Haul Stuff on Bike: DIY Upcycled Panniers (saddlebags, y'all)

Now, If I just had a bike rack...

Well, I did not win the $500 gift card for a Radwagon this week. (Then there's that cheap/broke thing.) On the same note: Xtracycle Leap - sigh, Yuba Mundo - sigh. My cargobike dreams have been including GeoOrbital Wheels lately too. Sigh.

So, I have been back to the poor-boy-DIY-haul-stuff-on-a-bike kick again. Motoby and Bridget both have rear racks, but I have still been backpacking it.

It was time for the next step - panniers.

{If you are from West Texas, you pronounce that word "pan-e-uhrs". If you are Knippa, you pronounce that word "pan-yays". (Knippa is from West Texas too, but he has been to France and sometimes sticks his pinkie out while drinking and critiquing coffee. [I am a little bitter with Knippa - he keeps sending me picks of the scooter rally he is attending this weekend.]:-)}

The adventure started a few weeks ago with:

1. a trippy Instructables-inspired dream
2. a trip to the Goodwill Pound Store for a few bags (pay by the pound)
3. a trip to the hardware store
4. a trip to the garage for a drill, a knife, a hammer, a marker, a screwdriver, and a wrench

Now I have two pan-yays, one from a messenger bag (low volume) and one from a sports bag (medium volume). I have less than $20 in both and each took about 30 minutes. I think I may have found my calling:

Mesquite Hugger's Home for Wayward Pan-yays!

Maybe next I'll go high volume with some kitty litter boxes!

May you haul a lot of good stuff and not drive your stinky, polluting car!

14 Random Pics, Updates, and a Mockingbird Serenade

 

 

1. This morning's sunrise - all taken on Salem Avenue on my morning bike commute. (Good ride!)
2. Table display from last night's Heart of Lubbock Community Garden Fundraiser (Much fun - donate!)
3. AJ article from Tuesday about Texas Agrilife's Russ Wallace and his amazing strawberry operation. (Be watching for the Strawberry Edition of the Lubbock Downtown Farmers' Market in the next few weeks.)
4. A blurry pic of our first tomato flower from the new MH Instructable planter.
5. Life springing (from what we thought were) dead prickly pear fragments on our back porch
6. Knippa rocking some cool shades from our epic adventure to the Goodwill Pound Store to get messenger bags for my bicycle pannier project.
7. What's left of my grandfather's armadillo sign (I have loved that sign for years)
8. The geckos are growing (in the compost box)
9. Things are getting cheap at the Sun Adventure Going-out-of-Business sale. It stinks that they are closing, but it is a great time for you to get ready to ride this spring and summer. Do yourself a favor - ride a bike as often as possible.
10. Lost and Found Goat on Lubbock Nextdoor this week
11. Feeling all legit with my new upcycled business cards!
12. West Texas Cycling Association bumper sticker spotted in the Covenant parking garage.
13. This giant soccer ball brought mirth to my Monday morning ride.
14. Little purple flowers from Saturday's Yellowhouse Coffee stroll. 

We have been blessed with lots of mockingbirds this season. This one made my day.

 

May your photos reflect growth, joy, progress, hope, and may they help you to recognize your blessings.

Lubbock on a Bike: Bridget Hauls Stuff

Last week was a good one for biking. Summer weather in February? Yep, we had it. Terrifyfing on the climate hand, but really great bike weather on the other. I pulled off an ultra-rare fivefecta - I commuted on a bike to work all five days! Four days on the regular bike and one day on electric Bridget. I also rode Bridget for two errands on Saturday. Low-budget Personal Carbon Reduction transportation indeed! 

 

8 gallons of water! (It was a wobbly ride!)

64lb payload and no kickstand!

 

A few more upgrades and the workhorse will be complete - panniers and a kickstand need to be found or built, and the lower-power controller is in the mail.

 

Who needs an electric pickup? Or a Leaf? Or even an old Prius? (Admittedly, I'd take any of them, but I'd still ride the bike as much as possible.)

 

The moral of this story? Yes, carbon neutral on a budget is very possible for an obese middle-aged guy with high blood pressure.

 

May you find your carbon neutral steed(s) and have as much fun as I am having!

