Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and it's the 19th day I've gone without driving a car.  Riding a bike everywhere is becoming normal - except for the fact that people keep coming up to talk to me.  But that's a good thing.  I'm looking forward to the first real estate deal that comes out of it!

Meanwhile, I will be at Whole Foods Market today at 10th and Alton on Miami Beach offering electric bicycle test rides.  Stop by and ride one.

BIKE VS. SCOOTER

I've had a a scooter for about 6 years and use it all the time.  Currently there is a hole in the muffler and it's really loud.  Embarrassingly loud.  People stare when I drive by...so I stopped riding it a few weeks ago.  I had planned to get the muffler fixed but just haven't done it.  I was trying to ride my regular bike instead but I got lazy and started driving my car more lately.  Pretty wasteful for the short trips that make up the majority of my driving. 

So now that I've relied solely on the electric bike for 11 days, I've realized some things.  I actually get places quicker on the bike eventhough it only goes 20 MPH vs. the scooter which goes 35.   In a lot of ways, the bike is better than the scooter.

PARKING.  I can park the bike almost anywhere I go.  If there are no bike racks around, I can chain it to a tree, parking meter or light pole.  I've been parking right in front of my office door...no more looking to find a place to squeeze the scooter in.  And no more parking tickets.

TRAFFIC.  Although the bike is slower than the scooter, it's also smaller and more manueverable.  I can zip around cars stuck in traffic and cut through parking lots.  I can legally ride the electric bike anywhere a regular bike can go.  The scooter is motorized and you have to follow traffic laws.  I know...I've gotten a ticket on the scooter for doing things that are normal on a bike - like going around the drawbridge arm once the bridge is closed....

COOL FACTOR.  This bike is cool.  People notice it everywhere I go and actually come up to say how cool they think it is.  It's a great way to meet people - everyone talks to me when I'm on the bike.  I know it's only a matter of time before I find a real estate client this way!

IT'S GREEN.  No gas, no smoke, no noise.  Even though riding a scooter is way more efficient than driving a car, it still uses gas, spews smoke and makes noise.  LOTS of noise in my case.  The bike uses a tiny bit of electricity to charge - and if when you are pedaling without the motor, none at all.  You only use the motor when you need it, not when idling, gliding or braking.

FUN.  The scooter is fun but the bike is even more fun.  Going fast, silently, is really awesome.  I enjoy getting on it every time (except when it's raining!).  And everyone who rides it comes back with a smile.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Just a little over a week and it already happened...rain.  Lots and lots of rain.  And wind.  And puddles.

Despite it being April - typically a very dry and pleasant month - it poured buckets.  There were flood warnings and the whole deal.  If it were June, I would be ready for this.  But it's not supposed to rain in April in Miami.  And when it does, it's usually a brief sprinkle.

Anyway, I had an appointment to show an apartment and I knew that there rain was forecast.  But eventhough it was looking kind of gray outside it hadn't rained all morning.  So I prepared as best I could.  I wrapped my computer and portfolio in a plastic bag and put them in my backpack.  Then I jury-rigged a poncho out of a big clear plastic garbage bag.  I put a hole in the bottom for my head and two holes for my arms in the sides - really classy.  And by the time I got downstairs it the skies opened up.  Bigtime.

But I only had about 20 minutes and there was no time to take a bus or a cab.  And I wasn't about to use the car barely into my second week of going carless.  So I started off on my 5.3 mile trip and it sucked!  It was pouring so hard that, combined with riding at about 20 miles per hour, the rain actually stung my face.  There were huge puddles and of course the cars would ride right through them and splash me just in case I wasn't getting soaked enough.  And then I had to go through a couple of puddles which actually caused my shoes to fill with water.

To add insult to injury, the other realtor was 25 minutes late so I stood in the lobby shivering.  And then she called to inform me that she was there but that her client didn't like the looks of the building and wasn't interested in seeing the apartment.  So it was all for nothing!  And it was still pouring.  So I rode back home to regroup.

The good news is that my computer, phone and notebook stayed totally dry.  And the bike performed flawlessly...including the brakes.  If there was ever a bad weather test, this was it.  I couldn't have exposed the bike to any more water driving through a carwash.  And everything worked perfectly.  I would have never considered riding a regular bike that distance in the rain but the motor made it possible to push through.

The garbage bag actually kept most of my shirt dry.  But my pants, shoes, underwear - completely soaked as if I had jumped in a pool.  Luckily I was able to go home and change my clothes...but that's not always practical.  And luckily later in the day, I was able to wait out another rain storm and only ride through some sprinkles on my way home. 

Now, I have some rain contingency planning to do...

