We have now been to Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra on this trip and the rickshaws in each stop were basically the same and came in two form factors:

1. Simple:

   

   These are smaller with a simple, short, shallow passenger area. An advantage with this configuration is that the rickshaws can also handle cargo duty. I saw multiple of these rickshaws with cargo, and though there is still a capacity hit from having the passenger-centric area, it is much more cargo usable than other designs I’ve seen. The most quirky part of these is the two wedges of wood underneith the passenger compartment which sets the seat and floorboard at an odd angle, sloping towards the rider. I thought this was a hack at first, but I saw this all over the place, and the paint matched as well.

2. Deluxe:

   

   I rode on one of these this week. They have a canopy over the passengers, the passenger area is larger than the “Simple” ones, and there is room to put luggage under the seat. Some of these have mesh seats rather than a padded one as pictured here.

The rickshaws are certainly different in India than my Chinese one. Both styles are smaller, more practical, and likely lighter. The build on the Indian ones, overall, appears to be superior as well.

It finally happened. I got to ride on a rickshaw in India.

I forgot my camera so there’s no footage, but here’s a picture. On the back is a fellow MBA student’s wife, Marsha Condie.

Our driver did not speak English, but he flagged a friend over from nearby to translate. We only had 15 minutes for a ride, so it was a quick loop.

It’s odd to be on the back. I am rarely there on my own Rickshaw. Then there was the whole other thing about being half a world away.

Our driver was a pro, and he negotiated traffic and got us around an back in time. Marsha got a huge kick out of the ride. I was also entertained. Everything was smaller: the driver, the rickshaw, the overall trip.

The total fare was 50 Indian Rubies (about $1 US) but I was so pleased with the ride I gladly paid double. I did pick up on the frame before I left and it was notably lighter than my Rickshaw. It was also quite a bit smaller.

It was cool to take a ride in such a different environment and with a friendly professional at the helm.

As part of the NNU MBA program, I am in India right now. This is the only time I’ve been in Asia, and it has been a rewarding journey so far. Something wonderful about being here is seeing rickshaws rolling around in a native environment. Here’s some video from the back of the tour bus:

The environment and conditions these rickshaws operate in are far removed from my own scenario in Boise. Some obvious differences are:

• Rickshaw related:
  • The rickshaws themselves are less elaborate. No coil spring suspension or full canopies. There’s also none of the added bling we’ve added to my Rickshaw over the years such as the deluxe canopy with integrated LED lights.
  • Brakes: The brakes are often calipers on the front forks. This might be preferred.
  • Design: There seems to be two main kinds of cycle rickshaws here in Delhi/New Delhi. Both are less elaborate than my Chinese rickshaw, though they are likely lighter, more maneuverable, and are better suited for cargo. More practical.

• Environment related:
  • These guys ride for a living. It isn’t hobby time.
  • The traffic conditions are far different. There are no designated bike lanes. There is far more traffic to contend with. There isn’t a prevalent separated bike roadway like in Boise (Greenbelt). There is a lot of road anarchy going on in the streets, and it pays to be large and powerful. The rickshaws don’t win these battle against the many kinds of vehicles them it in size (auto rickshaws, tiny cars, cars, SUVs, trucks).

I’d love to roll this city for an hour as a rickshaw operator. The traffic would be scary, and I’d be worthless in that even if I could understand where people wanted to go, I wouldn’t know how to get there. Physically, I’m up for it, though. I’m used to single speeds, these rickshaws look lighter and their passengers on average are small (it is India). Hard to say what the rolling resistance is like without hopping on one, because a variety of factor such as tire air pressure come into play.

All in all, it is interesting to see rickshaws in use in a ‘native environment’. From what I’ve seen, Boise is a much more pleasant place to roll, but far less exciting.

