Unfiltered Interviews: RadWagon Owners’ First-Hand Accounts

Interview with Rob A.

Rob purchased the RadWagon in April 2021. Two kids under four years old.

Tyler: Let’s start with some background. Was the RadWagon your first e-bike?

Rob: Yes, this was our first e-bike. With Rad Power being in Ballard, near us. It was nice to go test drive it. That was definitely a major part of our decision. Being able to touch and feel it was really nice because the decision to buy an e-bike was kind of scary, dropping all this money on something we hadn’t experienced before. But we had ridden a friend’s RadWagon and they had recommended it to us, so that helped

Tyler: Do you own any traditional bicycles?

Rob: Oh, yeah, we’re a big bike family. We’ve always been big bike commuters, also mountain biking, road riding, all that. So in fact, part of me found it a little tough buy an e-bike, thinking this is such a compromise of using my own body to power the bike. But the first time I rode on the RadWagon, especially with the kids on back, it was a no brainer at that point.

Tyler: What was your selection criteria when deciding which e-bike to buy?

Rob: I think given that it was our first e-bike, we were price conscious. We didn’t want to spend too much money on something that we weren’t sure we were going to use all the time. We also wanted something we could touch and feel before buying. So that was another big plus to Rad, since they have a shop so close to us. I know a lot of brands you have to order them online and there’s just the risk there of not liking it. So we wanted to be able to touch and feel the bike before we bought it. We wanted the RadWagon because we’ve got two kids. Getting both kids on the bike and being able to carry both of them at the same time was very important to us. So those were the main three things we considered…price, taking a test ride, and fitting two kids.

Tyler: Was the main purpose of this e-bike to take the kids to daycare or were you planning to use it for other things as well?

Rob: Well, the funny story of this was we bought the RadWagon and I was thinking, okay, my wife can ride the Rad Wagon with the kids on it and I’ll just ride my road bike. It took about one or two rides to realize that that was much harder to do. So literally the next weekend we went back to Rad and bought a RadCity for me. So now we have the wagon and the city for our family rides. Anytime we’re out and about on the bikes now, we’re both on e-bikes and I don’t try and keep up on my road bike anymore. The sales person at Rad was like, you have no idea how often this happens.

Tyler: Haha, I can imagine that happens a lot. So do both you and your wife ride the Rad Wagon?

Rob: Yeah. It was a little intimidating at first with both kids on it. You know, we’re loading up literally the two most important things in our lives on this bike and we want to make sure it’s sturdy and stable, but we felt really secure with it. It feels big and that it can handle two kids on it, no problem. Which has been really nice and it’s perfect for daycare drop offs.

We also really enjoy it just for that time between dinnertime and bedtime when everyone is a little antsy. Just get on the bike and go somewhere like the park or the lake or just going on a ride for 30 minutes to go get a treat somewhere. It’s just perfect for that use case. Everyone is happier once we’re on the bikes. We just love it.

Tyler: Sounds like you didn’t really look at any other e-bikes or did you?

Rob: We’ve had it for a couple of years now and at the time in the price point we were looking, I don’t even know if we had another option. A lot of the other higher end e-bikes started at $3k or $4k, so the RadWagon being below $2k was definitely a sales point for us.

I think in hindsight, knowing now how much we love using it, I wish we would have probably paid a little more and bought a nicer e-bike with one of the Bosch motors, maybe a little bit more battery power, maybe a little nicer components. We obviously love the RadWagon. It’s been a perfect bike for where we’re at. But now, seeing how much we use it, it might have been nice to have dropped a little more money and gotten a slightly nicer e-bike. I think the selection has gotten a lot better out there. There’s just a lot more options now because e-bikes have gotten so popular.

Tyler: What would you change about your the RadWagon to make it better? It sounds like it’s a perfect entry level family e-bike, but how would you improve it?

