Rad Energy has been placing out high quality, reasonably priced electrical bikes of every kind for years and is without doubt one of the hottest electrical mobility manufacturers in North America. Rad’s product vary runs the gamut from electrical cargo bikes and folding fashions to adventure-ready fats tire bikes and commuters.
Earlier this 12 months, Rad Energy introduced a number of main mannequin updates and new fashions, together with the Radster Highway and Radster Path. Whereas the RadCity 5 Plus remains to be out there, the brand new Radster Highway basically replaces it with an all-new body design, Secure Defend battery, improved controls and show, 29-inch wheels, and Class 3 functionality. Having ridden each, I can inform you the Radster Highway is a superior bike in each approach.
I’ve been testing the Radster Highway ($2,199) for the previous 3 months, and it has rapidly grow to be one of the vital ridden bikes in my storage (my mountain and gravel bikes nonetheless see extra use). I’ve put tons of of miles on it operating errands round city, driving to the lake and river for mid-summer cooldowns, and utilizing it as an alternative of my car as a lot as doable. I’ve saved a major amount of cash on gas, and I’ve had a blast driving round on this highly effective, {smooth}, secure, and comparatively reasonably priced bike.
Briefly: Rad Energy actually stepped up its recreation with the brand new Radster Highway electrical commuter bike. Boasting Class 3 functionality for pedal-assisted speeds as much as 28 mph, 29-inch wheels for {smooth} and secure dealing with, and Secure Defend battery security tech, this bike makes any experience simpler and extra enjoyable. It might be barely dearer than earlier Rad Energy bikes, however it prices considerably lower than premium fashions from different manufacturers with out sacrificing a lot, if any, efficiency.
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Bike kind
Electrical commuter -
Body
Aluminum -
Suspension
80mm suspension fork -
Wheel measurement
29″ -
Tire width
2.2″ -
Variety of gears
8 -
Motor
750W rear hub -
Battery measurement
720 Wh -
E-bike Class
3
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Easy, secure dealing with -
Nice vary -
Able to Class 3 speeds as much as 28 mph -
Nice e-bike controls and show -
Comes with rear cargo rack, lights, and fenders -
Affordable value
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Very heavy -
Reasonably priced however nonetheless not low cost
Rad Energy Radster Highway Assessment
I’ve been testing and reviewing electrical bikes of every kind for the previous 6 years. In that point, I’ve tried a lot of completely different Rad Energy fashions together with the commuter-oriented RadCity 4 and the RadCity 5 Plus. Whereas the bikes have all the time been priced pretty and carried out comparatively properly, they’ve all the time appeared a bit bland to me, each when it comes to efficiency and aesthetics.
The Radster Highway bucks that development and, for my part, elevates Rad Energy into a brand new efficiency class. The brand new body design, giant wheels, torque sensor, Class 3 speeds, spectacular vary, and battery know-how assist to make this one of the best Rad Energy bike I’ve ridden and arguably probably the greatest fairly priced electrical commuters in the marketplace.
Meeting
Rad Energy sells bikes direct to the patron, in order that they usually get shipped proper to your door in a big field with a bit meeting remaining. They’ve been doing it this fashion for years, and happily, they’ve streamlined the method to make it comparatively simple.
Nonetheless, there have been just a few steps concerned, and it took me about an hour to get my Radster from the field to able to experience. Should you’re not sure of your mechanic abilities or can’t be bothered with doing it your self, take it to an area store or one of many tons of of service facilities or retail companions listed on the Rad Energy web site — there are two in my small city.
Should you select to complete the meeting your self, the largest piece of recommendation that I may give is to observe the directions. That begins with opening the field. Don’t open the highest. Undo the clips on the backside of the field, after which pull the field off the highest — the decrease a part of the field helps the bike whilst you take away the protecting supplies and full the primary steps of the method.
A printed proprietor’s handbook is included that particulars the entire steps — and the correct order — to place the bike collectively, together with a small device package with all of the instruments you want. You even have the choice to scan a QR code, which brings you to the Rad Energy web site, the place you’ll be able to obtain the handbook or watch an meeting video. I gained’t bore you with all the main points, however the principle steps embrace putting in the handlebar, entrance wheel, entrance fender and headlight, and pedals.
Body Design
The brand new Radster fashions — each the Highway and Path variations — have a totally new body design that units them aside from different fashions within the Rad Energy lineup. As an alternative of providing low-step and high-step body choices, it is available in only one body model however two sizes to suit a wide range of rider heights.
The Common measurement is claimed to suit a rider peak vary of 4’11” to five’8”, and the Massive is meant for riders between 5’7” and 6’4”. At 6 ft tall, I fall squarely within the measurement giant peak vary, however with a 34-inch inseam, I’m utterly maxing out the saddle peak. That stated, my 5’7” spouse additionally matches on the bike, and an extended seatpost is an reasonably priced repair for my concern.
