2 Wheels Maybe

I worked on the blue bike long enough to learn that it was a poor choice, so I switched to the old 24" big-boy-BMX, and the conversion went much better. The mostly "after" pic Yes, I know - the geometry is all wrong for a trials bike, but my geometry is all wrong for a trials rider AND I don't expect to do this competively (or even successfully). I hope to spend more time on a bike, and this is a very challenging way to do so. The all-important $10 chain tensioner What changes did I make? Added a wider, more substantial back tire $18 tuned up the brakes and added new brake pads $10 changed the stem (used-free) and added a pair of pit-bike handlebars $25 added a chain tensioner $10 swapped the knackered bottom bracket and cranks for a better pair with a lower gear (used-free) What changes are left? swap the stem for one that places the bars higher and farther forward How does it ride? Terribly! Like nothing I've ever ridden ...

[Before you get excited, no this is not about the Hodaka name being resurrected - that's not it.] If you're not familiar with Hodaka, feast your eyes on the Ace 90 and imagine you're wanting a nice little trail bike for a nice little price in the late 60's or early 70's. Love those chrome tanks and red frames! Photo Attribution from Hodaka Wikipedia The Hodakas were very simple, very tough, and very affordable little scramblers that were a little ahead of their time. And like a lot of the electric bikes and motorcycles we see these days, they were conceived and designed on this side of the planet and manufactured in Asia. (In this case, it was Oregon/Japan.) For a while there they were the market. But then the big four Japanese motorcycle companies stepped up their game and made it much harder for Hodaka to compete. But, man, were they something for a while! Over the years, I've kept my eyes open for a Hodaka to convert to electric, but I haven...

 Finding cool stuff for sale - I think it's self punishment for something. I've been doing well clearing out the garage this year. Two cars have left.  No cars, motorcycles, or scooters have been purchased. I've even been clearing out the backyard shed. So, why do I keep going back to Craigslist? We'll just say it's blog research. Yeah...that's it! While "blog researching" this week, the vintage electro-dork in me heard a siren song coming from the Dallas area. It may not be impressive in stature, but this is a real-deal, Made-in-America, street-legal, electric motorcycle from 1973. Four decades before you could buy a Zero, you could buy this California cruiser and ride gas-free.    $400 or best offer - you seldom see them this cheap or complete! Those handlebars remind me of my dog's ears Fully functional? Awesome! [80's Montage Break] Immediately I pictured myself rolling around town high-fiving all ...

A few weeks back I had one of those significant birthdays, so my wife bought me a significant birthday present. What did she buy? She bought me the ability to burn less gas more consistently to practice what I preach to experience the world outside rather than angry isolation in a box to thumb my nose at the West Texas wind (my cycling nemesis) Still don't know? Okay, she bought me an electric bike. A really cool electric bike. Here it is - a Juiced OceanCurrent .   Like me, the OceanCurrent is very simple - no suspension, disc brakes, easy controls, and an 8-speed drivetrain. It's not blue-toothed or GPS-ed or self driving. Like me, it has a large seat. It has fat tires that roll easily. (I tire easily too.)   Here it is after I added the rack from DFC (Local Bike Shop).   And I must say, Juiced got this bike right. I wanted it for a dependable, low-cost, relaxed commuter with a little old-school style, and it is excee...

I've been piecing together a ratty little street trials bicycle lately. And, yes, I know it's a waste of time. Unlike the bikes I to ride to work, a street trials bike is not a hyper-efficient way to get where you're going. It's a way to stretch what you can accomplish. When I was a kid, the bicycle was everything. I raced BMX on the weekends and I rode to school most days. And I got to explore our dusty Texas town. It was freedom. My only mistake in biking back then was in wishing for a car. Fast-forward forty years. I still love riding. It's still freedom. (It's vastly better than driving a car.) But there's less exhilaration, fewer wheelies, fewer jumps. Enter youtube and a Scottish guy on a bike. In all the websearches about bicycles I ran across Danny Macaskill's Long Way Home . With Danny's astounding bike accomplishments and Dave Sowerby's video production skills, I found myself mesmerized. I still find myself mesmerized. And ...

Juiced Bikes UDK 350/500 I've been a fan of the UDK for years now. When I first started checking it out, it was cutting edge and it had an incredibly long range when compared with anything else on the market. Also, it was originally offered in a non-electric version. Back then it was the only bike in the Juiced line-up. The UDK was and is a very accessible, tough, and useful cargo bike. But things have changed a lot over at Juiced, and the UDK has not kept up with the times.  The Summer 2018 Juiced offerings (Man, that's a bargain on the OceanCurrent! More on that later) The other Juiced bikes show a lot of advancement - torque sensors and pedal assist and lights and other stuff that makes an e-bike a more practical and enjoyable ride. I've watched and waited for Juiced to update the UDK. Last week, I fiinally saw the Juiced UDK I've been hoping for! (But it didn't come from Juiced!) Pure Cycles Capacita (on Indiegogo) Pure...

This post is brought to you by our local bulletin boards! So, you find yourself in Lubbock with a bike, but you want to be around more like-biked people? Weekly: Joy over distance or speed - sounds like my kind of biker gang! Every Thursday night a group gathers at J&B Coffee (26th @ Boston) and goes for a ride. Monthly: Bike to the arts! What could be better? (Maybe bike to the donuts?) On the Saturday after the monthly First Friday Art Trail, you can join the ride to see what you missed the night before. It starts at the LHUCA (511 Ave K) at 10am. If you're reading this in the week it was published, the next ride will be this Saturday, so air up those tires and be ready! Wanna race? Okay, it's not Lubbock, but it's not that far away... Yes, I know, I'm not much of a racer type, but I've been itching to try one of these. And Grizz and I have the parts lying around to throw together a vintage road bike and (Who kno...