Just you riding your bike outside and showing the scenery is very pleasurable. You guys enjoyment brought some fun to otherwise boring TH-cam showings. Keep videoing!,
Very nice tribute to New Hampshire Joe. Losing him so closely after Gary the RV Doctor, our rv family has lost a couple great people. Ted and I are hoping to go fulltime in 2022. Was going to be 2021, but this Covid-19 has taken lots out of all of us. We have to start saving all over again.
Congratulations Owen and Lynn. Me and Mary Beth are happy you took our advice and got a RAD mini. There is a great accessory I would recommend and that would be a thumb attachment for your throttle. Makes it easy to power up when riding. Let me know if interested and I will send you a link to to the company that makes them. We are currently at Reed Bingham State Park in Adel Ga. Not sure if you have been here but it is a fantastic park with lots of trails that Maggie and you guys would love. It is right off US75 just north of Valdosta. A great place to stop on your way to Florida. By the way, we have had our Brookstone for a couple years and wouldn’t go anywhere without it.
Yes, please send us the information for the thumb attachment. We have not been to the Reed Bingham SP but we will put it on our list. We haven’t taken our Blackstone yet but we are going to find a place for it in our van, it does seem like a good addition.
Owen the thumb attachment can be found at this site 1859-northwest.myshopify.com/. It comes in a lot of colors and the way they engineered it works great. Mary Beth and I plus a number of our friend swear by them.
Lynn & Owen; another great video. Becky and I really enjoy our Rad Mini and Rad Mini Step-thru. They fold and travel in our Ford Edge that’s towed behind our Canyon Star. To date they have been trouble free even though now we’re only now riding in our neighborhood. We also travel with a 17” Blackstone Griddle. Like you we’re ready to be traveling again. Last week we did escape our Cabarrus Co. home and visit The Shiloh General Store that’s up your way. A small reminder of our PA., Ohio, and Indiana travels. Sorry for the loss of your friend Joe. Be safe.
That is good to hear that your Rad bikes have been trouble free. We haven’t tried folding them yet, we may try that this week to see how we could transport them that way. You were very close to us if you visited The Shiloh General Store, I’ve never been there, we’ll have to try it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
We slipped across the NC border this weekend and camped in a county owned 65 site RV park. It was full. When we left this morning I made a quick count of the trucks/boat trailers in the parking lot and I'm guessing there were over a hundred boats in the water. Warm weather is here and people are on the move. But I have to say most everyone kept their distance and stayed with their families. Sure there were a lot of waves and a few elbow bumps used for communication but all seem to respect our current situation. It felt good to get away.
I agree people want to get out more when the weather is nice, us included. We have been staying home so much it was a real treat to take the bikes out for awhile. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Be safe out there.
I watch a lot of vanlife channels but your channel is the best. You both make me feel happy while watching your videos. They are so upbeat and done so well. I have a campervan and haven’t been able to get out much with my 2 kiddos because of work and this COVID-19 stuff so watching your channel helps. My wife of 30+ years passed away last year from a 2 year battle of breast cancer and we always wanted to travel in a campervan but sadly she didn’t get a chance to go with our kids and I. I’m 48 years old and she was 46 and we’ve been together since 9th grade. When I watch your videos it makes me feel that she’s there’s watching with me and when I can hit the road again I will use your fun tips and cooking tips for my Blackstone griddle! Thx for that segment! Anyways keep up the awesome work and Thank You for your happy fun channel! Oh thanks for showing your outside room tent thingy! I ordered one tonight from your Amazon store. 😎
Dennis, your comment touched our hearts, made us smile and made us cry. We were just talking about “what is our purpose” the morning your comment came in. After reading it, re-reading it, crying and talking about it we came to the conclusion that maybe our channel “is” our purpose (for now). We’ve been reminded many times just this year that life is precious and short and never guaranteed. But off all losses, yours and your children’s loss is one that seems so unfair in life. But as you know, life has to go on, even after loss. It makes us smile that you still have the dream of making traveling work with your kids and you. That is definitely much more complicated now with COVID-19 for sure. Making camping fun for you and 2 kids in a van... that’s a challenge for sure. We have had our granddaughter with us in our van, in a motor home, a 5th wheel and even a small 15’ vintage trailer. Each one of those was easier than the van, but we made the van work and you can too. That outside room helps a lot (thanks for getting from our channel btw). The two of us were not as lucky as you in some ways. We’d have to live to be 100 to get as many years together as you and your high school sweetheart had. But, like you, we feel we’re best when we’re hand in hand and we realize that each day is a blessing and a challenge. Till “death do us part” is a line that most just say out loud. If they knew what you know those words would help change how couples live their lives together. You are an encouragement to us and we’re so honored that our little videos have made a difference for you. Please feel free to reach out anytime you need anything. Stay connected with us and keep us posted about your adventures.
VAN TREKKING lifestyle Thank You for your caring words! We spent time by a lake yesterday with the van and had a great time! Keep up the great work. A lot of people love your channel. My whole family watch it 😎
Thanks for the review on the Rad Mini. That's the ebike I have been looking at. Glad you both like it. Enjoyed the Q&A part and the cooking demo! I will definitely try that recipe. Loved the birds at the end. Take care.
Deciding to buy these e-bike was a very big deal for us. We did a lot of research and feel like they are a good fit for what we want to use them for. We wanted something we could ride on the road and on trails. Good luck with your reasearch. Thanks for letting us know you liked the new sections in the video. Stay safe.
We don't comment often but watch all your videos. (We are in Charlotte, NC). We just ordered our Rad minis and we are so excited! Love the Blackstone grill, too. We are not van owners (Airstream, here, but a SMALL one) but we enjoy much of the same type things as you guys! Keep having fun and making those videos!!
We love Airstreams and have often thought it may be our next RV. Congratulations on your Rads, I think you will love them. Thanks so much for your comment.
From a fellow white Subaru Outback owner and future Traverse owner, I appreciate the video. I've been looking at RAD bikes for simplified mobility and recreation both now and when traveling with the Traverse. Nice to see your use and review of them.
We are enjoying the bikes a lot while we are at our home base but I’m sure we will get a lot of use out of them when we start traveling agin. Thanks for watching.
Those bikes look way cool! I've read about them a while back. RAD seems to be the best choice out there. Have fun with them, I'm sure you will. Those "weird looking fried burritos" looked yummy! May have to try them. Loved your closing segment.....so true. Prayers to you guys for keeping safe and healthy!
So far we are having a blast with the bikes and we feel we made the right choice with Rad. We appreciate you watching and for your comment. Be safe and stay healthy.
Last year I had my ebike narrowed it down to Rad and juiced bike and went with the fat tire crosscurrent S juiced ebike and a rocky mount hitch mount and w e have never looked back. Woods , dirt, beach not a problem You will love them Ride On
Thank you for your input, it’s a big decision. So glad you are enjoying your bikes. We are loving the fat tire too, we’ve done woods, dirt and gravel but no beach yet. We appreciate you watching.
Congratulations on the new E bikes! We love our Rad bikes and are happy you do too. They make cycling as fun for us at 67 as regular bikes did in our 20s. 🚴🏿
I am a new subscriber and y’all are just a joy to watch! Great video editing skills plus you guys have great energy and Maggie is definitely a star. Thank you for all the great information and beautiful scenery during your travels. You are my new favorite channel!
Alright!!! RAD is what I decided on as well. Makes me feel even better with my decision. I have a Truck Camper so looking for the perfect rack. I loved the fold up feature of the L bike, but the quality and coolness factor of the Rads. I need to look at the Thule rack as well. I found your channel because I was looking for State parks in Florida. You two are a sweet couple and I have learned so much already.. I travel alone with my dog Ellie.
Owen and Lynn, I have been watching your videos from almost the beginning. For me, this video was your best one yet! Hubby have been wanting to get e-bikes and you told me what I needed to know. I can’t wait to watch more of your e-bike experiences. I also loved the cooking segment and the new Q&A segment.You two keep getting more comfortable with your filming and I appreciate the hard work and improvements you are continually doing. Thank you during this during COVID-19 as it is a welcome distraction. I hope we can all get back on the roads soon.
I think the bikes will be a great addition to our travel adventures and I’m sure we will be showing a lot of us using them. As of right now we are loving them. We are glad to hear you liked the new segments, we are having to get creative since we are not traveling. But hopefully we’ll be back on the road soon.
Nice! I just bought a Liv Sedona X step through hybrid. Went non E bike but it has 24 speeds. It’s one of the highest geared hybrids I could find. We travel with a bike rack. Right now our local greenways in Va are all closed😔 but soon as they are open I’m going to be featuring a biking series on my channel. These look really fun so will be looking forward to your vlogs👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. I like that locking feature too!!
It was a hard decision for me to purchase and E bike as I thought it would be cheating. But I have to say you can still get a lot of exercise with these bikes. It’s all about being outside and enjoyed the nature that surrounds us. I hope you enjoy you new bike. We’ll check out your channel. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Loved this!! Love the bikes! Loved the cooking! Thanks for sharing. Great fun video! Hope you’re recording all the mods! I didn’t feel your excitement was advertising - just plain old excitement!! Hugs to you both and to Maggie. Hope you figure out a way to bring her along. 💕👍🤗🐾🐾🐶
Yes this week was filled with excitement, we really didn’t mean for that segment to sound like an advertisement and we appreciate hearing that you didn’t take it that way. It was just a big purchase for us that we though we would share how and why we bought what we did. Thanks so much for your support and sharing your comment. Be safe and stay healthy.
