Surf’s Up with Rad Rider Mike
Riding an electric bike to ride the waves? One Rad user found how hopping on a cargo ebike - longboard and all - made the somewhat impossible, possible with use of the RadWagon 4 electric cargo bike.
We’re Going Surfing
Mike Brown lives in a small town outside San Diego, California, fairly close to Cardiff Reef, a beach where he likes to shred waves. The sun-soaked life had a few challenges: Mike only has a short window to surf during his lunch break. He also rides a longboard. In order to have enough time for carving waves, Mike needs to carry his longboard and gear, navigate up a rather steep hill to the beach, and find parking. The parking time alone made it so Mike sometimes had to wait to surf another day.
That’s when Mike hit on a solution – what about a bike? “I knew I needed a cargo bike to not just carry everything, but be longer so it could carry the longboard itself,” he told us. But a regular bike wouldn’t tackle the hills too well. And if he got an ebike, he needed the right cargo bike that could hold not just any gear, but his longboard – all 9.5 feet of it.
RadWagon for Rad Surf Days
For Mike, it was all about torque. “I saw you had a new one come out [RadWagon 4] with the gear-drive motor. It was long enough, too. I figured it would have enough torque to to power up the hill’s steep sections,” says Mike. He was right; with a surf rack, the RadWagon got him and his longboard up the hill with ease.
Wiped to Wipeouts
“The freedom without the car is the biggest driver,” says Mike. Mike now has the flexibility to ride to the beach, park his cargo ebike on a beach-adjacent bike rack and get straight to surfing. He not only cut parking time, but drive time: He and a friend timed themselves on a return trip home; Mike on his RadWagon was faster than his neighbor’s vehicle.
“Equal or faster speeds, no warming up the car or parking,” says Mike. “I recommend it to just about everyone I know.”
Expanding the Rad Family
His first referral? His own family. His wife Maria wanted in on the fun, too. She ordered a RadRunner utility ebike, perfect for taking along their 1-year-old son, Noah. Mike’s RadWagon is fitted with front and rear baskets, saddle bags, and of course, the longboard rack. “It’s the perfect day,” Mike says. “Now we just load up and go everywhere - pizza, groceries, the beach - without needing the car.”
