Giving Tuesday 2017

It's overwhelming this year.

It always is, but the ravages of climate-change and rise in human volatility have made things seem especially dire. It's pretty easy to stay overwhelmed in our own little bubbles. I'm thankful for days like Giving Tuesday to pull us out of ourselves.

I rode the bike to work this morning - something I haven't done nearly enough lately. I was pedaling along thinking of where I could make a contribution this year. For some reason, the bicycle came to mind. So many virtues in just shutting up and pedaling (Thanks, Bob!). I thought of my two favorite American bicycle organizations, People for Bikes and the League of American Bicyclists. Both would be good places for a donation to make our country a better and safer place to bike. It's funny, we are such a wealthy country and there are bikes everywhere, but very few are actually ridden. We have the means but not the motivation.

So the brain wandered off to organizations that seek out those with the motivation but no means. And that led me to World Bicycle Relief.

World Bicycle Relief

 

It's true! (Find it here.)

 

 Then I rode past one of our local parks. The Canadian Geese are starting to arrive. I also saw four cowbirds and a snowy egret. The next choice was easy:

The South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

 

I love the SPWRC and its mission. (By the way, you can check the place out this Saturday at their Holiday Open House.) Here is what they do:

 

 

Okay, those are my picks for this year's Giving Tuesday. What are yours?

 

May we all find and support ways to make life better for others!

Cyber Monday 2017 Ebikes and Kits - Last Chance and Latecomers

Nope, I've never posted about the Fantic Bikes (did not know they had electric bikes until today) or LEED bike kits (but I have read great things posted by their customers).

 

And then there's the RadWagon that I may have posted about 20 or 30 times...

 

Loving the Fantic Seven Days frame

(even if I'm not a big fan of super-fat tires and I can't afford Italian two-wheelers)

The Fantic Website

 

LEED USA Bike Kits

I'll be glad when this sale is over

(so my RadWagon temptation will greatly diminish!)

 

May you find something that'll get you riding gas-free, snagit!

Celebrating Black (Dog) Friday 2017

We did it right this year. My lovely wife and I celebrated Black Friday by loading up the three dogs and heading to our favorite Texas canyon to hike some trails and hang out with the buffalo.

Mattie, Kylie, and the canyon

You couldn't ask for a better Black Dog Friday!

(Even Maya, the backpack Chihuahua, thought so.)

We only had to wait in one line!

Just a buffalo under the moon...

May you also be gifted with such great company and beautiful days!

PS. Love you, Spray!

Even More 2017 Ebikes (Kits) on Holiday Sale - Copenhagen Wheel and E-BikeKit

[Alternative Title: Free Pants from Superpedestrian!]

 

Two more e-bike companies have offered up holiday deals, so I figured I'd share them with you:

 

Copenhagen Wheel

 

Wheel start with the Copenhagen We'll. The deal is this - buy a Copenhagen Wheel at full price and they'll attach that wheel to a kilt, pair of skinny jeans, or a pair of trousers. That's a $500 savings. (No, they're not actual articles of clothing intended to cover your privates - they are bikes named after articles of clothing intended to cover your privates.) The trick to getting your free bike is in the first line of the following image:

 

Everyone needs a button that says Buy the Trousers.

 

My Christmas wish - for Superpedestrian to offer this bike as the Whitey Tightey!

 

E-BikeKit

E-BikeKit's fun whiteboard video - "Slap this puppy on!"

 

Luckily for them (and you, Dear Reader), it's gonna be much harder to poke fun (throw shade?) at E-BikeKit. If you're not familiar with them, they are a well-respected vendor of (you guessed it) e-bike kits, and are known for great support through the whole process. They are not known for being cheap, but they are known for delivering a very dependable product. And, they have everything on sale for 25% off. Again, check the image below for the trick to getting your savings.

 

That's it for today. May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and may we create a healthier world (and even more to be thankful for.)

More 2017 Ebikes on Holiday Sale - RadPower (Minipost)

Yep, the Radwagon of my dreams (and the whole 2017 Rad lineup) is on sale.

 

Rad Power has done some upgrades and redesigns on all of their bikes, so they're discounting the 2017s to make room for the new stuff. Most of the upgrades are small, but the Radwagon gets a new aluminum frame and the RadCity is now available as a step-through.)

 

Below are the sale details:

 

Woohoo!

The new Radwagon in town

 

The Old Model - $300 discount!

(I like the looks of the old one better.)

 

 

The other big news at Rad Power - the RadCity Step-Thru!

(On the right)

 

Yep, these are some tempting prices on very solid bikes from a vendor with a very good reputation. And (if you live in the contiguous 48 or Canada) you get free shipping!

 

Sigh...

 

If you've been looking for a good deal on a ready-built e-bike (especially an e-cargo-bike), now's the time!

 

May the e-bike of your dreams cure your gas-powered headaches!

EICMA Electric Motorcycles and Scooters (minipost)

Yep, this one is a lazy post, but Grizz, the Canadian Knievel, and I have been perusing this New Atlas post with lots of lovely bikes from the 2017 EICMA (Italian International Motorcycle Expo) show. I was so excited that I thought I'd pick out the electric models to share with all of you. I also tried to find relevant manufacturer website links to help you learn more about the ones that tickle your fancy. Enjoy!

