Flywheel | May 29, 2022

Featuring the top 5 used vehicles of the week and exploring the Rad Power vehicle lineup.

Hey!

Welcome to Flywheel, a weekly exploration of the used side of owned micromobility. Each newsletter will highlight five of the most interesting used vehicles being sold in the market followed by an observation of trends emerging in the industry.

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This week’s features are an ebike-emoped hybrid, a premium folding bike, a fat-tire two-seater, a budget commuter, and a BMX-style cruiser. The observation of the week explores the performance of Rad Power’s vehicle lineup in the used micromobility market.

Top 5 Vehicles of the Week

The Juiced HyperScorpion is the best vehicle in the emerging genre of class-3 ebike-emoped hybrids. Featuring a 1000W motor, a 1000Wh battery pack, and an 8-speed transmission, the HyperScorpion has a higher performing powertrain than most ebikes on the market and gives riders a max speed of 31.5mph and 70 miles of range. Its dual suspension and grippy fat tires also make the vehicle a lot smoother to handle than its 102lb weight may suggest. The HyperScorpion has a number of features that show that Juiced has designed this vehicle to be a true car replacement and not just any other ebike. Its turn signals, mirrors, bright headlights, and frame size gives riders an amazing amount of awareness and safety features. Combined with the fact that a 28mph top speed (in the HyperScorpion’s road-legal class 3 mode) is more than fast enough to keep up with traffic on most urban streets, the HyperScorpion has a commanding presence that cars tend to respect more and give more space to. This listing only has 120 miles of usage and comes with a passenger seat and pegs. Listing can be found here.

The GoCycle GX is a premium folding class-2 ebike. A lot of the GX’s innovation is in its packaging and frame design. GoCycle designed the GX to be extremely quick, easy, and convenient to fold. Both wheels are just supported one one side, and there is a magnesium concealment that hides and seals the drivetrain. When folded, these features not only significantly reduce the weight and size of the vehicle, but also make it easy to roll the bike around and make sure none of the components snag or get caught. The vehicle’s powertrain features a 500W front hub motor, a 300Wh battery pack, and a custom hydraulic rear suspension. Unlike most folding bikes, the GX also uses a torque sensor instead of a cadence sensor that makes the pedal assist much smoother. While the GX is more expensive than a lot of other folding ebikes, its premium componentry and frame design make it an elegant commuter vehicle with a rideability comparable to non-folding ebikes. This listing has less than 50 miles of usage and comes with proof of ownership. Listing can be found here.

The Joulvert Playa Voyager is a class-3 fat-tire ebike designed for couples. For riders looking to ride with a second adult passenger, options tend to be limited to cargo bikes retrofitted with passenger seats. The Playa Voyager, with a 325lb cargo capacity, is designed to be a more nimble alternative and is the only fat-tire ebike designed for two adult passengers. Featuring a powertrain with a 750W rear-hub motor and a 375Wh battery pack, high-grip fat-tires, and front suspension, the Playa Voyager is a very sturdy and smooth commuter with a relatively small frame that is easier to handle than the average cargo bike. However, there’s no rear suspension, which could make rides a bit uncomfortable for the rear passenger. This listing has been posted on both the SF and Seattle Craigslist pages, so hopefully this just means that the seller is willing to deliver to either location and not that the listing is a scam. Listing can be found here.

The Propella SS is a high-quality budget class-1 commuter. Featuring a 250W motor with a 250Wh battery pack, the SS’s powertrain is modest but more than sufficient for commutes with mostly flat routes with intermittent, medium-sized hills. Given the low price point, the SS does use a cadence sensor for its pedal assist which makes it a bit harder to get up to speed. However, once the bike is moving, its light frame and smooth single-speed transmission make it easy to maintain speed. Compared to other ~$1K budget ebikes, the SS uses a lot of high-quality components and has a much more elegant and sleek design. But for riders able to pay a touch more, the SS has a sister vehicle with an upgraded 7-speed transmission that drastically improves the rideability. Listing can be found here.

The Zooz Urban Ultralight 750 is a class-2 BMX-style cruiser. The design of the Zooz UU750 draws inspiration from BMX bikes. From the clean steel tubing to the battery neatly integrated into the seat (a design feature I particularly appreciate), the UU750 is extremely minimal and sleek. Its long banana seat is not only comfortable but is also large enough to seat a second passenger for shorter rides. The UU750 is engineered to marry the sporty feel of a BMX bike with the functionality of a city cruiser. Featuring a 750W rear-hub motor, 816Wh battery pack, and hydraulic brakes, the UU750 has a very torquey powertrain that provides 20-30 miles of range even with heavy throttle usage. This listing was bought a year ago and has ~300 miles of usage. Listing can be found here.

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Observation of the Week

What are Rad Power’s most popular models?

Inspired by Prince Harry’s recent outing on a Rad Power RadCity, this week’s observation of the week explores the Rad Power vehicle lineup.

Below is a breakdown of the number of listings and the number of listings sold for the seven different Rad Power models that have been posted on Craigslist this year across major US markets.

Number of Listings:

Number of Listings Sold:

It seems like Prince Harry is onto something, as the RadCity is Rad Power’s most listed and most sold vehicle in the used micromobility market. This makes sense given that the RadCity is marketed by Rad Power as its “all-around” ebike; it has decent cargo capacity while still having a comfortable frame for commuting, all at an affordable ~$1600 price point.

On average, a Rad Power ebike sells for ~22% less than its original MSRP.

That’s it for this week. Thanks again for joining, see you next Sunday!

- Puneeth Meruva

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