Some neighbors are getting married today and they are having a bicycle parade. They wanted some ride support for those who didn’t want to pedal, and since I’m nearby and all, figured that I might offer up some rides. Sure. Why not.

A challenge in this situation was getting both of the rides up to Camel’s Back Park here in Boise by myself. Kelly was gone for part of the day, so she wouldn’t be around to pick me up and take me back home. I did have an offer from the wedding party to get hauled, but naw, not necessary. I have a rickshaw, a lock, a car carrier for bikes, and a Schwinn. Simply mount the bike rack to the back of the rickshaw, put the bike on the rack, and off you go.

I wasn’t sure how this would work now that I have the huge Wald basket rack on the back, but all was good. It did make it less stable than before the basket rack, with all that weight now off to the side, but no problem. I hopped on, rode to the park while being careful about not slamming the bike into something, and before I knew it I was there. I locked up the Rickshaw, took the bike rack off, bungied it to the basket rack, and I was ready to go again.

The ride home is cake, since it is downhill, plus the Schwinn is a way easier ride than the Rickshaw with the Schwinn as cargo. It was actually too easy. I uncharacteristically missed my turn and had to backtrack a block to get home. When it’s time to be there for the festivities, I’ll just ride myself back to Camel’s Back on the Pedicab, someone else will ride it back to the neighborhood (with passengers) and I’ll take the Rickshaw back with passengers.

I had wanted to enter this event before, but it’s a lot of terrain for the Chinese rickshaw. Well, this year I have a 21 speed Main Street pedicab. My friend Bob and I drove the 15 mile route last weekend, and I did some trial climbs with Bryce to see how well the Main Street and myself could climb. After Bryce and I conquered Sky Drive in Boise’s North End, I decided I could make the big climb on the 15 mile route, a bench climb. I talked to Mom and she was willing to be the passenger. Game on.

So, earlier today, Kelly and I load up the Pedicab onto Mom’s trailer, not unlike we’ve done before to get the Rickshaw to events. Turns out it is longer as well as wider than the Rickshaw, but still not too long, and it fits on the trailer. I drive out to Meridian, sign in, find Mom, unload the Pedicab, and it’s time to ride.

The ride wasn’t easy, it was hilly, and then of course there was the bench climb. I fell behind the pack pretty early on, and then when the first climb happened, the bicycles disappeared off into the distance ahead of me. There’s a chase vehicle for the event that kept coming back and checking on me.

The bench climb was HARD! I stopped three or four times, as I didn’t want to waste myself. The bench is a little before the halfway point, so there’s plenty of ride left after the climb is complete.

Past that, there’s more climbs left, plus some unfortunate headwinds. There is one steep descent, on which the GPS showed us as going 25MPH down at the fastest point. The ride was smooth and controlled.

I had to climb over Highway I-84 once again, and continue on into some headwind. Finally, the turn for Pine comes and I want to dime the pedicab for the final stretch but the legs aren’t so sure. I ended up bouncing between 3-5 and 3-7 (top gear) and finally made it.

Total time: 2 hours, 24 minutes, or 6.7 MPH average. Not too shabby for a first event ride with notable terrain and distance. I decided before the ride that I’d be impressed if I made it in under two hours and disappointed at over 3 hours. That 2:24 was not optimal either, as I clearly took multiple stops after the bench climb that weren’t necessary, but hey, Mom made me a tasty turkey sandwich. I didn’t have to ride and eat, so I didn’t. Next year, I might have to shoot for a two hour or lower time. Is it doable? Sure.

1. Train more, specifically for climbing
2. Don’t stop as much, certainly not to eat
3. Have a higher top gear. I geared out multiple times
4. Start out optimally hydrated. I wasn’t bad, but if I’d taken down a little more before the event, that would have been helpful

I wasn’t rolling for the best time I could deliver, but I wanted to finish before three, and preferably closer to two hours. Of course, I also wanted my passenger to have a great time. Mom had a great time back there, noting that it was a nicely scenic ride. Success. I actually enjoyed the scenery too, but I wasn’t on a road bike staring at the ground.

All in all, a quite worthwhile event that was a strong motivator in getting the pedicab in the first place. The rickshaw simply would not have made the trip. I couldn’t have climbed the bench with a passenger, and stretches like the downhill bench section are ill advised with the rickshaw. The pedicab isn’t perfect by any means, for example the carriage needs some work and it geared out, but overall, excellent performance. At 25 MPH, the pedicab is smooth.

It’s the night before the big 15 mile ride, and the Pedicab appears to be ready to go. The new parts have been on there and working for some time and distance now. There’s still a little concern with the right fender (which sags a little) rubbing on the fat Maxxis Hookworm tire on that side. In fact, it was rubbing earlier tonight, and then I found a piece of metal hanging from the outside fender trim, and I removed the piece of metal. Problem solved (I hope).

