Woot!

[mrgold35]

I have the same rack on both of my Radrovers. The rack screws started to work themselves out after a few weeks of riding. Applied some blue Loc-tite paste in a tube and they have been tight ever since. I also went with the Topeak bag that has the 16.6L MTX quicktrack and expandable panniers. I wasn't paying attention and order a second one, the 26.6L MTX with only velcro straps instead of MTX quicktrack. The Velcro really doesn't hold the bag in place on the fat rack and it moves around more when loaded down. I actually had it fall off during a rough trail ride once. I added additional velcro straps to extend the bottom straps to secure it better. MTX quicktrack much more secure and one button push to take on/off.

 

[Lost]

I have the same rack on both of my Radrovers. The rack screws started to work themselves out after a few weeks of riding. Applied some blue Loc-tite paste in a tube and they have been tight ever since. I also went with the Topeak bag that has the 16.6L MTX quicktrack and expandable panniers. I wasn't paying attention and order a second one, the 26.6L MTX with only velcro straps instead of MTX quicktrack. The Velcro really doesn't hold the bag in place on the fat rack and it moves around more when loaded down. I actually had it fall off during a rough trail ride once. I added additional velcro straps to extend the bottom straps to secure it better. MTX quicktrack much more secure and one button push to take on/off.

I intend to pull all the screws out (one at a time!) and hit them up with the goo now that I know everything fits the way I like. Thanks for the heads up on different bags available, I have yet to figure that out.

 

[Lost]

Test ride done.
For the first mile or so PAS 1 and 2 did not work. No idea why, but after resetting, they do. Could not figure out why the ODO did not work. Then I went a mile. (I guess I thought 10ths were there?)
Seat does not seem to go far enough back, will have to rotate bars forward more.

A beast to pedal with no assist!
So far, huge thumbs up! Fun Fun Fun.

 

[windmill]

Here is the $10 ebay light. Seriously, if I had to pick one bad decision on the part of Rad Power, it would be the light. Soldered this puppy in and all is good. IIRC on some other site that reviewed it, it drew 11.4 watts, which would not mean a lot on a range hit.

Something to keep in mind is that those lights are simple flood lights for off road use rather than properly engineered headlights, and as such can totally overwhelm the vision of others if not used with careful consideration.
I had a very close call when totally blinded by the intense glare of such a light on a local MUT because I ended up going off the pavement on to soft ground.

 

[Lost]

Yeah, I realize that. I purposely aimed it down a little bit more than I wanted. I had my daughter come at me with the bike to check, it did not seem any worse than a car.
Looking forward to BVC's project, and what happens there.

 

[walawn]

BMSbatttery.com for empty case with dock. Took about an hour to swap mine out. See my post on here for more info.

 

[Lost]

BMSbatttery.com for empty case with dock. Took about an hour to swap mine out. See my post on here for more info.

White too! Daddy likes!

 

[rmasa]

Here is the $10 ebay light. Seriously, if I had to pick one bad decision on the part of Rad Power, it would be the light. Soldered this puppy in and all is good. IIRC on some other site that reviewed it, it drew 11.4 watts, which would not mean a lot on a range hit. View attachment 14879

https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/10/26/bike-light-smackdown-the-brightest-and-the-best/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301821806442?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Does the light on the side (not in the center where you are traveling) throw you off a bit?

 

[Lost]

Does the light on the side (not in the center where you are traveling) throw you off a bit?

Nope, not noticeable in the least. It lights up a wide enough path to navigate comfortably. On a beam 15 or 20 feet wide, being off center a couple inches will be minuscule.

 

[mrgold35]

I use Bar Mitts in the winter for commuting and I didn't like how the RR handlebars tilted and moved the light off center.

I did the BM WORKS Speed Extender, Amazon, $23: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M13QMVA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The mounting points are right under the LCD screen. It stays in place on trail rides. It gave me more real estate to mount my light, iPhone 6S Plus with wireless charging case, and back-up light without taking up too much space on the RR handle bars.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[BVC]

Yeah, I realize that. I purposely aimed it down a little bit more than I wanted. I had my daughter come at me with the bike to check, it did not seem any worse than a car.
Looking forward to BVC's project, and what happens there.

Speaking of lights.. in case anyone else cares to know of an update! (follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/1859NW )

This is roughly 1000 lux - which with our choice in lens - comes out to about 3,900 lumens based on calculations using manufacture data..

We are currently working on a design as we seem to have all the internals dialed in. I'll be testing our prototypes (with two rad rovers) this coming weekend while camping on the beach and see how well they perform.

