My Bike Life Is Lacking

[LeahFoy]

We moved from beautiful Valencia, CA this summer to less-but-still-beautiful NV. There were paseos that connected everything I loved in Valencia, and I spent many happy miles on my Betty Foy frequenting parks, favorite shopping districts and church. I even had another at-home mom and her 2 kiddos to accompany me. My new home is up on a mountain, and boasts no paseos. There is nothing but homes for miles and miles. It takes 20min to get to the store by car. I'm able to bike to school with my boys, but it is only 0.5 mile one way. Church is on school property, so I can bike that same route 6 days per week, but it isn't enough. I miss bike commuting because I love doing useful things on my bike - I don't like to cruise with no place or plan in mind. I miss having another mom on my adventures. I'm the only mother who bikes with her kids to school. There are almost 1,000 students at school and there is one dad (mountain bike with disc brakes) I see bike with his son most days. One mom I see on her cruiser bike once every blue moon. It's lonely. And I don't think we'll be moving again for several years. I have a beautiful Betty Foy that practically begs to be ridden and I just don't get her out enough. I'm grateful for the school commute, I just gotta figure out where else I can go... I would guess some of you guys had times in your life where you had to live in a less-than-bikey community. How did you deal?

Thanks, Leah

[cyclotourist]

No good answers, although it's great that you're riding the kids to school! That's going to make an impact on them. Maybe they/you can work to start a club and get more kids riding. Develop some sort of a bicycle bus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_bus

20 min by car, but how long by bike, and what sort of a hill? 

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

On Sat, Jan 25, 2014 at 8:05 PM, LeahFoy <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

We moved from beautiful Valencia, CA this summer to less-but-still-beautiful NV. There were paseos that connected everything I loved in Valencia, and I spent many happy miles on my Betty Foy frequenting parks, favorite shopping districts and church. I even had another at-home mom and her 2 kiddos to accompany me. My new home is up on a mountain, and boasts no paseos. There is nothing but homes for miles and miles. It takes 20min to get to the store by car. I'm able to bike to school with my boys, but it is only 0.5 mile one way. Church is on school property, so I can bike that same route 6 days per week, but it isn't enough. I miss bike commuting because I love doing useful things on my bike - I don't like to cruise with no place or plan in mind. I miss having another mom on my adventures. I'm the only mother who bikes with her kids to school. There are almost 1,000 students at school and there is one dad (mountain bike with disc brakes) I see bike with his son most days. One mom I see on her cruiser bike once every blue moon. It's lonely. And I don't think we'll be moving again for several years. I have a beautiful Betty Foy that practically begs to be ridden and I just don't get her out enough. I'm grateful for the school commute, I just gotta figure out where else I can go... I would guess some of you guys had times in your life where you had to live in a less-than-bikey community. How did you deal?

Thanks, Leah

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[LeahFoy]

Bicycle bus - your comment was the second time I've heard it mentioned! The principal has been trying to get parents to create bicycle buses and walk to school - to no avail. We brave the streets when we can and take the sidewalk (legal here) when we can't - which is frequently because everyone drives and the sidewalks are free and clear! I'd love to join up with a bicycle bus. Would be difficult to organize here, but maybe!

The trip into "town" and back would take most of a day on bike. It is smooth sailing downhill, but holy smokes, getting home would be awful. Even if I could manage it, it would be a lot of suffering. Definitely a no-go with kiddos. I would like to get a bike rack for the van and maybe find other venues to cycle in on weekends as a family. We actually did go to Hoover Dam today with the bikes shoved in the back of the van and it was good. But I didn't even dare take a pic for this group - it was too shameful the way that classy Betty was being transported. Hubby's classless Target Special with the crooked handlebars and wobbly rear wheel was rubbing against her something awful. I'd have been banned from the list for Rivendell abuse for sure.

