Almost Spring Again in the Midwest!

It has been a long slow winter here in the Midwest. It snowed here in Ohio for the last two days. I know it's April it should be done, but that's Ohio for you!

I'm ready to dust off my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket and hit the trails. This year feels really good, maybe it's all the press on going green and people starting to take a serious look at cycling as a real form of transportation, whatever it is the mood is up!

My next strong goal is to design and build a hand and foot pedaled cycle.

Save Your Gas, Save Your Legs!

With the price of gas reaching $4 in 2008 and dropping to $1.45 toward the end of the year because of the GW Cheney tank the economy plan, it makes you wonder who’s at the controls.

Well I for one think we need to take more control locally of our own spending. So what if the price of fuel skyrockets again (which it probably will) we can take an active roll in not buying so much.

Atomic Zombie has been a long time advocate for cycling and in particular building your own out of recycled bike parts.

Here’s an ingenious little baby that you can build yourself for CHEAP and it’s electric, too! It's called the Long Ranger Electric Bike. I've posted a picture on the left side of my blog for you to look at.

http://www.atomiczombie.com/product-longranger.htm check out this site for a video of this amazing machine in action!

To check out other plans for recumbents you can build yourself put atomic zombie together and throw a .com on the end.

By the way I don’t have any monetary connection to Atomic Zombie. I just think they are an excellent inexpensive source for super build your own plans. You won't believe their prices on detailed downloadable plans! Very friendly folks, too!

Become Active Locally, Nationally and Globally

It's really surprising to me how much cycling has grown since I was a kid on my single speed Schwinn.

One thing I have always found is that cyclers are a friendly folk and love to talk shop and show off their cycles. So why not take that interest and help spread the word on the benefits of cycling everywhere we are whether we are around home, traveling nationally or globally.

Some of the interesting local cycling hotspots my city of Akron, Ohio recently have been focused on are:

In 2008, the Ohio & Erie Towpath returned to downtown Akron. Our city, whose main streets were built on two canals, now has a direct route for bikers and hikers to the outskirts of Cleveland. Users of the 101-mile Towpath Trail topped two million last year, making it one of the most-visited national park sites in the U.S.

Nationally, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has launched a campaign to get signatures on a petition encouraging President-Elect Obama and Congress to spend transportation dollars on important bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Globally we don't ride nearly as many bikes as the rest of the world for transportation. Many of our cycles may be more technologically advanced but are far fewer in numbers.

So get out there and ride, show off your cycle and talk to people about your passion for cycling and green living! Think globally and act locally!

3-Wheels are Better Than 2

I’ve always enjoyed the feel and comfort of a well built recumbent and in particular I like the stable low feeling of a 3-Wheeled trike.

Not only are they good for your back, but they align your neck as well. You can see around in all directions. You have more hip and low back power to “push” into your pedals.

Greenspeed from downunder has a nice folding model called the GT3 Series II folding trike. There is a great click through on the simple folding process on their website!

My Bike Friday Pocket Rocket

I have been a bicycler since my brothers first perched me on top an old one speed Schwinn and pushed down a gravel road when I was about 6 years old. I love cycling and have just recently, after much research, taken the plunge and purchased my first fully folding bike.

At first I thought it wouldn't "feel right". I was used to a full-sized upright 26 inch road bike. Well I've got to tell you my Bike Friday Pocket Rocket feels and rides like a "big" bike. I rode it about 15 miles the first time out and loved it. I did have the folks at Century Cycle modify the handle bars for me from the racer style bars it came with. Other than that it's sweet! It folds up fairly quickly into a small package for storage or shipping.

I like it a lot!

Norm