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RadRover 6 Plus Review

Rad Power RadRover Hi-step
By
Robb Dorr,
Co-founder

45 mi

RANGE

20 mph

TOP SPEED

4 hrs

CHARGE TIME

73.4 lbs

WEIGHT

Rear Hub

MOTOR TYPE

Sponsors keep us charged up

RadRover 6 Plus Review: Takeaway

All in all, the RadRover 6 Plus is a fun beasty e-bike! It rides smoothly, has a ton of power, and even though it is heavy, the motor pushes you along effortlessly. It’s at home on gravel trails as much as in the city cruising over bumpy roads, cracks, and construction.

Rad Power Bikes lists this bike as an adventure bike made for light trail riding, but we love it as a commuter in cities with regular snow and rain. We are going to re-label this as an adventure commuter bike! There ya go Rad Power… we fixed it for ya!

The high-capacity cargo racks, and the wide array of accessories that are available online, make this a great pack mule of a rig. With wide fat tires, 60mm front suspension, and full coverage fenders, the RadRover 6 Plus is a great adventure bike and all-weather commuter.

Ideal for...

Light gravel trail riding
All-weather commuting around the city
Short adventure biking on groomed trails
Around-town grocery shopping

RadRover 6 Plus Overview

Assembly

Assembling the RadRover 6 Plus was easy, even for amateur bike mechanics like us. Rad Power Bikes provides all the necessary tools, including combination wrenches, allen wrenches, and a screwdriver. The only tool we used that wasn’t provided was a pedal wrench with a longer handle for better leverage when tightening the pedals.

Connecting the wires on the Rover is simple. Match the color-coordinated connectors, red to red and green to green. Use the provided notch on each end to align the plugs before snapping them together. It’s important to align the plugs first to avoid bending pins inside the connectors. Overall, Rad Power Bikes has put great thought into its e-bikes and accessories, making the RadRover 6 Plus an impressive and reliable choice.

Frame

The RadRover 6 Plus has a 6061 aluminum alloy frame designed to fit most riders. Rad Power’s website includes an interactive diagram demonstrating how people of different heights can ride this bike comfortably. As a person who is 6’2″, our reviewer found the bike to fit him perfectly.

His wife, who is 5’1″, was also able to ride the RadRover comfortably with the seat dropped all the way down. Although she had to lean forward to reach the handlebars, it was still a comfortable ride. Rad Power Bikes sells a step-thru model of the Rover as well if you may be vertically challenged or have mobility issues and are unable to get your feet over the cross-bar.

Wheels and Suspension

The RadRover 6 Plus comes equipped with 26” alloy wheels covered in Kenda Juggernaut tires that have K-Shield lining to prevent punctures. These tires are 4” wide and have tread on them that makes them perfect for both gravel riding and city streets. The benefit of having fat tires is that you can ride them with lower tire pressure, which improves traction in snow or sand.

This e-bike also comes with fenders that provide full coverage from inclement weather or mud, making it a great commuting e-bike. The rear fender even has a mounted tail light for added safety. Rad Power Bikes’ racks come with the wires necessary to remove the lights (front or rear) and mount them to the rack.

The front fork is an RST spring fork with 60 mm travel which is very important to soften the ride thru the city or on gravel. There’s a handy lockout knob on the right side of the fork, allowing you to dampen the response of the shocks or completely disable them. Using the lockout on big hill climbs is key to getting the most power while pedaling.

Braking

With a naked weight of 73.4 lbs, stopping power is crucial for this rig, and the Rad Power hydraulic brakes with 180mm rotors provide plenty of that. After running three braking tests, the bike was able to stop in under 20 ft of distance from its top speed of 20mph.

The 180mm rotors of the hydraulic brakes on the RadRover 6 Plus
Brake Test #Stopping Distance
Attempt 120.5 ft
Attempt 219.2 ft
Attempt 318.5 ft (some skid)
Reviewer stats: Height: 6’ 2” Weight: 200lbs. Reviewer Name: Robb D.

Battery

A removable 672 Wh battery comes standard on the RadRover, making charging convenient. The battery is removable by inserting the key into the down tube and giving it a quarter turn. The battery pops right out for you to take inside and charge.

