2 Wheels Maybe

Yep, my most recent distractions have been variations on the klunker. I've always been fond of upcycled vehicles, the ones where you take something old and uncared-for and turn it into something useful and enjoyed. Cafe racers, resto-mods, rat rods, lowriders, bobbers, all of them have caught my eye over the years. And the klunker fits right in. About forty years ago, some people in California started using old balloon-tired cruiser bicycles and modifying them to become the prototype for the modern mountain bike. If you do an image search for a klunker, you get something that looks like this: That's a whole lot of DIY retro-coolness! But wait.... Yep, at least eight of those are not DIY - they are new! Sure enough, for those of you with klunker lust who'd rather ride than wrench, there are options out there, and some are relatively affordable. The Retrospec Sully For a little over $300 you can have a well equipped klunker with retro looks and qu...

 Admittedly, it's been a while, but it's a bit of a tradition around here to share low-cost DIY cargo bikes that pop up on Craigslist. Most often, they appear in Austin. You've got to appreciate that Keep-Austin-Weird mentality showing up in eco-friendly vehicles!   Lately, the pickings have been rather slim, but this silver beauty recently materialized and I knew I had to share it with you:    This one looks pretty clean and simple for a DIY bike: it's all one color, it looks pretty symmetrical, one gear, one brake, a seat that cradles your bum. Not bad. Here is the text from the ad:   So there you have it, a $125 shopping-cart cargo bike. You know, if you added a 3-speed rear hub, you could take it more places (and climb a few hills). Or...you could add an electric rear hub motor and go lots more places. Or you could just be satisfied with the thing just like it is.   The First 3-Wheeled Shopper Post   The Second 3...

Let's just jump into it: Convercycle The Convercycle (Click for original post) The Kickstarter was fully funded and closed, but you can still get one on Indiegogo for 40% off. Nope, I've never seen something listed on both, but the Convercycle fully funded on both crowdfunding sites. So, yes, you can still order yourself this transformer electric cargo bike for $1249 (before shipping) and can hope for it to be delivered this August. Dang, that thing is cool! Fly Free Smart Motorcycle The Old, The Classic, and the Desert (Click for original post) Fly Free introduced the third in their new trilogy this week. The newest is the Smart Old . (Yes, I love oxymorons!) Basically, these three are the same bike, but they are all dressed in different clothes. I'm torn -the Classic is my favorite to look at, the old would fit most of my riding, but the Desert's tall bars would make my back like it best. (And my back has a loud voice when choosing a ride.) ...

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!) ...