Before anyone asks.. Yes, they'll be cheap. Yes it takes 3 minutes to swap out with the factory light. Yes it's BRIGHT! Yes it's controlled brightness and a specially sourced lens for optimal light distribution. Yes we'll offer other lens types based on customer wants and desires. And yes - it's soon to be released if all goes right and manufacturing is on point. All made right here in USA.


Here's some teaser photos.. taken on a hill and off center. Plugged into the factory wires. Had been running for roughly 15 minutes prior to photo taken.

 

[Lost]

Does anyone have any idea how many watts the output of the controller is good for on the light channel? The Rad Power light is really a joke, it is a simple LED (I forget the size T1 3/4?) pointed at a reflector. I bet it only draws a 1/10 of a watt at best, which gave me pause for thought on hooking up an 11 watt load to it. I finally said go for it when I saw someone else did the same thing...

 

[windmill]

Speaking of lights.. in case anyone else cares to know of an update! (follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/1859NW )

This is roughly 1000 lux - which with our choice in lens - comes out to about 3,900 lumens based on calculations using manufacture data..

We are currently working on a design as we seem to have all the internals dialed in. I'll be testing our prototypes (with two rad rovers) this coming weekend while camping on the beach and see how well they perform.

Before anyone asks.. Yes, they'll be cheap. Yes it takes 3 minutes to swap out with the factory light. Yes it's BRIGHT! Yes it's controlled brightness and a specially sourced lens for optimal light distribution. Yes we'll offer other lens types based on customer wants and desires. And yes - it's soon to be released if all goes right and manufacturing is on point. All made right here in USA.


Here's some teaser photos.. taken on a hill and off center. Plugged into the factory wires. Had been running for roughly 15 minutes prior to photo taken.

Will the final product have a horizontal cutoff suitable for use on public roads?

 

[BVC]

Will the final product have a horizontal cutoff suitable for use on public roads?

One of my hobbies is headlight modifications/retrofitting. Specifically HID & LED conversions. Thankfully over the last 8 years this has provided me with usable knowledge of beam patterns, kelvin scale and how our eyes adjust to said scale.

I'm not sure how you define a "horizontal cutoff" as that can be in many different forms in terms of lighting - but for this application and function - they will be more than acceptable for both the rider and on-coming traffic.

Our light will be driven at about half of capacity. We COULD go 100% but it's not practical nor safe. And that defeats the purpose of this light. We wanted a light that provided function. Not a silly spot light like everyone else seems to make.

 

[BVC]

Does anyone have any idea how many watts the output of the controller is good for on the light channel? The Rad Power light is really a joke, it is a simple LED (I forget the size T1 3/4?) pointed at a reflector. I bet it only draws a 1/10 of a watt at best, which gave me pause for thought on hooking up an 11 watt load to it. I finally said go for it when I saw someone else did the same thing...

Have you seen my photos of the headlight taken apart? It really is a joke. It's only running at 3v (unsure how many mAh, didn't test that).

What do you have that's 11 watts? The connectors are pumping out 52v, FYI.

 

[Lost]

Have you seen my photos of the headlight taken apart? It really is a joke. It's only running at 3v (unsure how many mAh, didn't test that).

What do you have that's 11 watts? The connectors are pumping out 52v, FYI.

The ebay link posted above. Advertised as 20 watt, but really about 11 or 12.
The rad light is maybe a 40 mw led.

 

[windmill]

One of my hobbies is headlight modifications/retrofitting. Specifically HID & LED conversions. Thankfully over the last 8 years this has provided me with usable knowledge of beam patterns, kelvin scale and how our eyes adjust to said scale.

I'm not sure how you define a "horizontal cutoff" as that can be in many different forms in terms of lighting - but for this application and function - they will be more than acceptable for both the rider and on-coming traffic.

Our light will be driven at about half of capacity. We COULD go 100% but it's not practical nor safe. And that defeats the purpose of this light. We wanted a light that provided function. Not a silly spot light like everyone else seems to make.

That's encouraging, all but a few high power lights for bicycles I've seen are garbage, throwing an unacceptable amount of light above its horizontal plane so that it blinds oncoming road users, and/or puts a far too intense pool of light on the ground up close to the bike which destroys ones ability to see further down the road.

I run European certified dyno lights as my primary light and a Specialized flux expert as a secondary light when needed. Its the only bicycle headlight (as opposed to the typical glorified flashlight) with a true high and low beam that I'm aware of.