Rad Mission Step Thru Review

eMountain Bikes Rad Power Bikes

The Rad Mission Step Thru is Rad Power Bikes more universal fit electric city cruiser. This Rad step thru lacks in both materials, and mechanical quality. At a quick glance the bike almost looks as though it is not an electric bike. The Mission Step Thru comes in weighing only 48 lbs which is quite light for an ebike. The Rad Mission Step Thru scored a 37 on our Tower ebike score ranking it as a non recommended ebike. Read how this ebike scored in all categories and the full in depth review on the Rad Mission Step Thru below.

DISCLAIMER - Rad Power Bikes and Rad Mission are trademarks of Rad Power Bikes, and use of that trademark in this review does not indicate that the reviewer is claiming any interest in the mark or any affiliation with or sponsorship or endorsement by Rad Power Bikes.

Rad Mission Step Thru

We are going to review and rate the Rad Mission Step Through from Rad Power Bikes. Rad Power Bikes is one of the big names in the electric bike industry that offers various electric bike models. The Rad Mission Step Through is their city style ebike that has a regular look and feel, equipped with electrical assistance.

The Rad Mission Step Through received a low score of 37 for our Tower e-Bike Score of 100-Point Scale, rating it as a non-recommended e-bike. But before we proceed to the review, I wanted to introduce myself first. My name is Stephan Aarstol. I am the CEO of the tower e-bike repair shop here in San Diego.

We review and rate each of the e-bikes that come through our shop. We lend our professional mechanics to rate each e-bike based on seven key attributes, where one is the lowest score, and ten is the highest. Then, we normalize all those scores to get a 100-point Tower e-Bike Score. We do this to provide consumers an insight of the bike’s overall quality and help them decide which e-bike can best suit their needs.

The seven attributes that make up the Tower e-Bike Score of 100-Point Scale are the following:

Materials quality
Mechanical quality
Low maintenance
Hill climbing ability
Range
Comfort
Universality

The Tower e-Bike Score is like the Wine Spectator Score, if you’re familiar with it. We’re giving a single number for each bike so consumers may readily compare the features of different e-bikes, making it easier for them to make an informed purchasing decision.

Now, let’s get on the review of the Rad Mission Step Through e-bike

Rad Mission Materials Quality: 2/10

The first attribute is materials quality. We begin by assessing the quality of the materials since many manufacturers strive to produce bikes at an economical price point by using low-quality parts. Some companies use high-quality parts on the concealed parts of the e-bike, such as the motor and batteries, but will use low-end external components such as the pedals, seat, and grips.

Unfortunately, the Rad Mission is equipped with a cheap seat, grips, and pedals. We see many Rad Mission bikes come through our Repair Shop, and most of the repair they need is replacement for broken parts. Hence, it scored a two for materials quality. Most of the score is because of its stainless steel spokes. However, this e-bike is composed of cheap external components, that’s why it still received a low score of two.

RadMission Mechanical Quality: 3/10

The second attribute we’ll look into is the mechanical quality. Most people overlook this attribute because consumers often focus on checking the e-bike’s battery range, speed and motor capacity. E-bikes, in general, are still bicycles that have gears, chain, and pedals. Depending on the user, they will still be used as a standard bike, even without the electric assistance. As a result, the mechanical quality of the bike is frequently overlooked because the battery range, speed, and motor capacity of an e-bike are generally more important considerations for most buyers.

The Rad Mission Step Through received a low score of 2 out of 10. It has mechanical brakes that frequently squeak, requiring regular adjustments to the brake pads. For long-lasting and self-adjusting brakes, we strongly suggest hydraulic brakes. E-bikes are often used for everyday commuting, which indicates that riders will be covering longer distances. Additionally, if the bike has mechanical brakes, they will wear out much faster.

There is also little fork suspension on the bike. If you go off-road and take it on a trail, you will feel the terrain on the frameless bike. Unlike most Rad Power Bikes, this e-bike is not equipped with fat tires. Therefore, it scored low 3 out of 10 for mechanical quality.

Low Maintenance: 4/10

The third attribute is the maintenance level, which we call low maintenance. The great thing about the Rad Mission Step Through e-bike is that they come equipped with highly flat resistant tires. This is a fantastic feature that Rad Power Bikes provides to its bike models, particularly e-bikes with heavy back hub motors that are difficult to change when they go flat. Flat tires are a common problem for bike owners, and many of them turn to a repair shop for assistance, especially if they don’t know how to fix the tires themselves.

So for Rad Mission, they placed some tire liners and highly flat-resistant Kendall tires on this bike. I believe they thought of the tire design and performed some testing on their products. However, the Rad Mission Step Through still has mechanical brakes. Hence, you’ll be tuning this bike more often, adding to its maintenance level. We give it a 4 out of 10, which is quite low for this attribute.

Rad Mission Hill Climbing Ability: 3/10

The next attribute is hill climbing ability where we focus on the bike’s ability to climb effortlessly. Here, we take a look at the bike’s speed and torque we get from this bike to go uphill. The Rad Mission Step Through is a single speed bike. It doesn’t come with gears. So, even though it has a motor to help with hill climbing, it's still a single-speed bike. As a result, you can’t lower the gear to drive uphill quickly and easily.

