I rode today...

I rode to work , the first time in a while . It was good, cool, but not cold. Adrian was ill and over slept so I rode alone. I got in my head fairly deep. It is easy to do when you are alone. Can I ride the Tour Divide alone?? It is a head trip ride for sure. Next year, Hmmm.... 2700+ miles many hours alone...


"Be the Change you want to see in the World"Ghandi

The Madsen - A pretty cool bike!

MADSEN Cargo Bikes

The Tour Divide 2009 Race has started!

The Tour Divide has started for 2009.

I for one am rooting for Deanna of http://ultrarunbikevegan.blogspot.com/ YOU GO GIRL! This young lady is going for it as she always does! Banff Ca. to Antelope Wells New Mexico! Cheer her and all the racers on!

Tour Divide is a solo, self-supported mountain bike race on all 2,745 miles of ACA's epic Great Divide MTB Route. With an average time-to-completion of three weeks in the saddle, this grand tour is the longest, most challenging MTB race on the planet. It's a contest for the ultra-fit but only if ultra-prepared for myriad contingencies of backcountry biking.

Towing a bike with an Xtracycle bike

Ok I was reading in the Yahoo Group called "Rootsradicals" about how some folks did some creative stuff with hitches on their X's. Then it hit me "Hey I have that old front fork doo-hicky." So with some gorrilla tape to thicken up the diameter of the "No step" bar I attached my fork holder. Well the Gorilla tape started to twist so I McGivered zip ties to prevent it from sagging under load. A more permanent solution would be needed long term. I also learned that the towed bike will tend to sway all the to the ground. A rootsrad posting explained this and I thought of a solution. Wide loader tie straps from xtracycle.com.org they are so very cool and thought out see this link (Cam Straps) So I tried out the whole get up and found that I can tow a bike with a bike. Yes it swayed so with some adjustments I got it to a manageable point. But word of warning! I tested it w/o being cliped in at the pedals and rode around a lot at slow speeds. It can be a very dangerous thing so double check all connections and straps before you take off. It would have been easier if I had the double kick stand "kickback"

Clockwork ride went, well like Clockwork

Yeah Dudes and Dudettes the ride was sweet.

Adrian was smiles proud PaPa of a new Bright Orange (Single Speed). We rode and Adrian Hammered some hills I was on e-assist for most so I still needed to work my stuff later. In all it was nice and exciting to be part of an inaugural ride! On the way back I chose a big hill on Cannon to climb, yeah I got a work out. As I approached Robbers peak and the dirt road trail, I pulled an Adrian(1) and said ("f"  it) lets go! I needed to use up more battery power  before a next recharge. OK e-assist the hill should be easy - Not!

Half way up I lost traction almost tipped over and stopped. Now it's "hike-a-bike time for a piece pushing close to 300 lbs up hill. Yeah it sucks and yeah I got a work out. But at the top I hammered down and it was all good.

(1) I am refering to (F - it) being a term of endearment a sense of Being at One with the road. A website called bicyclemeditation.com has a very good explainer on this whole concept explain what  "Get Off the F-ing road" really means. Read here.

I would like to credit SiouxGeonz for having a link to this on one of her blogs.

A Clockwork Orange playing in the O.C.

My friend Adrian and I are riding together tomorrow morning.
He got a cool Windsor Fixie from BikesDirect.com.
It is called the Clockwork and it is Orange, a sort of Freudian / Kubrick slip.

We are riding in the city of Orange on a Clockwork Orange and an Xtracycle, at a particular time 8 am.
Hmmm let's see... 8 arms to a prayer Wheel, 8 am, like clockwork. It's all just too uncanny.
The sun will rise and we will ride...

Pictures of my rig...

By special request, i am posting pictures of my rig...
cudos to ZEROPERGALLON.COM, CYCLE9.COM (THE BEST E-ASSITING COMPANY IN AMERICA)

KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN AND THE WIND AT YOUR BACK...



"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

Sham Wow for an Xtracycle?

The Bike Burrito is here!

 Leave it to Russ Roca to come up with a simply awesome invention!

Way to Go!  Russ and Jayme!

Bike Burrito san beans and cheese.

Russ Roca Photography - The eco-friendly Photographer

Bike Burritos make a good combination with Big Dummy's.

Russ Roca es el Burrito Genious de la bici, y el tomara su cuadro tambien!

Tesla had the answers to Energy problems 100 years ago

Born in 1856 - Nikola Tesla had the answers to the planets Energy problems decades ago. After his death his files were taken by the government and keep from public view. 

Surface: Tesla bio backgrounder
Deeper: http://www.members.tripod.com/RandyHiatt/Teslapage.html#FBI

PART 5/5 SEE the others in YouTube:

Solar powered xmas lights on my xtracycle!

Okay folks I went to Home Depot to get Xmas light for the "House" well some how they ended up on my bike!

How'd that happen? They are Solar powered! Yes very sweet Ed Begley would be proud as would Bill Nigh, Not what ever his name.

See my Flickr set on FLICKR

"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

Black Friday stampede kills!

Here I am doing a bit of Black Friday Online snooping only to find a story about a man working at Wal Mart who was killed the stampede of people bum rush him. A lady mis carried too as she was rushed. I don't even want to shop anymore right now. Just want to ride and chill.

When I ride home I see this a lot with people as they drive home too. 

