Walk the Talk (aka Bike the Hype)

Recently, I decided it was time to walk the talk and really ride my bike as much as I possibly could for all of my daily transportation needs. The idea was for my Honda Element to sit in my driveway except when I was embarking on long trips or had loads too big for my BOB trailer.

I started this back in October. I knew that I would need to invest in a few things to help facilitate my agenda especially upgrading my winter riding gear. I also recently got myself a new VooDoo Bizango. I decided to turn my old Specialized S-Works Hardtail into my dedicated commuter bike. To do this I installed a stiff fork, fenders, and an Esge double kickstand that works great to keep my bike up even with a loaded BOB.

With my new rig, apparel, and mission I was saving more gas and staying in better shape than I had been in a while. In the past I sort of had the agenda to focus on riding my bike as much as possible, but I often found excuses to just take the car instead. Even as a life-long cyclist and developer of cycling products, I sometimes found it hard to resist the ease of using a car. The investments in the appropriate gear went a long way into easing this transition into dedicated minimal car use by making my bicycle appropriately equipped for the commuter tasks at hand, and often getting me to my destination faster than the car.

Beyond benefiting from savings on gas and more riding time, I have found this a great time to really experiment with the full capacity of the BOB trailer. As Wandertec looks to develop new products, commuting is a great way to test out many of these new concepts. Recently I’ve been testing a prototype trailer liner that makes it easy to just toss stuff like groceries in the back of the trailer without having to secure it in a bag. I’ve also been taking CELLOS orders to the FedEx and thinking about ways to mount a platform on the BOB for hauling larger items.

With the coldness of winter cycling really entrenching here in Flagstaff, I still occasionally drift back to using the car when my bike is really the more appropriate tool. I figure writing about my new cycling plan will help keep me on track to Bike the Hype.

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