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!

Days 12 and 13

Went camping and rock climbing this weekend in a car; I was a passenger, not the driver. The trip was 75 miles away, and I’m definitely not “bike” enough to have made the trip on two wheels. I thought of how fun it would have been to approach the Sunset Boulders on the Radish, but the car wasn’t set up to haul bikes, so had to leave it behind. I assure you though, the Radish was there in spirit.

Day 14

You know that old adage that you never forget how to ride a bike once you’ve learned? In my opinion, you may never forget, but you can get rusty. It’s only been a couple of days since I last rode, but after pumping some air into the tires and pedaling into to the street, it took me a minute to adjust back to being on two wheels.

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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!

Days 8-10

My friends and I have taken to using the word “bike” as an adjective to describe extreme bike-like behavior. As in, “That dude’s messenger bag is pretty bike,” or, “Did you see the way she just jumped over that pothole? So bike!”

I am becoming more “bike,” that much I know, but “bike” enough to ride the Radish in the rain? Not so much. Okay, I admit it, I cheated, alright? I cheated on the 30-day challenge just eight days in and got groceries in a car. But no doubt my eggs and paper milk carton lived thanks to the dryness in the trunk of said car.

I know what you’re thinking: the FreeLoaders are water resistant. I only did it the one time, and I walked and BARTed everywhere else during the torrential downpours this week. I’m telling you, I am working on it. I am really trying to become more “bike!”

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!