who is it for

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

hello

me over 60 y, was looking at getting radmini ST (step-thru), then kind of fell thru spiral thinking.

question is, is it for women ?

i know it is an odd question, but yet want others thoughts.

-Rama

[earlpoochie]

I'm going to get myself in trouble for this post because it makes some broad assumptions (stereotypes) about women but here goes.  Of course, there are plenty of exceptions, but in general I would say that it's good for women because it has the low step-through bar and accommodates shorter folks a little better.  As far as portability goes, I think the bike is too heavy for most women to fold and lift into vehicles.  I'm a pretty strong guy and it is no joke to move it around. 

[JimInPT]

I own a MiniST2, love it and am the opposite of a petite woman.  Structurally, the step-through is just fine; a very solid design and my engineer brain is happy with it.  My knees really appreciate the step-through, especially when there's stuff in the rear rack basket.  Other than just trying out the process at first, I never fold it because I have no need to, but nice to know I can if ever necessary.

As mentioned above, it's a bit heavy for smaller and older people to lift, even at stock weight out of the box.  Mine is now about 86 lbs after piling on accessories, but for transport I bought a trailer-receiver hitch carrier with a detachable ramp so I can just drive it up the ramp under power from ground level to both load and unload it.  Easy and no stress, but I expect to ever need to carry it like this rarely.

When considering the purchase, I was wondering if it might be too small and a "girl's bike" making me look like a circus clown or a Shriner in a parade, but the Minis are really about the same size as a regular bike, not tiny at all, but much more accessible than the gigantic Rovers in my opinion.  It's very easy to handle and comfortable once you get the seat and handlebars properly adjusted; I also replaced the seat and added a shock-absorbing seatpost  to eliminate a sore butt after 15 minutes; now I'm good for at least an hour.

I love the hell out of mine and have no plans to do anything but ride and enjoy it until either it or I am worn out.

[Eric7]

Only you can answer this.

People who want to laugh at you will always laugh and criticize you. I know a few people like that when I was younger but I stop hanging out with people like that a long time ago. Nobody has made fun of my bike yet but I guess if they do, I'll just laugh it off - what else can I do?  You can just get the rad mini non step thru model if you are concerned.  I wonder if they would make fun of you driving a small wheeled kid's bike? Although the mini step thru is substantial - more like a moped.  I am not trying to make fun of you - trying to help you anticipate things.  The safest bet is a regular sized wheel bike with a top tube - Rad sells one for cheap.

I am a man about your age and I don't worry about what people think anymore.  I am not out to impress anyone. 

Also, road cyclist shave their legs, wear tights, have purple bikes, wear neon clothing, etc.  I think they are a non-judgmental crowd.

But all of our situations are different.

[sc00ter]

I purchased a Rad Mini ST for my wifes sister as a thank you for help with our homes electrical wiring. She would not take any money but always wanted an ebike. She is in her early 70's and on the shorter side. After reversing the stem for easier reach and a few other minor tweaks she really likes it. So if your on the fence just purchase one and enjoy it.

I also have a mid-60 year old female friend who's waiting to see if I sell my RadRunner come spring. She rode it briefly and fell in love with it. It's currently winter here and I'm waiting on a new ebike to be (hopefully) delivered late April.

My wife is in her early 60's and has zero interest in a ebike.

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

thanks a lot, everyone.

now i ordered for a radmini ST.

"I am not out to impress anyone.";  absolutely. just want to lead my life in the way i want.

[Radding Along]

I assure you, there are just as many men riding Mini's as woman. And the whole step thru thing being a girls bike went out ages ago. Who wants to throw a leg over a high bar when you can just step through it?

The mini is especially popular in the boating and motor home crowd. Just as many men in those groups, if not more.

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

great!! good to know the reality. makes me comfortable.

just waiting for the bike. very likely in a week would have it.

but very new to this town. not sure how bike friendly are the streets in TX state. but no matter what, i will enjoy my bike. 

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

assembled bike delivered today.

incorrectly checked battery and thought needs charge, hence my first ride of 2 rides today was battery less. just pedaled. in 2nd ride did all.

it is no small bike as i imaged it.  heavy. big enough for my weight and height.

2 trips i learnt this new town i am in has bike lanes and multi-purpose side walks (?  wide sidewalks).


one inconvenience i had was, the phone mount,GUB PRO-3 Phone Mount , was on right and my large phone, 6"x3", covers the gear changer. not sure what can be done.


any suggestion on bottle holder ?

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

missed mentioning in the earlier post.

needs a different saddle. one that came with the bike  it did hurt. actually too much.

any suggestion please ?

[sc00ter]

I'll try to get a good picture(s) of the Mini ST in the family. Cell phone mounts can be tricky to find the right one. And the seat.... I get cheap pogo post off of Pedego ebikes. People upgrade and don't want the old post. I get the old post for $10. They work great for my 220 weight and go down very low. Wally World sells Sella Royal made in Italy seats. I like the Gypsy series. Schwinn has a wide spring-less saddle thats pretty comfy as well. I also found a good bottle holder but I don't remember the brand. It velcros on the stem and handle bar without blocking any controls or interfering with steering.