Great video! The Q&A segment is a nice touch. Love the bikes - I was thinking about one of them to try and get in a little exercise. Your hunkering down area looks beautiful - love your kitchen and porch! Here's to staying safe and cheerful!
Your new ebikes look like so much fun. Our new ebikes should arrive next week. I have one question. How are you planning to protect them from the elements? We are still trying to determine the best way for us to transport them. Thanks in advance.
We’ve bought a cover for them, it’s in the Outside category on our Amazon page www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle. We haven’t used it yet so I’m not sure how well it’s going to work. We did put it on them and it fits well just have not traveled with it.
So happy for you guys... I have the Lectric Bike and love it. I have had it since September and have no complaints. Welcome to the electric bike family. You will not want to go back to a regular bike. Look forward to more adventures with your bikes ;)
I’m already figuring out that I want go back to my old bike, which I never thought I would say. I’m sure we will be adding a lot of bike adventures to our videos. They are so much fun. Thanks for watching.
Sigh.....(in a happy relaxed way!)...the end of the video with the bird at the feeder and the "birdsong", very special! The whole video was so enjoyable, guys! I look forward to them, they have become a Sunday retreat! This video was like a virtual magazine, lot's of fun and informative segments, including a recipe--love the whole thing! I did not feel as though you were "pitching" the RAD bikes as someone mentioned earlier. I could completely feel your excitement and joy at having made a decision, and finding that it was a good one for you! I am grateful for the recommendation, and will keep it at the top of my list as I begin researching. Many times I have enjoyed something so much that I couldn't wait to share my enthusiasm, because I wanted others to have a similar experience--so keep those recommendations coming! The crunch wrap looked so yummy that I think my teenager daughter and I will make them for lunch this week! Now, on to questions: the Travato K, which I love and can't wait to own--I've seen lots of mods on the Wannabee site, showing the installation of the lagun table. Have you considered that, at all? And a galley question for Lynn, any upgrade "wishes" in that area? Thank you both for being so "neighborly"!
Wow!!!! What a nice thing to tell us! Like a virtual magazine was what we were shooting for. Crunch wrap is a keeper! We’ll add your question too. Thanks for being with us!
How long have you been retired and what did you and Lynn do for a living? Love your channel. Would love to see video of your home. Keep the happy videos coming, it makes a difference. RIP in peace Joe.
Here’s the short version, we’ve been retired from our corporate jobs for 10 years where Owen and I both worked in the corporate office of Lowe’s Hardware. Owen then worked 8 years pursuing his music career and I made jewelry for awhile. So we completely retired 2 years ago. Thank you so much for saying that our videos make a difference. We appreciate you watching and commenting. Stay safe.
Great video Owen and Lynn! Keep those happy videos coming 👏. You covered two topics that I was interested in, the Rad bikes and the Blackstone. How did you know?! Thank you again for all the time and effort you put into your channel. I look forward to them each and every week. Be well and be safe.
Glad we covered some topics you were interested in. We have never taken the Blackstone with us in the van but we are planning to take it with us next time. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment to let us know you enjoyed the video.
Wow, what a tiny video and I really appreciate you putting it out there for us to view. I’ve been researching getting an E bike and I was thinking about the electric version or even building my own. So it was great to see how you enjoy your read a bike and I’ll do some more looking into that model and brand name thank you.As always as I watch your videos I feel like I’m there in the room with you although I couldn’t taste your marvelous hamburger taco treat I may be inspired to go make my own now thanks again good luck to you and Lyn and Maggie looking forward to next video bye.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Sorry, in my original comment I said "Wow, what a tiny video". I meant to say Wow, what a timely video. Words mean something, so I wanted to correct my typo. Have fun on the new e-bikes and tell Lynn, no more falling over! Rick
I would love to see a review of the bike rack and details of how you load and unload the bikes. We are looking for a bike rack to put on the back of our Jeep Cherokee.
I want one but I want a place to ride and oh so miss North Carolina even though we only stayed there 3 way too short months. Love seeing the beautiful scenery there again!
We have been researching places to ride in our area. We have several “rails to trails” places pretty close by to check out. I think it will give us another way to check out places as we travel. Thanks for watching.
Thank you! You know you two were big inspirations for us getting our RADs and making this happen. We have so much respect and love for both of you. Not sure we got the best rack. The Thule is awesome but these bikes are so fat that rolling the second on up on the ramp is challenging. Your Hollywood rack seems like a much simpler approach and a LOT less $$.
We are planning to take it on our next trip and practicing on meals we can cook. Now we have to figure out where it’s going to live in the van. Thanks for watching.
This video was fun to watch and so are those bikes. Maybe more fun than my Harley but felt sorry for little Maggie being left behind. But hey, sometimes they just have to wait it out. 👍👍🐕
The bikes are a lot of fun but I’m not sure I would compare them to a Harley. We really hate leaving Maggie, but I’m not sure she would like it, but we are looking for a solution. Thanks for watching.
We are loving the bikes, a lot more than I thought I would. We are having to get creative with the video’s since we can’t travel, who knows we may learn something from it. We always appreciate your support. Stay safe out there. Love you guys.
Greetings from Dayton OH! Questions: do the handle bars on the bikes tilt closer to the seat, allowing you to sit up straight while riding? And what data plan do you all have and what devices do you use to tap the internet? Loved the bird song at the end of the video!
The handle bar does not tilt but you can raise it up to allow you to sit up straighter. That is one of the things I wanted was to be able to sit straight as my shoulders and back get really tired riding my traditional mountain bike. On our last trip we just used the data on our cell phones but we place to purchase “Visible” for our next trip, a lot of people has recommended it to us. We appreciate you watching.
Love how you kids enjoy life together. I really like the Rad bikes but a little too heavy for me....would love to see how you both are able to put on your ramp hitch. I am considering a lighter bike because of weight issue. Ok my dinner plans have now changed. This cooking segment made up my mind.....so delish....thanks.
In next weeks video we will show how we load them on the hitch as part of the O&A. We’ve had several people ask us to show that. We take the battery out when we transport them which makes them a little lighter. Owen can load them himself but I usually pick up one end and he picks up the other, it easier with two people. Thanks for the suggestion. We appreciate you watching and commenting.
Have you thought about a Class C? We have a Winnebago Outlook (no slides). We’ve been looking at Rad ebikes, too. I’m glad you’re enjoying them, that’s encouraging. Did you have to get a special carrier for them? Thanks! (Jane)
Yes, we have thought about a Class C among many other things. We did get a new carrier, if you watch the “Prep for Freedom” is highlights the carrier we got and the issue we had with it. We do love the eBikes, they are a game changer.
I have been watching you since I think close to your beginning. I enjoy watching you both give each other respect and love. It is so sad about your friend and this terrible virus that is claiming so many lives. Waiting for another year for the vaccine seems like forever. Hopefully it will go fast. My husband and I would like to get a black stone grill also. The bikes look awesome. Take care of yourself!!!
Check out 'From She To Me' as she shows a bike rack on her Class B that is fastened to the door hinges for their e-bikes. I am excited for you and even though it takes a learning curve I look forward to you sharing more locations from your e -bikes. Loved the cooking session, looked yummy! Thank you again, as it's always a pleasure sharing your journey.
Hey Janet! Yes, we saw the episode where Deb talked about the OWL box with a rack. But like them, we are not spring chickens either so lifting our bikes to put on top of a storage box on the van would not work... well it might work once but then I’d be on the couch or bed for a month. Thanks for all the love. We appreciate you watching and staying connected.
Owen and Lynn, congratulations about your ebikes. We recently bought ebikes for our B class also. We settled on IZIP brand since we have a California nephew who swears by his. We also had a local dealer and he made it very easy for us to buy. He set them up and they are wonderful. We have a 100 pound capacity on our factory installed Summit bicycle rack. We are at 99 pounds for both bikes. Hoping some engineering safety factor was built into the rack. Also, we want to cover them while we travel, but can not find the appropriate cover. I may just have to use a tarp and look like Cousin Eddie come to town. I like your bike rack but we don't want to buy another when we have one installed already on the back of the van. (Ford Transit). Great video, and we are itching to leave Florida. Our plans are to leave around the third week in May (only a few weeks) and head to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, then off to Colorado for as long as we can stand it. Then south to New Mexico. We should be 2-3 months on the road. We have a list that we are working through right now so we are ready to get very soon. We enjoyed that video and your cooking and the Q&A session. Very cool..... (we live half way between Tomoka State Park and Anastasia State Park) So when you guys come back, we would like to meet you, Lynn, and Maggie David and Juanita
We would probably have made the same decision you did with your bikes. Having a family recommendation and a local dealer would seal the deal. We have bought a cover but have not used it yet. In past experiences they have a lot of movement traveling down the road, so we will see. One subscriber suggested the “Velosock” it looks interesting but very expensive. We love the area you live in. Good luck with you up coming trip. Stay safe out there.
