Rad Power Bikes Completely Redid Its Flagship E-Bike

Rad Power Bikes has just announced a major redesign of its flagship electric bike, the RadRover. This fat-tire model was the one that launched the company's direct-to-consumer business in 2015, and while it has undergone minor tweaks since then, this new version, called the RadRover 6 Plus, is its first full overhaul.

It features new hydraulic disc brakes and ceramic brake pads for greater stopping power and longer-lasting durability, a custom geared-hub motor that climbs hills 25% faster, a frame available in two styles (high-step and step-thru) to accommodate different body heights, and a semi-integrated proprietary battery that fits into the bike frame and pops easily in and out. The new battery design also features a built-in grip for easier carrying.

The digital display has been split into two parts to make it simpler and more intuitive for riders, and now contains a clock and built-in timer. From a press release: "The custom Rad Display depicts real-time stats, such as power output, trip mileage, time, and a headlight on/off indicator. It also displays the intelligent battery state of charge, giving riders more accurate, confidence-inspiring battery charge information before, during and after their rides."

As the owner of another Rad Power bike (the RadWagon cargo e-bike), I can say having more detailed battery information would be helpful. My own display merely shows a bar of decreasing power, and there are often times that I'd like to know exactly how many miles or minutes of charge I have left.

Rad Power Bikes' Chief Product Officer, Redwood Stephens, stated,

"Rad Power Bikes is on a mission to radically challenge the e-bike status quo, blurring the lines between traditional e-bike, moped, motorcycle, and light electric vehicle to provide industry-leading mobility solutions. Over the last seven years we have made incremental improvements, but this is the first top-to-bottom redesign. The end result is a completely next-level riding experience that screams 'I am an electric bike and proud of it.'"

The reference to "industry-leading mobility solutions" is right on point. As I've learned over the past year, nothing beats an e-bike when it comes to replacing your car for transportation. With an e-bike you can get anywhere you want in record time, haul people and groceries, and get as much or as little of a workout as you please, depending on the circumstances. It's a game-changer, as I've written numerous times before.

When asked about the surge of interest in e-bikes that's happened since the pandemic, a Rad Power spokesperson tells Treehugger, "A lot of people said 2020 was the year of the e-bike with the growth the industry saw, but we think things are just getting started. The consumer-led e-bike movement has been quietly brewing for years. We always knew e-bike adoption would grow, [but] the pandemic accelerated the pace forward. That being said, we’ve experienced exponential growth every year since 2015, with no signs of slowing down."

Some people who ordered e-bikes may have experienced prolonged delays, due to the increased number of orders and slowed shipping, but the spokesperson reassured that the situation has greatly improved:

"From a supply chain perspective, the e-bike industry, like so many other industries, faced significant headwinds and delays, but our logistics team jumped at the chance to be innovative... We reinvented how we get bikes to more riders, more quickly. Our Rad supply chain team took extraordinary measures, procuring our own containers, chartering an unconventional breakbulk ship which allowed us to use a smaller port, bypassing the extremely long delays cargo ships are experiencing at the bigger ports. By doing this we reduced the time to get bikes to riders by more than 50 days."

As for the Rad Rover 6 Plus' fabulous features, and whether riders can expect to see them in other Rad models, the spokesperson said the company is "on a never-ending quest for more riders to experience the joy of e-bikes. After taking a spin on our e-bikes, riders have something we like to call the RadGrin^TM. In the development process of the new RadRover 6 Plus, as with all our bikes, we get direct feedback on where our bikes are resonating and where we can do better. As a direct-to-consumer business, we have such incredible access to our riders and get to hear from them constantly on features they are looking for."

While any Plus version has premium features, the company says it will "continue to offer a variety of purpose-built e-bike models that bring our existing and future customers the most value."

The new and improved Rad Rover 6 Plus is now available for pre-orders, starting July 20. It costs $1,999.