Anyone with moped style Electric bikes?

[joe189man]

i am trying to find an electric bike that my wife and i can both use, she's ~5'4" and i am 5'11". i have settled on either a moped style or a mini step through model. Anyone try to get a bike to meet the needs of two riders of different heights?

The models i am considering are below;

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radrunner-plus

https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/scorpion-x?variant=39261196353600

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-cargo-bike - i might even float this one by her as it could be a great FIRE bike

If anyone has a recommendation on a bike that can fit the bill for us that would be great. 

[ChpBstrd]

PTF

I have no experience with any of them, but it looks like the question is whether you want an electric bike (the rads) or an electric motorcycle (the juiced).

The Juiced looks more robustly built with the mag rims, dual suspension, massive frame, and 103lb weight, but it has a lower-grade pedaling components such as a Microshift rear derailleur and of course the sensation of pedaling a 103lb bike. In reality, you'd probably use the motor a lot more than the muscle, but you'd also go faster and with more confidence through rough patches of road. It's primarily a motorcycle and might be out of place on a sidewalk. 

The Radrunner weighs 65lbs and the RadWagon 73lbs, which is no joke compared to a typical 33lb bicycle, but it's more like something you'd actually pedal at least half the time. The Shimano components help. Strangely, the cargo capacity of the Radrunner and the RadWagon are higher than the much sturdier Juiced. I suspect you'd ride the Rads in a more leisurely way due to the lack of rear suspension and the tendency to pedal more. 

[Dibbels81]

I have nothing constructional to add, except that I really wish you didn't post these, because now I want to buy one. Cruising down the dirt paths in northern Wisconsin on a 2k Juiced? Sounds heavenly.  My 4 year old Ancheer ebike is reaching the end of it's life, I believe, and I still have a nice Trek Verve. Early early retirement present, perhaps? Looking for justification.

[joe189man]

Put some gravel tires on the verve, might be close

Juiced has a scrambler that i bet you would like more

[seattlecyclone]

I just got a step-on electric scooter and it's super fun to ride around town. No pedaling, but you do have to push off to start it. The one I got can go 20 MPH (on flat/downhill), with an advertised range of 37 miles. Seems like that might be a better fit for differing heights than a bike, if you haven't considered it yet.

[gooki]

The low seating position with high handle bars seems to work when you need to support a variety of rider heights. If all your rides are easily within the electric range of these bikes then any of them should do the trick.

If you expect to exceed their electric range and be pedaling unassisted you'll be going slow. They're heavy. And not being able to get full extension of you legs will limit the amount of human power you can deliver.

FWIW I have a variety of Ebikes and a UBCO. As much as I love pedaling I'm glad the UBCO doesn't have pedals. The seating position is all wrong, it's heavy, and a chain, cassette, and shifters would just be more to maintain.

[405programmer]

I have the OG RadRunner and my wife and I do occasionally ride it out to restaurants and bars for date nights! It was also my primary commuter before Covid. It's a super awesome bike and I think the plus fixes one of the worst parts of 2 passenger riding. When starting on an incline my RadRunner only has a single chain gearing and the motor doesn't have enough instant torque to move 300 pounds. So you have to be able to push off or standup on the pedal to get moving if it's steep enough. I suspect being able to downshift for incline starts would solve that problem!

I really love that it has taken a lot of the the effort out of biking around town. Because I can use mostly battery on the way to a friend's house or restaurant, I'm much more likely to bike. I generally enjoy pedaling more on the way home to make up for the fact I likely skipped the gym after work to get food or drinks ;)

One note, I don't know if my tire pressure gauge is off or if I'm crazy but you definitely need more PSI in that back tire when you're riding 2 on the bike. Otherwise if you only have the recommended 30 pounds you're almost guaranteed a pinch flat after the first bump.

Edit to add: I didn't answer your question about heights! The adjustable seat on the RadRunner works great though I admit, I leave it a little taller when it's just me using the bike. I probably drop the post ~2 inches when the wife rides with me so she can more easily see over my shoulders. That still gives me "good enough" range of motion to pedal. It's the most comfortable for the passenger to drop the post all the way down but that's very uncomfortable to me to actually pedal the bike. Then again, we do use mostly battery power when we ride together. Probably because it's so easy to just twist that throttle! I am 6'0" and DW is 5'8".