Rad Golf...
I wrote previously about the research we did before purchasing our electric bikes. Today, I’ll provide a review of the bikes as well as the golf course we joined.
Rad Runner +
We ordered our RadRunner+’s online on 25 March. Rad, which is based in Seattle provides EU distribution through an office in the Netherlands. The bike shop in Sintra, which orders Rad’s for their rental fleet, was kind enough to give us their company code and allow us to ship them directly to their store. This offset the 40Euro shipping fee we would have paid to get the bike to Portugal from Holland. We paid Rad 1499Euros (approximately $1795) which is right in line with the price shown on the US website. We were informed by email the day the bikes were shipped and were provided tracking information. In all, it took just about 1 week for the bikes to arrive in Portugal. We purchased some accessories from the Sintra store, paid them to assemble the bikes, and deliver them to our door on 5 April. That afternoon, we took them for a spin.
After putting about 50 km on the bikes, here is my review:
Love the twist throttle - to get going from a dead stop you twist the right-hand grip forward. The bike glides forward effortlessly. This is very helpful when you are first starting, particularly when you need to go uphill. Our garage is in the basement of our apartment building. As such, the twist throttle is a godsend.
Bikes are heavy…but have a very low center of gravity. The bikes weigh about 70 pounds. However, the low center of gravity makes them easier to handle when you need to stop suddenly or need to maneuver in tight spaces. One side effect of a heavy bike, as we learned when we owned a tandem, is it can go pretty fast downhill.
7 gear speeds and 5 electric speeds - will handle any hill. My greatest concern after my knee surgeries was being able to keep up going up some of the steep hills. I can definitively say, “NO PROBLEM!”
3.5” tires - are able to provide safe passage on pavement or over cobblestones.
All and all, we are very happy with our purchases. They are our primary means of transportation to the club we joined.
Oitavos Dunes Golf Club
There are two golf courses in Cascais. Without playing either (yes, that was rather reckless) we joined Oitavos Dunes…a links-style course, designed by Arthur Hills which is ranked #55 in the World, and #1 in Portugal. From the tips, the course measures 6372 meters (approx 6975 yards). No, we don’t play from the tips. Denise is playing the blue tees which measure 5180 meters/5665 yards and I am playing forward at 4488 meters/4908 yards. Typically I play the same tees as Denise, but after losing 5 golf balls the first day I thought better of it.
We played again today (Thursday as I write this) and faired a bit better. I played the entire round with a single ball. Yeah! If you hit the ball straight, it is a fair golf course. If you don’t hit it where you intended, you may have a bit of difficulty. There are a few Par 4’s that I can’t reach in regulation…but that just means I need to work on my short game. The club does have a very nice putting green, short game practice area, and driving range…so I have no excuse.
In the States, we could call Oitavos a semi-private course as it is associated with a resort. However, a block of tee times is set aside for members … so we are told when tourism returns we won’t have to compete for tee times. 80% of the members are not Portuguese. After only two rounds we have met people from China, Ireland, Sweden, and Germany. By Portuguese standards, this is a pricey golf course. But it is right in line with what we paid in the California desert 6266Euros ($7500/year which includes locker, electric golf trolley storage and charging, and annual handicap fee). Not bad for a course ranked in the World’s Top 100, and just 20 minutes by bike from our home.
Thank you for your review of both the RAD bikes and the golf course!
Can't wait to see a picture of Onix with her helmet and goggles going for a ride