1st Annual Carrboro (spring) bike swap!

We hope to make this a semi-annual event to bring people together who loves bikes. This spring we’re inviting more shops to come join us as well as our local crew, and the location will be in the front of the building rather than the parking lot.

What is it?

A fun gathering of people, looking to buy, sell, or trade bikes and bike-related stuff.

Bring any bikes, parts, etc you want to sell or come looking for used, new, and vintage items.

When is it?

Sunday, March 28th

Starting at 11AM, Ending around 4pm

Who should come?

If you’re looking for a used bike or parts for your next build, come see what shows up.

If you have an old bike or parts you’d like to off-load, bring them down.

If you’re just interested in seeing what comes out of the woodwork, you are welcome

How does it work?

Private sellers and independent shops that bring items will set up in front of Cycle 9 and around the side of the building. Bring anything you need, such as blankets or tables to display your items, etc. You are responsible for your own items, and you may sell or swap on any terms you deem reasonable.

Buyers come looking at items brought, and you can offer trades or purchase items you see. Please bring cash for the sellers (there is an ATM across the street).

What else is going on?

The swap will be set up in front and to the side of our building. We will also be having a sale on Cycle 9 bikes, some at really awesome prices, so come see what’s available inside. The Looking Glass Cafe next door provides coffee, tea, drinks, pastries, bagels, and sandwiches to snack on, so you won’t die of hunger or thirst while you’re here.

See you then!

Kick-off tour for Jon Watts

Cruiser Ride and

Cycle 9 Open House

Hey all – wanted to announce this cool upcoming event at Cycle 9. Late last fall I got a visit from Jon Watts. He is a spoken word/music artist and was going on tour in the spring, but wanted to do by bike instead of car or train. He had found our shop and came to test ride our longtail bikes – the perfect setups for him to carry his guitar, amp, and other items he’ll need on the trip. I spent some time talking to him and listening to his music and found him to be a very interesting and spiritual person who was serious about his music, but also serious about living out his ideals. Thus, the bike tour.

So we decided to sponsor his trip via Xtracycle Radish, from Richmond to Boston. As a kick-off, he’s giving a show here in Carrboro and we’re having some other fun stuff to go along with it. You can find links to Jon’s website and music samples below. And here are the particulars of the kick off event:

Friday, March 19th

Cruiser Bike Ride, starts at 6PM at Cycle 9. Open to all levels and ages! We’ll cruise around Carrboro and Chapel Hill for about an hour, just for FUN.

Jon will perform at the Looking Glass next door starting at 8PM

We’ll have an Open House at Cycle 9 from 7-9 for anyone wanting to check out the bikes.

Jon Watts is a Quaker spoken word poet, guitarist and producer. The Radish is a longtail cargo bicycle that Jon is loading up with gear and riding from Richmond to Boston on the 2010 Two Wheel Tour.

See Photos of Jon and his Radish

Read his blog entry on why he’s decided to bike this one

Jon lived in Carrboro for the last year and a half before moving back to his native Richmond, VA. He is excited to be back and celebrating the beginning of his ambitious tour with the bike shop that has been so supportive. The public is invited to join us in an hour-long cruiser ride around town (to meet at Cycle 9 at 6pm) before settling to hear some music and see some sweet bikes just next door to Cycle 9 at the Looking Glass Cafe.

Jon’s music has been described as:

“Amazingly Fresh.” – Niyonu Spann, leader of Philadelphia based Tribe One
“Deeply Moving.” – Max Carter, Director of Friends Center at Guilford College
and
“Remarkably Original.” – Chuck Fager, The Journal of Quakers in the Arts

Read more testimonials

Check out the music at
www.jonwatts.com

The motivation is that for myself and many out there using cargo/sports utes, we sometimes have big loads strapped to our bikes, and in a place like Chapel Hill, big hills to climb with them.

That taxes the standard electric bike hub motor system. Some can handle it, but constantly pushing their limits may ultimately lead to failure.  ( the same can be said for one’s legs – which is why I use a an electric assist on my cargo bike).

One solution to this problem has been the Stokemonkey.  Instead of a hub motor, it uses the bike’s existing drivetrain – and gears.  So, when you’re climbing a hill with it and you shift into a lower gear to give your legs a break, you’re giving the motor a break too.  This increases overall system efficiency, and motor/battery system longevity.