Excercising with an Electric Bike

So yesterday I decided to take the A2B on the same route that I take my regular bike on for excercise a couple mornings per week.  From Belle Isle I headed east on the Venetian, south on West Avenue, west over the McArthur Causeway, north to the Venetian Causeway and east back to Belle Isle. 

This is about an 8 mile route which I can complete in about 30-40 minutes of hard pedaling on my regular bike.  There are a couple of long and steep bridges to pedal up and of course it's always windy over the water. 

I was interested to see how long it would take me if I used the motor full-throttle AND pedaled the whole way.  I also wanted to see if I actually got any excercise doing it.  What I found was that, despite it being very windy yesterday, I FLEW the 8 miles in just about 20 minutes.  And, because I was able to keep a steady speed - even going up those steep bridges - I was able to keep pedaling steadily the entire route. 

I got a great leg and butt workout and covered the distance in about half the time - and it was super windy.  Also, it was a lot more interesting going 20+ miles per hour, especially up those hills.  It's a real trip watching other bikers' expression as I fly by them effortlessly.  It also made me realize that commuting to downtown Miami from the Beach is possible on an electric bike in a sweatless 10 minutes!  And despite this ride at the beginning of the day, I had ample battery power left when I got home last night.

I can't wait to have some more longer distance rides to put the battery power and my endurance to the test.

What is an electric bicycle?

Day 4.  I have not driven my car since Saturday and I have not missed it one bit.  The weather has been perfect and I've really enjoyed riding the A2B.  I've been zipping back and forth to work, showing property and running errands.  It's very similar to riding my scooter except that there is no noise...and I can park it anywhere...and it doesn't need gas or make smoke.  Although it's a little slower than the scooter, I can manuever much easier and getting places just seems easier and definitely more fun.  Riding this bike draws attention...kind of like when you have a puppy - people just come up and start talking to me about how much they like the bike.  They are drawn by the great design of this bike but most people don't realize that it's electric.

When I tell them, they inadvertantly ask, "What's an electric bike?"  It seems like such a strange question to me but they all ask it.  So, I guess it deserves an explanation. 

The bike I am riding now (see picture above) has a battery built into the frame and is charged by plugging it into a standard outlet.  The bike can be pedaled just like a regular bike - it has seven gears - but you can also just turn the throttle and go up to 20 miles per hour without peddling - up to 20 miles per charge (40 with a second battery)!   You can also use the throttle and peddle at the same time - which can make you go faster or increase the range.  It's a phenomenal experience and everyone I have let test the bike comes back smiling.

This bike has a very comfortable seat, shock absorbers in the front and back that really smooth out the Miami Beach potholes, and insanely wide tires that are wide enough to comfortably ride on the hard packed sand on the beach.  It's like the Harley Davidson of bicycles and so far I look forward to every trip.  I bring it up to my apartment and plug it in at night to charge it, and it has definitely had charge left at the end of the day.  I will do distance test sometime soon.

It's fun to use the throttle only, but I do love riding a bike and I have found myself pedaling along with the motor to get maximum speed and pickup...it's difficult to describe the feeling of freedom.  It's a trip to pass other people riding bicycles with no effort at all, even with a headwind.  So far the weather has been perfect...sunny but not hot or humid yet.  We'll see how it goes once it starts to get humid and rainy.

My New Fascination with Electric Bikes

It all started at my friend Sharon's New Year's Day party.  Sharon is in PR and her new clients, Scott and Mark were planning to open The Electric Bicycle Store on South Beach and had brought a few bikes for her guests to try out.  Even though it was a nasty rainy day, I rode an electric bike for the first time and I was hooked.  I knew that I had to have one some day.

Fast forward to last Monday.  Sharon knew I wanted to buy one of those bikes and told me that Jorge Estevez from CBS4 would be doing a story on electric bikes.  She asked me if I would be willing to be interviewed as a prospective buyer.  I went to the store, rode several bikes, did the interview, and the story aired that very night.

Little did I know that my interest in electric bicycles would grow into a fascination in the couple of hours I spent test riding them.  I was captivated.  Riding those bikes made me feel like a kid again.  I'm into gadgets and technology.  I'm into alternative forms of transportation (in addition to my car I have a scooter, a bicycle, roller blades and a kayak).  I wanted one right away.  Not surprisingly, the one I like best is one of the most expensive one...a little over three grand...not in my budget right now.

But I loved the concept and the feeling of cruising without peddling and without any noise.  I felt like a kid again and couldn't imagine anyone riding an electric bike and not absolutely loving it.  My enthusiasm was obviously apparent - Scott and Mark asked me if I would consider working for them in some capacity.  I already have too many things going on in my life but this is really cool. 

After a lot of talking, we came up with an idea:  I would give up my car and see how long I could live without driving.  I would get around by electric bicycle - showing property, running errands, commuting to work - everything!  And I would blog about my experience.  So here we go...