[Addisonwilhite]

As a renoite I must ask where in NV? I love reno. It's an almost hidden gem of a city.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 25, 2014, at 8:05 PM, LeahFoy <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> We moved from beautiful Valencia, CA this summer to less-but-still-beautiful NV. There were paseos that connected everything I loved in Valencia, and I spent many happy miles on my Betty Foy frequenting parks, favorite shopping districts and church. I even had another at-home mom and her 2 kiddos to accompany me. My new home is up on a mountain, and boasts no paseos. There is nothing but homes for miles and miles. It takes 20min to get to the store by car. I'm able to bike to school with my boys, but it is only 0.5 mile one way. Church is on school property, so I can bike that same route 6 days per week, but it isn't enough. I miss bike commuting because I love doing useful things on my bike - I don't like to cruise with no place or plan in mind. I miss having another mom on my adventures. I'm the only mother who bikes with her kids to school. There are almost 1,000 students at school and there is one dad (mountain bike with disc brakes) I see bike with his son most days. One mom I see on her cruiser bike once every blue moon. It's lonely. And I don't think we'll be moving again for several years. I have a beautiful Betty Foy that practically begs to be ridden and I just don't get her out enough. I'm grateful for the school commute, I just gotta figure out where else I can go... I would guess some of you guys had times in your life where you had to live in a less-than-bikey community. How did you deal?
>
> Thanks, Leah
>

[Manuel Acosta]

Leah,

With busy lives and higher priority things to do.

Biking for yourself doesn't come often enough.

Be happy with the little rides, the little things that make riding such a joy.

No ride needs to be epic for it to be memorable sometimes it doesn't even have to be scenic. 

Most of my rides despite how "crazy" they look are pretty mellow sometimes.

Lots of times we stop, take pictures, have lunch, coffee, or just hang out. 

Hope this helps.

Manny

[Michael]

Are there any villages in the mountain, with shopping centers and restaurants there, maybe 10 or less miles away? Or, do you have to go down that mountain for everything? The reason I ask is:

On weekends, one of the things I do, so I have somewhere to ride, is, when we decide to go out as a family to lunch at a restaurant, I leave early on the bike and let the family take the car. I meet them there, and also bike home, while they drive home. Makes it fun to have a place to ride too and from. That's an idea to give you a place to go to ride, unless restaurants are at the bottom of the mountain in town.

Or, since it is a new place, you could just start riding around on the roads near home to see all the new streets and roads.

I agree, sometimes it is more fun to ride when you have a destination to go to, rather than just cruising around.

Here in Maryland, the roads are pretty unrideable this week. Massive overkill of road salt treatments due to the snows we have had. Gonna take some continuous rains to wash it all away and make the roads safe for a Rivendell again. Road salt is bad for bikes.

Also, temps here are in the teens a lot lately. Discouraging.

[Michael Hechmer]

Joe,  I'm glad to hear that you are recovering and riding again.  Didn't I buy the Sequoia my wife has been riding from you?  Maybe a decade or so ago.  She rode it around town until we bought the tandem... since then she mostly wants to ride coupled.

Like you and Leah I live at the bottom of a long hill and at the edge of the Green Mountains.  Pat is vertically challenged and never volunteers  to take on the mountains.  We also live 2-4 miles down a dirt road which is sometimes not very appealing to ride on.

Pat and I love our bike racks.  She especially likes the Saris hitch rack which doesn't require lifting a bike overhead, but we will need to buy a bar attachment to mount the Betty on it.  The tandem goes on a Yakima roof rack which has a swing out arm to ease mounting.  I often drive out to pavement or we drive down into the Champlain Valley to ride or over to some good back roads on Grand Isle. When I was commuting, Pat would drive me to the pavement during mud season.  The Adirondacks, on the other side of Lake Champlain offer more modest grades and great shoulders.

My point is don't get discouraged, just get creative.

I also remember fondly riding with my kids and am looking forward to riding with my grandchildren, now 3 & 1.  It turned out to be a great way to keep communication channels open as they moved through adolescents.  We would ride along chatting.  If the conversation took an adversarial tone we would drift apart on the next hill, come back together and start over in a new place.

As for riding now,... maybe soon.  We are having a warming trend, from minus 22 to minus 5 in just 4 days!

warmth, blessings, and rain for Ca.

Michael

On Sunday, January 26, 2014 6:14:10 AM UTC-5, Joe Bernard wrote:

Last year I moved to the top of a really big hill. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I'm not the strong rider I was 10 years ago (a long story involving less riding as I sank deeper into alcoholism..I'm 10 months sober and slowly getting stronger again), and I was talking myself out of a lot of rides because I didn't want that climb home.

