Campfire Cycling moved to Tucson, Arizona over the weekend. While my co-workers moved five big truckloads of inventory and office equipment, I was entrusted with delivering our rotted and weathered picnic table. Tucson Commute 1 I commuted by truck with this precious cargo more than 250 miles in our company’s gutless Mazda, and brought them both…
Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time on two single speed bikes, and the two couldn’t be more different. Loyal readers have seen these bikes before. One is the Critical Cycles bike that Pete Prebus reviewed here, but with an E-Bike Kit. The other is my grandfather’s Murray Montery, which has finally started to…
I’m boring. I’m a closet introvert. I don’t go on group rides. For my commute, I stick to the same couple of routes. I commute alone, with my deep thoughts, like, Maybe only dumb people recount being abducted by aliens because aliens keep the smart ones. So I don’t really get why there are so…
UPDATE: If you are discovering this article after April Fools Day 2013, now you know what’s going on here. In 2010 Jay Bourque was mugged on his way home from a doctors appointment in Brighton, Michigan. The thief not only took his bike — a Batavus Ouverture worth $1700 — but also the key to the Batavus’…
A LoJack-style device for a bike. The best idea yet? I bet you agree, because I bet you thought of it yourself — just like I did. And just like me, you didn’t have the wherewithal to make it yourself. And like me, you Googled for it, and found some unsatisfying attempts to create such a…
I haven’t been in the cycling industry too many years, but I’ve already seen some proprietary systems for racks and accessories that attempt to lure you into a particular brand’s inbred family. These are racks and bags that work best with sibling products. Racktime has it’s Snapit system, and Thule has it’s Pack n Pedal…
The first time I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a in movie called Brick: a weird homage to film noir set in a modern day high school. Instead of a private detective, Gordon-Levitt’s character is a high school student investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend into the underworld of stoners. Instead of a corrupt district attorney,…
Via BikeKidShop.com Email: We are looking at purchasing a bike trailer stroller combo for two children. Can you please tell me what the differences are between your three brands and why I would purchase one over another. Thank you. The main difference between the brands of trailers is the features and accessories that they come…
A common question we get here at the www.CampfireCycling.com is whether the bike trailer hitch for two-wheeled trailers can be attached to their style of bicycle. Most, though not all, brands of two-wheel trailers offer a variety of options for mounting a hitch bracket to the bicycle. I will be breaking down my explanations into…
My Recycler
Writing this review has been very difficult for me. Ordinarily, I like to inject a bit of levity into my contributions to Commute by Bike, but this product from Two Wheel Gear has frustrated me at every turn. There’s really just not much funny about panniers in general, let alone panniers designed to carry work…
This is a review of speakers, but I feel like a Sex Ed teacher getting ready to talk to high school students about condoms. Here's the deal: Maybe we shouldn't cycle while listening to music. Maybe we would all be better citizens of the world if we could center ourselves in our zen place, clear…
If the price were right, and installation was easy and unobtrusive, I’m still not sure I’d want a horn on my bike (or anyody’s bike) that sounds like a car horn. I’m wrestling with the idea (perhaps the same way I wrestled with e-bikes just a few years ago, and came out okay with them,…
Happy New Year! Wow, I must admit, I am somewhat stunned that we are already one week into 2013. I wasn’t quite prepared for 2012 to be over yet. Anyhow, as has been the tradition here at Utility Cycling, I’m doing a “year in review” post, albeit a few days late. But as I looked…
I get bike-themed stuff for Christmas. No surprise. I bet you do too. This year, I opened a gift from my wife, which she thought was a small metal sculpture — a wall hanging. I noticed that there is no loop on the back to receive a hanging hook. And I also noticed something strange…
Today is December 21, 2012. The Mayan Apocalypse has not happened. But it’s early in the day as I write this, and there’s still plenty of time for solar storms, a geomagnetic reversal, a surprise collision by a Ninja planet, or whatever. I’m not counting on it. My attitude is akin to Brent Cohrs, who…
I know, I already did a 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Why do another one? Because I forgot some things, that’s why. Also because some readers made some good suggestions after reading the first one. And also because a few products we’ve reviewed in the past year deserve another look. Bike Saviours Getting Butts on…
You’re a bike commuter, or you know someone who is — maybe you know many many people who are. (If you don’t personally know any bike commuters I’ll be happy to introduce you to some.) We’re not so difficult to shop for, but I’ve made it even easier for you. And when your gift recipient…
Recently NBC News ran this report on cyclists using bike- or helmet-mounted cameras, such as GoPro to document motorists bad behavior and/or aggression towards cyclists. And it’s… not bad — for a television news piece on cyclists and motorists. It doesn’t blame the victims — the cyclists. It doesn’t paint all cyclists with a broad…
This is our newsletter for the month.If you’d like to get this delivered to your inbox, subscribe here. For the cyclist — and the future cyclists in your life, we have a whole mess of Cyber Monday specials. Want something in a smallish box that you can fit under a tree? How about this: Garmin…
For those of you who don’t follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook, Google Plus, etc.: Are you working or something? This is a roundup of some of the things we saw fit to share with our less productive readers over the last seven days:
Bikes, Cockroaches, and Hurricanes
Another inventive Burley Trailer-Cycle / Adams Trail-A-Bike inspired build! Here is Scott’s version: I modified a Bob Yak trailer fork to use as a trail-a-bike attachment which allows my son to ride next to me on the trails, then I can re-attach him when we get to busier areas. I’ll be adding some pannier racks…
For those of you who don’t follow us on Twitter, or like us on Facebook, Google Plus, etc.: Are you working or something? This is a roundup of some of the things we saw fit to share with our less productive readers over the last seven days:
on orders of $149 or more ***exclusions apply