Rob: I think everything’s just fine. It’s just, you know, this is probably coming from my traditional biking background where there’s always bigger and better and nicer and faster. You can end up spending $15,000 on a nice road bike, and to what end? I don’t know. But, the RadWagon feels perfect. We’ve put almost 1,500 miles on it and it still feels great. The motor feels great, the battery life still feels great. We replaced the brakes, we put on slightly higher quality ones, which wasn’t terribly expensive to do and well worth it. Other than the new brakes, the bike is still in great shape. I don’t have any maintenance concerns about it right now.

It’s nice to have a shop nearby that’s willing to work on them. I don’t think a lot of bike shops like keeping the RadWagon in their shop very long because it’s a big school bus of a bike. But if you can find a local shop willing to work on them, it’s nice to be able to drop it in every couple of hundred miles for some quick maintenance.

Tyler: How do you feel riding the RadWagon around the city? One concern I have with this type of e-bike is that it’s long and big. Does it feel too big to you or is it okay?

Rob: So we’ve done some pretty long rides on it where we’ve taken the kids all the way to Seattle Center on the bike and it’s felt fine. I don’t love riding on the busier streets. It’s just that I have my kids on a bike and I don’t want to get hit by somebody not paying attention. But I feel like the bike size is bulkier but to some extent that’s an advantage. You are more visible.

You can go 40 miles pretty easily without having to worry about the battery running out with two kids on it and going up hills. It’s great for just getting out for adventures downtown, going to parks that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to walk to without having to drive. The day care drop off is a no brainer.

I’m sure you get this too, but the number of times I parked the bike at a playground, and I’ll have two or three sets of parents come up to me and be like, Oh, we’ve been thinking about getting one of these. It’s just a natural conversation to have about the joy of why we love riding it and how much fun it’s brought to our family. It’s just such a guaranteed way to get everybody in a good mood and you can’t ask for more than that when you’ve got young kids who can be a little surly after a long day of school or whatever. It’s really nice to have a guaranteed way to get the moods improved with some fresh air. The kids love the bike, sitting on the back singing and yelling and being outside. It’s a fun thing for the whole family.

Tyler: That’s great. Last question for you. Any regrets with your purchase?

Rob: If I had known how much my kids would absolutely love being on the e-bike, than maybe I should have gotten an e-bike with a Bosch motor or higher end components, like hydraulic brakes versus the mechanical brakes. But I have no regrets buying the Rad. I would do it again. We recommend it to people who are looking to dip their toes in the e-bike water. It’s a great starting place. Even though we are looking at getting a nicer e-bike now, the Rad’s been perfectly serviceable and everything we wanted it to be.

We’ve even had some friends who aren’t big cyclists and they bought a RadWagon and have gotten so much joy out of it.

Tyler: That’s great to hear. Thanks for chatting with me today!

Interview with Karen

Karen purchased the RadWagon in June 2021. Three kids under six years old.

Tyler: Let’s start with some basic background. What’s your experience level with traditional bicycles as well as with e-bikes?

Karen: So I grew up just biking for fun with my family and when we’d go on vacations, but I didn’t really bike again until probably college. Post college I got a road bike and I was doing some biking, but the roads were still pretty intimidating to me because I wouldn’t say the city was super bike friendly at that point. I’m not a novice biker, but I’m not a big biker by any means. The RadWagon was our first e-bike purchase and I felt really good with that purchase. Even though I’m not a biker, it felt like I was safe riding it

Tyler: Were you using your road bike to commute or only for weekend rides?

Karen: No, my commute was in another city, but I would ride it to meet friends, but I never felt very comfortable or safe biking. So the e-bike was the first one where it was going to be used instead of a car. It’s become our second vehicle.

Tyler: Let’s talk about your purchase of the RadWagon. What type of e-bike were you looking for, did you have any constraints?

Karen: My hope with purchasing it was that it would be an experience for my family. We test rode the RadWagon and I got a lot of joy from riding it. I wanted it to be a way for me to commute with the kids to and from activities, school, or just summer outings and not have to do the hustle and bustle of getting everything in the car, everybody in their car seats, having to deal with parking. This was a way for us to just hop on the bike and it’s something the kids were excited about and willing to do. The hope was that I would take some of the stress away from our commutes and it did. It’s also something that my husband and I use on date nights. I ride on the back and my husband rides the bike, it has been such a blast that it can be a vehicle truly for our whole family.

