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.

Quote from: Altema on April 13, 2022, 10:34:03 AM
I spoke to Grin Technologies, and the inventor of the Phaserunner himself has also looked at my configurations.

"The max battery amps for the Phaserunner is 96A"

If anybody's tried that, I bet it would feel like strapping one of Wile E. Coyote's rockets to one's butt.

Quote from: NaturallyRC on April 12, 2022, 01:19:44 PM
I wouldn't put blinkers on my ebike, 325, if I were you, unless you intend to ride right out in traffic like a car or motorcycle. On a bike, over in the curb, I think they would be easy to miss, and perhaps give the cyclist a feeling of overconfidence. I trust drivers about as far as I can throw them. There are definitely times when I need to let a car, truck, bus driver know what I'm about to do, and for that, I turn my head and look them straight in the eye. I wave or point if necessary to get their attention. When I'm confident that we are on the same wavelength, I smile, wave thanks or give the thumbs up, and ease over, say, into the left turn lane, or whatever.

In my opinion (you asked)

Very well put; I go for eye contact and if necessary, pointing - learned this valuable advice a hundred years ago during MSF motorcycle training.  Don't trust drivers - you will ALWAYS lose no matter who's "right".  And turn signals on what everybody regards as a bicycle might be so unusual that it might take a driver's focus off the bike and rider, increasing risk.

I ordered my MiniST2 for USA delivery on March 5 2021 and was forecast delivery for mid-April.  It showed up five days later on March 10!  This was great, except that I was in the middle of moving, ordered with April delivery in mind after the move was finished, and had to scramble to get it safely secured until I had time to get it on the road.

The rack, on the other hand, ordered at the same time took another 5 or 6 weeks to arrive, which seems to be typical for Rad racks.   

Quote from: Rover on April 12, 2022, 12:44:47 PM"Face Diaper" was the first ignorant salvo.

My point was about people who are so fearful on a daily basis that they will wear their strap-on inside their car when driving alone - as can be easily observed daily in my small town.  Now how does that accomplish anything at all, other than just adhering to blind fear, and why is it "ignorant" to point out the uselessness of doing so?  Who's being "protected" and from what, exactly?

I will agree with you that this is veering off-topic, although related to the phenomena of many people now trained to be fearful as their first reaction to new experiences, including encountering e-bikes.

I'm still wondering why, if they're designing a new series of bikes, they didn't design-in or insist the manufacturer include a USB port like we've had on all Rad LCD displays for years?  Were they so cheap as to not want to spend an extra couple of dollars at most on the displays to include that and try to charge extra for the dongle on a $2,000 bike?  And IIRC, the new two-display system results in the left-grip display being dimmer and harder to read than the center one - is that still the case?

But that pales in comparison to a "key lock" that can't lock out power to the bike when "locked" (another thing we've always had until now), so any random person can just come along and turn on the bike. 

Did Rad lose all the product managers with common sense along with a sense of model history?