Each body sizes have comparatively low standover and step-over heights — Common is 22 inches, and Massive is 24 inches — making it straightforward to mount and dismount the bike. There’s a giant vary of seat peak adjustability to dial it in to your wants throughout the supposed rider peak vary. The attain is pretty quick, and the riser handlebars are pretty excessive, making the seated pedaling place comparatively upright and informal.
The 720 Wh battery is semi-integrated into the downtube of the body for a fairly clear look. It isn’t fairly as glossy as totally built-in batteries, however it’s an enormous step up from the externally mounted batteries of previous.
The battery could be rapidly and simply unlocked and eliminated with the included keys for safety or charging off the bike. A beefy rear rack can be included, and it could possibly help as much as 55 kilos of cargo. The Radster Highway has a complete payload capability of 320 kilos and a 290-pound rider weight restrict.
The beefy aluminum frames have an overbuilt appear and feel and supply the arrogance that they’re able to deal with years of use. Certain, the body — together with the battery and motor — contributes to the comparatively heavy 74-pound weight of the bike, however it’s tremendous sturdy and secure and is well offset by the pedal help.
The Experience
One of many primary issues that stands out concerning the Radster Highway is how {smooth}, secure, and pure its dealing with is. I’ve discovered this bike to really feel impressively calm and composed in any respect speeds, with reassuring steadiness and predictability by turns of all sizes and shapes. There are a number of causes for this, most notably the wheel measurement, tires, and entrance suspension.
For the Radster Highway, Rad Energy opted for bigger, 29-inch wheels. Wheels this measurement roll quick and assist {smooth} over imperfections in highway surfaces like cracks and small bumps. In addition they assist improve stability at pace whereas contributing to the regular really feel by turns.
When paired with the two.2-inch broad Kenda Kwik tires, this mix offers ample grip and a good quantity of cushioning whereas remaining fast-rolling and super-smooth. These tires work greatest on paved surfaces however maintain their very own on {smooth} dust and gravel as properly. Should you’re spending any vital time on dust, nevertheless, you’ll most likely be higher off with the broader, knobbier tires on the Radster Path.
The 80mm journey SR Suntour suspension fork additionally contributes to bump-smoothing consolation and management. This fork helps take the sting off impacts from giant cracks, potholes, and cracked pavement whereas decreasing harsh suggestions transferred to the rider.
Whereas greater impacts don’t go utterly unnoticed, it’s much better than a inflexible fork. And, when mixed with the 29-inch wheels and plump tires, this helps make the Radster Highway a forgiving and comfy experience.
Energy
Till I rode the Radster Highway, the entire Rad Energy bikes I’ve ever examined had been Class 2, with a high pedal-assisted pace of 20 mph. You could possibly enhance the highest pace barely by the controls, however the quickest I’d ever gotten any of them to go was round 23 mph.
Whereas 20 mph could be loads quick for lots of riders, the shortcoming to bump as much as Class 3 speeds — 28 mph utilizing pedal help — has been one of many major drawbacks of earlier Rad Energy bikes.
Effectively, not anymore. With the Radster Highway, Radster Path, and the up to date RadWagon 5, Rad Energy now offers riders the choice to experience at Class 3 speeds as much as 28 mph utilizing pedal help. The bikes ship within the Class 2 settings, however it’s fast and straightforward to alter to Class 3 by the controls.
With a robust 750W rear hub motor that places out as much as 100 Nm of torque, the Radster is keen and in a position to zip alongside at 28 mph on flat floor in its highest pedal help mode. You don’t need to experience it that quick, in fact, and you’ll go away it in its Class 2 settings or use decrease pedal help ranges relying on the scenario.
Personally, I actually loved with the ability to go that quick when ripping into city to run errands or when maintaining with visitors. And, with a whopping 100 Nm of torque, you’ll be able to completely fly up hills as properly. You’ll be hard-pressed to go 28 mph uphill, however the Radster makes steep inclines just about disappear.
Talking of torque, the torque sensor is one other improve that helps the ability supply really feel extra refined and pure. The pedal help ramps up alongside together with your pedaling effort, versus cadence sensors that may really feel very jumpy and jerky whenever you begin pedaling.
When it comes to the standard of the ability output, I discovered the rear hub motor of the Radster Highway to really feel fairly much like a few of the mid-drive-motor-equipped bikes I’ve ridden just lately. Mid-drive motors are touted for his or her extra refined efficiency, however the torque sensor on the Radster places it practically on par in my guide, whereas feeling a contact extra highly effective and offering the choice to have a throttle, too.
