Asana Cycles

I just finished the build on my new awesome Hunter 29er MTB complete with all the braze-ons, for racks, fenders, etc.  its an awesome rig.

    I like to call this style Cafe Adventure Tourer.  its an awesome bike.  it can take road tyres, all the up to a 2.4" 29er MTB tyre.  today i rode it around town for just a little bit, and my first impressions, are something like...

"wow, this is something totally new.  its like a hot rod.  its fast, and its like a MTB, it hops curbs, and dashes around.  when its cabled to a rack, it looks fast...

peace...d

 my brother Dylan is now home and building strength.

The Trip was an experience.  I sat at Cedars-Sinai with Dylan for a number of days, i pretty much have lost track.

Once Dylan was home, and his initial follow up visit completed, I opted out of LA.  Loaded up the dummy and rode to Leo Carillo State Park Beach. 

From Malibu I rode to Ventura to visit with my dad and grandparents, give them the "LA Update".  I'm happy to say that 3 months since I've left Ventura, my family and I are on good terms.  

The next morning I rode from Ventura to Oxnard, and hopped on the AmTrak to Santa Barbara, then had to transfer from the train to an AmTrak Bus, which took me to Salinas, then as luck had it, i managed to get a shuttle ride to Monterey.  

Salinas to Union Station was $46

camping at Leo Carillo was $3

Oxnard to Salinas was $40

Salinas to Monterey was luck.

thats the short version.

The Story goes like this... (if you have the time)

    Dylan's trip into the hospital was unexpected, and coincided exactly with the finish of the Big Dummy, and good weather.  I choose to take the opportunity to do a shake down run with the Big Dummy, packing, and a trial run with "the whole kit"; that is, 4 man tipi, wood burning stove, liquid white gas stove, a small ultralight backpacking butane/alcohol stove, about a week's worth of foods, extra clothing, including rain gear, lights, batteries, laptop, iPod, digi cam, battery chargers, and support items for the bike, like tyres, tools, innertubes, etc.

    The bicycle/camping mode, I purposefully over packed.  Over packed I was, and to my elation's the mega load was not overtly objectionable.  Would I care to haul the approx 100lbs of cargo up into the hills on fire road, etc?  well... I think I'd think twice about it, and reduce.  But for a trip to SoCal, on the pavement, i never found an incline too step to climb comfortably.  Over all, I'm very pleased with the technical aspects of the trip.  there was little to no adjusting with the packing and strapping methods, things stayed secure, and the whole rig was a very effective method of travel.  this rig rocks!

    Now that I've been home for a day or two, I've sifted thru what i used and did not. the slimed down version, is what i think to be very much a dirt capable set up.

    I've been in Monterey now for 20 years, and my mind has come to pretty much always envision the out of doors.  things like The City of Angels is still an awkward environ for me.  With the Big Dummy, the big change being going to LA.  With that comes the use of infrastructure.  Suddenly now, my cognitive process has to deal with things like transferring from train to bus, going thru transit plazas, up and down concrete ramps, making my way thru a set of doors, and riding the loaded Dummy in LA traffic.  Suddenly infrastructure has become the most significant challenge with my choice lifestyle.

    To help make my way thru the infrastructure a few skills come to the forefront.  

1.  How to secure your bike and cargo.  

PacSafe also cables to a fixed object.  in this case i cable the net to the bicycle.

I choose to use a big long cable lock and a PacSafe 120 stainless steel wire mesh net with brass lock.

with the cable and padlock, i've chosen a brass combo Masterlock with a long shackle.  this way i run the cable thru the front wheel, around/thru a fixed object, thru the frame of the bike, and lock the cable ends and pedal all together.

locked this way the rig is pretty secure.  its about 100lbs of cargo and totally cabled down.  however I do need to order a 2nd PacSafe 120 for the other duffel back, or backpack.

another skill is

2.  How to get your rig on and off a train in a quick manner.

this comes down to learning a method of lashing your duffels down.  you need to practice this over and over, and get a method down that is easy and fast.  I use 1" wide nylon strap, and use "trucker's knots" to tie/adjust the load.

whatever process you choose, it needs to be strong, dependable, and easy.  its modular nature needs to accommodate quick change.  from one thing to the next.  Loaded, riding down the road, to unloaded on the train, and stacked, then into the hold of a bus.

