Rad Power Bikes RadRunner 2 Review - $1.5k
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- The Rad Power Bikes RadRunner 2 is a flexible, approachable, and affordable electric utility bike. Capable of handling up to 300lbs, including a child seat or passenger on the rear rack! Custom sized 20" x 3.3" tires provide stability, comfort, off-road traction, and safety with reflective stripes and puncture protection. Only one frame size, but the extra long 390mm seat post and adjustable handlebar provide lots of fit options. Available in two colors, internal cable routing looks clean and reduces snags, motor power cable is very well protected, all supporting hardware is black. Two bottle cage bosses double as a console box mount! Tons great accessories including fenders, racks, bags, child seat, passenger kit etc. Refined frame geometry improves stability. Upgraded saddle is thicker for more comfort. Fairly affordable considering the high-powered motor, high-capacity 672 watt hour battery pack, and great customer support. Improved battery charger is silent, compact, lightweight, and better shielded than previous generations. Capable mechanical disc brakes use large 180mm rotors for excellent stopping power and cooling. High-resolution cadence sensor is responsive, twist throttle can be turned off with a switch. Mechanical disc brakes require additional hand effort, aren't as adjustable, and set-in over time compared to hydraulic. The bike weighs a lot because it's reinforced to be stiff and handle a passenger or heavy load. Basic display offers limited readouts, no USB charging, and is fairly bright. Only available in one frame size, single-speed drivetrain limits cadence options.
0:00 Introduction and Rad Mobile Services drop-off
1:31 Differences between 1st and 2nd generation RadRunner
2:43 Custom sized 20" x 3.3" tire details
3:24 Max weight, passenger kit, child seat, front racks
4:21 Optional colored pedals and grips, passenger handle
4:48 Twist throttle, motor details, and top speed
5:36 Hubs, spokes, rims, fork total bike weight 64.6lbs
6:05 Tire pressure rating, hub spacing, quick release front
6:51 Torque arm on rear axle, more motor details
7:24 Improved power cable placement and protection
7:55 Drivetrain details: 16T rear sprocket, 52T chainring
8:54 Double leg kickstand, chain can bounce, passenger pegs
9:19 Chain, chainring guide, cadence sensor, controller guard
10:42 Cable wraps, internal routing, gussets reinforcements
11:20 Highly adjustable seat height and handlebar angle
12:15 Unique saddle design limited adjustability, two colors
13:24 Seat clamp battery position, removing battery pack
14:26 Battery pack details 48 volt 14 amp hours 672 watt hours
15:22 Welcome package with manual, battery charger, tool kit
17:19 Mechanical disc brake details, bell, cable connectors
20:12 Walk mode activation, lights: blinking, brake light
22:11 Bottle cage mounts, console box option, USB port option
23:21 Reflective tires, ride test begins with throttle
25:17 Ride test continues with pedal assist
26:41 Rider stats, third person riding, conclusion summary
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Thank you for all your reviews it's because of you I was able to decide that I can ride even with a disability
Wow! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy riding. Which bike did you choose?
I chose lectricebike. I like the people involved with their company
The bike is great. I'm still a bit afraid of it but getting better.
No
Outstanding review! I love the simplicity, the standard front and rear lights and the outstanding support from the largest E-bike company in America. I just placed my order today thanks to your detailed video. The current sale at $1299 with free “assemble it yourself” shipping was the icing on the cake.
I've had the RadRunner 1 for eight months and it's the best thing I've gotten for myself. I have a front rack and rear basket and I use all the time. I take it to the store more often than my car. Excellent video review.
That’s awesome Lowell! So glad you’re enjoying the bike, great way to be healthy and get outside. Thanks for the positive feedback about my review here too :)
Fantastically detailed review. Guy knows his stuff. Watching this and your Plus review and then buying one. Thank you.
This is a great ebike. Have been riding mine for 1 month. You really can’t ride it without some power assist or the throttle, due to the 65 lbs weight. Without power, feels like you’re trying to peddle in 10th gear. It is heavy to lift up onto a rack or into my van. Kept the packing fork stand it came with. Took off front wheel and reinstalled the stand for keeping the bike upright and stable in my Sienna van while traveling long distances - protects the front brake, and just used some lightweight tie-down straps. Great battery life. Power assist levels 1-4. If you use 3 or 4, you really don’t get a workout. Plenty of power to help going up hills. The fat tires make for a very stable ride. Glad I bought it.
I have mine, what an amazing bike. You can customize it in so many ways and it also fits some after market accessories.
