The Radrunner 3 Plus Is the SUV of E-Bikes

I’d always thought of ebikes as substitutes for normal bicycles—a way to cheat gravity on hills and Mother Nature on windy days. But my mind was changed by the Radrunner 3 Plus from Rad Power Bikes—this cargo bike is versatile enough to replace your car.

The driving force (pun intended) of the RadRunner is that it’s “up for anything.” Stripped down, it’s a commuter bike. Add a basket, it’s a suburban grocery-getter. Slap on a pet carrier for your dog or a rear seat for a passenger and you can share the ride. Add a trailer and you can even take it cross-country. Paved roads are not a problem, and you can take it down dirt tracks and gravel roads too. The RadRunner 3 is like the SUV of ebikes—rugged, sturdy, and down for whatever. Powerful, easy to use, ridiculously customizable, and fun to ride, the RadRunner 3 plus is a best-in-class utility ebike.

Pros and cons of the RadRunner 3 Pro

Pros

Versatile: This bike can handle most uses and terrain types.High weight limit: It can carry 350 pounds.Accessible: The user-friendly design means even first-timers will be riding along in no time.Comfortable: Fat tires, a padded saddle, and front suspension make this a smooth ride.

Cons

Style: It would be nice if it came in more than two colors.Price: The $2,299 price is reasonable for what you get, but it’s still a hefty amount for many.

Specs:

Classification: Class 2Motor: 750W, 5 gearsRange: Up to 45 miles per chargeWeight limit: Can carry up to 350 poundsAssist: 5-levels of magnet-sensing cadence assist with pedals and a throttleBattery: 672 Wh, 14AhDisplay: 2 LED displays: speedometer, odometer, motor watts, trip time, clock.Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotorsFrame geometry: Step-through frameLights: LED brake light, tail light, and headlight.

How does the RadRunner 3 Pro e-bike ride on the street?

I had my RadRunner assembled and set up at one of the company’s retail stores. If there isn’t a location near you, it’s possible to put it together yourself, but the company recommends you take it to a bike shop for assembly, and I totally agree—it’s more complicated than basic bike maintenance, and not the kind of thing you should skimp on.

The RadRunner 3 Pro is a class 2 e-bike. That means it provides motor assistance up to 20mph, and includes the option of using either the pedals or a throttle to engage the 750-watt rear hub motor for assistance. If you’re like me, you’ll choose the throttle most of the time.

If you’re used to riding traditional bikes, the RadRunner 3 can be a little intimidating on your first ride. It looks more like a moped than bicycle. But when you swing yourself through the step-through frame and give it a ride, apprehensions vanish. The smaller wheels, low-slung profile and wide handlebars are reassuring—you don’t feel like you’re teetering on top of something.

The saddle is comfortable enough, but I’m used to more forward bike geometry, so my butt wasn’t happy with the upright posture. That’s entirely rider-dependent, however, and I get that most people don’t like being stretched over the top of their bike.

To put the bike through its paces, I began with the motor off and pedaled it around for bit of old-school, no-assist riding. It works as a unpowered bike surprisingly well, but it’s heavy—over 75 pounds—so my no-assist experiment lasted about a block before I hit the “on” button. Full disclosure: I didn’t turn it off again.

The dual LCD displays are easily readable, and show off your miles per hour, battery strength, a trip counter, and a clock. They also show the level of assist. I set mine to a “1,” and started pedaling.

The motor assistance is controlled by the cadence of your pedaling, and it kicks in with about half a revolution around the cranks. There’s basically no learning curve for the assist. You just pedal and it helps. The pedal assistance is smooth; there’s no sudden, alarming forward movement or torque-y vibe, even when you turn assistance up as high as it goes.

The fatter, softer wheels and heft of the RadRunner mean it’s never going to feel like a lightweight, sleek bike, but it’s surprisingly maneuverable in the streets and on the bike path, even at when it’s maxed out at 20mph. It doesn’t feel kludgy or unresponsive, so even on relatively narrow, mixed use path, you feel in control of your line, and not a danger to others.

