The Xtracycle Freeradical is one of the coolest things to happen to bicycles in years. After having owned one for six months now, I am no less enthusiastic about it than I was the day I got it. I can't say that about too many other material objects in my life. Why am I so excited about it? Because it is at the same time a utilitarian and recreational vehicle. While there are many bikes that fill the "recreational" category, and a small number that fill the "utilitarian" category (such as the Dutch "Bakfietsen"), this is the first bike to truly fill both categories.

It is fun.

And it is practical.

See, there's this common perception that bikes are toys, not serious transportation. That's probably in large part because the whole bike industry here in the US promotes biking as sport. It is pathetic that the large manufacturers are so pathetic about promoting bikes as utilitarian vehicles.

I think there is a history to this. My guess is that they tried this before, in the 80's as a response to the gas crisis. The problem is, that was temporary, and as soon as it was over, gas got super cheap. So more roads and suburbs were built, and people got fancier and fancier cars. So bikes were relegated to recreation. The bike companies that were around then and tried the "utility" approach probably feel that going that route is a wasted effort, since that's what happened then.

But this ain't the 80's. We've got global warming. We've got oil trending ever upwards. We've got massive issues with the auto industry. And so people are thinking about biking again.

The problem is, I run into many people who want to begin biking to work more, but the barriers they face are huge: 1. The transportation infrastructure is not bike friendly, and 2. The local bike shops don't offer any practical bikes (ones that can carry stuff, fold, and/or have electric assist). It's not that such options don't exist, it's just that local shops don't promote them. I've run into a plethora of people who ask me about the electric assist on my bike, and as soon as I tell them I had to "do it myself" they give up on that idea. They want something they can go into a local store and try before buying. So the combination of these two barriers keeps people from biking, which is sad, really.

A lot of people tell me they are scared to bike, because they might get run over. But this ignores the statistics. Yes, accidents happen. But so do heart attacks. Biking regularly prevents heart attacks, and all the evidence indicates that the positive health effects of biking far outweigh the risk of accident. See this:

Study participants who reported moderate or high levels of physical activity were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease or from any other cause than less-active adults, the researchers report in the April issue of Diabetes Care. These active individuals included those whose occupation afforded them some type of exercise, including standing, walking or lifting; those whose daily commute involved walking or cycling; and those who participated in light or heavy gardening, running, swimming or other exercise for at least three to four hours during their leisure time.

Or see this.

The reason I titled the post "Xtracycle is cool" is because it is one of the few bike-related inventions in the past 10 years that might start to put a crack in the problem of the "bikes as toys" perception. It is not clunky. It is not unfun (or, in other words, it is fun). And yet, it is practical too. I've carried: an 8x10' carpet, an office chair, a medium-sized stereo system, a computer monitor, bike wheels, my other bike (to the shop), my spouse, my daughter, groceries... you name it. And I like riding it, still!