I recently picked up a used electric bike to see how I liked it, and it has increased my time on the bike quite a bit. I still have my Bleriot and several other human-power-only bicycles which I still ride, but now I have the assisted-pedaling power when I want it. Maybe you could get something like that for the 20 mile store rides.

Joe "sometimes a little help is helpful" Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

On Saturday, January 25, 2014 8:05:08 PM UTC-8, LeahFoy wrote:

[ascpgh]

+1 for Manny's words.

I think about that each day these last months in the frozen wonderland I have been commuting. Not a very long trip either way, but it has been interesting at a level different from my fair weather cycling. The wide temperature shifts (+28° to -10°), varied precipitation (grapple, columns, rime, and plain old dendrites) and the surface situations (salt slush, brown snow, white pack, frozen slush, ice...) take my mind away and intrigue me with the sounds made by the advancing wheels and the different ways the stuff sticks to my bike's wheels and eventually discharges whether by centrifugal force, mechanical propulsion (freezing slush pushed through aluminum fenders by the turning studded tire) or the force of a driving headwind from the north. 

If I don't embrace what some might dismiss easily as really awful biking I'd be down to nothing, except my old rollers and the absolutely mind-numbing sessions of self-mortification they bring clearly back to me as a reminder of how much sensation is available to you on any ride, at any time, nearly any place. They motivated my earliest winter riding, late in the night with imperfect preparations and along odd ways to avoid traffic and those evil cylinders of sensory depravation. I'll take a short ride outside anytime.

Andy Cheatham

(7° now, snow coming soon)

Pittsburgh, PA

[Deacon Patrick]

Great job asking hard questions! The school rides sound like a great start.

Cultivate contentment. A funny thing happens when I shift from being frustrated with a situation to being content with the wonders and gifts I have in that situation. I start to see options, ways and means, that had not occurred to me before.

Are there parks in the area? Coffee shops? Bike rack and hit a remote dirt road and explore? Take a wandering ride and explore down the hill a bit. not all the way, but enough to wander. You might be surprised what you discover from a bike that you miss from a car. Read Yehuda Moon and Kickstand Cyclery: http://yehudamoon.com (he has a series on biking to school you'll find all too true and hilarious).

There is abundance all around you, the challenge is to unwrap it even though it looks different that what you would love it to be. Let us know how you get on! Oh, and anything using your Rivendell is not abuse, it's use, so no qualms from me on piling them all in a jumble in the back of your van.

With abandon,

Patrick

[LeahFoy]

You guys have cheered me right up! I told my husband, "Babe, you oughtta like these people even more than I - they've brightened my outlook and spared you from listening to your wife bemoan her bike situation!"

Addison: I live in Henderson. I hear Reno is nice; my husband flies there when he has business with the governor. I think I saw some of your photos from your lovely Reno once, and it truly looks to be a gem!

There aren't villages on the mountain; but a few miles down it there are a few businesses (CVS, Starbucks, Postnet, etc). I've often wondered if I could get back up it on my bike; it's quite steep, but maybe without kids....

Joe: Good job on 10 months! E-bike is a great idea!

Michael H: Bike racks! Brilliant! I'm going to explore that option this week!

Andy from Pgh: my sister and her husband live in Pittsburgh and are looking to relocate to Lawrenceville. They work in downtown law offices and would become bike commuters! (They presently live downtown and walk everywhere.) they have run into a very cool bikes-guy and talked a bit with him about bikes and bike commuting, wonder if it was you? I sent them some Rivendell stuff for Christmas to make their bike commuting easier. If you have anything else to add about commuting in Pgh, please share!

And to all of you who mentioned contentment in all circumstances, you are certainly right. I am so blessed to have my little bike journey with my boys and I am going to engage my senses more and try to savor each trip. It's good to remember that everyone else does not have a perfect bike situation either, but rather they are making the most of what they do have and exercising gratitude on their way. Thanks again!

[IanA]

"Cultivate contentment. A funny thing happens when I shift from being frustrated with a situation to being content with the wonders and gifts I have in that situation."

