they buy the bike. I was just at my nearest full-service multi-brand LBS (which sells Trek (including Electra), Specialised, Yuba... and a coulple of other brands of ebikes) when a guy came in to ask whether they'd diagnose/repair an electrical problem with his RPB, and the repair shop guy said ... nope.

 

[Chopperbill]

I think where online buyers get into trouble is in their assumption that all will be well, that things won't break, or that a local shop will take care of whatever-needs-doing for a fee. When I chat with someone thinking of buying a bike online I suggest they contact their local bike shops about what shops can or will do or not do before they buy the bike. I was just at my nearest full-service multi-brand LBS (which sells Trek (including Electra), Specialised, Yuba... and a coulple of other brands of ebikes) when a guy came in to ask whether they'd diagnose/repair an electrical problem with his RPB, and the repair shop guy said ... nope.

Boy there sure are a lot of those pesky Rad Power bike owners around, aren’t there? Seems someone would want to go after their business.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Um, many of us might not even know what a multimeter is!!! Ignorance may seem to be bliss till ... well ... it isn't!

A "multimeter" is a gadget that is used to analyze and troubleshoot electrical circuits. It is called a "multimeter" because it can measure voltage, current, or electrical resistance.

How you'd use it to troubleshoot an e-bike is a worthy article that someone ought to write. At the C-A-T spells "cat" level, if you had an e-bike that was not coming on at all the first thing I'd do is use the voltmeter to check whether the battery had a charge. Then I'd turn everything off on the bike and use the ohmmeter (which measures electrical resistance) to see if there was an electrical connection between the motor (or display) and the battery. If there wasn't I'd keep using the ohmmeter in a binary search pattern to isolate where connectivity was lost -- usually that would be at a connector of some kind.

Again, that is at the C-A-T spells "cat" level.

 

[Alex M]

my nearest full-service multi-brand LBS (which sells Trek (including Electra), Specialised, Yuba... and a coulple of other brands of ebikes) when a guy came in to ask whether they'd diagnose/repair an electrical problem with his RPB, and the repair shop guy said ... nope.

Normal approach. What they don't sell, they don't fix. Especially when it is not a big brand.
I heard that Velofix takes most anything.

 

[tomjasz]

Sometimes the market is incredibly frustrating. I answer far to many calls each week from frustrated buyers that used Luna, Aliexpress, Amazon, or other internet low ball pricing for their battery/motor purchases. We keep responding and supporting but to many buyers are sold on kits or bikes direct when they would have been better served with a local bike shop.

 

[tripntx]

Here's my take on the subject:

I wanted to DIY build with BBHSD &/or TSDZ2 750w Mid Drive Kits. Would have built on my wife's Jamis Citizen, and I would have purchased one of these SOMA frames to built on: Wolverine, Double Cross Disc, or Riff. I also considered purchasing a Jamis Renegade to use as a base for my E-Bike.

Wife didn't want me to build her an E-Bike, until she rode an E-Bike. After some research, I found RadPower online, and found out a shop approximately 60 miles from us in Galveston Texas rented them. We went on a two hour guided tour, and the Rad's sold themselves to us. Wife was adament she wanted a Rad Mini Step-Thru like the one she rode during the tour. Purchased a Mini Step for her, and a Rover for myself.

Upon delivery, Rover box was perfect, while the Mini-Step box was completely torn down one end. The section stapled together had been pulled apart. Fearing the worst, I'm happy to report the bikes were fine, and nothing was missing.

Assembly was straight forward.

Two of the brakes needed the inner adjustment screw turned one click counter-clockwise. Rotors were good, nothing bent.

Mini gears needed attention. It wouldn't go into 1, and it would skip from 2 to 4 with one click. Both upper and lower limit screws required adjustment, as well as the derailleur.

Rover derailleur required slight attention because I could vaguely hear a tick in two of the gears.

The money we saved by buying RadPower versus DIY or store front will be spent enjoying them, and add some upgraded parts.

What I dislike about RadPower, is the price they charge for shipping accessories after the sale. We both want two front racks, two small baskets and two large platforms, but are not getting them because of the shipping cost. They want $88 to ship these items to Texas. No way in hell I'll pay that, and will do without. Oh yea, don't even think about buying a spare battery, their shipping cost for a battery is highway robbery. Shipping charges for accessories & parts is my only negative. I'll purchase a different brand battery with matching spare for my Rover, and the current Rover battery will become my wife's spare.

Would I buy these Rad bikes again? Yes, for the most part they are great!!!

 

[Cowlitz]

I have a 2017 Radmini. It arrived quickly with box intact and bike unscathed. (I lived within 150 miles of Seattle at that time). I put it together--I am not a mechanically inclined person. The pedals fell off. I lived in a very rural area so discussed this with my car mechanic. He suggested using blue Loctite, I did, and the pedals have stayed on.

I moved. I got a goathead in the rear tire and felt overwhelmed. We have a semi-retired bike shop guy in town. I took my bike to him as I thought maybe he'd have tougher tires. He suggested a tuning up. It was a spendy tuning up, but seems to be worth it. He found a problem with a wheel bearing and then went over the bike tightening things up, and added some blue Loctite to the kickstand. No problems since.....knock on wood. He is the only bike shop in town and does not sell ebikes.