Love the new question and answer part of your videos! Nice bikes too, and I liked how you showed us how they worked so well for you ;-) So many questions, so I'll try to keep them to a minimum! Are you still filming with your iPhone? You seem pretty mechanical, what did you do before you retired? Have you always lived in NC? Lynn, what are your favorite hiking shoes? (you probably said, but I can't remember). I'll save more questions for future videos! (There are more?! ha!) Thanks for the distraction in this strange time.
Hey Pam! Yes, this episode and most of the latest ones, was filmed 100% on our iPhones. We have iPhone 11 Pro phones and they do a really good job. We may need to upgrade our GoPros to use while on the trails riding though because the phones are a little awkward on the bikes. Both of us worked in IT at corporate jobs. Yes, our home state has been NC for our entire adult lives. Really not mechanical. Wood working... yes... mechanical no. Lynn says her favorite would be Merrill’s. In fact I have a song called “These Old Shoes” that you’ve probably heard in a few of our episodes.
When I make something fancy with a flour tortilla like you were doing, I remember flying kites s a kid. I made those kites out of newspaper and used flour and water as glue. So, take a brush dabbed in water then in flour, to coat and glue those tortilla edges together. It works chef Owen!
Great video. A variety of good things. I’ve looked at Rad bikes but have decided instead to go with a scooter. And I ❤️ crunchwraps. Yours looked delicious. Happy dance.
A scooter would also be a good solution for transportation. Lynn wanted to also get some exercise so that is why we chose electric bikes. Thanks for watching.
Did my happy dance when I saw you two got the eBikes! So much fun and an extra mod of transportation with the Travato. Have you found the RAD seats a little uncomfortable; some people replace the seat or get gel seat covers. You will have even more new adventures riding and exploring while looking RAD! The crunch-wraps looked really tasty. Do you think changing to the Travato GL would be a consideration? Pros & Cons with either K or G, but I think the KL or GL would be nice. Sorry to hear about your friends passing. Looking forward to your next video and the joy you two bring.
I think we are going to love having the eBikes as another mode of transportation when we travel and it provides another form of entertainment looking for bike trails. We went on a 25 mile ride yesterday and my butt could definitely feel it. I may try a gel seat cover or get some bike shorts but I’m going to see if I can get my butt use to it first. We like both the G and K, the main drawback for us with the G is the bed, but Owen would love to have a GL or KL or sure, maybe in the future but not anytime soon. Thanks for watching and commenting. We appreciate your support.
I am glad you bought the bike you did, I am looking at the letric, I have a question on the 20 in wheels. I bought some 20 in folding many years ago . I didn't like them but they didn't have fat tire. How do they handle with the 20 in tire. Tire size has me concerned about my future purchase. By the way can't wait for you to visit orange beach Alabama with us. Looking forward to your opinion. We have been in orange beach for two months. Heading to Illinois Wednesday. Hope to order bikes then. I was concerned about Lynn's fall. Lettie fell on her bike 2 weeks ago and is still not moving well. Can't wait to see you on the road again
Hey Chuck! No worries about the 20” Fat Tire. Yesterday we did 25 miles on loose gravel and dirt, with a top speed of 20 mph several times and it was no problem at all... for us anyway. Might be for you but I think the fat tires make a huge difference. And one of our deciding factors to spend more money for these is they have front shocks and that makes a huge difference when you go over a ledge, dip or big rock. Sorry Lettie is hurting. Lynn was pretty sore yesterday about half way through the ride and thought it was probably from the fall too. We were in soft dirt but at our age falling on any dirt is not fun. Let us know what you decide and get. We’d love to see your Alabama area for sure.
Great video ! Very informative on your new toys. Glad you kept making videos however I may have missed a few during the last month or so. I can’t wait to get back to the “old normal “
We love your videos and look forward to every Sunday, question when we are released to travel again, what are your plans! Be safe, And love from Maine! The Browns
We will try to answer your question in more depth in our next video. But for the short version we are probably going to stay closer to home until traveling becomes more clear. We may do a “Love the State Your In” series for this summer. We had planned to come your way and go to Nova Scotia but with all the things happening we will probably wait. We do love Maine.
Do you also have a bigger RV? We are torn between letting our Class A go and moving into a Travato? Cost is about the same from our 2009 Tiffin Allegro Bus to a 2020.5 Travato. So for me it doesn’t make sense, for hubby he wants to simplify and go smaller.
We have had bigger RV’s in the past but right now we only have the van. The van has it’s advantages with the ease of traveling and getting to places does simplify things, but when you get somewhere is it nice to have all the comforts of your bus, plus all the storage. To be honest we talk about that a lot. But for the way we like to travel right now (jumping from place to place) the van works better. It is a very hard decision. Good luck.
VAN TREKKING lifestyle VERY HARD. Everything I read seems to be RVer’s going small and then going back to the Class A’s. I tell my hubby to let’s just bypass that and keep what we have! 😉
You guys are awesome! We so enjoy your videos. We got a contract on our house yesterday and are starting full time in our class c. You bring joy to us with every video! Thank you
That is awesome! Congrats on selling your house. We’ve thought about selling our home too and we know how hard a decision that is. You’ll love being out here on the road for sure! Thanks for letting us know that our videos bring you joy... that’s awesome to hear.
Love your videos! How long does it take to charge your new Rad’s? My husband,Dennis, thinks you should write a “ Not traveling Covid Blues Song” and sing it to us. Hanging out in Arizona until Canada will let us travel to Alaska.
We haven’t really timed how long it takes to charge the Rad’s batteries, I’ll try to do that. We just plug them in after every ride so they will be ready next time. I think the new song idea is great... I’ll start working on Owen. Are you going to Alaska this year? We are finally putting out our recap from last year’s trip for this Sunday’s video. It’s is by far our most favorite trip.
Can’t wait to see your recap. Yes, we were planning to go this year in May but that has changed with the border closed. We also want to make sure that Alaska has everything open. If Canada opens before July 4th we may still go. We are also hoping to get up to Yellowknife if weather permits. We have a short bed Cirrus slide-in camper on a long bed dually which we love. My husband, Dennis, has put a decal on it that says “ Doing Nothing with Style” 😁
Thanks for product reviews on these e-bikes. We are looking to get one and this is helpful. It's great to see you two thriving and branching out into the realm of cooking demos!
Well, not much of a cooking video but we have always tried to show how we cook in the van a few times each trip. Folks seem to like that and many have requested more. Glad you liked it.
Love the video and your new Rad mini's. My wife and I are just about ready to pull the trigger on 2 Lectric XP's. We have an '18k and think your Thule rack is the way to go. Is it difficult to get the bikes up on the rack while its on the Travato? Any concern with covering the license plate or rear lights? Hope to see you on the road some day....
Glad you watch and love the electric bikes too. No matter what brand you get the experience of riding on an eBike changes everything... at least it does for us. Tomorrow’s video goes into much more detail about how the rack works out on the Travato. Much love, Owen, Lynn and Maggie
I don’t know if it has really ever happened but I have a Thule for my fat bikes and I saw a video warning that someone could try to steal the rack and bikes by pulling on the rack with say another vehicle. I’m going to attach a small heavy chain underneath to at least slow the crooks down. I also try to park where it would be tough for another vehicle to get in behind. I love the rack though.
Thank you for this video. I have been wanting to get 2 e-bikes and was not sure what to get. I will look into this deeper now. We enjoy all your tips .
Owen, Thule Bike Rack: Did you get the swing away arm for the bike rack or anything else with your order of the bike rack? If you did not get the 'swing away' it appears the rack 'flips' away from the back door, but is this enough for the rear doors of the van? Their example only show from the back of an SUV.
No we did not get the swing away hitch thingy... yet... We thought we would try it without it first and see what we could get to with it lowered. Adding the swing away adds weight and pushes the bikes out a little farther away from the hitch which increases the stress on the hitch. Betting we’ll have to do that but for now we didn’t order it. And we haven’t put it on the van yet since it’s parked in a tight place at our house and things are kind of torn apart as we’re completing mods. The rack works well on the Subaru but the bikes are wide which makes rolling the first one up easy but it’s actually easier to just pick the 2nd on up and place it on the rack without rolling it.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Did the 'rolling' ramp come with the rack? Was it easy for picking up the 2nd bike, I think they weight approx 60+ lbs each, you both had to pick it up? Can you please give feedback after using it with the van, it is important for access to the back doors, how much weight does it add overall for the swing away? Over time we have shedded weight with solar upgrade, etc. So, is this 'mods' to the van, if so, what are you working on?
Have a look at The Turtle and the Tiger here on TH-cam. They travel in a Tiger Adventure Vehicle and tow Turtleback adventure trailer. I’m not sure how it would work with your Travato. I’m continuing enjoying your videos so much! Please keep them coming. Oh and one more resource is Lifestyle Overland. It shows a lot about the functionality of the Turtle, which has a kitchen, gas bottle, and water system.
Thanks for recommendation, we will check them out. We have been looking at the advance element kayaks you recommended last week... do you have one or know anyone that does? They look very interesting and might work for us. Thanks for all the recommendations we really do appreciate it. Be safe and stay healthy.
So is this like actually biking only with a gear assist that keeps it easier? Is workout comparable to a pedal bike? Enjoy your shows. Happy for you. Homebase is cozy too. Hmm I’m hungry. Oh Tks for answering my ? 😉 Its always a compromise of something when talking RV’s. Onto cooking with Sam and that taco.