But there have been two limitations to the Stokemonkey: limited supply (it is produced in small batches by our supplier in Portland, Or), and it only fits on Xtracycle-style cargo bikes.

A few brave designers have tried to crack this same nut with a system that doesn’t require an Xtracycle style frame.

The first was the Cyclone.  I don’t have any experience with that system, but have heard certain things that have put me off from trying it – mainly that the installation is very involved.

Now comes the Electric Mountain Drive from the folks at Ecospeed (also from Oregon!).

The Electric Mountain Drive system

It is another electric assist system that uses the bike’s own drivetrain, benefiting from the gearing on the bike to reduce motor strain and increase climbing ability.

I’ve been using it for about two weeks now, so this review is only preliminary.

Here are some benefits of the system:

• Because it uses the bike’s drivetrain, it can handle steep hills without strain (if I shift into the right gear)
• It mounted to the frame in a relatively straightforward manner
• It uses a standard electric bike brushless motor controller, so when the first one died (a note on that later), I was able to swap in an Infineon controller we had in the shop
• Using only a 36 Volt battery with a controller consuming 20 amps, the bike can achieve powered speeds of up to 25mph+ (depending on headwind and hills).  Most of the hub motors I’ve tested – even the high speed ones – can’t do this on only 36V 20A system.  For me those would top out around 22mph on the flats, pulling maximum amps.
• Its installation wasn’t too difficult, and the instructions were very detailed.

For certain kinds of applications such as steep hills to climb on a cargo bike without a spot to put a Stokemonkey, this appears to be THE solution.

But it does have a few drawbacks to be aware of:

• It is somewhat noisy.  It is not louder than the cars on the road – but not a lot quieter, either.  I like to operate in “stealth” mode on my local bike path so as to not get any of the other users upset that I’m using electric assist.  It is hard to do with the EMD, unless I just entirely leave the electric off.  That’s fine… except for that I’m usually in a hurry (note: I never, ever use the electric assist to exceed 20 mph on the bike path, and I always slow down for other users – doing otherwise would not only be rude, but would likely land me in trouble).  Also, the way it mounts on the bike makes it more obvious that the bike has some kind of motor attached.
• I found the overall system efficiency to be disappointing – which means that I can’t travel as far on a single battery charge.  When I used the eZee hub motor, I typically got 18 watt hours per mile or better (at 36V).  That meant I could do a 20 mile roundtrip with my 10 amp hour battery.  With the EMD system, I’m getting at best 24 watt hours per mile, reducing the range to around 15 miles.  I think there are three factors causing this: a) It uses a chain/gear system with a oneway clutch that may loose energy; b) Some energy may be lost in my Nuvinci continuous variable transmission; c) it is easy to go too fast with the system, which always sucks down juice very fast (any speed over 20mph on an e-bike is usually quite inefficient).  I’ve tried to keep the speed low, and still had poor efficiency.  At some point, I’ll try it out on a bike with a regular rear transmission using cassette and derailleur, to see whether that makes any difference.
• The first controller fried within only 1/2 hour of operation.  It turns out that the motor and controller are made by BMC.  BMC makes decent motors… but their controllers have a not so good reputation for reliability (we won’t sell them anymore after a failure rate of over 50%).  We replaced it with an Infineon, which has worked well so far (an is in general a very reliable controller).  To their credit, Ecospeed did send us a new controller right away, and it is a different design.  But it is still made by BMC.  I think I’ll keep the Infineon for now.
• It requires a bike with a circular downtube – the tube from the handlebars down to the pedals (many bikes these days have ovalized downtubes).  And, once installed, it does protrude down a bit.

Another attribute I noted that is neither plus nor minus is that to optimally use this motor, I had to get in the habit of shifting the bike appropriately.  This requires letting off the throttle a bit, doing a rapid shift, then getting back on the throttle.  At first it was a bit clunky for me – but just like learning to drive with a clutch and gearshift, once I picked it up, it worked well.  I have come to enjoy the challenge of shifting properly through an acceleration cycle to get up to speed.

Bottom line: The EMD will be a perfect solution for people who have big/long hills to climb, and provides a worthwhile alternative to the Stokemonkey, especially if the latter isn’t available or if it won’t fit on your bike.

My assessment is that hub motors will be better for the person who has moderate hills, long distances, or is concerned about noise.  Since I fall in several of the latter categories, I’m likely to return back to a hub motor system at some point.