You can get a full charge in about 4 hours with the wall-mountable 48V, 2 Amp charger that operates on 100V-240V AC power outlets. We like that you can mount the charger because it allows us to keep things off the ground and provides a nice clean appearance for your charging station, which if you’re anything like us, you can appreciate.

Regarding the range of this e-bike, during testing, we rode for 30 miles and returned home with one-third of the battery left. Rad Power lists the range on the RadRover 6 at 45 miles per full charge, and after doing some rough math, we’d say that checks out. We mixed the use of PAS and throttle while riding and performed about ten different hill climbs, so while this e-bike isn’t the longest-range e-bike on the market, it has enough range to get you where you’re going and back.

Drivetrain & Motor

The RadRover 6 Plus comes with a 42T chainring at the front and a 7-speed 11-34T cassette at the back, giving you a wide range of gears. The Shimano Acera shifter and derailleur make changing gears an effortless task. If you need lighter gearing for uphill climbs, you may want to consider upgrading the drivetrain.

RadRover 6’s drivetrain is powered by Shimano

Rad Power Bikes states that the RadRover 6 is powered by a 750W Brushless rear hub motor, but the actual power-to-ground wattage is under 750W to comply with regulations. The wattage output may vary based on the riding conditions, and it is conveniently displayed on the LCD odometer display while riding.

The pedal assist levels (controlled by an LCD controller) range from 0-5, providing various PAS and gearing options to tackle most terrains. With pedal assist level 1, the e-bike feels like a regular bike, and level 3 offers significant motor assistance, especially when climbing hills. PAS levels 4-5 allow you to climb steep hills while seated in the hardest gear.

If you need a boost, the throttle is always available. It is useful when starting the RadRover 6, and once you start pedaling, you can use only the PAS and gears to maintain a comfortable cadence.

Hill Climb Test

We performed a hill climb test on a nearby hill that was a 1/10 of a mile long with an average grade of 6.5%, and a peak grade of 8.5%. With each pass of the hill climb, we increased the PAS level by one to test how much push we got at each level.

Hill Climb NumberPAS LevelAvg. Speed
106.1 mph
216.4 mph
326.5 mph
437.9 mph
549.8 mph
6512.7 mph
Reviewer stats: Height: 6’ 2” Weight: 200lbs. Reviewer Name: Robb D.

Controller + Display

The controller and display that comes with the RadRover 6 Plus is your control center for your e-bike. The controller allows you to power the rig and set the PAS level. Using the battery meter, you can turn the headlight on and off and monitor the battery’s remaining charge.

The cockpit for the RadRover is well-lit and easy to see, even in bright sunlight.

The backlight LCD display in the center of the handlebar is easily seen in bright sunlight and shows the following details: speedometer, odometer, clock, and motor wattage usage. The wattage usage is handy because you can see how much you demand from the battery at any given time.

Reasons to Buy

Looking for an affordable and reliable all-weather e-bike that can handle any terrain? Look no further than the RadRover 6 Plus. At $1,399, it’s a great option for those in the market for their first e-bike. Plus, Rad Power Bikes offers plenty of modular accessories that fit seamlessly with any bike, taking the stress out of customization.

The rear rack for the RadRover 6 can carry up to 60 lbs.

The RadRover 6 Plus comes equipped with front and rear fenders, lights for visibility and safety, and a suspension to handle rough roads and trails. It even includes a polite bell on the handlebars to signal when passing on the left. With all these features, the RadRover 6 Plus is the perfect all-terrain e-bike for any rider.

Things to Consider

The RadRover 6 Plus is a heavy bike weighing almost 74 lbs with the battery installed. Add on the racks and some cargo, and you’ve got a lot of weight rolling down the road. Don’t let that deter you from considering this as the e-bike for you, though. The 750W motor will move you along just fine.

If lifting the bike is a concern, Rad Power Bikes has included a handle on the back of the seat, making lifting the Rover much easier. We often used it when locking the bike up at the grocery store or grabbing some breakfast at the cafe down the street.

