Bike Review - The Rad City Step-thru Electric Bike

Yes, I got an ebike.

No, I didn’t get rid of any other bikes.

Yes, I still ride my non-electric bike.

No, it’s not cheating.

Let me back up a little bit and explain. I didn’t intend to get an ebike. I was contacted by the good folks at Rad Power Bikes in January, as Kailey and I were gearing up to go to Washington DC for the National Bike Summit. With a bold statement that “We design and build electric bikes that are built for everything, and priced for everyone” I was excited to partner with this company.

As a frequent bike commuter in Seattle, I’ve looked with envy as increasing crowds of folks joined bike commuting with a Rad Bike and was excited to ride a Rad bike for the time we were in DC. When our travel plans got cancelled thanks to COVID-19, we kept up communication and they generously shipped a bike to my house!

I’ve had my ebike for three weeks and to say I love it is an understatement. I’m honestly super impressed with so many things about it - the setup, customer support, and thoughtful details on the bike.

Prior to the bike arriving, the team at Rad sends you a number of emails, which serve to a) get you really excited about your new bike b)educate you on what to expect and c)obsessive tracking on the FedEx website.

As a disclaimer, I have some mechanical experience, so putting together the bike was pretty simple It comes nearly fully installed, only requiring mounting the handlebars, front wheel, light and fender. They kindly send you a cute little toolkit as well, with just about everything you need to put it together (except a torque & pedal wrench.)

In less than an hour after unboxing, I was ready to take it on my first test ride. (Quick note: Rad encourages you to have a professional mechanic inspect your bike before riding - I had a friend help me check it out who worked as a shop mechanic for many years.)

To be fair, this bike isn’t a replacement for my current Surly. I’ve found myself riding it for errands - I no longer feel daunted by trips up to Phinney Ridge or across town to the Central District. These are all routes I would do on my non-electric bike, but it’d be a sweaty, kind of hard ride and to be honest, I’d usually opt for my car. Since getting this bike though, it really has become a car replacement. I still ride my regular bike for fun, exercise, and when I want to go on a really long ride.

In short - different bikes, different purposes.

I quickly realized I needed a front basket and ordered the large basket and platform from Rad. One thing in life I don’t love is details - confirming compatibility with eyelets, disc brakes, all that jazz. Rad has made it super easy and painless and manufactured nearly all of their accessories to fit all of their bikes. They clearly state on their website which accessories work with which bikes and installation is pretty painless as well.

I’m really excited to continue to put this bike through the paces and see what its really capable of. I’m looking forward to commuting to work on it once we’re allowed back in the office. I think this bike will enable me to commute by bike more and enjoy the process again.

If you’re on the fence about getting an electric bike, I seriously recommend testing them out. There are all sorts of models out there and price points ranging from $1200 to much higher, and hopefully they’ll continue to contribute a more sustainable future for all.

Social Distance Bike ride through my favorite road, Interlaken Drive

Join us for a Body Size Inclusivity Online Workshop!

Update: One more session added for our friends in other time zones!! Details at the bottom!

Mark your calendars and please join us for a 1-hour online workshop “Fat Bikers: Creating a Size Inclusive Bike Community” offered on 04/21 at 7pm PST and 04/29 at 4 pm PST via Zoom. This is the same talk we were planning to give at the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC (but are now doing online #stayhomestayhealthy)

In this workshop Kailey Kornhauser and I will discuss  body size diversity in cycling and how we can all play a role in making our spaces more size inclusive.

Attendees will be challenged to explore their own relationship to their own body (regardless of size) and movement, and critically examine how traditional cultural narratives in the American cycling world are often exclusionary to people in larger bodies. Together we will explore our experiences through personal reflection and conversation about best practices for creating size inclusivity.

This session will also include real-world advice about equipment considerations for fat people when biking, gear recommendations, and fun stories about adventure cycling mishaps from the facilitators. Finally, the workshop will close with a discussion about existing size inclusive groups and ways in which we can develop a similar sense of allyship and community in cycling.

Zoom Meeting for 04/21 at 7pm PST

Zoom Meeting Link for 4/29 at 4pm PST

Password for both: fatbiker

GoToWebinar Link for 4/30 9am Pacific

Upcoming Speaking Gigs!

That’s right! You can come see me live and in person! Kailey and I are taking our show on the road to the East Coast for three speaking engagements in the next few weeks! Here’s where you can catch us. No guarantees we’ll be in crop tops…but we’ll see.

Bicycling for Everybody: A Facilitated Discussion on Size Inclusivity

Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Washington, DC, March 14th, 7:30pm

The workshop will be held at Highline RxR (2010 Crystal Dr. Arlington, VA 22202) from 7:30PM to 9:30PM on Saturday, March 14th. Highline RxR is a short (.03 miles) walk from the Crystal City Metro Station, there is limited bike parking directly in front of Highline RxR and along Crystal Drive, and there is car parking along Crystal Drive and nearby streets. This event is taking place on Piscataway land.  Register here.

