Ya gotta carry stuff to be a utility bicyclist.
Now that I have a Burley Nomad, I can carry a lot more stuff — like groceries and such. And when the farmer’s market opens, well, just look out. I’ll be buyin’ some food.
It’s attached to my Marin Pioneer Trails here. And I’ll soon be able to [...]
How high-tech do we need to go? What problems do we have as bicyclists that can/could be fixed with high-tech solutions?
MIT is working on a kinetic wheel that captures energy from braking and then allows the rider to apply it to accelerating.
This solves no problem for me. Does it solve a problem for you?
One thing [...]
Well, here it is — my new messenger-pannier. Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions. You’ll notice that I did not go with the one most people suggested. That’s not to say that I didn’t take your suggestion seriously. I did. In fact, checking out the Ortlieb helped me make my decision to go with [...]
Disclaimer: While I definitely have opinions about bicycle riding, everything I write on Carbon Trace should be read as my telling you about what I do and not my telling you what you should do. Further, this site is about utility bicycling (including short-distance commuting), not sport bicycling. I am most concerned with promoting the [...]
An article in today’s USAToday says that pedicab businesses are growing and prompting municipalities to pass safety regulations. We have some pedicabs in Springfield, but I don’t know much about them. I’m thinking I need to change that.
The article isn’t very specific about what safety regulations are necessary — mostly the article mentions only safety [...]
Daypacks have been the popular choice for carrying one’s stuff on college campuses for decades. There’s good reason for this. Packs are, for the most part, convenient and hold a lot of stuff.
Mine is a simple, inexpensive model made of rip-stop nylon. It’s light, roomy, and very easy to carry. It’s my trunk and my [...]
My daypack is my constant companion. But I’m getting a little sick of it.
It’s been great for carrying all my stuff — from work-related items to bicycle tools to rain rain gear — as needed for the past five years. I am, however, ready for something different — something that I can carry on the [...]
Here’s what I wrote about the Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Design Challenge back in July:
Prediction (and I hope I’m wrong): The winning design will be a mountain bike hybrid of some sort with an aggressive seating posture. No fenders. No chain case. And difficult to ride dressed like the young woman pictured above.
Here are some photos [...]
There’s never no weather. That, BTW, is an appropriate use of the double negative in English. The S – V- O word-order structure of English demands a subject or a place holder. We say: “It is raining.” What is “it”? It is nothing at all. Well, OK, it’s a pronoun, but it “stands” for nothing [...]
The Interbike trade show begins this week. I had thought about going. But I’m really booked solid now, so maybe next year.
Plus, there’s the fact that I’ve spent very little time discussing equipment on Carbon Trace.
I may add a little more equipment coverage in the future — perhaps I’ll begin with some comments based on [...]
The following are sentences from recent news stories about bicycle crashes. I gathered them by searching for “bicycle accident” on Google news. I’ve listed every statement mentioning helmet use in each of the first 10 appropriate stories (one mention per story). Two stories did not mention helmet use.
Her bicycle was nearby and she was not [...]
I like fenders.
I understand why a sport cyclist doesn’t want fenders on a road bike. But for utility bicycles fenders are nice to have because they keep road gunk off your clothes.
Some fenders, however, are better than others. Take a look at these two cruisers parked on the MSU campus this morning.
Both the front and [...]
When I ride at night I want to look like Christmas and the 4th of July. To that end I have lights and reflective tape all over the place — on me, on my bicycle — even in the spokes. And I wear reflective gear and light colors.
On top of that, should I project my [...]
OK, so that headline might be over-selling it a bit. But here’s a fact: Ride into downtown Springfield on a Brompton and people notice. And ask questions.
I went to the Mudhouse for a muffin and coffee. I hang out there a lot. It’s a great place to read the paper and socialize. I’m something of [...]
I bought a new Kryptonite U-lock yesterday. I was using one of their lesser models. I wanted something a bit more beefy. To celebrate my new, more secure lock, here’s a funny but serious video about locking bicycles. It’s big-city oriented, but the lessons are good.
I keep a cable lock through my seat. The seat [...]
