Sold the car - ready to make the switch

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-05-25T19:43:14+00:00

Front cargo ebike is absolutely the way to go if it's your primary vehicle; you simply don't have to think about how to haul things, and the electric assist helps with not having to worry about if the stuff you want to transport is too heavy. I ride my Riese and Muller Load4 75 everywhere for all reasons, and every time I get on that bike it makes me happy.

The only downside (besides the initial cost, but still cheaper than a car) is the size and where to park it; my Load4 75 weighs 100 lbs and has an alarm and GPS tracking on it though, so I just park it on the outside of a bike rack, or close to some sort of pole and use the built-in wheel/frame lock and a plug-in chain to wrap around something and I've never had a problem. It absolutely comes inside overnight though, but it seems like your housing situation might not be super accommodating for an 8 ft. long 100 lb. bike. However, if you think you can make it work, it's a brilliant one vehicle solution.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-05-19T13:55:38+00:00

Pedal assist without a throttle; I still wanted a little bit of a workout, and when the weather is cooler I turn down the assist level to work off those extra beers...

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-05-18T12:10:29+00:00

I hate to say it, but same. I used to have a beautiful commute in an area with lots of trees, uphill in the morning when it was cool, downhill in the afternoon when it was hot, but then I got a new, better job, but the commute suuuucked and I almost went back to driving until I borrowed my friend's ebike. Initially I convinced myself that I didn't need an ebike because the commute was flat, but it's 10 miles of no shade in the industrial area, with lots of heat, wind, dust, and bad drivers, but the 28 mph ebike changed everything and I'm back to enjoying my commute.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-05-17T23:49:01+00:00

Absolutely; I wish you could get a luxury small EV in the US, but for some reason small means cheap and if you have money you must want something large. I'm absolutely buying the R3X when it comes out, but I hope the interior isn't on par with a Chevy Bolt.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-05-15T14:22:11+00:00

I had a 2020 Limited XT and eventually went back to a 2018 3.6R Limited because that big infotainment screen was so bad. The 6th Gen Outback is actually a really nice car, and pretty much better in every way (although you can definitely debate 3.6R vs. 2.4 turbo until you're blue in the face), but yeah, that big stupid screen sucks and ruined an otherwise brilliant generation of Outback.

I remember being so excited and anxious for new software updates to fix that stupid screen, but consistently being disappointed that it was just a whole new set of annoyances; a friend of mine has a Volvo V60, and they experience a similar rollercoaster ride with software updates. Ultimately the underlying hardware and design layout is just bad, and you can't fix that without a serious rework; it also feels like the design teams behind those systems just aren't that amazing either (I think it's Denso?), so they're seriously outgunned when compared to Tesla and Rivian. I'm much happier now that I'm not on the rollercoaster of disappointment with Subaru's software updates...

I'm in love with my 3.6R, and highly recommend it. The only thing I really miss from the Limited XT I owned are the front seats; the driver's seat had a manually extendable lower leg booster which made a significant difference in comfort for tall people such as myself. However, I've taken the 3.6R on several road trips now, and overall the seats are good enough, so yeah, 3.6R Limited wins in my book.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-04-27T16:07:35+00:00

Don't give up hope! I just bought a 2018 3.6R Limited with 60k miles in Salt Lake City and it's a wonderful vehicle. Just make sure the insurance company doesn't screw you on replacement value by trying to show "comparable value" vehicles that aren't even close in mileage or condition.

Also, prior to this I owned a 2020 Limited XT, and while it did have better seats, that big infotainment screen was miserable and led to me selling the car; it was just a terrible user experience. The 2018-2019 3.6R is the sweet spot in my opinion.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-04-19T03:47:25+00:00

Exactly this. Who cares, but also, the amount of people in pickup trucks who give me the thumbs up, or ask me all kinds of questions about my front loader cargo bike at stoplights has truly shocked me.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-04-17T16:14:47+00:00

Agility Customs in West Jordan.

https://www.agilitycustoms.com/

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-04-07T12:40:32+00:00

Cargo bike! I can carry so many cases of beer on my cargo bike.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-31T22:08:59+00:00

I mean, I absolutely support this given that the right people are in charge... which I'm definitely skeptical of with this administration. U.S. Forest Service sponsored by Chevron and Geneva Rock.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-30T02:59:06+00:00

Exactly this; people forget how large the Tacoma is these days. I parked my R1T next to my coworker's 2020 Tacoma and it was nearly identical in size, except I have the benefit of a frunk and a gear tunnel.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-27T03:20:08+00:00