Lubbock on a Bike: A Tiny Personal Milestone Reached

It's been a good week to be on a bike. I rode the regular bike to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I rode Bridget, the electric bike pack mule, yesterday. I rode the regular bike today. That gives me a full week of non-petroleum-based work commuting. WOOHOO!!!

Yep, it's the carbon-neutral-transport-for-poor-boys plan. It's also the lose-weight-and-lower-your-blood-pressure-for-obese-middle-aged-guys plan. Maybe it's the save-money-for-eco-simpletons plan.

Any way you go about it, it's a big step in my quest for Personal Carbon Reduction. Am I single-handedly saving the world? Absolutely not. It's barely a scratch, but that old saying about the journey of a thousand miles...

 

 

So come with me. Jump on a bike. Take a walk. Recycle. Conserve water. Plant a small garden. Replace an old bulb with an LED. Join the CCL. Keep your body and your mind moving in better directions. Find a milestone and reach for it. Then find another.

May you get better and better with each single step (and have a great weekend!)

Lubbock on a Bike, a double re-think and a blog recommendation

I am taking a little bit of a break in my bike commute. It's a seasonal thing - but not a weather thing. While I love the reason for the season, I fear the reality of the season. (It's also a location thing.)

You see, I work across the street from the local mall. Ours is a "town" of a quarter-million people and the mall serves a population of more than a half-million when you look at the overall region. The mall is a magnet. As Christmas gets closer, the magnet gets more powerful and the drivers become more erratic, distracted, and dangerous. Consumerism at its most glorious! The anger, the light running, the honking, the middle-finger salutes, the wrecks, the sirens - all the signs are there. And there is no realistic way to avoid the mall in my commute. Our town is a less-than-bicycle-friendly place in the best of times, so I am laying off the ride to work for the duration of December. I still plan to ride to run errands and such, but the work commute (past the mall) is off the table.

I do, however, plan to come back with a vengeance in January. Details to follow in another post.

So, let's talk about the double re-think.

It's been coming for a little while and it's coming from many directions.

Cars
The money we are saving by driving old cars is wearing on me. I have recently had to put a throw-out bearing in my wife's truck. I had to fix the plastic underskirts of my wife's grandmother's hybrid. The daughter's headlights have quit working because the ballast went out. (Headlight ballasts? WTH!) And I need to replace the engine in my poor Lucy. My body is sore and my spirit is oh so weary. I am a desk jockey and that kind a mechanicking is a stretch.

And I have come to loathe things that burn gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products. And my spirit is oh so weary of it.

Bicycles
While Lubbock may not like cyclists, this cyclist really enjoys his time riding in Lubbock. Every trip is an accomplishment. I am healthier. The world is healthier. And my spirit is slightly less weary.

Buses
My recent bus rides have actually been pretty pleasant and stress free - not bad for a handful of quarters.

My brain has begun to look like a much more jumbled version of this:

 

While all of this has been rattling around in my brain, I have found another Yes Man to influence my thinking. (A Yes Man for me is someone whose crazy thoughts are very like my own and will therefore encourage me to pursue a path I already wanted to pursue.)

 

Yes Man

Bob Sharpe is a blogger. (I like him already.) Bob Sharpe is a bicycle commuter. He is also not a young studly spandex model (at least that's my impression from reading Bike 5, Bob's blog). Bob's blog's subtitle is For trips of five miles or less, bikes are best! By the way, it is 4.9 miles from my house to my office. Can you see why I've adopted Bob as a Yes Man?

 

 

So here's my hypocritical double re-think. I am giving up my bike commute for the month. And I am committing to more commitment to riding. I am also jumping on Bob's Multimodal train (figuratively speaking - we don't have any passenger trains around here).

 

In case you too are looking for a Yes Man because you like bikes or you're cheap or you just want to humor the ol' Mesquite Hugger, here are a few Bike 5 posts I recommend.

 

What's the Real Deal, Bob?

 

If You're Not Cycling, You're Cheating Yourself

 

How to Pay Next to Nothing for Your Next Home

 

Bike 5's Position Statement on eBikes

 

Transportation and Health Tool Tags Cycling's Most Dangerous Places (included because the town where I grew up is mentioned)



 

So, get out there and ride something healthier than a car. And go find someone with healthy ideas that inspire you. And pay attention to what's happening in Paris this week. May you be healthy, joyful, and safe. 