all the while

3.  Keeping track of important items, like laptop, cell phone, lights, paperwork, I.D., money, etc.  these things you cannot loose, or leave vulnerable to theft.  these things are what we used to call in the Army "Sensitive items", like your rifle, night vision devices, etc.  

the primary method, is to pack in a system of stuff sacks, duffle bags, and/or backpacks/messenger bags.  you need to be systematic.  a small hygiene bag needs to be quick access and able to toss into various larger bags, for different modes, like, on the road, riding the bike, or in camp, at the campgrounds in the tipi, or at home and having access to a shower, etc.

you have to keep things organized, and accounted for at all times.  you cannot afford to set down your bag and have your iPod get lost.  or how about a 4GB memory card?  can't loose things.  so pack accordingly.  packing alone is an Art.

4.  The Art of being friendly and thankful.

in The City I have discovered the value of "The Art of being friendly and thankful".  that is by large the most valuable tool you will ever learn.  obviously on the bicycle you are close, person to person, and sometimes riding along a sidewalk, making your way into a plaza to the bike racks.  on the bike we encounter people much more.  

Security is your friend!  I've come to vastly appreciate Security.  They are typically friendly, and helpful.  Be courteous and try to be in their eye.  that is to say, its safer to be near security, and with any luck, maybe there is a bike rack next to a kiosk or office.  choose these things.  choose to make friends.  that alone is probably gonna be the best method of prevention.  prevention of getting hurt, things stolen, or anything else that we'd like to avoid.

this is the bike rack right in front of the Security Office at The Beverly Connection in LA on Beverly Blvd & La Cienega.  it was perfect.  

    The trip from Salinas to Union Station was pretty easy.  I found the bus ride to San Luis Obispo to be almost empty, the staff very nice, and we didn't have to be on the road for too long without a break.  SLO to Union Station was easy.

    In SLO the conductor let my put the rig in the Baggage Car.  I lashed the bike to the cargo rails along the inside wall, and tossed in the duffel bags.  The train was pretty much empty going South.  The car i was in, maybe we had 6 people to the whole car. Entering SoCal more and more people piled in.   By 8pm the train was at Union Station.

    Around 9pm the rear tyre finally gave up a Slime clot that had been holding since sometime in Salinas.  My theory is that the weight of the payload kept flexing the tyre, and the clot kept breaking loose, until finally the tyre just blew green Slime all over the place.  9pm there i was, somewhere around Korea Town, along Wilshire Blvd, fixing a flat on a loaded rig.  To top it all off, the kickstand broke, and i learned how and when to use the kick stand.  so it goes that now, when the rig is loaded, I simply lay the bike on its side, onto the cargo.

along the way to my siblings house, this row of lights at the LA County Museum of Arts caught my attention.

right away Security showed up.

 their curiosity peaked by the Big Dummy and all the gear I was carrying.

    Once settled at my sister's house the days melted by, as I spent the time at the hospital visiting my brother until he was finally discharged about a week later.  Cedars-Sinai is a huge hospital.  everything in LA trips me out.  the sheer enormity, the sheer finance blows my mind, and of course the millions of people, their interactions, the general hustle bustle of city life is something so strange to me.  often i feel as if its an "Altered Reality", concrete jungles, and all the goings on of a life within that context..

seems like as soon as i got to Cedars Dylan was discharged from ICU, went to a step down unit, still on telemetry, another 24hrs past, then he was sent to a Med-Surg floor, where he stayed for a few days, then discharged home.  With Dylan's initial follow up visit with his MD after discharge.. once that was finished, i loaded up The Dummy and rolled out.  I had, had my fill of city life, and the ramble was calling me.

that afternoon i rode straight out Beverly Blvd to Santa Monica Blvd where i rode it right down to Santa Monica.

at PCH i turned right, and started North.  the bike path in Santa Monica, making my way under the Santa Monica Pier, is pure luxury.  the day was warm, the path clean level concrete for some distance.  Easy rollin.  

somewhere early into the city of Malibu i found a place to grab a bite to eat.  a mid way stop, and then it was to Leo Carillo State Park Beach.  Here I pitched the tipi made a fire in the stove, heated up tea, cleaned up, rummaged around thru all the stuff I brought.  massive amounts.  way too much.  but then again, that was the point to this trip and packing.  to experience what its like to "pack too much" and see how it is to actually move with it, get it thru doorways, on and off of busses and trains, etc.

