New price for Rad Expand 1499.99

[NaturallyRC]

I watched a review the other day for a cargo bike that blows the RadWagon clean out of the water. When I looked up the price - $8,000 US! Rad has taken heat here lately over the Expando, but at the end of the day, RAD makes great bikes imho for folks who don't have piles of dough. It's all relative, as they say.

I was thinking of selling my Rover 5 and getting a Mini but all I see now is the Expand 5 which I don't think is worth $1,499. I have a 2020 Camry and don't have a way to transport my Rover 5 so I thought getting a folding bike would work if it will fit in my Camry. I guess I will need to look around at the different brands to see what's out there other than RAD.

Jim

[Eric7]

I watched a review the other day for a cargo bike that blows the RadWagon clean out of the water. When I looked up the price - $8,000 US! Rad has taken heat here lately over the Expando, but at the end of the day, RAD makes great bikes imho for folks who don't have piles of dough. It's all relative, as they say.

Yes.  Why did Rad raised the price on the Mini ST? Because they can and because they know there is no competition. 

The price for the Mini ST has always been abnormally low relative to the rest of the line. I think it was actually $1400 or $1500 and was a hidden bargain last year.  Then it dropped to $1300.  And then with some discounts, it got lower.  It went back up to $1500.  There were bargains when they were shutting down production but the bargains are gone.  But I waited 2.5 months for mine so there was a downside. 

The Rad Wagon was around $1500 last year and suddenly went up to $2000 now. 

If you look at the long history, the Expand is about what you expect in price with inflation what it is now. It is not as cheap as if you bought last year but I don't expect supplies to improve much this year so maybe it is still a good price.  Now that the ST is gone, you can't really compare the Expand with an out of production fire sale.

I still like this style of bikes a lot.  It has no semi-integrated battery and is good for tinkering. Semi-integrated batteries are great until it dies.  Are there replacements?  And if you use another brand, what will you do, leave a hole in the frame? The size of the company means there will be a market for mods and parts.

[Ddaybc]

NaturallyRC, when I bought my RW4 last year I did the same thing as you. I looked around at the various "normal" ebikes and compared prices. Where I live the bikes in the showroom STARTED at $4000.00 and go up from there. The cargo bike they had was listed at almost $10,000.00. It could have hit $12,000.00 depending on what one ordered for it. I actually wanted a cargo bike and my RW4 cost $2300.00 after taxes and it does everything the more expensive bikes do and I can afford it.
Certainly it may not do everything as well such as climb a hill as effectively, go as far on a single charge (maybe, I don't know how far the other cargo ebikes can go) and I don't have the bike shop that deals specifically with parts etc. But my bike rides just as well, carries more than enough cargo, has as many accessories available etc so it was a great choice for me.

[NaturallyRC]

Great comment, Dday. Here's something else interesting. On the Canadian site, the Expand is $1,599 CAD or 1,269.65 USD instead of $1,499 USD. (Canadian bikes can be less expensive due to a smaller motor, but that's a lot). The mini price is $1,849 CAD (still available).

NaturallyRC, when I bought my RW4 last year I did the same thing as you. I looked around at the various "normal" ebikes and compared prices. Where I live the bikes in the showroom STARTED at $4000.00 and go up from there. The cargo bike they had was listed at almost $10,000.00. It could have hit $12,000.00 depending on what one ordered for it. I actually wanted a cargo bike and my RW4 cost $2300.00 after taxes and it does everything the more expensive bikes do and I can afford it.
Certainly it may not do everything as well such as climb a hill as effectively, go as far on a single charge (maybe, I don't know how far the other cargo ebikes can go) and I don't have the bike shop that deals specifically with parts etc. But my bike rides just as well, carries more than enough cargo, has as many accessories available etc so it was a great choice for me.