2 Wheels Maybe

 So, yes, it's Spring and that new bike fever is upon me. As you may know already, I grow more simple-minded simplicity-minded as I grow up. If you place a complicated thing and a simple thing in front of me, I will be drawn to the less complicated version 9 times out of 10. And this is especially true of things with wheels. By the way, I replaced both derailleurs and both shifters on my old mountain bike this weekend. And, well, um, ugh. It's needed repairs for a long time. But I've been putting it off. It's complicated. (Literally, the mountain bike is much more complicated than the ones you'll see below.) Here's what I've been riding while the mountain bike has been incapacitated: Favorite Bike 1: The Coaster-Brake Worksman Klunker (No Cables, No Levers, No Shifters) It's not complicated.  See the klunker in action here The old klunker has no cables, no levers, and only one thing that needs adjusting - the chain. When I look over the handlebars all I...

Mae Simmons Park Part 1: The Joy If you're like me, at times your right-hand fingers tingle. Sometimes that means you need a medical checkup. Other times, though, it means your fingers are itching to build something. For me, it's a little of both. (And those fingers have been buzzing lately.) A few weeks ago I spotted this pic in a local ad - old Huffy frame $15. A week later I was (joyfully) riding this thing around Clapp Park. In between the before and after pics my fingers buzzed less, but my brain took up the slack. I started scheming and planning and digging through leftover parts. I dismantled a dumpster-bound donor bike and transplanted the parts onto the Huffy frame. As the bike came together the buzzing turned into something else - satisfaction. It felt good to turn two unwanted things into one wanted and useful thing. And with each ride and each tiny upgrade, the satisfaction grows. No, I'm not saving the world, and the bike isn't going to win any races or bea...

A lot going but not a lot of posts lately, so I figured a little update and let you know what you might see in the future. I rebuilt my first wheel. This one needed a new hub, so I replaced the old one with a disc-compatible hub. After watching three youtube vids, I spent about 90 minutes lacing it up. The next day I spent an hour straightening, truing, and tightening it. It may sound weird, but it was one of the most satisfying and calming projects I've tackled in quite a while. I can't wait to tackle my next one. (Spoiler alert, it will either be a rear hub motor or a front drum brake into a 26" rim. Stay tuned!) Farewell, Old 9917 The black Worksman klunker unexpectedly found a new home. (Remember - lock up your bike - even at your local coffeehouse. I hope it went to someone who needed it.) A new Worksman to build! (Woohoo!) So, I purchased another frame from my favorite seller on Rat Ride Bikes . Coincidentally, it came with a terrible paint job that matches the reb...

The Sodium, the CSC, and the Sondors  Before we get to the bikes - two explanations. First, I've been drinking coffee with motorcycle guys lately, and I'm jonesing more than usual for an electric motorcycle, so I may over-do-it with this post. Second, for an around-town motorbike, I've established my acceptable speed/range/price and examine all new bikes through that filter. I've landed on 45mph/40mile/$3,500. As much as I love being on two wheels, I don't have a big desire or the time to travel hundreds of miles per day burning up the highway. I just want a bike I can hop on and scoot about town as part of daily life. Now, let's get those wheels rolling! Sodium Xubaka (50mph/37-50miles/over $7,000) Click pic for Xubaka link So, let's start with the weirdest of the three - the Sodium Xubaka (I hope that is the French spelling of "Chewbacca". If so, they should offer a furry brown seat and a bandolier as options.) The coolest thing about the Sodium ...

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!

I recently had the opportunity to make an e-bike video for the National Solar Tour. Over the course of a weekend I shot a few hours of video and edited it down to just over five minutes. (It was great fun and took a whole lotta time!) The hardest part was all the info that hit the cutting room floor. I had a writing professor once tell me that editing meant that I had to get used to killing my babies. That's how I felt with this, even if most of my babies were boring, long winded, and poorly filmed. The same professor told me to write [or create video] about what I know, so I made a video about the e-bike I've been commuting on for two years now - a Juiced OceanCurrent. It's a bike I would happily recommend to anyone; however, it was discontinued two years ago. Find all the South Plains entries here In its absence, here are some bikes that are very similar in specs and price in case you're looking for such a thing: A  sampler of simple e-bikes for commuting (under $1600...

Woohoo! It's here! Click here to see the South Plains Solar Tour Recently the coordinator for the local solar tour invited me to be a part be a part of this year's tour. YES! I am thrilled to be a part of it and wanted to share the work of a bunch of talented and knowledgeable people who are involved in sharing sustainability practices here in the Lubbock area. So, please click the link above to see the local tour. (If you're looking for me, I'll be the dork with a bike.) If you want to see what's going on all across the country, just go to NationalSolarTour.Org . For those of you who are curious about ebikes, I'll be posting a followup to the video on both blogs ASAP. Thanks for checking the tour out. May your day be wonderful and lead to a better future!

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...