Tyler: Did you consider any other style of e-bike other than the rear bench seat style?

Karen: We just wanted something that could carry multiple people. RadWagon was the most readily available and most affordable. It felt like if it wasn’t something that we really loved, we could resell and get a decent amount of our money back.

Tyler: What do you do when you’re going out on a family trip. Does you husband also have an e-bike?

Karen: Yes, we got another e-bike. We got the RadRunner. Before we bought it, the family outings were enjoyable for one of us and miserable for the other that had to ride a regular bike. Eventually, my husband borrowed a buddy’s e-bike and my husband said that he literally didn’t stop smiling the whole time. After that, we were sold and bought a second one.

Tyler: Once you ride an e-bike you just want to keep on going! What have you liked most about the RadWagon in particular?

Karen: I like that it’s not too heavy because where we store it, I actually have to get it up and down some stairs. It also doesn’t take up that much space. I really like how steady I feel while riding it. To me, it feels like I’m on a normal bike, but then all of a sudden, there’s three kids behind me.

Tyler: Was there a learning curve for riding it?

Karen: I pretty quickly felt comfortable on it. I went by myself a couple of times and then with the kids. But, it’s like riding a bike. Once you figure out where your weight needs to be distributed it was easy.

Tyler: Is there anything you’d change about the RadWagon?

Karen: No, not really. I wish it came with their rain cover that covers the back. For where I live it’s essential and would have been nice to have it part of the bike purchase. You know, there’s that canopy.

Tyler: Did you have any issues with the recall last year that affected some of the RadWagon wheels?

Karen: No, it didn’t affect our model

Tyler: That’s good. Any issues with the e-bike?

Karen: I do feel like we have to get our brakes tightened a lot. Maybe this is normal, I’m not a bike person, but if we haven’t ridden it for a while when we take it out the brakes need to be tightened.

Tyler: Yeah, that’s kind of an every six months sort of thing. Especially with big temperature swings with the seasons you’ll need to tighten the cables up. Last question for you, any regrets with your purchase?

Karen: No, I don’t have any regrets. I still am on a buyer’s high two years later. I still have such a blast riding it and our kids still enjoy it. Even our six year old still likes being on it.

Tyler: Actually, about that. You mentioned you fit three kids on there. How well do they fit? How much longer do you think all three will fit?

Karen: Depends more on the body size and less on the age, but currently my six, four and two year old can all sit on the back and probably next year we’ll by next year our oldest will want to start riding on her own. So she can bike next to us. But I guess even as the kids age, I still have a younger one who’s going to be on it. And then if not, then that can just be a space where we carry cargo or an adult.

Tyler: Last question for you, do you recommend RadWagon to your friends?

Karen: Yeah, I do. And I have many people who have bought it after I recommended it to them. At the price point, the convenience of it, and the customer service, it’s been great. I think Rad in general has been really, really helpful, especially for us who don’t know much about bikes. They’ve been really easy to work with.

Tyler: Thanks for speaking with me!

Interview with Rob B.

Rob purchased the RadWagon in February 2022. Has an eight year old and a two year old.

Tyler: Let’s start with some background. Rob, what’s your experience level with biking in general and then when it comes to e-bikes have you owned any before the RadWagon?

Rob: Yeah, I like to bike commute. That is something I’ve been doing since high school pretty much consistently, well at least like 50% of the time. I’ve also done a few long haul self-supported bike rides. Like one 700 miles from Eugene to Glacier National Park when I was 25. But most recently, I was trying to combine my commute to my job with the need to pick up and drop off my kids at school. I have an eight year old and a two year old. To answer your last question, I have not had an e-bike before.

Tyler: When you were looking at the RadWagon, what was your selection criteria? Were you considering any other e-bikes or traditional bikes?

