Eager to start riding Rad but short on space? City dwellers all over the country are turning to the RadMini electric folding fat bike to solve that very issue.
But beyond being a rugged space-saver, how easy is it to unfold the bike when you’re in a hurry? And once you get it out of your apartment, is it really a viable alternative to a car?
Questions like those are why we launched Test Ride Tuesday, a new series that gives riders a taste of what our electric bikes can do in real-world situations.
A few months ago, our Rad co-worker Omid brought home a 10-week old new friend. This rescue pup's name was Polly, but after Omid got a taste of her personality, that quickly changed. Now she proudly answers to "Princess Polly."
Needless to say, the Princess doesn't like to be kept waiting, especially when it's time for this little highness's royal breakfast. When Omid ran out of dog food, he took the opportunity to show off his RadMini for Test Ride Tuesday.
It turns out that he can get the bike ready to roll in under 20 seconds -- 16 to be exact. After that, thanks to its 750W (500W Canada) geared hub motor, getting to the store and back is a breeze, even on hills.
As a bonus, it has a 275 lb. payload capacity, which means that Omid could probably stock up on more dog food than Princess Polly could eat in a month (although she'd certainly be up for the challenge!)
So it's safe to say the RadMini is great for the city, but it doesn't end there. Built with versatility in mind, plenty of our riders find it's great for rugged weekend trips in the great outdoors.
When recognizing our step-thru version as one of the best folding bikes of 2020, Electric Bike Review praised it as an "approachable, stable, and off-road capable" ride.
Anthony Nalli can back that up. As the executive producer and host of the "The RVers," a show dedicated to the RV lifestyle that airs on Discovery and your local PBS affiliate, he's been known to ride his RadMini across a campsite or two.
“Because it folds up the way it does, you can actually keep the RadMini in the RV. Space inside the RV, especially when you’re on the road, is limited," he told us. "Getting a full-size bike inside is pretty cumbersome, but with that one, you can put it almost anywhere.”
“Even if you don’t fold it so that the two wheels are touching each other and just fold in the pedals and handlebars, you've now just made the bike way easier to place anywhere in the RV.”
It's fair to say that if storage is your goal, then the choice is simple. There's still one big question though: where will you ride it first?