The bikes have pedal assist that goes up to 5, we usually use 2 and it also has a throttle that helps you get started or out the way quickly. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Be safe.
Great video. That is what I am thinking of getting also. The rad bike. Can you do a video on the inside of your van. Like where you put everything. I am a silly person and won’t have to worry about other people stuff but I have ordered my 2021 kL and very excited to start my journey. I retire June 24
Congrats on your upcoming retirement. Like us you’ll wonder how you ever got anything done while you were working. 👍 We’ll add these questions to our Q&A list and hopefully get them answered in the next few episodes. Great questions! We we don’t get them answered soon remind us again... we don’t have a very good system for keeping up with all the questions and answers. 👍😄
Hi guys, love the videos! We just ordered our Rad City Step-thru 3’s so are curious what rack you used on your Travato. We also have a hitch-mounted cargo carrier so want to be able to take the cargo rack and our bikes. Thanks so much!
Owen, love the bikes. It’ll be interesting to see how they fit on the travato and what changes they will necessitate. I’m hoping I’ll be able to put my Greenbike G5 on the new Travato NP bike rack, (I don’t have fat tires and it folds if needed), but If not, your experience with the Thule rack will be helpful knowledge.
We’ll add these questions to our Q&A list and hopefully get them answered in the next few episodes. Great questions! We we don’t get them answered soon remind us again... we don’t have a very good system for keeping up with all the questions and answers. 👍😄
The clothes we buy these days have travel in mind, we buy less and may spend more for a product. Owen loves Smart Wool T-shirts and socks, his favorite pants are Fajallraven, they are very rugged and he’s wears them for days. We have them listed in our Amazon page if you are interested. www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle. Thanks for the question.
We love our Rad bikes too although we have the City Step Through. What’s the name of your greenway? We are over in Brevard and are always are looking for manageable places to ride.
Hey Owen. It has been fun getting reacquainted with an old friend by watching your videos. I came up with a question... not sure if you post answers here or through some private message... and you may have a video already on it. We live in a rural area near Chapel Hill and with all of the permanent work from home, school at home, streaming TV and playing games our 10 mbps DSL service is straining. I was looking at cellular router options and since most of the information on that comes from RVers I thought of you. What solution do you use (router and data plan) to stay connected to internet while traveling? Thanks for the time and energy in showing us you living your best life!
Hey old friend! You'd be surprised to know I think about you a lot. I just explained to Lynn how we used to come out here to the golf course we live on every single morning before work... really good times and cherished memories. I hope we can get together again soon if the timing and geography works out. Now... your question. Like all things... it depends. DSL sometimes strains due to latency... you may be able to speed it up a little by switching your DNS to a faster one other than the one from your provider... I use the Google DNS server... figure they know everything about everything anyway so it has to be the fastest, and most agree it is. If you want to switch to LTE-only you can expect a few hurtles and frequent head scratching. It's been that way for us. Verizon had a really good unlimited prepaid hotspot plan but did away with it. AT&T and the others have had similar but dropped them too. Now everyone is good to use but all have some sort of cap on their unlimited, especially hotspots. We plan to switch to using a hotspot connected to a Visible phone for our next big trip... it is unlimited but it's capped at 5mbps so that probably would be slower than your DSL. We have 125gb of non-throttled data with our 2 Verizon phones but that costs an arm and a leg... it helps that we get to write it off sort of since we use it for this channel but that only helps a little. Like I said... it's complicated. You could "lease" a grandfathered Verizon unlimited hotspot off eBay... at least something to look in to... but we've passed on that so far. Really good to hear from you and know you're watching. Really do miss you and our fun times when we were both younger. See you again soon I hope. Let me know if you want a little more detail on LTE and the struggles we have with it.
We have a really old one we love that is not made anymore. The one we bought is in Bike section of our Amazon store. Link is www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle
Hey Owen and Lynn, love your channel. Hey, I don’t know if this has been asked, but I’d like to know how tall you both are. We are looking at the Radmini ST 2, but we feel we may be too tall. The Rad Chart is kind of ambiguous, and I feel it may mislead us into purchasing the wrong size bike. I’m 5’11”, and my wife is 5’8”. We both seem to have the same inseam though. TMI? 😂. Thanks in Advance.
Thank you so much for reaching out. Owen is 5’11” and I am 5’5”. We both feel like they are big enough. Owen could raise his seat even more if needed. From our experience we don’t think you would be to tall at all. We’ve had our bikes for awhile now and still love them as much as we did when we first got them. They are a great addition to our travels and even though they are electric they can still provide a lot of good exercise. Good luck on making your decision there are a lot of good options out there.
Hey Gordon! I added those to our list of things to maybe buy. I (Owen) think it would be great but Lynn might prefer her separation time from my jokes and moans and groans while we’re riding. I can see how they’d come in handy when you see something in the trail or get a little bit apart from each other.
Another great video, there is a historical marker in Wilkesboro some where for 'James Wellborn' my great great somebody.. but, on my bucket list to come to Wilkesboro. Have fun with the bikes, be safe.
We are going to try and find your great, great somebodies marker and send you a picture. That is pretty cool, if you make it to Wilkesboro look us up. Thanks for watching.
It’s so much easier than a road bike but you can still get some exercise and have help when you need it, plus you are able to ride longer. I always thought it was cheating but i have to admit they are a lot of fun.
Just you riding your bike outside and showing the scenery is very pleasurable. You guys enjoyment brought some fun to otherwise boring TH-cam showings. Keep videoing!,
Thank you for your kind words. Getting out after being home for so long was an treat for us as well. We appreciate you watching.
Thanks for continuing to post on TH-cam! You are a blessing to me!!!
You are so welcome. We appreciate you kind words.
Very nice tribute to New Hampshire Joe. Losing him so closely after Gary the RV Doctor, our rv family has lost a couple great people. Ted and I are hoping to go fulltime in 2022. Was going to be 2021, but this Covid-19 has taken lots out of all of us. We have to start saving all over again.
So sorry you had to postpone going full time, Covid-19 has changed a lot of peoples lives... We appreciate you watching and sharing your comment.
Congratulations Owen and Lynn. Me and Mary Beth are happy you took our advice and got a RAD mini. There is a great accessory I would recommend and that would be a thumb attachment for your throttle. Makes it easy to power up when riding. Let me know if interested and I will send you a link to to the company that makes them. We are currently at Reed Bingham State Park in Adel Ga. Not sure if you have been here but it is a fantastic park with lots of trails that Maggie and you guys would love. It is right off US75 just north of Valdosta. A great place to stop on your way to Florida. By the way, we have had our Brookstone for a couple years and wouldn’t go anywhere without it.
Going go try that crunch wrap this week. Looks great
Yes, please send us the information for the thumb attachment. We have not been to the Reed Bingham SP but we will put it on our list. We haven’t taken our Blackstone yet but we are going to find a place for it in our van, it does seem like a good addition.
👍
Owen the thumb attachment can be found at this site 1859-northwest.myshopify.com/. It comes in a lot of colors and the way they engineered it works great. Mary Beth and I plus a number of our friend swear by them.
Glad you did not stop making videos during this pandemic. Gives us something to look forward to every week.
Thank you for letting us know!
Lynn & Owen; another great video. Becky and I really enjoy our Rad Mini and Rad Mini Step-thru. They fold and travel in our Ford Edge that’s towed behind our Canyon Star. To date they have been trouble free even though now we’re only now riding in our neighborhood. We also travel with a 17” Blackstone Griddle. Like you we’re ready to be traveling again. Last week we did escape our Cabarrus Co. home and visit The Shiloh General Store that’s up your way. A small reminder of our PA., Ohio, and Indiana travels. Sorry for the loss of your friend Joe. Be safe.
That is good to hear that your Rad bikes have been trouble free. We haven’t tried folding them yet, we may try that this week to see how we could transport them that way. You were very close to us if you visited The Shiloh General Store, I’ve never been there, we’ll have to try it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
We slipped across the NC border this weekend and camped in a county owned 65 site RV park. It was full. When we left this morning I made a quick count of the trucks/boat trailers in the parking lot and I'm guessing there were over a hundred boats in the water. Warm weather is here and people are on the move. But I have to say most everyone kept their distance and stayed with their families. Sure there were a lot of waves and a few elbow bumps used for communication but all seem to respect our current situation. It felt good to get away.
I agree people want to get out more when the weather is nice, us included. We have been staying home so much it was a real treat to take the bikes out for awhile. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Be safe out there.