I'll try to get over her house this coming weekend and get a picture(s) so you can get an idea of what I found that works and mods. Only other mod I did that you wont notice is I installed Tannus liners. I got my Russian bear wrestling training in that day!

[JimInPT]

one inconvenience i had was, the phone mount,GUB PRO-3 Phone Mount , was on right and my large phone, 6"x3", covers the gear changer. not sure what can be done.

any suggestion on bottle holder ?

I added one of these accessory bars for my phone, headlight and GoPro; works great: https://amzn.to/3uNo2Ez

For bottle holder(s), I used one of these: https://amzn.to/3GQehb9 and two of these https://amzn.to/3sD0z6o it keeps the bottle away from feet and legs, works great, a little expensive but there are other similar brackets for a little less.

For seat, I had to go through 4 or 5 of them (along with a RedShift seatpost) to get a comfortable ride, including 2 different Cloud 9 models, the second of which is my keeper.  Amazon was good about returns; buying a new seat is like buying shoes - you have to find one that fits YOU.  I'm sure you'll hear suggestions from others as well.

See pics below for my setup.

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

impressive.. thanks for sharing pics.

moved my phone mount from right to left. now it covers the PAS selector.

but ok ... as pas mode is shown in the display ,  and i keep the thumb on it. don't really have to see as.

will order that seat S9 .. wow i like it. good choice you made. comfort on the bottom is needed to be on the bike for long.
--

if ok to share pls share on .. farthest you traveled in one stretch on your bike .. curious as it looks comfy and all set to go Tokyo from NY.

all the way one full charge can take you ?

[rama_nichana@yahoo.com]

looking at this ..

https://amzn.to/3HVADcr

11"x11" is too big for me. this above is same size as delivered with bike

[JimInPT]

moved my phone mount from right to left. now it covers the PAS selector.  but ok ... as pas mode is shown in the display ,  and i keep the thumb on it. don't really have to see as.

will order that seat S9 .. wow i like it. good choice you made. comfort on the bottom is needed to be on the bike for long.
--

if ok to share pls share on .. farthest you traveled in one stretch on your bike .. curious as it looks comfy and all set to go Tokyo from NY.  all the way one full charge can take you ?

I like my phone on the left and it was originally where yours is now, covering up most of the PAS but that was ok since I didn't need to see it to use it.  But I added another louder bell next to the original bell (and later an electric horn to cut through traffic noise as well, on the accessory bar) so that's when I bought that accessory bar to move the phone.  All is well now and room for a good headlight and GoPro as well on that bar.

My Cloud 9 seat (the second C-9 model I tried) is this one: https://amzn.to/3HP4kMo which for me fits better and relieves butt pain better than this one: https://amzn.to/33lL5ed but keep in mind this is my preference; a flatter wider seat works better for me, but maybe not for you.  Other people like Bikeroo and other models also, so try different ones if you can.  The "best" seat is different for everybody and there are endless discussions about it.  Like buying shoes; get what fits you best for your needs.

My seat is far more comfortable than the stock seat, which my butt could only take for about 10 minutes, but I don't know why it has such a long nose that seems unnecessary and made me have to modify my mount/dismount moves.  Got used to it, but I still don't like that long nose in the way.  It's comfortable for me, though; I can ride 60-90 mins now, but that's also due to the RedShift Shockstop suspension post - a fantastic design.  Between the front suspension, the seat upgrade and the RedShift upgrade, it's no longer a bone-rattling ride on the trails.  I can't imagine riding a rigid-frame bike now.

I'm not a long-distance rider; my longest single ride has been maybe 23-25 miles or so round-trip, and my battery typically ends up on the charger at around 28-30 miles from starting at 100% - but I am careful to not let it drop below 2 bars before charging, to improve battery life and number of charge cycles.  I'm waiting for Peanutbutterpope to finish up his batch of custom charging controllers, so I can have it stop automatically at 80% charge for almost all cycles, again to lengthen battery life.  If I start with 100% and end up back at home nearly empty, I should be able to get about 40 miles out of it, riding hills and pedaling as much as my knees will let me.  But that's not my typical usage and I'm not a lightweight.  I'll be adding the Bolton 35A controller and display upgrade to get more torque as needed; we have one or two monster hills that cause my poor Mini heartburn with just 17A on tap.  But for the first year I've been able to ride 98% of the routes I want to without any changes to the factory design, so I regard it as a good one.

I live in a rural area, blessed with lots of little trails in the woods and along the water as well as streets, so there's a lot of variety just outside my door and I'm not a distance rider, so it's a good fit for me.  I also use it for almost all errands when the weather is decent; last summer my car was parked for up to 3 weeks in a row, so I had to recharge its battery to get started.  YMMV, as they say.