Lubbock on a Bike: Winter Materialism

The ride to work definitely had Jack Frost nipping at my nose, my wrists, and one ear this morning.

Winter crept back in. I should have known it when my clock fell back. It's dark when I leave for coffee. It's somewhat dark when I leave for work. And holiday traffic is picking up.

My ride to work was cold this morning. The loose fleece jacket and the mechanic's gloves were just not fighting the cold. And my right ear was complaining too.

So, this guy who has been working more at wanting less stuff is wanting a lot of stuff.

I want winter bike commuting gear.

I want to be seen. I want to be warm. I want to arrive at work relatively clean and dry. I don't want to add lots of extra time getting ready to ride. While I'm thinking of it, I also want the bike to have more cargo capacity. (I don't want much.)

Let's start with the first two.

There's a movement in the biking world that says cyclists don't need more safety gear, that we should stubbornly fight for better bike lanes and more respect from car drivers, that we should not be forced to wear helmets and bright colors just because a few car drivers are morons inattentive. And that all sounds pretty good in theory.

On the other hand, there is Newton's Second Law of Motion; you know, that's the one about mass and force and acceleration. In Mesquite Hugger terms, the bigger and faster a thing is, the more that thing is gonna hurt when it hits you. I don't care so much what the law is and how much my rights as a cyclist are being squelched; I care about being seen as much as possible and about protection when I get knocked over by things that don't see me (like potholes and Suburbans). I care about arriving home safely each day to kiss my lovely wife and throw the ball for the somewhat-less-lovely dogs.

So I broke down and spent some money today - a neon orange wind jacket with reflective accents and piping, a pair of touchscreen gloves (who knew?) with reflective accents, and a cheap but very bright LED bike light.

I still need to find some better headgear (ears, eyes, and head) but we are making progress. And it still beats the heck out of driving a car (or small truck).

May you be warm, safe, and green (or fluorescent  orange). And may we be watching out for each other.

Lubbock on a Bike: 3 Steps to Driving Bike-Friendly

[Blogger's note:  I have been working on this post in my head for about a year now. The list grew, then shrank. Then blew up, and now it's pretty short. The post on the other view (Cycling Car-Friendly) will follow soon.]

I can't point at any big reason other than getting caught up in the normal rat race, but yesterday was a crappy day. It felt like a dark cloud had formed just behind my eyebrows before I even sat down in my chair at work. We had high chances of rain yesterday, so I drove my truck to work. I don't think that riding a bike to work makes or breaks my day, but I do know that days are better when I ride. So today I rode, and the day already feels better.

But I left the house (and coffeehouse) a little later than usual. [Grizz and I were discussing  the virtues of a 1958 Greyhound Bus, the Chevy Volt as a gasless commuter, the Radwagon as primary transport, and a local band - Fellow Americans. It's always hard to leave good company!] When I pedaled away from the coffeehouse I dreaded the heightened traffic. There was a lot of traffic.

Strangely, though, traffic was very courteous to me. I usually feel that drivers in Lubbock view a bicyclist as a moronic nuisance, but today I did not get that feeling. Thank you, Lubbock drivers!

I'll stop rambling and do the list thing now.

 

In case you would like to be a more bicycle-friendly car driver, here are three tips:

Communicate - Use your blinkers all the time. Even when you don't think anyone is around.

A lot of cycling frustration for me comes from drivers not letting me know what they are up to so that I can adjust my actions courteously. If a driver is sitting at an intersection preparing for a right turn but not using a blinker, they are putting a cyclist's life in danger. The cyclist needs to get through the intersection too and proceeds straight ahead. The uncommunicative driver turns right and either hits the cyclist or forces the cyclist to bail out. Using your blinkers is a simple way of avoiding dangerous misunderstandings.

Stop! Come to a complete stop BEFORE entering an intersection.

Very few things are more terrifying and dangerous for a cyclist than the rolling stops and late stops.

My commute home includes a 3/4 mile jaunt on the Memphis Avenue bike lane. It should be a place where I can open it up and pedal fast, but it's not. Too many drivers use the bike lane as the last stage of their stopping zone where they can decide whether or not they need to come to a complete stop or barrel on through. And they get downright angry when they realize that I have invaded that space. UGH!