When I was researching electric kits, I know how much work it took and how difficult it was to know who to trust. That’s why I decided to have an open door policy on questions, and make sure we provided the best information and answers we could, not just representing one vendor or brand of ebike or kit. I’ve had people ask all kinds of questions, both people buying their first kits, as well as those buying a second or third kit. Here are 3 common mistakes or misconceptions I’ve found many people to have.

1. Putting a front motor on a suspension fork

This is usually a big mistake. Most suspension forks are made out of cast aluminum materials. The aluminum is strong, but not flexible, and can be brittle. A rotating front hub motor puts a lot of stress at the fork dropout – the little U shapes in the fork that hold the wheel to the fork. Under this kind of stress, the drop outs can crack and break, causing your wheel to no longer be attached to your bike. You can imagine the consequences of this, especially if it occurs at high speed. If you are thinking of converting a bike with front suspension forks, it is recommended to go with a rear wheel motor.

Fortunately, steel is a more flexible material and less likely to break under stress. So putting a front motor on a steel fork is perfectly acceptable. I recommended adding a torque arm to these forks, which translates some of the rotational force to the fork arm, and not just the drop-out. With a steel fork, torque arm, and proper installation, a front motor is often a great solution, and results in a bike with “all wheel drive”.

2. Assuming a pre-built electric bike is higher quality than an electric kit

Many people in the market for electric bikes often assume that a bike that is made as an electric bike at the factory will be superior to an electric conversion kit. While ebikes are great solutions for some people (which is why we carry them), for some people, an electric kit could be the best.

The main differences between ebikes and ebike kits are in performance and style. Ebikes have the advantage of being designed around the electric system, so often come with built-in battery compartments, and low-profile, stylish designs. The ebike kits, however, are not integrated into your bike, so batteries are often carried on a rear rack in a pannier or bag, which some people don’t like, and there is additional wiring to run along your frame. One exception is the Bionx kit, which is well designed to fit very cleanly and look great on bikes with a triangular frame.

Another main difference between ebikes and ebike kits is in performance. Because ebikes are sold as a complete unit, they are often powered on the low end to comply with any potential laws about bike speed, and also to protect the companies from a liability perspective. Most ebikes top out at 15-18mph and provide pedaling assistance on hills, but won’t be able to propel you and the bike uphill on their own. Many riders can achieve 15-18mph under their own power, so the electric assist only helps on hills. (Sometimes that is all we need!). Ebike kits, however, are often higher power. Many of them have a top speed of 20-30mph, and have more climbing power. These kits are better performing for the rider who is looking for speed or who is carrying a heavy load.

And lastly, for some of the less expensive pre-built ebikes, the non-electric bike components are often of low quality, just like you would have on inexpensive regular bikes. This might be fine for the user who only rides the bike occasionally, but if you’re planning on using the bike regularly, you don’t want to pay a lot of money for a bike, only to have it start breaking and having to have parts replaced after a year of use. If you are in the market for an ebike, make sure you check out the bike component quality as well as the electric system, and be prepared to pay a little more to get something quality. Or consider converting a quality non-electric bike  using a conversion kit.

3. Buying a kit that is overpowered

Because most people do not have a chance to ride an ebike or ebike kit before purchasing, I find that many people want to get the highest powered kit that is available. When you aren’t sure if you can get up that particular hill you have in mind (which might be steep or long), it is natural to want to get the most powerful kit to ensure you have enough oomph. However, in many cases, the most powerful kit is overkill and you end up spending too much money and carrying around more battery or motor weight that is necessary.

An illustration of this phenomenon is what we saw with our BMC motors. First, BMC had a V1 motor (a “400watt ” motor) which is internally geared and has great hill climbing ability. Compared to pedaling up a hill without a motor, the V1 makes it so you can pedal moderately, as you would on the flats, and still climb up the hill. This was great and many people were excited.

Then along came the V2 motor, which was even higher powered (“600W”). This motor is for people who want high speed or high torque applications. It’s main advantage is being able to handle more power. This was fabulous and everyone thought it was “top of the line” and the best motor for xyz. The high speed motor is capable of speeds over 30mph even (that’s FAST for  a bike). Everyone was happy until…

BMC comes out with the V3 motor, which is supposed to be a 1000W motor. Now everyone is asking about this motor – is it better than the V2? Is that what I need? The problem with these higher powered motors is that in order to take advantage of the extra power, you need a BIG battery. Because they tend to be battery hogs. And big batteries are pricey and can be heavy.  And most batteries simply don’t last as long when putting out the high currents needed by these high-power motors.

