The RadRunner Plus from Rad Power Bikes is perhaps one of my favorite all-time, do-anything electric bicycles – and that’s coming from someone with hundreds of electric bike reviews under his belt. I may have ridden some e-bikes that go faster or carry more passengers or fulfill any number of specific niches. But if I had to choose one single e-bike that could handle as many different daily tasks and types of riding as possible, I think it would be the RadRunner Plus.
One of my favorite aspects of electric bicycles is that they have helped usher in a new age of revolutionary design.
With the assistance of an efficient electric motor, e-bikes don’t suffer from the same design constraints as pedal bikes.
That has opened to door to interesting designs that specialize in all aspects of transportation and recreation. And the RadRunner Plus is one of the best examples of that design freedom we’ve seen yet in the industry.
To watch this awesome e-bike in action, check out my video review below. Then keep reading for all of the details on this fun little e-bike that can do just about anything.
RadRunner Plus video review
Rad Power Bikes RadRunner Plus tech specs
- Motor: 750W rear geared hub motor
- Top speed: 32 km/h (20 mph)
- Range: 45-72 km (25-45 mi) depending on user input
- Battery: 48V 14Ah (672 Wh)
- Weight: 33.7 kg (74.3 lb)
- Max load: 140 kg (300 lb)
- Rear rack max load: 55 kg (120 lb)
- Brakes: Tektro mechanical disc brakes
- Extras: sturdy center kickstand, LCD display with complete data readout, included head/tail/brake LED lights, bell, 5 pedal assist settings, half-twist throttle, passenger package, fenders, suspension fork, 7-speed Shimano drivetrain, wide range of accessory add-ons
Built on good bones
The RadRunner Plus e-bike builds upon the classic RadRunner design that first debuted in 2019, yet adds a number of upgraded features for even more utility than ever before.
When Rad Power Bikes first rolled out the original RadRunner e-bike, I was in love. The awesome little moped-style utility bike took the cargo and passenger features of the RadWagon e-bike and combined them with the smaller format of Rad’s folding e-bikes. There were only a few small areas where I saw room for improvement in the original RadRunner design, and apparently Rad Power Bikes had the exact same train of thought as I did, because they hit the nail on the head with each of the upgrades on the RadRunner Plus.
So in addition to everything you get with a base model RadRunner, you also get an upgraded LCD display, larger headlight, front suspension, fenders, 7-speed Shimano drivetrain and the rear passenger kit including the padded seat, foot pegs, and wheel cover (that clear plastic shield to protect passengers from touching the rear wheel).
Each of these is a huge upgrade that makes the RadRunner Plus such a potent e-bike for nearly every use case. To put it simply: If there’s something that needs doing, the RadRunner can probably do it.
Built for everyone. Designed to do everything
First of all, consider that just about anyone can fit on this bike. It’s got a nice low frame and is easy to mount with its step-through design, meaning short riders and anyone with mobility concerns in their legs/hips will feel comfortable on it.
But with an adjustable seat, it does what almost no other moped-style e-bike can do by adjusting to fit the rider.
Taller riders can either lift the seat or scooch back onto the long bench portion of the seat.
It’s pretty cool how short riders and tall riders can feel comfortable on the same bike, and that most people will be able to flatfoot it at stops.
Next, let’s talk practicality. The bike is a 20 mph (32 km/h) Class 2 e-bike with a throttle, so you can either zip around with the throttle to make quick work of a commute, or you can use the five different levels of pedal assist to get in a good workout. And with the upgraded 7-speed Shimano transmission, even steep hills are manageable on the RadRunner Plus.
That 750 watt motor offers plenty of torque, plus the smaller diameter 20″ wheels help the torque equation even further, so between the powerful assist and your own added sweat equity, you’d be hard-pressed to find a hill you couldn’t climb on this e-bike.
And with that 672 Wh battery, you’ve got more range than most cities would require. Even if you want to take it easy and hammer on the throttle, 25 miles (40 km) of range is easily doable.
But once you start adding your own pedal power to the motor assist, you can easily tack on another 50-100% more range from the battery.
But it’s not just a practical bike with plenty of speed, power and range – the real magic here is the utility. Or should I say, extreme utility. You can do just about anything with this e-bike.
With the passenger kit on back, I’ve carried my nephews along with me for a three-up trifecta of e-bike fun!
Up front there are accessory mounts to add any number of racks, baskets, and other accessories. And you can even add the Center Console accessory to the middle of the frame, which gives you a giant covered storage area that even has a molded phone holder and cup holder on the top.
My brother-in-law uses that accessory on his RadRunner, and he is constantly filling it up with his family’s stuff when they all go on e-bike rides together. Sports balls for the kids and plenty of water bottles make their way into that thing practically every Sunday afternoon.
With all of the features and different customization options, the RadRunner Plus is a true do-anything e-bike. The passenger kit makes it easy to cruise around with your partner on back or drop your kid(s) off at school. The large volume tires and front suspension fork mean you can easily ride off-road and hit the trails. The small size means you can fit it in an apartment without the bulk of a big bike like a RadWagon or RadRover. The 7-speed drivetrain means you can dial in your gear ratio for the perfect fitness ride or hill climb. The upgraded lightning keeps you visible at night, even from afar. The extremely wide range of accessories means you can turn the e-bike into any type of dedicated e-bike you want. The list goes on and on.
It’s really quite impressive just how much you can do with a single e-bike here.
And while you can obviously tell how jazzed I am about the RadRunner Plus, it has one thing in common with all other bikes: It isn’t perfect. I can always find a downside or two to even the coolest of e-bikes, and the RadRunner Plus is no different in that regard.
When I go looking for anything to complain about, the two things that jump out at me are the weight and the uncommon tire size.
The 74 lb (33 kg) bike is heavy, but that’s more or less to be expected. Any bike with a powerful motor and big battery will be heavy. Then add a novel frame with integrated rack, added passenger accessories, suspension, etc. The weight is going to increase. There’s nothing you can really do about that. If you want high utility, you’re going to get higher weight.
The other issue is the tire size. On the one hand, it’s a super comfortable size because it’s got the advantages of a fatter tire without the extreme bulk or weight of fat tires. At 3.3 inches wide, it’s a bit more nimble than a typical fat tire. But it also means you can’t just pick up a spare tire at any bike shop. Rad has you set with all the spare tires and tubes you could need (and Rad probably won’t say this but I imagine you can fit a 4″ tube in a 3.3″ tire without much of an issue if you were in a bind). But not everyone wants to be locked into one company for their consumable parts – I totally get that (even if tires are a once a year replacement). So for some people, that’s going to be a disadvantage.
I really had to search long and hard to find anything to complain about here. The RadRunner Plus is simply the ultimate e-bike to combine the fun and recreational feeling of a weekend e-bike cruise with the utility and practicality of a true car-replacing e-bike. For a price of $1,799, you’re getting a heck of a lot of e-bike, not to mention the nationwide support coverage of Rad Power Bikes.
It’s rare to find this kind of innovation in an e-bike, a true ground-up redesign of an e-bike frame to create a totally new type of ride. But Rad Power Bikes absolutely nailed it, and I’m sure it was worth all of that investment to build something truly new and unique.
Okay, that’s enough writing about it. All I want to do now is go back outside and ride some more!
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