2 Wheels Maybe

I see her about once a week, always near this intersection, and I don't know how she feels on the inside, but she's fearless on the outside. She pedals down Slide Road a little before 8am - peak morning traffic. Cars behind her quickly change lanes in a rush not to get stuck behind her. Occasionally there's honking and a finger or two being waved. Is what she's doing legal in Texas? Absolutely. In cycling circles, it's known as "taking the lane". When is it legal to take a lane? Learn more at BikeTexas.org Early mornings on the weekend, it's not rare to see recreational road bikers take a lane on normally busy Lubbock streets, but seeing a lone bicycle commuter in peak traffic - that's rare. Lots of bikes pass through this intersection every day, but they do so on the makeshift pedestrian walkway. Even then, it's a sketchy place to cross. Lubbock is not a great town to bike. But it is trying to get better. And, surprisingly, ...

A few months ago I was faced with a tough ebike decision - should I choose a conventional bike or a longtail cargo bike for my daily commuter. After literally years of desperately wanting a Radwagon , I came to the conclusion that I really need a cargo bike for about 5% of my bike rides. I knew that percentage would go up if I had a cargo bike, but I was not sure how much. I opted for a Juiced OceanCurrent, and I'm very (VERY!) happy with it 95% of the time. But that other 5%... Enter a new German Kickstarter campaign for an electric convertible cargo bike - the ConverCycle! The ConverCycle Kickstarter Longbike Just a quick flip Conventional bike I won't tie up your bandwidth by reposting the videos, but it's pretty mesmerizing. No tools, no mess. Just flop the rearend over and ride away. Man that thing is cool! If you're a super-early bird, you can order yours for $1074! Not bad at all for an electric longtail cargo bike. (N...

Giving Tuesday caught me off-guard this year. I apologize for the brevity, but here are some organizations to consider for those of you who believe in bicycles as a force for good! Local If you're familiar with what used to be the One-9 Skate Park (One of the cooler things ever to happen in Lubbock!), the Carmel Tones appear to be the modern incarnation of that group. Carmel Tones Skate (and BMX) Ministry  I attended their Sk8 and BMX Contest  event recently and was very impressed with what they had to offer in healthy ways to keep Lubbock kids off the street and focused in positive pursuits. Somewhat Local Spokes for Folks (Dallas) My win-the-lottery dream is to start something like Spokes for Folks here in Lubbock. Check it out! I especially like BikeTexas' SafeCycling Education and Be Safe Be Bright programs Not-So-Local All kinds of good stuff for US Cyclists  World Bicycle Relief If you're like me and...

Yes, I know it's a lesson in futility, but every day I check Lubbock Craigslist to see what random bargains pop up. I always check bicycles first. Here and there I run across something cool, but today I was a little shocked to see one of those things that's not like the others. Yep, the street trials bike that Danny Mac rides was the very first ad. Wowser! It's rare to see one pop up anywhere, and this one has been gathering dust just a few miles from my house. Wowser! And it's very inexpensive for a quality trials bike!   Check out that top-left corner!!!! There it is - right behind the Canada Dry and Gatorade!   (What? No Red Bull?)   So, am I going to run out and buy it? Absolutely not! $600 right before Christmas for a bike that I have no business riding - nope, just can't do it. But, man, that thing is cool!   I gotta stay off the Craigslist!   May your surprises be good ones! (And, if you go buy it, please send us a pic!) ...

Okay, not a lot of Black Friday deals have been announced yet, but...   RadPower Bikes (All models) ...the ever dependable holiday sale at Rad Power Bikes has been announced, and it's impressive. All their bikes have a $300 or $400 price reduction, free shipping, and you may even be able to score and additional $200 savings if you order two. The Sale Page That means you could have a pair of Radwagons shipped for $2600. That's two electric cargo bikes for less than most places will sell you one. For $2400, you could have a pair of RadCity bikes. In our new tariffed world, this is quite a deal.   GenZe 100 Series e-Bike (Nearly New)   This one is a last-minute addition to the list, and I'm impressed. You and your sweetie can have a pair delivered to your house for less than $1500. Not bad!   This one looks like a smoking bargain to me!   Check out this big boy with 0.1 miles on it!   Evelo e-Bikes (You...

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...