Quote from: Altema on April 22, 2022, 08:27:40 PMI may try that. I contacted Bolton and they said they would do an exchange for their full hydraulic system, so that offer is on the table. Thanks for the info!

I saw that Bolton has a full-hydraulic system with motor cutout switch etc, but in the event I ever want/need to fold my MiniST2, I don't think running a hydraulic line inside the frame would be a good idea.

That being said, have you seen the new Lectric bike?  Similar in concept to their previous small folders, it has mid-drive, two batteries, front suspension, beefy rear rack and hydraulic brakes (with all lines including electric run outside the frame) and it's also a folder.  Still only 500w nominal, but with two 10Ah batteries in parallel it'll have great range.  $1799 pre-order intro price seems pretty good unless the components are junk - might give the Rad product managers a few sleepless nights if it's a good bike. 

Ryan just uploaded a YT vid on it.

Quote from: Altema on April 13, 2022, 01:07:17 PM
I installed my Juintech brakes this week. Maybe it's because I kept the Tectro brakes finely adjusted, but the Juintech brakes did not give me any more braking power. I contacted Area 13 about the issue, but they have not responded.

Altema, see my post just above this one; my new Juintechs from Bolton seem to have noticeably improved my stopping power on a MiniST2, but the rear brake was a little weak until I tightened the adjustment screw on the caliper about 2 turns to engage the brakes up on the grip a bit sooner.  That really improved the stopping power, so perhaps you might give that a try before removing them if you haven't already.

Front brake stopped like a brick wall right off the bat; I think I'd set the cable in the clamp mechanism just right and got lucky with that one.  It's only been a couple miles but so far I like 'em.

Quote from: NaturallyBikes on April 22, 2022, 09:11:23 AMLove it. Touch wood, but I have never once encountered a Canada Customs officer who was a dick. They're just like the rest of us.

Perhaps so, but that time was US Customs, returning home.  On a different trip up to Canada, the Canada Customs officers did happen to be dicks, taking almost an hour disassembling the back end of my SUV and finally satisfying their "needs" by slapping me with a $50 cash-grab on two bottles of wine, then leaving me with another half-hour of work repacking everything.  "Welcome to Canada"  I remember that ever since, when considering another trip up.  Maybe I'll go again someday.  Maybe not.  It's already been quite a few years.

Quote from: Radicali on April 22, 2022, 08:10:13 AMI called Rad on my own to get a jump on this and a message said they are all off today to celebrate Earth Day.  Laudable but I wish they were more down to earth with their support.     

Not exactly laudable - more like pandering to fashionable fantasies instead of tending to their customers on a normal workday, especially when customers (and potential customers) need information and assistance now more than ever.  I regard Rad's support as good-to-excellent in the past, but stuff like arbitrary closings makes me wonder.

First, make sure your Outback's frame is rated for a 2" hitch and check the load rating if it is.  The two Rovers will weigh around 140 without batteries, plus the weight of accessories, ratcheting tiedowns and the hitch rack itself - probably about 200 lbs or so total.

It's not so much the static weight itself as the dynamic loads put into the vehicle frame by 200+ lbs of stuff hanging two feet off the rear end of the car, bouncing up and down hard when you hit a pothole or run off a curb.  Imagine a 200-lb man standing on the outermost bike holder and jumping up and down; the bending load where the hitch receiver meets the car's frame is not small - that may be why your Outback has a small receiver to begin with; definitely check owner's manual about the limits.  What you want to note is the maximum tongue weight allowed - most hitches are used to tow wheeled trailers, making the vertical load on the hitch receiver relatively small.  If the tongue rating is less than 250+ lbs, I wouldn't risk it myself.

Snapping a bike rack with two bikes aboard right off the car at 60 mph on a freeway would cause a very bad day for the next car or two behind you.

Here's my setup on the back of my GMC Jimmy, which came with a 2" heavy-duty receiver from the factory; this is a Harbor Freight motorcycle carrier and only carries one bike.  This load is no sweat for my hardware.

Quote from: NaturallyBikes on April 21, 2022, 01:57:47 PMSweet. "No, officer, I have nothing to declare." ;-0

I got a $2,300 kayak down across the Canadian border duty-free even easier. 

"Do you have anything to declare?"

"Well, we have a couple of carvings here and....."

"That's fine, you're good."

"Ok, thanks!"

He never looked up to check the 19-foot-long shiny red and white kayak on the roof rack and I'm glad I didn't rush to finish my sentence.   