I always like tipi time.  its one of my favorite places to be.  Leo Carillo State Park is nice, as far as car camping type campgrounds go.  the typical campground ruckus came to a stop exactly at 10pm.  my night was pleasant, as the frogs sang a chorus from the creek less than 50 feet away.

tipi time is great.  the fireplace really makes the experience.  WARMTH!  in this pic, notice the flame coming out the top of the chimney.  PURE HEAT!  

in the morning I found myself with a mind that was clear with the nights download complete, as the dreams would unfold, and i process the occurrences of my life.  A cup of coffee some breakfast, and i was wondering why i needed to even leave.  if i should stay another day, or what the deal was.  Suddenly that familiar feeling of no obligations, and the sense of being "On The Road" settled upon a surface layer of my mind.  

however truly being "On The Road" was not reality.  I was in Malibu, in SoCal, surrounded by masses, and my life in Monterey was beckoning.

Malibu to Ventura it was.  Ventura to visit Dad, Nana and Grandpa.  the stay was long enough and short enough to produce a pleasant visit.

Along PCH i passed the Malibu Rock.

coming into Pt. Mugu, a marshy area between the ocean and PCH, I caught sight of a Peregrine falcon in a dive, and narrowly missing a Sand Piper. 

soon i was at Missile Park 

as a kid i always loved to go to the Air Show, and to this day, I still enjoy visiting this little park.

Once in Ventura i found their Hallmark of massive road debris to still be a threat to safe bicycle passage.  the roads are full of glass, nails, screws, etc.  I suppose Ventura will never escape its destiny of being a bedroom community to LA.  Therefore the masses drive.  the infrastructure used mostly by motorists.

after my stay at my grandparent's house, I rode to Oxnard to catch the train back. along the way, more yet yet of the road debris.

this section is the bike path along the HWY 101 bridge spanning the Santa Clara River from Ventura to Oxnard.  its a beautiful piece of engineering, a huge amount of money was put into it.  Dad says it was something like $50M.  Here is the bike path portion of it.  its awesome!  its full of trash!  full of glass, gravel, etc.  signs of illicit activity string its length.  as the cars zoom by, it shows me what the community chooses.  my hunch is that the people that do use this bike path, simply don't have the privilege to speak up to their government(s).  So there it is.  a whole society confined to the fast pace life of SoCal Economy.

At the AmTrak station in Oxnard I was hoping to catch the Coast Starlight going to Seattle, but the train was full.  that was at 9:47am.  my next chance was 2pm on the Pacific Surfliner up to Santa Barbara, where I'd have to transfer to AmTrak Bus service.

a 4hr wait for the train, gave me a chance to ride around Oxnard a bit.  I found a Farmer's Market close by, where i ate pastries, drank coffee and talked to what seemed like a million people about bicycles, the Big Dummy, et al.  the hours flew by, next thing i knew it was about 1pm, and i needed to make my way back to the station to prep for boarding the train.

the train comes into the station, giving you only a few minutes to get everything aboard.  The Big Dummy does not fit into any AmTrak policy.  its length is awkward, and the two large duffel bags are an added concern. 

 Luckily the conductor let me put the BD aboard.

as you can see, it didn't exactly fit into the accommodations, and the duffel bags simply got tossed to the side.  

In Santa Barbara the AmTrak Bus was already there waiting, loaded with passengers.  it was a dash from the train to the bus.  get everything off the train, remove the WideLoaders from the rig, toss them in the FreeLoaders, put both panniers on the front rack, and place the 2 duffel bags sideways against each other on the SnapDeck and walk across the Train Station to the bus.

the bike goes under the bus in the cargo hold.  then it was from Santa Barbara to Salinas on bus.  Around 8pm the bus finally arrived in Salinas.  It was late, and I was preparing to ride back to Monterey.  About a 2hr ride that I had planned for.  At the station, I started reconfiguring the rig when someone calls out, "Last call to Monterey".  somehow an AmTrak shuttle was still there, that happened to be waiting for a late train.  I caught the shuttle and it dropped me off about 2 miles from home.