Fat Bikers: Creating Space for Body Size Diversity in our Bike Communities

2020 National Bike Summit, Arlington Virginia, March 15, 3:45pm Register Here

The average clothing size of a woman in the US is now between a 16 and 18, and men average close to 200lbs. But do our bike clubs, transportation systems, and cycling communities reflect our size diverse populations? Fat cyclists Marley and Kailey ride bikes for transportation, adventure, and fun. And they're determined to get more fat people riding bikes too.Join Kailey and Marley for this workshop session on body size diversity in cycling and how we can all play a role in making our spaces more size inclusive.Attendees will be challenged to explore their own relationship to their body (regardless of size) and movement, and critically discuss how traditional cultural narratives in the American cycling world are often exclusionary to people in larger bodies. Together we will explore our experiences through guided writing, facilitated discussions, and a conversation about best practices for creating size inclusive bike communities.This session will also include real-world advice about equipment considerations for fat people when biking, gear recommendations, and fun stories about adventure cycling mishaps from the facilitators. Finally, the workshop will close with a discussion about existing size inclusive groups and the creation of an action plan to create size inclusivity in our own communities.*Important note: This session is not just for people in larger bodies. This is about connecting people with their body, and empathizing with people in different bodies as they share a common love of riding a bike. A big part of this work is done by people in thin bodies who create space for body size diversity.

We Bike NYC Workshop - Fat Bikers

We Bike NY, Transportation Alternatives, March 19, 7pm New York , Register Here

Join WE Bike NYC for a FREE all-gender workshop on body size diversity in cycling led by fat cyclists Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky

p.s. We’ll also be hanging out in NYC and DC for a few days and are always up for cute hangs, good food, and fun bike rides!

p.p.s We’re also partnering up with Rad Power Bikes while we’re in DC who’s giving us Rad City Bikes to ride while we’re in town. Check out our (Marley and Kailey) for all the action!

Let's Talk Bike Etiquette

Riding bikes as a kid was pretty simple in my suburban neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. We rode whatever bike we had: a loose troop of 2nd-6th graders riding to and from school together,  racing up and down our street most nights and weekends, and keeping each other safe-ish by yelling "CAR!" at the top of our lungs as soon as one came near. Etiquette meant helping each other up when you fell down, sharing your bike pump, and inviting the new kid to join in the fun. 

Somewhere along the way though, things got a bit more complicated. Riding a bike in a city with lots of other folks requires compromises, unwritten behavior contracts, and a certain etiquette. As we head into "fair weather season", as one person put it on Twitter, when the "newbs come out not knowing what they're doing", I think it's a really good time to talk about bike riding etiquette.

I know, as people on bikes, we like to think we're immune to impacting anybody. "I'm not causing a traffic jam, I'm on a bike." "I'm a zero-emission vehicle." "One less car" etc. But in reality, unless you're riding in a really rural place, you do have an impact on other folks. And there's some small actions you can take while on your bike ride to ensure everybody has a safe and pleasant journey.

Look at all those patient folks, sharing a bike lane.

To be honest, I've been writing this post in my head for a while now, mostly on my morning commutes while adding up how many times I get passed way too closely in the Westlake bike lane. I've taken my experience, combined it with some crowd-sourced advice from Twitter and am proud to present to you Basic Bike Etiquette...or How Not to be an Asshole on a Bike. 

• Make yourself known, especially when passing. This can be a bell or a verbally, but silent passing isn't cool. It's downright dangerous.

• Slow down, especially on shared multi-use trails during commuting hours. Commutes are not the time to go for that Strava record or KOM. This might be an unpopular opinion, but do your fast training rides outside of popular commute times. If you're going over 15mph on the Westlake path or the Burke Gilman, you might want to re-evaluate why you're riding so fast on those paths. There are pedestrians, kids, dogs, and people of all speeds and abilities. Slow down.

• Pass at a smart time. Narrow spots on a trail, going around a blind curve, on the Fremont bridge, etc? All stupid places to pass. Slow your roll and wait a minute.

• Don't pass at a light. Queue up just like you would in any other line, and when everybody starts moving, take the opportunity to pass. I don't care if you think you're faster than the person at the front of the line, don't do it. (I learned that there's a term for this, called Shoaling. I'm not going to use that, because we don't need another exclusionary bike word. But here's an article BikeSnob wrote about it. I'm not the only one with strong feelings about it.)

• Get fenders. It rains here and riding behind somebody without fenders is pretty miserable. There are affordable options for fenders at Recycled Cycles, the Bikery and other shops, or get crafty and make your own.

• Turn off the blinking lights. I've written about this before. They're illegal in Washington, they can induce seizures in folks with sensitivities, and they don't make you any easier to see. Turn your lights onto steady and everyone wins.

• Turn down your music. I get it, you love your bluetooth speaker and think we all will too. We don't. (There's an exception here for families on cargo bikes. It might be the cutest thing in the world to see a kiddo on a cargo bike rocking out to Caspar Babypants.)

• Share the rack. Be aware of how and where you're locking to the bike rack. If another person showed up on a bike, could they also lock up to that same rack?

• Look out for each other, including pedestrians. Really, it's ok to chat with other folks to let them know about hazards in the road (glass, gravel, potholes, etc.), to say hi, or just to wave. Being on a bike is a lot more fun - we can act like it too :) On the same note, if you see somebody stopped on the side of the path struggling with a flat or other mechanical, maybe check in with them. Don't assume they need help, but a friendly "Hey, you ok?" can go a long way.

• Follow the rules of the road. I know, an Idaho stop makes way more sense and is probably safer, but at a red light, you should definitely stop.

• Stop with the judgments of other folks. Does it really matter if the person who just rode past you is on a $300 bike or a $4500 bike? Does their choice of footwear, clothing, or other personal choices impact you? Nope. It doesn't. Sure, I get annoyed when I see people riding with backpacks who clearly have a rear rack (why do you do this to yourself??) but there is no need to comment on it.

An early Monday commute in February through downtown Seattle

And with that totally non-exhaustive list, happy riding folks.