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!

Day 19

Today seemed like the perfect day to boulder with a couple of friends on a 30-foot hunk of rhyolite in the Berkeley Hills, also known as Indian Rock. I-Rock is about 2.5 miles uphill from where I live, and thus, “totally bikeable.” However the temperature on this day turned out to be 80 degrees by 11:00 a.m.

I’m going to admit something; please don’t judge. I staked out my proposed route in a car first. Then I decided not to bike it.

But here is my reasoning. Bouldering is a passion of mine, and it’s not often that I get to boulder outdoors with friends in the middle of a perfect day. In 80-degree weather, I couldn’t afford to be zapped of all my energy from biking before ever reaching the rock. It wouldn’t be safe for either activity.

And so, Indian Rock will have to wait for cooler weather before it gets to meet the Radish. It’s okay for the Radish to have high standards.

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 3

Didn’t ride the Radish today.

Day 4

Rode the Radish to the gym again. The ride down was nothing to write home about, but the ride back was kind of hellatious. Maybe it was the 30 minutes I spent on the elliptical after bouldering for an hour, and maybe it was the gale force winds I was pedaling into on the way back uphill, but my legs were jelly. Almost toast.

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.