"There is abundance all around you, the challenge is to unwrap it even though it looks different that what you would love it to be."

Thank you for these words, Patrick.  Wonderful.

Ian A/Canada.

[Philip Williamson]

Maybe some of the Betty awesomeness will rub off on your husband's bike in the car! :^)

I've loved the responses to your post, and the bike bus might be workable. With 1000 students, there must be 1500 parents; if even 1% thought, "Yeah, I could try that," you'd have 15 kids.

And... that would be a great way to identify people around you who might be up for a coffee break by bike. 

These are the two things I would try in your situation:

Initiate the bike bus thing with the school. Be the contact person. Suddenly everyone in school will know you as "the bike lady." 

• Limit your expectations - if you get no one join you, you are still advancing your goal
• Initiate and follow up on conversations about bikes and bike riding. Basically acquaint yourself with anyone who ever rode a bike. 
• A possible outcome: you might make friends a couple miles away, and bike to their house for coffee once a week. 

Go to Starbucks by bike once a week at the same time. Mention this in your bike conversations. I'm certain you can ride back up that hill, but if you have to walk sometimes, walking is good. 

And... three: Download Strava or look at Google Maps and try to figure out a "labyrinth" route in your neighborhood. You can do a long ride in a small area, with a "goal" of riding the labyrinth. You will also go by every house and every street. Even if you don't see people, they'll see you. When I moved to Oregon, my son and I would ride to school every day, and several people struck up a conversation with "oh, I see you riding your kid to school every morning." I'd never seen them, because they were in their houses. So even without the "labyrinth" idea, I think there's something worthwhile in taking the kids for an afternoon ride to make an Etch-a-sketch shape in the neighborhood. That just sounds fun - print out a map, make a shape, follow the shape, enjoy it on Strava (or runkeeper, or Google Tracks, or whatever). You'll be seen riding, your 'rides to nowhere' will have an amusing component, and you'll just be riding. 

Good luck in your new home!

Philip

www.biketinker.com 

Limit your expectations, but you may be able to leverage that visibility into other bike-related relationships. Ideally, you might find another person a couple miles away that you'd like to have coffee with once or twice a week, and you could get there by bike. 

My perspective is totally different - until the last couple years, bike riding was a way for me to get AWAY from people. I'm still completely out of step bike-wise with the people around me, but I enjoy their company. 

Philip

www.biketinker.com

[grrlyrida]

Hi Leah,

With regards to the bike bus, contact Safe Routes to School (SFTS). They have coordinators in your district, information online how to start a bike bus and webinars. I am the bike/bus coordinator for my local elementary school located on a freeway otherwise known as Sunset Blvd. here in LA. Using SRTS online tools and talking with some of their coordinators I was able to get the school to join the national walk to school day. Because it hadn't happened before we had over 30 parents and children come out on a cloudy day that every feared would bring more rain. A councilman and the city attorney walked with the students, along the director of SoCal SRTS. The comment I heard most from the children was, "Can we do this everyday." Some parents even parked and walked. 

It seems like a daunting task to organize a bike bus but like you've learned from the other posters on your thread--you're not alone! I too am organizing a bike to school ride on the national bike to school day in May. Join me through SRTS.

On Saturday, January 25, 2014 8:05:08 PM UTC-8, LeahFoy wrote:

[Michael]

What's a "bike bus" and are there Rivendells involved?

[Manuel Acosta]

Leah, 

Yo know that saying pictures proved.. yada..blah blah blah.

Banned from abuse of your Rivendell? 

If I haven't gotten banned yet. You should be fine.

Manny

On Sunday, January 26, 2014 8:11:00 AM UTC-8, LeahFoy wrote:

[Liesl]

Leah, walking a bike up a hill is just fine.  Holy moly, you should've seen me huffing and puffing pushing the loaner Hunq up the foothills of Mt Diablo when I went on the Riv S24O last spring.  At first I felt embarressed because I couldn't even use any excuses like I'm a woman in my 50's because there was Anne moving along spritely.  But then I moved into a different headspace.  Perhaps Grant or Deacon Patrick was whispering in my ear:  all rides are an opportunity; make up the rules so that you win; just ride... and I found myself thinking, "Wow!  I can do this!  It doesn't matter if I walk up a hill or through a really tricky part!  It's fun and hard work!"  Plus everyone on the ride was so great at stopping at the top of a hill to chat, take pictures, drink water, talk about the route, whatever and oh by the way stay until I made it.

