2 Wheels Maybe

May 1 is downright magical here at the Mesquite Hugger desk. It's an anniversary. Joining the National Bike Challenge on May 1, 2014 was my start to bicycle commuting. You can read the post here . So here I am seven years later in a very different life and still thrilled to have the month and the challenge roll around again. Honestly, I was scared to start. I had a sedentary lifestyle and a body shape to match. And I viewed Lubbock traffic as a suicide run for anyone not in a car. But I was overweight, high blood-pressured, and wanting to save the world. And the bicycle seemed like a great tool for tackling all those issues. So I got up the nerve to try it. And I'm truly thankful I did. I've learned that life is better on a bike. I'm in much better shape than I was seven years ago. I like the town I live in better and I've discovered a lot of beauty I had not noticed. I have more stamina. I look forward to going places for the ride as much as the desti...

For a guy who writes so much about this stuff, I've made a poor showing of riding to work on Bike to Work Week , but I did ride to work yesterday and today. And these are two days that point out the beauty of commuting on a very basic e-bike. Yesterday morning, the weather was gorgeous - low breeze, temp in the low 60's, the sun was shining. Riding to work on pretty much any bicycle would've been really nice. Nine hours later, I went to leave work. It was overcast with winds gusting up into the mid 30's (miles per hour). I was really thankful for the e-bike! Learn more on yesterday's MH post This morning was a little different. It was overcast and the wind was blowing north pretty steadily at 20-30 miles per hour. My commute to work takes me south and west. Every time I turned south I understood why wind generators are such a good idea in this part of the world. Every time I turned south, I was thankful for a 48 volt battery and a 500 watt motor and a...

[Happy first day of the National Bike Challenge ! May you pedal healthily and joyfully, and may your bike haul all you need!] When I think of cargo bikes, two brands automatically pop into my brain - Xtracycle and Yuba. These are the two companies that have been there designing and selling longtail cargo bikes for several years and they have stayed focused specifically on cargo bikes and cargo-bike kits. In my mind, these two are the cargo-bike kings of the hill. For the last few years I've had my eye on one model - the Yuba Mundo Classic. At $999, it has continually been the best bang for the buck if you want high quality and low price. While it's not as high-tech (or light) as the more expensive Mundos, it's a beast that's capable of hauling 440 pounds and has a reputation for lasting year after year. If you're cheap like me, you know this is a great way into cargo biking. The page for saving 20% on the Mundo Classic I had not been on the Yuba s...

Woohoo! It's that time of year again! nationalbikechallenge.org The National Bike Challenge begins next Wednesday, so this weekend is a great time to dust off the old bike, borrow a bike, buy a bike, or create a really clever disguise for your car. What's that? You're not planning to join? Oh come on! Haven't you been saying you need more exercise, more sunshine, more optimism, more stamina, and nicer legs? Haven't you been complaining about the rising cost of gasoline? Didn't I hear you say you don't want to pay for a gym membership? (Oh, come on - surely something in there struck a chord for you.) So, let's talk about the challenge's virtues: It's free to join. You can win prizes. It can truly pedal you to a healthier place. There's no minimum or maximum - it's encouragement to get out and ride. You don't have to ride every day (but you can.) If you are competitive, it's a great place to find people...

It's only the 11th and I already have excuses rather than results. I've ridden seven days and not ridden three. Don't adjust your screen - it's just dirt flying at 50 mph. Once I was thwarted by a thunderstorm, once I was thwarted by blowing dust, once I woke up with a sore throat and decided not to pedal, snagit. See, there's more to Lubbock than basketball riots. But the riding days have been good. They've been better than good. And that's what it's all about, getting out and feeling better about the world on the days you choose a bike over a car. Our shoes and tires got wet! The little guy and I did a 4-mile park loop on Saturday. After Friday night's storm, we actually had a water crossing!  We had a mandatory "rest" stop at the jungle gym.     The klunker and the jeep The rides to work were good too. The days I ride, I show up at work more relaxed and more focused. I get more accomplished. I e...

[Bob, I'm understanding you better and better.] Bob Sharpe is a friend I've never met, but we've talked on the phone and support each others' writing and lots of good stuff like that. While I've known Bob, I've lived in Lubbock and I think he's lived in 47 different places. He seems to be on a quest to find a great place for a cyclist to live and ride. His most recent home (and one that looks like it may be THE one) is a tiny town in Iowa that happens to be right on a 100 mile bike trail. Yep, 100 miles of car-less and truck-less getting about on a bike. Imagine that! He writes about it often. Sometimes I read with envy. Sometimes I worry about his sanity. Over the last year, I have traveled very little, but I have been taking a bike with me whenever I can. I've gotten to ride in New Mexico (Cloudcroft and Alamogordo) and more recently I've pedaled part of a Rails-to-Trails path in Quitaque, Texas and a linear park in Mansfield, Texas. ...