2 Wheels Maybe

Yes, I know it's been a while. 2WheelsMaybe has been on a hiatus, but I've still been riding and gathering info for future posts. For those of you who've been hungry for more 2WM content, here is my first attempt at a mountain bike trail video. Enjoy, have fun, and keep pedaling, amigos! (All three of you!) I hope to see you again soon. Click here! May you be well and have a much better new year!

The bike showed up on Craigslist a few years ago for $10. I recognized it as a fairly odd bird. Grizz was nice enough to pick it up for me. I looked online to figure out how to fold it and learned a whole lot of cool stuff about it. Can a folding bike look epic? (From the 3rd ride) I also figured out that it had led a very hard life. In order to fold it, you had to remove the seatpost. And someone had installed an oversized seatpost very forcefully. After a few days of working to remove the seat post, I figured out that the frame had no intention of folding, the gears had no intention of shifting, and the brakes refused to brake. At the time I had two other folding frames that were much more agreeable, so I drenched the folding points in penetrating oil and the Fuji went into storage. While the Fuji sat motionless, I got the first of the folders together and on the road. A friend borrowed it and liked it so much that he decided to keep the bike rather than the friendship. (Serious bum...

So, let's talk turn-key klunker again. After spending a year riding and upgrading a (pseudo) klunker, it's become my favorite type of bike. The old HuffKlunk morphed into my favorite mountain-BMX-short-distance commuter, and it's the easiest bike for a grab-and-go ride. Surprisingly, it's also one of the lightest and most comfortable bikes I've owned. So, now I keep an eye out for klunker news and...guess what - a new one popped up this week - the Schwinn Rumbler. And it's down in my almost-willing-to-spend-that-on-a-bike price range. Schwinn Rumbler (at City Grounds) The few specs I found Schwinn Rumbler (Blue) While the thing is gorgeous, I have one concern - it looks pretty small. (My legs like bigger bikes.) I can only find it on the City Grounds site and on eBay (where it costs a lot more). There are no photos of it next to anything for reference. It's not even listed on the Schwinn website. But I love the look and the BMX components and retro straight-...

[First, the mini-rant - every bike with a motor and pedals is a moped. Whew, I got that out of my system.] This post is about electric bikes that closely resemble those gas-powered mopeds of the early '70s. I both love those bikes (they have wheels!) and I hate them (all those nasty two-stroke gas/oil emissions). I have fantasized for years about converting one to electric, but now I don't have to. Woohoo! The Five Four Big Contenders (No more CTY) Okay, I admit it - I have a positive bias for each of these machines even though I've never seen any of them in person. I've been watching and admiring the Monday for several years now and I find the dual voltage setup very interesting. I ride and enjoy a Juiced bike several times per week and I'm amazed at the Scorpion's introductory price. Rad makes the Radwagon - 'nuff said! And Onyx is the little-known underdog that's making it happen with two one sweet 'ped. One of our earliest ...

Should I go into bumper stickering? (Or stick with my day job?) From last weekend's ride It's been a full year now since my wife bought me an electric bike. It's been a good year! The most important thing I can tell you about it - I ride a lot more (and drive less) because I have it. And that is what I wanted out of it - healthier heart and lungs, less contribution to polluting the planet. It's also been a very dependable ride. It's a workhorse. Before the rear rack (first ride) What have I done to it? Replaced the skimpy tubes with thorn-resistant tubes and added tire sealant to those. (I've not had a flat since. Do this with every bike you bring home!) Added the rear rack. Swapped the handlebars and stem. Adjusted the brakes often. Adjusted the derailleur twice. (I'm thankful there's just one.) Added a Wald collapsible side basket . (Very happy with this addition!) What will I do soon: Replace the brake pads Adjus...

I've been busy, too busy for reading lately, so I've been curating, raking in places to read later, to glean the good stuff. And I keep wanting to distill that good stuff. I've been finding some good bicycle stuff on Outside (Magazine) Online lately. Today I saw a snippet and in that saw one of those pared-down Japanese poems. 11 Cycle Shoulds do not    be a jerk always wave    fellow cyclists do not dare      litter  Here's the snippet and the link May you see, art, beauty, whimsy, or (at least) silliness in each glance. May we both be well and manage not to be jerks.

(Another lunch-time lesson in dirt and humility.) I raced BMX as a kid. It was only four decades ago. I should still be good at it. Right? The local weatherman told me a cold front was passing through -  it wouldn't reach 90 degrees until lunch. My brain instantly dreamed up the next micro-adventure: BMX, baby! Flora and Fauna Report Local Flora Local Fauna: I'm gonna need a longer lens, a longer lunch, and more patience to post fauna pics, but I did see two great blue herons, one great egret, two burrowing owls, a few dozen prairie dogs, a black-tailed jack rabbit, and a half-dozen kids on Razor scooters (at the skate park). How about the ride? Four laps on the BMX track Did I get air? No. Did I need oxygen? Absolutely. It's been a dry summer, so all of the low ground is sand trappy and killed any speed I built up from berms and backsides of jumps. I spent the whole time in second gear pedaling hard. Bring your fat tires. Bring your vi...