By all means, if you are looking for very high speed, carrying a cargo trailer with 500 lbs of gear, or climbing 30%+ grades, then go for a high powered motor that can handle these applications. But if you are commuting with yourself and a 20lb briefcase, then you might not need to fork out that extra dough. The standard eZee kit at 36V, for example, is an incredible performer, and will easily tackle just about any hill, even on loaded cargo bikes, and is relatively lightweight. If you compare it to riding your bike unassisted, you’ll be blown away by its performance. (If you compare it to a sports car, however…well then you might be disappointed. )

If you have a chance to ride an ebike or ebike kit before purchasing, that is by far the best way to get a feel for performance. If there is no store in your area carrying ebikes, check out some of those forums (endless sphere, V is for Voltage)  and see if there is an ebike enthusiast in your area that might offer a test ride.

I’ve been bike commuting a long time, and over time have gotten to the point where I am pretty comfortable, riding even in heavy traffic if necessary. Over the years, I’ve found that educating myself on how to ride safely has helped me overcome my traffic fears, increase my confidence, and allowed me to stop feeling trapped by the necessity of driving a car.

When I started riding with my children on board, I went through another whole round of questioning myself if it was safe enough or if I should really just be toting them around in the car. My daughter’s pure enthusiasm for the bike ride, combined with our collective joy of being outside and the fact that a bike ride home was a much more enjoyable experience than a car ride, led me to continue the biking with our best safety measures in place.

Many bicycle safety groups simply emphasize wearing a helmet and “following traffic laws” in order to be safe. These are good things to do, but the simple fact is, it is critical to ride like the ultimate defensive driver and avoid having to use that helmet in the first place. Any motorcycle rider will tell you the same thing.

Fortunately, MOST bicycle accidents are caused by rider error. Not by cars hitting bicyclists, but by bicyclists themselves making errors. This is great news, because it means that YOU have the ability to become a safer rider, just by learning and working on your skills.

——–

SO, What can you do to ride more safely in traffic? Here are my TOP 7.

1. Choose Your Route (and time)

Seems obvious, but many people do not adequately think about this before they start out on a ride. The way you drive your car is usually not the best way to ride your bike. Is there another route you can take that avoids heavy traffic or narrow roads or bad intersections, even if it is LONGER? It might be a route you have never driven before. It might include bike paths (if you’re lucky), residential streets, even off-road paths.

One person I know told me he has designed a route to work that actually includes about 50% off road riding and a CANOE RIDE! That is a truly amazing commute. He says he does it because it’s like a weekend ride but he can do it twice a day.

Most of us are not that lucky. But with a little investigation, you might be able to discover a great route that has less traffic and is more fun to ride. One resource that might help you here is a website called Bikely . This is a mapping tool where users can make notes about routes they have taken that are good or bad. Depending on your area, you might find something useful to help you plan your route.

If you do have some busy sections that just cannot be avoided, consider when you are traveling those routes. Can you adjust your schedule to avoid rush hour? I have one route to work on my commute that is fine to ride when traffic is lighter, but is a true nightmare during rush hour to be avoided like the plague.

2. Watch the Street Surface

In actual fact, the biggest cause of bike accidents is not collisions with cars. It’s rider error. And a major source of rider error is pavement irregularities. The street surface may appear smooth when considered from the perspective of a car, which can ride over most encountered obstacles without problem. However, for a bike it is littered with cracks, potholes, road debris, and hazards like railroad tracks and storm drains. For those of you who ride with skinny road tires, road obstacles are a special concern that are likely to end up with you on the ground.

The best thing you can do to avoid this type of crash is to employ vigilance in watching the road. Take special note of anything that might catch a tire and not let it go, such as a longitudinal crack that runs in the direction you are riding, or a change in elevation of the road, such as if the road surface is an inch higher than the shoulder (as sometimes happens during construction). Potholes and debris piles should be avoided as much as possible as well to avoid a fall or a flat tire. Note, however, that you should never swerve out into traffic to avoid debris in the gutter – always check behind to ensure there are no cars there before you move left on the road.

