Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 Electric Bike Review – 2024

Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 Review: Intro

Folding e-bikes hold enormous promise for people who want to go places without their car. Whether the trip is to work, the store or a kids’ volleyball game, with gas prices eclipsing $4/gal. in most parts of the country, an e-bike is looking like an ever more attractive investment. A good folding e-bike won’t just be easy to put away, it will be quick, maneuverable, comfortable and give riders a way to carry some groceries and/or a laptop and work essentials. In our Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 review we will take a look inside this folder from one of the most popular maker’s of e-bikes here in the U.S.

For potential buyers who have worried about how to keep their e-bike protected after arriving at work or don’t have an abundance of room to store an e-bike once home, a folding e-bike addresses both storage and security by making the e-bike small enough to store in a closet.

When we consider the features that make for a great folding e-bike, we find each of them in the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5: a powerful brushless hub motor, a drivetrain with a minimum of seven gears, disc brakes, a rear rack, fenders and lights. That’s the starting point. Let’s take a look at what sets the RadExpand 5 apart.

E-Bike Category: Folding e-bike

Who The Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 Electric Bike Is For:

The Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 is perfect for anyone who needs an e-bike that can carry more than just a rider and is easy to store.

Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 E-Bike Specs

• Battery: 672Wh
• Expected Range: up to 45 mi.
• Charger: 48V, 2 Amp Rad Power Bikes smart charger, operates on 100V-240V AC power outlets
• Motor: 750W brushless geared hub motor
• Pedal Assist: 0-4, Low-Profile Cadence-Sensing Pedal Assist
• Throttle: Half-Grip Twist Throttle
• Display: LED display with Charge indicator, pedal assist level / error display, headlight/taillight indicator and more
• Headlight: Rad Power Bikes branded standard LED
• Taillight: Integrated taillight with brake light indicator functionality
• Frame: 6061 aluminum
• Fork: Steel
• Fenders: Full coverage front and rear fenders
• Kickstand: Side-mounted, adjustable lean angle
• Handlebars: Alloy, 27″ wide, 6.9″ rise
• Grips: Ergonomically designed, made of soft yet durable rubber
• Drivetrain: 7-Speed MicroShift
• Brakes: Mechanical disc brakes paired with 180mm rotors
• Pedals: Platform, composite with reflectors
• Saddle: Comfort saddle with lifting handle
• Tires: CST BFT 20 x 4.0-in., e-bike rated with puncture-resistant liner and reflective strip

In-Depth Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 Review

Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 Review: Comfort, Handling, and Ride Qualities

The Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 rates high on rider comfort and ease-of-use. As a folding bike, it is easy to store because it takes mere seconds to fold up, and once folded features a design that allows it to sit up right, taking less room for storage and making it easier to pick up and move.

Many folding e-bikes make the most of the advantages of a folding design to give riders a step-thru design that results in a low standover height. With the RadExpand 5, standover is 16 in., low enough to be convenient for people with flexibility issues.

With its 20-in. wheels and 4-in.-wide tires, the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 rolls easily and gives riders a great blend of comfort and traction, making for a very secure ride. The 20-in. wheels lend a nimble feel on the road, making it easy to avoid riders, strollers, pedestrians and dogs.

Thanks to the hi-rise bar, the RadExpand 5 features a reasonably upright position for rider comfort. Unlike some of the folders we’ve seen, the RadExpand 5 went with a steel fork, rather than a suspension fork. This sharpens the e-bike’s handling a bit and helps to keep the suggested retail on this e-bike well below $2000.

Ergonomic grips increase a rider’s comfort over regular round grips and lend a more secure feeling.

Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 Review: Motor, Battery, and Drivetrain Performance

Rad Power Bikes spec’d a 750W brushless, geared hub motor for RadExpand 5. They selected a 672Wh battery to make sure it had adequate range. Our colleagues found that the RadExpand was almost dead-on Rad Power Bikes’ estimated range of 45 mi. in PAS 1; it covered 44 mi. However, in PAS 4, it surprised with a very solid 33 mi. instead of the 25 mi. projected.