Rob: Hmm. Let me think. Well, I’d been looking at e-bikes for a while because there was a coworker of mine who had a Rad. I forget which model, but it was the fat tire style. It looked super fast and super fun. After seeing that I wanted to get an e-bike. Also there’s one other coworker that’s a pretty hardcore biker and she had recently bought a Tern e-bike. She uses her e-bike for everything because she doesn’t have a car. She takes it on the train and all over the place.

The Tern was out of my price range and I wasn’t sure if I’d use it enough to make it a good investment for me. I kind of wanted to start with something a little more reasonable and just see how it would work for me.

I did not consider a wagon style bike without an electric motor because I didn’t foresee myself pulling a 60 pound eight year old and a 30 pound two and a half year old just on my pure strength.

Tyler: Completely agree on the challenge of carrying kids without electricity. I’m impressed with my brother who touts around two kids on a non-electric Yuba. But he lives somewhere that is flat… which certainly helps. What you’ve liked the most about the RadWagon?

Rob: It was perfect for what I wanted it for. I could go to school and then on the way to work I could go as fast as I wanted. I could do the highest assist and I would still make it home at the end of the day in one charge. My commute is about 15 miles roundtrip.

It’s fun to ride. I felt (probably like many e-bike riders do) a little awkward passing all kinds of people on traditional bikes in the bike lane. That had previously been me.

I thought the RadWagon was a great value and I was surprised by that. I thought I’d ride for my commute, but it turned out that I rode it even more often than just my commute. Lots of car trips, like taking the kids to the pool, turned into e-bike rides.

It also has good power for the hills. It can get the three of us up a steep hill nearby our house. It’s not the steepest hill in Seattle, but it’s pretty significant.

It had a lot of accessories, which was great. Also, a few times I had to carry lumber on it and I could stack a bunch of two by fours in it and ride around no problem.

Tyler: That’s great to hear. You mentioned to me a few months ago that the RadWagon was stollen, which is super shitty. Are you looking to get another RadWagon or are you considering other e-bikes?

Rob: Yeah, I’ve considered a lot. At first I was going to get exactly the same thing. I would have gotten it the very next day, but they were having the issue with the recalled tires. My RadWagon had actually had the issue too. The very first day I purchased it the tire popped. When I got it fixed it popped right outside the shop. So they gave me a new complete wheel, which was great and I never had any issues.

But anyway, my RadWagon was stolen right around when the recall was starting in September. At first they told me they’d be selling them again in December. I kept going in and asking them, and they then said the first of the year. Finally, you know, now they’re selling them for late March delivery.

Since it took so long to be able to pin one down I have started to consider other options. I wound up writing my old bike for quite a bit of time and then I used my car a lot during the Winter. I’m kind of thinking that maybe I don’t need an e-bike with a big bench seat on the back because my eight year old is getting a little too big for it. We have handlebars for the bench seat and my oldest looks a little funny on it. She’s a little too big for it, but it still works.

One of the things I’m really interested in is just converting one of my current bikes. So maybe buying a hub and then converting one of my bikes for the fun could be a good idea.

Tyler: Was there anything you would change about the RadWagon?

Rob: You know, not really. I haven’t ridden that many other e-bikes so I don’t have a lot to compare it to. But it was a really great e-bike. One thing that was different from my other bikes was that the suspension was a little loud. It would make a loud squeak when I went over speed bumps, but it didn’t really bother me.

Handling it was totally different than what I was used to because of the bigger tires and stuff. But I was really happy with it.

Tyler: How long did it take you to get used to different way it handled?

Rob: I got used to it in a week, probably.

Tyler: Nice. Well, it sounds like you don’t have any regrets with your purchase. Last questions, do you recommend the RadWagon to friends or family?

Rob: Oh, yeah, for sure. Definitely. I think it’s a great way of replacing a car. It did exactly that for our family. Their shop was also a mile from my work so it was easy to test ride. But yeah, I definitely recommend the RadWagon to friends.

Tyler: Great. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today!