The Archives
Tom's Upcycled Bed Frame Bike Trailer
I put together a cargo trailer from scrap metal and trashed kid’s bikes. A bed frame provided the basic structure, to which I welded dropouts hacked from the donor bikes and a curved towing arm. A quick release ball joint was used for the hitch. Don’t trust your welding skills? Check out the Burley Nomad,…
Riding with Rail Tracks
Riding with Rail Tracks
Take the Kids to Paris!
I mean, why not? And if you get homesick, we shipped over this Burley Kazoo just for you. Happy sightseeing! Love, BikeKidShop & Paris Blue Bike Tours
My bike commute is better than yours
In my last post, I alluded to the fact that I’m no longer working and bike commuting in Tucson although I still have plenty more to say about that. But now Im back in Flagstaff, Arizona with a new job, and a new bike commute. This new commute is only about 2.6 miles if I…
Bike Lane Experiences
This shortie from Streetfilms came out in the spring, but I felt it was appropriate to post it now. I recently moved from one Bicycle Friendly City to another, and it has been interesting to compare my experiences bike commuting in the two cities. I came from Tucson, AZ, which is a gold level city…
Rocking Bikes, Bongos, Blenders & Beats
Wandertec’s own Bongo wheels are being used on “Rock the Bikes” everywhere! Sounds like a lot of gobble-dee-guk, but it’s pretty sweet. And… blend while you rock with the Xtracycle Fender Blender!! (We won’t judge whether it’s for protein shakes or margaritas. As long as you’re biking. And rocking.)
Breeze vs. Bloomers: Review of the Bikie Girl BGB Trio
In the 12 months that Ive lived in piping hot Phoenix, the best rule of thumb Ive learned for beating the very high summer time heat is to wear dresses and skirts. Nothing combats temperatures over 100 like the flutter of a skirt and a breeze running its fingers across my legs when Im pedaling…
Beating the Heat (Instead of Myself) with a Dynamo Headlight
For people working regular business hours, it’s usually in the Fall and Winter when they need reliable bike headlights. The sun sets earlier, and daylight saving time kicks in in other parts of the world. In Tucson, I found myself commuting home after sunset even though it was the middle of the summer. Some days, around…
SPD: More Mettle to the Pedals
When I got my recumbent, the tech who prepped it for me mentioned clipless pedals as a defense against “leg suck.” Google that term for the grisly details, but do it on an empty stomach. Briefly, it’s when you’re riding along and your foot slips off the pedal, falls down, hits the pavement and your…
Detours' Ballard Market Pannier — Team Review
As a sometime product reviewer for Commute by Bike, you might recall that Im always ready to try out a new pannier or bike bag, especially one thats smartly designed, functional and attractive. Of course, I was happy to try out my fourth Detours product, the Ballard Market Pannier. Seattle-based Detours, named the bag after…
Law and Order and Bikes
Here’s an article I came across with some good information about the legal rights of cyclists, and some common misperceptions. Regarding the perception that roads are for motor vehicles: …roads are still for moving people and motor vehicles are but one type of conveyance by which people move. And the perception that slow vehicles are…
Getting an Xtracycle Home without an Xtracycle
Matt Elias was in the process of fulfilling his ambition to be completely carfree in Tucson. He had just purchased a full Xtracycle setup from Campfire Cycling when he encountered a cart-before-the-horse problem: How do you haul all of this Xtracycle hardware home before you’ve retrofitted your bike as an Xtracyle? In a car? Of…
Bike Your Local Landmark
I recently got married to an Australian. Which means lots of sightseeing. Which turns out is pretty cool!First off, a little about me — I’m pretty lame. But I suspect so are a lot of people in the same sense. I have lived in several super cool places, and have never bothered going to the…
A Bike Bag that Looks like a Coffee Bag – from Detours
The Detours Coffee Bag is modeled after a one-pound, er… coffee bag. You know the kind of bag you get at the grocery store where you dump the beans from the bulk bin into the bag, but you spill some on the floor. Then you dump the beans into your grocery store’s coffee grinder, which…
Bike Move Book on Kickstarter
There is possibly nothing that sums up the spirit of Utility Cycling better than a bike move. Having recently moved – though not by bike, since it was to a different city – I am still reeling from the amount of waste a move creates. Cardboard, gas, money, donuts, your back, you name it. And…
The Montague Boston 8: A full-sized folding Commuter Bike
I suspected that the Montague Boston 8 would be a perfect commuter bike for my three-month sojourn in Tucson, and I was right. Damn, I’m smart. So this is the Boston 8 as it appears on the Montague Website, all pristine, clean, and without accessories: And this is the Boston 8 after I’d accessorized it for life…
A Craptastic Bike with Useless Ornamentation and a Silver Lining
Do you notice anything interesting about this bike? Look hard. So it wasn’t all that hard, was it? I came across this image over the weekend, but it was a version with the useless rear suspension circled. I suspect that the front suspension is ornamental as well. I went looking for the original image, and…
Dutch Perspective on US Cycling Infrastructure
Dutch Perspective on US Cycling Infrastructure
'The Art of Carrying Things by Bike' – Linked up Version
And I thought Streetfilms had a monopoly of making slick videos about urban cycling. ‘The Art of Carrying Things by Bike‘ by Laura J. Lukitsch, is a “a nice montage of some San Franciscos iconic bike routes and destinations, including the Wiggle, Ferry Building and Market Street.” I watched this video like a birdwatcher frantically…
The Multimodal Cat – Bike, Bus, and Light Rail in Phoenix
I normally have a dream bike commute. My eight mile early morning trip into the office is a mere 200 foot gain in elevation. When I get to work, the showers at my gym are less than a hundred paces from the secure, locked conference room where I park my bike. When I head home…
Mike’s Orange Trailer Build
A man of few words with a fondness for orange. l like building them. Started 15 years ago. Not to sure what the next one will be like. So far they carry everything I’ve put into them – up to 200 pounds so far. Well, Mike, you’ve come to the right club and here are…
Electric (bike) Inspiration
Electric (bike) Inspiration
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Xtracycle Loves Local Dealers and Campfire Cycling
Commute by Bike has had a long fascination with Xtracycle cargo bikes — those longtail wonders that make an ordinary bike into a “sports utility bike.” Way back in 2009, Arleigh (a.k.a. Bike Shop Girl) documented her build up of this utilitarian beauty: The FreeRadical Cargo Bike Kit contains the parts you need to…
Bike Share in Salt Lake
Bike Share in Salt Lake