I'm also like you in that I like to ride with a place in mind.  But I've also found that going out wandering in a new place is fantastic.  I have a Bike Friday that goes with me on work trips or vacations and I relish just going out on it and seeing what I find.  Doesn't need to be far.  You might also enjoy putting a hammock or a tiny camp chair on your Betty along with some project you like (a book, knitting, carving, watercolors...) and have that be your mission; skip the camp chair and do it at a coffee shop.  Makes a short ride really fun.

best of luck and oh by the way I love this listserv

RCW

[Ron Mc]

Grant said it, and my all-time favorite quote - "You can be a biathlete."  

[Joe Bernard]

You make an excellent point, Liesl. I was riding my Bleriot up the last/steepest part home the other day, and suddenly looked down and noticed something: "I'm wearing running shoes!" The walk was nice :)

[Jim Bronson]

I walked my bike up a hill in the last 200K I did.  About 5 miles from the end there is an absolute wall of a hill on Barton Creek Blvd.  Well I too was wearing normal shoes so I got off and walked.  It was great!  No guilt here!  I think the rules of brevets state that your cycle just has to be human powered, and it was.  Once I got to the top of the hill I mounted my bike and rode the last 5 miles.

I think I'm going to make a personal resolution to walk up any hill with a grade over 15%.  Or should I say 12% ;)

-Jim

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[LeahFoy]

Well, today I set out on the school commute with fresh hopes and clear mind. Today was Lincoln's big debut of riding his 16 inch Specialized Hotrock bike solo. (He is usually hooked onto me via Trail-a-Bike.) I meant to appreciate the sensory experience, but I appreciated that none of us became road kill, instead!

Ha!
Leah

[Deacon Patrick]

Excellent point on LCGing it (lowest common gear), Liesl, though I say so without intending the odd praising of myself roundabout through you. Sardonic grin. I anticipate I'll have a LOT of LCG on my various winter camping bikepacking trip that start in a few weeks. Yowza you needs a lot of stuff to be geared up for -30˚F!

With abandon,

Patrick

[Joan Oppel]

Leah - I really sympathize with the total change your move has made in your biking locale and routine.  I almost hesitate to write the following - because it's sort of against the use the bike for as much as possible philosophy.  I also should point out that I'm lucky to live in a place where I can do almost any thing by bike from my house.  Ok, all that said, here's what I suggest: put the bike on your car and drive to some place to ride.  Heresy, I know.  But at least you would be getting out to ride!  Can you park your car somewhere that would allow you to do errands, grocery shopping, etc by bike and return to the car?  Using the car for only part of the trip is still good, in my opinion.  I know people who, for whatever reason, just live to far from work to bike the whole way so they drive part of the way, park and then ride.  

It's still biking and better than notbiking!

Joan 

[dougP]

Manny, your bike has so much beausage you could go into the "beausage business".  Grin, recalling the ever-flapping bar tape.

dougP

[Leah Peterson]

Joan, you've just hit in my current plan! Ha! I'm looking at what kind of bike rack my Honda Oddysey (no hitch) would take. I'll be perusing Craigslist in the near future! Yay! Thanks for a judge in the right direction.

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[Liesl]

Right on! say I to putting your bike on a rack, driving somewhere, and then riding (and occasionally pushing if needed).

[Deacon Patrick]

That sounds like most all my rides longer than 8 miles! With the highway we have here it's jut too noisy for my daft brain to handle, so on the van me Hunqa goes. I just wish I could drive so I wasn't such a pain for my wife, though she says that on the lesser side of the pain that I am. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Joe Bernard]

Leah, can you put the bike inside the van, or is there too much kids/stuff in there?

[Leah Peterson]

I can if it's just me and the kids. Disaster if husband comes. Why?

Sent from my iPhone

[Joe Bernard]

I was just wondering about ease/quickness of carrying. I had a big SUV once upon a time, and loved how easy it was to toss the bike in the back and drive to the park.