3. Be Visible

If you are riding at night, use a front light, a rear light and a spoke light for side visibility. Riding at night without lights is a major cause of accidents. Even during the day, added visibility can be had with bright clothing, flags, and even lights during the day. Motorcycles are now required to use lights even during the day because it has been shown that this improves visibility.

For flags, many people think of the tall flag we had on our kids bikes. But another type of flag is one that sticks out to the side of the bike. This provides a visual cue for passing drivers who focus on it rather than on you. As they are focusing on passing the flag, they unconsciously give you just a little extra room.

4. But Ride As If You Are Invisible

Although we should do our best to make ourselves visible, NEVER ASSUME you are visible. This secret right here can save you from all kinds of common traffic collisions, especially at intersections. Are you riding in the lane and a car pulls out or turns in front of you? Are you exiting a driveway when a car is coming on the street? Are you passing on the left? These are all very common collisions, and often caused by the driver NOT SEEING the biker.

One of my friends was riding along a neighborhood street and passed in front of a car stopped at a stop sign on a perpendicular street. Before my friend made it all the way past the car, the driver pulled forward and ran over her back wheel. The driver claimed she did not see my friend even though my friend had JUST passed in front of the driver’s field of view.

So the best course of action is to never assume a car sees you. When approaching an intersection, cover the brakes and slow down if necessary so you can stop if someone pulls in front of you. Attempt eye contact with drivers, but don’t assume this means they see you or will yield to you. Keep an eye out for exit points where you can turn to avoid a car. And when approaching intersections always start scanning ahead for trouble points.

5. Use a Mirror

Would you drive your car without a rearview mirror? Would you feel like you are driving blind without it? I certainly would, and I feel that way on my bike too.

Most people fear being hit from behind more than any other type of bike accident. This type of accident is actually quite rare (only 3% of car/bike collisions). But having a rearview mirror can go a long way to alleviating this fear just by knowing what is going on behind you.

You can keep an eye on who’s coming up behind you and if they are going to give you space so you can take appropriate action. When you need to move left for a left-hand turn, you can keep an eye on what’s behind you well before your planned move, so you can find a break in traffic. In fact, now that I’ve ridden with a mirror for so long, I cannot imagine riding without one.

There are handlebar mounted mirrors or ones that go on your helmet. One is not inherently better than another, so try them out and see what works best for you, but you’ll be glad you did.

6. Ride Farther Left

Many beginning riders make the mistake of riding too far to the right of the road, hugging the curb or the ditch “so cars can get past”. I think this is probably due to the fear of being hit from behind and wanting to be out of the way, but often works counter to this purpose.

For example, I have one section of narrow road without shoulder that I sometimes ride (when traffic is low). The white line is at the edge of the pavement and to the right of that is a grassy ditch. If I ride right on the line, traffic coming from behind often will squeeze past me when there is oncoming traffic, resulting in a narrow pass for all 3 vehicles involved (me, the overtaking car, and the oncoming car). It makes me nervous because there is nowhere to go if I need an exit, except the steep ditch. Instead, I ride out about a foot from the line into the lane. Overtaking cars then will slow down to pass me, usually using part of the oncoming lane. And if there is oncoming traffic, they will think twice about squeezing by. Of course once in awhile you get the guy who wants to do it anyway, but with my mirror I can see this guy coming, and now I have about a foot of space to move into to give myself a little more room.

Even in the city, riding out into the lane a little will also put you in a position where cars tend to be looking for other cars, and thus more likely to see you. It will also put you out of the “door zone” where parked cars might open a door into you. Of course, you must use common sense, but giving yourself a little extra space by riding out often results in a safer situation.

7. Stay Off the Sidewalk

Sidewalks are designed for pedestrians that move slowly and stop at intersections. Although it may seem safe to ride on the sidewalk, cars and other vehicles are not expecting a bike on the sidewalk so are even less likely to see you. The chances of a car running into you when you are crossing an intersection or driveway on the sidewalk are actually quite high and this is a common accident type.

If you do need to ride on the sidewalk for any reason, assume that no one will see you, ride slowly, and of course be considerate of walkers who you will surprise.