I am dedicated to providing you, the Rickshaw passenger, with the ultimate in fun and cheesiness. To help fulfill the promise, a 4 inch dual mirror ball assembly with 32 LED illumination was acquired for the Rickshaw for $20 shipped. The biggest challenge awaits, which is figuring out how to power this thing. The dual 4″ mirror balls were not designed to be battery operated, and the AC adapter specs were unknown at the time of purchase. No big deal right? Well, we’ll see. Turns out the power adapter is 12V AC, not DC! Hmmm.

Here’s a little video blog I did one night. It is a little on the quiet side, I know:

Here’s a vendor graphic and video for the item:

My friend Riyadth is an Electrical Engineer and will be helping me sort this out from far away in the Seattle area. Should prove to be an interesting project, and hopefully one that will turn out nicely. The mirror balls are amply illuminated for night, and even in the day inside the lights are noticeable.

There’s some mechanical issues as well, specifically the unit is a little loose and doesn’t operate flawlessly upside down. Hopefully, that and the power issue are resolvable. As you can see in the videos, this thing is optimal cheese. It will be a great edition if we can get it in there and working nicely.

Kelly was sweet and got me a Bell 109433 Flex View bicycle rearview mirror for the holidays. It was nice outside today and I decided it was time to mount it the mirror.

I had lost the little threaded metal insert, so I found a bulk nut with the proper thread in the basement and pounded it in with the hammer. Better than new.

The next challenge was the mirror mount to the stem. For most practical purposes, the Rickshaw canopy is perpendicular to bike handlebars. The adjustable arm doesn’t like to twist, which was a problem. Well, only temporarily. I drilled a new hole 90 degrees from the original hold and moved the retaining screw. You can see the result in this closeup:

Here’s a picture from the captain’s seat, and a reasonable representation of what I see:

I haven’t given it a real ride yet, but from a quick trip it looks like the mirror will serve me well and will be an appreciated addition this upcoming season.

I ran across this video on Flickr the other day. It is someone else’s video of the Tour de Fat “Rickroll by Rickshaw” event. Enjoy!:
“Still living the dream!” Rickshaw video

…and of course the story of “Rickroll by Rickshaw” is here at RickshawSeason.com:
Tour de Fat 2008 (Boise, Idaho)

Here in Boise my Rickshaw is a hobby, but in other parts of the world the Rickshaw is an important form of transportation. Something I’ve noticed in my casual looks around the web is that as countries in Asia become more developed, the Rickshaw gets the short end of the stick. The primary concern seems to be traffic flow.

We are fortunate to have bike lanes in Boise. The system is far from complete and still needs work, but I use these “Rickshaw lanes” throughout the Rickshaw Season (and on a bike as well).

Here’s a comment recently received:

Fuel Consumption and Environmental Impact of Rickshaw Bans in Dhaka

Most trips in Dhaka are short in distance, usually one to five kilometers. These trips are perfect of Rickshaws. Rickshaws are cheap and popular mode of transport over short distances. Rickshaws are safe, environmentally friendly and do not rely on fossil fuels. Rickshaws support a significant portion of the population, not only the pullers, but also their families in the villages, the mechanics who fix the rickshaws, as well as street hawkers who sell them food. From the raw materials to the finished product the Rickshaw employs some 38 different professions. Action needs to be taken to support the Rickshaw instead of further banning it in Dhaka. The combined profits of all Rickshaws out earn all other passenger transport modes (bus, rail, boats and airlines) combined. In Dhaka alone, Rickshaw pullers combine to earn 20 million taka a month.

