So this actually happened about 2 weeks ago, but I wanted to get some proper pics of the bike before I shared
I’ve recently purchased a 2018 Rad Rover and have been having entirely too much fun with it. I added a front and rear rack and have been using it often to sling burritos and sushi around town via uber eats as an entertaining side hustle.
This past 4th of July I got a call from my boss asking if I could help out with a last minute stage breakdown (I work event production) in Key Biscayne. For those outside of Miami, Key Biscayne is a small island town that’s is bordered by A county park to the north and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State park. To say this area looks like a tropical paradise is an understatement.
The commute was about 14 miles from my apartment. It normally would have been about a 30 minute drive, but google was telling me the drive was going to be 55 minutes. Knowing this area, I had a feeling traffic would be even worse with all the people heading to the park for boating and other 4th of July activities.
My Rover was all charged up and ready to go and I had a good feeling I’d be able to get there faster by bike. The city portion of my ride was a long straight line through the main portion of town. I put the bike on PAS 3 and was able to hold a consistent 22-23 mph.
The drive across the Rickenbacker bridge was a breeze thanks to the pedal assist, and the view was breathtaking
The traffic was moderate, but not too bad. Until I got to Crandon Park and there was about 2-3 miles of bumper to bumper gridlock. I cruised by all of them keeping my 22 mph pace until I arrived to the town which was totally blocked off to traffic. Police were diverting cars to…somewhere.
I didn’t keep exact time but my total drive time was about 45 minutes.
It turns out there was a 4th of July parade along the main road in Key Biscayne that had basically shut down the island. Right in the middle of the parade route was our stage for the announcers and the DJ. Because of course there would be a DJ, it’s Miami!
I arrived and got to work with a fellow coworker that was already on site and we got a good portion of the work completed ourselves. After 45 minutes or so, I asked if the other guys were on another gig. Nope, they were stuck in that traffic I had cruised by earlier. Another 15 minutes passed by and my coworkers showed up, an hour after my arrival.
My bike gathered plenty of interest and attention, but our focus was to finish breaking down that stage. After a few hours we finished up our work and it was time to depart. But this time, there was miles of cars trying to leave the island. Yet again, I cruised by them all at a leisurely pace and was able to bypass lots of traffic.
By the time I had gotten home I had ridden about 29 miles and was down to 2 bars. I plugged it in for a few hours while I relaxed at home. I ended up going out again and biking to South Beach to see the fireworks, which was another 15 mile round trip. I traveled about 45 miles total that day and the Rover was a pleasure the whole time.
Here's some pics of my bike in various stages of modification over the last month.
I’ve recently purchased a 2018 Rad Rover and have been having entirely too much fun with it. I added a front and rear rack and have been using it often to sling burritos and sushi around town via uber eats as an entertaining side hustle.
This past 4th of July I got a call from my boss asking if I could help out with a last minute stage breakdown (I work event production) in Key Biscayne. For those outside of Miami, Key Biscayne is a small island town that’s is bordered by A county park to the north and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State park. To say this area looks like a tropical paradise is an understatement.
The commute was about 14 miles from my apartment. It normally would have been about a 30 minute drive, but google was telling me the drive was going to be 55 minutes. Knowing this area, I had a feeling traffic would be even worse with all the people heading to the park for boating and other 4th of July activities.
My Rover was all charged up and ready to go and I had a good feeling I’d be able to get there faster by bike. The city portion of my ride was a long straight line through the main portion of town. I put the bike on PAS 3 and was able to hold a consistent 22-23 mph.
The drive across the Rickenbacker bridge was a breeze thanks to the pedal assist, and the view was breathtaking
The traffic was moderate, but not too bad. Until I got to Crandon Park and there was about 2-3 miles of bumper to bumper gridlock. I cruised by all of them keeping my 22 mph pace until I arrived to the town which was totally blocked off to traffic. Police were diverting cars to…somewhere.
I didn’t keep exact time but my total drive time was about 45 minutes.
It turns out there was a 4th of July parade along the main road in Key Biscayne that had basically shut down the island. Right in the middle of the parade route was our stage for the announcers and the DJ. Because of course there would be a DJ, it’s Miami!
I arrived and got to work with a fellow coworker that was already on site and we got a good portion of the work completed ourselves. After 45 minutes or so, I asked if the other guys were on another gig. Nope, they were stuck in that traffic I had cruised by earlier. Another 15 minutes passed by and my coworkers showed up, an hour after my arrival.
My bike gathered plenty of interest and attention, but our focus was to finish breaking down that stage. After a few hours we finished up our work and it was time to depart. But this time, there was miles of cars trying to leave the island. Yet again, I cruised by them all at a leisurely pace and was able to bypass lots of traffic.
By the time I had gotten home I had ridden about 29 miles and was down to 2 bars. I plugged it in for a few hours while I relaxed at home. I ended up going out again and biking to South Beach to see the fireworks, which was another 15 mile round trip. I traveled about 45 miles total that day and the Rover was a pleasure the whole time.
Here's some pics of my bike in various stages of modification over the last month.