How did we get so selfish?

This attitude of ME, ME. Is just like the Seagulls saying Mine, Mine,Mine,Mine in Nemo. Just freaking ridiculous.  Gotta ride now, need to reflect. 

STAMPEDE STORY


"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

Well today we woke to another round of urban fires here in Southern California. Like the
Santa Ana winds that come at this time of year so do the fires now. They are real regular.
As different neighborhoods were being evacuated stores began to close and the look and
feel of my environment became smokey and dark. The kinda dark you get during an
eclipse an eery odd darkening. I noticed the streets got crowded with cars of people
frantically leaving there homes not knowing what was going to happen or if and when they
can return. So at my mobil gas station that no longer pumped gas because of the fire
danger, I wondered how much easier it would be if we people were using bicycles to
escape the area. An xtracycle would be perfect for lots of folks and there would be far less
issues with congestion.

So here I sit listening to the helicopters fly over my home to the reservoir and back again
to get water and dose flames. It has happened so much today like hundreds of times, I can
imagine that I am in that movie scene in Apocalypse Now and Martin Sheen is in his hotel
room listening to a helicopter blade sounds getting louder and louder. (I regressed)
So again in good times or in bad, bicycles have a place to be useful.

I hope the folks that had damage are ok and safe...

namaste'

Carl

"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

News from the front in the war on bike purism

Okay - this is worth forwarding from Morgan of Cycle9.com. 

What's wrong with Electric assist bikes? Not a darn thing! In fact.... Hit it Morgan:

http:Tinyurl.com/BikePurism

"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

A girl with a lot of gusto!

Something new and exciting to check out:
I am not an Ultra-Racer, give me a loaded Big Dummy and time to travel - I am there.

But some folks ride to race and race to ride. I suppose the motivations are many. But for one young Lady. She took riding to a whole new level. If it has Ultra in it, she's doing it. She has epilepsy, but you would never guess it by her riding achievements and incredible attitude. She truly is living the change she wants to be in the world.... 

Read her blog here: http://ultrarunbikevegan.blogspot.com

and be inspired!

   





"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

Have you ever secretly wanted to ride a Penny Farthing?

High Wheels are not "Cargo or Long Bikes but there is something about a Penny!

I will let my secret out...

I want to own a Penny Farthing. You know the high bikes with a "Penny" in the rear and a "Farthing" in the front.  what got me interested in this is a story I read about a british young man who rode around the world on a Penny Farthing. I just think they are "really neat" sounds corny huh? Yes but the cool factor is way high plus just imagine one with Rock the bike's Down Low Glow Dual - Oh Man !

Have you ever even ridden a Penny or would like to?

Some interesting Penny links:

Worksman Cycles

and Crazy Guy on a bike blog about "A Penny Farthing World Tour"


"Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

Stopped by curious people

Can't go anywhere with out being stopped!

Here in the States we have NPR (National Public Radio) the shows are sometimes so interesting that it is hard to leave your car while the broadcast show is going on. Moments like those are called "Driveway moments" being at home setting in the driveway finishing the show.

Well on an Xtracycle is happens all the time to me, but in reverse. On the way home last night as I was riding my X in front of our Ralph's grocery store, a guy starting flagging me down. We talked about the X, my commute and Global Warming/Green stuff. Well I was in my element and got into a fantastic conversion. I love talking that stuff but at 10:00 P.M. and I really needed to get home.

I was wondering does this happen to you too?

 "Be the Change you want to see in the World"

Ghandi

Protect your Banana?

What the heck is this???

BANANA BUNKER.com

I am bonkers for Bananas you gotta protect your Banana!

This is just one Part of the equipment of  Jim and Cathy's Southern Tier Tour 

Flexi Ties

What does a man saving a baby turtle have to do with an Xtracycle?

Today while shopping at Ace Hardware store I found to types of flexi Ties.

One called Urashima Taro wire and the other by Grip twist. It turns out that the company name Urashima Taro is an Old japanese legend about a man who saves a baby turtle who is actually a Princess. See the wiki here, but how that relates to twisted wire is anyones guess.

I bought the two types because of length differences and to hold my cables from all my e-assit equipment in place without having to replace zip ties if I ever replace different components. The other reason is that they are light yet strong, the Grip twist holds 100 lbs. yet just weighs only a few onces. They are reusable and have many uses and on a xtracycle you can come up with hundreds of ways to carry things with it.

The websites for the two companies are:

www.griptwist.com

and

www.urashimataro-usa.com

I was thinking that for touring and carrying water in large quanities the long 34 inch griptwist could support a gerry rigged water hose from water bags way in the back. So all you would have to do is run a clear hose back to your water source (large Dromedary bag ) in the (Freeloaders)

up front the flexi wire can hold the the water tube upright and high enough to suck on like a straw. So the benefits would be that you water weight would be down low keeping the Center of Gravity low (CG). Drinking as you would from a camel back.

So if your water was iced down back there in a small ice chest ( hey after all weight isn't a worry it's an xtracycle) you could drink cool water on your ride.

: )

Welcome

Being a relatively new Xtracycle adopter/owner and enthusiast I decided to start blogging about it. This will have stuff about Xtracycling, cycling in general and news and information about cool things happening in this space. And oh yes we will go off Topic occasionally. It is intended to eclectic and crazy at times.