• BerserkPoster [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      How fast does it go/what is the range (for pedal assist and no pedal assist)? I've been looking at ebikes for commuting

      • EmmaGoldman [she/her, comrade/them]
        ·
        edit-2
        2 years ago

        I live in a town that's fairly dense, I have never had to bike anywhere that's more than 3 km away, and I am pretty confident I've never had to go more than 10 km in a day since I've had it. I usually do a little bit of pedal assist but mostly just hang on the throttle and only have to charge at 1 or 2 times per week. I have a North American model and it goes fast enough that people don't get upset with me on residential streets if I'm riding in the road. Most of the speed limits around me are 30 kph though, and I think it's just slightly slower than that.

        Again though, my town is very flat and everything is pretty close together. I'm lucky that my house is located equidistant between the two main places where stores and businesses are located so even if I have to go to both clusters of locations, it's only around 10 km.

        • BerserkPoster [none/use name]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Ah okay, I'm considering a few options for a 9 mile one way commute (so, twice a day). At 20 mph its a bit slow, tbh. If I could get up to 30 mph then I think I would consider it. I've also seen some electric scooters that go 30mph for around 1000 dollars, with the added bonus of extra portability

          • EmmaGoldman [she/her, comrade/them]
            ·
            2 years ago

            So, the reason they go 20 mph is apparently because they're limited by law. From a quick search, electric scooters are legally classified as electric bicycles, so would also need to be governed down to that same speed to be road legal. If you don't really care about the legality, you could always get one of those DIY 2000w ebike kits and throw it onto a normal bike.

            They're not that expensive, but I'd recommend getting an oversize disc brake kit for your bike, because the brakes on a bicycle are absolutely not meant to tote around a heavy bike going 40 mph, and frankly, neither are bike helmets. Protect your brain, get a motorcycle helmet in a bright colour, otherwise you're a silent, barely noticeable ghost, easily mowed down by an SUV driver.

          • spectre [he/him]
            ·
            2 years ago

            My 6 mile commute at assist level 4/5 uses 3 battery bars out of 5 by the time I get home. If I ride casually with friends on acoustic bikes, I'll put it on level 2 and still have all five battery bars after going the same distance (even longer, tbh).

            I have a RadPower, and it's limited to about 19mph, although I sometimes hit 22 on a slope. There is one hill I can go down at 35 mph. I definitely wouldn't feel safe at 28-30 on that bike for an extended period of time, even the hill is sketchy but it's fun enough to go for it occasionally. Going closer to 30 might be ok on a higher end ebike, but idk. I also am on residential streets and bike paths almost everywhere since my city segregates the bike routes from the main traffic routes (by a block or two), so going faster isn't super necessary and it would be more dangerous to dodge cyclists, people crossing (between parked cars), drivers being inattentive at stop signs, etc... but if you're going to be primarily on bike lanes on arterials, it probably won't be as much of a concern.

            • BerserkPoster [none/use name]
              ·
              2 years ago

              I'm actually looking at the DIY option with a 1200W motor... it would be around 600 + price of a bike, I've heard of some people using a BMX bike

    • regul [any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I just bought a radrunner with the passenger package so my wife and I can tool around town together!

      Should be delivered soon! I'm excited.

      • EmmaGoldman [she/her, comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        They're sincerely fun. I recommend getting a cheap MIPS helmet, as there are more protective than a traditional helmet to the type of accident you might find yourself getting into, or even go for a moto helmet. I also recommend bright colors, because pretty much the only thing an SUV driver can see is the top of your helmet, so a brightly colored bobbing head shaped object is going to get a lot more notice than something black and matte which seems to be the trendy style of the day.

        Mips helmets can be found for as little as $50 or $60 online or even sometimes in bike stores, don't let some bike shop dude talk you out of a helmet with rotational protection, they can absolutely make the difference between getting a mild concussion and death from getting pumped by a car or even just a fall.

    • CommCat [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      cool, I bought the original radrunner over a year ago. If you haven't already upgraded the LED to LCD display, you can get it for half the price that Radpowerbikes is selling by finding the OEM (Kingmeter) on aliexpress. Rad just slaps their names on some accessories and double the price lol. Their mirror that they are selling for $50CAD is just Hafney rebranded, again you can find them for half price on aliexpress. Good mirror.

      • EmmaGoldman [she/her, comrade/them]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I think the RadRunner 2 uses a totally different display, but thanks so much for the info I will definitely be doing some research into this!