mini verse rad rover

[dmann]

new to this forum, just wanted some advise on making decision of which rad to buy, like the mini's size and folding ability, but wondering if its smaller wheel size makes it harder to handle on moderate off road paths, would the rad rover ride over light park trails better. Does smaller wheels make battery more or less efficient, given the wheel has to spin more to cover the same amount of ground. Any advise would be appreciated

[Dan B]

Well your question brings up some additional questions, however I have a Rad Rover and I would say if had to haul a bike to a riding location all the time the mini may be a better bike. With that said if you have a heavy duty bike carrier designed for the Rad Rover and can physically handle an 80lb bike I would say I would prefer the Rover.
   I ride a lot of off rode single track MTB trails, not black diamond or down hills or nothing like that, just mostly nice flowing single track trails and usually ride around 12-14 miles of trails. With the PAS set at 1 or 2 and running in 1st or 2nd gear I can do 14 miles and use only about 20% of then battery on the Rad.  The size of the Rad tires and its overall length makes it very easy to handle on all types or terrain, when on the trails I usually air down to 14psi...
    I would have to assume that the mini with the smaller tires and shorter length would not handle as well and would be easy to oversteer when getting into more difficult terrain. But it would be lighter and more responsive on normal flat hard pack surfaces, dirt, gravel or asphalt..
     It will always boil down to the type of riding you are going to do...don't get to wound up on the distance the battery will take you, most of the time you will want to stop long before the battery runs out.,. Buy the bike according to the type of riding you will be doing mostly and how you will have to transport it. I like to ride more off road so the Rad Rover suits me perfect, but if I commuted all the time I may have went with the mini or the cruiser style Rad.. I have had no problems with my Rover and I ride it pretty hard off road, so I am very happy with my purchase..
      When the price of actual electric MTB bikes comes down in price in a few years I will probably purchase one of those and use the Rover for more city and county road riding.. good luck ,,

[dmann]

Thanks so much for your input, I'm thinking along the same lines as you in that the Rover would handle better on any off-road surfaces, and the mini be best as a comuter or light dirt path riding.  I do have a light trailer I can haul the Rover on so that simplifies getting it to parks and such.
Also how is the rover on streets as im sure I'd like to do some town touring just as much ad park trails??

[sc00ter]

How are you hauling said bike? In a station wagon/hatchback car? Do you have a receiver hitch mount on your vehicle? I ask because you can get a good quality hitch mount hauler and not be limited concerning tire size. I had a dirt bike receiver hitch ramp for awhile. The ramp even tilted toward the ground, you roll up on it and it levels as you get past the mid-point. I used it to haul motor scooters and mopeds on a Crosstrek. Now I have a Subaru Baja and a Honda Fit. I wouldn't feel comfortable hauling anything heavier than 100 pounds on the back of the Fit, plus I've yet to mount a receiver on it yet. The Baja is the beater.

And concerning your choice, bigger wheels are better on trails in my opinion. I have a RadRunner but it lives on road. Either way getting out there and riding is what matters most! We just want to help you be as comfortable with your purchase as possible.

[sc00ter]

I also recall a Rad Mini review on You Tube recently that was being used as a commuter on dirt trails.

[dmann]

Ok, thanks all, anybody wanna chime in on their experience with using their mini on park type mild trails, dirt etc, do they handle good or more of a chore, seems that with that steering position, smaller wheel dimensions and low center of gravity it could get squirrely with much speed on any softer ground!!

[Altema]

I take my RadMini 4 on mountain bike trails, and sometimes the trail will be my destination. Only problem I've run into, and this was on my last run, was too much power causing the front wheel to lose traction or contact with the ground. But, this is a modified mini with 1600 watts on hills that are almost too steep to walk up. The times I've gone mountain biking with the stock power levels, I had no such problems. The mini handles dirt, leaves, gravel and snow, but I'd avoid deep mud because of the smaller diameter. If your trails have boulders and fallen trees that you must go over because you can't go around, or you need to ride down stairs, the the Rover is your logical choice. I tried riding down stairs on the mini, and it did not end well, lol.

In terms of range relating to the smaller wheels, they do need to spin at a higher RPM to match the speed of a larger diameter wheel. However, they don't have to work as hard because of the mechanical torque advantage, and can accelerate quicker. I get between 30 and 40 miles of range with mixed use on hilly trails and paved streets.

PS: I do have a video of my last trail ride (it's a blue trail, but gets pretty tight), but I have to edit it before uploading.

[Dan B]

Thanks so much for your input, I'm thinking along the same lines as you in that the Rover would handle better on any off-road surfaces, and the mini be best as a comuter or light dirt path riding.  I do have a light trailer I can haul the Rover on so that simplifies getting it to parks and such.
Also how is the rover on streets as im sure I'd like to do some town touring just as much ad park trails??

With the large tires the Rad Rover is great on city streets because it rolls over cracks and other small imperfections most street have. But it can also handle gravel alleys, old parking lots etc and give you a smooth ride...

[Veggyhed]

I own a rad mini 4 I have taken it on hard pack dirt trail which was pretty flat. I would imagine the geometry of the rad mini 4 would not lend itself greatly as a rover on a trail. You would have better handling with the handlebars lower and body position over the top tube a little more.
There is a mechanical advantage to 20-in wheels and my bike can take off far quicker than a stock rover and did not slow down as much with throttle only on the same hill.
As a commuter my rad mini is excellent.
Do not let the word mini fool you into thinking it is small because it is not and the length is still about the same as a rover but ways about 10 lb less.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[CG31]

Saw a Rad Mini at a campground and was going to get one until I seen the Radrover. Looked online and the same price, a no brainier to me unless you absolutely have to fold it or you are really short.

[whitelightning99]

We went to the Seattle showroom to purchase 2 Minis, and came home with 2 Rovers. After test riding both, the portability of the Mini was surpassed by the comfort and ergonomics of the Rover. The ride was just so much better on the Rover, especially when going over sharp edges in the pavement or trail.