Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 Plus Review, 2024

When it comes to range, we do our best to put your range anxiety fears to rest the best way we can – by charging the bike up and riding it until it runs dry to give you the actual real-world results you can expect out on the RadExpand 5 Plus. Well, we’ve hit the trails and have the data to share with you.

For the range test, we run it in two sections. First, we charge up the RadExpand 5 Plus to 100% and hit the road in the lowest PAS setting (PAS 1) and see how far it will go, then, we charge it up again and run it until empty on PAS 5, the highest level.

For context, the folks over at Rad Power Bikes say the RadExpand 5 Plus has an estimated range of 20 – 60 miles.

On the first run (PAS1) we managed to ride the bike for a staggering 82.9 miles! To help put that into perspective, that took us 7 hours 18 minutes, averaging 11.4 mph and climbing a total of 1450 ft in elevation. We were really impressed to say the least. That’s more than you typically see on a 720Wh battery, especially on a bike with 4 inch wide tires.

On the second portion of our range test, with a freshly charged battery, we covered nearly 40 miles (39.1) over the course of 2 hours 29 minutes, averaging a speed of 15.7 mph and gained 898 ft in elevation. Again, results that left us surprisingly pleased. It’s notably better than the 33-44 mile result we saw back when we tested the original RadExpand 5 too! Thanks are due there to the larger battery and a torque-sensor’s efficiency.

Overall, the RadExpands 720 Wh battery paired to the new Rad Power 750W motor with a torque sensor, proved to be a solid match, balancing performance with some long-range efficiency.

When it comes to the RadExpand 5 Plus, there is a 750W rear hub motor with a torque sensor and 64 Nm of torque. Typically, for a little rough context, the higher the torque number the better the hill climbing ability. At 64 Newton Meters, it’s not low side, but it also isn’t pushing the upper limits either, it’s kind of a “middle of the road” torque rating. So, as you can guess, I was eager to see how the RadExpand 5 Plus performed in our notorious ‘Hell Hole’ hill test.

On the first run in throttle only, the RadExpand 5 Plus made it up Hell Hole in just 1 minute and 38 seconds with an average speed of 11.1 mph.

On the second run, when putting some leg muscle into the mix along with PAS 5 the RadExpand 5 Plus made it up Hell Hole again, this time in 1 minute 23 seconds with an average speed of 13.1 mph. To put those scores into perspective, this result, when compared to other rear hub 750W motors of similar weight, placed around the middle of the pack.

It’s only fair to point out that while this result was “average”, the 750W rating of this motor does not have any ‘peaking watts’. Many brands give their e-bikes motor the ability to ‘peak’ beyond the motor’s nominal rating to give the bike a little more help when it needs it. By not peaking the motor beyond its 750W rating means the motor isn’t going through any unnecessary stress, and we think this can only mean good things for the RadExpand’s motor longevity.

Overall, these numbers show the 750W motor and 64 Nm of torque were enough to climb even the meanest hills here in Southern Utah. So, if you are looking to use the RadExpand 5 Plus in an area with some tough hills, you can count on the RadExpand 5 Plus to get the job done.

Brake performance is undoubtedly just as (or more) important than speed or range. If a child darts out unexpectedly, or, maybe you just saw bigfoot in the distance and you need to stop and get that viral picture, brakes just matter.

The RadExpand 5 Plus comes equipped with Gemma Hydraulic disc brakes that have a single piston caliper paired to 180mm rotors. This combination of hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors is known industry-wide to yield pretty consistently good results.

In the case of the RadExpand, these brakes did not disappoint. Over the 3 runs, the RadExpand 5 Plus stopped at an average distance of 19’ 6”, a very solid result. When we compare that number to similar bikes with hydraulic disc brakes across multiple classes, it scores well above average.

We appreciated the fact that Rad Power Bikes went with a 2.3mm rotor rather than the more typically seen 1.8mm. That extra .5mm gives the brakes better cooling and ultimately longer life for the rotors.

We always appreciate good brakes on an e-bike, with the extra weight and stopping power needed, it’s an area we are pleased to see perform well. So, with your bigfoot image in hand, you can head off into social media superstardom knowing the brakes on the RadExpand 5 Plus are well…..rad!

