RadCity Step-Thru Damaged Rear Wheel

[Kennichiwa]

New guy here, looking for advice.

Have a 2019 RadCity Step-Thu that got lightly broadsided by a truck. Rear wheel sustained the bulk of the mechanical damage.

Axle and rim both bent. Spent some time trying to straighten the axle with a cheater bar without much success... wheel lines up and spins and the bike will do over 20mph with no chain installed but brake rotor wobbles eccentrically and I don't think I’m ever going to get the axle straight enough to trust.
Also, I have another identical undamaged bike in the GF’s garage, the damaged wheel on my bike does not spin as freely as the undamaged one on the GF’s. I haven’t been able to get the rim trued either.

I am a fairly competent mechanic/technician with some long ago experience repairing motors and rebuilding commercial appliances but I have not yet tried to take this motor apart. I’m guessing I need to replace the whole assembly cause I cant imagine it would be easier or cheaper to repair it.

Rad wants more for an OEM replacement than Ebikeling wants for a complete 1500w kit.

It looks like the OEM wheel is heavier-duty than the 26” wheel sets Ebikeling sells and I don’t really want to go with lighter-duty parts even if they do go faster than stock. I weigh about 220lb.

I was hoping to eventually upgrade the controller and battery for a little more power and speed, and the Ebikeling kits include a 30amp controller. I live in a hilly part of Pugetropolis.

Interestingly the published torque ratings for the Ebikeling motors are the same as the stock figures Rad publishes.

I really like this step-thru frame, it’s sturdy and durable.

My question then, I guess, is there another source for an OEM motor and heavy duty wheel beside Rad?

Any other advice or thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks for having me on this forum!

 

[RunForTheHills]

Was the driver of the truck at fault and did he have insurance? If so, his insurance should pay to repair your bike.

 

[Kennichiwa]

If possible, I'd like to focus on how to repair the bike.

 

[markz]

Just buy a ebike kit with motor and a controller.

Reuse your existing battery.

 

[AHicks]

I like the idea that you can kill 2 birds with one stone. Fix the bike and update it at the same time.

I have an '18 Rad City, and after riding it for 6 weeks I decided I didn't like the electronics much at all, so I put an entire 1500w "kit" in it, including a 1500w direct drive rear hub with a user programmable display and 35a controller by KT. The only thiong electrical I kept on the whole bike was the battery, and it's worked out fine. That "kit" literally transformed the bike into something I really enjoyed riding. I rode it like that until not too long ago (1000 miles maybe?).

Eventually I became unhappy with the low speed performance (I'm generally under 15mph), and the long hills where the motor, and I, were both literally out of steam by time we reached the top.

So I wanted to try a gear drive hub, and I liked the bike well enough already where I had no trouble investing in a good one. The bike is now powered by a MAC 12t, and I absolutely love the new found hill climbing ability and low speed performance. Bonus is it is able to do that using very noticeably less battery than the 1500w DD used. Where I was adding power to crest a small rise before, this motor just powers over it. I went from an easy 25 mile range to an easy 35 mile range!

Because the bike already had a 35a controller, the MAC upgrade was a straight bolt in. The only thing I had to do was figure out the phase wiring and add a speed sensor (about 10.00).

My advice would be to be careful selecting a display/controller combo. They can make or break the bike. Kinda like a junk keyboard makes even the nicest computer difficult to use.

 

[Alan B]

You have quite a few choices

Repair the wheel. have a machinist make a new axle. You may need new spokes and a new rim, depending on the damage. It will need to be trued and it may never be as it was unless rim and spokes are changed.

Replace the wheel with a new OEM one, the cost is high but you should not be paying for it.

Find a used wheel from someone who is upgrading theirs with a DIY kit.

Get an aftermarket upgrade kit. The RadPower spokes are too heavy, it is not a well balanced wheel and is not as strong as it could be. A good strong wheel would have 13 gauge spokes and a higher quality rim. You can choose a DD motor or a geared motor.

 

[AngryBob]

Find a bare motor kit that fits your needs. Select suitable rim and spokes and build the wheel yourself. Best of both worlds, not that difficult a job.