After reading all the stuff on the Rad facebook page, if I buy another bike, I may pay more for an ebike that the bike shop 40 miles from here carries--Trek. I had that shop replace a brake pad and they did it quickly and cheerfully. That too, seems to be OK now. Saw Trek was having a sale last weekend and bikes seemed reasonably priced.

Went riding today. My bike worked well, 'cept the battery drops in power faster than my friend's 2018 mini. At least that's what the bars show and we were on a very rough uphill climb. After 5.5 miles, my battery showed 2 bars left. However, we had to turn back at that point because my friend's bike was having connector problems. It was all downhill so not a big deal as far as going back.

I make the assumption that like all things electronic, my bike battery was probably obsolete as soon as it arrived. Oh well. I do get pretty good mileage on paved, flatter roads.

That's my take on my future choices.

 

[ritestuf]

@ebikemom ...multimeter = a device that meters multiple things, silly

 

[ritestuf]

Seems a lot posting here just don't have the patience or they are jumping to conclusions regarding maintenance at shops.
I just made a few simple phone calls to local bike shops to find one that will do maintenance. For me, it was .. www.ABRsd.com.
Furthermore, after I had gone in person to chat and to explain to them I was a total noob to ebikes and wanted to start an ongoing relationship and build knowledge with them.
Their reply? "No problemo. We got your back." I then called Rad Bikes tech support to inquire as to the status of my shipment and the shop I wanted to do the repairs I could not handle myself.
I asked the guy in tech support about warranty work and he said basically just tell them which shop is doing it and they'll work directly with that shop.
Ok, so a good bike shop that can work on your Rad bike and Rad Bikes excellent tech support? Yes, please.

 

[ritestuf]

Don't lose sight of the FACT that buying a bike is just like buying a new car. Would you drive your new Chevy home and then call them back when you discovered the Johnson Rod was bent?
And then after you practically have taken your new car apart trying to fix it, you call them back to tell the service department that Chevys suck. Send me a new #$@% part so I can fix it!
The dang Rad bikes are WARRANTEED FOR ONE YEAR....but for you, you just voided the warranty and are SOL.
Is it so hard to just have them ship it directly to the shop that can work on them with Rad's blessing? Let the shop put it together and find any problems.
That way, if the bike has a bent Johnson Rod, the bike mechanic can notify tech support and tell them what they need to do to make it right. Up to and including sending the shop another new bike.
Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
If you buy a new bike under warranty and you are not satisfied, but take it as is then you are the problem, not the bike.
I'm not that mechanically inclined but my kid is. Still, though, It's going straight to an authorized repair shop until that year is up.

 

[Alex M]

There are probably as many people choosing to assemble their new RPB bike at home as those choosing to pay shop for assembling. There is nothing to it if parts are not bent/broken.

Bike parts are small and lightweight, about the only stationary equipment you "might" need is $50 bike stand. Car repair is no comparison to bike repair, a lot more parts, tools and equipment. Longer warranty, too.

Ebikes are modular by design, with electrical parts it's often a replacement rather than repair. You replace battery, controller, display, motor, e-brakes etc. Not to say that there are no situations when actual repair may be done, ex. soldering loose contact in the battery casing or some connector.

You are not voiding the warranty by replacing RBP part yourself. Their warranty does not unconditionally cover 3rd party labor. They mail the part, you pay for labor. If you want RPB to cover labor, you need to get RPB approval first, which they may or may not grant. I am not aware of any shops "authorized" by RPB to perform warranty services the way car dealerships do. They only have agreement with Velofix, and you still pay for labor. Doesn't mean RPB would mind some shop doing it at your expense. They don't care who's gonna do it, as long as that person is not so inept that would cause more damage yet and then demand more parts (and even then they would likely send a part or two).

 

[AcesSting]

he said basically just tell them which shop is doing it and they'll work directly with that shop.

The way RAD works is you get a quote from the bike shop, send it off to RAD, they approve the quote, you go back to the bike shop to get the work done. Although I do understand why it is the way it is, it's a bit of a pain. And that's for stuff that they cover. They don't cover things like installing the new controller they sent you that doesn't fix the issue... Just as a random example. You're responsible for paying for that if you can't do it yourself, which I could not.

 

[Alex M]

The way RAD works is you get a quote from the bike shop, send it off to RAD, they approve the quote, you go back to the bike shop ....

Yes. They approve, or they don't.
And - yes, they don't cover everything. Controller is in a bit inconvenient location, takes some fumbling, labor not covered. Some other parts are easy to install. Troubleshooting with phone reps can be a pain too, don't think they are all highly skilled technicians, probably just going through the troubleshooting list that he's got in front of him. I can bypass this waste of time but not all users can.

With online sales there is a lot of reliance on the end-user skills and knowledge, there is no denying it.

 

[Alex M]

Regarding warranty and labor... Labor not covered or not fully covered is more common that I thought.

Motiv brand - I mentioned this name earlier, they have cruisers somewhat comparable to City, $500-800 more, stores/dealers all over the West coast and in few other states. Warranty says - labor not covered if related to removing, re-installing and re-aligning or re-fitting the part covered by warranty. Which is pretty much "any" labor on the bike.

The OP should look into warranty of local shops or "store brands" if he really decides to dump his RAD. Amego shop fully covers warranty labor on their Amego store brand. On any other brand sold in the same store, they charge 50% labor under warranty, and the manufacturer has to authorize the warranty replacement. Caveats are everywhere. Could be cheaper to stay with RAD.