Which RAD Controllers are compatible with Radwagon 3 (2019)?

[Thebenpink]

Hi all!
I have a 2019 radwagon that I bought second hand. It's been modded to the point where all that's original is the frame and the rear motor wheel, which isn't connected to power since it now has a Bafang midrive motor... so now I'm trying to figure out how to reuse the rear motor wheel to electrify another 26" mountain bike!

• I was going to to try and buy a used Rad display/controller, but the issue is that Rad says the 2019 wagon isn't compatible with other Rad models controllers or displays.


• How can this be? If the Bolton kit is plug and play across all models, how can the Rad controllers also not be interchangeable?


• (yes, I know I could just BUY the bolton kit, but this is a spare hobby bike for when friends visit and I don't want to invest $200+ in it)


• What throttles are compatible with the rad wiring harness? I bought a half twist for the Bafang motor that I really like, but have no idea how to check if it would work.. the connector looks very similar. Do you have any to recommend that you know work without any soldering and splicing?

Thanks for any input!

[DCH3416]

What stock components do you actually have?

The only model that comes to mind that would be compatible is the RadCity. Because they use the same drive motor.

I'd probably recommend going aftermarket anyway:
https://electrobikeworld.com/products/35a-controller-rad

That'll give you a lot more flexibility in your configuration. Those folks also have a ton of parts.


Ya know. Ebikes have a little ways to go before they're like cheap and common enough to just throw together on a shoestring budget.

[Thebenpink]

The stock parts I have that I am building with are:

2019 rad wagon direct drive  wheel/7speed stack
radwagon wiring harness
two stock displays and controllers from a radcity and a rover from someone on this forum who upgraded their controller


still needed:
compatible throttle
battery connector
brake cut off (I  guess? Wasn't going to hook up PAS)

I called rad and they said the 2019 wagon isn't compatible with ANY other rad bikes controller, but that just makes no sense! They also said that the only displays compatible with the 2019 wagon controller are from the 2020 rover or 2020 city, which seems totally arbitrary to this newbie..

I know the upgraded controller and screen are supposed to be awesome, but I'm trying to build this bike for as cheap as I can, and the extra $200 is more than I want to spend on a controller for this bike (I've already put a silly amount of money into the frankenwagon, including for a new rear wheel)). I have a cheap 52V Chinese battery of unknown quality that I ordered off EBAY to use.. not sure what else I'm forgetting...

Per your point re: ebikes not being easily assembled for cheap, that's certainly true, but I figured that with an extra rear motor wheel in a standard size, I'm not that far away from a second functioning bike. I hope that in the near future, they will be more accessible to more people, as they really do eliminate a lot of car trips.

[DCH3416]

One of these cables may help adapt a generic battery to the rad power battery connection:
https://electrobikeworld.com/products/rad-power-battery-adapter

*Keep in mind, the stock display was designed for 48 volts nominal. 52 might be too much.*

You should have enough stuff to get at least the display to power on (press and hold middle button). Minimum attaching the controller, harness, display, motor, and battery.

If that works, you can then attach a compatible throttle (most ebike throttles) and attempt to drive the rear wheel.

--

You don't NEED a brake cutoff. It is an important safety feature. Say someone loses control of your bike from lack of familiarity, they could get seriously injured.

On these direct drive motors the cutoff also functions as a regen feature providing additional braking and battery efficiency.

[Joel52334]

What stock components do you actually have?

The only model that comes to mind that would be compatible is the RadCity. Because they use the same drive motor.

I'd probably recommend going aftermarket anyway:
https://electrobikeworld.com/products/35a-controller-rad

That'll give you a lot more flexibility in your configuration. Those folks also have a ton of parts.


Ya know. Ebikes have a little ways to go before they're cheap and common enough to just throw together on a shoestring budget.

Ebikes have just become "Mainstream" in the past couple of years.  We're in a world where Ebikes are at about the state the Model T was 120 years ago, in terms of future technology.