It’s maneuverable enough to not feel out of place on a mixed-use bike paths, and did not complain while hauling my ass up some sizable hills with grades of 8%-10%. I didn’t even help; I just turned on the throttle and cruised up, no problem. (Although I think the display read “I think I can, I think I can...”)

On the Mad Max-style streets of North Hollywood, the throttle comes in extremely handy as you can focus entirely on not being hit by cars instead of pedaling. In fact, it’s such an in-control feeling that it made me wonder if I was dangerously over-confident as I zipped through traffic on Lankershim Blvd, but I’m happy to report no accidents after riding it for a few weeks.

The hydraulic disc brakes are super responsive and let you stop fairly quickly, given how much weight is behind your speed, and the RadRunner 3's front fork suspension is excellent at smoothing out bumps without the ride feeling overly soft.

The RadRunner 3's 48V, 14Ah battery is semi-integrated into the bike’s frame. It can be removed with a key, and charges take between 5 and 7 hours. According to the manufacturer, a fully-charged battery can last “up to 45 miles,” but that number depends on how much assist you use, how much weight you’re carrying, hills, and other factors.

How does the RadRunner 3 Pro work off-road?

Any e-bike can ride around on a bike path or a street. The real test of the Radrunner 3 is taking it off-road. While I didn’t try to ride any double black, single-track mountain bike trails, I did take it over sand, dirt tracks, grass, and gravel, going uphill and downhills, and it handled everything I threw at it with with ease.

Given its size and weight, it’s surprising how maneuverable the RadRunner 3 is. The upright posture and wide (710mm) handlebars combined with the bike’s relatively low center of gravity make you feel in control, even when the trail is bumpy and slick.

While riding a RadRunner over a bumpy trail doesn’t feel dangerous, but it isn’t the most comfortable ride—a heavy e-bike isn’t going to feel “flexy” like a full suspension mountain bike—but it’s comfortable enough, thanks to the front suspension and under-inflated, wide tires mitigating the bigger shocks.

One of the key improvements from previous generations of RadRunners is the brakes. The RadRunner 3 features Tektro Hydraulic brakes with 180 mm rotors, and the engine cuts off immediately when the brakes are applied. I tried to make them slip, slamming on both brakes on a sandy trail numerous times, and they just bit in and stopped—impressive, given the momentum.

The RadRunner 3's throttle control made me an instant convert to assisted trail riding. No longer will you have to “pay” for downhill fun with an arduous, granny-gear uphill slog (or, worst of all, carrying your bike uphill). Just twist the throttle and settle in for a quick ascent. The torque with the throttle engages instantly, so even steep hills on a dirt trail are easy, and when deeper sand starts to feel slippy, you can engage the throttle and zip straight through.

Overall, riding the RadRunner off-road reminded me of riding a BMX bike as a kid, so much so that I had to remind myself not to try any wicked jumps lest my old bones crack on the landing. In other words, it’s just really fun, like dirt-in-your-teeth-from-smiling levels of enjoyability.

What accessories are available for a RadRunner 3 Pro?

One of the selling points of RadPower bikes in general is the number and variety of accessories available for them. It’s a lot, but I rode mine “naked,” and it didn’t feel like it was missing anything. That said, here are some options.

Storage and transport: There are options for storage everywhere, from a basket on the handlebars, to a locking central storage unit, to a full-on trailer.Safety: I highly recommend a mirror and a lock.Seating: I didn’t try out the passenger seats on the RadRunner because I find the idea of double riding terrifying, but if you’re braver than I am, you can attach one, with or without a bar to hold onto.Upgrades: I found the placement of the seams on the RadRunner’s faux-leather grips to be irritating to my hands after a lot of riding. I wish I had swapped them out with an upgraded grip.