    All in all, the trip was a success.  I stayed with my family, Dylan went home, i visited family in Ventura, things seem to be somewhat smoothed over, and I'm living just far enough away to be healthy.  As to the technical aspects of the whole kit, everything worked as planned.  i broke a kickstand, and had 1 flat tyre.  The tipi was awesome, i love having a fireplace, i got good sleep, and the experience of using infrastructure was another successful mission chalked up to experience.

   $86 round trip to and from LA.  $3 for bicycle camping at Leo Carillo State Park Beach.

peace...d

Ok, so i got a new bike.  I love a new bike. Every time a new bike makes me feel like a little kid.  its great.  I love dreaming about them, listing all the parts, planning out its intended use, and exactly what I’m trying to accomplish.

 The list of bikes I’ve had goes on and on, just like any other bike junkie.  Of course there is always, the line... “this one is different”.  ya ya ya.  we’ve all heard it.  bike addiction is bike addiction.  like new shoes, or anything else we seem to collect.

onto the real deal.

New bike is the Surly Big Dummy.  This bike is great because is seriously address the notion of being able to actually use the bicycle as a daily tool.  We’ve all seen those bumper stickers that say things like “Bicycles are Freedom”, and even The Sierra Club has started showcasing bicycle lifestyle as being “Green”.  

For 27 years, the bicycle has been at the center of my life or lifestyle.  As a kid one of the first father son projects we had was a Schwinn Varsity 10 speed, which was finished off with a few coats of “British Racing Green” as my dad always called it.  I call it OD Green (Olive Drab).  its been my favorite color since childhood.  I loved army clothes, i loved those old ammo cans, as a kid I liked taking to school c-rats a p38, and my army lunch box (ammo can).  I even loved the smell of Cosmoline.  I suppose it was no real surprise that at 18 I joined the army.

I have always had a bicycle.  And I don’t mean that it was sitting the garage gathering dust.  I mean, I always rode a bike.  During the 4yrs I was in the Military, bikes were definitely recreation, but I still rode.  From 87’ to 92’ bikes changed a lot.

Mountain bikes emerged on the scene in great success.  No doubt a historical marker in the evolution of bicycles.  The 87’ Olympics in LA brought a huge shot in the arm to the bicycle industry as more and more people went into shops and discovered the world of road bikes.  Suddenly 5spd cogsets gave way to 6spd, then came indexed shifters, 7spd... 8, 9 and 10spd today. 

In short, here in the US, what we have mostly seen is a progression in the direction of Recreational Sport.  Bikes today are awesome with all the carbon fiber, the trick design, ergonomics, and sheer Sport Performance.  

Bicycle trailers have become somewhat popular.  We see BOB Trailers and Burly Trailers mostly, as cargo and child transport.  The Touring market has pretty much been the same for the years, with changes that naturally followed the Recreational Sporting Goods market.  Just like MTB’s and Road Bikes, Touring bikes now have index shifting, 8 to 10 speed cogsets, v-brakes, and maybe even disc brakes.  The world of panniers has not changed too much.  Maybe some innovations in material and then again, more trickle down from other industries.

A few years back, Xtracycle suddenly popped onto the scene.  I vaguely remember their emergence.  At the time I was fairly well focused on the Sport of bicycles.  I was doing some racing, and every day, to and from work, on the in betweens, on the weekends, it was all about some sort of “training” and i seemed to work, save, and scheme to buy new bike stuff.  The new bike stuff, part of life has not seemed to change.  

I recall seeing the bolt on subframe that Xtracycle offered up, and I recall one of the guys around here getting one, mostly to carry his surfboard.  

Years go by, until about a 18 months ago, when i decide to give the longtail a try.  All things have a “shake down” period.  Especially when it comes to dynamic things like a bicycle.  here we have this thing we ride.  we actually risk life and limb on these things, and we bring them into our lives.  For me, the bicycle has become the center of my life.

I rode my Cannondale Xtracycle conversion since June 2006.  At the time, I had a few too many bikes, as I had just recently brought The Pug to my collection.  Therefore, suddenly I had an old bike, (the Cdale a 99’ model) free to explore with.  In the years past, I had used a BOB Trailer to great success.  I lived out of doors for about 1.5yrs, on the Cdale pulling the BOB.  I learned of what its like to use this system.  Still to this day, I think BOB’s are great.  what I especially love, is that all you have to do, is replace your existing quick release with the BOB Trailer one, and its done.  No big modifications to your bike.  The trailer easily pops off and on. 

