Blowout to Bonanza

[Radicali]

Hey all - this a followup or next chapter to my USB Blowout? thread.

After finally taking delivery of my replacement bike, I took it for two short rides.  Here are my very initial thoughts.  Perhaps these will help others considering a Rad City or they might prompt more good advice from the forum.

This was my first time saddling up on an ebike. My prior ride was a 20 year old Trek 850 hybrid which I really enjoyed.  The Rad feels solid, wel-built, amazingly comfortable, adjustable to my size (pretty average), and kind of handsome .

For some reason most online video reviewers who share the bike thoughts with their wide angle lenses, their super fit and tallish body shapes, and downward camera angles gave me the impression that the Rad City was a little more squat and compact.  In reality this thing feels more like a beast. It's higher off the ground and stands tall. It's formidable. When I straddle (I don't have the step through) the cross bar gives me a small greeting before I step up on the pedal.  That's a major positive. The overall height, that is. The tickle I can live with.

The handle bars, seat, brakes, throttle are all situated very nicely.  What I find extraordinary is the assist button right near my left thumb on the secondary display.  This is a small wonder. More on that later.

The bike is heavy.  My Trek was heavy too.  But this feels like a tank.  I had to lift this small elephant onto the an SUV bike rack and all those Peloton strength workouts paid off.  It was like a dead lift.  When riding you feel it.  Maybe my pedal approach is making this more pronounced.  I purchased this bike to extend my bike rides.  Longer rides with more aerobic time. I bike for weight maintenance as well as cruising.  I wanted to fear no hill, face down every incline, and cruise down every road.  So I tested this on zero assist. Just me pushing.  I got a lot more cruising out of the Trek.  It's hard to find that perfect gear that gets you going and keeps you going on flat and low inclines. The Trek has more gears so maybe that's it.  Also it might be tire pressure as some posters have suggested here.

But!  I like it.  I had a misconception that I would be flying round town without doing much work and concerned I would not get the HR up there and be cruising all the time.  I realize you can do that if you want to assist at 4 or 5 or go full throttle.  But when I pedaled at 0 and then bought the assist to level 1-3 for inclines I found I worked hard enough for a workout but got good cruising when needed. This brings me back to the assist buttons. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be used this way but I started thumbing these in tandem with the gears and was operating the bike more like a standard car.  It seems kind of brilliant to have the 2nd display with the buttons right there.


As I rode I began to pay more attention to the road ahead and determine the best combo to tackle it.  I live in an area with a lot of short inclines and hills mingled in with flat and milled roads with some potholes.  So being able to customize my ride to my landscape and liking is kind of cool.. 

A few more thoughts. The mirror accessory is a life saver.  I found I was using it a lot.  Don't know how I rode without it.  The front small basket takes a bit to get used to since it doesn't turn with the wheel.  The standard suspension kept me smooth going over the rough roads here.  I put about 7 miles on the bike and battery still at 10 bars. I love the more upright seating position than the racer style on my Trek.  I guess using the Peloton has my liking this type of ride more.  And...since the Rad can be just as strenuous as the Peloton it's a solid one two.

I'll have more to share later.  But for now I'm very happy to be a Rad owner.

[Ddaybc]

Good review. Well written. Surprisingly I have experienced the same HR idea with my RW4 although I no longer ride it at 0 assist.

[Radicali]

Thanks Ddaybc!  Interesting about HR. I will check out how it goes on the other assists. Another little project!

[DrSmile]

Totally agree about the mirror. Especially if you're wearing a jacket/hood in cold weather, you can't really turn your head so easily.

I ride non-electric bikes for exercise, so my RadCity is used only for commuting and shopping (with panniers) and in that capacity I use only assist level 5. Given current gas prices I figure I've saved $50 so far over 200 miles...

[Radicali]

So true DrSmile.  I'm guessing you may be a dentist. With all the talk about the airway nowadays and dentists being on the cutting edge of better breathing, you must be getting a real jump on this with your bike exercise.  I've been trying to eliminate all mouth breathing. This is one of my reasons for the Peloton and Rad.

I took a long ride down to the water near me.  It confirmed what I shared in this thread already.  I learned some new things...since I have to cross some multi lane roads with aggressive drivers I decided to throttle through.  From a dead stop waiting for my moment to go I began with assist and then hit the throttle to zoom across.  Perhaps this was for my own piece of mind rather than real safety. But it was great.  It eliminates concern about the length of a crossing. Once across I went back to assist.

Did not have a chance to check and adjust tire pressure.  The sweet spot gear still eludes me but with assist 1 this is a non-issue.  It's only at 0 assist that I miss the gear on the old Trek. 

The suspension and comfort is a wonder to me. I feel safe and secure. Rough roads do not jar me.  I passed a struggling biker who was really pedaling slowly on a road that was busy, bumpy, and hilly.  I was gentle about it.  He had no mirror and I thought he might not hear or see me.  I didn't hit my bell because I was concerned it would jar him or make him think I wanted more room. A little further up I had to stop to cross.  By that time he whizzed past and belled me.  Not sure if it was courtesy or annoyance. If I was on a standard bike I wouldn't have been able to pass him without rattling my teeth and losing my breath. I guess there are some new rules to learn.

Battery drain is no drain so far.  Lost only one bar with 14 miles of riding.

So far, really good!

[Radicali]

Riding update...all continues to go well.  I tightened the front suspension a bit. I was plunging too much.  Tire pressure...hmmm...well when I checked it was at 40 so I boosted it up to 60 to see if there was a difference.  There was a noticeable difference on cruising but not much on pedaling. I was dismayed to see that the PSI dropped 6 lbs after my ride.   Both tires dropped equally. Since I pumped up the night before and didn't check pre-ride, I'm not sure if it was because of the ride or just general leakage.  I've seen many riders saying online that the tires need to be constantly topped off.  But I don't have a sense of the norm.

Any thoughts on how much I should expect the tire pressure to drop over how long?  Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Rover]

I have the Tannus liners that I suspect affect the way tire pressure behaves. I run my tires at 50.PSI. The ride is stable and comfortable. But to my surprise the tires really hold their pressure. I can ride 25 miles one day, then check the next day before a ride and the 50 PSI is still there. YMMV.

[Radicali]

Thanks Rover.  After every ride and sometimes after I fill the night before I drop about 5-8 psi.  Is this normal?

[rjp]

Rover, read this about Tannus.UPDATE. I knew I read it somewhere, so I got out my Tannus installation guide and on page 3 under Tips For Installing Tannus Armour it states (It is common for the Amour to compress over time. It still is providing shock absorption and puncture resistance but will perform better when properly maintained. To minimize compression deflate the tires while not use. This allows the Armour compound to rebound to provide ideal performance.) So does that mean when your not riding your bike, your suppose to let the air out of the tires? I'm sorry but that's not happening. I don't know how everyone else feels, but if I would have known that earlier, I would not have purchased the Armours. 

[Radicali]

My pressure seems to have stabilized.  I lose a bit over a week or two.  I'm going to keep monitoring but I'm less concerned now.