CongRADulations to our May 2022 e-bike winner
Congrats to our May 2022 Membership Drive Rad Power Bikes winner, Tom! He is a renewing Bike East Bay member who will be using his new Rad Runner Plus E-bike to increase his time outdoors and make access to nature areas easier and more fun. Read more about Tom below.
What made you want to become a Bike East Bay Member?
As a long term cyclist, I joined BEB to be part of a biking
community and support biking improvements in the East Bay. I
wanted to be aware of events, participate in sponsored activities, and
volunteer to support the organization’s events.
How will this e-bike support your biking adventures?
I decided to sell my car 5 years ago as I felt I didn’t really need it
since most of my activities could be accomplished utilizing my bike,
mass transit, ride share and the bike share system. I became familiar
with e-bikes when they became a part of our bike share system for a
short period of time and loved them.
When the covid pandemic hit, I became less comfortable using
Uber, BART and needed a car to get to available swimming pool
options before Oakland pools reopened. In the last two years, I have
decreased my biking and have come to rely on my car more.
At age 72, I have less energy and have found biking for activities
(shopping, errands, etc.) less appealing. Having an e-bike will allow
me to increase biking for activities with less expenditure of physical
energy and extend my ability to ride further for pure pleasure. I’m
hoping it will increase my time outdoors and make access to nature
areas easier and more fun.
What does the future of biking look like to you / what are your
hopes for the biking community?
The future of biking has never looked brighter! With rising gas
prices, biking has increasingly become a more attractive alternative for urban commuters who seek ways to decrease expenses. The climate crisis has also heightened awareness of the need to decrease
emissions and find alternatives to carbon emissions. Innovative street
safety projects which calm traffic with road diets and protected
bikeways (eg: 14th Street Safety Project in downtown Oakland) are
continually creating favorable and inviting conditions for cyclists,
increasing safety for riders and drawing more people to consider
cycling.