New Rad Mini 4 Owner

[TheRealDlo]

Good Morning,

Just bought a Rad Mini 4 and it should be here tomorrow!

Any tips on the setup other then the YouTube video they have?

Looks pretty straight forward!

Thanks,

Dlo

[Windward]

Wow, how did you get a quick delivery? Mine won't arrive until Nov.


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[pehayes]

Did you buy any accessories for it?  Be very careful as most screws  have blue LocTite on them.  Make sure to use a well-fitting, quality Allen wrench for any screws and bolts.  I installed a rear rack and had to clean out hole threads with a threading tap to make bolts work.  You may have seen videos to increase top speed through changes in the controller programming.  That is old inventory.  Changes have no effect on the version  you will receive.  Robust and quick bike regardless.

Patrick

[cvflowe]

Did you buy any accessories for it?  Be very careful as most screws  have blue LocTite on them.  Make sure to use a well-fitting, quality Allen wrench for any screws and bolts.  I installed a rear rack and had to clean out hole threads with a threading tap to make bolts work.  You may have seen videos to increase top speed through changes in the controller programming.  That is old inventory.  Changes have no effect on the version  you will receive.  Robust and quick bike regardless.

Patrick

I  wish I could have seen this post before attempting to install my rack. I damaged a screw head. What a pain. I finally got the rack installed.

Thanks for the tips


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[pehayes]

Sorry about the screw head damage.  It is a common manufacturing issue and apparently a repetitive issue for RAD.
Firstly, some holes in the frame are threaded to precise dimension.  Then the frame is powder coated which partially plugs up the threaded holes.  Bad juju.  Proper process would be to plug the holes while the powder coating is taking place.
Second, bulk screws are generally of weak metal and the Allen hex  heads can easily be damaged. 
Third, the precise fit of Allen tools into the hex holes is all over the map.  Use a loose one and you are destined to strip out the  hex hole.
Fourth, RAD installs some screws that don't do anything unless you buy an accessory.  Four for the front rack.  Otherwise, the screws are just cosmetic.  So, with no load involved, why use blue LocTite on otherwise useless screws that are highly likely to be removed by the consumer.  Either don't use the LocTite, or leave the screws out in an accessories package for later installation.

Patrick

[JimL]

Steel screws into aluminum is ripe for dissimilar metal reaction (corrosion).  The "non-permanent" loctite is a reasonable. solution.  It makes for a better chance of getting the bolt out, if it isn't tried for years!  This is common throughout many industries, for cases where items may be added or changed at some future date.  It is certainly good practice for some product which is likely to be washed with that most dangerous solvent on our planet:  WATER!

I do find the bolts, used by RAD, are a little rough in the thread cut.  I have tried running them into some good quality metric nuts (saved from old Honda motorcycles and such) to see "what's up?"  It is easy to tell they are a little rough (and obviously not "rolled thread" quality).

I clean them up with my metric tap and die set, and have no problems.  The tip for tap cleaning the powder coated threads is right on the money.  Just remember to use a little non-permanent loctite on them, so they won't corrode in place, permanently.

[TheRealDlo]

Wow, how did you get a quick delivery? Mine won't arrive until Nov.

When I put my order in it was 3 day shipping ~ I got SUPER lucky with my timing!

I got my bike and have 30 miles on it already.  LOVE IT

Went back to order one for my wife and it is shipping Nov 15

[TheRealDlo]

Did you buy any accessories for it?  Be very careful as most screws  have blue LocTite on them.  Make sure to use a well-fitting, quality Allen wrench for any screws and bolts.  I installed a rear rack and had to clean out hole threads with a threading tap to make bolts work.  You may have seen videos to increase top speed through changes in the controller programming.  That is old inventory.  Changes have no effect on the version  you will receive.  Robust and quick bike regardless.

Patrick

Thanks Patrick!

I only bought a seat so far and it definitely improved the comfort.  Yes, I saw the video and I am more interested in range so i only raised it to 21mph over 20.

[TheRealDlo]

Good Morning,

Just bought a Rad Mini 4 and it should be here tomorrow!

Any tips on the setup other then the YouTube video they have?

Looks pretty straight forward!

Thanks,

Dlo

So, quick recap of my RadMini4 first impressions:

PROS:

#1 Got the bike in about 5 days. Shipping & packaging was sufficient.
#2 I love riding this bike
#3 Build quality is well above average
#4 The battery range is incredible. I rode for 15 miles and used 1 out of 5 bars.  (PAS2-3 mostly)
#5 Love the angle you sit at on these bikes, much better then a traditional mountain bike

CONS:
#1 The assembly was just OK.  The front wheel gave me some problems and was WAY too tight.
#2 The breaks squeak and could be improved
#3 The seat is not comfortable (Most bike seats aren't) I swapped mine immediately
#4 A MIRROR is a MUST BUY - I got one ASAP

Overall, I REALLY enjoy this bike.  Once I get the breaks to stop making noise I will love it more.  I would highly recommended this bike to ANY person OVER 5'7'' who is interested in a E-Bike. 
My Father-In-Law who has a Lectric 1.0 is very impressed and is considering switching.  The Rad just is smoother and superior in almost everyway. (maybe the 2.0 would be a closer comparision)

[JimInPT]

Yes, I saw the video and I am more interested in range so i only raised it to 21mph over 20.

No reason not to raise it to the max 40 kph; the extra headroom will always be there, but raising the limit has zero effect on your range unless you run throttle-only all the time at max speed.  Even then, a range decrease would mostly come from more wind resistance, not the controller setting.

[TheRealDlo]

Yes, I saw the video and I am more interested in range so i only raised it to 21mph over 20.

No reason not to raise it to the max 40 kph; the extra headroom will always be there, but raising the limit has zero effect on your range unless you run throttle-only all the time at max speed.  Even then, a range decrease would mostly come from more wind resistance, not the controller setting.

Totally right.

Especially since I ride in 2-3 mostly.

[billba]

My brakes also squeaked and I ended up getting them tuned at my LBC. I bullied Rad into paying for the service. Now they work great. My bike mechanic said that basically no one should assemble their own bike because the final tune on breaks/gears/wheels is often fussy and requires quite a bit of expertise to get right, and I'm a little annoyed with Rad for not setting expectations accordingly.

After the first week I had an increasingly squeaky rear wheel. It was the spokes. So I got a 12 gauge spoke wrench and (after realizing that you tighten by turning COUNTER clockwise) tightened the loose spokes without throwing the wheel out of true. Now it is nice and tight! Strongly recommend paying the extra $$$ for the SW-3 Park Tool wrench, I've already gotten a lot of use out of mine.

[Veggyhed]

First thing I would do is take the battery from the box along with a charger and start charging battery.
Make sure that you bed your brakes in before going for a ride. There are videos on YouTube and also on red power site to help you with this.
The torque wrench is extremely helpful and the torque values are in the manual for your bike.
Anti-seize compound such as sold by park tools as something good to add to the bolts on your bike. It'll help with removal and torquing the bolts to required specification. If using loctite do not use anti-seize compound together.

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