The folding of the RadExpand is rather straightforward with just a few latches to take the bike in its current state to a much smaller version. According to Rad Power Bikes, when the RadExpand is in its folded position, its dimensions are 29″H x 25″W x 41″L. In our bike sent to us for testing, I took a rough measurement with a tape measure and it measured as 34”H x 18”W x 36”L. There is no telling what makes for the differences in our measurements, it could be several factors, however, if you’re tight on space and every inch counts, maybe err on the side of the larger dimensions just to be safe.

We did have a bit of a tough time folding ours down. Rad mentioned this was an issue with the preproduction model we were sent for testing, but are confident enough that they worked out the issue that we have a new model being sent to us to verify the issue was fixed. So long as that checks out, the folding process is as easy as any Rad product.

Keep in mind, the RadExpand 5 Plus is still a bike with some weight to it coming in at 73.8 lbs with the battery in it and 63.6 lbs without. So, keep that in mind should you need to lift the bike, even in its folded state, it’s a two-person lift.

Despite being a folding e-bike, I was really pleased with the overall comfort factor of the RadExpand 5 Plus. Between the wide padded seat and the upright riding position, even after hours of pedaling, I felt comfortable every time.

Part of that comfort can be lended to the front Exsho STRONG-C hydraulic suspension fork that has 50 mm of travel. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t think forks do much good on upright riding position bikes as traditionally your body weight is more centered over the seat post which results in not feeling much benefit from the fork. However, Rad Power Bikes proved me wrong despite having an upright riding position, I actually felt the fork to offer practical shock absorption is day-to-day rides which is a welcomed feeling.

The RadExpand only comes in one standard frame size. When it comes to sizing for you, the folks over at Rad Power Bikes say the RadExpand will fit riders between 4’10” and 5’10”. I’m 5’11” and to me, the bike felt comfortable and easy to pedal, so take that for what it’s worth.

The tires are made by CST and they are a 20” x 4” off-road style fat tire. I found the tires at 4 inches to just feel confident on nearly any surface I traveled, be it paved, gravel, dirt or mud. The only trade-off for the confident wide tire is the associated road noise you get when on paved surfaces. But, that’s to be expected from any off-road tire.

Speaking of noise, the RadExpand’s 750W motor is really quiet! Sometimes in the sub-$2k bike market, some motors can be a bit noisier than others, so this was nice to see (or hear?). The torque sensor motor activation on the RadExpand 5 Plus is a welcomed upgrade over the previous years model. Pedaling with assistance feels more natural than a cadence sensor typically does and I found the power distribution to be fairly even across all 5 levels of pedal assist.

One final area to give a nod to Rad Power Bikes is in the safety department. Not only is the RadExpand UL 2271 and 2849 certified, an awesome step in battery and e-bike safety, but they’ve gone a step further with the Smart Shield Battery technology that’s in this latest release from the brand. If you are not familiar, Safe Shield is a battery design where each individual battery cell within the housing is encased in a fire resistant thermal barrier that helps prevent a domino effect, commonly called a “run-off” should one of the cells get too hot. Bottomline, Safe Shield is a method of fire prevention safety measures that already exists in the electric cars on the road today, and now it’s in our e-bikes!

The new 750W motor with torque sensor activation paired to the 720Wh battery left us feeling like Rad Power Bikes gets it. People want an e-bike that is versatile, performs better, is measurably safer, and of that packed into a competitive price, and the RadExpand delivers all of that with this latest RadExpand 5 Plus.

We think people on the go, or those who need to make each and every inch of storage space count, will love the new RadExpand 5 Plus. While the fit of the bike is advertised as for riders between 4’10” and 5’10”, I found it to not only fit well but ride comfortably at my 5’11” height.

The folding mechanism of the RadExpand, while fairly simple in theory, was a bit tight for us due to the factory paint overspray near the hinges, however, we could fold it and unfold it quickly and it never failed.

The range of over 80 miles, great braking and true comfortable rides make it a solid choice for anyone looking for a well-priced, folding e-bike.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the RadExpand 5 Plus down in our comments section.