When our colleagues at Electric Bike Report tested the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5, they found that the four-level controller gave a noticeable boost in PAS 1, propelling their rider to an average of 15.2 mph. Each step gave a noticeable boost save between PAS 3 and 4 because PAS 3 resulted in an average of 19.5 mph; that didn’t leave much room for improvement for this Class 2 e-bike, which is why PAS 4 gave an average speed of 19.8 mph.

Riding at an average speed of 20 mph isn’t easy with Class 1 and 2 e-bikes. Reaching 20 mph and having the motor cut off is annoying, so many riders end up choosing to ride closer to 19 mph just to avoid having the motor shut off.

The Microshift name isn’t as well known or respected as Shimano’s, but Microshift has been making drivetrain components for a number of years and doing a good job of it. The 7-speed drivetrain shifts well and gave Rad Power Bikes a way to keep the spend as affordable as possible. Many of the parts are compatible with Shimano parts, so should someone need to replace a part, they are unlikely to run into any issues.

Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 Review: Braking, Safety, Customer Service & Warranty

As much as we like to say that hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm are our preferred brake setup for an e-bike, that preference supposes wheels that are 26 in. in diameter, or larger. With 20-in.-diameter wheels, hydraulic disc brakes aren’t nearly so necessary because the smaller a wheel’s diameter, the easier it is to stop. We commonly see e-bikes with 20-in. wheels and mechanical hydraulic brakes grabbing 160mm rotors; Rad Power Bikes chose to go with 180mm rotors, uppling the stopping power slightly. The levers come with electronic cutoff switches so there’s never any fighting the motor when it’s time to stop.

Our first concern in rider safety is whether the rider can control the e-bike adequately. The first factor here is the e-bike’s size and the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 was built with a reasonably short seat tube, so the saddle can be lowered more than with most e-bikes. Rad Power Bikes claims that riders a diminutive as 4 feet 10 inches can ride the RadExpand 5, but we caution smaller riders to look carefully at its sizing. The reach is nearly 2 ft. (23.5 in.) which can be quite the stretch for someone in the neighborhood of 5 feet.

Wider tires can be ridden at lower pressures, making them more resistant to punctures and the CST tires spec’d also include a puncture-resistant belt, making them well-suited to the needs of the daily commuter.

Rad Power Bikes covers all their e-bikes with a one-year warranty. This is fairly typical of the consumer-direct e-bike brands, though less than what we see with the big legacy brands.

Reviews of the RadExpand 5 on Rad Power Bikes’ site are mostly terrific, but among the 1-Star reviews are some complaints of poor customer service and long wait times before getting problems resolved.

Rad Power Bikes Rad Expand 5 Review: Recommendation/Final Verdict

Not long ago the idea of buying a folding e-bike was a pipe dream. As was buying an e-bike that cost less than $2000. So buying a folding e-bike for well under $2000 represents a serious degree of growth in the e-bike market. Add to that the fact that the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 comes with fat tires, a 7-speed drivetrain, disc brakes, full fenders, a rear rack and front and rear lights, and we have a very full-featured e-bike that’s easy to store.

Sure this is an e-bike that’s very easy to store, but it’s not only good for people who are short on storage space. It’s ideal for anyone commuting, running errands, going to campus or enjoying a pleasant ride in their neighborhood.

For riders planning to commute to work or school and/or run errands, Rad Power Bikes offers more than three dozen different accessories for the Rad Expand 5 including baskets bags, panniers—even pet carriers. They offer a broad enough array of add-ons that buyers will find it easy to customize their e-bike to their needs.

There are features on the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 that could be improved, sure. However, with such an affordable price tag, any change to its spec would result in an increase in price.

The folding e-bike segment is super competitive these days and the RadExpand 5 is definitely one of the e-bikes to consider for anyone in the market.

Thank you for reading through our review of the Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5. Still have further questions? Wondering how it compares to a similar bike? Leave us a question in the comments below and the team at BestElectricBikes.com will answer!