I watch a lot of vanlife channels but your channel is the best. You both make me feel happy while watching your videos. They are so upbeat and done so well. I have a campervan and haven’t been able to get out much with my 2 kiddos because of work and this COVID-19 stuff so watching your channel helps. My wife of 30+ years passed away last year from a 2 year battle of breast cancer and we always wanted to travel in a campervan but sadly she didn’t get a chance to go with our kids and I. I’m 48 years old and she was 46 and we’ve been together since 9th grade. When I watch your videos it makes me feel that she’s there’s watching with me and when I can hit the road again I will use your fun tips and cooking tips for my Blackstone griddle! Thx for that segment! Anyways keep up the awesome work and Thank You for your happy fun channel! Oh thanks for showing your outside room tent thingy! I ordered one tonight from your Amazon store. 😎
Dennis, your comment touched our hearts, made us smile and made us cry. We were just talking about “what is our purpose” the morning your comment came in. After reading it, re-reading it, crying and talking about it we came to the conclusion that maybe our channel “is” our purpose (for now). We’ve been reminded many times just this year that life is precious and short and never guaranteed. But off all losses, yours and your children’s loss is one that seems so unfair in life. But as you know, life has to go on, even after loss. It makes us smile that you still have the dream of making traveling work with your kids and you. That is definitely much more complicated now with COVID-19 for sure. Making camping fun for you and 2 kids in a van... that’s a challenge for sure. We have had our granddaughter with us in our van, in a motor home, a 5th wheel and even a small 15’ vintage trailer. Each one of those was easier than the van, but we made the van work and you can too. That outside room helps a lot (thanks for getting from our channel btw).
The two of us were not as lucky as you in some ways. We’d have to live to be 100 to get as many years together as you and your high school sweetheart had. But, like you, we feel we’re best when we’re hand in hand and we realize that each day is a blessing and a challenge. Till “death do us part” is a line that most just say out loud. If they knew what you know those words would help change how couples live their lives together. You are an encouragement to us and we’re so honored that our little videos have made a difference for you. Please feel free to reach out anytime you need anything. Stay connected with us and keep us posted about your adventures.
VAN TREKKING lifestyle Thank You for your caring words! We spent time by a lake yesterday with the van and had a great time! Keep up the great work. A lot of people love your channel. My whole family watch it 😎
Thanks for the review on the Rad Mini. That's the ebike I have been looking at. Glad you both like it. Enjoyed the Q&A part and the cooking demo! I will definitely try that recipe. Loved the birds at the end. Take care.
Deciding to buy these e-bike was a very big deal for us. We did a lot of research and feel like they are a good fit for what we want to use them for. We wanted something we could ride on the road and on trails. Good luck with your reasearch. Thanks for letting us know you liked the new sections in the video. Stay safe.
We don't comment often but watch all your videos. (We are in Charlotte, NC). We just ordered our Rad minis and we are so excited! Love the Blackstone grill, too. We are not van owners (Airstream, here, but a SMALL one) but we enjoy much of the same type things as you guys! Keep having fun and making those videos!!
We love Airstreams and have often thought it may be our next RV. Congratulations on your Rads, I think you will love them. Thanks so much for your comment.
From a fellow white Subaru Outback owner and future Traverse owner, I appreciate the video. I've been looking at RAD bikes for simplified mobility and recreation both now and when traveling with the Traverse. Nice to see your use and review of them.
We are enjoying the bikes a lot while we are at our home base but I’m sure we will get a lot of use out of them when we start traveling agin. Thanks for watching.
Those bikes look way cool! I've read about them a while back. RAD seems to be the best choice out there. Have fun with them, I'm sure you will. Those "weird looking fried burritos" looked yummy! May have to try them. Loved your closing segment.....so true. Prayers to you guys for keeping safe and healthy!
So far we are having a blast with the bikes and we feel we made the right choice with Rad. We appreciate you watching and for your comment. Be safe and stay healthy.
Last year I had my ebike narrowed it down to Rad and juiced bike and went with the fat tire crosscurrent S juiced ebike and a rocky mount hitch mount and w e have never looked back. Woods , dirt, beach not a problem You will love them Ride On
Thank you for your input, it’s a big decision. So glad you are enjoying your bikes. We are loving the fat tire too, we’ve done woods, dirt and gravel but no beach yet. We appreciate you watching.
Awesome awesome awesome!! Enjoy this immensely !! Back at you, Happy Tails !!
Thank you so much. We are so glad you enjoyed the video. We appreciate your comment.
Enjoyed the video and the education on E Bikes... Be safe... Pat & Maggie
We appreciate you watching and commenting. You stay safe as well.
Congratulations on the new E bikes! We love our Rad bikes and are happy you do too. They make cycling as fun for us at 67 as regular bikes did in our 20s. 🚴🏿
I totally agree, it does make cycling a lot more fun and you can ride so much longer. Be safe out there.
And thanks for sharing Maggie's story! Another true blessing!
We agree that Maggie is a true blessing. Thanks for watching.
Great information about the bikes thanks for keeping us informed on all your trips
Traveling is in our blood and we hope we can continue in some way this summer. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for a half hour of smiling at my computer! Praying for you!
You are very welcome. We appreciate you watching and letting us know us enjoyed it.
Wow the bikes look great. Have fun with them
We are having a blast with them. Thanks so much for watching. Be safe and stay healthy.
Yum! Can we convert the cooking part of the video to scratch and sniff? 😋
I think that would be a great idea. thanks for watching.
I am a new subscriber and y’all are just a joy to watch! Great video editing skills plus you guys have great energy and Maggie is definitely a star. Thank you for all the great information and beautiful scenery during your travels. You are my new favorite channel!
Thank you so much for subscribing. We greatly appreciate your kind comment.
Alright!!! RAD is what I decided on as well. Makes me feel even better with my decision. I have a Truck Camper so looking for the perfect rack. I loved the fold up feature of the L bike, but the quality and coolness factor of the Rads. I need to look at the Thule rack as well. I found your channel because I was looking for State parks in Florida. You two are a sweet couple and I have learned so much already.. I travel alone with my dog Ellie.
Owen is putting out a Tuesday tip on our bike and the whole setup today. You may want to check it out.
Owen and Lynn, I have been watching your videos from almost the beginning. For me, this video was your best one yet! Hubby have been wanting to get e-bikes and you told me what I needed to know. I can’t wait to watch more of your e-bike experiences. I also loved the cooking segment and the new Q&A segment.You two keep getting more comfortable with your filming and I appreciate the hard work and improvements you are continually doing. Thank you during this during COVID-19 as it is a welcome distraction. I hope we can all get back on the roads soon.
I think the bikes will be a great addition to our travel adventures and I’m sure we will be showing a lot of us using them. As of right now we are loving them. We are glad to hear you liked the new segments, we are having to get creative since we are not traveling. But hopefully we’ll be back on the road soon.
Nice! I just bought a Liv Sedona X step through hybrid. Went non E bike but it has 24 speeds. It’s one of the highest geared hybrids I could find. We travel with a bike rack. Right now our local greenways in Va are all closed😔 but soon as they are open I’m going to be featuring a biking series on my channel. These look really fun so will be looking forward to your vlogs👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. I like that locking feature too!!
It was a hard decision for me to purchase and E bike as I thought it would be cheating. But I have to say you can still get a lot of exercise with these bikes. It’s all about being outside and enjoyed the nature that surrounds us. I hope you enjoy you new bike. We’ll check out your channel. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Yeah! We have been using our Rad mini’s for almost for years now! They are the very best! Glad you got those bikes.👍🤠🙏✝️
So good to hear. We hope ours will last for many years too. Thanks for the comment.
Loved this!! Love the bikes! Loved the cooking! Thanks for sharing. Great fun video!
Hope you’re recording all the mods!
I didn’t feel your excitement was advertising - just plain old excitement!!
Hugs to you both and to Maggie. Hope you figure out a way to bring her along.
💕👍🤗🐾🐾🐶
Yes this week was filled with excitement, we really didn’t mean for that segment to sound like an advertisement and we appreciate hearing that you didn’t take it that way. It was just a big purchase for us that we though we would share how and why we bought what we did. Thanks so much for your support and sharing your comment. Be safe and stay healthy.
Great video! The Q&A segment is a nice touch. Love the bikes - I was thinking about one of them to try and get in a little exercise. Your hunkering down area looks beautiful - love your kitchen and porch! Here's to staying safe and cheerful!
The bikes are a great way to get exercise you can just ride at your own pace, and have help if you need it. Glad you like the Q&A section.
Loved the new Rad bikes and Owen your Crunchwrap looked nice...
We appreciate you watching and commenting.
Your new ebikes look like so much fun. Our new ebikes should arrive next week. I have one question. How are you planning to protect them from the elements? We are still trying to determine the best way for us to transport them. Thanks in advance.
We’ve bought a cover for them, it’s in the Outside category on our Amazon page www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle. We haven’t used it yet so I’m not sure how well it’s going to work. We did put it on them and it fits well just have not traveled with it.
So happy for you guys... I have the Lectric Bike and love it. I have had it since September and have no complaints. Welcome to the electric bike family. You will not want to go back to a regular bike. Look forward to more adventures with your bikes ;)
I’m already figuring out that I want go back to my old bike, which I never thought I would say. I’m sure we will be adding a lot of bike adventures to our videos. They are so much fun. Thanks for watching.
Sigh.....(in a happy relaxed way!)...the end of the video with the bird at the feeder and the "birdsong", very special! The whole video was so enjoyable, guys! I look forward to them, they have become a Sunday retreat! This video was like a virtual magazine, lot's of fun and informative segments, including a recipe--love the whole thing! I did not feel as though you were "pitching" the RAD bikes as someone mentioned earlier. I could completely feel your excitement and joy at having made a decision, and finding that it was a good one for you! I am grateful for the recommendation, and will keep it at the top of my list as I begin researching. Many times I have enjoyed something so much that I couldn't wait to share my enthusiasm, because I wanted others to have a similar experience--so keep those recommendations coming! The crunch wrap looked so yummy that I think my teenager daughter and I will make them for lunch this week! Now, on to questions: the Travato K, which I love and can't wait to own--I've seen lots of mods on the Wannabee site, showing the installation of the lagun table. Have you considered that, at all? And a galley question for Lynn, any upgrade "wishes" in that area? Thank you both for being so "neighborly"!