——–

Follow these guidelines and you’ll be a long way towards gaining confidence and riding safely. But don’t stop here, there are many educational resources available to help you master biking in traffic. My favorite resource is the excellent book

“The Art of Cycling: A guide to bicycling in 21st century america” By Robert Hurst

This excellent book goes into many of these points and others in detail, is entertaining to read, and I found to be incredibly useful in learning how to cycle on streets. Read it, Digest it, and you’ll be a safer and happier cyclist.

]]> http://www.cycle9.com/blog/bike-safety/7-secrets-to-riding-safely-in-traffic/feed/ 0 http://www.cycle9.com/cycle-9-online-news/winter/ http://www.cycle9.com/cycle-9-online-news/winter/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:59:17 +0000 elise http://www.cycle9.com/?p=404 It’s Winter here in NC, but even with the recent snow (a rarity here) I can see spring around the corner. We’re clearing out what winter cycling gear we have left, and have some rotating store specials on bikes and accessories. Stop by to see what’s cooking here at Cycle 9.

Benefits:
- It’s a self-contained electric wheel that replaces your regular bike wheel
- ipod/iphone control of the motor
- no externally rechargeable battery (= lightweight)
- has regen braking, giving a bit of a boost upon taking off from a stop

Drawbacks:
- Has no externally rechargeable battery, so only helps a bit upon acceleration. Forget help on hills.
- probably expensive (though price unknown)
- will add weight to the bike

The iPhone/iPod control is neat. I had an idea of an iPod/iPhone control for any regular ebike about a year ago (via Bluetooth). Like a CycleAnalyst (http://ping.fm/KTXEx) on steroids. Just think about it… the iPod/iPhone have accelerometers in them. You could measure acceleration, power input vs output, efficiency, and a whole lot more. The iPhone also has a GPS. This would be the ultimate e-bike cycle computer. I’d like to implement this, but it will be a somewhat expensive project. Crowd funding, anyone? If you like this idea, drop me a line.

Now, back to the Copenhagen wheel… aside from the nifty iPod interface, I’m not clear on what the point is. MIT seems to have a great PR/Marketing machine for “inventions” like this, but would I use one? While I can’t say for sure until I get my hands on one, the preliminaries don’t sound like something of use to me.

I use my electric assist mainly for the hills, and to maintain a higher overall speed while commuting. I have no problem with acceleration after stops on my own leg power. So this wheel wouldn’t seem to gain much of anything for the way I ride.

I’m curious what you think. See you in the comments or on Twitter/Facebook/etc.

We WILL BE CLOSED Jan 1- 8 as a post-season break and to do end of year activities. We will still fulfill some online orders during this week, but will not be doing our regular shipping, so there will be a few extra days of delays for orders placed that week.

Thanks for a great year and looking forward to 2010!

The Electric Madsen was perfect for the beach

After a very long and tiring drive, punctuated by changing a flat tire on the side of I-95, in the dark (of course) we arrived at Hilton Head. The island is built up with lots of resorts and expensive homes, grouped into “Plantations” – really just a fancy southern name for parts of the island. Maybe it had to do with the original plantations on the island back in colonial days, I’m not sure. Now, each Plantation has it’s own cache and level on the hierarchy of perceived wealth. The resort where we were staying is owned by the Mariott group, and was located in the exclusive “Sea Pines” Plantation. To access this Plantation, you must go through the guard checkpoint, where the guards collect $5 from you if you are not a “guest” and enforce a cadre of rules designed to enhance the exclusivity of the place at the expense of common sense. I think they just don’t like anything that does not conform to the aura they want to project.

For example, we brought along with us a sit-on-top kayak, in case we wanted to explore some of the area via water (it is an island after all). Well, apparently, the Sea Pines homeowners have a prohibition against any kayaks or surfboards being “displayed” in the open, on top of a car, etc. They are supposed to be kept in a building out of view at all times. The guard at the gate determined by sight that our kayak was too big for our resort to handle, and almost didn’t let us through the gate (what were we supposed to do with the kayak?). But after lengthy argument, he agreed to let us go to our resort and see if they could find a place to store the kayak out of site. They did (fortunately, the Mariott people were very helpful and accomodating) and sure enough, the guard’s supervisor came to check on us 15 minutes later, just in case we decided to ignore this prohibition.

Anyway, I’m digressing, because after that original incident, the rest of the vacation was actually pretty nice.

