Cargo Bikes Carry More Ice

Four 10 lb. bags of ice with room to spare...

 

Posted with Blogsy

Cargo Bikes Carry More ... or Less

I have posted several times in the past concerning my cargo bike's ability to carry lots of stuff. However, it is also capable of handling the little things as well.

I woke up Sunday morning with a hankering for a fried bologna biscuit from Hardees. As I pedaled home with my treasure, I was struck with another advantage of bicycling. I didn't have to be tortured by the smell of the food all the way home.

Running Errands

On a recent Saturday morning, when I got up it, I looked at the forecast and it called for a drearily cloudy day, but the temperatures were moderate and no rain was in sight. I had a lot of errands to do, so I put on a light windbreaker and jumped on the cargo bike.

I rode 3 miles to the Barber Shop...

I rode 2 miles to Sears...

I rode 8 miles to the Post office to drop off some mail...

I rode 1 mile to the hardware store...

I rode 9 miles to the grocery store...

I rode 1 mile back home. The fruits of my labor, if riding a bike can really be called labor...

Final stats:
Total miles = 24 miles
Gas consumed = $3.64 per gallon X 0 gallons = $0
Emissions = none
Fresh air = bountiful
Exercise = invigorating

Bike on Bike

I know the title sounds a bit kinky, but it's an accurate description of the feat.

Yesterday was the day I was scheduled to pick up my new bike.  As I rode home from work, my excitement built with each pedal stroke.  When I finally got home, I was crestfallen to discover that my wife had taken my truck.  Not to be thwarted from my task of picking up my new bike, I thought up a plan and thought it up quick.

That's right.  If I couldn't pick up my bike with my truck, I was gonna pick it up with my Cargo Bike.  My wife actually got home before I completed the retrofit of the fork mount on the bed of my Cargo Bike, but by that time, I was already committed.

I rode to the bike shop - picked up my new bike - mounted the new bike on my Cargo Bike - rode home.  The plan worked flawlessly.

A New Cargo Bike

I recently added another bike to my harem.  I bought my wife a "Specialized Expedition".
Now, I know what your thinking. Paul you said you added a bike to your Harem. You can't count your wife's bike. True - true - true! Now to the "rest of the story". With my wife being the proud new owner of a new bike, something had to be done with her old bike, which was a very nice, practically brand new, "Cannondale Day Tripper".

We had considered trading her in when we bought my wife's new bike, but at the last second I had a revelation. This bike would make an awesome cargo bike. So I took the Xtracycle off my old Schwinn...

...and put it on the Cannondale.

Isn't she an absolute beauty?   She rides like a dream.  For me, it was love at the first pedal stroke!

Cargo Bikes Carry More Firewood

2 bundles - 1-1/2 cubic feet - 32 lbs. of firewood

Oh, and what's dat nestled in dat dar saddle bag?
Why shiver me timbers, I do believe dem be stowaways.

A damp and frigid winter night - a warm, crackling fire - cold beer - now that's living. To think this was all made possible cause I ride a cargo bike.

Cargo Bikes Carry More Gas

That's 5 gallons of gasoline!!

One of the reasons I ride a bike is to reduce the US's reliance on foreign oil. With that in mind, I know it seems contradictory to be using a bike to carry gas. However, I still have grass to cut and one of these doth not grace my Harem.

I'm Proud to be an American "Bike Rider"

This past weekend, we as a country celebrated our independence. I for one, did my share in that celebration and brought my bike along. Or should I say rode my bike along?

It all started Saturday (July 3rd) morning. I awoke in a festive mood and decided to ride over and watch the Historic Hilton Village parade. I rode to a couple nearby stores for supplies and a few tie wraps later, my cargo bike was transformed into a red white and blue, patriotic, pedal powered machine. The only thing missing was an Uncle Sam hat. A shortcoming I intend to rectify next year.I rode down to the parade route, picked a prime spot, sat on the platform of my cargo bike and watched.


On Sunday (July 4th), I mounted lights on our bikes and that night my wife and I rode down to a nearby school along the James River. From that vantage point we were treated to no less that 4 firework displays. One over in Smithfield, one near Jamestown, one near Chesapeake and the closest right there in our hometown of Newport News.
Finally on Monday (the 5th), I rode the bike to the store and picked up a Boston butt.Threw it on the smokerand let it cook slow and steady all day long as I sipped steadily on my dwindling supply of ice cold cold beer.Later in the afternoon I took out the ice cream maker, mounted it on my trusty patriotic steed and my son and I made homemade ice cream.Parades, fireworks, barbecue, beer and homemade ice cream, can it get any better than that? Oh yea, the bike was part and parcel to it all.

My First S24O

About a month ago, I came home from work on a Friday, threw a few things on my Cargo Bike and rode off to Sandy Bottom Nature Park. It was a mere 3 mile ride from my house that I covered in exactly 15 minutes.

I set up camp.
I rode to a nearby grocery store for beer and ice and then skipped over to a Mexican restaurant next door for chips and salsa.

