What a wonderful day in Boise, Idaho. The temperature was over 60 degrees. Kelly mentioned me picking up some pizza for the family, and Bryce was to go with me. He thought, unprompted, the way to pick up pizza was with the Rickshaw. So, that’s what happened. I aired up the tires, Kelly put a child seat on the back, and off went Bryce and myself to the land of pizza (Papa Murphy’s). On the way back, I talked with a guy who has a project rickshaw which sounded interesting. Once back at home, it was photo op time.

Rickshaw, kids, a pizza (on the back seat) and construction

Faye hopped on the back, and Kelly decided it was only fair that she got the ride back to the garage, so Bryce was deported shortly thereafter, and Faye was in the car seat. This should prove to be a short term problem, thankfully.

Goals for the 2010 Rickshaw Season

1. Go at least 100 miles
2. Have fun
3. Get the child seat assembly done

Goals 1 and 2 are both probably going to be met, unless something surprising happens (like last year). The third, the child seat assembly, is the fresh goal for this season. It’s a board with two child seats mounted on it that replaces the bottom seat board on the back. I have a hunch it’ll be done before the midway point in the season. I already have the materials, it just needs to get done.

Lookie what I picked up in December of 2009, a Coker Monster Cruiser!

This is an earlier deluxe model, no longer in production. It is not modded, and has the factory black paint, chrome fenders, headlight, leather pouch, and Persons leather saddle. These were expensive new (over $1000 I believe), but thanks to boise.craigslist, I picked up this rare specimen in great condition for $275. Score!

The photo above doesn’t quite communicate how big this bike really is. Here it is with my 1995 Schwinn Classic Cruiser:

Those are 36 inch tires on the Coker, compared to 26 inchers in the Schwinn. The seat is sitting at the lowest height setting in the picture and I need to lift it a little for my height (6 foot). As you might imagine, this ride gets some looks. Not nearly what the Rickshaw gets, but compared to the Schwinn it’s crazy.

One great thing about the Coker is the inefficiency. It’s a quicker and easier ride than the Rickshaw, though. I’ve enjoyed the Coker and am glad I bought it.

So, if you want to ride a bicycle with some size and mass, I recommend the Coker Monster Cruiser. Another great way to extend the S.U.V.-like “More is more” mentality to cycling. Two wheeled fun!

The 2009 season was not the pinnacle of all Rickshaw Seasons. It had its moments, but clearly was not at 2008 season level.

Dad smiling and wearing a sweater vest while traveling in 2009.

The season came to an ugly end when Dad died in his experimental airplane, but to be honest, this season wasn’t comparable to the prior season regardless. After his death, I turned down what would have been a great night of Rickshaw because, in my own words at the time, “I just don’t have it in me.” It was hard. I did graduate from MBA school with nice marks, so life does go on, but Dad’s passing had a profound effect on me, including the 2009 Rickshaw Season.

Let’s look at the 2009 season highlights, shall we? The ultimate highlight was having Kelly and Faye on the Rickshaw for the Eagle Days Parade. Faye loves waving at the crowd, and Kelly got out of her shell a bit.

Doug and Mark rode on the back for a night out, which was fun. The next day was very interesting since I didn’t anticipate the calorie deficit I set myself up for, and I was hungry all day the next day. I finally pigged out that night during and after class. I’ll have to watch that in the future.

There’s never been a bad Rickshaw Season, and 2009 was no exception. The trips taken were enjoyable. Hearing Bryce tell me what he was observing while we were riding was wonderful. He wasn’t in a rolling tent behind me, he was with me on the Rickshaw.

I probably would have completed a dual child seat assembly for the Rickshaw in the 2009 season, but that was derailed by Dad’s passing. Oh well. It’ll be working for 2010. Kid trailers aren’t favorites anyhow, and after seeing the kids fight over who got to ride on the single seat last year, it became more clear that the assembly needs completion.

Neither of the top riders of prior years were even on the back this season. The #1 rider for the 2009 Rickshaw Season was Bryce. Certainly one of the easier pulls I’ve ever had.

Total mileage for the year: 73.37 miles (odometer reading at 204.29). The goal for the last two seasons was to clear 100 miles by the end. This year fell short, but I’m sure I’ll be back over the 100 mile mark in 2010.