2 Wheels Maybe

[I'm resurrecting Fossil-Free-Friday over here on 2Wheels Maybe. I hope you enjoy the posts!] As a guy who loves old vehicles but hates the environmental damage they do, I love seeing cool EV conversions, and some of my favorites are the air-cooled VWs. They convert pretty easily, they're light and simple, they're a blast to drive, and they're fun to look at. One company that has excelled in converting old VWs (and Porsches) is Zelectric in California. I've followed their feed for a while now - they build some gorgeous machines and they use high-end AC motors and components. These cars perform as well as they look and accelerate a whole lot faster than a stock VW. Yep, I'm a big fan. But I'm none too wealthy. And their conversions start at $56,000. So, while they're incredibly cool, they're unobtainium for regular Joes, Joseys, and Mesquite Huggers like me... Find out how to win on Electrek.co ...unless someone decided to raffl...

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...

When the Super 73 electric maxi-minibikes first hit the scene, I was really excited. The nostalgic novelty of it combined with a frame that was begging to be electrified created a really exciting machine. So cool! Keep reading to learn more After a short while, though, the idea cooled a bit. I looked at the more practical side of it and realized that the maxi-mini was a motorbike with pedals - not an electric bicycle. Sure, you can pedal it for short distances, but it's not ergonomically conducive to all that pedaling movement. The original minibikes were the simplest way to combine motor, wheels, and a seat. My favorite part of an e-bike is not the throttle - it's the pedal assist. If there are pedals, I want to be pedaling. Some of the Big Minibikes we've featured over the years That's not to say that I don't love motorbikes, it's just that my OCD's gotta keep 'em separated . Learn more at Super 73 If you spend much time ...

After surviving Friday's folly at the skate park, I realized it's time to step up the riding - so I can ride more (or ride the same amount but go up and down some hills occasionally.) So I'm jumping on the one-month-straight goal. I am going to ride at least one mile each day this month. From this morning's ride I started yesterday with an evening klunker ride. Today I rode the Juiced to coffee, the bank, and work. So, hey, I'm already 1/15th of the way to 100%! Besides, every day on the bike is a better day - one less car on the road and one more smiling dork taking sunrise pics. Win-win. And... Lots of beautiful sunrises lately ...I joined the 30 Days of Biking Challenge and will be contributing to their chosen charitable organization - the World Bicycle Relief (one of my faves!) If you'd like to join in on either or both, here are your links: 30daysofbiking.com World Bicycle Relief Garage Time Update Over the w...

It was a great week for biking. The 60% commute goal - I made it this week! I might've made 80%, but there was this flat tire on the back of the e-bike Friday morning. So, I threw the poorboy BMX in the car and tackled a lunch-hour getaway. I learned this week that Lubbock has another skatepark (and BMX track) and it's about a mile from work. This week's microadventure -  my first-ever shot at riding a skatepark. A view of the skatepark from the BMX track (I really need to work on photo quality.) The good news - I survived the trip! The bad news - I was not amazing, or even competent, but there were no broken bones or serious sprains. The other bad news - the bike didn't completely survive. I blew out a freewheel sprocket. (My heart and lungs were quite relieved when that happened - I definitely need to keep exercising!) (In case you're looking for it) (Green border added to balance the local dirt) Panorama from the BMX track Wit...

The DIY-Huffy-cruiser-resurrection obsessions (Hufferklunk and KargoHuff) continue to rage in my head and amble in the garage, but there has been progress on both. With apologies to Robert M. Pirsig You know that old question What would you do if money and time were no issue? ; would it be awful to answer that I'd build mediocre bicycles out of crappy bicycles? The big progress has been on the klunker. Its first draft is complete! I had a few hours on Sunday and was able to finish running the cables, dialing in and adjusting the derailleur (a first for me), changing the chainring, changing the chainring back, adding pedals, and taking lots of short test rides.  Success-ish! The ride is pretty sweet and the gearing is low enough that I may actually make it up a few hills without getting/falling off and pushing. All that's left is adding sealant to the tires and taking it out to the trails for a real test ride. Woohoo! I love it when a plan comes together...

Today is Tiny Adventure Day here on 2Wheels Maybe. Yesterday I saw two articles about tiny adventures. The first was very inspiring on a personal get-out-there side... Read the Treehugger article (but avoid the video) ...but then I watched the accompanying video and saw it wasn't in my real-world budget side(although my office mate explained her modularized garage storage setup that has her much more able to take off camping on a moment's notice, so maybe I just need to be realistic in scope and not be discouraged that I don't have a folding-bike/ultra-light-tent/inflatable-kayak section in my garage.) Then I ran across a second tiny adventure article that involved very little prep and a pretty small $ investment. The cheapo adventure light in the birdhouse in my soul lit up! Just reading the article was enjoyable. Read the Gizmodo article here Your adventure map may be less dramatic Yes, I get it, your Adventure Trek may not take you across the ...