Rad Power RadKick Belt Drive Review

Rad Power makes some pretty impressive electric bikes, many with a particular purpose they cater to, and they've gained a solid following. We've loved their RadWagon cargo bikes, RadExpand foldable bikes, and the utilitarian RadRunner lineup. The RadKick feels less purpose-driven, but sometimes, we can just let a commuter bike be what it is. In that sense, this bike is simple, has a quality feel, and can get you out of traffic while providing some help in the hills.

Performance Comparison

Ride

The RadKick has a simple, city bike style and enjoyable ride quality. The first thing most people notice about the bike is its lack of gears and drivetrain. The bike is also available with a 7-speed drivetrain but this one is the belt-driven single-speed. This can be anxiety-inducing for some, but lacking gears isn't as daunting when you have a motor to help you along. The 250W hub motor (advertised as 500W) provides a bit of a boost that generally negates the need for gears and simplifies the ride. You can take your mind off finding the right gear and focus on the road. 27.5" wheels roll over obstacles easily and provide smoother transit than smaller wheels.

The wheels are clad in 2.25" Ari Sun rubber with reflective sidewalls and an inverted tread pattern. The tires work well on pavement and do a respectable job evacuating water under the contact patch. I found them suitable for all-weather use, and they never felt slick or slippery when wet. You can take the bike off the beaten path, but the tires would rather you stay on firmly packed surfaces. On surfaces that aren't clean pavement, alloy fenders block the debris thrown up by the tires but create a fair bit of noise doing their job; this is unwelcome on the otherwise very quiet belt-driven commuter.

A suspension fork provides 80mm of travel up front and does a respectable job muting cracks in the road and uneven pavement. The rear end of this aluminum-framed commuter is less forgiving and transmits a bit more shock up to the rider's rear end. A lightly padded saddle sits atop an aluminum seatpost, and neither does much to take the edge off the bumps. The bike isn't uncomfortable, but the front and rear end transmit the road to the rider differently. The 90mm stem is adjustable in an arcing motion, meaning more height results in less reach. A 710mm handlebar provides ample width to open up your chest and triangulate your upper body weight behind the suspension fork. The bike feels reasonably sporty, with adequate power transmission and snappy handling.

The 250W motor on the RadKick isn't very powerful feeling. Using the throttle to start from a standstill, the bike gently accelerates on its own power, but the 36V electrical architecture doesn't provide much pep. A rider not accustomed to an electric assist bike might enjoy the subtle nature of its assist; it never feels strong enough to upset your balance. Despite having a small amount of power on tap, the bike still works as a single speed, providing enough assistance that you don't need a cassette and derailleur most of the time.

The RadKick has a 300 lb weight limit but a 275 lb maximum rider weight. The rear rack can hold up to 55 pounds, and there are mounts for a front rack on the bike's headtube. The frame is only available in one size and one (step-through) style. Rad recommends this bike for riders between 5'2" and 6'1", and we'd agree with their recommendation, but if you're toward the end of that spectrum, you might want to measure your inseam. The saddle height (from the ground) varies from 32.5" to 41" at the maximum and minimum insertion of the seat post.

The RadKick can be purchased as a single-speed belt drive or with a 7-speed conventional drivetrain. I chose the single-speed model because most of my friends and co-workers with e-bikes admit to using the throttle more than the shifter and having a low-maintenance drivetrain that never needs adjusting is a cool feature. The belt is also smooth and quiet, giving the bike a more refined feel. Both models come with hydraulic disc brakes that bring you to a halt with minimal effort.

Range

The RadKick uses a fairly small 360Wh battery, so we weren't expecting significant range from the bike. On our test course, using only the bike's throttle, we were able to travel 16.1 miles, which included just under 800 feet of elevation gain.

This test is performed with a 180lb rider in PAS5, using exclusively the throttle and avoiding as many stops as possible. You could certainly ride further with assistance from your legs, and some pedal power would be a welcome relief on the hills the bike struggled with. Notably, the throttle and pedal assist became unavailable when the battery reached a 10% state of charge. You could feel the power come on for a split second before the screen showed “Error 6, Battery Undervoltage Error.”

Power

The RadKick is advertised as having a 500W hub motor but uses the MIVICE M080, which is, in fact, a 250W motor. I reached out to Rad Power about this discrepancy but got no response. We use various tests to assess the power output of the bike and motor. Some of our tests involve riding the bike on a closed course where we can gauge the bike's performance against other bikes that have completed the same testing routine. These are our acceleration and hill climbing tests; we perform these tests with a weight-corrected rider on dry pavement with a fully charged battery. In our acceleration test, we use the throttle to accelerate to the bike's maximum throttle speed of 20 mph on level ground and time the results. The RadKick performed poorly in this test, taking 18 seconds to reach 20mph with our 180lb test rider. This is particularly slow, considering the bike's 55-pound weight. In our hill climbing test, we accelerated to 11.1mph, and the bike slowed to 4.0mph at the steepest section of the course. Compared with other models, the RadKick is underpowered and feels particularly lethargic when the road points upward.

