Rrunner1 or Plus

[Mayoak]

Hi guys. Thank you in advance.

I want to put my 2 yr old in the back, go shopping, preschool, gym, grocery shopping, occasional trails...Dallas area, so no big hills. I need fenders, the clear guard thing for the back. Front rack, nicer seat.

The rep says the side kick stand (plus) is strong and should not be a problem loading the child. But obviously the double stand is better. I don't think i can install the double stand on Plus?

The Rrunner plus bing 10 lbs heavier worries me as a woman or maybe it shouldn't matter? 65 or 75 lbs, I guess same difference? The possibility of maintenance issues with the gear also worries me, but then almost all rad bikes have gears. I'm not rich but I can afford both.

Does anyone have a strong opinion like "I regret buying ***", "I would definitely go with ***"? Anyone with kids on either of these bikes?

[sc00ter]

I bought a RadRunner 1 because I didn't want the gears. Looking back on it I "kinda" wish I got the Plus because it's easy to out-pedal the assist. You will start to hamster wheel with the pedals.  But then again I always spun on my road bike so it doesn't bother me "that" much.

I don't haul any passengers., so I can't comment on that. I have a big 34 liter motor cycle trunk on my rear rack. But take-off from a stop shouldn't be horrible or slow with a kid on the rear. You'll get used to using the throttle and pedaling for take-off. Mine does just fine.

I got the fenders for my 'Runner1. They work pretty good but I kinda wish Rad sold just the clear foot protectors from the passenger package. It would probably keep even more water and muck at bay. I may send Rad an email and ask about that.

I don't have the front rack. I've been tempted many times to order one but I got the aftermarket "improved" headlight and it's not compatible with the front rack. Weird.

Don't worry about the weight. I carries low and centered. I kept mine a step-thru (no center counsel) because I despise throwing my leg over motorcycles and men style bikes. I'm not a cowboy.

I love my center/double stand on the 'Runner1 but have a side/single stand on my beach cruiser that's rock solid stable. It's on one of those double headset swing bikes. So if Rad spec'd a side stand (for a specific reason I'm sure) it should do what you need it to do.

Finally, don't worry about gears if you go with the Plus. YouTube will be your friend for adjustments and such and you'll gain basic bicycle servicing knowledge. Rad use Shimano gears and once dialed in they tend to stay dialed in.

Others will post up their 2 cents and hopefully steer you in the right direction. Either one you choose will be fun to ride and serve you well. Good quality at an honest price. That I can guarantee!

[Mayoak]

Thank you so much. Sc00ter. Very helpful. I also agree that they're both great options. I just have to decide while the inventory lasts.

[LateNighter]

My wife and I purchased 2 RadRunner Plus bikes in Aug 8th and received them Nov 6th.  Our requirements for the bikes was that your back is as straight as possible, has a step through, and can carry our children.  Then it all came down to the cost of the RadRunner vs the Plus and after considering the cost to add the rear seat, display, and the fact that you cannot add the suspension forks later or the gears it made our decision easy to go with the Plus.  I cannot tell you how much of a different the suspension forks help with the ride and my wifes back when going over even the smallest of bumps.  You will be surprised at just how often you are shifting up in gears as otherwise your pedals are spinning too fast in assist levels above 2.  My wife normally rides in assist level 2 and gear 2 and I find myself changing the assist and gears depending on what I am riding over.  These bikes are amazing and I recommend them to anyone!  As to your question about the kickstand and the kids I defiantly would not rely on the kickstand when loading your children.  I always get on the bike first then have our kids get on the back.  Our kids are 12, 10, and 9 and they love riding on the back of both of our bikes!  In your case you have a much younger 2 year old so you probably want to remove the seat for now and get the child seat until they are at least 5 or 6 and can hold onto you or your seat.  The only downside to this bike is the stock seat because after you ride it for 1 hour your bum will start to be sore.  I opened a ticket with Rad and they were so nice to send us a free Seatpost — 390mm × 1 and we then purchased the brown Velo Plush from their website and its great!  It has a built in handle under the seat for the kids to hold on and really helps with the ride.  Granted it won't go all the way flush like the stock seat does but I can always change it out when I want to ride low rider style on the rear seat.   Let me know if you have any other questions :-) 

[wkindred]

...the fact that you cannot add the suspension forks later...

actually there are now 3 - 4 options for adding a suspension fork to the radrunner 1...

[Mayoak]

Wow!! The suspension looks awesome !!

Thank you so much for the feedback. I ordered the Plus for all the reasons you told me and I am so excited. I did order the Thule yepp seat for my daughter. It's great to hear that the kids enjoy riding with you even when they're bigger. Thanks again!!

[sc00ter]

I forgot about the suspension fork on the Plus. So what model did you end up ordering? I take it the Plus because it has everything you want already included.

[Mayoak]

Yes, Plus. As you said, I needed all of the accessories anyways. It made more sense to get the Plus.