We think that over the coming holiday of Eid du Ajah, new Rickshaw bans will be put into action on roads in Dhaka. Eid was used in the past to place new bans on roads in Dhaka. Last Eid many roads were declared Rickshaw free without public support or approval. By banning Rickshaws roads are clogged with increased private car use as well as increased parking by cars. Banning of Rickshaws on major roads increases the transportation costs for commuters. Not only due to longer trips to avoid roads with bans in effect, but also due to actually having to take more expensive forms of transport such as CNG or Taxi, where in the past a Rickshaw would suffice. The environmental impact of banning Rickshaws is obvious because it exchanges a non-motorized form of transport for a motorized form of transport, thus increasing the pollution and harming the environment. Rickshaw bans harm the most vulnerable in society, mainly the sick, poor, women, children and the elderly; generally those who can not afford or do not feel comfortable on other forms of public transport. To ban Rickshaws also hurts small businesses that rely on them as a cheap and reliable form of transporting their goods. Rickshaws are ideal for urban settings because they can transport a relatively large number of passengers while taking up a small portion of the road. In 1998 the data showed that Rickshaws took up 38% of road space while transporting 54% of passengers in Dhaka . The private cars on the other hand, took up 34% of road space while only transporting 9% of the population (1998 DUTP). This data does not include the parking space on roads that cars take up in Dhaka . If included this would further raise the amount of space taken up by private cars. Every year the Rickshaw saves Bangladesh 100 billion taka in environmental damage.

The government makes many efforts to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka but with no success. Blaming Rickshaws for traffic congestion and subsequently banning them from major roads has not had the desired affect. Traffic is still as bad now as it was before the Rickshaws were banned on major roads. Rickshaws thus can not be seen as the major cause of traffic congestion. Instead one should look towards private cars and private car parking on roads as the major cause of traffic congestion. The space gained by banning Rickshaws is often used for private car parking. The current trend in transport planning reduces the mobility of the majority for the convenience of the minority. The next time a ban on Rickshaws on another road is discussed please take into consideration who is being hurt and who is being helped. For a better transport system in Dhaka we need to create a city wide network of Rickshaw lanes. If this is done Dhaka can reduce its fuel usage dramatically as well its pollution. We ask your help in our fight to keep Dhaka a Rickshaw city. Any information or help is very much appreciated and sought after. I write you this letter to describe the difficulties we are facing and some solutions but they are by no means exhaustive and we look forward to your help and input.

Syed Saiful Alam
Volunteer of Save Environment Movement

Well, with the ride last Wednesday, I thought I’d take this chance to reflect back on this season as I have with the prior two (2006 and 2007). So, here we go.

There were lots of great Rickshaw moments this year. This blog doesn’t capture everything. There’s lots of rides that aren’t mentioned. I usually like to have a picture to go with an event. Here’s some of the more memorable events (in no particular order):

1. Mike came and visited from California and we spent some time and notable mileage on the Rickshaw. Fun.
2. Joe and Steph ride towards town, and on the way to pick them up, I climb the bench. I took the most gentle way up, which is the old rail bridge from the Greenbelt and emptying out on Orchard. It was not a climb I’d have pulled off in the prior seasons.
3. Kelly and Faye on the back to start off the season.
4. Tour de Fat. “Never Gonna Give! Never Gonna Give!”
5. With Bob, with car fire!
6. There was a wedding. I understand why professionals do such events. I don’t see myself doing one again, but you never know. It was entertaining once.
7. Mom and Faye on the back, both Eagle Fun Days Parade and Boise Bike Week.
8. Bob and Bryce on the back returning from the Kristin Armstrong parade. I also had a bike on the back for that event.
9. Doug and I had a couple outings, including with his wife along once. Good times. I mention this last because Doug took more video this year:

This year, Bob was the #1 rider, whereas Joe had that honor the prior two years before he lost 100 lbs (I’m not joking).

Lots of Rickshaw changes this year, including a great new canopy, rebuilt seat, added headbadge, a cycle computer and the “This Driver Shares the Road with Cyclists” bumper sticker. The 3 speed didn’t get dropped in, but maybe it’ll get added before next season. I bent the chainguard up in October, so hey, what better time to convert the front to a 3 (which would involve getting rid of the chainguard anyway)?