I also began to explore the world of panniers.  Awesome invention are saddle bags.  I’d sit and lament over the weight differences of pulling a trailer, the added 3rd wheel, the different wheel size than the bike’s, and of course, the actual cargo volume.

For about 3 or 4 years now, I have not owned a car.  In the past it was life of going to work, and living my life primarily off the efforts of being on a bike.  Grocery shopping, transportation, recreation, and social life.  a whole lifestyle with the bicycle at the core.  Its not the first time, I’ve done this before, but obviously this has been the most “complete” and/or most “capable” in the last 14yrs. 

The BOB Trailer ultimately gave way to using panniers.  I found that in daily life, a set of nice panniers that click off and on with ease, is much more practical that pulling around a trailer, having it bounce around in the back, and then still what you end up with is using the DrySak that comes with the BOB.  I’ve come to discover that the duffle bag is key.

Ironically, when it comes to packing things like groceries and camping gear, panniers and the BOB Trailer are just about equal.  Really the big variable is the intended use.  Even that area has been bridged with success, enter Old Man Mountain racks out of Santa Barbara. OMM racks are unique in that they can be bolted up to suspension.  basically these racks can fit onto any bike.  they have a ton of hardware to make this happen.  they rock!

Panniers and BOB Trailers.   what they have in common is the “type” of cargo or payload that can be carried.  whatever it is you are going to transport, it needs to fit.

Ahh... now enter the world of Cargo Bikes.

Now you can carry a bookcase!  

uhh.. how about some firewood?  

ok... i did this a lot with the BOB trailer, carry firewood, but can you carry 2 BOB trailer bags full at the same time?  how about toss on top a big bag of charcoal.  Ummm... how about 4 tool boxes, a bike stand, and a floor pump.

Or simply all that which could be carried before, and double it.

The Cargo bike is the daily bike.  For me, being car free, its perfect.  Cargo bike with racks up front and panniers.  Panniers for the little items that are best stowed away in a bag, and the big rack out back for sheer hauling ability.

The Big Dummy’s long trellis like frame is much more efficient than the bolt on combo of the Cdale.  The big differences really comes down to availability, and affordability.  While the Big Dummy and an XtraCycle seem very similar, they really are very different.

The Xtracycle is probably the “Greenest” of the two, altho Surly’s OD green frame is as close to my heart as could ever be.  The Xtracycle makes use of 

existing bikes.  its the ultimate in re-cycle.  it opens a new door to what the bicycle can be used for.  That has to be THE ULTIMATE STATEMENT.  USEFUL BICYCLES.

For me, I simply wanted the Big Dummy.  Heck I’ve been waiting for this rig for about a year now.  I have come to very much appreciate Surly’s efforts.  I’ve been riding the Pugsley for about 2yrs now, and everything that I have come to know of the company has struck a chord in my heart.  I was so elated to learn of the co-operative efforts of Xtracycle and Surly in developing this first mass produced “Long tail Cargo Bike”.  

From the week long impression of the BD, the frame is more efficient.  

My old rig would flex, standing up with a load to climb induced a funky “wiggle” that I avoided by simply A:  improve how smooth I am while standing, B: simply stay seated.  “B” was the most common method.  With the BD I can just stand up and act if walking up an escalator in the wrong direction.  stand and pedal. just what i had hopped for!

but you know, I'm a good solid 180lbs these days, and often I'm hauling a 50lb payload.

on a tangential note:  it has been brought to my attention, the factor of "Combo's"  that is.

rider, bike, use, and of course, FreeRadical and bike.

that is to say, the combination of FreeRadical to bike frame, will yield various ride characteristics based on the bike frame.  In my case, the Cannondale proved to not be the best choice.

also there is the rider, the way they use the bike, and how much.  Again, here I am living life without a car, so I depend on my bikes a lot, and I use them.  A lot. I go thru about 3 sets of brake pads per year between the rigs i use, i also eat up drivetrains, and tyres. 

i also haul these silly loads that most people probably would simply use a buddy's truck for.

