RadCity 5 Plus first thoughts (New to ebikes)

[jcvdd]

I tend to agree with the previous poster and in my sincere opinion, although the headlight on your Rad bike is not the best, you may be better
off leaving the original headlight on and supplementing it with a high quality quick USB rechargeable front headlight. For under $50, try this one...
https://amzn.to/3BMzO3z

2022 Newest 7000 Lumens Super Bright 3LED Bike Lights Front and Back,Powerful USB Rechargeable Bicycle Headlight-9 Modes Runtime 15+ Hours,Waterproof Bike Headlight Taillight for Cycling Road Mountain
Brand: Touhuhot

[Slowrider]

Wow I need to figure out how to turn on  notifications for the forums because I didn't realize I had so many replies.  So far still loving my RadCity and other than a minor speedo issue it's perfect. 

The headlight is a big problem for me because most of my riding is at night.  I work at night and on my days off I'm awake and ride at night.  I realize I'm probably in the extreme minority when it comes to that because I think the headlight was mostly intended as a daytime running light.  It looks really cool and makes you more visible.  I had a battery powered headlight to supplement the light and that worked but it was a pain because the battery lasted a little less than an hour so every time I had to take it off and recharge it.

I fixed the headlight problem with a Lezyne headlight.  Don't go out and buy any Lezyne headlight because there are some that will work and some that won't.  I did a bit of research and took an chance.  I made a separate post on the forums listing what I did but I was in a hurry so I hope I didn't forget anything.  It's the same 500 lm at the Rad Premium but it's so much better spread out.  The difference is night and day with the new headlight (pun intended).  With the Rad Premium I had to be on my toes watching out for potholes and I felt this distracted me from watching out for other cars.   With my new light everything is clearly visible!  The only thing I dislike is that it doesn't look nearly as cool as the Rad Premium... If Rad ever fixes their Premium headlight to work like the Lezyne I would pay $200 right now!  It would be the best of both worlds.

Okay enough of my ranting about the headlight.  What do you guys think about the PA levels?  I'm usually in PA 3 max because PA 4 seems a bit much.  I don't see how you guys do the 1500w motors because about 400w seems about the limit where I'm getting a bit uncomfortable.  I guess in the straight away with top speed it might be a thing but taking off from a stop it would scare me 🤣

jcvdd If you don't want fat tires get the City.  What interests you about the Rover if not the tires?  I think they offer a smoother ride with some off road capability with a penalty in range of course.  If you're thinking about snow or off road get the Rover because the tires on the City are meant for low rolling resistance and not traction.  Maybe the geometry might be different but I would bet the electronics, motor and components like shifter and brakes are the same.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Amocat07 you will fry the headlight circuit and maybe something else if you wire up a 1100 lm headlight to your Rad.  From what I've learned the circuit only supports 12.5 w (I can't confirm this and to my knowledge Rad doesn't make this data public) and that includes the tail light and LCD backlight.  Your choices are some type of rechargeable light or if you're skilled you could wire a relay on the headlight circuit then tap directly to the battery.  Of course ideally you would also add a battery protection circuit.  This is something for someone very skilled with electronics and would likely void your warranty.  My recommendation is to stick with a rechargeable headlight if you want 1100 lm

BooneDawg!  I hope you like it.  I don't think I mentioned it in my earlier posts but it can be difficult to get on and off with the non step though version.  I'm about 5' 10" with a 32" inseam and I've gotten better at swinging my leg over the back but it's still a chore.  I think most of it is because I added a basket to the back but I want to be able to bring stuff home without hanging bags off my handlebars.  Don't be too proud like me to get the step through unless your younger or more flexible 🤣

[seanerino]

Thanks for this post. Really helpful to read about your experience.

I just ordered the Rad City 5+ and now I'm just waiting for it to ship. I was wondering about the battery balancing. You mentioned that you did the 3 rides with 12 hour charge to balance the bike, but the manual and supplemental material on the website says that the semi-integrated battery doesn't require balancing:

https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406497553819-Semi-Integrated-Battery-Q-A

What are your thoughts on your battery now? How's it holding up? What's your range been like?

[Slowrider]

Thanks for this post. Really helpful to read about your experience.

I just ordered the Rad City 5+ and now I'm just waiting for it to ship. I was wondering about the battery balancing. You mentioned that you did the 3 rides with 12 hour charge to balance the bike, but the manual and supplemental material on the website says that the semi-integrated battery doesn't require balancing:

https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406497553819-Semi-Integrated-Battery-Q-A

What are your thoughts on your battery now? How's it holding up? What's your range been like?

I did the balancing but you're right I looked into it and it seems unnecessary.  I think if you did it there would be no downside but maybe it wouldn't help.  I hate to say but I haven't ridden as much as I should have and I haven't drained the battery all the way down so not exactly sure on range.  I know it's more than 35 miles.  I think it depends on if you're pedaling and at what assist.  I ride for fun and exercise so not in a hurry to get anywhere but I still go 15- 20 MPH.  I pedal a lot and usually keep it on PA 2-3.

The only problems I've been having is my speedometer goes to 0 when there's no power going to the motor.  If I stop pedaling or let off the throttle I can coast but it shows I'm going 0 MPH.  Rad has shipped me a new controller so waiting to see if that fixes the issue.  I really hope so.  I can still ride it because the speedometer doesn't really stop it from working.

If you get the old style charger with the black cord instead of the orange one it gets hot.  I put a small fan on it but maybe that's not needed.  I would suspect you will get the new one though.

[seanerino]

Thanks for this post. Really helpful to read about your experience.

I just ordered the Rad City 5+ and now I'm just waiting for it to ship. I was wondering about the battery balancing. You mentioned that you did the 3 rides with 12 hour charge to balance the bike, but the manual and supplemental material on the website says that the semi-integrated battery doesn't require balancing:

https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406497553819-Semi-Integrated-Battery-Q-A

What are your thoughts on your battery now? How's it holding up? What's your range been like?

I did the balancing but you're right I looked into it and it seems unnecessary.  I think if you did it there would be no downside but maybe it wouldn't help.  I hate to say but I haven't ridden as much as I should have and I haven't drained the battery all the way down so not exactly sure on range.  I know it's more than 35 miles.  I think it depends on if you're pedaling and at what assist.  I ride for fun and exercise so not in a hurry to get anywhere but I still go 15- 20 MPH.  I pedal a lot and usually keep it on PA 2-3.

The only problems I've been having is my speedometer goes to 0 when there's no power going to the motor.  If I stop pedaling or let off the throttle I can coast but it shows I'm going 0 MPH.  Rad has shipped me a new controller so waiting to see if that fixes the issue.  I really hope so.  I can still ride it because the speedometer doesn't really stop it from working.

If you get the old style charger with the black cord instead of the orange one it gets hot.  I put a small fan on it but maybe that's not needed.  I would suspect you will get the new one though.

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like you're getting good speed and range for your needs. I'll keep an eye out for that speedometer issue.

[david.platt@mac.com]

I had a couple of fenix uc35?s hanging around.

1000 lumins and recharge via usb. Tesla battery etc?
A bit pricey, but in my humble opinion an amazing quality product.

Anyhow they make a bicycle handlebar mount that features quick release.
ALB-10

Terrific amount of light has me feeling like a vehicle and not a pedestrian.
I used the quick release feature right away to find something that dropped my first night ride.