Yahoo Autos The RadRunner 2 E-Bike Is the Most Civilized Way to Travel Around Town
A lot of people considering e-bikes are doing so to either make getting into the outdoors easier, or they’re looking for a way to cut the number of car journeys they make each week. Both of those become a lot simpler with the RadRunner 2 thanks to grippy tires, a comfy seat and oodles of cargo-carrying capacity.
Full Disclosure: Rad Power Bikes shipped an electric RadRunner 2 out to New York City with a bunch of accessories for me to test on my commute and other rides around town.
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Let’s play bikes!
What Is It?
Built by American bikemaker Rad Power Bikes, the RadRunner 2 is a fairly accessible electric bike. It starts at $1,499 and comes with a 672-watt-hour battery paired with a 750-watt hub motor that gives you four levels of pedal assist and a top speed of 20 mph. There’s a twist-style throttle for when you don’t want to put in the effort to pedal, and the maximum electric riding range is a substantial 45 miles. The bike takes about 4 hours to charge when plugged into a conventional household outlet.
For the price of a pretty serious traditional bike, you get a bulky, step-through frame that gives you a commanding upright riding position. The saddle is ridiculously comfortable, there’s a convenient rear luggage rack and the bike has mounts front and back for all manner of accessories. Rad Power Bikes also includes a set of built-in lights, chunky 20-inch tires to soak up the bumps, and cable disc brakes on both wheels. Overall, the RadRunner 2 is a nice package and comprises everything that anybody looking to dip a toe in the electric bike world needs.
Hello, hello, hello, what have we here?
How Do You Assemble It?
As with any new bike that’s shipped to your door, there’s an element of assembly required. Thankfully, there’s a QR code on the RadRunner 2’s box that takes you to an easy-to-follow assembly video.
First, you screw the handlebars to the frame using four bolts. The bars attach at a set height, but you can tilt them back to make them lower if you’re a shorter rider. At 6 feet tall, I find that fitting the handlebars upright is the most comfortable way to ride, but again, do what’s best for you.
Once the bars are installed, you twist on the pedals and attach the front light, and a cable connects the light to the main battery pack. The final bit of assembly is to fit the front wheel. Take off the mounting stand that the RadRunner 2 ships with and replace it with the wheel — a quick-release axle makes this pretty simple. After that, it’s just a case of pumping up the tires and charging the battery.
Don’t go braking my heart.
How Does it Ride?
The RadRunner2 is very nice to ride around town. It’s quite different from the last e-bike I tested, which was a $10,000 gravel bike that stole my heart, but the RadRunner is great for a whole other set of reasons.
Setting off, you can either twist the throttle on the right-hand grip or kick off with the pedals in your chosen level of assistance. Either way, the RadRunner 2 is zippy. Twisting the throttle quickly brings you up to speed and keeps you there. This lets you focus on weaving through traffic, avoiding the cop cars parked in the bike lane and watching out for pedestrians that erratically step into your path. New York City is a fun place to ride.
This is what 750 watts of pure power looks like.