Kelly and I used some Dp-Tek 3-2-1 Liftoff paper and some 3M Scotch clear packing tape and made a custom sticker for the back. Here it is:

It’s not perfect, but it’s at least as nice as the carriage around it.

Bryce and I went on a fun trip today. We dropped off paperwork downtown and then went to Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel synagogue for Boise’s annual Deli Days. Here’s an somewhat correct map:

View Larger Map

So, around seven and a half miles for the whole trip. Bench climbed on Capitol by the Boise Depot. Actually went by the depot and rode in some gravel, which the pedicab, and especially the Maxxis Hookworms, took like a champ. Here’s a picture of Bryce and myself at the synagogue just before we left.

My pastrami sandwich was tasty. Going down Americana proved to be a challenge since they had signs in the way. We crossed the street and went down the other sidewalk. Bryce spotted the greenbelt, so we hopped on it at Ann Morrison Park. We crossed the river on the bridge there, and then went through town on the way home. A great ride, about half the length of the ride coming up on Sunday.

Father’s Day comes and Kelly is so thoughtful and makes sure I get a new Schwinn “Dual-density saddle” (item#: SW75961-2) for the Pedicab. What a nice surprise. It’s made by Velo. We have other Velo saddles around here. The Torker saddle on my Schwinn, Kelly’s Nirve saddle, and the Bell saddle on Kelly’s Giant are all made by Velo. Here’s a picture of the Schwinn Velo:

It’s a cruiser saddle, but has a hole in the middle like some of the performance saddles these days. I didn’t care at all for the non-original mountain bike saddle that came with the Pedicab, and now it’s gone. The new one is much more comfortable.

The kids and I went for a ride to Veterans Memorial Park, and then took the Greenbelt back home. Bryce especially enjoys the “bike road”. Me too.

I was told to be home at 6:30. We made it home at 6:20. It was a nice 50 minute ride in the Pedicab.

Bryce, Faye and myself went to the Greenbelt today. Here’s a picture:

We crossed the river at the 9th Street rail bridge, the Ann Morrison bridge, and the Friendship bridge. We went by the Ann Frank memorial. Then, we went home.

I’m not all happy with the newly improved ride. There’s still some fiberglass noise. I think it’s the right fender (not the one that’s messed up) rubbing on the Hookworm tire over there. I’ll have to troubleshoot. I’m also not sold on GPS yet. I don’t like the lagging speed readings or having to removing the GPS when I park and leave. A bike computer wouldn’t have the lag and could stay on the handlebars at all times.

The new parts have been installed. The Maxxis Hookworm tires fit in the front forks (that was a concern), but there was a different, and unexpected issue.

Brad calls me and informs me that the new handlebars aren’t going to work because there isn’t enough straight bar in the grip area. It is too short. He says he’ll just use the old bars that were on there. Well, I greatly dislike those crappy mountain bike bars, so this is not a good outcome. Brad’s taking up his wife’s garage with the Pedicab, and so waiting until tomorrow is also not a reasonable option. So, I pack up the kids and we go to Bob’s Bicycles just before they close. They have bars that look like the ones I bought, but are longer in the grip area. These worked.

Brad got everything put on the new bars, including the new trigger shifter on the right and the Ergon grips. He mounted up the tires, which are slimed and have Kenda downhill tubes (26″ x 2.4″-2.75″) inside. The tubes are a crazy 2.25mm thick. These came in a Giant brand box, but are available in a Kenda box, a Pyramid box, and who knows who else’s box.

Here’s a video showing the current state of the Pedicab:

I still need a different saddle on there, and the back is making noise which I’m sure I’ll address later. The grips are great. The new handlebar is a massive improvement, and trigger shifters are nicer than the stock setup of grip shifters in my opinion.

Brad has the Shimano 21 speed system dialed in nicely, which is much appreciated. The poor shifts were annoying, and the chain drops were not fun. Those days are over.

Mom is letting me borrow a 10 year old Garmin GPS, and it had a new handlebar mount, which I took out and installed on the handlebars. I’m still not sold on GPS for pedicab use, but I’ll give it more time.

Four rides today, three on the Rickshaw and one on the Pedicab:

• I rode the Rickshaw to pick up Faye Faye from Winco, and we both headed back. Fun. Managed to circle the fountain at the Grove along the way.
• Faye and I went to Bikes2Boards on the Rickshaw to look for some thick tubes for my Pedicab, but they didn’t have the size I wanted, unfortunately. They had a size up, though.
• Bryce and I went to Albertsons for hamburger buns on the Rickshaw.
• Bryce, Faye, and myself were on the Pedicab while Kelly rode along on her new (to her) Nirve three speed cruiser.