Quote from: rsghowellnj on April 05, 2022, 08:00:16 AMWow the The Juintech M1 hydraulic calipers seems like a really easy upgrade to do myself.  Has anyone been successful with this upgrade on a RAD bike that they could share their experience and how well they work?

I finally got mine installed today on the MiniST2 that's a little over a year old now.  The Bolton kit fits it just fine and it seems to grab firmly but I haven't road-tested yet due to wet weather.  But like many things, installation wasn't quite as simple as the Bolton installation vid shows, at least for a first-time brake upgrader.  Here's some notes for anybody interested:

- I think Rad used the same mechanical disc calipers across their model line until the new ones with full-hydraulic systems, so these should fit them all.  Mine (received a couple weeks ago) were branded with the current Area 13 logo and it looks fine.  Aside from a cutting / crimping tool (I used ViceGrips for the latter function), you'll only need a 5mm hex wrench and maybe some pliers to maneuver and adjust the cable.

- On the MiniST2, I reused the stock Rad spacer between the caliper and the frame; the two new spacers from Bolton weren't used and a Rad factory spacer was only on the front; on the rear the caliper bolts directly to the frame.  I also reused the stock bolts and didn't need any of the ones included by Bolton.  Based on this, I think the same would apply to all Rad models - just reuse the bolts and any spacers that are in place now.

- Before disassembling anything, memorize the existing hardware, take photos or notes to remember what's there and where it all goes back.

- When disassembling, pay attention to front spacer orientation (it's marked) and the bolts that hold the calipers in place on the frame, including the two washers on either side of the caliper.

- The bolts had blue medium-strength loctite on them; I put new drops on the ends of the bolts when reinstalling, just to be sure.

- There is also a very tiny little o-ring on the bolts at the bottom of the stack when the caliper/bolt assembly is removed from the frame; this keeps the washers from falling off during reinstallation, so remove it carefully and DON'T lose it, or reassembly will be a pain as washers try to fall off the bolt and roll away before the bolt threads engage the frame.

- On the rear caliper, the rearmost bolt is a BEAR to remove and reinstall due to interference from the MiniST2's frame near the brake rotor; you'll need a 6-8" long 5mm hex wrench to loosen and tighten it.  The rear front bolt (and both bolts on the front caliper) is easy; I don't own any 1/4" drive ratchets or extension that would fit with the rear bolt in place - too tight.  So be prepared to loosen/tighten that rear bolt 1/4 to 1/2 turn at a time with a plain ol' skinny hex wrench, and it's a lot of turns due to being a fine-thread bolt.  Bring patience and watch your knuckles, but it's doable.

It took me about an hour in total, way more than the 10 minutes Cheerful Kyle mentions in his vid using a Rover,  to remove, replace and adjust everything but it's not difficult if you're comfortable with basic hand tools and once finished it looks good and so far seems just fine, although a road test awaits drier weather.  At this point, I think it's a decent upgrade if you want better brakes on a Rad bike.

UPDATE Apr 22nd
Just took her out for a few miles shakedown ride to test the new brakes, and I love 'em.  They work fine, are completely silent at both ends and they do provide a bit more stopping power, a noticeable amount, with just two-finger pressure on both.  Previously, I needed three fingers pulling on the rear brake for a strong stop.  As I recall, Altema reported not noticing much difference, but on my setup it's improved in both stopping power and grip strength applied.

I only needed to adjust the rear caliper a little bit for earlier engagement and more stopping power - easy to do with the adjustment knob on the caliper - a couple turns did the trick.

So far, so good and definitely recommended.

Man, that sucks, but glad you got it going again.  I've very-occasionally had my MiniST2 motor just stop running for a few seconds (the stock controller, soon to be a Bolton 35A as well), usually after a gearshift or PAS change, but after a few pedal turns it kicks in again, so I've chalked it up to controller or cadence sensor brain farts and haven't worried about it.  Nothing like yours though, although I always avoid wet surfaces.

Your story does remind me though of how much I value the controller mounting location on the MiniST vs. the regular Mini and the Runners - much better protected from the elements and wheel splat.

I've considered opening up my new Bolton and hitting all the seams with RTV sealant, but that rubber gasket seems to be pretty solid all the way around so haven't decided yet.  I might just hit it externally across all the seams I can find.

Thank you!  I'll order one up and put the install on my list of things to do.  Appreciate it.

Quote from: Altema on April 17, 2022, 02:29:13 PMI replaced the whole front fork assembly, and installed a solid axle on the wheel with nuts. Solid axles are a bit stiffer than quick releases, but I did it mostly to make it more difficult if someone decides to tamper with it again.