I know it's across the board, but I still find it a bit depressing at the rising costs of e bikes. When I bought my Rad Runner 1 a little over a year ago it was $1199. Seeing it go up $300 for essentially no actual upgrades is disheartening. When I first started buying e bikes a couple of years ago there were many that had really good prices. As time goes on, the costs are going up and up and I feel like within a year, most people are going to be priced out of the e bike market unless they decide to borrow money to pay for them and at that point they start losing some of their purpose.
I feel you Joseph... we live in a world where lots of people cannot afford houses, wages aren't increasing as fast as governments are printing money, and companies are struggling to offer affordable products while dealing with supply chain constraints, regulation, and increasing taxes. I feel upset with this sometimes, but taking a step back... I think Rad is still one of the best products for the price when you factor in support. I don't think they're trying to take advantage of anyone, and at least they refined the geometry, improved the saddle, and made the power cable for the motor better :)
Why do you think that happened? Let's go Brandon! Costs what more to ship anything from china ... fuel costs more goo
Blame covid it's making everything cost more and take longer to produce
It seemed too cheap at 1199
@@ca6360 Only an American would think that global supply chain chaos and inflation is the fault of the President. There's a lot more to global inflation than just your insular politics.
Great video, cheers for talking about the EU version as well. It's been hard getting info there!
Super Review !...It`s a great E bike...I have a Radrover one and love it. I might just have to get this one. What a engineering marvel !
Thankgod I bought Radrunner 1 in November 2021 and the price was 1299euros feeling happy cause I saved my 200euros 🤣 and talking about the bike it’s so cool 👌I ride it 6-8 hours a day and it works smoothly I always enjoy riding it
Purchased this unit after watching your video. Thx.
Glad I bought my RAD runner earlier this year - I don’t use the seat it came with anyways, so $200 increase for a half inch thicker crappy seat is not exciting
Sounds like things worked out. Which saddle did you go for? You probably also needed a seat post too since the interface for theirs is custom here. Did you go rigid or suspension?
I have no problem with the old seat. Very nice in my opinion. Would recommend getting nice mirrors. I also put a bicycle flag on the back. All around fantastic bike!
What a great concept for a bike.
Very cool review. Well done.
Good review. Thank you.
Saw someone at the beach with a rad powered bike. He had a really cool surf board carrier on the back.
That’s awesome! Ebikes like this are perfect for reaching the beach, and even riding on the path or sandy areas near the beach, for a quick session. Reach less crowded breaks, less concern for crowded parking lots, easier time transporting a heavy board. I used to surf a lot and I’m sure I would have bought one of these affordable ebikes and got one of the attachments you’re describing!
Need to do a "spec" sheet data chart performance.
How fast, how far etc, payload with different weight riders etc.
What hills, angles & distance can it go, How long to recharge to full charge etc.
What type of connection to recharge etc.
As it sits there are too to many unknowns that makes ppl suspicious about what to expect and how or where can I actually use this etc.
Excellent review.
Great review. How would you compare this to the American model with the 750w motor? Is the power difference noticeable? Looks like they’re both 80nm. It’s interesting because voltbike is Canadian and they have bikes with 750w motors so it’s not a legal thing
Hey, good to see you again. This looks like a really cool bike. Pretty good price. I do like fenders though.
Hi Marilyn! Yeah, I like the fenders too (especially in rainy Vancouver Canada). Happy Holidays!!
Thanks for the video ! 💯💣
You're welcome Roy! I definitely appreciate your comment. Hope you're having a good week :)
Do a comparison between the RadRunner 2 and the Electric XP 2.0...I know the battery difference but would like to know what justifies the cost difference. Thanks
It's a very good entry bike. First thing I did was ditch that horrible seat and also added a a suspension post. After 1 year I'm ready for a significant upgrade that is much faster and way lighter etc. Something more Vancouver friendly
Cool, I live in Vancouver too. Which bikes and brands are you considering?
I'm worried about the Radrunner not being able to make it up a lot of the hills here. Adenac has some decent hills like the one at boundary. What worries me is a normal bike is light to push but a Radrunner might be difficult to push up hills I can't ride up.
i feel kind of the opposite loll i bought a 60 mph escooter it has a seat and is powered by 2 4000 watt motors does anything you ask it to but now im finding myself wanting to buy the rad runner 2 for a slower ride and if one breaks i got the other😂 idk i think 2 is better than 1 of anything
What do u think would be better to get this or the rad runner plus?
Do you have to peddle to use the motor or can you not peddle and use the motor 100% to ride? Thanks
i have rad runner 1 should i upgrade to rad runner 2 and is there anything that they add to the rad runner 2 and rad runner does not have?
