Radwagon Review

[Pinguinsan]

1 hour ago, The Knome said:

Have you seen the cost of a regular road bike?
I have one that cost £2000 ($3300), another that cost £1000 ($1668).

I'd like to add that even $3,300 is middle of the road. I do triathlon and $7,000-$10,000 is common for high end tri/road bikes.

[Qub3d]

I'm really not surprised that Taran is a former Coloradan.

 

This looks like an excellent idea for me. I might buy one.

[Enduro]

Please, not this bike. Just no. Not for this price. Trust me, it's unreliable. If you want to spend your money on a good e-bike, go get yourself a brand name e-bike. Haibike, Specialized, Canyon, or Cannondale to name a few. They're $3,000 and up, but you will get something with great support and quality. You may be paying for a brand name, but at least you'll know that it's done right. The components on this bike are sub-par, don't expect them to last a long time.

 

 

For those of you saying $1,600 is too much - it's not. It's like saying a $500 sub gaming PC is too much. High-end e-bikes go for $7,000 and $8,000... just like some gaming PCs go for $2, 3, 4, or even 5k.

 

You're better off getting a $1,600 hardtail mountain bike or road bike "pedal-bike" (non-e-bike) with much better components. If you want to transport cargo, there are many other cargo bikes in this range that you can add a quality motor to and battery to convert it to an e-bike for a bit more that will last you a lot longer.

 

 

This bike, simply put, is the equivalent of a bike that you can $50-200 from a Big-Box Store. I, personally, wouldn't buy this bike. If Big-Box store bikes suit you, then this e-bike may suit you.

 

I speak from experience... there is a fine line between these bikes and quality bike with proper components.

 

If you want to talk with experts on this topic, go to a biking specific forum or channel on Youtube for proper advice.

 

I'm outta here.

[Lostlogger]

Video was awsome taran's awsome not much more to say though is it worth it well he said it depends on you in the end 

[NavyCuda]

There is no way a bicycle is the best commuter e-vehicle.  My Leaf has a much better chance of taking that title.

 

Best e-bike perhaps.

[Hans Power]

4 hours ago, Enduro said:

Please, not this bike. Just no. Not for this price. Trust me, it's unreliable. If you want to spend your money on a good e-bike, go get yourself a brand name e-bike. H * * * * * e, S * * * * * * * * * d, C * * * * n, or C * * * * * * * * e to name a few. They're $3,000 and up, but you will get something with great support and quality. You may be paying for a brand name, but at least you'll know that it's done right. The components on this bike are sub-par, don't expect them to last a long time.

 

 

For those of you saying $1,600 is too much - it's not. It's like saying a $500 sub gaming PC is too much. High-end e-bikes go for $7,000 and $8,000... just like some gaming PCs go for $2, 3, 4, or even 5k.

 

You're better off getting a $1,600 hardtail mountain bike or road bike "pedal-bike" (non-e-bike) with much better components. If you want to transport cargo, there are many other cargo bikes in this range that you can add a quality motor to and battery to convert it to an e-bike for a bit more that will last you a lot longer.

 

 

This bike, simply put, is the equivalent of a bike that you can $50-200 from a Big-Box Store. I, personally, wouldn't buy this bike. If Big-Box store bikes suit you, then this e-bike may suit you.

 

I speak from experience... there is a fine line between these bikes and quality bike with proper components.

 

If you want to talk with experts on this topic, go to a biking specific forum or channel on Youtube for proper advice.

 

I'm outta here.

I disagree because I do have a bike which would be around 200€ in parts (SIS tourney shifter, Alivio V-brakes, cheap ass 20€ aluminium wheels with super simple ball bearings, and a supermarket grade frame) and when driving in city traffic it works perfectly fine - even under the heavy load of myself (110kg atm) and a bunch of groceries - I wouldn't take it into the woods but that's not what it's build for. I also have an around 1100€ Kalkhoff bike with Magura hydraulic V-brakes and a Shimano LX rapidfire shifter and some shimano aluminium wheels. That is obviously better but it honestly doesn't make much of a difference in daily use. Both bikes shift just fine with a (very slight) edge to the LX shifter on inclinations and the Hydraulic V-brakes have a slightly tighter breaking point (in turn they are a NIGHTMARE to adjust properly compared to regular V-brakes). So, as long as everything is adjusted properly even the low grade stuff works well (and it's also a LOT cheaper to service). Everything Shimano is usually at a point which is sufficient enough for normal non-extreme conditions. That leaves the motor and that one seems to be of decent quality and battery life. So, I think it's a good budget deal which will be reliable enough for a lot of people for quite a few years.