I also pass through one of the busiest intersections in town on my way to and from work - Slide Road and the South Loop. It's very dangerous. The scariest part for me is the southwest corner - very few drivers stop at the red light when making a right turn. And they get angry. I get honked at and flipped off on a regular basis for passing through the intersection on a green light. I operate on the assumption that they are not planning to stop there and make sure that I have made eye contact before crossing in front of any vehicle. If I were a little more of a videographer I would borrow Spencer's GoPro and make a daily clip of the panic turning to anger and then to rage (or shame) when they see a bike intruding in the land of the car. Spliced together, they could make a very enjoyable film!

Please, stop before the intersection, take a close look, and pull through if it's safe (and legal) to do so.

Get over yourself - it's not all about you!

Look around as you travel. Each vehicle (car, truck, bus, motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard, flip-flops) is being operated by a human being who has one single reason for being there - to get somewhere else in one piece. And each of those human beings is just as important as you are - really. If we can start viewing others as people and not as obstacles in our paths, we might make some progress.

May you arrive safely without rage. May the people around you do the same.

PS. Here are a few things from the longer list.

Hang up/put down the phone.
Leave home five minutes earlier.
Use your headlights at dusk and dawn.
Take a deep breath every few minutes.
Chill out, Dude!

Lubbock on a Bike June Update and an Idea for the Baddest of Cyclists

In the National Bike Challenge, Spencer kicked my butt all over the place in June. I started strong and then started working out of town and... Let's just say it wasn't pretty. Man, I want a folding bike to take with me on trips. (Stupid snagging consumerism that rises in me like a kraken or a phoenix or a helium balloon!) The red circles are the days I rode in June:

I will try for better in July!

 

So there I was pedaling my way to work this morning while my two cycling mantras kept cycling through my head: Don't push harder, but definitely keep pushing! and Just keep swimming swimming swimming. (I channel my inner Ellen/Dori for help on that one.) I was my riding my 25-year-old mountain bike that switches gears like a cranky old man. I was thinking of how much easier it is to ride a modern bike with modern drivetrain components. Then I started thinking about the exercise I get from riding. Unlike most workout programs, it does not get progressively harder. With small adjustments for wind and temperature, it's pretty much the same workout each day.

 

So I thought of what I could do when I want to take my workout up a notch. Two possibilities came to mind: pick a different route or pick a less efficient bike to ride. Then I thought of serious road bikers who often spend massive amounts of money to get lighter and easier-to-pedal bikes. I think they are doing it all wrong! If you want a better workout or to prove that you are one seriously bad mamma jamma, you need to go road riding on this:

 

A $79 dollar cruiser

 

Maybe it's time to start a new racing series. Require everyone to ride the same crappy bike with a single speed, coaster brakes, and balloon tires. We can be sympathetic to a few ergonomic changes - the seat and handlebars could be changed. We can also allow upgraded tubes for the sake of reliability. Otherwise, let's level the playing field and make it about just the rider and not about the rider's budget. We could call it Tour de Work-Your-Butt-Off and market it to those who have something to prove.

 

Maybe then the serious cyclists will put their high-dollar road bikes up for sale (cheap!!!) so that those of us who can barely manage a five-mile commute to work can buy used bikes that are lighter and easier to pedal.

 

May you definitely keep pushing and leave your car at home!

Lubbock on a Bike: May Wrap-up and Commuter Nirvana

It started like a Monday. The brain was rather foggy. I had to go back a few times for the things I forgot. The legs were a little foggy too as I started for work. But I crossed Indiana Avenue with no hesitation. Very little traffic. I pedaled on through the neighborhood.

The fog cleared away enough for me to realize that the day had come. I have looked forward to this day for months. I had marked my calendar for this day. The kids are out of school! The stressed out mothers swirling and swarming to and from the schools, they were not on the streets. I casually pedaled to work feeling less stress, less mortal fear, and a sense of peace. The streets are safe(r) again.

If you have been looking for the nerve to ride your bike to work in the morning, now is the time! Commuter nirvana! Get your butt out there!

No red circle on the 23rd - but it was a great day in Waxahachie, TX!

