Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 Plus Review

While the majority of our review so far focuses more on the biking aspect of the RadExpand 5 Plus, it’s important to remember this bike folds! Folding e-bikes are quite common these days and we have found them to be great options for those on the go, like RVers or even those with limited storage space.

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!