How to Have the Perfect Saturday Biking Around Charleston – Bicycling

Charleston, South Carolina, where Ive lived for 15 years, has become a busy city. My home is just one mile north of downtown, and it feels foolish to drive my car in. Im usually happy to ride one of my bikes to town, but it can get really hot in the South. No one wants to arrive at their destination on a 100-degree day dripping with sweat. Recently, I found a new way to get around the city: an electric bike from Rad Power Bikes.

Gately Williams

Afterward, we wound our way around the west side of the Charleston peninsula, passing the Medical University of South Carolina hospital and heading down to the Battery along the waters edge. From there, we cruised up to Burbages Grocery, which has been in business since 1948, for a cold drink (the temperature was already 90 degrees) and a late-morning snack. I put my drink securely in my RadRunner cup holder, and we hit the road again.

We half-pedaled, half-powered through the historic streets of Lenwood, Legare, and South Battery back down to the water, passing Fort Sumter, the historic site where the first cannon of the Civil War was fired. We followed East Bay Street to Rainbow Row, a line of pastel-colored homes facing the water, where we took the obligatory photo.

As the sun passed noon, it was time to switch the Rad Runner from mode 1 all the way to 5full power on the displayand go full-throttle to Leons Poultry & Oyster Shop on upper King Street. This fantastic restaurant, which opened eight years ago, is located in a converted service station, and the historic rehab rarely has an empty table. Colby and I parked our bikes out front, grabbed the keys from the battery packs, and found two seats at the bar, where we enjoyed peel-and-eat shrimp.

By 2 p.m., we were effortlessly riding up and over the massive Ravenel suspension bridge, using the bike and pedestrian lane, on our way to the beach at Sullivans Island. We had installed the Rad Large Platform Rack on Colbys bike before we headed out in the morning, and used the three-pack of Cargo Straps to attach a duffle bag filled with swimsuits, towels, and water.

For those of you who are new to e-bikes like I am, let me explain something amazing: Some electric-powered bikes use a pedal-assist battery and components, requiring you to pedal. Rad Power Bikes have a simple throttle on the right-hand grip, which you twist to make the bike go. These bikes are designed with such precision quality that you can stop pedaling completely, which allowed us to silently ride at 19 miles per hour. Thank you, 750-watt geared hub motor.

We covered the 10-mile stretch to Sullivans Island in 40 minutes, using a few sidewalks, the quiet roads of Mount Pleasants Old Village, and a bike-and-running lane for the final two miles. While passing though Mount Pleasant, we made a brief stop at the Heart of Gold Gallery to see vintage rock-and-roll photographs.

Gately Williams

When we arrived at the beach, we pedaled our seven-speed steeds straight over the soft sand down to the waters edge where we headed away from the crowd and rode on the beach for a while. The 3.3-inch tires rolled smoothly over every kind of sand. Afterward, we rode in to the town of Sullivan's Island, where we noticed a shop called Sealand on Center Street.

Gately Williams

At the front door, we saw that they had Rad Power Bikes for rent. Sarah, who worked at the shop, was kind enough to show us how easily our batteries come in and out, using the provided key. Colby and I had been riding all day and wanted to make sure we had enough battery to get home, so Sarah put them on her store chargers while we ran across the street to Mex 1 Coastal Cantina for tacos.

We rode back into downtown Charleston at 4:30 p.m., having covered over 35 miles for the day. We were well-fed, sun-kissed, and happy. We rolled the RadRunners into the garage, and put them on their charger for another adventure in the very near future.

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How to Have the Perfect Saturday Biking Around Charleston - Bicycling