Rad Power RadWagon 4 Analysis: Replacing Your Vehicle with a Sustainable Commuter Bike

Quick Links

• RadWagon 4 Design and Build Quality
• RadWagon 4 Cargo & Passengers
• RadWagon 4 Performance, Speed, and Range
• Should You Buy the Rad Power RadWagon 4?

Key Takeaways

• The RadWagon 4 is an electric cargo bike designed for hauling cargo and passengers, making it suitable for replacing a car for daily errands.
• The bike has a sturdy build quality and a low center of gravity, ensuring a stable and secure ride.
• With its powerful motor and good-range battery, the RadWagon 4 offers plenty of carrying capacity and is easy to customize with accessories for added convenience.

As the “War on Cars “ heats up, more people are turning to electric bikes. However, to truly replace a car, an e-bike needs to be able to haul cargo and passengers. That’s what the Rad Power RadWagon 4 attempts to do.

Like many people, I live in an area that’s pretty close to a city but not at all walkable. Almost everywhere I need to go in my daily life requires getting into my car. Taking my son to school, picking up groceries, going out to dinner, hanging out with friends, doctor visits, etc. And I’ve become increasingly annoyed at how cumbersome it is to get anywhere in a car. Not to mention, I’m pumping more fumes into the environment with every Target run.

The problem is most e-bikes are only good for one person and some light cargo. If you really want to replace your car for taking kids to school and running errands, you need something bigger. Rad Power wants the RadWagon 4 to be that bike. The product page boldly claims: “The minivan has met its match.” Let’s find out if that’s true.

Rad Power Bikes RadWagon 4

9/ 10

The RadWagon 4 is an cargo e-bike perfect for picking up groceries or taking the kids to school. It has a low center of gravity for a stable ride and is built like a tank.

Battery

672 Wh

Weight

76.7 lbs (with battery)

Maximum Speed

20 MPH

Brake Style

Tektro Aries mechanical disc brakes

Frame Material

6061 aluminum

Suspension

No

Motor (W)

750 W

Range

“24-45+”

Electronic Power Assist

5 levels of pedal assist

Charging

48V, 2 Amp

Rider Height

5’1” - 6’4”

Tires

22” x 3”

Gearing

Shimano Tourney 7-speed

Sensor

12 magnet cadence sensor

Walk Mode

Yes

Rear Rack

Integrated, 120 lb capacity

Lights

Yes

Dimensions

78.7” total length, 53.76” wheelbase

Pros

• Super solid and sturdy build quality
• Lots of carrying capacity for people and cargo
• Powerful motor and good range battery
• Easy to add accessories

Cons

• No suspension
• Kickstand rattles when driving

Expand

Rad Power

RadWagon 4 Design and Build Quality

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

The first thing I noticed about the RadWagon 4 is how sturdy it feels. The frame is thick, and there are plenty of support bars all over the body. This thing is a tank. The build quality made me feel immediately comfortable about having my 5-year-old ride on the back.

I happened to like the industrial vibes of the RadWagon 4’s design. Even without touching the bike, you can tell it’s super solid just by looking at it. The RadWagon 4 comes in three colors: orange, white, and black. Listen, if you want a bike that grabs attention and gets comments from onlookers, go for the orange. The shape alone stands out, but adding the vibrant orange makes people really take notice.

Speaking of the shape, as you’ve probably noticed, the RadWagon 4 is not a typical bike. The technical term for this style is a “longtail” bike, which just means it has two wheels and a longer rear. The distance between the tires on the RadWagon is 53.76 inches, whereas, on a regular bike, it would likely be between 39 and 43 inches.

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

The RadWagon 4 doesn’t have typical tires, either. Rad Power has equipped the bike with custom 22-inch tires that are 3 inches wide. The smaller tires help keep the center of gravity and the overall length of the bike down, but it’s still about 10 to 12 inches longer than a regular bike. I didn’t notice the extra length when driving around, but I definitely did when parking it at public bike racks and putting it in the back of my truck—which made the 77-pound weight very apparent .

The frame is designed to fit people from 5’1” to 6’4”. I’m 6’4”, so I obviously found the bike very easy to get on, but the 24-inch standover height should be low enough for most people. Once you step over, the telescoping seatpost allows even giants like myself to find a comfortable sitting height. The handlebars can also very easily be adjusted with a single lever, which I never want to live without again.

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Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

The stock seat on the RadWagon 4 was okay, but I wanted to replace it with the seat on my regular bike. Unfortunately, I discovered that the telescoping design makes the seat post tube narrower at the seat, so it’s not easily swappable with other bike seats.

The other thing I don’t love about the frame—and this is the biggest negative for the RadWagon—is the lack of suspension. The 3-inch wide tires help cushion some of the impact, but it’s very noticeable that there’s no suspension anywhere on this bike. You can feel it as the pedaler and maybe even more so as a passenger on the back.

One small gripe is the kickstand when folded up. Whenever you hit a bump, the kickstand swings down a bit and audibly rattles. I’d like it to be more securely in place (a problem that people with 3D printers have solved ). All in all, this is a beast of a bike. I’m very impressed with Rad Power’s build quality and design.

RadWagon 4 Cargo & Passengers

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

Let’s talk about what this bike is really designed for—haulin’. The entire bike’s max carrying capacity is 350 pounds, and the rear deck alone is rated for 120 pounds. Rad Power offers a number of accessories that will help you take advantage of those limits.