The island is great for family riding

So, since we had all 3 children with us, we decided to bring the Madsen bike to transport the smaller ones, and my older (5-yr-old) daughter’s kids bike, and a third bike to get everyone around. While the roads on the island are narrow, there is actually a very good network of separated bike paths that run along the sides of the roads, so you can get from your accommodation to the beach and back via bike.

Because of this network of paths, a large industry of rental bikes has been built up, and many people rent bikes for the week. Most of these are beach cruisers with one speed (the island is totally flat, the only hill being the bridge over the inlet) and appear to be fairly low quality bikes. I discovered the reason for this right away, when we rode past a rental place with a sign “$20 rental for one week”. Now, the last time I rented a bike was when I was in Moab, Utah, and rented a mountain bike. It cost me $40 for ONE DAY. Similarly, a bike rental in Boston, to get around the city, cost even more than this. So obviously if you only pay $20 for an entire week, you get what you pay for.

Well, we did quite a bit of riding while we were there, in fact we didn’t use the car at all (except to go to the tire place to buy a new set of tires that is!). My daughter could easily ride safely on the separated bike paths, and we didn’t have to worry about her getting caught up in traffic. She rode over to the Children’s museum and back with her grandparents, rode to the beach, even rode ON the beach. Riding on the beach is very easy and fun when the tide is low. The beach there is very flat, which makes for great sand for riding, and you can go the whole length of the island, several miles.

Enjoying the swings at the playground

One day we all took the trails and rode up to the harbor, where there are lots of yachts, (many of which are very, very large), a great playground, and some little shops and restaurants. We took a round-about way on the way back, having to stop and examine the bike path signs that are dotted around the intersections here and there. The signs were a good thing, because it was pretty easy to get lost with everything looking the same (the uniformity mantra works!).  In fact, I was not sure we were on a different path until we rode past what appeared to be a heritage vegetable farm, which I didn’t remember from the way out. Hmmmm… well, it was a nice day and we weren’t in a hurry.

Occasionally while riding, we would go past a little “borrow pit”, where we spotted some small alligators. (I wonder where they take them when they get too big?). A borrow pit is where they’ve borrowed some soil to fill in another place, such as where the road is. It’s common in areas that were swamps and wetlands at one time. They just move the dirt around and make them ponds and berms – easier to travel around. The kids all enjoyed seeing the alligators and the herons. We never saw the alligators move much. They have a way of making you wonder if they really are alive….just so you might come a little bit closer….and closer….

As we rode around, we encountered many other people on bikes, some of which probably did not ride a bike except for once a year, at Hilton Head. This was evidenced by several near-crashes I witnessed involving curbs and pilot error. One couple almost colliding with each other while getting started. I thought the fact that these people were even out on bikes was pretty cool though, because here is an opportunity to see that one can actually get around by bike. How great! The side paths really were important in making people feel safe to ride a bike and not have to deal with traffic. It was obvious that the investment the Island had made in bike paths really did help people get around while they were on their vacations, and hopefully relieve some traffic and parking problems at the beach.

But at the same time there were some gaping holes in the infrastructure when it came to actually using the bike to go anywhere except the beach. This was especially true because if you had to go somewhere there wasn’t a bike path, the roads themselves were very busy, narrow, and populated by heavily traffic.

For example, we decided to go one day to get some Gelato at a great little Gelato place called Pino Gelato. The Gelato place is in a strip mall Hilton Head style – that is, the stores are arranged in a semi-circle, and there are trees in the parking lot. It’s on the north side of the main highway that transverses the island. The bike path is on the south side of this highway (no path on the north side). Fortunately, there was a stop light at the entrance. But to cross at this stop light required navigating a 4 lane highway with right and left turn lanes and turn arrows, no crosswalk or pedestrian signals. We had the Madsen bike with the 2 little kids in back, my 5-year old on her little bike, and 3 other bikes. We decided the best strategy was to cross en-masse, so we waited for the cross light to change, and then walked our bikes quickly across 8 lanes, avoiding right and left turning traffic. At least we were a highly visible group all together. It was not an easy crossing, but everyone made it safely and had their gelato. Of course we had to repeat this in the opposite direction.

The thing about it that was most annoying was there was absolutely no provision for any kind of crossing at that light. So if you were a pedestrian, you would also face a pretty big risk just getting across the street. And once across there is no shoulder, sidewalk, or any other way to travel down that side of the street if you needed to go to the next establishment, for example. The way it is set up, the only way to easily access any business on the north side of the road is by car.

