Bikes as Transportation

Now on Twitter, still on Flickr

2011-09-01T02:12:40Z

I now have a Twitter account just for the topic of bikes-as-transportation. You can find me on Twitter as @BikesAsTrans. My hope for the account is to share related content from myself and others around the internet, as well as to provide short timely updates about my experiences with family cycling, cargo bikes, and electric bikes.

I also continue to post photos more regularly to my flickr stream than I do here. If you use a feed reader, you may wish to follow the feed of my latest bike photos, which usually include some short posts with them as well.

I look forward to posting more content here as well. This spring we added a second child to the family, and also added a Surly Big Dummy as my personal bike, complementing our existing bakfiets and my wife’s electric Yuba Mundo. There’s plenty to say about how these three distinct cargo bike options compare, contrast and combine. If you have a question about how any of them compare, leave a comment here and I’ll try to answer your question.

For now, here’s a couple recent photos from Flickr. Click through either for more explanation.

Recommended blog: BikeForth.org

2011-08-18T02:00:03Z

Larry from Bikeforth.org is one of my favorite cargo bike bloggers. He’s an inventor, a trail-blazer, and a well-spoken documenter. If you like my blog, you’ll likely enjoy his. Here are some of my favorite posts of his so far:

On using 70 lbs of batteries to ride 240 miles in 2 days
On wiring his gloves and socks into the bike battery for added warmth
On building a solared powered e-bike
On making a Bike Wagon Canopy for xtracycles
and s a someone who also drives, owning up to his part in climate change and the BP spill

There are a number more worthwhile posts in there— poke around!

A Song about a Purple Pedal Power Berry Bicycle Blender

2011-04-15T01:19:53Z

Smile and enjoy this catchy music video starring some students who readily trade in Halloween candy for purple pedal powered bicycle-blended berry smoothies.

If you’d like to buy your own bike-powered blender and maybe a bike to go with it, Rock the Bike has you covered.

Electric Cargo Bike as Grocery Getter

2011-02-26T19:15:44Z

Two 45 Gallon Totes by Sterlite + the Go Getter bag provide 340 liters of hauling volume
Up to 300 lbs of cargo reasonably hauled (in addition to the rider)
Bar mitts keep hands warm without bulky gloves or mittens
Schwable Winter Marathon carbide-studded tires for traction on ice
Electric system provides up to 20 mph of assist reliably for 20 continous miles (longer if you pedal more)
Much less effort getting up hills, even with a load.
Bright front and rear LED lights are powered by pedaling if battery fails
Super-stable double-sided kickstand
Recharges overnight in the garage for pennies

We’re able to haul more stuff further, faster, with less effort and greater comfort than ever before (like loads of recycled computers, or two children and camping gear). Compared to the alternative of having a second car, the system more than pays for itself.

My electric Yuba Mundo was built and sold by Cycle 9. Trailer by Bikes at Work is expandable to 8 feet for longer loads, like couches. Combining this trailer with this bike currently requires a bit of custom welding.

DIY battery box for electric Yuba Mundo

2011-01-22T23:09:43Z

boring photo of a 36v 15Ah battery in a Granite Gear Armored Pocket

I’m trying out a new battery box for our electric Yuba Mundo.

I used the weather-resistant compact file tote from OfficeMax. Inside I’ve placed our 36V 15Ah battery from Cycle9.com, which has first been padded in Granite Gear armored pocket. The padded battery fits snugly at the bottom of the box. Perfect!

The box has small handles, and I used this area to cut a small hole with a utility knife for the battery wire to come through. This placement means water would have to be going up to get into the box, so I’m expecting no rain and very little road spray could make in it there. ( Adding drain holes to the bottom could also be a good idea, just in case. )

box is accessible, removable, water-resistant, and easy to add a wire-hole to.

On top of the battery is just the right amount of room left over in the box to carry all of our standard gear— bike repair stuff, spare bungees and a couple of bike locks.

The handle of the box also includes a small loop where a travel-sized lock could be used to secure the box. Perhaps this is useful to prevent some kinds of malice, but considering the box is plastic and the whole box could be easily removed, it might not have practical value as a security feature.

Previously we had kept most of this standard gear in the Go Getter bag. This was problematic when combined with the “Peanut Shell” seat. I could not prevent the Go Getter from sagging off the running boards, putting the weight of the electric battery and a heavy bike chain farther from the center of gravity. Besides being poor for handling, it made the battery connection less reliable— once after going over a bump, the battery disconnected— not good!

detail of the wiring hole cut with a utility knife.