Kelly said we rode about five miles on the Pedicab evening ride, and the Rickshaw odometer is reading 235.55 miles, or roughly 12.5 miles over the last five days.

Tonight’s Pedicab ride was interesting for a variety of reasons. It was the first time we had two child seats on either one of the rides. The Main Street has seat belts. The child car seats are designed to lock in from seat belts, and the Pedicab is wide enough to hold two seats. Problem solved.

Very near where the picture above was taken, a grazing deer was just on the other side of the fence from the path.

Oh, deer!

And yes, we climbed the rail bridge path off the Greenbelt all the way up to Orchard, The first bench climb for the Pedicab, at least with this Rickshawala at the helm. I was geared down and going slow. Three straight days of riding and my legs are getting soft.

The chain came off twice, always while shifting. I can’t wait for Brad to start in on the Pedicab tomorrow. Each time I mentioned to Bryce that Brad was going to fix it correctly (as opposed to me just getting the chain back on). After we came home tonight, Bryce was quick to point out that Brad has tools, and he’s going to fix the Pedicab.

The Pedicab has nice new parts. Unfortunately, they haven’t been installed yet. It needs them. Well, new parts or not, it was time to ride today, farther than I intended when I left. That happens sometimes.

Bryce and I headed out on the pedicab, which it turns out has seat belts, so mounting a child seat is cake. I decided to give it the Boise Greenbelt test, something you’d never want to with the Rickshaw (I know from experience). Well, it handled the root bumps and sideways grades with ease. The inclines were also nicely handled. There’s advantages to having 21 speeds.

We rode out to the Warm Springs Golf Course leg of the Greenbelt, and stopped for food and drink. After that, I decided we’d go to Bown Crossing. So, we kept heading down the Greenbelt until the bridge was in sight. It appears there’s a nice new bridge where you turn off to go to the Bown area, but I don’t know for sure because the bridge was not open. But, there’s a steep (by rickshaw standards) dirt incline to the Warm Springs Avenue. No way I’d try this with the Rickshaw, but the Pedicab can probably handle it fine. I drop it into the lowest gear, and I do lose traction in the drive wheel a few times, but I make the climb. Now up, there’s a short jog and another connection through the dirt. This time, it is downhill and far from perfectly even. Again, a scary proposition with the Rickshaw, but the Pedicab handles it wonderfully. The brakes are fantastic.

We make it across the bridge and to Bown and then head back on the other side of the river. Some headwind picks up, and I’m far from fresh as well, but we keep going. The Greenbelt is closed due to flooding at the Park Center Bridge, so I turn around, stop, and hang around with Bryce on the back for few minutes. It’s time to go again, and we cross the Park Center Bridge on the nice wide sidewalk area. We continue to head home, and I want to rest, and I want to eat. So, off to Carl’s Jr. for some more food and drink. Rested and fueled, it’s time to continue heading home, so we do. Not long after, the chain drops off while shifting. I fix it in front of NNU Boise and then go in to wash the grease of my hands. Then we’re off again, and we make it home. Total trip was about 15-16 miles judging by what Google Maps reported.

Shortly after we pull up, Kelly and Faye appear and Kelly takes this picture.

Like the Rickshawalas I saw in India, this Rickshawala also likes to hang out on the back of the ride sometimes. We hung out for a while, and then it was time to pack the Pedicab away.

Some conclusions from the ride:

1. The Pedicab is very capable. Inclines, declines, sideways grades, bumps, you name it. Far, far better performance than the Rickshaw. I climbed the Friendship Bridge between Boise State and Julia Davis starting from a stop and the Pedicab and myself handled it very convincingly. As mentioned above, in the area around the Bown Crossing bridge, I did a climb and a descent in the dirt and both went quite well.
2. The handlebars, tires (especially the knobby on front), grips, twist shifter on the right, and seat are crap. Also, the 21 speed needs to be set up. Thankfully, Brad will be dialing all that in next week and installing the new parts. I have a fix for everything but the seat in the works.
3. Bryce seems to like riding as much as I like being the Rickshawala. It was another great Father and Son trip.
4. I don’t think I’ll be finishing that seat assembly for the Rickshaw. Just strap in the seats to the Pedicab and all is good. Time will tell, but the problem looks solved.

I show pictures on this blog with Bryce on the back from time to time, and indeed he does get to ride often. But, my daughter Faye Faye also gets to ride. Today, Bryce rolled around downtown with me, and when we got home, it was time for pizza. So, I called in a Papa Murphy’s pizza order and Faye and went on the trip. Faye loves riding on the Rickshaw.

Current mileage on the odometer: 223.98, so I’ve put up about 20 miles on the Rickshaw so far this season. Considering the rain we’ve had and the miles the Pedicab has taken, not too bad.