More Beach Riding

The other time we ran into a similar issue, although this was not quite as bad, was our trip to the grocery store. With the Madsen, we were able to do this easily without the use of the car because it is SO easy to load that bike. (Take grocery sacks out of grocery cart, pile in the bucket, return grocery cart, off you go!). Again, there was no way to access the grocery store strip mall except for traditional car routes, so we negotiated traffic and a convoluted parking lot with a lot of cars backing out of spaces, turning, etc. There was actually a small bike rack at the grocery store (better than I’ve seen in many places!). This traffic negotiation was not a big deal for us, having ridden in traffic a lot and being very comfortable with it. But for these people who can barely negotiate the ramp up the curb to the bike path, there is no way they would ever access this store by bike.

The other strange thing I found about the bike infrastructure was that there was a lack of bicycle racks at the public access points to the beach (also a lack of car parking). As you approach the public access point, there are signs on every fence stating that bikes locked there will be removed. But I didn’t see any actual legitimate place to park your bike. I guess you are supposed to take it with you onto the beach? I think this has more to do with this idea of exclusivity and keeping the “rif-raf” at bay. Don’t provide any parking of any kind, and this discourages beach use except for the people who have actually paid for ocean-front accommodation.

So, overall, my reaction to biking on Hilton Head island was mixed. On the one hand, the island has a great network of paths to get you around most of the places you need to go. There are periodic signs that show you a map of the network and the island so you know where you are. And the paths encourage bike use by many, many people who would otherwise be driving around and clogging up the streets even more than they are.

But on the other hand, the infrastructure falls short when it comes to using the bike as an alternative to the car for practical purposes, such as groceries, or even other shopping. Those parts of the island are still heavily dominated by the car/strip-mall pattern of development, although with a flair to make it seem not so ugly. I found this to be a disappointment, because with just a few changes, it would be possible to greatly expand the way people could get around.

Because you have to have a sunset photo in any discussion of the beach!

But at any rate, I still think that most cities could learn a lot from the Hilton Head model and this kind of investment in alternative transportation infrastructure would really pay off with reduced traffic and higher quality of life.

How can it be almost the middle of December already? I never know how time seems to fly by this time of year. I managed to find the big box of Christmas stuff in the attic yesterday, and we got a tree and got it set up. One thing I do enjoy this time of year is the lights. I tend to be one of those people that leaves the lights up long after the holidays are over …(after all, it’s still very dark in January!)

The gift-giving part of Christmas is one of those things I have a love-hate relationship with. I am not a big shopper myself, at least when it comes to “typical” shopping stuff, but I do like to find useful little items that my friends and family can fit into their lives, and hopefully ones that are stylish as well. This year, everyone in my family will be receiving something bike-related. What do they want to receive? I don’t know, but being as I have access to lots of bike stuff, there you go (shhh! Don’t tell them my secret). When looking through the catalogs for them, I came across a few kind of cool things that I thought you might like as well. So, I decided to offer a “12 Days Of Christmas” (sorry to all you non-christians out there for the inevitable reference) special.

Starting Wed, Dec 9th for the next 12 days, I’ll list one item on sale in our store – both the one at 601 W. Main and the one online. Each instore item will be listed at the top of this post. The online items will be posted on the main store page. Items will change each day, so be sure to check back in.

Happy Holidays!

-Elise

12 Days Specials:

Day 1 Floor Pumps 35% off

Day 2 Soma Rush coffee cup and holder $24.90 (Reg $39.95)

Day 3 Topeak Alien II multi-tool $29 (Reg $44.50)

Day 4 Winter hats and gloves 35% off (BONUS $50 off bikes)

Day 5 Nutcase helmets $35 (Reg $49.95)

Day 6 Spoke Lites $5.70 (Reg $9.95)

Day 7 Mirrcycle mirrors $8.70 / $10.70 (Reg $14.95 / $19.95)

Day 8 Topeak Handlebar bag $24.95 (Reg $39.95)

Day 9 Rain gear 40% off

Day 10 Pedalite 360 degree visibility pedals $30 (Reg $59.95)

Day 11 Mini Bulldog U-Lock $19.95 (Reg $32.95) + BONUS $100 off ebikes and $50 off ebike kits

Day 12 Axiom bags %35 off