Expand 5 is perfect for olders

[Connecticut Rider]

I'm 72. This bike is perfect for mobility issues, due to arthritis, and compromised knees. I've been riding it for 3 weeks, and am just glad this was the one I bought.
   Went 22 miles yesterday, sparing the battery, by making a workout out of it. My best estimate is that it was down only about 20%, and that was in hilly country.
   I'm so addicted that I'm having trouble keeping up with my chores.    David
                                   

[radex5owner]

David, I feel the same way, I'm nearly 70 and this bike has put me back into to game.  I wanted a bike short enough that at stops I could still reach the ground without getting off the seat.  This model lets me do that with ease and still good pedal stroke.  I did upgrade the shifter (grip) and derailleur  and that made a difference and more shifting control for my Portland hills. I added a small basket which is great to hold all sorts of things.  I also added the LCD odometer.  Pedal with Power is a You Tube subscriber that I enjoy watching and he has several video on this model!!  Happy riding!!

[Connecticut Rider]

Thanks for responding.
Yes. This bike allows me much more control than the Rad 6. The feel it's very similar to the control I have with my non motorized mountain bike. And the visibility of the LCD upgrade adds to that control.
But I'm very lucky that the compatible SP seatpost was an option, because even though I'm 5'9" I was unable to find a proper leg placement with the factory seatpost. I think the RAD claim that the bike accommodate up to 5'10" riders may be misleading. You may notice that the guys on youtube doing Expand 5 videos, have their legs way too bent, which is a big no no for the knees. The SP seatpost gives me the extra length to get perfect leg/knee placement.
Happy riding to you too!

[John Rose]

I'm 70, and 5'9". About two months ago I bought a second-hand (but only 10 km on the odo) RadMini ST2 from a friend, and today I just ordered a RadExpand 5 so that my wife and I can both ride together. I had my Yamaha gas-power scooter stolen late last summer and what the insurance company paid out almost covers the cost of the two e-bikes. The scooter theft wasn't that much of a tragedy for me because I was half thinking of selling it anyway.

The thing that surprised me (about riding an e-bike in general) is that I thought I would be cheating a lot by using the throttle most of the time, but I found I actually preferred to pedal nearly all the time, with about 50% PAS. I save the throttle for longer/steeper hills, intersections, and tight U-turns. For me it's at least as good a workout as a brisk walk, and I don't get all sweated up, even if I bundle up for cold weather. When the snow gets to be too much then we'll break out the snowshoes.

About the seat height - I compromise in favour of being able to reach the ground with my toes while stopped and seated. I don't feel I need to get the maximum pedalling efficiency from a "proper" amount of leg extension. I let the motor worry about that.