I couldn't tell from this review whether or not the radrunner plus comes with the same upgrades or if this is unique to the radrunner.
The controller and battery should put on the rear rack for better water protection.
Great Review! How does the RR2 handle hills? I live in an area with lots of hills and a steep driveway. Thanks.
It weighs a ton, has one gear. It dislikes hills.
So will there be a Radrunner 2 Plus? Still hoping for hydraulic disc brakes at some point. I do like the wide step through design of the Radrunner bikes.
Hydraulic brakes would be first on my list for an upgrade too! Would be nice to see that on the RadRunner Plus like we’ve seen on the RadRover Plus and RadCity Plus :)
I have a Radwagon 3 and would like to get one of these that I could take with him me when I travel. I would actually prefer the rigid fork, but I'm worried I'd be left wanting for a derailleur on the hills. Thoughts???
I didn't miss the derailleur very much during my demo rides, and I was exploring a very hilly area of town. Keep in mind that I did pedal a bit, and I only weigh ~140lbs, but the bike worked fine. Their motor is pretty powerful and the smaller 20" wheel gives the hub motor a mechanical advantage for torque. You get a lot of good stuff on the RadRunner Plus (upgraded LCD display (that has a USB charging port), a 7-speed drivetrain vs. single speed, side mounted kickstand vs. center, aluminum alloy pedals vs. plastic, the passenger kit (pegs, extended seat cushion, skirt guard), plastic fenders, faux leather stitched grips, an adjustable suspension fork vs. rigid steel, and an upgraded 500 lumen headlight) but if you don't need most of those things, I think the standard RadRunner still performs well and is kind of nice being minimal... it's also about 10 pounds lighter! Note that the battery is about 7.2lbs so you can reduce either bike by that much just by removing the pack before lifting if you're traveling with the bikes... but removing fenders, the passenger kit, or the suspension fork are not as easy.
I own the RadRunner 1 EU 250 w model since oct 2020 and i'm very happy with it.. but i do not see today any difference that could justify such an upgraded price... No hydraulic brakes, derailleur, or upgraded display.. the frame is exactly the same. could have been much better for the new Price . RadRunner 1 is today a good bike for the price.
Hi Phil, I see where you're coming from and I agree that the upgrades have been minor. I think some of the price change has to do with shipping costs, parts shortages from Shimano, and general inflation. Glad you're loving the RadRunner 1 and got it at the lower price ;)
@@ElectricBikeReview thank you for your good review (as usual ;-) ) and your answer. the review you made about the RadRunner 1 two years ago really helped me at the moment to make my choice. i would add that the RR+ in europe with its features is more competitive (at 1599 euros) and better equiped than the RR2 ..for now..and as long as it will stay on the catalog .
Yeah, I like the RadRunner Plus a lot. I think it’s available in North America, is the European one different or just priced lower? Here’s my North America review of it: electricbikereview.com/rad-power-bikes/radrunner-plus/
Lectric for about $1k has a suspension fork and a 7 speed shifter. I don't quite get how this can only handle 300 pounds with a 750 watt motor while lectric can handle 330 pounds with a 500 watt motor.
basically nothing is changed?
Woohoo...that is a handsome bike...
Can u review the emove roadrunner
I have a question , does the tires is tubeless ready?
How does it handle very slopped hills?
Hi, how did you get this bike in Canada? It doesn’t appear to be available. Thanks
It feels like you might as well buy a RR+ if you like the form factor.
yup, for the price, mind as well get the RR+ which add many accessories some of which are essential for a full ebike experience like the LCD display. Personally, for the same cost of the RR+ I'd go RC5+... hydraulic brakes, nicer controls and modern display.
Yeah, I would definitely prefer the RadRunner Plus… unless this was going to be purely for commuting downtown or something where the bike could get damaged or stolen more easily.
@@lonestartex1 What is an RC5+?
@@robdc4829 RadCity 5 + 😁
Rad runner 2 is simply better
I love my radrunner 1 but this is a bit of an odd "upgrade". A slightly fatter seat? That's it? I changed my seat out almost immediately anyway cost me £30. It looks slightly neater with the grey decals. Bit strange but great bike none the less.
Hi Tim! Nice, which seat did you go for? I'm sure you had to upgrade the seat post too, did you get suspension or just a stock rigid 27.2mm post? Anyway, yeah the geometry, saddle, and motor power cable were all improved for this generation... but it is largely the same. I've seen price increases across the board for ebikes due to shipping and parts shortages.