[Michael Hechmer]

Putting a bike on a hitch rack is usually easier than putting it inside a vehicle, unless you have a big cargo van without back seats.  Just lift the bike onto the rack & latch the straps.  You don't need to rearrange anything, worry about the bike shifting, or whether two bikes will collide.  Many models come with built in locks to use when needed.

Michael

[ascpgh]

Leah:

I can't vouch for chatting up your sister and husband about biking here, I do it a lot. It's just a great place to be able to live, work, and ride all the places you need if you have the inclination.

I just love riding around the places I don't get to see on my commute, like the Strip District and downtown. I work in upper Lawrenceville and live east of there, but have lots of ways to and from town I enjoy. A new Green Boulevard is under way along the Allegheny River extending from Downtown, beyond Lawrenceville to the Highland Park Zoo, I live on the high ground above there. It is possible to actually commute in a more timely manner by bike in many situations here. Even this winter (-5°F this morning), I still look forward to hopping on my bike to head out to work and riding home. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[Bruce Herbitter]

I used to feel this way, but recently picked up a "Chain Johnny" which
velcro attaches around your drivetrain and lets you put the bike in the
basc seat without grease worries. You still have to take the front wheel
off, but it works nicely and is secure storage.

http://brandscycle.com/product/white-lightning-the-chain-johnny-173608-1.htm?gclid=CNCKmq35oLwCFUFo7Aod_mQA6g

[Minh]

have you looked at adding a hitch to the odyssey, a fold-away hitch rack sounds like the best solution.  

[Leah Peterson]

Today I'm planning to find a bike store and see how much $ and how difficult that will be. There's a gazillion racks on craigslist, but I don't know which is compatible. I'll let you guys know.

Also, on bikehenderson.org I found a bicycle scavenger hunt and the annual Stroll n Roll that we can bring our family's bikes to. Things are looking up around here, People!

Sent from my iPhone

[Shoji Takahashi]

In case you missed it: there's a section on the bike Henderson site with trail maps-- maybe you're closer to bicycle trails than you realize?

http://cityofhenderson.com/public_works/bicycle/maps_trails.php

[Minh]

I know that adding a hitch will add to the cost, here are a few hitch options, http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-2010_Honda_Odyssey.htm

then there's the cost of installing the hitch and then buying the hitch rack itself.  i believe uhaul places sell/install hitches too.

But the hitch bike-rack is something you can find on craigslist for a discount.  

The though of having to take a trunk rack on/off, and having it limit access to the trunk, especially on a mini-van, i think a hitch is the way to go.

On Tuesday, January 28, 2014 11:17:28 AM UTC-5, LeahFoy wrote:

[Tim Gavin]

I have used a cheapo trunk strap-on rack on my ex's 2004 Honda Odyssey.  Like this one:  http://amzn.to/1jEx4ZI

Six straps at the top, bottom, and sides of the hatch.  A bit of a pain to install, but easy to take on and off once you get the strap lengths figured out.  

The big advantage of this kind of rack is that you can open the hatch with it mounted (take the bikes off first).  Don't do this in the garage, though.

The disadvantage is that it's held on by strap tension, and the buckles aren't that great.  Recommended for short trips, maybe not for extended freeway.  Definitely not over bumpy off-road.  A hitch rack will be more secure, but more money. 

We also had a hitch mounted on that Odyssey.  U-haul was actually the cheapest; they should have a hitch in stock.

Tim

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[Anne Paulson]

Our family's one car is a Honda Odyssey, the same car Leah has. We
bought it because at the time my son and used a tandem for our
transportation. We could just pick up the tandem and roll it into the
car, without removing wheels or anything of that sort.

It is much, much easier to put a bike in a Honda Odyssey than to put
it on a rack (provided the third row of seats are folded down, which
can be done in 30 seconds). You just pick up the bike and put it in
the car. If the Honda Odyssey is transporting four or fewer people and
therefore only needs two rows of seats, putting the bike in the car is
trivial. If the rear seats are still up, then it becomes more of a
nuisance.

-- Anne Paulson

It isn't a contest. Enjoy the ride.

