Quote from: RadJohn on April 22, 2021, 04:37:46 PM
For those who remove and carry their Rad batteries around, if you're anywhere near as paranoid as I am about dropping one of the shiny, slippery, expen$ive things, a C.E. Smith Draw Bar Storage Bag (for a trailer hitch) fits the battery like a glove, has handles and is built like a brick outhouse:

https://amzn.to/3iqsNNW

Thanks for that tip!  I just ordered one and think it's a shame (and maybe a company liability) for Rad to ship batteries worth $500 with their bikes that can all be removed with a key blank.  Imagine the outcry if Tesla did that.  It's ultimately the battery manufacturer's design fault through their choice of lock vendor; does anybody know if any other brands are affected?

UPDATE: received the bag and you're right - it fits my Mini's battery like a glove!  Very much appreciate the tip.

I also swapped out the stock seat torture device with a Cloud-9 Cruiser Select within a couple days of putting my Mini ST on the road.  It's a big improvement but my butt is still somewhat sore after 30 minutes or so (it only took 4-5 minutes with the stock seat).  So I have a Bikeroo Senior (https://amzn.to/3bhjg7v) on order, due to arrive next week, just to see if it's a bit better.  I think seats are like shoes; you have to try them on to see if they fit, and maybe I just haven't developed the right butt callouses yet.

The Cloud 9 is a bit heavy, but very well built and solid - to install, remove the included C9 post adapter and just mount its rails directly to the stock Rad Mini post.

UPDATE June 14: I've now tried the Bikeroo and a Velmia, both are well-made seats but just didn't improve things.  After adding a Redshift suspension seatpost, I eventually settled on a different Cloud 9 seat, their Cruiser Gel Sofa model, which is wider and flatter than the Cruiser Select and for me the best of the bunch so far.  https://amzn.to/3helhU7 The nose on this one is about 1.5" too long IMHO, but doesn't get in the way.  Unfortunately, you have to keep trying seats to find the best fit, but a good return policy for the rejects helps. 

My butt still gets sore, not as much, but shifting around a bit helps and the Redshift really helps smooth out the bumps along the way.

Wow, about 50 views and nobody had ideas.  Ok, I'll answer my own question.


This one (BV Classic Bike Saddle Bag), even in Large size, fits fine: https://amzn.to/3w47iqf

It's easy to install under the stock seat, a little tougher when under my replacement Cloud 9 Cruiser Select (barely clears the springs, but it works), but it still fits even with the seatpost within 4" of the bottom, and with both a rear rack and small basket installed.  The back side of the bag runs right up to the basket, so you have to loosen the straps for access to the stuff inside, but that makes it a little more secure and harder to steal.


Pretty nice bag, by the way; a Vibrelli pump fits (diagonally) along with a Milton pressure gauge, 4 Gorilla tire levers, Handlebar Jack, Crankbrothers M19 multitool, patch kit etc. - without having to open the expansion pocket at the bottom.

EDIT: after adding a Redshift suspension seatpost, I moved this bag down to atop the rear fender, between the frame bars just forward of the rack, to avoid interfering with the seat movement or rubbing against the rear basket.  Pic below; works great.

There may be very large ruggedized cases from Pelican or similar companies that will do the trick, with the type of foam inserts that you can pick out to form-fit to your bike.  Probably big money at that size, though.

You might consider having a good carpenter or shipping company build you a custom reusable crate, perhaps with built-in cross-bracing, supports and padding and hinged top or even drop sides to make it easy to get in/out and inspect at airport security.  In a past life, I used such crates for instrumentation or other equipment shipping all over the world.  If built well and with easily-accessed grab handles and armored corners, they survived many long flights and really poor handling by carriers.

Before I start sifting through many dozens of available underseat tool/patch/pump bags, does anybody have one on their Mini StepThru that they love?  I'm planning to swap out the stock seat for a Cloud 9 Cruiser Select saddle soon, if that makes a difference.

Thanks!