Now everything is in a small, secure package held reliably close to the bike. It’s an added plus that the whole thing is easy to disconnect and take with us if security demands it. (Although between the battery and bike lock, the box must weigh more than 15 pounds! ) The size and clasp system of the Go Getter bag make it not a practical option to remove, especially when combined with the Peanut Shell seat.

I’ve just put on the battery box today. Now I’ll have to see if it works as well in practice as I expect. Any others out there with electric cargo bikes want to add how you protect and secure your batteries?

UPDATE 2/26/11 The setup in the photo suffered some from vertical bounce. To solve that, I bought a 4 foot cam strap and wrapped it around the box. That stops the bounce, and it’s easy to loosen the strap when I need to get in the box. If I stand up and crank the pedals hard, there is still a unnatural sway, which I think is due to the weight in the box and the location. Having the battery weight centered would be ideal, but isn’t so practical when the child seat in place. This works well enough.

Christmas tree recycling, 2010

2011-01-11T12:36:56Z

It was about a 16 mile round trip to the recycling point. In the scene above, I’d just found a second tree abandoned by the side of the road and strapped it on the trailer.

The temperature was perhaps 15F with a stiff headwind going out.

I was comfortable riding out using Bar Mitts with wool mittens inside, along with my usual assortment of gear. I have started wearing a waterproof shell over my softshell jacket for additional wind protection on very cold days.

Once I stopped and hucked the tree, I decided to take the long way home through the country to see the scenery. That plan worked pretty wheel until about mile 12, when I found myself at the bottom of a valley at the Abington/Salisbury intersection with a dying battery and about 120 lbs of bike to get home. Ah well, I succeeded at getting a good workout on a day I might have otherwise stayed inside.

Mission: Deliver toddler to daycare at 15F

2011-01-06T03:12:17Z

“”There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” Ranulph Fiennes

We had a comfy ride to daycare and she reported that nothing was cold upon arrival, despite the sometimes 20 mph windchill generated from the moving bike at a temperature that was 15F to start with.

The ~3 year old is wearing a winter helmet with built-in ear covers, a “thick and thin” balaclava, ski googles, as well as some snow pants and snow boots. I’ve got a merino wool hat, face mask, OTG ski googles and a scarf. Neos overshoes help keep my feet warm on especially cold days, and bar mitts keep my hands warm while allowing me to wear modest gloves.

Sure it looks ridiculous to many. But I’d rather stay warm with a bit of extra clothing than to wear a 4,000 lb car for a short crosstown trip. I mean, when the primary reason you take a car on trip is a feature associated with clothing— like keeping you warm— then you are primarily wearing the car, right?

Emundo vs bakfiets for winter kid and cargo cycling

2010-12-19T21:37:22Z

The electric Yuba Mundo works well asa kid & cargo winter bike. Recently I’ve been trying out Bar Mitts which so far seem to very effective at keeping my hands warmer while allowing me to wear thinner gloves inside of them. Compared to the bakfiets, the child needs to be dressed notably warmer. Since this photo was taken, we’ve also gotten some child ski goggles for her as well. In sum, we’re able to make cross-town trips comfortable at 15F (-9.4C) which is about as cold as it gets here in Richmond, Indiana.

The bakfiets makes it easier to keep the child warm with the greenhouse-like canopy, and the fully enclosed chain guard is definitely a plus for the bakfiets— On the eMundo the drive train got clogged with frozen slush in just about 15 minutes on a cold day— it was easy to clean out a little later with a stick, but no fun— plus the eMundo chain will need to be cleaned more after getting wet.

However, what the eMundo has going for it is a motor which allows me to get places faster and spend less time outside on very cold days. For that reason I currently prefer the eMundo to the bakfiets for most winter uses. The Mundo’s electric motor smoothed over the problem with the slush— while pedaling became “chunky” due to that issue, the motor could pull me along just fine without pedaling anyway.

Here’s same scene in a bakfiets from the previous winter:

Staying Below the Sweat Threshold

2010-12-05T03:36:37Z

Photo by Dottie, a lawyer in Chicago who bike commutes to work and writes for letsgorideabike.com. She has a great related post on how to bike commute in a suit.

The sweat threshold is the level of physical activity above which you begin to sweat. Bike commuters ride below the sweat threshold— sometimes just below it— to arrive at the destination presentable and without using special clothing for cycling.