[Leah Peterson]

Guess who got a new hitch on her van?!?!? MEEEEEEE!!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

You don't mess around!

You have some options for used: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/search/bia?zoomToPosting=&catAbb=bia&query=hitch&minAsk=&maxAsk=&srchType=T&excats= 

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/4304905024.html

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/4281666202.html

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/4218711981.html

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/4296984580.html

[Leah Peterson]

You don't mess around, either! I looked at all the links you bird dogged for me (THANKS) and am trying to figure out what style rack is best.

I stopped at The Broken Spoke bike shop and they had a Hollywood brand tray-style rack that would take three bikes. Price was $175. 

Who wants to chime in and tell me what to get? My Betty does have fenders and the Big Nitto rack with the large Wald in front. I like the tray-style, but am still very ignorant of the options...

Sent from my iPhone

[Tim Gavin]

The tray style always seems the most secure, and puts less stress on the paint.  However, some tray ones have an arm that clamps the wheel, which doesn't work well with fenders.  

The one Cyclotourist linked (the last one) clamps on the frame instead.  You'd want to pad that contact point to prevent scratches.  And you'd have to ensure that the clamp would work fine on Betty's step-through frame (it probably will). 

But that's the style I'd get, or the Holywood you mentioned.  I have my eyes open for a tray rack in my area (Iowa), but my pickup bed works fine for now.

Tim

[cyclotourist]

Always happy to assist someone with Craigslist!

The tray ones are REALLY big. They take up a lot more space and protrude a lot further than the hanging kind. They may also take a 2" receiver vs. the 1.25" the hanging ones have. Many people don't like the hanging kind as the bikes can bump into each and swap paint. It's something you just have to be aware of and compensate for (use padding). With a Betty and many kid bikes, you'll also need an adapter to hang the bike. An extra expense you need to be prepared for. I have the hanging kind for four bikes and it take a bit of practice to get four disparate bikes on their (29er, Glorius, 24" MTB, Piccolo) but can be done and carries them fine.

So just like with all things biking (seats, tires, stem length, frame size) there is a learning curve and you probably won't nail it the first time. So if you can buy a good one used and see how it meets your needs. You can re-sell it w/out losing too much $$$ in the process and in the process figure out what works and doesn't.

BTW, there are these good people that are a resource as well: http://www.mountainbikelasvegas.com/ Don't be afraid to get Betty dirty!!!

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[Leah Peterson]

Well, no one will accuse me of being patient. I have a hitch on the van and a rack in a box, ready for installation. I'm going back to CA for the first time since moving, and we are taking the bikes. In a mad rush, I started the research and pressured U-Haul into hitching me up. The first LBS I hit quoted me the price of their Hollywood tray rack. After looking at Cyclotourist's Craigslist links, I realized that the bike shop was giving me a smoking deal. Turns out they misquoted me, but they decided it was their mistake and  I'm the proud new owner of a $250 rack - that cost me $175! (I would have never held them to it; it was their idea.)

It is a 2 biker, but I decided the van will have room for the two boys' bikes and we really just need his and mine mounted. At this price, I can sell it without guilt if we need the 4 bike rack. It gets nice reviews on Amazon. 

http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Racks-HR1000-Platform-Receiver/dp/B000QJ8C3W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Tomorrow will find me out in the garage, trying to locate and figure out how to use tools. Because, well, impatient...

Seriously, thanks to everyone; you made this a lot of fun and very motivating. One might say it's YOUR fault I'm $400 poorer!

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[cyclotourist]

Adventure awaits!

[Pondero]

This consistent conquering of obstacles is pure inspiration.

[Minh]

ha! $400 will be money well spent if it means you can drive the bike to the bottom of the hill, use it to run errands or take a ride everyday, it will be pennies per use in no time.  i'm stuck in the middle of winter and have not been on the bike in a few weeks, cranky for sure!

[Joe Bernard]

Wow..that's some impressive "ask a question, get answers and pick one" progress. And now, fun with tools!

 

Joe Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

[dougP]

This group lives to encourage bicycle adventures.  Great example of collective wisdom.

dougP

[Steven Frederick]

My preference is to put my bike(s) inside the vehicle as well, to the extent that I look for vehicles with that capability when I buy them. 