 

Edit: Btw, you can write out the full names of the brands you were recommending - this is a review and not a commercial by the manufacturer and there won't be any censorship of brand names in this forum.

[GlassBomb]

12 hours ago, JorithZ said:

Taran, if you get a chance, check out this crazy thing: https://lopifit.com

I... I have no idea where that product is marked to. And the price is ridiculous for something that's aimed at such a niche market.

[Enduro]

5 hours ago, Hans Power said:

I disagree because I do have a bike which would be around 200€ in parts (SIS tourney shifter, Alivio V-brakes, cheap ass 20€ aluminium wheels with super simple ball bearings, and a supermarket grade frame) and when driving in city traffic it works perfectly fine - even under the heavy load of myself (110kg atm) and a bunch of groceries - I wouldn't take it into the woods but that's not what it's build for. I also have an around 1100€ Kalkhoff bike with Magura hydraulic V-brakes and a Shimano LX rapidfire shifter and some shimano aluminium wheels. That is obviously better but it honestly doesn't make much of a difference in daily use. Both bikes shift just fine with a (very slight) edge to the LX shifter on inclinations and the Hydraulic V-brakes have a slightly tighter breaking point (in turn they are a NIGHTMARE to adjust properly compared to regular V-brakes). So, as long as everything is adjusted properly even the low grade stuff works well (and it's also a LOT cheaper to service). Everything Shimano is usually at a point which is sufficient enough for normal non-extreme conditions. That leaves the motor and that one seems to be of decent quality and battery life. So, I think it's a good budget deal which will be reliable enough for a lot of people for quite a few years.

 

Edit: Btw, you can write out the full names of the brands you were recommending - this is a review and not a commercial by the manufacturer and there won't be any censorship of brand names in this forum.

First of all, thanks for the tip about censorship.

 

Now back to the topic:

 

I agree with your point that there is practically no difference between component groupsets in "normal non-extreme conditions".

This is true, as long these "conditions" are present - as soon as they leave, there is a difference, with, of course, the exception of very high end components, which only reduce bike weight.

 

However, I disagree with the rest. Low grade stuff may be cheaper to service, but in the long run expect to service these parts more often than higher-end counterparts. Also, you can save a ton by servicing your own bike instead of going to your local bike shop.

 

Now, as a future electronics engineer, I take into consideration the quality of the components in the electrical section of the bike. This bike's shady motor controller, inefficient motor, and cheap battery will last a tad bit longer when in perfect "conditions", but certainly don't expect them to last as long as a better quality, name brand e-bike in the same conditions. In this case, how much you pay is how much you get (although this doesn't apply to ALL e-bikes). Don't think that they got a $1,600 price tag out of no where.

[pk-man]

Taran should do more videos. He's pretty good.

 

I don't know if it's funny or sad that this is way more in-depth than their recent GPU "reviews"

[Arty]

17 hours ago, Ronda said:

Considering that you can get a used car for less and considering how many faults that fresh OOTB bike had, I don't know if I'd call what it has to offer very impressive.

And yes, a car would end up costing you more in the long run, but it would also have a roof, seat 4 and go way faster than 20mph.

just because you can buy it for the same price doesn't mean owning one is the same price. 

[Mug]

I don't get how this really competes with a moped.

[NavyCuda]

I used to be, while still some what am a petrol head but after getting the electric car I started really wanting a Zero DSR, an electric motorcycle with a bit better range than my Leaf that seems to review well.  I would get it with the charging pack option so I can use my L2 charger at work.

[Ronda]

2 hours ago, Arty said:

just because you can buy it for the same price doesn't mean owning one is the same price. 

If you had bothered to read the second sententce in my post, you would have seen that I acknowledge that.

[Hans Power]

8 hours ago, Enduro said:

First of all, thanks for the tip about censorship.

 

Now back to the topic:

 

I agree with your point that there is practically no difference between component groupsets in "normal non-extreme conditions".

This is true, as long these "conditions" are present - as soon as they leave, there is a difference, with, of course, the exception of very high end components, which only reduce bike weight.

 

However, I disagree with the rest. Low grade stuff may be cheaper to service, but in the long run expect to service these parts more often than higher-end counterparts. Also, you can save a ton by servicing your own bike instead of going to your local bike shop.

 

Now, as a future electronics engineer, I take into consideration the quality of the components in the electrical section of the bike. This bike's shady motor controller, inefficient motor, and cheap battery will last a tad bit longer when in perfect "conditions", but certainly don't expect them to last as long as a better quality, name brand e-bike in the same conditions. In this case, how much you pay is how much you get (although this doesn't apply to ALL e-bikes). Don't think that they got a $1,600 price tag out of no where.