]]> Learning to ride just below the sweat threshold can take some practice. I recall sprinting to church, planning to slow down as soon as I hit the threshold. I arrived there dry, only to start dumping sweat once I stopped moving. To successfully ride just below the threshold you have to be able to anticipate when you might start to sweat some time before you actually do.

On the other hand, given a generous margin for error, it doesn’t have to be complicated. In my climate, for most of the year I can walk around for hours without starting to sweat much, while running would bring sweat on quickly.

Riding a bike with walking-effort instead of running-effort can be an easy way to stay below the sweat threshold for some people. Even then, some habits may need to change. There can be an instinct to muscle up hills on a bike when you would otherwise be riding slowly. To keep the effort low, it may be necessary to slow down, gear down, or get off and walk up the hill.

A walking speed is about 2 to 3 miles per hour, and a bike is about 4 times more efficient than walking for the level of effort. So, applying walking-effort to cycling yields a speed of about 10 miles per hour— about 1 mile every 6 minutes.

While this approach to cycling may seem “slow”, it means being able to go a mile in 6 minutes, two miles in 12 minutes, or 3 miles in 18 minutes. In my town, that means I can get to most destinations in about 15 minutes— without sweating!

Further, the sweat threshold is often a one-way consideration. When riding back home it is often less of an issue— put the hammer down or take the scenic way home!

Also, cooler and cold weather riding can be an opportunity to raise the level of exertion before you hit the sweat threshold. Moderate exertion can count as a layer of clothing, so I dress lighter on trips where I know I’m going to put out a steady effort during the commute. With this method, I’m able to run a mile to work at 26F while just beginning to break a sweat by the time I arrive.

Don’t miss the opportunity to slow down, stay below the sweat threshold, and enjoy some more time, exercise and miles out on your bike.

When time or effort would not otherwise allow for a sweat-free trip by bike, electric assist is also an option. My wife uses an electric cargo bike from Cycle 9 to drop our child off our child at daycare and then arrive at a college teaching job by 8:00 am.

Christmas Tree by Bike, 2010

2010-12-04T22:15:40Z

In previous years I had done the Christmas tree recycling by bike, but this was first year I picked up the Christmas tree by bike. It was about a 15 mile round trip to the tree farm in Centerville, with snow falling and temps in the mid 20's.

The trip went fairly well, although the drivetrain got frozen slush in the derailleur, causing chunky pedaling. I cleared out the frozen slush at the tree farm, but it happened again on the way back.

There was a stiff headwind on the way back and my hands got cold despite wearing Windstopper gloves inside of overmitts. I stopped at the bike shop on the way home and and bought some Bar Mitts, which are like large mittens that go over the handlebars and shifters, and stay on the bike. I have high expectations for the ability to keep my hands warm and comfortable on cold bike trips. Bar Mitts do seem priced a bit high for a product that has a fairly simple design and is made in China. After I got home I found there are some similar products targeted at motorcycles that are made in the USA and cost less. I'll post more about the Bar Mitts once they've gotten some more use.

Missed the Bus

2010-11-25T01:45:11Z

J. missed the bus to high school today, and I was tasked with getting the girls to school and daycare on time.

With temperatures in the upper 20s, we piled on to the electric-assisted Yuba Mundo and headed out. For this trip we dressed the toddler more aggressively to block the wind generated from the bike’s speed. Her commuting clothes included a winter helmet with built-in ear covers, a balaclava, mittens over gloves, snow pants and a winter coat. She reported that nothing was cold when we arrived at daycare about 15 minutes later.

]]> I stayed warm by dressing in layers, with a Capilene base layer on the bottom and a merino wool base layer on top. I have a thin-but-warm merino wool hat under my helmet, and a Seirus face masque that I pulled up a few moments later. A small DIY sleeve extender seals the gap with my gloves. I’ve been really happy with my “Gripper” Windstopper gloves from Oregon Research down to about 25 degrees. For even colder temperatures I layer wool mittens inside of wind-blocking overmitts.

While I continue to find ways to improve the experience, overall it works out and is enjoyable. It certainly beats paying another $300 / month for a second gas-powered vehicle for our family when one will do.

For those new to Yuba Mundos, carrying two human passengers is all in days work for these longtail bikes. Even with two kids and 60+ pounds of additional cargo, the bike still handles well and achieves reasonable speeds, as seen in this video:

Winter bike commuting with child

2010-11-22T02:03:02Z

My wife and daughter have been starting to winter bike commute this season.

