A family of four uses this e-bike around the neighborhood and for school commuting.
My home office window faces the house where my dear friends Stacy and Justin live with their kids, Benjamin, 6, and Siena, 2. If I’m up early enough, I usually see one of the two adults pedal off on their Rad Power RadWagon 4 e-bike to take Benjamin to school, with Siena along for the ride. It’s an impressive sight; the large electric bike glides confidently up the hill, with Benjamin on the back seat, and Siena perched in her safety seat. In the cool weather, there’s a tent-like cover keeping the kids warm and dry.
The impetus for leaving their Tesla in the driveway most mornings is simpler, according to Stacy: “It’s so fun, and way more convenient for school.”
Justin (a food blogger) and Stacy (a neonatal ICU nurse) have many admirable qualities: two I especially respect are their frugality, and their commitment to keeping their environmental footprint small. But the impetus for leaving their Tesla in the driveway most mornings is simpler, according to Stacy: “It’s so fun, and way more convenient for school.” The chaotic and grossly unnecessary traffic jams that form twice daily around most U.S. schools are easily bypassed with the RadWagon. Stacy pulls right up to the door, drops off Benjamin, and is back on the road before the fuming masses in their fuming SUVs even get on the block.
In the car it takes “a solid five minutes” just to get away from the school after dropping Benjamin off, and Stacy and Siena are halfway home on the bike in that time. And don’t think other parents haven’t noticed: Justin and Stacy report seeing a good number of parents following their lead. Fifty years ago, half of all kids aged 5 to 14 biked or walked to school, including almost 90 percent of those living within a mile of school; I always did. By 2009 those percentages had dropped to 13 and 35 percent, respectively. Hopefully those numbers are creeping back up.
“I was kind of skeptical,” Stacy notes, since neither of them had even ridden an e-bike before finding a lightly used Radwagon with some nice upgrades for $1,600 (they start new at $2,000). But they soon found another benefit: It’s much, much easier to get the kids on the bike than into the car. Siena especially dislikes car trips and is quite vocal about it, Stacy notes with a raised eyebrow (I live right across the street and my hearing is fine, so she knows I know this already).
I joined them for a jaunt up to Benjamin’s school, just over one hilly mile away. I was aboard my wife’s Giant Quick-E, so I could easily keep up. Benjamin and I were able to have a lively conversation, while Siena happily took in the cool, morning scenery. Stacy concentrated on the road, and notes that she certainly feels safe navigating the residential streets between home and school, and appreciates that San Diego is building more separated bike lanes.
It was a quick and almost effortless trip, but Stacy likes the fact that, “even with the assist, I’m doing something.” After we returned home, I took the RadWagon for a spin myself. The base model is around 70 pounds, and with the child seats, enclosure, and other add-ons, theirs is nearly 100 pounds; my road bike is 19, and my commuter about 25. Despite that, and despite it being nearly 80 inches long (over a foot longer than most bikes), I found it relatively nimble and easy to handle. Of course, I wasn’t hauling about 70 pounds worth of two kids, but Stacy and Justin both report you get used to the total weight quickly; though Stacy did emphasize her “no wiggling” rule for Benjamin. A throttle allows for easy starts, even uphill, and five power settings make going up hills as easy as you want. When using it for neighborhood jaunts to school, the park, or errands, they charge it a couple times a week. Rad Power claims 24 to 45 miles on a charge.
Justin noted that he replaced the stock cable-actuated disc brakes with more-powerful aftermarket hydraulic brakes. With about 300 pounds fully loaded, the beefier brakes give added confidence. He also mentioned that with Rad Power being a popular brand, there’s an active online community and it’s easy to find advice and inexpensive add-ons and parts. The one hassle they both note is that such a big bike is not as easy to park. “It’s like a minivan,” Stacy says.
I ride bikes all the time, and have started to see a great profusion of e-bikes on SD streets. But few are hauling the payload that Justin and Stacy do. Far from being something virtuous they feel they should do, they love being able to, as Justin says, “not get in the car, and zip around town without breaking a sweat.”
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