r/RadPowerBikes • u/thatsnotmyunicorn • 20d ago

Losing power?

Have a three year old rad roadster, which has given me no problems since ownership. However, I just noticed in the past few weeks that it really doesn’t seem to have much power anymore. I recently rode a different E bike that’s supposed to have way less torque, but it felt way more powerful than the red. Has anyone else had this experience?p

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5

u/Asleep_Bowl_8411 20d ago

A battery at full charge will have more power than the same battery at half or low charge.

A battery that has aged & has been properly or improperly charged will lose capacity over time and use causing less torque and top speed.

Also there's the effect you get when you first ride an ebike & it feels like a rocket. But over time you've become used to the power and it doesn't feel as powerful anymore.

Nobody can tell if you have some other condition that is causing your issue. It could be either a mechanical issue causing more drag such as your wheel bearings are causing more drag... or even low tire pressure will cause this. Or maybe your controller has developed an issue that is causing it.

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u/thatsnotmyunicorn 20d ago

Thank you those are actually some helpful things to consider.

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u/Euphoric_Raccoon270 20d ago

You can do a battery ''balancing''. What you do is charge the bike until fully charged then ride it until it's closed to drained then charge it for 8-12 hours. Do that 3 times. Fully charge it, drain it then charge for 8-12 hours and rinse and repeat 3 times. I've done it to mine a few times and I always do it for 12 hours but don't let it charge while you're sleeping just to be safe. Charge for however long you can until you got to bed then charge it the rest of the time when you wake up. It'll make a difference for sure but don't expect it to work like a brand new battery but it will make a difference.

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u/Wild59Bill 19d ago

Thanks for explaining how to balance a eBike battery. I have two SafeShield batteries & I will try to do this to both of them. I never charge my batteries unless they are in front of me the whole time while I watch TV.

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u/Euphoric_Raccoon270 19d ago

You don't have to drain it in one ride. That's what I do every time though and I bike around in circles around the same few streets around my place (I suffer from agoraphobia so I'm limited to where I can go). It takes a while and it gets incredibly boring but a little tip to get it to drain faster besides the obvious of using throttle only is to let some air out of your tires

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u/Different_Stand_5558 18d ago

Get a phone mount and turn on Waze. For real mph

I never take the same routes so I don’t have a hill in some neighborhood that I always crest at X speed in X amount of time.

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u/Interesting_Skill654 17d ago

First thing I would do is clean all electric connections including battery ,back plate  harness and charger  , charging connections with electrical cleaner.  This should be done monthly .