The RadExpand 5 Plus e-bike is one of the latest in the Rad lineup and while you might have seen many compliments from affiliated reviewers, we feel that giving you the dealbreakers would be ideal.
These here are the reasons you might consider to avoid the RadExpand 5 Plus e-bike:
This E-bike Isn’t Ideal For Carrying Passengers
The weight limit for the rear rack of the RadExpand 5 Plus e-bike is just 59 lbs.
As such, it would be daunting to carry a passenger; otherwise, you risk overloading this e-bike.
Just so you know, only riders weighing below 225 lbs can ride this e-bike.
You can confidently say that this isn’t the perfect e-bike for heavy riders who wish to carry considerable amounts of cargo on the rear rack.
You may read more about our article on the Radwagon 5 Cargo E-bike and see if there are reasons to avoid it. That has a higher payload than this one.
This Folding E-bike Is Heavy
Other than convenience in storage, we feel that folding electric bikes should be light for portability purposes.
Including the battery, the RadExpand 5 Plus folding electric bike weighs 72.5 lbs which is by all measures of standards not portable.
Depending on your size and intolerance to weights, you might find it hard to lift the Radwagon 5 e-bike onto a car rack alone.
Again, if you stay upstairs and have to take your e-bike with you, the extra weight can be a significant hindrance to taking it there alone.
RadExpand 5 Plus Is A Class 2 E-bike
If speed thrills you, you might have to avoid the RadExpand 5 Plus electric bike since it has a maximum speed of 20 Miles per Hour. It’s great to mention that the class of the ebike is switchable from 1 to 2 and vice versa.
Depending on the rider’s weight, riding conditions, and the condition of this ride, you might not even hit that 20 MPH unless riding downhill.
This is to let you know that this isn’t the perfect ride for riders who prefer Class 3 e-bikes reaching maximum speeds of 28 MPH.
It’s also worth mentioning that this electric bike has a 350W nominal motor power and produces just 64Nm of torque.
With such components, it would be best to know that this isn’t a powerful hill-climbing ride, which might be a deal breaker for you.
The Headlight Isn’t As Bright
While Rad Power made it their mission to include 200-lumen headlights for their Rad lineup, this headlight is unfortunately not bright enough for night riders.
As many mentioned on social, the Rad Premium Headlight which is 500 lumens also isn’t worth it.
How about the stock 200-lumen headlight that is just 200 lumen? If you are a night rider, we find that you will have to spend some extra bucks as part of upgrading the RadExpand 5 Plus to get a brighter headlight elsewhere.
The Bike Is Available In Only 2 Colors
This might be a minor reason to some, but unfortunately, some of us like unique stuff.
The RadExpand 5 Plus comes in just Slate Blue and Stone Tan hues, but we find these two colors too common to like.
Since many enthusiasts report loving black frames and many others, it would be best if Rad Bikes considered more color configurations in their catalog.
Would you forego your favorite color on ebike if it measured up to the task? We would be happy to know.