I spent the rest of the evening chillin on TOP of the picnic table (namely cause Sandy Bottom has the highest population of canebrake rattlers than anywhere in Hampton Roads), drinking my beer, eating my chips and feeding wood into the fire.
Just As I was about to head over to the tent for bed, a nearby camper came sauntering over. He said hi and handed me what he categorized as his own patented version of a tent bottle. He then bid me goodnight and walked away. It was a 2-liter bottle with a hole strategically cut on one side, towards the top.
Most people would have found this gesture to be rather disgusting, but I thought it an act of kindness on the part of a stranger. It's encounters like this one that remind me that there is still a lot of good in the world.

With tent bottle in hand, I climbed in my tent, turned on the IPOD touch and read a few minutes. That night, I slept like a baby.

The next morning, I brewed a pot of coffee, sat back on TOP of the picnic table (don't forget the snakes), drank a few cups and then started packing my gear.
I was back home by 8:30 Saturday morning. My first "sub-24 hour overnight" (S24O)bike/camping trip was in the books.

The following Monday, when I mentioned my mini adventure to my co-workers, they looked at me rather puzzled and for the life of them couldn't understand why a grown man would jump on his bike, ride 3 miles and camp. They thought me strange indeed. From my perspective - I was on my bike - off the grid - completely self sufficient - with plenty of cold beer, chips and salsa and the proud, new owner of my very own tent bottle. That's Living!!!!

Cargo Bikes Carry More Beer

Count it and weep (for joy).4 cases of beer = 96 cans of beer = 9 gallons of beer = 75 lbs of beer

...and, there's room for more!!!

"Cargo Bikes are my friend!"

Cargo Bike - Part 3

With the idea conceived, the plan developed and the new components dutifully installed on my old Schwinn, there was but one hurdle standing between me and a new Cargo bike.

Cargo bikes carry stuff. How do I outfit the old Schwinn to carry stuff? This minor difficulty was easily surmounted, thanks to the kind folks at xtracycle.com. While they sell a complete longtail style bike, they also sell a conversion kit called a Free Radical designed to transform any bike into a longtail cargo bike. A few clicks of the mouse and like magic a giant box shows up at my front door.
I wasted no time installing the kit on my old Schwinn.Before I knew it, I was the proud owner of my very own Cargo Bike.I opened the fridge, took out a beer, took a long, satisfying sip. My harem was now complete. I have all the bikes I will ever need.

Cargo Bike - Part 2

Having given birth to the idea of building my very own Cargo Bike, it was now time for the execution phase.

The first order of business in converting my old Schwinn into a bonified cargo bike was to upgrade it's components. While my old Schwinn may have been the cat's meow in her day, her components had grown outdated to say the least.

After examining her closely, I concluded that other than the wheels and frame, everything else would have to be replaced. Some if the stuff I already had, such as cranks, seat and handlebar. The rest I would have to buy. A few clicks on Amazon.com found a box arriving full of - new shifters, new brakes, cables, tires, tubes, etc.

It was off with the old:

.And on with the new:
Before long the makeover was complete. My dilapidated old Schwinn...Now stood poised and ready for her conversion to a Cargo Bike...

Cargo Bike - Part 1

A couple posts back, I alluded to my Cargo Bike and then it dawned on me, I have yet to enlighten my readers as to this new addition of my Harem.

A couple months back I was standing in my garage, sipping a cold beer and admiring my doll babies. Along the west wall of my garage they hung gracefully: my Road Bike, Fixed Gear Bike, Touring Bike and Mountain Bike. While gracefully leaning on it's kickstand, beneath them all was my Light Roadster.While any man would consider himself exceedingly lucky to have such hotties attending his every whim, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. As this nagging realization tugged at my heart, I glanced to the other side of my garage and noted my Old Schwinn hanging all alone and neglected.A pang of guilt pierced my already troubled heart. The nagging and piercing combined to put me in a state of melancholy. To keep the pain at bay, I opened the fridge and took out another beer.

As I sipped slowly, a solution to my dilemma slowly dawned upon me. Why don't I convert the Old Schwinn into a Cargo Bike? I was so delighted with my genius, that I opened the fridge and got another beer.

I then sat down among my Harem and began to formulate a plan to make this new dream a reality. For your reading pleasure, I will chronicle this creation in the next couple posts.

The Big Bang

Now that's a blowout! The Bestest/Worstest I ever had.

It was a beautiful day for a bike ride, so this past Sunday Morning, I took the Cargo Bike to the store. As I approached an intersection, I gently applied the brakes and KA-POW!! The explosion was so violent that my ears rang for nigh on an hour afterwards.

I dismounted and noting the tire jammed between the brake pad and rim, immediately ascertained the cause. I obviously had not seated the bead of the tire fully in the rim. Upon pumping to 80 psi air pressure, a small portion of the tube protruded, unbeknownst to me, between the tire and rim. I applied the brake at just the moment that said protrusion circled past. The combination of tube, tire, rim and brake pad trying to occupy the same space at the same time proved too much for the system to bear and wah lah, there you have it.

Being a scant half mile from home, I opted to forego breaking out the tire changing gear and pushed the bike home instead. It was a beautiful day for a walk.

Another Advantage to Riding

This past Saturday, I was riding home from the gym when I noticed up ahead a slow moving SUV, with its rear hatch door wide open. As I drew closer, I could see that the back of the SUV was packed to the gills with cases upon cases of Girl Scout Cookies. Involuntarily, I reached for the brakes and indulged in yet another advantage of riding my bike.