The guys at Xtracycle are pure genius.  thats my opinion.  With all the various bicycles out there in the world, and to develop a product that will effectively match up and produce a useable rig, is simply amazing.  not only that, BUT... the XtraCycle now takes a bike that was not getting used so much, and turns it into a viable transport solution.  it changes lives.  that is the beauty of it.

With the hole in the Cdale seatstay, and me pursuing a different ride, what would i have done if the Big Dummy didn't make it to market?  I guess I would have tried a Surly Instigator/FreeRadical combo with a rigid fork.  if that didn't pan out like i wanted, I probably would have asked someone to weld up a custom Cargo Bike.  that would be DOLLARS!

A week is just a snapshot in time to experience a new rig.  

However being without car, I do all my errands on bike, and the Big Dummy has received a curious shake down.  Last weekend, day #2 with the BD, I spent 5 or 6 hours on it, riding around Ft. Ord.  The day consisted of pavement, fireroad, and single track.  The tyres of my choice had been a set of Maxxis Holy Roller 2.4”  On the Cdale convert rig, I had chainline issues.  The chain rubbed the 2.4 tyre to the extent that the 22x34t grannygear combo was not useable.  i had to shift down 1 cog to avoid grinding the chain into the side knobs of the tyre.  regardless of tire choice, the chain also rubbed against the seatstay of the Cdale in the last 3 cogs.  like I said... issues.  even then I still rode this rig for sometime, being mindful of the issues, and avoiding them if possible.  

with the chainstay rub, eventually i cut a hole in the frame, which is not good, and to further avoid that, i ghetto rigged a piece of soda pop can, folded over and over, glued and zip tied it into place as a sacrificial scratch plate, preventing any further damage.  Luckily the frame seems to be ok, even with the hole.  like i said... ghetto.

with the Big Dummy none of that exists.  Surly has identified all these little variables that go into making a quality bicycle.  its purpose designed, and i couldn’t be happier.  a big thanks to Surly.  they definitely did their home work.  the BD is such a joy to ride.

not only have i taken it in the dirt, but i had also stripped it down bare, with no racks on it, and a set of Continental Town and Country 2.1” tyres to ride with a local roadie group.  From the days prior of riding the BD, I felt that the combo of myself and the new rig would be capable enough to be with roadies for 30 or 40 miles.  Sure enough I was correct.  I even managed to take a group sprint.  albeit I did sit back a bit in the pace line, and watch the scene unfold, when one of the guys made an attack, the others followed.  Me being a few yards back, I grabbed 44x11t, stood up, and started the wind up.  with it’s long and low frame, comes more momentum, and momentum management is something you start to embrace with heavy bikes.  I was intro’d to this with The Pug. 

with the momentum I simply kept on the attack, pulled off a nice flyer with a substantial speed difference, and off the front I flew...  the long tail of the BD, keeps your roadie buddies at bay.  its just far enough back to keep them out of your draft.  in the end, the guys pretty much let me have the sprint, as i couldn’t really hold it to our invisible sprint line, falling about 20ft short.  None the less the effort was impressive, and the long tail is a fun ride at speed on the pave.  

I found that going fast on the BD is very fun.  Going fast around neighborhoods, I suddenly discovered how hard you can make this thing corner.  I use a Thudbuster seatpost, so I put my weight into it and the outside pedal, as i corner.  Tri-pod one leg to the inside, pull the outside bar, lean it over, and its an exhilarating feeling as you exit faster than typical.  FUN!

in the dirt, i tapped the rear brake enough to have it step out to the side, and the long wheelbase lets you slide, in a way you’ve never felt before.  More FUN!

Really people.  Cargo bikes can make HUGE improvements to our lives.  In countries that are not as affluent as the US, cargo bikes help to improve daily lives, simply as an affordable utility vehicle.  its a machine!   here in the US we are so busy, our economy being what it is, we too suffer in our daily lives.  Very different from the necessity of hauling fire wood, but rather we don’t have the luxury to slow down.  