It’s going to take a lot of effort to get up a hill using this bike. We tested the Rad Mission Step Through at a big hill nearby our e-Bike Repair Shop here in San Diego and it didn’t perform as outstanding as the other bikes when it comes to hill climbing. Although it has no gears and comes in only one speed option, the Rad Mission Step Through has a 500-watt motor and a 48 volt system, so we gave it some points for that. Overall, we give it a 3 out of 10 for hill climbing ability.

Rad Mission Battery Range: 5/10

The fifth attribute is range, where the Rad Mission Step Through from Rad Power Bikes received a 5 out of 10. It has a 500-watt, 10-amp hour battery, 48 volt system, and Samsung battery cells. One essential factor that we look for range is the brand of the battery cells. We highly recommend looking for branded battery cells such as Panasonic, LG, or Samsung as these are trusted names in the industry that last long. If the company, however, doesn’t indicate the name of the battery cells, then it’s possible that they are using cheap, unbranded Chinese cells that drain fast.

Unbranded battery cells mean frequent charging times and less distances. So, when you shop for e-bikes, check the battery cells and look for branded ones like Samsung, LG or Panasonic. The Rad Mission Step Through have branded cells. Therefore, we give it a 5 out of 10 score for range.

Rad Mission Step Thru Comfort: 3/10

The next attribute we’ll review is comfort. The Rad Mission Step Through scored a 3 out of 10. While it has a pleasant semi-upright position on the seat, it received a low score because it doesn’t have much pedal forward length as the pedals are directly below the seat that makes it feel awkward when riding the bike. The motion of pedaling feels unnatural as the position of the pedal is different from a standard bike's design.

Additionally, the Rad Mission Step Through doesn't have much suspension. We understand that it is a city style bike, so it isn’t designed to go off-road, but it doesn’t have a fork suspension and fat tires. Hence, it received a low score of three.

Rad Mission Step Through Universality: 6/10

The last attribute that we will review is the universality. In this attribute, we look into the bike’s adaptability. We also consider if the bike can fit different sizes, genders, heights, and weight, and if it is enjoyable to ride by any user. For the Rad Mission Step Through, we scored it a 6 out of 10 for universality, mostly thanks to its step-through frame that makes it easy for tall or short riders to get on and off the bike.

Additionally, it offers customization. The handlebars are up-down adjustable, so if you’re tall, you can adjust it to your height. However, because the handlebars cannot be changed back and forth, you cannot adapt it closer to you, decreasing its universality score. But overall, 6 is still a good score for this attribute since the Rad Mission Step Through is versatile enough to fit most riders.

Tower e-Bike Score: 37/100

The Rad Mission Step Through gets a score of 37/100 for our Tower e-Bike Score of 100-Point Scale, which falls into a non-recommended bike rating.

Specialty Score: 34/100

For the Specialty Score, which omits the comfort and universality attributes, the Rad Mission Step Through scored a 34 out of 100. It still scored low even by just rating the materials, mechanical quality, maintenance, hill climbing ability, and range since the foundation of the bike is made of low quality materials.

Rad Mission Weight: 48 Pounds

We also looked at the weight of the Rad Mission Step Through, which is 48 pounds – an excellent weight for a bike. For an e-bike with a hub motor, having a 48-pound weight is light. We believe that any e-bike that weighs under 50 pounds is an ideal weight. Some people put their bikes on the rack, or place it in their storage spaces, so carrying it at 48 pounds is ideal for any user to move it around.

Rad Mission Style

For the bike’s aesthetics, we think it looks great, especially with the step-through frame feature. It looks like a regular bike compared to other e-bikes that have the looks of a motorcycle. If you take off the battery, it will definitely look just like any other regular bike. I found the looks of the Rad Mission Step Through to be pleasant.

Low Proprietary Risk: 0/10

The very last thing that we review on each e-bike is the low proprietary risk. We also give it a one to ten score. This attribute looks into the factor of getting the broken parts of your bike easily, the company’s credibility and customer service, and the bike’s proprietary parts. We noticed that proprietary risk is something most consumers don’t consider in buying a bike. We want to make sure that everyone looks into that brand of the bike. It’s best to check if they have customer service, and if their parts are easy to find.

Here, in the Tower e-Bike Repair Shop, we encounter proprietary risk all the time. For instance, when a customer brings in a bike that needs a new controller, it’s nearly impossible to replace because the company is already out of business. If it’s a proprietary controller, then they need to buy the exact same type of controller from the bike company. It’s really difficult to deal with very proprietary parts, especially if there is no customer service available. As a result, the customer is left with a bike that they can no longer use.

For the Rad Mission Step Through, we scored it a 5 out of 10. We considered if the tires on the Rad Mission are standard sizes because customers must be able to get replacement parts easily from any supplier instead of buying the parts directly from the company. Fortunately, Rad Power Bikes have standard sizes, and the tires are easy to find. They have other bike components which are standard like the Samsung battery cells, but they also have proprietary parts which require you to buy directly from them. However, the company is growing every year, so it may take longer to reach their customer service.

Overall, it got a proprietary risk score of five, which is decent as Rad is a trusted name in the bike industry. Also, finding and repairing parts of bikes from this brand is a breeze as we encounter many Rad bikes here in the Tower e-Bike Repair Shop.

Conclusion

And that concludes our Tower Score review on the Rad Mission Step Through from Rad Power Bikes. Hopefully, this review has helped you get more information about bikes and the Rad Mission Step Through e-bike.

Check out our site for more Tower Scores. We have a growing list of other e-bikes that come through our e-Bike Repair Shop here in San Diego.

Where to buy: RadPowerBikes.com