The throttle is one other good function of the Radster Highway. By merely twisting the throttle built-in into the correct grip, the motor can push you alongside at as much as 20 mph.
I’m fairly a fan of pedaling bikes whereas driving them, however I discovered it to be very useful when ranging from an entire cease at intersections and the occasional lazy cruise to the neighborhood swimming gap. Not like the pedal help, the throttle is a little more on/off, however you’ll be able to modulate it barely relying on how far you twist it.
Battery and Vary
The Radster Highway comes with a 720Wh (15Ah) battery that gives a formidable vary. The bigger the battery, the farther you’ll be able to experience, and 720 Wh is about as massive because it will get for bikes of this model. Rad Energy claims an estimated 25 to 65 miles per cost, which is a pretty big vary, however I’d say it’s comparatively correct.
In fact, there are quite a lot of elements that play into how rapidly you drain your battery, together with pedal help degree, throttle utilization, driving up hills, rider weight, pedaling enter, cargo weight, and many others. Nonetheless, even when blasting to and from city in pedal help degree 5 at 28 mph, I used to be simply in a position to get 25+ miles earlier than needing to plug it in once more.
On one slower-paced experience, my spouse rode for over 45 miles whereas switching between help ranges 2 and three. So, how far you’ll be able to go on a single cost will rely on the way you experience it, however there’s ample juice to cowl some severe floor.
When Rad Energy launched its new fashions, it additionally launched the Secure Defend batteries. Electrical bike battery fires have grow to be an issue and could be extremely harmful, and the Secure Defend battery know-how goals to deal with that concern. Not solely are the batteries and {the electrical} system UL-certified to UL-2849 and UL-2271 requirements, however Rad Energy has additionally designed them particularly to cut back the danger of fireplace.
Every cell throughout the battery is “encapsulated in a novel heat-absorbing resin” to supply thermal resistance. This fashion, if one cell is compromised, it goals to stop the unfold of warmth between cells, which may lead to thermal runaway that might create a hearth.
The battery is semi-integrated into the bike body, however it’s simply eliminated utilizing the included key if wanted for safety or charging functions. A small rubber flap on the left facet of the battery is straightforward to open and shut when you might want to plug within the charging cable. Moreover, all of Rad Energy’s 2024 fashions, together with the Radster Highway, are rated IPX6 for climate safety, which means they’re designed to resist heavy and high-pressure water splashes.
Controls
One other space that noticed notable enchancment over earlier Rad Energy bikes is the controls and show. Whereas Rad’s controls had been by no means dangerous, the most recent model on the Radster Highway is a significant improve. The management unit’s ergonomics are good; the show is giant, straightforward to learn, and perceive, and reveals all of the necessary info you want at a look.
Located subsequent to the left grip, the all-in-one management unit comprises all of the buttons with an intuitive structure. The facility button and the menu button are each small and out of the best way, whereas the pedal help and switch sign buttons are a lot bigger and straightforward to achieve with the thumb whereas driving.
The help degree and switch sign buttons are additionally used to scroll by the menu when you might want to change any of the bike’s settings, like high pace, models, and many others. Built-in into the correct grip is the half-twist throttle that works properly whenever you wish to propel the bike beneath full electrical energy.
The show is centered on the handlebar and could be very straightforward to learn whereas driving. It’s 3 inches broad and a pair of inches tall with a display that appears to have an antireflective coating. I by no means skilled extreme reflection or glare from the display, even on vivid, sunny days.
The colour show has a black background with vivid letters and numbers. Velocity is displayed most prominently within the center, together with the pedal help degree throughout the underside, battery degree as a small graphic and a proportion (or estimated remaining distance when you choose), odometer, and motor output in watts. You even have the choice to customise a few of the info fields to your liking.
The bike’s menu can be extremely straightforward to make use of and navigate when you might want to make any adjustments. It’s impressively simple to modify between lessons (high pace), models, and extra with the management buttons and the massive, clear shade show.
Final however not least, you’ll be able to lock and unlock the bike’s controls with the included fob or add a private passcode for an additional layer of safety. This makes it so others gained’t be capable to activate and function your bike with out the fob or code.
Parts
With a heavy weight and highly effective motor able to supporting pedal-assisted speeds as much as 28 mph, controlling your pace is of the utmost significance. Rad Energy did a commendable job by equipping the Radster Highway with highly effective Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors entrance and rear.
I discovered these brakes to supply confidence-inspiring stopping energy whereas avoiding feeling over or underpowered. Like most electrical bikes, the brakes even have an influence cutoff function that kills the motor energy when they’re engaged.
The Radster comes with an eight-speed Shimano drivetrain that provides a pretty big gear vary. I stay in a hilly space and appreciated having simpler gears for climbing the hills again to my home, even with pedal help.