For both sides of the spectrum, enter the bicycle.  Here in the US, we have plenty of health issues, ok... try riding a bike.  its great mentally and physically.  oh ya... its cheaper than a car.  that helps too. Instead of burning petrol, we start to watch our diet.  “you got to fuel the fire.  what you put in is what you burn”.  so if you are living on chips and sodas, well you get what you put in.   

in our modern lives, we have entered the erra of Zoom Zoom.  that is transportation.  Impoverished countries need it, Industrialized countries need to clean it up.  we have the starving, and we have the polluting.  that is in gross terms.

the cargo bike can help even out this equation.  the end result is healthier people, better living conditions, and hopefully helping our environments.

get a cargo bike, park the car, ride to the store, enjoy the day...

peace...d

  With the anticipation of the Big Dummy arriving, I’ve started loosely packing camping items.  I was impressed with today’s packing exercise.  The rig rolls nice, its evenly loaded, and very secure.  Overall, i think this system is going to pan out.

  On a note about wideloaders, vs simply using the freeloaders, I suppose it comes down to what it is that you are hauling.  Optimally I think its best to pack camping gear into duffle bags, and secure those to the xtracycle.  sometimes there are items too large to put into a duffle so you have no choice but to secure it to a wideloader.

  Lately, as I’ve been playing around more and more with the duffle bag system, i find that if you use the freeloaders, the cargo is actually held up higher than the wideloaders.  in the pic you can see how the duffle is not even touching the wideloaders.  

    The other method is to simply lash your items to the wideloaders.  this method often times results in a load that is not as clean.  I mean, its all chaotic, full of criss-cross ropes, odd items lashed on.  As if a gypsy caravan complete with pots and pans tied onto the sides.

    I’ve used this method for a few months now, and undoubtedly more cargo can be lashed down this way.  it is of particular advantage when the load consists of large items, like the bookcase i carried the other day, a set of wheels that I shipped off via USPS, or all the toolboxes and bike stand I hauled.  These type of items are just too large to put into a duffle bag.  The low position of the wideloaders really help stabilize awkward loads like this.  it puts the center of gravity low.

this bookcase, and these funky green plastic storage bins are lashed down about as best as its gonna get.  this load was easy to travel with.  nothing shifted around, and the load was fairly even.  the bookcase was heavier than the plasctic.  which resulted in needing to constantly give some handlebar input to keep the rig going straight.  no big deal for a limited jaunt.

this wideloader cargo run was pretty much perfect in weight distribution.  in the BOB trailer bag, i had a DeLonghi electric radiator heater.

a load like this really should have been put into duffle bags.  this random method of haphazardly stringing straps thru handles, etc, is sketchy at best.  Pour packing method.

this load was a combo of using the BOB trailer duffle bag for small items, panniers loaded up, and then the toolboxes, and a bike stand, all lashed down.  I don't have a duffle bag big enough for this load.

this was a load of firewood that I hauled when i was in Ventura.  I made this "wood run" a few times during my stay, as i used it for fuel in the tipi.  Over all this method was OK.  the load itself is pretty heavy.  the only other way to deal with this awkward load would be to use a couple of large heavy duty plastic tubs.

when you look at the various methods of loading a cargo bike, you can see that the duffle bag method is the most secure, and best organized.

the downside of wideloaders, is that they are rigid.  they are in a fixed position.  The duffles are higher up, which is better for avoiding contact with things like curbs, and basically anything else sticking up.

ultimately i think once it comes time to start doing some touring I will be taking the wideloaders.  I've also discovered that its pretty easy to carry the wideloaders as cargo.  i just slide them in along the v-racks. 

peace...d

       In short my efforts in Ventura came to be a huge fiasco.  Ultimately, I learned that even at 39 years old, I am still the kid, and still the grandkid.  My family was not ready for me to be there.  The breaking point was an altercation with my father.  Therefore I simply have removed myself from the situation.

With that said, I’ve come back to The Monterey Peninsula, to find there are no jobs here for me, and luckily my girlfriend has let me stay with her.  

In an expedited manner, the notion of me being On The Road, has come to the forefront.  I continue to sell off my belongings, and re-arranging the essential items I already have.  My heart pulls to be out of doors, on the bike, and out in Nature.  

The days are rolling by fast, my progress along a time line, and the inevitable “Ramble” is approaching.  I love the Spring.  Altho it is still officially Winter, the days are getting longer, and I have come to realize how stressed I was, and how crucial it is for me to get plenty of rest.  These days I find myself relaxed, and dreaming of the outdoors.  

peace...d

 Every day Ventura is growing on me, or maybe its simply my attitude, but whatever it is, im having fun almost every day.  its all about FUN!  

