New Rad Model Coming 12/6

[Ddaybc]

Eric7, I think you are right. I believe the price is an introductory price and it will be raised soon. $2400 USD for an electric trike is a good price. It looks well made and I wonder what trike accessories will be available for it. Although I don't want one, and I'm in Canada and it's not listed here yet, I'm looking forward to Ryan's evaluation.

[Radio Runner]

Will there be a roll cage add on?

[JimInPT]

That's a lot of money for no racks, no front suspension.

Nice to see it has a reverse gear of some sort; for the intended audience that'll be very useful.

[Eric7]

Radio Runner, Yes.  I remember the 3 wheel ATV ban.  My initial thought is that I am not going 20 mph or even 14 mph with a tricycle. 

With an internal hub brake, I don't think this was meant to go fast or too far and is probably more of a mobility device.

JimInPT, I think the intended audience would prefer a longer wheelbase so they don't have to tuck cargo even a little bit under the seat. With a tricycle, compact size is not a big consideration.  Also a big wire basket with a wood floor front and back since it appears to be a low-speed mobility device.

[Ryan]

No differential but the left rear wheel freewheels. Thus the drive/brake side is on the right. I've seen so many comments about lack of stability. I realize I am not the target demographic but it was way more stable than I thought it was with the caveat that it's not meant to turn at high speeds.

[Eric7]

Thank you Ryan for your hard work and sharing.

How does the geared hub work?  Does it freewheel?  I've never heard of a geared hub that goes backwards.  Can the trike roll down a hill smoothly without electricity or is it like a direct drive where there is a drag is there is no power?

Thanks again.

[Ryan]

Good question, from what I was told it's the same motor found in other models. Unfortunately, I don't know how they made it go backward. The drag seems the same as the other Rad motors unlike a direct drive motor.

[Radio Runner]

No doubt with 18? wheels the low center of gravity makes it stable. However 18? tires are another conundrum of limited selection. 20? would have been a better choice at only a slight cost in stability if that.

[Eric7]

I don't have experience riding a trike but here is an interesting point or question.

The left wheel freewheels.  The right wheel is on a coaster brake.  So say a person is going downhill and is uneducated in the workings of this trike, and the person only apply the rear brakes - which in this case is only the right wheel brake.

Is the right rear brake only sufficient to stop a bike + rider + luggage going 12 mph without the application of the front brake?

Would the trike pull hard to make a right turn if only the right rear brake is applied?  How much steering correction is needed?

I am a bit hesitant, I'll wait for the long term reviews.

Naturally, the safe way is to apply all the brakes all the time on a bike regardless of whether it is a 2, 3 or 4 wheels.

On the plus side of things, it seems to be a modular system - to a point. Even if Rad stops making it, you can add your own front drive system. This actually reassures me knowing I am not dependent on one company. Of course, if the rear drive breaks, one would still have a hard time if Rad stops making it but that's (not having a second source for all the parts) pretty standard I think for trikes.

[Altema]

Good question, from what I was told it's the same motor found in other models. Unfortunately, I don't know how they made it go backward. The drag seems the same as the other Rad motors unlike a direct drive motor.

The motor may be the same, but the standard motor has a clutch that the planetary gears are mounted to. Reverse would not work with the clutch, so Rad most likely eliminated it, and compensated for the drag with virtual freewheeling. Of course this raises a question: If there is no clutch in this model, is regenerative braking available?

[Altema]

I don't have experience riding a trike but here is an interesting point or question.

The left wheel freewheels.  The right wheel is on a coaster brake.  So say a person is going downhill and is uneducated in the workings of this trike, and the person only apply the rear brakes - which in this case is only the right wheel brake.

Is the right rear brake only sufficient to stop a bike + rider + luggage going 12 mph without the application of the front brake?

Would the trike pull hard to make a right turn if only the right rear brake is applied?  How much steering correction is needed?

I am a bit hesitant, I'll wait for the long term reviews.

Naturally, the safe way is to apply all the brakes all the time on a bike regardless of whether it is a 2, 3 or 4 wheels.

On the plus side of things, it seems to be a modular system - to a point. Even if Rad stops making it, you can add your own front drive system. This actually reassures me knowing I am not dependent on one company. Of course, if the rear drive breaks, one would still have a hard time if Rad stops making it but that's (not having a second source for all the parts) pretty standard I think for trikes.

If a person applies the rear brake only, hard, the wheel will just skid and be dragged. Maybe on wet ice there would be an issue with control, but on pavement or dirt, you still have 66.6% traction on the other 2 wheels (depending on loading conditions). Ideally, they could have had inboard disc brakes on both back wheels, but the cable would be a complication on a bike that's designed to be unbolted and split in half.