Wow!!!! What a nice thing to tell us! Like a virtual magazine was what we were shooting for. Crunch wrap is a keeper! We’ll add your question too. Thanks for being with us!
How long have you been retired and what did you and Lynn do for a living? Love your channel. Would love to see video of your home. Keep the happy videos coming, it makes a difference. RIP in peace Joe.
Here’s the short version, we’ve been retired from our corporate jobs for 10 years where Owen and I both worked in the corporate office of Lowe’s Hardware. Owen then worked 8 years pursuing his music career and I made jewelry for awhile. So we completely retired 2 years ago. Thank you so much for saying that our videos make a difference. We appreciate you watching and commenting. Stay safe.
Love the bikes!!
Thanks, we are loving them too.
We really love our rad mini splits.
I think we are going to love our too. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great video Owen and Lynn! Keep those happy videos coming 👏. You covered two topics that I was interested in, the Rad bikes and the Blackstone. How did you know?! Thank you again for all the time and effort you put into your channel. I look forward to them each and every week. Be well and be safe.
Glad we covered some topics you were interested in. We have never taken the Blackstone with us in the van but we are planning to take it with us next time. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment to let us know you enjoyed the video.
Wow, what a tiny video and I really appreciate you putting it out there for us to view. I’ve been researching getting an E bike and I was thinking about the electric version or even building my own. So it was great to see how you enjoy your read a bike and I’ll do some more looking into that model and brand name thank you.As always as I watch your videos I feel like I’m there in the room with you although I couldn’t taste your marvelous hamburger taco treat I may be inspired to go make my own now thanks again good luck to you and Lyn and Maggie looking forward to next video bye.
You are so welcome and we appreciate you watching and commenting.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Sorry, in my original comment I said "Wow, what a tiny video". I meant to say Wow, what a timely video. Words mean something, so I wanted to correct my typo. Have fun on the new e-bikes and tell Lynn, no more falling over! Rick
I would love to see a review of the bike rack and details of how you load and unload the bikes. We are looking for a bike rack to put on the back of our Jeep Cherokee.
We’ll add these questions to our Q&A list and hopefully get them answered in the next few episodes. If not, remind us again OK? :-)
I want one but I want a place to ride and oh so miss North Carolina even though we only stayed there 3 way too short months. Love seeing the beautiful scenery there again!
We have been researching places to ride in our area. We have several “rails to trails” places pretty close by to check out. I think it will give us another way to check out places as we travel. Thanks for watching.
I love watching you guys on your new e-bikes
Thank you! We love them~
Congratulations. That trail looked fun. Love your bike rack. Would love to see you load it.
Thank you! You know you two were big inspirations for us getting our RADs and making this happen. We have so much respect and love for both of you. Not sure we got the best rack. The Thule is awesome but these bikes are so fat that rolling the second on up on the ramp is challenging. Your Hollywood rack seems like a much simpler approach and a LOT less $$.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle We've certainly had our share of bike racks. But with 2 of us lifting, it's no problem. John can take them off by himself.
Coincidentally, we just got the 17” Blackstone griddle this week and are very pleased with it too 😋
We are planning to take it on our next trip and practicing on meals we can cook. Now we have to figure out where it’s going to live in the van. Thanks for watching.
This video was fun to watch and so are those bikes. Maybe more fun than my Harley but felt sorry for little Maggie being left behind. But hey, sometimes they just have to wait it out. 👍👍🐕
The bikes are a lot of fun but I’m not sure I would compare them to a Harley. We really hate leaving Maggie, but I’m not sure she would like it, but we are looking for a solution. Thanks for watching.
Love the bikes! The cooking was a good addition and I think we are gonna try that recipe. Miss you guys and are glad you are safe!
We are loving the bikes, a lot more than I thought I would. We are having to get creative with the video’s since we can’t travel, who knows we may learn something from it. We always appreciate your support. Stay safe out there. Love you guys.
Greetings from Dayton OH! Questions: do the handle bars on the bikes tilt closer to the seat, allowing you to sit up straight while riding? And what data plan do you all have and what devices do you use to tap the internet? Loved the bird song at the end of the video!
The handle bar does not tilt but you can raise it up to allow you to sit up straighter. That is one of the things I wanted was to be able to sit straight as my shoulders and back get really tired riding my traditional mountain bike. On our last trip we just used the data on our cell phones but we place to purchase “Visible” for our next trip, a lot of people has recommended it to us. We appreciate you watching.
Love how you kids enjoy life together. I really like the Rad bikes but a little too heavy for me....would love to see how you both are able to put on your ramp hitch. I am considering a lighter bike because of weight issue. Ok my dinner plans have now changed. This cooking segment made up my mind.....so delish....thanks.
In next weeks video we will show how we load them on the hitch as part of the O&A. We’ve had several people ask us to show that. We take the battery out when we transport them which makes them a little lighter. Owen can load them himself but I usually pick up one end and he picks up the other, it easier with two people. Thanks for the suggestion. We appreciate you watching and commenting.
Have you thought about a Class C? We have a Winnebago Outlook (no slides). We’ve been looking at Rad ebikes, too. I’m glad you’re enjoying them, that’s encouraging. Did you have to get a special carrier for them? Thanks! (Jane)
Yes, we have thought about a Class C among many other things. We did get a new carrier, if you watch the “Prep for Freedom” is highlights the carrier we got and the issue we had with it. We do love the eBikes, they are a game changer.
I have been watching you since I think close to your beginning. I enjoy watching you both give each other respect and love. It is so sad about your friend and this terrible virus that is claiming so many lives. Waiting for another year for the vaccine seems like forever. Hopefully it will go fast. My husband and I would like to get a black stone grill also. The bikes look awesome. Take care of yourself!!!
Thank you for your kind words. It is a scary time especially to travel and all the uncertainty. Thanks so much for commenting and watching.
Check out 'From She To Me' as she shows a bike rack on her Class B that is fastened to the door hinges for their e-bikes. I am excited for you and even though it takes a learning curve I look forward to you sharing more locations from your e -bikes. Loved the cooking session, looked yummy! Thank you again, as it's always a pleasure sharing your journey.
Hey Janet! Yes, we saw the episode where Deb talked about the OWL box with a rack. But like them, we are not spring chickens either so lifting our bikes to put on top of a storage box on the van would not work... well it might work once but then I’d be on the couch or bed for a month. Thanks for all the love. We appreciate you watching and staying connected.
Good to see you guys safe and sound. I just love the E-bikes. I got to get one to help ease some pains. Lol. Cheers!!!
We are safe and sound and we hope you are too. The bikes are great way to enjoy cycling again. Cheers to you!
Owen and Lynn, congratulations about your ebikes. We recently bought ebikes for our B class also. We settled on IZIP brand since we have a California nephew who swears by his. We also had a local dealer and he made it very easy for us to buy. He set them up and they are wonderful. We have a 100 pound capacity on our factory installed Summit bicycle rack. We are at 99 pounds for both bikes. Hoping some engineering safety factor was built into the rack. Also, we want to cover them while we travel, but can not find the appropriate cover. I may just have to use a tarp and look like Cousin Eddie come to town. I like your bike rack but we don't want to buy another when we have one installed already on the back of the van. (Ford Transit). Great video, and we are itching to leave Florida. Our plans are to leave around the third week in May (only a few weeks) and head to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, then off to Colorado for as long as we can stand it. Then south to New Mexico. We should be 2-3 months on the road. We have a list that we are working through right now so we are ready to get very soon. We enjoyed that video and your cooking and the Q&A session. Very cool..... (we live half way between Tomoka State Park and Anastasia State Park) So when you guys come back, we would like to meet you, Lynn, and Maggie
David and Juanita
We would probably have made the same decision you did with your bikes. Having a family recommendation and a local dealer would seal the deal. We have bought a cover but have not used it yet. In past experiences they have a lot of movement traveling down the road, so we will see. One subscriber suggested the “Velosock” it looks interesting but very expensive. We love the area you live in. Good luck with you up coming trip. Stay safe out there.
Love the new question and answer part of your videos! Nice bikes too, and I liked how you showed us how they worked so well for you ;-) So many questions, so I'll try to keep them to a minimum! Are you still filming with your iPhone? You seem pretty mechanical, what did you do before you retired? Have you always lived in NC? Lynn, what are your favorite hiking shoes? (you probably said, but I can't remember). I'll save more questions for future videos! (There are more?! ha!) Thanks for the distraction in this strange time.
Hey Pam! Yes, this episode and most of the latest ones, was filmed 100% on our iPhones. We have iPhone 11 Pro phones and they do a really good job. We may need to upgrade our GoPros to use while on the trails riding though because the phones are a little awkward on the bikes. Both of us worked in IT at corporate jobs. Yes, our home state has been NC for our entire adult lives. Really not mechanical. Wood working... yes... mechanical no. Lynn says her favorite would be Merrill’s. In fact I have a song called “These Old Shoes” that you’ve probably heard in a few of our episodes.