One of the clothing challenges is the conflict between wearing a helmet for safety and wearing a winter hat for warmth, realizing that very few winter hats are designed to go under or over a helmet.

For the baby, I decided to try a kids winter helmet, which has few air vents includes padded ear covers. It’s paired here with a “thick and thin” kids balaclava that is thin on top and fleece on the bottom. Initially, this seems like it’s going to be a good solution.

For the baby’s hands we’ve been trying fleece mittens, but they have proven not to be warm enough, even for a for 10 to 15 minute trip, so we’ll look for something warmer. Likewise, the fleece blanket pulled over standard-weight pants didn’t work great either. We’ll be looking to refine that as well.

My wife was generally able to stay warm. She added a Turtle Fur headband to keep her ears warm, as well as a fleece neck gaiter and “windstopper” gloves.

Overall I think the experience was positive and something we’ll continue to try.

Hauling a large load of e-waste by e-bike

2010-10-16T19:30:28Z

Today I hauled between 600 and 800 pounds of e-waste from the hardware co-op at church to the annual e-waste recycling event hosted at Earlham College and serviced by RecycleForce.

To haul that volume by bike, I used this Yuba Mundo with an 18 gallon container strapped to each side-loader racks along with this Bikes-at-Work trailer. On the trailer I’ve stacked a 45 gallon container and a 36 gallon container.

]]> It took 4 trips with this set-up to the destination a mile a way. The trailer expands fairly easily to be 8’ long, but I thought I might reach the practical weight limit for one load before I ran out of volume. Technically, the bike is rated to carry over 400 lbs of cargo in addition to the rider, and the trailer is rated to carry 300 lbs. Practically, I’ve found that handling and hill climbing can be challenging with loads much over 200 lbs, and I wouldn’t currently attempt to carry much more than 300 lbs. (Dave Deming once hauled 400 lbs of bananas on his Mundo, but the handling wasn’t pretty).

I was also concerned that the route to the drop off involved going up a hill on Main Street, and I didn’t want to risk overloading the bike for that.

It turned out that the electric assist made short work of the hauling this load, including being able to climb the hill at 16 mph. I likely could have safely reduced the number of trips by using the longer trailer set-up. No sweating or grunting required.

While hauling more weight at once may have worked, I take hauling this much weight on a bike seriously and wanted to be conservative about what I was attempting.

The “Stand Alone” double-sided kickstand was indensiple for this job, keeping the bike level and steady as we loaded and unloaded the bike and trailer.

All the weight towards the rear of the bike did create some real concerns. One was that bike could start to tip off the centerstand towards the back corner if it was too far off balance. Also, the weight on the rear plus some pressure from the trailer hitch both unweighted the front wheel some. That made handling a bit twitchy, especially at low speeds.

If that effect had been stronger, it could have also caused the front-wheel drive motor to not engage as well, causing more problems.

Thanks to Kent and Justin who also helped with the project.

what really keeps me warmer in the winter: my diet

2010-09-06T11:32:00Z

I’ve been noticeably more comfortable in recent winters while at the same time using lightweight gloves more frequently, using my face mask less frequently, and not using my goggles at all.

]]> I believe this is not due to global warming but due to a concerted effort I made tune what I ate and drank throughout the season. I took what I learned about cayenne last year and took it further this year. I focused my diet on warming foods, which also often meant eating more seasonly. Eating more seasonally meant considering what grows locally here each season.

Some specific changes to my diet for the winter season included:

Avoiding nearly all fruit, which is generally cooling. My weaknesses for figs, dates and orange juice remained.
Avoiding light greens, fresh tomatoes and salads, which are also cooling. My favorite substitution for greens with a winter meal is kale, which grows into the winter season and is extremely nutrient dense. Besides being served as a side dish, the kale got served in minestrone soup and tacos.
Replacing the avocado and tomato in my lunch with green beans and mildly hot peppers
Adding three warming spices to my oatmeal in the morning: Cinnamon with a pinch of ginger and cayenne.
Using cayenne or hot pepper flakes as a condiment for lunch and dinner on many days to add a little more heat to nearly any dish
Ordering water with no ice at restaurants (why cool down my core even more when I’m trying to stay warm?)
Having hot tea shortly before leaving for the morning commute
Avoiding ice cream and other frozen foods and drinks
Eating a lot of beets, which are good at purifying and cleansing blood and removing toxins.