@@ElectricBikeReview I just picked up a thick gel seat from a local bike shop and a rigid post off FB market but it makes a big difference. Might treat myself to a suspension post one day 😁 thanks for the videos x
Yeah, you’re welcome Tim! Thanks for following up about the seat and post. I’ve been using FB Marketplace more lately too. Used to be completely Craigslist for stuff like this… and finding places to rent when I was moving around 😉
On one hand it's kind of crappy they didn't put hydraulic brakes on it. On the other makes me feel better since I bought the 1 this year.
How are you liking it so far?
Does that throttle power switch on the right handlebar come stock with the bike? Can't find any info about it on their website.
Apparently it’s just for Canada. Lots of people were confused, so I trimmed it from the video.
I've been working as a food delivery courier with bike in Austria. I'm doing that job with my single speed bike and it's pretty tough. Even I make up to 50km during my shifts and therefore I've been looking for e bike and rad power bikes seems pretty cool. I'm just wondering if there would be a huge differences between 750w and 250w motor. Especially hills.
thanks for the great reviews!
You can get something called eggrider which plugs in instead of the display and unlocks the full motor power. I just watched a video of it. Seems like the motor is the same, just electronically limited.
I think the 250W would be a problem with hills, so you should 100% look for a bike with gears (maybe the radrunner plus). You can modify the motor power with a different controller, but it's legally questionable of course.
@@brianm5060 that controller modification will decreases your range too
@@CodingToFreedom eggrider itself says the tuning / unlocking is not working with RadBikes.^^
hi, what kind of bike did you buy or use for food delivery?
Why would they get rid of the double wall rims? I've read that those are far less prone to tacoing than single rim
Perhaps the 20” wheels are strong enough with single wall rims. I’ve been told that the smaller diameter with thicker spikes tend to be very strong in general.
I have a friend who knows how to make a electric Honda Ruckus and I thinking 🤔 making one but little different ice bear trike into electric bike but first need find a used one on sale!
That sounds pretty cool!!
Wasn't the original idea for the Radrunner was to have it cost slightly less than the flagship models? The geometry was updated but we get thinner rims and still only one gear. Where does the extra $300 go exactly?
Well, it still is less expensive than the flagship models... because their prices went up too ;) teasing aside, it seems to be industry-wide based on shipping costs going up a lot, and some parts being very backed up. At least they improved the geometry, better saddle, and the motor power cable improvement. Most ebikes have gone up in price, and you can definitely find cheaper builds than Rad, but for the money I feel like their quality and support is great.
Not that I don't believe that the price of components have gone up, but the RadCity 4 still costs $1.5k.
I've no doubt that the RadRunner is great on it's own merits but this is paying more for less. I just hope that RadPower has the good sense the bring the price back down when shipping isn't such a problem.
Wow, you’re correct! I’m surprised because I thought all of their prices had gone up recently. Perhaps they are just selling through the gearless motors and will phase that model out now that the RadCity Plus is also a thing. I agree that it offers more value. It would be nice to see them lower the price on RadRunner 2… makes me appreciate your original comment more, thanks!
To many bikes at this price range.. Not enough up grades for the money.. I love mine
glad I got it when I did...
This guy is the best
Thank you Ben, I certainly try to be thorough. I realize these are expensive and the nuances are easy to miss. It’s 5am and I’m answering comments here, so you’re made my early morning a little brighter ;)
You mention that an upgrade on the Rad Runner 2 is that the motor cable is on the left side, but the motor cable for my Runner 1 is on the left side too. So that isn’t anything new.
Do you have the RadRunner Plus by any chance? It’s the silver one and probably had the power cable upgrade as well. I looked at the very first release for RadRunner and it had the motor power cable on the right, as you can see in the second photo here electricbikereview.com/rad-power-bikes/radrunner/ perhaps if you also have a RadRunner Gen 1 it could be a partial upgrade like Gen 1.5 that I didn’t see before the RadRunner 2
Good morning! It is a green Runner with a single speed. It was purchased earlier this year, brand new from Rad Power Bikes. The motor cable comes out the disc brake side.
I have a Tern e-bike tht I absolutely love but I like watching this guys reviews. 😀 I have zero interest in Rad bikes. 🤭
Good 👍👏
Aren't you going to get muddy and wet without fenders in Vancouver? Would be nice to save the money but I don't think we can get away with that here.
make it harder to change, upgrade and with higher price tag. I'm confused.
It's using the same cross-compatible battery pack, it's easy to upgrade with fenders racks and lights, and the price only went up $200 while they improved frame geometry, saddle comfort, and motor power cable durability while dealing with inflation, shipping, and parts increases industry wide. To me the bike makes sense, but feel free to elaborate if I'm focusing on the wrong things here.