The bikes look fun to ride. Unfortunately, the first segment was more of an advertisement. However, I am now hungry thanks to your cooking!!
Sorry if it came across as an advertisement. We just wanted to be thorough in how we went about making this decision. Thanks for watching.
Looks like tons of fun! Enjoy
It was and is! Thanks for watching.
Those looked delicious. Check at Laura in the Kitchen as well. Happy tails.
Thank you, I will check out “Laura in the Kitchen”. Thanks for the suggestion.
When I make something fancy with a flour tortilla like you were doing, I remember flying kites s a kid. I made those kites out of newspaper and used flour and water as glue. So, take a brush dabbed in water then in flour, to coat and glue those tortilla edges together. It works chef Owen!
We will trying that next time. Thanks so much for the suggestion.
Loved the video! Glad you are still putting out videos.Makes being stuck inside not quite so hard. What about taking the griddle on top of the stove.?
We will have to find a home for the griddle for sure, I’m not sure how it would ride on the stove. We will try that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Great video. A variety of good things. I’ve looked at Rad bikes but have decided instead to go with a scooter. And I ❤️ crunchwraps. Yours looked delicious. Happy dance.
A scooter would also be a good solution for transportation. Lynn wanted to also get some exercise so that is why we chose electric bikes. Thanks for watching.
Hey buddy, really enjoying your videos, especially during this virus. Y’all stay safe.
Good to hear from you. We appreciate you watching. We hope you are doing well. Stay safe as well.
Hi Guys, could you do a video on loading the bikes? I have the 1st Rad Mini and find lifting it difficult. Thanks for doing these
Yes, we will do that in the next video in the Q&A section. Several people have ask us to do that.
Yes, we will do that in the next video in the Q&A section. We appreciate your interest.
I really enjoyed this video. I have a new e-bike and I'm looking forward to seeing more of yours in your videos.
I’m sure we will be using them a lot and showing them in the video’s. I hope you are enjoying your new e-bike. Thanks for watching.
A little off the subject but watching your videos and your cooking segments have enticed me to buy a 17in Blackstone griddle. Thank you so much
That is awesome! We hope you love it!
You're going to love them. My wife and I have the Rad Mini and Rad Mini step through we carry on our Promaster camper.
We already love them... even more than we thought. Can’t wait to take them on our next trip. Thanks for watching.
Great Video! Enjoy your new Ebikes.
Thanks! 👍
Did my happy dance when I saw you two got the eBikes! So much fun and an extra mod of transportation with the Travato. Have you found the RAD seats a little uncomfortable; some people replace the seat or get gel seat covers. You will have even more new adventures riding and exploring while looking RAD!
The crunch-wraps looked really tasty. Do you think changing to the Travato GL would be a consideration? Pros & Cons with either K or G, but I think the KL or GL would be nice. Sorry to hear about your friends passing. Looking forward to your next video and the joy you two bring.
I think we are going to love having the eBikes as another mode of transportation when we travel and it provides another form of entertainment looking for bike trails. We went on a 25 mile ride yesterday and my butt could definitely feel it. I may try a gel seat cover or get some bike shorts but I’m going to see if I can get my butt use to it first. We like both the G and K, the main drawback for us with the G is the bed, but Owen would love to have a GL or KL or sure, maybe in the future but not anytime soon. Thanks for watching and commenting. We appreciate your support.
I am glad you bought the bike you did, I am looking at the letric, I have a question on the 20 in wheels. I bought some 20 in folding many years ago . I didn't like them but they didn't have fat tire. How do they handle with the 20 in tire. Tire size has me concerned about my future purchase. By the way can't wait for you to visit orange beach Alabama with us. Looking forward to your opinion. We have been in orange beach for two months. Heading to Illinois Wednesday. Hope to order bikes then. I was concerned about Lynn's fall. Lettie fell on her bike 2 weeks ago and is still not moving well. Can't wait to see you on the road again
Hey Chuck! No worries about the 20” Fat Tire. Yesterday we did 25 miles on loose gravel and dirt, with a top speed of 20 mph several times and it was no problem at all... for us anyway. Might be for you but I think the fat tires make a huge difference. And one of our deciding factors to spend more money for these is they have front shocks and that makes a huge difference when you go over a ledge, dip or big rock. Sorry Lettie is hurting. Lynn was pretty sore yesterday about half way through the ride and thought it was probably from the fall too. We were in soft dirt but at our age falling on any dirt is not fun. Let us know what you decide and get. We’d love to see your Alabama area for sure.
Love you guys! You are such a cute couple! Thanks for the laughs and the great travel videos!
Glad you like them!
Great video ! Very informative on your new toys. Glad you kept making videos however I may have missed a few during the last month or so. I can’t wait to get back to the “old normal “
We can’t wait to get back to the “old normal” either, we’re just not sure when that will be. We appreciate you watching.
We love your videos and look forward to every Sunday, question when we are released to travel again, what are your plans! Be safe,
And love from Maine! The Browns
We will try to answer your question in more depth in our next video. But for the short version we are probably going to stay closer to home until traveling becomes more clear. We may do a “Love the State Your In” series for this summer. We had planned to come your way and go to Nova Scotia but with all the things happening we will probably wait. We do love Maine.
Do you also have a bigger RV? We are torn between letting our Class A go and moving into a Travato? Cost is about the same from our 2009 Tiffin Allegro Bus to a 2020.5 Travato. So for me it doesn’t make sense, for hubby he wants to simplify and go smaller.
We have had bigger RV’s in the past but right now we only have the van. The van has it’s advantages with the ease of traveling and getting to places does simplify things, but when you get somewhere is it nice to have all the comforts of your bus, plus all the storage. To be honest we talk about that a lot. But for the way we like to travel right now (jumping from place to place) the van works better. It is a very hard decision. Good luck.
VAN TREKKING lifestyle VERY HARD. Everything I read seems to be RVer’s going small and then going back to the Class A’s. I tell my hubby to let’s just bypass that and keep what we have! 😉
You guys are awesome! We so enjoy your videos. We got a contract on our house yesterday and are starting full time in our class c. You bring joy to us with every video! Thank you
That is awesome! Congrats on selling your house. We’ve thought about selling our home too and we know how hard a decision that is. You’ll love being out here on the road for sure! Thanks for letting us know that our videos bring you joy... that’s awesome to hear.
Love your videos! How long does it take to charge your new Rad’s? My husband,Dennis, thinks you should write a “ Not traveling Covid Blues Song” and sing it to us. Hanging out in Arizona until Canada will let us travel to Alaska.
We haven’t really timed how long it takes to charge the Rad’s batteries, I’ll try to do that. We just plug them in after every ride so they will be ready next time. I think the new song idea is great... I’ll start working on Owen. Are you going to Alaska this year? We are finally putting out our recap from last year’s trip for this Sunday’s video. It’s is by far our most favorite trip.
Can’t wait to see your recap. Yes, we were planning to go this year in May but that has changed with the border closed. We also want to make sure that Alaska has everything open. If Canada opens before July 4th we may still go. We are also hoping to get up to Yellowknife if weather permits. We have a short bed Cirrus slide-in camper on a long bed dually which we love. My husband,
Dennis, has put a decal on it that says “ Doing Nothing with Style” 😁
Enjoyed your video. What are the bags you have on your back rack?
Owen has his old Giant bags on his bike. They actually fit really nicely. We carry tools and extra stuff in them.
Great Video!!!!! Thanks!!!!
You are so welcome and thank you for watching.
Thanks for product reviews on these e-bikes. We are looking to get one and this is helpful. It's great to see you two thriving and branching out into the realm of cooking demos!
Well, not much of a cooking video but we have always tried to show how we cook in the van a few times each trip. Folks seem to like that and many have requested more. Glad you liked it.
Love the video and your new Rad mini's. My wife and I are just about ready to pull the trigger on 2 Lectric XP's. We have an '18k and think your Thule rack is the way to go. Is it difficult to get the bikes up on the rack while its on the Travato? Any concern with covering the license plate or rear lights?
Hope to see you on the road some day....
Glad you watch and love the electric bikes too. No matter what brand you get the experience of riding on an eBike changes everything... at least it does for us. Tomorrow’s video goes into much more detail about how the rack works out on the Travato. Much love, Owen, Lynn and Maggie
I don’t know if it has really ever happened but I have a Thule for my fat bikes and I saw a video warning that someone could try to steal the rack and bikes by pulling on the rack with say another vehicle. I’m going to attach a small heavy chain underneath to at least slow the crooks down. I also try to park where it would be tough for another vehicle to get in behind. I love the rack though.
Wow, thanks for the warning. That’s a great idea using a chain. We also do the same with parking.
Good video with great information. Can you charge your bikes on the Travato batteries? If so, can you plug them in while you're driving?
Yes we can charge the eBikes with the Travato and the plan is to charge them as we are driving.
Very cool, how tall are then when they are completely folded up? Wondering if I could put them in the back of my truck under the hard cover.
Here’s the dimensions from their web site Folded Dimensions (LxWxH) 42" x 23" x 30". I hope this helps. We do love them.