[Ron Mc]

For any who own pickup trucks, this is a killer and inexpensive option - SoftRide tailgate pad

  

it will easily fit four bikes across the back of the truck

$90 online.  

trucks are great - you can load them up with kayaks, too

[Montclair BobbyB]

+1 on trailer hitch... I use mine all the time, whether for bike rack, cargo platform, cargo trailer, etc... They just make sense, and I think every car should have one.

But I swear... my NEXT car is gonna be a pick-m-up truck for sure!!!  For now, I've got the next best thing; a Honda Element (which can haul all kinds of stuff inside, plus my trailer hitch)

Actually for folks who only need to haul 1 or 2 bikes on a hitch, I'd strongly recommend the Kuat Beta rack.  It weighs about 12 lbs (which is super light), folds up smaller than other racks I've seen, and it has wobble-free adjusters to keep the bikes from boppin around... Nicest rack I've owned.  BEST of all, if fits my Honda GoldWing... so I can actually haul a bike on my motorcycle (yes, it does work)... 

Good luck Leah... I wish I had your weather!!!

[cyclotourist]

Didn't know Kuat was diversifying from selling star destroyers and TIEs. 

Good for them!

Cheers,
David

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[Leah Peterson]

Wow, Montclairbobbyb. If money was no object THAT is the company I'd get it from! I just looked them up. The NV rack would be perfect. In fact, I'm remembering this for when I need the 4 bike system. I think I have to have it!

I began assembly with the crumby instruction manual yesterday. I didn't get very far - my concentration was constantly broken as my small son was "helping." He gave up on that rather quickly, found his skateboard and threatened to be smote by passing cars as he gleefully zoomed down our steep driveway and into the street. The time came to get my older son from school and then the time was gone. My husband promises to give me a hand tonight; your prayers would not be wasted on us - this is the man who believes in "good enough" concerning assembly of stuff. Then there is this famous line of his: "Babe! The instructions say it will take 25 steps, but I did it in 18! And look! I even have parts left over!"

Sent from my iPhone

[Leslie]

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 9:34:43 AM UTC-5, cyclot...@gmail.com wrote:

Didn't know Kuat was diversifying from selling star destroyers and TIEs. 

Good for them!

ROTFL!!!       There's a particular Firespray that I'd like to have.....   



-L
 

[Liesl]

+1 on the Honda Element as a rockin' bike mobile

[Steven Frederick]

It veers off topic, but I'm in the market for a new bike hauler and the revised/2014 Ford Transit Connect is the top contender.  The van version has tons of room for bikes and gear in the back, drives like a Focus, and gets around 30mpg hwy.

http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/transitconnect-commercial/

On Thu, Jan 30, 2014 at 11:28 AM, Liesl <li...@smm.org> wrote:

+1 on the Honda Element as a rockin' bike mobile

--

[Montclair BobbyB]

Make no mistake, David... Nothing in the Galaxy comes close to the Beta... It was worth the 3 month wait... 

BB

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 9:34:43 AM UTC-5, cyclot...@gmail.com wrote:

[Montclair BobbyB]

Actually this is all about bike transport... and vehicles like the Transit do play a critical role... I hope Ford doesn't fuddle with it too much... longer wheelbase, yes, more power, yes... more mass-appeal and trim options?... uh uh...I hope not.  Leave that 'commercial/utility' look alone, I say...   

[Steven Frederick]

The new one looks a bit sleeker and runs on and updated (Focus) chassis, but has plenty of space for bikes and camping gear...

"The long-wheelbase van features 130.6 cu. ft. of cargo space and can accommodate items up to seven feet long, five feet wide and nearly four feet tall."

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

I'm partial to Corellian products. Some may consider them antiquated or "pieces of junk," but just like Rivendells, they are thoughtfully designed and infintely uprgradeable. 

[Leah Peterson]

First bike haul was a SUCCESS!

[cyclot...@gmail.com]

And you brought the Hotrock along for good measure!

[Leah Peterson]

That one is my 7 year old's; there are two little-man bikes (one Hotrock and one Trek tag-along) in the trunk as well for my 5 year old. :)

Sent from my iPhone

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[Ron Mc]

can't argue with success !!!