The Archives
One Way crashworthiness
I’ve mentioned previously that most of my bicycle commuting over the past 20 years has been on skinny tire “racing” style road bikes. A close encounter with a car on these bikes almost always results in a bent or broken wheel and often results in little plastic and metal bits scattered all over the road….
Business Platforms
This week at Wandertec: 1. Finalized the design of the Wandertec Sax 2. Got interviewed by a journalist for the Chicago Tribune for a possible story about Bike Cargo Trailers and their use in Chicago. 3. Worked on designing some packaging using Adobe Illustrator for the Wandertec mLite. 4. Listed some the Ultimate5 Plus Handelbar…
The Perfect Cargo Machine
The perfect bike cargo trailer would be light and strong. It would have lights and a kickstand incorporated into it. You would barely notice its affect on your bike as you pulled it. It would work on road and off and have smooth suspending properties to keep your load from getting jostled. It would work great for both large and small loads. It would go on and off your bike with quick/secure ease. It would collapse down neatly out of the way and transform into a carrying case for your bike when you were traveling like the CELLO bike case.
BSO redux
I stirred up some controversy way back when with my post on bike shaped objects. BSO lovers can rejoice in THE BIKE OF DOOM. This is the journal of an admitted bike snob who bought a low-end Canadian Tire Bike Shaped Object for his bike commute. He’s put 900 miles on the bike so far…
Commute by bike and pro cycling
Just some random and unorganized notes and links about utilitarian cycling and the Tour de France and racing and controversy. Bike Hugger says he expects Interbike 2007 will focus on “comfort bikes, SUBs, cargo bikes, and the like” instead of racing bikes. Great article from Grist on Bicycle Shame To be a successful adult, apparently,…
Commuting In Boise
There is a nice article on the Idaho Statesman site today about bicycle commuting in Boise. Dana Oland writes that the commute by bike began due to economic and environmental concerns but is worried that those of us who have done this for a while will roll our eyes when we hear that Dana now…
Commuting 101: Seat Position
Recently I twisted around a bit to look behind me and twisted my bicycle seat in the process. I’d been happy with the position of the seat before, but having ridden the bike with the alignment off a bit I noticed a little numbness at the end of my ride. When I reached the office…
Commuting 101: Riding in the rain
Several options are available for the bike commuter who rides in the rain. They include: Getting wet: If the weather is warm and if you shower and change at work, this isn’t an unreasonable option. The major drawback is water can get driven into some bearing surfaces, especially the bottom bracket. Even sealed bearings are…
Using the Trailer
This week at Wandertec: 1. Finished the Wandertec SAX (BOB liner) design and began testing. 2. Began assembly of the 1st batch of Wandertec mLites. 3. Fitted lights on my Carry Freedom Y-Frame Trailer. 4. Started using my Carry Freedom Y-Frame and Xtracycle to transport a large load of work equipment across town instead of…
Why Bike Trailers?
Hmm, why do I love bike cargo trailers so much?
Maybe its because I can do what I want to do with them which is ride my bike.
I don’t like sitting in an oil burning car. I like getting out there under the sky and doing something with my muscles and smiling at others as I roll on by.
Why do you love bike trailers so much?
Bike trailer for adult handicapped passenger?
I’ve known my buddy John for a few years now over the Internet. He’s an enthusiastic fellow who rides his bike around Sydney, Nova Scotia. John has a problem and I hope the smart readers of CBB can find a solution. His partner Lisa was born with spina bifida and cannot use her legs. She…
Ideas to promote cycling
A cyclist on the San Lorenzo River Trail in Santa Cruz, California. Photo by me. Here’s a discussion thread for the weekend: CycleDog wants 100 ideas to improve cycling in his state. What are some good things you’ve seen that improved or promoted cycling in your area? What are some interesting ideas you’ve seen? Here…
Biking hazard: Tree sap?
I saw this note posted yesterday on the local cycling list. Is there any thing that we can do with trees that leave such a big puddle of sap on bike lanes? I was riding today and I went through it and my bike skidded out from under me. I feel that it is a…
Attention South Bay Area bikers
Here’s a special deal just for those of you in the South Bay who bike between San Jose and Menlo Park, California. See me, catch me, stop me and mention “Commute By Bike.” I’ll take your photo and post it here at commutebybike.com, along with a short commuter profile. A few random lucky few of…
Commuter Story: Millionaire Bike Commuter
Tip of the helmet to Alan Snel for pointing out this Today Show video — Bob Dotson reports on a Philadelphia businessman who is more concerned about giving to others than making money for himself. In 1973, Hal Taussig gave his last car to a hitch hiker. He commutes by bike and has loaned five…
Racks and fenders on the One Way
Ted in Minneapolis asked: I want to put both front and rear racks on it for commuting as I’m tired of having weight on my back – the sweat and the pain of it…wondering if you’ve done/are going to mess with racks? I mounted a rear rack on the Raleigh One Way without too much…
My multimodal commute: Santa Cruz to Palo Alto
My commute is multimodal. That means I take multiple modes of transportation during my commute. I bike, take a bus, hop on a train, then bike the final leg to work. My total one way distance is about 40 miles. Normally I advocate living close to work to reduce dependence on motorized transportation, but my…
Bike route finder for Boulder, Colorado
On Thursday, June 21 the city of Boulder, Colorado launched GOBikeBoulder.net, a new online mapping service that provides individualized bike routes, much like MapQuest and Google Maps do for cars. Users are encouraged to test the new site and submit feedback online. GOBikeBoulder.net is a one-of-a-kind online tool that offers interactive routing for those traveling…
"Bicycles are the new SUV"
Every year around the time of the Tour de France, I expect to read smarmy comments from U.S. sports commentators that cycling isn’t a “real” sport compared to American football or NASCAR. I was expecting some of the same when I read ESPN senior writer Jim Caple’s column on 10 reasons you’ll want to watch…
Raleigh One Way: Something old, something new
The Raleigh One Way is a brand new bike from Raleigh, but the retro design hearkens back to Raleigh bicycles from the 50s and 60s. Raleigh designers, in particular, took their inspiration from the old Raleigh Clubman bicycle. Like the modern One Way, the Clubman of old featured a relatively lightweight frame but with a…
Monsoonal Rains
This week at Wandertec: 1.Pressed forward on the BOB Liner (Wandertec SAX) design. 2.Set up a new CELL Phone & Land Line for clearer phone time. 3.Cut a large batch of sign blanks for Signarama on the ShopBot. The long awaited monsoonal rains came yesterday into Flagstaff. With our on going drought like condition, this…
Commuting 101: What do you carry with you?
I realize many commuters don’t carry a flat kit or tools, but some of us do. That’s my saddle bag in this photo.At a minimum I always carry: Wrench (if I’m riding fixed or singlespeed) Pump or CO2 inflator Patch kit Tire levers I usually also carry Tube Multitool Do you carry tools on your…
Green Transportation Specialist To Workers: "Get off your bikes"
Jacobs Babtie is one of Britain’s largest engineering companies. Their clients include Transport for London, which has a target of achieving a fivefold increase in the level of cycling by 2025. Jacobs’ advises local authorities on sustainable transport projects, and they have just banned their staff from commuting on bicycles. I just don’t have the…
Cycling Article in H+G
Many thanks to James over at bicycle design for pointing out a recent article in House and Garden by Sue Halpern and Bill McKibben. I agree with James that it is wonderful to see an article in a general interest magazine drawing attention to how easy it is to hop on a bike and get…