An ode to the RadMini, the Subaru of ebikes
A really comprehensive ebike review
RadMiniDesign
Sure, it’s no Van Moof, the Tesla (bleh— maybe Volvo?) of ebikes, but it’s not bad looking either by any means. It’stechnically a fat bike, and the chunky 3-inch tires, thick frame, and exposed wiring give it a utilitarian, SUV-like appearance. Perhaps this is the Subaru ofebikes?
I dare say the white step-thru version is more distinctive thanthe black model, with tasteful brown leather stretched over the grips and seat.
Despite “mini” being in the name, it’s not small. Side by side the RadMini makes my hybrid look downright puny. It also weighs almost 70 pounds. It’s not easy to maneuver this thing through doors and tight spaces, and every time I do move it, I thankSt. Madonna del GhisalloI don’t live in a walk-up. They did build in a little grip handle behind the seat to aid in lugging it around, and for what it’s worth the bike has a “walk mode” that sends a minuscule bit of power to the motor to help when pushing it.
Puzzling enough, more than a few people in other reviews online called it “effeminate.” Can these manly men stop posturing and help me get this damn thing through the convoluted entryway of my garden apartment, please?
Fit
Is it comfortable? Rad has a height chart on its website that tells you if a bike is appropriate based on your size, and as someone who is 5’ 10”. I was right at the limit for this model. With the seat height at the maximum allowed, the amount of leg extension for me could be slightly better, but since I’m not expending as much power pedaling as I would with a regular bike it’s very tolerable.
The seat though, as nice as the leather looks, is honestly not the most plush. Kinda hard and painful on long, all-day rides.
Electronics
The bike comes with a battery-integrated front and rear light. The rear has a brake light function so that it illuminates steadily when you brake. Pretty nifty! You can also set it to blink continuously, like a traditional bike light. They’re both not very bright, however, and the front light is useless, really only for people to seeyou, and not for you to see the foot-wide pothole coming at you fast on 2nd Avenue. I usually ride with both my detachable high-lumen lights from my other bike to supplement.
The bike also comes with a twist throttle, which a lot of the other ebikes I looked at lacked. It doesn’t provide a lot of instant oomph, but I often use it to kick off from a dead stop at a light, to quickly pass an erratic CitiBiker (it’salwaysa CitiBiker), or to burn up a short hill or bridge.
The bike has an LCD readout with speed, odometer, voltage meter, and a battery indicator. It’s legible in the bright sun, and is backlit when the lights are on.
It also has a USB connection so you can charge your phone or obnoxious Bluetooth speaker while riding. Did you really think I would finally spare you my Spotify playlist of 90s country hits on the way to the Pulaski, Greenpoint? How mistaken you are!
RadMini PedalAssist
There are five levels of pedal assist, a nameless Level 1, “Eco,” “Standard,” “Power,” and “Speed.” If I want to ride conservatively for a longer range, the first and second levels are recommended. You’re still doing some work at those levels; the motor is basically just compensating for the heavyweight of the bike.
It doesn’t really go until level 3, which I mostly stick to. 4 and 5 give you maximum acceleration, but I don’t really use them because the stop and go of NYC traffic make the ride kind of jerky, and I haven’t quite gotten down the finer maneuvers of weaving through traffic that I could pull off on my road bike. The power kicks in at the slightest turn of the pedal, and I can imagine it wouldn’t be hard to accelerate into the bumper of a minivan.
Riding with a mix of assist levels, I’ve managed to get a little over 45 miles in range before the battery falls to one bar out of 5. So far, I’ve never ridden it till it died.
Rad bikes are classified as “Class 2” ebikes, meaning they’re speed limited to 20 MPH; the motor simply cuts off at that point, but you can go faster on your own momentum or if you have the thighs for it. (Minus the battery, it is a regular, seven-speed bike, after all.)
With a little bit of research, though, you can dig into the controller settings and up the limiter to a little over 23 MPH, which I have done but might not recommend for legal reasons. In practice though, this means the throttle just never stops — you’re far more likely to reach 20 rather than 23 MPH, so merely the suggestion of pedaling is all you need. Honestly, it’s plenty fast as it is on factory settings.
The battery is removable, and secures to the bike with a key. I’m considering gettingthisas an extra bit of security for whenever I feel confident enough to lock this thing outside, which might be never considering the number of looks and curious passers-by who’ve questioned me about it.
Assorted cons
The rear rack, man, I don’t know why they designed it this way, but the diameter of the tubes are fatter than in most other racks, enough that my panniers don’t fit. Lame.
My dad got me someTimbuk2 tandem panniers, but the rack itself is too wide for them. They bulged out and there was nothing on the side to strap them down to, so they would flap out like wings unless they were loaded.
I really didn’t want to wait months for another backordered accessory from Rad’s website, nor did I want to go to Home Depot and DIY a solutionlike some have done, so I settled for a$12 collapsible milk cratethat I zip-tied to the rack. Works wonders.
The thing with RadPower as a company, is that all these parts are off the rack from China. I’ve seen plenty of them as components on other bikes in passing, including that shitty headlamp. That’s a good thing most of the time, but sometimes the build quality is not the best.
Midway through my first ride on a gravel path, I noticed a sudden stiffness when pedaling accompanied by a curiously cyclical grinding sound, which got louder as the ride continued. Not. Good. A close inspection when I got home revealed that the chain guard was bent and sawing into the casing of my derailleur cable.
TL;DR
If I was looking to replicate the electric assist CitiBike experience, I was not disappointed. The RadMini was a solid investment and a do-anything machine that I haven’t regretted spending $1600 (including assembly and a pandemic-discount) on for a minute.
For a while, I considered getting a Vespa or specifically, a Piaggio Liberty (Vespas are terribly overpriced!). But since owing this, there really isn’t a point. I get the versatility of a moped, without the reliance on gas, plus I can take it on the bike paths. Well, most of them anyway.
I just have to remember I still have my regular bike.
This article is originally published on Medium and is reproduced with the permission of the author. You can take a read of the original articlehere.
Story byEric Bias
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.