Last night as i had sat around prep-ing my Moto Rapido for a ride that i was thinking to hook up with, as i remembered it was a loop up past Ojai, and into Rose Valley, all of which im still very new to.  I google Earth’d the area and found it was hills, and still being a bit apprehensive about my integration to the locals i choose the Moto Rapido for its gearing.

Alas as i was settling down to crash out, i remembered that Ventura has a Kinetic Sculpture Race, the 10th Annual was today.

  I opted to check out the scene, as opposed to a group ride.  I can do that every other weekend, but the Kinetic Sculpture Race is something i had wanted to check out for many years.  I had always lived some kind of vicarious occasion thru the internet surfing the rants about Arcata’s Kinetic Sculpture Race.  Just the concept alone spins the proverbial gears in my head.  

Last week it was 100f and SoCal on fire.  Today its 70F with showers.  those large drops, and 70F, the heat rising from the ground fills the senses, and i think of the tropics.  maybe not Panama, and maybe not really Hawaii, but at times it seems like it could.  maybe somewhere with a bit of elevation, as the clouds and showers stack against the hills.

peace...d

    Ventura is growing on me.  Today I rode for about 3hrs, from the "East End" of Ventura up to Ojai.  Nice ride.  The bike path trips me out.  Its so different from Monterey, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, Carmel, and the Artichoke fields of Castroville, and so forth.  But...I must say, i do like it here in Ventura.  I like that the weather is SO NICE!  Holy smokes!  Today it was 75F or more the whole day and SUNNY!

   Just the sun and waking up every day at 6am, going to bed by 10 or 11pm, just that alone has completely changed my mental out look.  In Monterey I was so stuck in a rut, it was this constant droning, daily grind.  Same job, same town, same issues, same people, and somehow, my military conditioning took to the forefront.  Dedication to duty.

    Here in Ventura, i have my family to tend to, and that covers the dedication to duty, but the hours are so much better.  No longer do i get off of work at 11pm, no longer do i stay up til 2am, and no longer do i work any weekends.  Now its up with the sun, out during the day, and the KIDS!  wow!  Ventura is FULL OF KIDS!  Suddenly i realize, i feel, that sentiment, when someone would say something like, "kids make you feel young."  wow!  at 39 and being in good shape, i cant tell you how great it feels to hang out with 20 somethings at the beach, or at a coffee shop and just shoot the breeze.

    But what is disappointing is how few of the young adults i see exercising.  SoCal is very much all about CARS!  for me, personally, the view is a real shame.  Ventura is so nice.  its flat, and the weather!  OMG the WEATHER!  What a great place for a bicycle lifestyle.  Heck...look at all the wood i haul on a weekly basis.

    Anyways...here are some pics from today's little jaunt up to Ojai.  I took my road bike out, and that was trip.  wow!  Sometimes i step back, and just trip out on how far, how easy, and how fast i can be on a bike.  simply amazing!  Darwin, Evolution, all in the making.  Devolution.

peace...d

this is the bike path off of Ventura Ave, on the way up to Ojai.  I like the artwork created with old industrial leftovers.  it hits my mind/heart in a good way.

  We are drowning in our opulence.  Here in the USA we are working ourselves into the ground to make the monthly bills.  Car payment, rent, mortgage, insurance, you name it.  We chase our collective tails driven by the desire created by marketing psychologists, while in other parts of the world a utility bicycle can help an entire culture.

    Maybe we should look at this dynamic.   While one is impoverished economically, the other running ragged to meet the bills.  Both suffer a lack of quality of life.  The bike is obviously a viable means.

    Here in the US it would reduce our fuel consumption, and use of cars.  They would last longer, and we’d be more appreciative of the mega convenience.  We’d slow down.

    Developing countries would improve their economy by being able to haul things around, like exports to market, or simply to transport the kids to school.

    Somewhere in the middle is a balance.

peace...d

Obviously I have way too much stuff.  Way too many bikes.  I've been slowly dwindling away this fleet.  I have a couple of single speeds for sale, which are listed in the "For Sale" section.  The Colnago Bititan is really the jewel there.  Its a Titanium double downtube limited production bike.  This bike is fairly rare these days.  It comes complete with a set of Campy Shamal wheels, and a secondary set of regular wheels, campy Record hubs laced to Mavic Open Pro rims.  (wheels seen on wall)