Every Day Adventurers

Jessy Clonts, our neighbor in the Bay Area, test rode a Radish for 30-days this spring. This is a journal about her expectations, experiences and feedback. Enjoy!

Week 1 Recap

I have to admit I was more than a little intimidated. There are people in my life that are bike-centric to the core, but I feel like an outsider in the movement. As I took the Radish for a test spin I worried about my turn radius; could I cut sharp corners if I needed to? Could I brake hard and fast? What if I needed to bail off the bike? In the midst of my concerns, I had somehow turned into some sort of danger-wielding stunt master. But once I rode it around a parking lot a couple of times, I realized it actually handled better than my “regular” bike. And I couldn’t wait to load it up with stuff.

For the inaugural trip out, I loaded the FreeLoader saddlebags with my heavy backpack, climbing gear, a change of clothing, and a water bottle. I put my U-lock in the handy hidden pocket and off I rode to the gym. In the first mile down the bicycle boulevard I got nods and smiles from nearly everyone I passed. Was that normal? Having rocked a rusted vintage Specialized for the last year, I felt like a million bucks on my shiny new Radish.

Nearly every day that I have ridden this Xtracycle, I’ve met someone new. I love the attention it gets! Not only am I becoming more confident in my riding, I really feel like I’m becoming a bike convert. And in the process, I might be making converts of others as well. It’s so much less difficult than I thought.

In seven days I’ve logged four trips to the gym, two to the library, one to downtown Oakland, multiple through downtown Berkeley, one to Mike’s Bikes, and one BART misadventure. The misadventure involved trying to fit a very long Radish into a very small elevator, which required much maneuvering through heaving bouts of laughter.

My friends are intrigued by the Radish as well, and they’ve all wanted a ride on the Snap Deck. Four of us jetted to an empty parking lot one day where we took turns giving each other rides. One of the guys managed to give both 115-pound girls a tandem ride on the deck; the triumph of the evening. Next up: Deck Surfing.

Everyone seems to have ideas for things I could peddle from the Radish (No pun intended. Okay, okay, pun intended.). So far we have popsicles, kettle corn, sushi, organic vegetables, and snow cones. Grandma pointed out I could get hauled in by the Health Dept., so I’m not going to try it. But it would be fun.

What will this bike get me into next?

Jessy Clonts, our neighbor in the Bay Area, test rode a Radish for 30-days this spring. This is a journal about her expectations, experiences and feedback. Enjoy!

Day 7

Trips to the bank, Mike’s Bikes, and the library had me sweating in the sun. Since the Radish is over a foot longer than a standard bike, I couldn’t lock it on the main bike rack at the library, as it jutted just a little too far out into the street.

Everyone must have had the same idea as I did to go read books today, because all of the bike racks were completely loaded. Since I had to lock the Radish by itself onto a sign post, I was xtra glad the Free Loaders have a hidden pouch so I could hide my brand new tire pump without having to worry about it getting stolen.

In this 75-degree weather, today would have been a helluva a day for the B3 Blender!

Jessy Clonts, our neighbor in the Bay Area, test rode a Radish for 30-days this spring. This is a journal about her expectations, experiences and feedback. Enjoy!

Day 6

After a long Saturday night, another trip to the gym took a lot of will power to hop on the bike and not beg a ride from a friend. Of course, once I was pedaling downhill in the beautiful 75-degree weather, I was more than glad to be on wheels.

More friends wanted more rides on the SnapDeck and I happily obliged. This Xtracycle really breeds community (or slackerism). I love it!

Jessy Clonts, our neighbor in the Bay Area, test rode a Radish for 30-days this spring. This is a journal about her expectations, experiences and feedback. Enjoy!

Day 5

I channeled Bill Withers and was ready to ride on this Lovely Day. A friend and I rolled to The Trappist in downtown Oakland, a pub that specializes in ridiculously expensive artisan-made beer.

It was way warmer than anticipated and I was truly grateful to have a place to store my jacket and scarf. My afternoon buddy also shed her extra layers into the FreeLoaders.

After a glass of Trappist ale and some hand-cut noodles at a Chinatown noodle shop, we smartly decided to take BART back to Berkeley. Carrying the Radish down the three flights of stairs fully loaded with clothing and purses was an interesting endeavor. While the front end was light as a feather, the back end was…Not. Light. At. All. And as tempted as I was to grab the back end by the Snap Deck, I knew it had the potential to pop off. So I decided to roll, or rather bump, the back wheels down the stairs while lifting the front end. Flights one and two went somewhat smoothly. By flight three, I made a new friend in a woman who helped lift the back end for me. Thanks, lady!

On the BART, I met a woman named Angel who complimented the Radish. This led to a bike conversation for champions for the rest of the seven-minute ride. It ended with an exchange of phone numbers for future bike talk.

Considering the struggle to get the Radish down to the platform, I decided to take the elevator back to street level. It seems the BART engineers didn’t account for long sports utility bikes when designing the elevators, for it took some severe front wheel manipulation to load the Radish. While it was pretty hilarious, I deemed the Radish a little BART un-friendly.

Jessy Clonts, our neighbor in the Bay Area, test rode a Radish for 30-days this spring. This is a journal about her expectations, experiences and feedback. Enjoy!

Day 2

I rode the Radish to my trainer’s studio for a kettlebell session, and when he opened the gate to greet me, he chuckled.

“What’s that?”

“It’s my new Cadillac! Isn’t it great?”

His wife stopped by to say hello and noticed the Radish parked out front.

“This is what I need for grocery shopping,” she said as she sized it up.

“That’s exactly what you can use it for!” In just two days, I have become Xtracycle’s newest Roots Radical.

We discussed how she is currently shopping for groceries, by slinging the bags on her handlebars. Her front tire gets wobbly, she can’t turn very well. Very unsafe.

I explained how the Radish handles (so smooth), how easy it is to turn (so easy), and how much it costs (so totally worth it).

I told her how I’ve used it so far and how I plan to use it in the future, and she was visibly excited. She wants one.

“I can really see this being a revolutionary urban bike,” she decided. I concur!

Later at the downtown Berkeley library bike racks, I pulled up next to a woman unhitching a bike that was longer than mine by a good twelve inches. She had a trailercycle attachment on her standard bike for her four year old daughter.

“Now that’s what I want,” she said wearily as I locked up.

Eager for more Xtracycle talk, I told her how much I’ve loved it in the two days I’ve been on it.

“I highly recommend it. It’s just so easy!” I said, as she struggled to maneuver out of a tight clearance area.

She explained that she had checked it out before at a Solano bike shop, but the Radish is just too expensive for her. My inner Xtracycle saleswoman kicked in.

“Oh, well you know they also have the Free Radical kit for your standard bike. It’s significantly less expensive.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. Thanks! I might have to check that out.”

In my Xtracycle conversion, I’m also trying to create other converts. And it feels good.