If you don't mind, can you link to a source for the correct solid axle?  I've been thinking of anti-thefting my MiniST2's front wheel as well - ditched the quick-release clamp on the seatpost, then replaced the new clamp's bolt with a tamper-resistant Torx, early on to protect my Redshift and Cloud 9 parts.

Thanks, and hope your recovery is proceeding quickly.  I'm sure I'm not the only one interested to hear how this all works out if somebody fiddled with your bike to cause the crash.

Quote from: chopday on April 16, 2022, 11:34:44 AMIs it possible for you to explain or provide closer pics of how you adapted the straps to tie it down to the rad rack ?

Sure, I've attached some pics I just took; if these aren't clear enough let me know and I'll try for a reshoot.

It's a pretty simple arrangement, actually; the middle strap that normally goes above the bag into the seat frame to hang it from above, instead goes down and around the two black forward frame members of the rack.  The two straps that would normally wrap around the seatpost are instead wrapped around the two forward white frame members of the bike.  Very secure and out of the way of everything, yet accessible.  The stainless mini-carabiner is just there to hold the two zipper pulls together, nothing to do with the mounting. 

One thing I really like is that the bag-expansion section at the bottom really isn't needed for my stuff, but it's perfect to tuck in a pencil-style pressure gauge along the side, just under the zipper for that compartment, so it's accessible without having to mess with the bag mount or carabiner (that carabiner is a PITA to install/remove because it's so small, but I hope to only need to fiddle with it in emergencies).  This is the Large size of that bag, it tucks in nicely with the Mini's frame and rack as you can see and rests just above the rear fender - YMMV, depending on your bike model and rack. 

This arrangement isn't theft-proof, like any other underseat bag, but I arranged things to tuck the clips and velcro underneath and if my motion-sensitive alarm is set, it would be difficult to remove the bag without setting it off, even knowing the alarm is there (it's hidden).

Hope this helps; let me know if not.

Quote from: chopday on April 16, 2022, 10:20:07 AM
Are bike seat bags not supposed to be installed if using a suspension post ?
I tried a few highly rated bags but none was a good fit on this post..the straps were not in the right place to secure the bag. I am using this suspension post along with A Cloud-9 seat on a Rad Expnd 5.

I couldn't get mine working properly with my Redshift suspension post either - the movement of the mechanism messed with the bag's attachment straps. 

Here's a posting, with photo, of how I attached my tool bag to my MiniST2, strapped to my bike's frame/rack instead  - depending on which bike you have, something similar to this might work for you as well: 
https://www.radowners.com/index.php?topic=910.msg4854#msg4854

Oh man, that sucks.  On the plus side, unless the thief did a lot of planning, that's about the most-conspicuous bike possible to steal, so hope it's spotted soon!

Looks like you got a great deal - congratulations!

Quote from: Altema on April 13, 2022, 01:07:17 PMI installed my Juintech brakes this week. Maybe it's because I kept the Tectro brakes finely adjusted, but the Juintech brakes did not give me any more braking power. I contacted Area 13 about the issue, but they have not responded.

I've seen the same conclusion in more than one review of hybrid-hydraulic upgrades from all-mechanical, including Citizen Cycle doing it on his Rad Rover using the same Juintech calipers.  Not sure, but I think even Kyle from Area 13 mentioned this in his video of the kit and how to install it.

I think the reason is simply the amount of force that can be delivered to the caliper using a mechanical grip/cable vs. all-hydraulic where mechanical advantage can be designed into the lever mechanism's piston on the handlebar to put significant pressure into the line.  I used to do a bit of work with hydraulics and there is simply no other way to apply as much power in such a small space; it's amazing technology, as can be seen on any run-of-the-mill bulldozer.  Not just hydraulic-piston cylinders either; I've worked with hydraulic motors far smaller than electric motors rated at similar horsepower - if you need power in a small space, it's the way to go, at the cost of a potentially-messier and more-expensive system.

Anyway, I haven't installed mine on my MiniST2 yet, but I'm not expecting a dramatic improvement either.  What I'm hoping to find is much less need for adjustments, easier adjustment using that thumbscrew on the calipers and perhaps less chance of squeaking and other pad/rotor issues since the pads on the hydraulic caliber close in from both sides at once vs. the mechanical mechanism moving only one pad, thereby distorting the rotor just a tiny bit under braking.

So, no need to panic, but it'll be interesting to hear what Area 13 might say.