National Bike Challenge/National Bike Month: I survived May, and the rain did not stop me. It did definitely slow me down, though. There were thirty-one days in May, and I rode a bike on thirty of those. Sure, I only logged 102 miles for the month, but it still feels like an accomplishment.

Okay, enough of me bragging. Now, let me invite you - please try riding if:

you want to lose some weight,
you want to strengthen your heart,
you want to lower your blood pressure,
you want to live longer,
you want more optimism,
you want cleaner air,
you want to save money,
your doctor told you to lose weight,
you want encouragement to eat better,
you want encouragement to drink less,
you want to be an obnoxious blogger,
you want to enjoy your commute,
you want a sense of accomplishment,
you want a better look at the world around you,
you want to be a nosy neighbor inconspicuously,
or if you want to find a selfish way to selflessly work at making the world a healthy place for generations to come.

By the way, the first week will be rough, but anything worthwhile requires a little work. You will be glad you did.

May June be a great month for you!

Lubbock on a Bike Minipost: We Made the List!!! (107)

(Click here to see Lubbock in the NBC)

I have a hard time saying that Lubbock is a terrible place to ride because I really enjoy riding here, but I cannot say that I feel terribly welcome on the streets. (That may be true of anyone on any Lubbock street - we cyclists just take near-death encounters very personally.)

Today on Grist I saw an article touting a list of bike-friendly cities. I read the article and clicked on the list specifically to see how Texas fared - not Lubbock, since I did not expect to see it on the list. But there we were at 107. Wow! It must be the fairly nice weather and the lack of hills. Anyway, it was a shocker for me.

The Grist Article

The Actual Redfin List

Another shocker for me was Texas' top bike-friendly city - way to go, plain old Plano! You are rocking it at 67! Biking anywhere near the Metroplex freaks me out a bit, so I salute your bravery!

From a Texas ego standpoint, it was a little rough to see our Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico neighbors higher on the list, but I wouldn't mind biking in Albuquerque either. And we were ahead of Oklahoma, which must be worth something.

May your city be friendly to you on your bike, and may you return the favor!

PS. Have any of you spent time in Boise City, Idaho? What's it like? It's on the list and I am curious about it. Idaho looks great in pics!

[Loyal MH readers, I promise I will publish something non-bike-related soon.]

Lubbock on a Bike: National Bike Challenge starts today! ¡Yo soy un LUNA-tic!

The National Bike Challenge begins today, and I am excited! From May 1 to September 30, I will strive to ride a bike as much as possible. I will strive to lose weight, build muscle, lower blood pressure, save money, create less air pollution, create less noise pollution and generally line the world (and humanity) better.

Please join me, so you can strive for and reach some similar goals.

The National Bike Challenge

May we pedal our way to better!

PS - If you are in the Lubbock area, consider joining Team LUNA-tic. More info at http://www.ourlubbock.org/

Lubbock on a Bike: Helping Others Ride (Co-Op Bike Shops)

Two days in a row commuting on the bike! Beautiful weather! Snagit, it feels good to leave Lucy (the Ford Ranger) at home and pedal to work. It feels good to pedal in silence. It feels good not to be polluting, not to be paying money, not to be supporting OPEC, and not to be getting fatter in traffic.

• Super-low-cost transportation
• Super-low-cost workout program
• Significant personal carbon reduction
• I get to be outside (Yesterday I saw that the Northern Shovelers and the wigeons are back in town!)
• And life is more enjoyable behind handlebars

So, dust off your bike and join me! (I have almost gotten around to the point.)

Besides finding joy in riding, I also find joy in helping others ride. It's not a rare occasion at all to have one of the neighborhood kids show up needing advice or help with repair work. It's not much more rare to have an adult ask for help or advice as well. And my limited mechanical skills are very well suited to things with no carburetors or electronics. (In other words, I'm not the sharpest  tack in the road, but I can help you remove that tack from your tire - and plug the hole!)

I read an article on Grist today that discusses two places where people feel like I do about the joy of biking and the joy of helping others bike.

This co-op bike shop will teach you to fix your own damn bike (and that matters) - Be sure to read about the Bikery and BICAS to see two different approaches.

Co-op, workshop, bike kitchen, whatever you would like to call it, I love the idea of a community space to promote and support bicycling by helping and sharing with people.

Here is my first post on the topic: upCYCLE!

