which accessories should I buy from Rad and which should I get elsewhere?

[kshare]

I am new to this group. I am buying my first RAD. I chose the RAD RUNNER PLUS, (so I can put my teenage son on the back when needed)

I see so many accessories for this bike. Some I must buy from RAD to be 100 % constable, Like the Passenger pack and front basket. But others like inner tubes 20" x 3.3" might be easy to buy and cheaper at my local bike shop or sporting goods store?

How about mirrors? Do I really need to buy the RAD mirrors or can I mount a standard one.

Please advise.

[JimInPT]

If you can match the size, any aftermarket quality tube should work, and mirrors the same - both clamp-on and bar-end mirrors from anywhere will work fine as long as you check the bar diameter of your bike to get the right size.  I have Mirrycle mirrors on my MiniST2 as shown below; I'm very happy with these.  https://amzn.to/3PqnXkt

[handlebar]

Three or four times, I bought what I thought were flat mirrors for my Radrunner and found they were convex. Convex mirrors creep me out. The image is too small to trust on a public road.

On my Radrunner and my Radmission, I have flat mirrors available for about $13, IIRC, from Amazon. The long stems bring the mirrors higher, closer to my face, for a wider view. The soft steel clamps arrive square, as I recall. I bend a new clamp around the fattest socket I can, from a ratchet wrench set. I tighten the mirror nuts to bend the clamp around the socket. Then I loosen the nuts and repeat it with a bigger socket until the clamp will go around one about as fat as the handlebar. On the Radmission I added flat washers so I could tighten the nuts enough that the stem wouldn't rotate as I rode.

My baskets are plastic crates fastened to racks from Radpower.

[JimInPT]

Nice accessory bar; that fancy-dancey carbon-fiber stuff just too snooty for ya?

[handlebar]

Nice accessory bar; that fancy-dancey carbon-fiber stuff just too snooty for ya?

It might be a piece of broom handle. I put on aftermarket bars to get a better wrist angle and a little more rise. I needed a crossbar for my display. My black zip ties are stronger than the ones I used, but they're too formal for everyday use. I save them for black-tie affairs.

To stay with the motif, I wonder if I can find a wooden Clarabell horn to mount on it. Maybe I can position the horn to shield the display from glare.

[JimInPT]

To stay with the motif, I wonder if I can find a wooden Clarabell horn to mount on it. Maybe I can position the horn to shield the display from glare.

Yes, I think you can find those; one was included with this bike I was given as a gift.  The entire thing is only a foot long, though, so the horn isn't very loud.  The good part is that it doesn't leave oil stains underneath, just the occasional tiny pile of sawdust.

[handlebar]

Yes, I think you can find those; one was included with this bike I was given as a gift.  The entire thing is only a foot long, though, so the horn isn't very loud.  The good part is that it doesn't leave oil stains underneath, just the occasional tiny pile of sawdust.

A tiny pile of sawdust? That's a sure sign of carpenter bees, the reason bicycles didn't become popular until James Starley made one from steel. You might get a pet woodpecker or praying mantis or puff a little diatomaceous earth into the  hole.

[Akitaboy]

Got these mirrors off Amazon, fit well in handle bar

https://amzn.to/3KaucWi