My favorite in this lineup - the e-Schwalbe (Germany)

Energica Esse Esse (Italy)

Energica bikes get more and more appealing to me, and this model is the most appealing so far. And yes, they sell Energicas here in the US. Check out this site to learn more.

Evolve Electric (Not much luck finding their site)

The KTM FreeRide E-XC (Available in the US!)

Kumpan electric Model 1954 (Canada)

Niu N1S Smart eScooter (China)

Torrot Velocipedo (Spain)

Vespa Elettrica (Finally!)

Volta BCN City (Italy)

Volta BCN Sport/Forest

Vuuk Rieju (Had trouble finding anything on this one - Spain)

Lots of fun stuff in there - and they don't burn fossil fuels! Woohoo!

May you be inspired to make greener choices!

Fossil Free Friday: Black Friday 2017 eBike and Cargo Bike Deals (so far)

The old conundrum - don't like Black Friday but want to encourage people to try low-carbon ways to get around. So here goes:

 

The Juiced OceanCurrent is a bike that's been growing on me lately - a lot of bike for the money, here's a chance to get it for a little less.

 

Juiced Bikes Black Friday Deals

 

 Evelo is back at it with the sliding scale discount, and now they have some cool new bikes added to the line-up - I really like the Delta and the Galaxy TT.

A few of the Evelo offerings

Details for the Evelo Black Friday sale

The only cargo bike holiday sale that I've found is from Yuba Bikes. They have a pretty healthy sale on their front-loading Supermarché. Check it out!

 



The Yuba Supermarché Holiday Special

 

Okay, that's it so far. I'll keep you posted as new sales pop up.

 

May you find a great deal on a cleaner, healthier, less expensive way to get around.

Saturday Morning Ramble: Setting an Example

Who's watching you?

From this morning's walk

 

No, this is not one of those Snowden CIA FBI Homeland Security paranoia questions.

It's a question for you in your everyday life. Who around you is watching what you do? A more important question, though, is what are they learning from watching you?

One of the most important people in my life is an nine-year-old with autism. And he is brilliant, but being nine and autistic means he has a 100 mile per hour brain traveling in six lanes and in five different directions. At that speed, you tend to miss a lot. Subtlety escapes him.

I have had to learn that reassuring looks and gestures mean very little. I have to (very literally) have him look me in the eye and then reassure him with words - at least twice. And if I want to be a good influence, I have to explain my actions.

I am one of the primary influences in his life. It is one of the hardest roles I've ever tried. He keeps me mindful.

But that's not what I wanted to write about today. This is the Mesquite Hugger blog. It's not the Big Brother blog. (It's also not the Big Brother Is Watching You blog.)

Who around you is watching what you do?
What are they learning from watching you?
What do you want them to learn from watching you?

I want them to learn to treat others well - all others. Whether it's interpersonal, professional, or even environmental, I hope to set an example of working to make life better for people, for places, for wildlife.

If you're still reading this, you are probably here because you would like to make the world a better place too (or you're waiting to see if this turns into another electric cargo bike post.)

As you roll through your day, please pay attention to how you're living, how you're treating others, how you're working to get by and how you're working to improve, and who sees you as an example.

What actions do you want to be caught doing?

May your actions make the world a better place and inspire others to do the same.

Fossil Free Fiday: Are you ready to Rumble?!! (Electric scooter-ish)

Before we get started, please remember that I am the guy who likes ugly machines. My dream list reads like a nightmare for most: the Citicar, the Econoline pickup, the Kewet, the Leaf, the 'Lectric Leopard, the Spira, the Boxx, the Corvair, the Kurbwatt, the Otis, the MiEV... Yep, the list goes on and on. So, it's pretty surprising when I look at an oddball machine and think, Oooh, that thing's not so pretty. When I first glanced the Rumble in a Derek Markham article, I was none too excited. I didn't even click on the article. Not at first, anyway.



 

The Rumble e-Bike

 

But my curiosity got the better of me, so I went back to check it out. And it started to grow on me a little. It grew on me a lot more when I started scoping out the specs:

 

 

As a matter of fact, I've been watching for this combination of speed, range, and price for a while now. And I've always been intrigued by hub-centered steering. And I really like café racers. Yep, the oddball started looking pretty darned good, especially when compared with the other electric two-wheelers available in the states.

 

Go the website and wait - you'll see the video of the Rumble in action.

 

The crew responsible for the Rumble 

Up to a dime to charge it? I could handle that.

 

Rumble Competitors?

 

The GenZe 2.0

 

I recently test rode a GenZe and I loved it, but at $3000, 30mph, and 30 miles of range, I just don't see it being a good solution for suburbanites like me. (I really liked that big trunk!)

The Super Soco (not available here)

 

If we could get the Super Soco in the States, it would be a similar story - $3000/30/30.

 

Well, I guess that's it for today. How about you? Are you ready to Rumble? It looks like the wait time is about a month. If you order one now, you might just get it in time for Christmas. Hmm. Grizz just got a Santa suit. I can sure see him and all the elves Rumbling around delivering toys.

 

Whatever it is, may your ride get you around cleanly, greenly, and grinly!

 

PS. Just for grins I had to throw in one two more two wheelers for comparison. :-)

 

Two Radwagons Shipped (US 48) for $2998