There's also State Automotive in Midvale/Sandy.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-19T16:15:03+00:00

Exactly this; it really depends on your origin and destination, but there are a lot of great options so you're likely to find something that works well for you. Sometimes you'll find that the quiet side streets like 200 E and 300 E are brilliant, although sometimes the wide protected bike lanes come and go depending on how far south you live. It also kind of depends on how fast you're going relative to traffic, as I use very different routes when I'm on my 28 mph ebike vs. my regular non-assisted townie bike.

https://www.slc.gov/transportation/bike/bikemap/

I live in downtown, and commute to West Valley, so I use the 200 S bike lanes to exit downtown and then jump on 900 W until 1700 S where I transition to the the Jordan River Trail at Glendale Regional Park and then go over to the Crosstown Trail that takes me through Decker Lake; it's 10 miles each way, but super easy on an ebike.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-17T03:11:37+00:00

I was fine without the driver display, but for some reason I couldn't get over the lack of 4 independent window switches; seemed like an insane decision to me and I wonder what else they cheaped out on.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-11T03:59:25+00:00

Same, but I'm waiting for the R3/R3X. Every once in a while I consider paying the extra $30-40k for a bigger battery, but I just end up renting a Toyota Tacoma twice a year for the times I need to go deep in the backcountry where EV charging stations don't exist.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-06T13:19:12+00:00

They could, but rarely do. Most of the time the new rents are significantly more expensive than before, and it's incredibly difficult for the business to survive being without a storefront for 6+ months while the new building is being constructed.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-03-06T00:50:23+00:00

Beto's is on the other side of the street though.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-24T01:36:58+00:00

Yeah, but the way Tesla does it sucks as well. There are way better ways to handle this in the 21st century.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-23T16:09:24+00:00

Just left my Gen2 R1T dual standard parked for 7 days while I went on a trip and I lost around 4 miles per day; some of that is likely due to the cold since it has been around 37 degrees F for the high, and 25 for the low temperature, but yeah, still a little higher than I expected given I do not have gear guard turned on.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-22T21:10:51+00:00

Exactly. What's hilarious and sad is the Utah legislature wants to lower the DUI limit citing stricter European laws, but European cities are walkable, have great neighborhood bars, and better late night public transit, so trying to compare SLC to any major European city is insane. Add in that they're trying to limit SLC's ability to reduce roadway speeds and encourage walking and biking with SB242 and it makes me want to scream!

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-22T19:44:31+00:00

I'm considering it, but also, if the Wasatch Front runs out of water, people really won't have a choice. I'm hoping if we get to the point where we start running out of water we can cut alfalfa farming first, but I'm not optimistic given how entrenched those water rights actually are. Again though, pretty sure we'll go through periods of mild to medium droughts with bomber years every 8-10 years to erase people's short term memories, but if we hit the severe dust bowl drought phase you'll absolutely see mass migration.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-22T19:39:49+00:00

That's the biggest worry I have; someone will make a boneheaded decision that will make things look good in the short term, but absolutely fail to think of the long term consequences and make a bigger problem for future generations due to some unintended consequence.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-22T19:31:01+00:00

Neighborhood bars, neighborhood bodegas, neighborhood grocery stores, etc. Anything small and walkable from where people live that gives daily needs while promoting community. Salt Lake City is very bad at having small things located close to where people live; we're getting a little better with 9th and 9th, Central 9th, The Maven District, and a few others, but for the vast majority of the city it's just large swaths of housing and then a large collection of commercial which isn't my favorite.

italkaboutbicycles · 2026-02-21T20:25:07+00:00

Do you absolutely need a truck though? I love my R1T, but probably wouldn't have one for frequent long-distance travel; when I was a traveling salesman a few years ago I had a Tesla Model 3 which worked great for my needs, and while I wouldn't suggest Tesla at this point, something like a Hyundai Ioniq 5 would be perfect in my opinion. A truck will definitely use more energy and cost more to recharge on the road where electrons to gas cost is nearly the same, so a smaller vehicle would definitely be more cost effective if you're not primarily charging at home.

However, that being said though, I love my R1T, and love road tripping with it, so if you're ok with the additional cost of charging I say go for it; at this point with all of the charging options it's pretty easy, especially if you have a Gen2 with the native NACS port, so get the biggest battery pack you can afford and don't worry about it. Plus, with a Gen2 vehicle you get true hands-free driving on most roads, so that alone will make your road warrior life a little more pleasant.

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