Riding with a breeze in your face, the uninhibited landscape and the quiet hum of rubber grabbing the pavement takes care of four  chores at once:  your health, gym fees, daily joy and the last being basic transportation.  The bicycle has taken on varying shapes to fit the road, mountain, touring, fixed, and beach cruiser.  Whichever one’s for you, they all have their own purpose and have cycling enthusiasts modifying them with cargo trailers, fixed gear conversions, attached campers and weather protection.  Definitely thought it was time CWOCA touched on one of our favorite activities.

While in University, I had a friend that put a camper on the back of his truck to forgo paying rent and lessen his student loans.  He was proud of his chosen life, and would probably be jealous to see that Kevin Cyr (pictured above) had a similar idea minus paying for gas.  From conception to construction, Kevin created the ultimate touring machine, except that it may be a little cumbersome when traversing the climbs of the PCH.

[youtube v5L_TK_BbgA 600 400]

Fixed gear riders are snobs of cycling which they will admit.  Any particular niche that has some overwhelming enjoyment and degree of difficulty is going to create hard nosed local and elitist mentality.  “Fixies” also have a special part of the cycling world in them in that they are DIY, either buying off the shelf components to create their own machine or searching on Craigslist for an old Schwinn destined for the fixed conversion.  For those resistant, think its dangerous or don’t see the point, just give it two weeks of adaptation and another two weeks of getting a feel for it, then saddle up your multiple gear free wheel machine and you will quickly dismount and never want to get on it again.  Something you will also learn is that fixed gear bikes are faster than road bikes in an urban setting; you wouldn’t think it, but the proof is in the pudding. Check out Sheldon Brown or the video above for fixed gear conversions.

Bike trailers and pushers, like this one from Cetma Cargo, are making their way on to the scene as well.  Good for tugging along the necessary goods you plan to sell at farmers market, a surfboard, or steal someones brand new tires and rims to make a quick getaway, either opportunity, they have been making a steady comeback.  The contrast of developing and developed countries like China and the US both having human powered cargo transport is interesting, while the Chinese ride a bike with lack of better options they all yearn to have their own personal vehicle while some Westerners are ditching their cars to receive the health and gas advantages of cargo cycling.

A big deterrent that can throw you out of your cycling routine is the rain.  Well there goes that excuse.  Just be careful of hecklers, this will really give them a reason to yell flat tire or steer you off the road.

via Treehugger

via Designboom

via Sheldon Brown

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