Outside of the canopy this year, the biggest change this year was that the Rickshaw Engine(tm) became for more capable. Indeed, my legs have very noticeably bulked up. The increased capabilities in distance and climbing allowed me to take journeys that wouldn’t have been possible in earlier years. I also logged far more miles… …almost certainly more this year than in the prior two years combined. The Odometer reads 130.92, which is most of the miles for the 2008 season. Other changes this year were the additions of this web site and also a Rickshaw Season YouTube channel.

For my passengers this year, thanks for coming along and I’ll likely see you in the 4th Annual Rickshaw Season. Many thanks to my wonderful wife Kelly for the work on the Canopy and help with the seat as well. The new canopy really makes the rig.

My MBA student lifestyle and full time job pretty well put the clamps down on Rickshaw riding for a while. I did ride the Rickshaw out to school in late October where I damaged the chainguard, but other than that there was little to no action after the Tour de Fat. Well, last Wednesday was a nice night for November in Boise, Idaho. It was still and the clouds were overhead. It was warm enough that no hat or gloves were necessary. Time for the final ride of the season.

Brother Bob and I headed over to the Terrapin Station, a Dead Head bar in the ‘Rhino District’ to see Audra Connolly, a local singer-songwriter. Apparently she normally performs alone but she had a backing band that night. The Rickshaw was making a ticking noise and the headlight was dim, the canopy lights had one half very dim and the other half was completely dead. It was a short trip so we turned on as much lights as would work with us (the tail lights were functioning very nicely) and headed out.

Audra was singing and playing acoustic guitar all night (think “singer-songwriter”) and Bob and I got to meet the Bartender, also named “Brock”. That doesn’t happen often. I didn’t replay the pinball machine (which is more uncommon than not). We finally headed home. All in all a nice way to end the 2008 Rickshaw Season.

It’s been almost a week since the Tour de Fat, but it was a great event worthy of a write-up.

Kelly was going to ride on the back, but once I announced my plans to Rickroll she had no interest in being attached to this ride. Everyone else wanted to ride their own rides too (understandable), so we put the Halloween scarecrow on the back with a bike helmet. Perfect. Here’s the highlight reel:

This was my fourth year of Tour de Fat and it seems every year past year one they mess up parade flow. Last year, they had a huge turnout and tried to funnel part of it onto the greenbelt (bad idea). This year, almost last minute, it was like they were thinking “This is working too well” and they had everyone go up a curb and onto the lawn so they can pass the Tour de Fat main stage. Bad idea. It bottlenecked hard at the narrow entry to the road where lots of people were trying to start from to begin with.

Past there, they made a fundamental mistake. Understand that outside of New Belgium Brewing the organizers are local biking enthusiasts. They ride a lot on light bikes with multiple speeds. They aren’t in touch with the average rider in the Tour de Fat. I ran across an organizer about 6 months back and I was very obvious about not having a bench climb. Maybe next time I should get an email address or show up as a ‘user advocate’ (as I have for software over the years). Well, sure enough, there was a bench climb. My cruiser minded friends who showed up had Shimano 7 speed hubs, so they could drop down and climb. That’s not typical in cruiserworld.

As mentioned, my plan was to “Rickroll by Rickshaw”, which, if you are unfamiliar with Rickrolling, involves unsuspectingly bombing people with Rick Astley’s hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up”. We put the fake passenger on the back, I printed up a big Rick Astley on three sheets of paper on the DECLaser 5100 and joined them, and also printed the other signs and taped them on as well.

Burning the CD was fun. I could have burned just one track and put it on replay, but naw, I put over 10 copies of it on one disc instead.

I put the disc in the boombox and it played fine. Right before we leave for the tour, I decide to ride with the cd playing from the boombox which is bungied on the back rack. It was awful. I thought an occasional skip would be fun, but this thing was skipping to where it would stop playing within one minute. Awful. It would rarely skip if I carried it during while riding, so that’s what I did.

The Tour de Fat is my favorite annual Boise event, and this year was no different.