In my ongoing search for the perfectly usable bicycle, I made some very interesting strides using an Xtracycle Edgerunner as my platform. Most notable among my advancements in the JOYBAG philosophy was my lock configuration. But the day has come where I need to move onto another bicycle. As a bike shop owner, I find…
One of the more annoying aspects of everyday bicycle use is fumbling with a bicycle lock. Arriving at your destination by automobile, on the other hand, is a smooth elegant experience. With the click of a button, you are off on your merry way. Why can’t we ride our bicycles and lock them with ease…
There are lot of photos of my left hand and arm in this post. But if you look closely, you’ll see a couple of bikes. Some bicyclists do need to carry water — a few yards, or even miles from where the water will be consumed. It’s the way of the world, but maybe not…
After a week in Madagascar, I finally got a bike! I rode home to my apartment, taking selfies all the way. That week without a bike served me well. I spent some time on foot, in taxis, taking small public transportation buses (taxi brousse), and bumming rides from various colleagues with their SUVs. I observed…
In my haste and excitement of my first post, I neglected to introduce myself. My name is Kohl Martin and I am originally from St. Louis, MO. I have been in Tucson for about 3 years and this is an awesome bike community. I am also a musician. I play saxophone, flute, and I do…
I’ve been doing a lot of driving lately. A lot.Recently I was driving on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson. I noticed something — some things — poking off of the front wheel of a semi truck: spikes jutting out several inches from each wheel lug where only short nuts should be necessary.Naturally I pulled…
THE DAILY COMMUTE Most you know how the everyday commute is a stress reliever as much as it can be a stress inducer. It took me quite awhile to find the route with the least amount of traffic as well as the all-around safest route i.e. dodging sketchy neighborhoods and avoiding pothole strewn streets as…
I have traveled into the Safeway parking lots, among the glass filled shoulders, through the misery of forgetting my spare tube. I have lugged grocery bags on my handlebars and arrived to gatherings late and sweaty. I have cursed and sworn with befuddlement at being ill-prepared to make my way through the world on my…
Protected Bike Lanes
The development of serious and dedicated bicycle infrastructure is a requirement for any car centric culture, such as the US, to be able to get people utilizing bicycles for transportation in any serious way. The Netherlands and Denmark are the best examples of this. As a US based bicycle advocate, this is a depressing reality. …
I don’t know what it is about cargo bikes, but they do have a funny way of getting into your heart. I’ve had a lot of bikes comes and go from my life over the years, but there is one I miss more than any of the others and that’s my old Xtracycle. The Xtracycle…
I’m sure that our loyal readers have noticed some decline in the regularity of our posting here at CommuteByBike.com after the departure of Ted Johnson, our ponderous and insightful editor and marketing expert here at www.CampfireCycling.com. In his wake we’ve been working to come up with a new strategy for maintaining and growing this blog. …
Why Open Streets Are Great
An interesting little tidbit arrived in my inbox this week. It was an email from Lund University in Sweden about a study on mobility, planning, and cycling. The study, officially titled “Velomobility – A critical analysis of planning and space”, was conducted by PhD student Till Koglin at Lund University. It’s a comparative analysis of…
Documentary: A Winter of Cyclists
I love clever designs of objects that fold up small — not just bikes. Before my first folding bike, I had a folding dinner table, a collapsible ladder chair, a folding book shelf, and other folding stuff. Closely related to my folding fetish is my modular fetish. The idea that one thing can be many…
More on Riding with Rail Tracks
Riding with Rail Tracks
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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