Rad Energy neatly selected trigger-style shifters, which work properly and are an enormous step up in efficiency from these discovered on many reasonably priced electrical bikes. The ergonomic rubber grips additionally proved to be fairly comfy, as did the mid-size seat with an anatomic stress aid cut-out.
The wheels additionally deserve point out. Given the load and speeds of the Radster, the model wanted to place some powerful wheels on this bike, and these really feel as much as the duty. I’ve smashed into many pavement cracks and have positively taken it down some rocky trails the place it doesn’t belong, and so they look no worse for the wear and tear.
The wheels are additionally hooked up with beefy through-axles to supply an excellent safe connection to the bike and deal with the load, forces, and energy of Radster. One final element that I appreciated was the alloy platform pedals, which have a big floor space and supply good grip and ample foot help.
Options
With commuting in thoughts, Rad Energy did a wonderful job equipping the Radster Highway with options that may make your rides safer and extra satisfying. This bike comes totally decked out with all the pieces you want, excluding baskets or panniers to hold your gear — though Rad Energy sells a full vary of equipment to dial it in to your wants.
Seeing and being seen on the highway is extremely necessary to your security, and Rad Energy significantly upgraded the lights on the Radster Highway. Each the entrance and taillights run off the bike’s battery, so that you’ll by no means must cost them.
The rear gentle helps you be seen from behind, capabilities as a brake gentle whenever you squeeze the brake levers, and has flip sign performance with a push of a button on the controls. The entrance gentle is a 200-lumen LED that makes you clearly seen to oncoming motorists and is definitely vivid sufficient to gentle your approach in the dead of night. Whereas the entrance gentle does work fairly properly, I’d nonetheless advocate including an aftermarket helmet or handlebar-mounted bike gentle when you’re driving in the dead of night usually.
Full-coverage steel fenders present glorious safety from highway spray when you experience by a puddle or get caught out in an sudden storm. A chainguard protects your pant leg from getting greasy on the best way to work, and a sturdy kickstand retains your bike upright when parked.
The built-in rear rack can help as much as 55 kilos of cargo and is designed to suit a spread of equipment like baskets, panniers, or the Thule Yepp Maxi Youngster Seat. I strapped a big plastic milk crate on mine and had ample house for grocery runs or carrying my gear to the seashore. Further mount factors on the top tube match entrance baskets, and a bottle cage mount on the seat tube assures you’ll be able to preserve water shut at hand.
Rounding out the options of the Radster Highway is a bell that helps you warn people that you just’re coming. Whereas bells are a cheap add-on, it’s good that it already comes with one and also you don’t have to put in it your self. The aforementioned Secure Defend battery and one-touch fob safety are additionally nice security and safety features.
Weight
With a sturdy body, giant battery, highly effective motor, suspension fork, beefy wheels, and a rear rack, the Radster Highway is not any light-weight. At 74 kilos, this bike is heavy, even in comparison with different electrical commuter bikes.
Whereas driving, nevertheless, I discovered the load to go largely unnoticed, due to the sleek dealing with and highly effective motor. The identical can’t be stated for driving it with out energy, because it feels such as you’re pulling an anchor behind you. It’s greatest to keep away from draining the battery utterly to keep away from having to experience it with none pedal help.
The burden additionally makes the Radster fairly troublesome to move by car since most bike racks aren’t rated to hold bikes this heavy, and loading it onto a rack is an actual problem — until you have got a rack with a excessive weight restrict and a loading ramp.
Likewise, it’s not a motorbike you wish to carry up and down stairs, or anyplace else for that matter. The Radster is greatest saved in a storage or different house that you could roll it out and in of simply.
Conclusion
By producing high quality electrical bikes and promoting them at cheap costs, Rad Energy has helped gas the recognition of e-bikes and has grow to be a family title. However with so many electrical bike manufacturers lately, Rad has extra competitors than ever. As an alternative of resting on its laurels, Rad Energy continues to innovate and enhance its bikes, as evidenced by the brand new Radster Highway.
The Radster is a significant step up in efficiency and high quality in comparison with different Rad Energy commuter bikes that I’ve examined. These bikes had been good, however the Radster beats them in pace, energy, dealing with, controls, options, and security.
Should you can’t inform, I actually like this bike. It has grow to be my day by day driver, and after driving it all over the place for the previous few months, I can’t think about life with out it. That’s to not say there aren’t higher electrical commuter bikes on the market, however I believe you’d be hard-pressed to discover a better-performing bike for the value.
Nonetheless, $2,199 is not any drop within the bucket. However, I really feel the expense is well justified, and this bike will finally pay itself off whenever you drive much less and experience extra. To not point out all of the enjoyable you’ll be having.
You should purchase the Radster Highway at one in all Rad Energy’s retail companions or on its web site.