Specs & Components

Battery
589-672 Wh removable battery via lock and key
Charger
48V, 2 Amp Rad Power Bikes smart charger, operates on 100V-240V AC power outlets
Controller
48V, 750W frame-integrated controller
Display
Backlit LCD with charge indicator, speedometer, odometer, trip odometer, pedal assist level, clock, and more
Motor
750W brushless geared rear-hub motor, 5:1 planetary gear reduction
Front Light
Standard Rad Power Bikes LED headlight
Rear Light
Integrated taillight with brake light
Brake Calipers
Rad Power Bikes approved hydraulic brake caliper
Brakes
Rad Power brand hydraulic brakes
Brake Rotors
180 mm front and rear
Chain
KMC Z7
Crankset
42T chainring, 170 mm crank length, dual-sided aluminum chainring guard
Derailleur
Shimano Acera
Cassette
Shimano 11-34T 7-Speed
Shifter
Shimano Acera 7-Speed thumb shifter
Fork
RST spring fork, 60 mm travel with lockout and preload adjustment, 277 mm steerer tube
Frame
6061 aluminum alloy
Handlebar
Aluminum, 700 mm wide, 4" rise
Headset
Semi-integrated, 1-1/8" straight steerer tube
Tires
Kenda Juggernaut 26" x 4", K-Shield puncture-resistant liner

The specs above come from the manufacturer and may vary from what you’ve experienced. Notice something that needs correcting? Let us know.

Ratings

Power
4/5
4

The power rating for the RadRover 6 Plus takes a little ding because of the weight of the e-bike. Because of the bike’s weight, we didn’t notice the PAS helping until we reached level 2 on the flats and level 3 on the hills. That said, we could still climb hills easily at levels 4 and 5. The RadRover 6 Plus has more than enough power to motor you and your gear around the trails.

At the time of riding, our test rider weighed in at 200lbs and had about 5lbs of cargo, which is well under the maximum payload for this e-bike, but remember that the more you weigh and the more cargo you have, the more power you will demand from the system.

Range
2.5/5
2.5

The 750W motor can suck a lot of juice at times, but we rode around for four hours traveling 30 miles and came home with one-third of a battery remaining. That puts the range about 45 miles. We regularly used the throttle and higher PAS levels and even did ten different hill climbs. There’s plenty of juice in the battery to ride all day and not worry about running out.

Comfort
4.5/5
4.5

The RadRover 6 Plus is a very comfortable e-bike. The saddle is cushy and wide. One of the biggest complaints we hear is that their butt hurts after 20-30 minutes on the saddle. That’s not the case here. The trekking riding position puts the rider in a near upright and comfortable position. You feel like you have a high vantage point while riding, letting you see the road ahead better.

This isn’t an aggressive riding bike; you won’t be thrashing the downhill runs or the single tracks. It suits the casual sexy-pace ride with friends vs. attacking the trails. You won’t be throwing this bike around like a mountain bike.

Durability
4.5/5
4.5

This bike screams durable. It’s a beast of a machine with a well-constructed aluminum alloy frame. All of the rack mount points are strong and sturdy. Their weight capacity is a tremendous 90 lbs combined–30 lbs in the front, 60 lbs in the back.

There’s also a derailleur cage and a front chainring guard, which protects from dings, rocks, and other trail obstacles. The RadRover 6 Plus feels like a tank, not some cheaply made dainty e-bike. This thing is built to last!

Style
4/5
4

The RadRover 6 Plus stands out amongst most e-bikes with a sleek black and gray colorway, 4” fat tires, beefy cargo racks, and a tall rider position. It truly has some understated style. While this isn’t the flashiest e-bike on the market, heads will turn when they see this tank roll by.

Our Research Methodology

We personally research and test every e-bike featured in our reviews and guides to provide accurate, data-driven recommendations. Learn how we review.

About Our Editorial Team

robb dorr
Written by Robb Dorr
Co-founder
Robb is a massive cycling enthusiast who has more than 20 years of non-motorized cycling experience. He started eBikes.org to lower the barrier of entry to cycling and reduce the intimidation people can experience when getting into the cycling world.

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