Human-Powered WHAT?

An annual exhibit of art-fish-houses on Medicine Lake near Minneapolis went Pedal-Powered in 2008 with an icehouse propelled by 6 cyclists on a wooden bench. The Art Shanties liven up a cold Minnesota winter with whimsical versions of the traditional fish house.

Ice Bike Racing

The Minnesota HPVA Ice Bike Races have had some bad luck with conditions over the years. This year our usual lake froze just as the first snow fell, and the ice surface was unrideable. We moved to an impromptu location on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, using some paths that had been cleared for a pond hockey tournament the week before. Temperatures were warm -- in the 20's -- and the ice was pretty good. The bikes and trikes were, as usual, splendid!

Another reason to bike

Valvoline Instant Oil Change reminded me today why I love to bike. My husband and I have been carpooling to work for a month because of a combination of weather and a foot injury that had him in an orthopedic boot. We put enough miles on the car that I figured it was time for a quick oil change. My wiper blades were undeniably bad, so when the slimy salesman offered me new wiper blades for $10 off, I didn't ask what the original price might be. Well, it was $17.50 per blade, plus a $12.00 charge for installation!!

What a contrast to our usual bike shops. And what an incentive to go car-free!

Bike fun for Christmas

The "Tree Huggers" entry in the Santa Claus parade in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario shows off some imaginative cycling options, several of them from Bike Forest:



I particularly liked the back-to-back tandem/sociable!

Trike trains

We were out riding around Minneapolis on Veteran's Day with two "delta" recumbent trikes (one wheel in front and two in back) hitched together, when we encountered two different folks with trikes that could hitch on to make a 3-trike train. Both of them enjoyed the fastest trike ride of their life, and we had fun making new friends.

We rode the two linked trikes on the St. Paul Classic ride on September 9 this year, going just over 50 miles (80 km). I rode the rest of my 100 miles (160 km) for the day on a two-wheeled recumbent to complete my fourth "9/11 Century" ride.



In the still photo above, the front trike is a prototype of the Greenspeed Anura, the second one is an older-model Kettwiesel from Hase, and the third one is a SUN EZ-3. In the video, the third trike is a newer model aluminum Kettwiesel. Linking trikes like this is a great way to let people with visual or mobility impairments enjoy cycling. As many as a half-dozen blind riders can ride with a sighted leader this way. People whose strokes have left them with one-sided weakness and poor peripheral vision can safely ride in groups or traffic. Other delta trikes that can be linked in this way include those from Lightfoot and the Sinner Comfort. Hase in Germany, which introduced trike trains, has taken it to greater lengths than anyone else, with its 2007 chain of 93 trikes. (Trike train videos on YouTube)

Midwest Recumbent Rally

August 10-12, 2007, around 300 recumbent cyclists assembled in Stevens Point, Wisconsin for rides along quiet country roads as well as opportunities to admire and try new bikes and trikes.

The Hostel Shoppe, a dealer, importer, and manufacturer of fine recumbents, hosted the event.

Three-wheelers were prominent this year. We considered riding velomobiles, but decided on two Greenspeed trikes, because they were somewhat easier to transport and it's easier to communicate with other riders.

Dutch treat

Cycling options in Minneapolis expanded this weekend, when two local entrepreneurs introduced the Dutch Fietscafe to the Twin Cities. This 16- or 17-passenger rolling pub is one "bike" that easily upstages the Cab-Bike! I cycled cycled over to the Mississippi River, enjoying the Cab-Bike's good protection against the rain and puddles, and lined up for a free ride on the Pedal Pub. (The Dutch name, we could hear from the puzzled questions -- "fights-calf? Is that the guy who built it?" -- just wouldn't work in the Midwest.) Despite the cold, rainy weather there were plenty of eager riders. More than thirty of these party bikes are for rent in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, serving tourists, wedding parties, and other groups. They aren't built for speed, but they have lovely cup-holders and an old-world tap which in Minnesota will have to dispense non-alcoholic beverages from the front-mounted keg. We rolled back and forth across the Mississippi on the Stone Arch Bridge, which has been turned over to cyclists and pedestrians. Despite the dismissive comments of a local news program's overly made-up talking head, we greatly enjoyed the ride and can only hope that more human-powered fun catches on!

Celebrating the ordinary cyclist

Sometimes we just need to celebrate an ordinary cyclist -- like this guy who rides in a foot of fresh snow, perhaps because that's the only way for him to get where he's going.

We were out in the car, because we didn't think anybody could bike in this stuff, but we saw half a dozen cyclists on the streets.

World Velomobile Market

What's happening in the world velomobile market?


Astrophysicist and science journalist Yvan Dutil has been talking with manufacturers and velomobilists and has written an article on velomobile production around the globe.  Click on the header to read what he's found out.

Briefly, velomobile production has been going up, and velomobiles are spreading across more of the world.

Ice-Biking

What do you do in Minnesota if the temperature is dropping from 22 to 13 degrees (minus 5.5 to minus 10.5 C), and the wind is gusting to 36 mph? You go to the Ice-Bike races. These weren't the January 28 mountain bike races on a Minneapolis lake described in a New York Times article, or the mountain bike race in Bloomington, Minnesota that was also mentioned in that article. These were the Original Minnesota Human-Powered Vehicle Association 16th Annual Ice Biking World Championship races on January 27. We may have to retire that "world championship" name now that there actually ARE some (quite a lot, in fact) other ice bike races in the world.