Thank you for this video. I have been wanting to get 2 e-bikes and was not sure what to get. I will look into this deeper now. We enjoy all your tips .
Glad it was helpful!
Owen, Thule Bike Rack: Did you get the swing away arm for the bike rack or anything else with your order of the bike rack? If you did not get the 'swing away' it appears the rack 'flips' away from the back door, but is this enough for the rear doors of the van? Their example only show from the back of an SUV.
No we did not get the swing away hitch thingy... yet... We thought we would try it without it first and see what we could get to with it lowered. Adding the swing away adds weight and pushes the bikes out a little farther away from the hitch which increases the stress on the hitch. Betting we’ll have to do that but for now we didn’t order it. And we haven’t put it on the van yet since it’s parked in a tight place at our house and things are kind of torn apart as we’re completing mods. The rack works well on the Subaru but the bikes are wide which makes rolling the first one up easy but it’s actually easier to just pick the 2nd on up and place it on the rack without rolling it.
@@VANTREKKINGlifestyle Did the 'rolling' ramp come with the rack? Was it easy for picking up the 2nd bike, I think they weight approx 60+ lbs each, you both had to pick it up? Can you please give feedback after using it with the van, it is important for access to the back doors, how much weight does it add overall for the swing away? Over time we have shedded weight with solar upgrade, etc. So, is this 'mods' to the van, if so, what are you working on?
Hi, I’m a newbie to your channel. I love your videos. I am not sure if this was asked before; is there a reason you did not go with the B+?
The biggest reason we didn’t go with a B+ is we wanted to stay as small as possible and it is also a better daily driver that we can always use.
Have a look at The Turtle and the Tiger here on TH-cam. They travel in a Tiger Adventure Vehicle and tow Turtleback adventure trailer. I’m not sure how it would work with your Travato. I’m continuing enjoying your videos so much! Please keep them coming. Oh and one more resource is Lifestyle Overland. It shows a lot about the functionality of the Turtle, which has a kitchen, gas bottle, and water system.
Thanks for recommendation, we will check them out. We have been looking at the advance element kayaks you recommended last week... do you have one or know anyone that does? They look very interesting and might work for us. Thanks for all the recommendations we really do appreciate it. Be safe and stay healthy.
VAN TREKKING lifestyle On the kayak, have a look at Dale Mr D Simmons’ channel. He’s in Florida and seems to have connections with AE Kayaks
So is this like actually biking only with a gear assist that keeps it easier? Is workout comparable to a pedal bike? Enjoy your shows. Happy for you. Homebase is cozy too. Hmm I’m hungry. Oh Tks for answering my ? 😉
Its always a compromise of something when talking RV’s. Onto cooking with Sam and that taco.
The bikes have pedal assist that goes up to 5, we usually use 2 and it also has a throttle that helps you get started or out the way quickly. Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Be safe.
Owen & Lynn maybe RAD bike will sponsor you if you offer a link on your page😊
That would be wonderful but very unlikely.
Great video. That is what I am thinking of getting also. The rad bike. Can you do a video on the inside of your van. Like where you put everything. I am a silly person and won’t have to worry about other people stuff but I have ordered my 2021 kL and very excited to start my journey. I retire June 24
Congrats on your upcoming retirement. Like us you’ll wonder how you ever got anything done while you were working. 👍 We’ll add these questions to our Q&A list and hopefully get them answered in the next few episodes. Great questions! We we don’t get them answered soon remind us again... we don’t have a very good system for keeping up with all the questions and answers. 👍😄
Hi guys, love the videos! We just ordered our Rad City Step-thru 3’s so are curious what rack you used on your Travato. We also have a hitch-mounted cargo carrier so want to be able to take the cargo rack and our bikes. Thanks so much!
Awesome! Thank you! We have our bike rack on our Amazon Influencer page: www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle
Owen, love the bikes. It’ll be interesting to see how they fit on the travato and what changes they will necessitate. I’m hoping I’ll be able to put my Greenbike G5 on the new Travato NP bike rack, (I don’t have fat tires and it folds if needed), but If not, your experience with the Thule rack will be helpful knowledge.
We’ll add these questions to our Q&A list and hopefully get them answered in the next few episodes. Great questions! We we don’t get them answered soon remind us again... we don’t have a very good system for keeping up with all the questions and answers. 👍😄
Would like to see rack with bikes on the van. I have a spare on rear door and would like to know if the rack and bikes would fit with spare.
We will show that in our next video in the Q&A section. Several people have ask for that. Thanks for the suggestion.
Rad is definitely the best
We agree and love ours.
Just wondering if you have travel clothes that may be outdoor rugged, easier to clean, and faster to dry than stay home clothes?
The clothes we buy these days have travel in mind, we buy less and may spend more for a product. Owen loves Smart Wool T-shirts and socks, his favorite pants are Fajallraven, they are very rugged and he’s wears them for days. We have them listed in our Amazon page if you are interested. www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle. Thanks for the question.
We love our Rad bikes too although we have the City Step Through. What’s the name of your greenway? We are over in Brevard and are always are looking for manageable places to ride.
Hi Jackie. It’s the Yadkin River Greenway.
VAN TREKKING lifestyle Thank you!
Hey Owen. It has been fun getting reacquainted with an old friend by watching your videos. I came up with a question... not sure if you post answers here or through some private message... and you may have a video already on it. We live in a rural area near Chapel Hill and with all of the permanent work from home, school at home, streaming TV and playing games our 10 mbps DSL service is straining. I was looking at cellular router options and since most of the information on that comes from RVers I thought of you. What solution do you use (router and data plan) to stay connected to internet while traveling? Thanks for the time and energy in showing us you living your best life!
Hey old friend! You'd be surprised to know I think about you a lot. I just explained to Lynn how we used to come out here to the golf course we live on every single morning before work... really good times and cherished memories. I hope we can get together again soon if the timing and geography works out. Now... your question. Like all things... it depends. DSL sometimes strains due to latency... you may be able to speed it up a little by switching your DNS to a faster one other than the one from your provider... I use the Google DNS server... figure they know everything about everything anyway so it has to be the fastest, and most agree it is. If you want to switch to LTE-only you can expect a few hurtles and frequent head scratching. It's been that way for us. Verizon had a really good unlimited prepaid hotspot plan but did away with it. AT&T and the others have had similar but dropped them too. Now everyone is good to use but all have some sort of cap on their unlimited, especially hotspots. We plan to switch to using a hotspot connected to a Visible phone for our next big trip... it is unlimited but it's capped at 5mbps so that probably would be slower than your DSL. We have 125gb of non-throttled data with our 2 Verizon phones but that costs an arm and a leg... it helps that we get to write it off sort of since we use it for this channel but that only helps a little. Like I said... it's complicated. You could "lease" a grandfathered Verizon unlimited hotspot off eBay... at least something to look in to... but we've passed on that so far. Really good to hear from you and know you're watching. Really do miss you and our fun times when we were both younger. See you again soon I hope. Let me know if you want a little more detail on LTE and the struggles we have with it.
Owen what model cloud 9 seat did you get ?
We have a really old one we love that is not made anymore. The one we bought is in Bike section of our Amazon store. Link is www.amazon.com/shop/VanTrekkingLifestyle
Hey Owen and Lynn, love your channel. Hey, I don’t know if this has been asked, but I’d like to know how tall you both are. We are looking at the Radmini ST 2, but we feel we may be too tall. The Rad Chart is kind of ambiguous, and I feel it may mislead us into purchasing the wrong size bike. I’m 5’11”, and my wife is 5’8”. We both seem to have the same inseam though. TMI? 😂. Thanks in Advance.
Thank you so much for reaching out. Owen is 5’11” and I am 5’5”. We both feel like they are big enough. Owen could raise his seat even more if needed. From our experience we don’t think you would be to tall at all. We’ve had our bikes for awhile now and still love them as much as we did when we first got them. They are a great addition to our travels and even though they are electric they can still provide a lot of good exercise. Good luck on making your decision there are a lot of good options out there.
Ginger really wants an ebike.
The eBikes are awesome, you will love them. Thanks for watching.
I have a Class C, and I got one and just ordered another one for my wife,
I can see how both of you having one would be helpful. There’s no way I could keep up with Lynn if she had one and I didn’t. Have fun!
now you need a Sena R1 smart Helmet so you can talk to each other, their are other smart helmets on the market also
Hey Gordon! I added those to our list of things to maybe buy. I (Owen) think it would be great but Lynn might prefer her separation time from my jokes and moans and groans while we’re riding. I can see how they’d come in handy when you see something in the trail or get a little bit apart from each other.
What's your highest RV park price you have paid?
$154 per night plus tax for Key West last winter. 3 nights. Dats a LOT of $$$ 😂
Another great video, there is a historical marker in Wilkesboro some where for 'James Wellborn' my great great somebody.. but, on my bucket list to come to Wilkesboro. Have fun with the bikes, be safe.
We are going to try and find your great, great somebodies marker and send you a picture. That is pretty cool, if you make it to Wilkesboro look us up. Thanks for watching.
That would be great! I will send you what information I have, it is pretty interesting... Thanks
Makes me want to sell my road bike and get one.
It’s so much easier than a road bike but you can still get some exercise and have help when you need it, plus you are able to ride longer. I always thought it was cheating but i have to admit they are a lot of fun.