In my experiences with both bikes wear and tear are about the same. The cheap bike is actually much older than the new one - it was found abandoned in the woods and I got it gifted so I fixed it up one part after another until only the Frame and the original derailleurs were left. Those, as I mentioned are a set of a dirt cheap SIS tourney derailleurs. While there's some rust on the parts they still work as if they were factory new - no sign of age at all in the action. I replaced the teeth/pinions (no idea what's the correct term in english) and the chain shortly after getting it and those are still in service after about 4-5 years of me using it - no idea how much action it saw before I got it but it wasn't treated with love, I can tell you that for a fact. The chain needs to be replaced, though in approximately about 2 months.

The new bike with the LX shifter is just over 2 years old and already needed a chain replacement about a month ago although it sees overall a lot more usage than the old one so I'd say that wear and tear are about the same but the chain is still a difference of about 10-15€. When it comes to the teeth/pinions - they're pretty much at the same level of wear - both can propably run another chain until I have to replace them. So, in this regard I can't see much of a difference in overall longevity of the shifters but the LX is about twice or 2/3s as expensive to service than the SIS tourney. One looks a bit worse than the other but that's no miracle if you concider that it was left laying in the dirt for who knows how long.

When it comes to the brakes, price/performance goes hands down towards the classic V-Brakes, imo. While there's no sign of wear on any of them the Magura brakes have MANY more potential points of failure and IF something goes south it'll be about 4-5 times as expensive to service concidering that I got the alivio V-brakes for less then 10 bugs a pop. As for the motor - I have no idea how good that is but concidering that they used low end components for most other parts, that's most likely where the money went. And there is quite a bit of cash left if you substract everything but the motor.

So I stand by it - from what I can see it looks like a good value proposition all things concidered.

Also if I had to give a recommendation to the average "just wants to get from A-B" biker I wouldn't recommend anything higher than a Shimano Alivio shifter, some decent V-Brakes and a hub dynamo - inexpensive, sturdy and super easy to service.

[Mr.Meerkat]

On 8/15/2016 at 9:59 AM, zMeul said:

is there a problem if a moped required a driver's licence?

Yes actually as it's kinda separate to a driver's licence as you'll still need to do the CBT for riding a moped/motorbike while e-cycles can be ridden by anyone over 14 years of age (in the UK) with no licence or anything as to get a moped provisional licence, you still need to be at least 16...

 

Obviously I'm talking about the UK here so Murica might be different but still, there are still many advantages to a e-bike  

[JorithZ]

On 8/16/2016 at 0:19 AM, GlassBomb said:

I... I have no idea where that product is marked to. And the price is ridiculous for something that's aimed at such a niche market.

Yes, yes it is. It's also ridiculous. But people seem to really like it.... and tbh, i think it would just be fun to see taran ride it.

[GlassBomb]

30 minutes ago, JorithZ said:

Yes, yes it is. It's also ridiculous. But people seem to really like it.... and tbh, i think it would just be fun to see taran ride it.

I haven't seen anyone that has done a proper review of it. And the price is honestly too high for such a niche product.

[bsplu]

I wanna buy an ebike with regenerative brake and pedal assist. Besides Radwagon, I find Falco seems good from their AD. Could you give a review or comparison of Falco?  Thanks a lot!

[Drak3]

On 8/16/2016 at 3:49 AM, Mr.Meerkat said:

Yes actually as it's kinda separate to a driver's licence as you'll still need to do the CBT for riding a moped/motorbike while e-cycles can be ridden by anyone over 14 years of age (in the UK) with no licence or anything as to get a moped provisional licence, you still need to be at least 16...

 

Obviously I'm talking about the UK here so Murica might be different but still, there are still many advantages to a e-bike  

It changes per state, and in some, licensing is required to use them on public roads.

Federal law mandates a top speed of 20MPH (if the rider is 170lb.), and the motor cannot exceed 750W or 1HP. Beyond that, it's up to the state to determine how electric or gas powered bicycles are categorized (some say they're full motorcycles), and if they're allowed on public bike paths.

Where I live, Idaho, top speed is 30MPH, and in order to ride on public roads, one must be 16, class D licensed, and carry liability insurance on the bike.

 

But generally, here, if it looks like a bicycle, law doesn't really care, unless a particular cop hates all bike riders in general. eBikes that look like mopeds and motorcycles, will generally have cops pulling you over because they think you're riding an unregistered vehicle illegally.