They are out of stock on inner tubes and I had to go buy one at a bike shop -
They're out of stock on everything.
Bummer, where’d you find the correct size of tube when Rad was sold out?
@@jcoats5529 really...
A woman at work saw me watching this reveiwe and is kicking herself for not waiting a bit longer for the newer model. Oh well, such is the way of things.
Aww, that's too bad! I hope she enjoys her current generation RadRunner, it's still a very cool ebike in my opinion, and it was less expensive at least :)
I like Rad as a company and how they've influenced the ebike industry, but in all honesty, when it comes to this particular style, Ariel, Juiced, and even Himiway are now eating Rad's lunch. I agree with other commenters that you're not getting much here for the higher price. Particularly galling is the lack of fenders. C'mon Rad - really?
It’s great to see some variety in this type of bike! Ariel Riders had a dual motor bike like this a while back that was cool. The unique thing about RadRunner is the adjustable saddle height that makes it more comfortable to pedal.
The moped looking ebikes are so lame in my opinion. Why would you want a bike you can't even get full leg extensions on? I'm 6'2" so those would be so uncomfortable for me.
On paper it doesn't sound like a value priced ebike. There's no LCD display, not a 6 or 7 gear derailleur, no suspension!
No radrunner2 on Canada Rad wedsite.
When will the EU pull their head out their you know what about the speed limit. Everywhere should be class 3 28mph with throttle. This is the only logical gap between pedestrians, bikes, and motorcycles/scooters.
Yeah, I think it would benefit people to enforce rules about behavior vs. capability of products... like how cars are treated. If you speed, you get in trouble. I'd be happy to see the EU allow throttles and raise the speed limit for ebikes from 15mph to 20mph like the US... but 28mph would be even nicer. I think it's limited at 20mph since you don't need a drivers license or any kind of insurance. That lower speed is reasonable, because normal cyclists (non-electric) can easily hit 20mph, so why not let the motor assist to that speed. I'm not sure where 15mph (25km/h) came from. I'm not a big fan of overprotection from government, selective enforcement, limited representation from high taxes and overspending (increased debts) which reduces our spending power. Lots of room for improvement.
they could do much more needed updates to it before releasing new revision (as radrunner 2) this one has almost no updated feature, so it's only a marketing gimmick to redirect sells from radrunner 1 to 2. I think radcity 4 is much much better bang for buck
Welll rad bike is a Corperate brand sooo
Check out HI Powered Cycles novelty electric bike called the Typhoon Pro. 26x4 rear tire 27.5 in front. It uses a Hub drive but placed in the bottom bracket as it is a mid drive
bike. I think it is the very best you can buy.
Sweet! Thanks for the mention Kelly, it’s been a while since I reviewed one of their bikes. I was always impressed with the different designs and “high power” on offer. I think they also had a solar ebike battery charging kit too.
At 1:14 did this guy honestly just say “ rock on man”? I'm embarrassed 🙈
Lol, rock on man! That’s just one of my favorite things to say when I’m excited. I used to sign emails that way instead of sincerely or regards. It’s all good ;)
Bruh it’s the same thing as last year and the money gready company is risking the prices I bet the bikes are made in china and cost under 500 bucks to produces very sad
I feel your frustration. What I’ve observed is that ~30% of the money in circulation now was created in the past three years which is debasing it’s value… inflation is officially reported at 6% but is probably much higher in reality, and that alone would take a $1,300 bike to closer to $1,400 but we also see supply chain constraints and shipping delays that have 5x’d the cost to move bikes by sea. I think Rad had to charter a private vessel just to get inventory. They did improve the bike, they are also expanding dealers, and to me that justifies the price. Perhaps your frustration is misdirected and it’s not Rad trying to rip you off as much as it is the state of the world. That’s my take at least… and I think they’ve moved out of China for manufacturing to like Vietnam and Taiwan.
Cheaper to get a moped
Hey a fellow englishman!
Im.enjoying my new eb a hitway from amazon
Foesho
Pretty loud for an ebike which absolutely makes no sense. I'm gonna pass
I’ve ridden and reviewed over 1,000 electric bikes, and most were hub motor powered like this one. I’d say the noise is average, unless you go to a gearless hub motor… which are becoming hard to find due to weight and drag characteristics that cause companies to go to planetary geared like this one :)
Many chinese factories make these... rhat is where this comes from really
Many things are manufactured overseas, but some companies have been sourcing outside of China, and few offer the delivery, stores, and support that Rad does for this price point.
This bike needs belt drive.
Take the mask off
Damn, you had me until the kick stand. Neeeeeeeext.. 🫣😑
What a great concept for a bike.