For carrying cargo, there are several baskets and racks to choose from, which can be securely mounted to the frame on either the front or back. That’s one of my favorite things about the RadWagon 4—all the mounting holes that can be used for accessories make the bike feel modular.

For passengers, there are seat cushions for the rear deck, deck boards and pegs for their feet, and a secondary handlebar that can be added on. You can also mount child seats to the frame, and Rad Power even sells a “Caboose” that wraps around the rear deck for more hand-holds.

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

For most of the 50+ miles I put on the RadWagon, I had a passenger on the back with me. Usually, that was my 5-year-old, which the bike barely noticed. The bike is definitely more wobbly with a full-grown adult on the back—no surprise with the 120-pound rear deck capacity—but it worked surprisingly well. Just be extra, extra careful if you do this.

Hauling cargo is a piece of cake compared to hauling people. As mentioned, there are mounting points all over the bike. You can trick out the RadWagon with baskets and bags galore if you really want to be able to carry a lot of stuff. Plus, Rad Power offers a full-on trailer for even more cargo capacity.

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Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

I knocked the kickstand for being a little wobbly when driving, but it’s extremely stable when folded down and holding the bike up. A stable stand is absolutely necessary when you’re loading up the bike with groceries or a passenger is getting on the back—especially if that passenger is a small child who is too excited to wait for you to be ready. The RadWagon’s kickstand passed with flying colors in this regard.

Everything I said earlier about this bike feeling like a beast is especially evident when it comes to cargo and passengers. I never felt like I was carrying more than the bike could handle—even with two full-grown adults. Rad Power talks about the RadWagon in the same vein as a minivan, but it actually feels more like an SUV.

RadWagon 4 Performance, Speed, and Range

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Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

The RadWagon 4 is classified as a “Class 2” electric bike . This means it has a throttle, pedal assist, and a max speed of 20MPH. You can cruise without pedaling or get some help when you are pedaling. It’s your choice. You’re more than welcome to pedal faster than 20 MPH manually, but the motor will not go beyond that limit.

If you’ve never used a bike with pedal assist, it’s basically like having super strength. When you start pedaling, the motor kicks in to help, and it stops when you stop. There are five levels of pedal assist, controlled by buttons on the left handle. Level five will get you up to that 20MPH top speed very quickly, while level one still requires a good amount of effort on your part. Level three was a sweet spot for me. I felt like I was still really pedaling, but it required very little effort. Level four and five are super helpful when going up hills and carrying a lot of weight.

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Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

Pedal Assist controls / Shifter and Throttle

The throttle is on the right handle—activated by twisting down—and I found it particularly useful for getting started from a dead stop (especially when crossing roads). Using the throttle will drain the battery quicker than pedal assist, though, so I used it sparingly. Sometimes, you just don’t want to pedal. It’s nice to have that option.

Speaking of battery , the RadWagon has a 672Wh battery powering the 750W direct drive hub motor. The motor had no trouble helping me up some pretty steep hills, even with another adult on the back. Of course, the more weight you carry, the more you’re taxing the battery.

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

Rad Power says the RadWagon 4’s range is between 24 and 45 miles, but there are a ton of variables at play. In my testing, I was able to get around 25 miles on a charge. That was almost exclusively with someone else on the back and using level three or four of pedal assist. I could easily see myself getting close to the 45-mile rating if I was riding alone, just running daily errands.

All of this information—pedal assist level, battery level, distance, and speed—is easily glanceable on an LCD mounted on the handlebars. It’s big and was easy to read in direct sunlight. As an added bonus, you can use the display’s USB port to charge a phone or other device while driving.

It should also be mentioned that you really don’t want to drive the RadWagon without some help from the motor. I ran out of juice once when I was testing how long the battery would last, and it’s significantly more difficult without any assistance. As mentioned, this is a heavy bike. Don’t get stranded without a charge.

Should You Buy the Rad Power RadWagon 4?

Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

One thing I haven’t talked about yet is pricing. Electric bikes are not cheap, and electric cargo bikes tend to be even more expensive. The full price of the RadWagon 4 is $1,999, but it regularly drops below that. Back in August, it was on sale for $1,799, and it will occasionally go as low as $1,499. That’s an excellent price if you can snag it.

I’m not about to tell you that dropping over $1K on a bike is no big deal, but I think it’s important to put it into context. While you can certainly use it for leisure—it is very fun to drive—the RadWagon 4 is a utility bike. You’re most likely buying it to replace some of the trips you make with your car. In the long run, you can make up for the cost by saving gas and general wear and tear on your vehicle.

Of course, the utility of a bike like the RadWagon 4 depends on where you live. A lot of the places I regularly visit live in a sort of “purgatory” zone. It would take too long to walk, but they’re also too far away for a comfortable bike ride—I don’t want to be sweaty and out of breath when I arrive. The RadWagon 4 perfectly solves both of those problems, and I found myself hopping on the bike more than I thought I would.

The RadWagon 4 is not perfect, but when most of the competition costs the same, and up to three times more , my small gripes get even smaller. If you’re interested in trying to drive your vehicle less, this is a reliable and enjoyable way to do it. I didn’t want to say it, but I have to admit, the Rad Power RadWagon 4 is indeed rad.

Rad Power Bikes RadWagon 4

9/ 10

The RadWagon 4 is an cargo e-bike perfect for picking up groceries or taking the kids to school. It has a low center of gravity for a stable ride and is built like a tank.

Rad Power