May health, wealth, and joy ride with you!

Lubbock on a Bike: Cyclists Be Heard Tonight (UPDATED 2/17/15)

I had the good fortune to ride my bike to work three times last week - that is 60% of my commute for the week. It's been a rough winter on many fronts, and biking just hasn't been an option much lately. It was a good week. I find that I like people, myself, and work better when I get to ride. And I noticed a lot of other people riding last week as well; and, even though they looked a bit winded, most of them were smiling.

More bikes = less cars = healthier people = cleaner air = more enegy independence = more funds = an ongoing list of advantages in increasing the number of bike riders in our town.

I have been following the cycling in Lubbock issue closely since the mayor referred to cyclist concerns as a "niche issue", and I was glad to read that there will be a public meeting tonight at 6pm at Cavazos Middle School to deal with the possibility of making our roads safer and more inviting to bicycles.

City exploring feasibility study to address cyclists' concerns

So Lubbock cyclists, here is an opportunity to have your voice heard. May we work together for a safer, heathier, happier town.

[UPDATE]
Snagit! That was frustrating. The city was not exploring a feasibility study to address cyclists' concerns -  the city was informing North Lubbock residents about the North University beautification project. Basically, they discussed nicer and more accessible sidewalks along with new streetlights.

At least fifty cyclists showed up for the niche issue - most can be found linked out from this page. I am assuming (yeah, I know the danger in that) that most were road cyclists; there were lots of jerseys, but the cyclists had no voice in this meeting. We milled about frustrated and confused.

I did find some irony (before knowing the miscommunication) in the meeting's location. I realized on the way there that I would have been very intimidated by traffic had I been riding my bike to the meeting. Yes, Mr. Mayor, we are a niche issue - we are too damned scared to ride in our town.

Lubbock on a Bike: No Love from the Mayor

An article in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal this weekend has had me thinking about bicycling in our town. In the article, cyclists were minimalized by our mayor, Glen Robertson. "...cycling is a niche issue that concerns a small segment of the population." I also learned that the mayor feels that bike lanes are a waste of money. (To be fair, though, he was elected through a campaign based solely on saving money for our citizens - not on improving life, health, or safety for those who live here.)

Road Rage: Lubbock cyclists decry lack of safety

I have been a bicycle rider all of my life, but somewhat recently I turned into a bicycle commuter. I live in the center of town and my home is located five miles from my office. In case you are familiar with Lubbock, my commute requires me to cross Indiana Avenue, 50th Street, Quaker Avenue, Slide Road, and Loop 289 South. People who know my commute refer to me in terms ranging from brave to suicidal. I am surrounded by people who would love to ride, but they are too scared to ride in this town.

USDOT Survey: How Bike Lanes and Paths Make a Difference

I love riding and the benefits of riding; however, I am a fearful man and I have learned the most dangerous obstacles in my commute:

• unleashed dogs
• mothers in GM SUVs
• men in F250 Ford trucks
• anyone driving an Escalade
• people who roll through stop signs
• anyone on the phone while driving

And it is very clear that most of these resent my intrusion on their territory.  They bark, honk, flip me off, and occasionally swerve at me.

Outside of these groups, though, I find most of our drivers to be friendly and courteous.

PeopleforBikes.org: Protected Bike Lane Statistics

Memphis Ave south of 50th St

(You can see where the lane/stripe ends)

No stripe

I do not feel welcome on our streets. I do my best to stick to our infrequent bike lanes and nebulous bike routes. (If you are wondering about the difference, a bike lane has occasional signs and painted lines, a bike route has occasional signs only. In Lubbock, bike lanes are suspended as they near busy streets and public schools.) I mostly use the lanes and routes located on Flint Avenue, 42nd Street, and Memphis Avenue. (If you would like to experience the challenge of maneuvering a Lubbock bike lane, try crossing 50th street at Memphis on a bike. It's like being a mouse at the cat farm.) I try to stay on residential streets and avoid school traffic. I do my best to follow traffic laws and to be courteous, and I never ride in traffic on busy streets. I even use bike lights and a helmet. I love my wife dearly and want to return home safely to her every day.

Cyclists, please be safe out there and watch out for yourself.

May you live in a place where your elected officials view you as something more than an insignificant niche.