We don't rely exclusively on timed testing and speed data to assess an e-bike's power output. We also use a dynamometer to test exactly how much power and torque gets to the ground, or in this case, the machine's drum. The RadKick generated 589 watts of power and 22.69Nm of torque in our testing. While impressive for its motor size, this is amongst the least powerful of bikes we've tested and notably less than the similarly equipped Ride1Up Roadster V3 that put out 638 watts and 23.5Nm of torque using the same MIVICE motor. This feels even more pronounced as the RadKick is almost 14 pounds heavier.

The RadKick uses a torque sensor and offers five levels of pedal assist. I love that torque sensors are becoming more common on less expensive bikes; they make a big difference in how the bike responds to your input. Riding on level or gently undulating terrain, the power feels proportional to your pedal strokes and gives the bike an intuitive feel with no lingering boost as you stop pedaling. When I encountered steeper terrain, I found myself looking for the next level of assistance, which didn't exist.

Interface

The RadKick uses a simple all-in-one color LCD handlebar-mounted control and display. Sitting next to your left hand, the unit is easy to use and isn't overpopulated with data. Your pedal assist mode (0-5) is highlighted at the bottom of the screen, and your current speed is displayed prominently in the center. The top of the display shows the charge level with a graphic and a numerical percentage. Two buttons on the face of the display control your pedal assist level. Holding the buttons down can turn the headlight on/off and initiate walk mode. An icon also indicates that the bike's lights, which come on automatically at start-up, are shining. The front light produces 50 lumens, which helps you to be seen but is less than ideal for enhancing your view of the road. The tail light is built into the rack and features a brake light. Neither are very bright but sufficiently alert other users to your presence in low light conditions.

With a button on the bottom of the display, you can toggle through the screen functions, accessing an odometer, trip counter, and trip timer to see how long you have been riding. The bike is powered on and off with a button on the top of the display, while the bottom houses a USB-C port that allows you to plug in a phone if you choose to have it mounted on the handlebar.

The bike uses a Safe-Shield battery that fits into a recess on the downtube. The UL-listed battery uses an insulating material that can stop thermal runaway, the technical name for a lithium battery fire. This is a new technology that Rad is using to prevent battery fires and create a safer charging experience. The battery has a button to check its charge when charging off the bike. This handy feature allows you to park your bike wherever you'd like without regard to where an electrical outlet is located.

Assembly

The RadKick arrives in a festive-looking box packed with mostly recyclable packing materials. The assembly was timed in the video below, and there weren't very many steps to get the bike road ready. The front wheel uses a bolt-on axle that should keep it more secure and theft-resistant. The total assembly of the bike took just over 24 minutes. Once complete, we charged the battery, read the safety information, and weighed the bike. The RadKick belt drive weighed 55 pounds and 2 ounces with its battery installed. The weight is reduced by just over 6 pounds with the battery removed; this can be useful when transporting the bike on a bike rack.

Several safety notices attached to the bike provide instructions for safe operation. While some of them are basic, others deal with the care and maintenance of the bike. As with all bikes, you're advised to wear a helmet and operate within the law. This is a Class 2 electric bike, which means it uses a throttle and has a top-assisted speed of 20 mph. According to a notice on the top tube, the RadKick is not to be operated by anyone under 16 years of age.

Should I Buy the Rad Power RadKick?

While we find this bike reasonably priced and fairly well-equipped, the upside of a single-speed bike is its simplicity, and Rad misses the mark on this bike. We appreciate the suspension fork, fenders, lights, and adjustability, but they all cost this bike in the weight department, and that weight compromises the bike's versatility and performance. The geared version of this bike might be a better fit for those who want a RadKick. It uses a 7-speed drivetrain, and Rad's website indicates that it uses a more powerful motor but weighs the same. More power, gears, and an unchanged weight would be enough to convince us it's a better bike, but it also costs $200 less.

What Other E-Bikes Should I Consider?

If you want an electric bike that's actually simple, the Ride1Up Roadster V3 is a well-executed model that weighs significantly less without sacrificing much in terms of comfort. I loved how simple and easy the Roadster was and how I often forgot that it was an e-bike. If you're concerned about the comfort of the Roadster, know that it's capable of running higher-volume tires. If you want something with more utility and convenience, I'd urge you to check out the Lectric XP Step-Thru 3.0. It's a folding bike, but you wouldn't know it based on the power, ride quality, and range.