I need a drum key for a bass banjo project I’m working on, and Faye wanted to ride along. So, off we went. We climbed up the bench on the rail bridge (as featured in this episode of TV Cycle) and made it to Gig’s Music on Orchard. That street seriously needs bike lanes. Lots of bike traffic and no lanes. Annoying.
Here’s a couple pics at the end of the ride. Faye had fun. Me too.
One less car (or is that "One less minivan"?)
Last week was Boise Bike Week 2011. The kids and I had fun on the pedicab. We were out with Kelly for the Thursday “LOOK! Family Ride for Safety” ride. The ride was a Greenbelt loop ride from Veteran’s Memorial Park, across the new 36th Street bridge, to Main Street, and then back to the park. It was a somewhat similar route to this recent episode of TV Cycle:
We didn’t make it to the Veteran’s bridge like that episode of TV Cycle did, but there was a lot of common trail. This is an unusually nice area to ride.
On Saturday, we participated in the Pedal Power Parade. I was short on time and could either shoot an episode of TV Cycle on the Schwinn or take the kids with me on the pedicab. I took the kids. It was a fun ride. The parade was a good ride, and there was food afterwards. The kids played with some other kids in the park, and on the way home we rang the bell outside the capitol building. Here’s some pictures:
…and yes, the pedicab is now advertising for TV Cycle. It’s not the prettiest sign since I made it by printing on six sheets of legal paper and then taping them together onto a piece of poster board, but it works.
Hello and welcome to the 2011 Rickshaw Season! This season has been a bit odd because it had a soft start. The pedicab was still seeing action in the “offseason”, though not at the levels of a rickshaw season. Still, I used to take months off during the cold part of the year, but that didn’t happen over winter 2010/2011.
This year’s kick-off ride was a few days ago with Bryce on the back. We went on a long ride from the 25th and State area to the Greenbelt, through Boise State, to the Park Center bridge, and back home. I took the pedicab through some shallow water under a couple bridges along the way. The south side of the Boise River had claimed the shallow section around the Park Center bridge so we rode around that.
I did get an upgrade for the pedicab in the off-season. There’s a new, larger top gear in the front of the pedicab. Bikes2Boards dropped it in there for me. I believe the old one was a 44 tooth, and this one I think is a 38 tooth. The moral is simple: The pedicab is now faster, but the lowest gearing has been left intact.
Welcome to the 2011 Rickshaw Season.
I was going to ride the Schwinn to check out Joyride Cycles bicycle shop in Hyde Park here in Boise, but my son wanted to go with me. Next thing I know, my daughter did too. So, it was pedicab time. I declared the 2010 Rickshaw Season over yesterday. Oops.
It was a neat shop. They’re clearly focused on mountain bikes, and there was maybe 2 fat tire cruisers in there. People in bike shops are usually pretty cool, and that was the case today.
We left there, went by Camel’s Back Park (just a little north) and then back home. It was a fun little ride. The kids were having fun seeing the holiday lights, and they stayed warm thanks to coats, hats, mittens, and a blanket. I guess the 2010 Rickshaw Season hasn’t ended just yet.
It was a huge season. I bought a professional grade pedicab! I took my mom as a passenger on an organized cycle ride. The pedicab and rickshaw did service duty as a part of a wedding bicycle parade this year, and someone got to be a Rickshawala for the first time with the pedicab while I took passengers with the rickshaw. Mark made it out for a few missions. I was part of a presentation to grade school kids about China, and hauled about 30 of them around. I hauled Brother Bob up the bench and to a gig on Federal Way. The rickshaw failed during Tour de Fat, but even a “bad” Tour de Fat was still pretty good. Go Tour de Fat!
With the kids, posing for a picture after Mom and I finished the 2010 Meridian BlueCruise of Idaho
The goal of every season is 100 miles. Well, I don’t keep a good track but it doesn’t matter. I’d be very surprised if I did less than 150 miles with the pedicab alone. The rickshaw’s odometer looks like it’s reading 267 miles (the battery is low), and if that’s the case, I put 63 miles on it this year. The 100 mile goal is starting to look silly. Bryce had the most passenger miles, followed by Faye.
The biggest change this year was having the pedicab and the capabilities it brings. I wouldn’t have done the Blue Cruise of Idaho with the rickshaw, but with the pedicab it was doable and safe. The greenbelt saw far more time in 2010 than all the other years combined because the pedicab handles it nicely. The kids’ car seats belt into the pedicab with the stock seat belts, so I had far more time with the kids riding along. This also led to me having fewer miles with adults on board than other years. It was so easy to get passenger time with the kids, that I didn’t work as hard at riding up rides with adults. Doug didn’t get a ride in this year, but I imagine he’ll be back next year. He moved up the bench but no big deal, I’ll just climb it with the pedicab.
I’m looking forward to the 2011 season already, and 2010 hasn’t even ended yet.
I hauled Boise’s own Brother Bob to an acoustic guitar gig by rickshaw a couple years ago. This year it was a different gig, more distance, a bench climb, more equipment, and a different ride since I used the pedicab.
Bob got everything loaded up and we climbed up the bench on Capitol Boulevard by the Boise Depot. I took a few stops on the way up, but was by no means wasted by the time I got to the top. The trip down Federal Way was complicated by the sidewalk that leads to the bike path being closed, which put me on the other side of the street with shrubs hitting the left side and later having to deal with a narrow sidewalk that the pedicab barely fit on. Thankfully, I never encountered any pedestrians.
Brother Bob in front of the Shangri-La Tea Room just before dark
Bob’s gig at the Shangri-La tea room ends and it’s getting dark. The pedicab doesn’t have a working light group at the present, but Bob’s working flashlights and clip-on LED bike reflectors for me and so we’re visible. We make it down the bench and home. The disc brakes handle the way down wonderfully.
(Backdated to day of the ride. Actual date: Aug 17, 2010)
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.
Finishing the 2010 Meridian BlueCruise of Idaho
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 a somewhat correct 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.