We also keep the thermostat low, typically 60F (15C). Besides the energy savings, the reduced difference between indoors and outdoors makes it easier for our bodies to adjust to the transition.

To be clear, the result was not that I had an increased pain tolerance for cold weather. The result was that my comfort range actually expanded. My toes got cold just one day, while I was standing around the back yard doing a bike repair. I only ever wore lightweight wool dress socks which are the same thickness as regular dress socks.

My thick wool mittens and the second layer over-mitts rarely got worn. My light weight “wind gloves” previously used mostly in spring and fall were worn on most days.

The ancient Chinese and Indian cultures figured out warming and cooling foods thousands of years ago. In Western science we understand these choices in terms of providing better circulation and raise the core body temperature.

As summer comes, I’ll flip over my diet to apply the same principles to stay cool. Lots of big salads with avocado and cucumber will be in and some of the dense warming foods of winter will be out.

The experience was an “a ha” moment about how eating seasonally and locally connects with the rest of my life and supports other goals I have. My notion of what’s “good weather” expanded to include nearly everything. I recall running across the Richmond Avenue bring watching snow begin to fall into the river and trees in the gorge below. I noticed I felt comfortable then. Not cold. It was an enjoyable temperature to be outside. I felt more prepared. I worried even less about caught the wrong clothing for being outside. A greater part of my ability to be comfortable outside now came from within and not from products I bought. It’s been a great feeling to have.

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3 wardrobe updates that worked for winter bike commuting

2010-09-06T10:04:11Z

The seasons are changing and it’s time to prepare for another winter of transportation with minimal car use.

Over the past couple of winters, I successfully experimented with some wardrobe updates that allowed me to be comfortable outside without a car.

]]> My recent changes included swapping the hooded waterproof/breathable jacket for a soft shell jacket for daily use. I also tried a long-sleeve bamboo base layer as an alternative the merino wool layers I had been happy with.

One more experiment I tried was cutting the tubes off of some retired wool dress socks, and using those those to cover the gap between the jacket and gloves on cold days. I’ll cover all these points briefly below.

On a soft-shell jacket versus a hooded waterproof/breathable jacket

A primary benefit of a soft shell jacket over a waterproof/breathable one is that it looks less like I’m about to depart for mountain climbing expedition. It’s more normal, versitale look that does scream “technical” the way the plasticy sheen of a waterproof/breathable jacket can. I wanted to look more like a person who happens to ride a bike and less a cyclist with special gear.

The soft shell jacket came with no hood, and I considered that a definite comprimise in functionality that I wasn’t sure I would like. The other major trade off was that the soft shell would be very breathable at the expense of not being fully waterproof, but still water-resistant.

The result was the the soft shell has become my new everyday jacket. Pairing the soft shell with my WigWam merino wool hat made a fine hood alternative to protect me from most rain. The water resistance proved good enough for common cases. On especially wet or cold days, I still chose to use the waterproof/breathable jacket instead, or over top of the soft shell.

I found my Columbia-branded softshell in downtown Richmond, Indiana at Elder Beerman on sale for about $60. I expect other soft shell jackets would perform comparably.

On do-it-yourself sleeve extenders

The wool-socks-as-wrist-covers has a great supplement to the jacket, keeping wind off the gap between the jacket and my gloves. This is especially important when cycling, when arm’s might need to be stretched out, pulling jacket sleeves up the arms a bit. Worn in the right direction, the sock-end looks indistinguishable from the cuff of a shirt poking out beneath the jacket, so there was nothing awkward looking about this solution. This has become a standard part of my wardrobe that I’ve kept for a couple years now. It’s small but important detail. Our perception of how cold we are is related to the coldest part of our body. So if there’s a little bit of full strength cold wind on my wrists, it makes a big difference in how cold I feel, as well as some difference in how cold I actually am.

On bamboo as an alternative to merino wool

I found a “Comfortech” bamboo long-sleeve base-layer, also from our local Elder Beerman store, and it was another success. It has a very soft feel and seems to have warmth and wicking properties similar to the merino wool base layers I have. I also appreciate the bamboo grows in the region, while merino wool is imported from the other side of the world.

Today, it looks like bamboo shirts are hard to find, and the price of merino wool may be coming down. I recommend either one as a base layer that is comfortable, light, warm and wicking.

While these clothing updates made a difference, the most impactful change to my winter warmth came from changes to my diet. Continue reading about that in my next post: what really keeps me warmer in the winter: my diet.