Ride (a bike) with me.

People often tell me that my town - Lubbock, Texas - [feel free to insert your town name here] really sucks for bicycling. And they are right. But I have to say that walking, driving cars, and riding buses all suck here too. 

Morning rides are the best! 

When I got out of bed this morning, the wind was blowing a sustained 20 mph with bigger gusts. But it didn't look that bad out my window...

Or maybe I didn't want to burn the gas.

Or maybe I believe morning commutes are better on a bike,

and that every car drive is an annoyance...

...but every bike ride is an accomplishment.

And I had an ace up my sleeve - I have a bike with pedal assist.

So I took a five-mile ride/commute on the e-bike and put out about the same amount of work as I would have on a non-electric bike on a much less windy day.

On less-windy days and on shorter trips the e-bike stays home and I ride a regular ("analog"? "non-electric"? "real"?) bicycle and I still enjoy the ride, save money, burn calories, release endorphins, and sleep better.

On really crappy days I take the car. 

I read this week that traveling by bike is five times more efficient than walking. I am not sure how much more efficient the e-bike is than an analog bike, but I know that it opens the door to longer trips taken in rougher conditions.

It also makes it easier to leave the car at home - I really, really like leaving the car at home.

Find more Andy Singer cartoons here

This cartoon resonates deeply with me. I feel more evil, more anger, and more judgment when I drive. When I ride, I see a lot more beauty and feel much more humble and compassionate.

And the people around me end up dealing with a kinder, more enjoyable me.

I don't know if any of this will be true for you, but I invite you to try it. See if you don't find a lot more benefits than you expected.

And you might find that riding a bike in your town doesn't suck at all.

May you (and the people around you) find yourself (themselves) dealing with a kinder and more enjoyable you!

May you be safe and well, amigos!

A Very Simple e-bike Conversion Kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flykly/flykly-smart-wheel
I have seen a few variations of this idea and love the concept - unbolt your original wheel, replace it with one of these, and take off. No throttle or battery pack to mess with with and no wires to zip-tie all over your bike. Simple, elegant, and very cheap compared to almost any other form of motorized transport.
Factor in registration, insurance, fuel, maintenance, parking, and see how long it would take to recoup your price of entry. Or, just factor in the fuel and maintenence costs if you did 40% of your travel on this bike and see when your return on investment would kick in.

May you enjoy your commute today!

Solar-Powered e-bike

This bike is not terribly exciting from a practical standpoint, but in it you can see that we are getting much closer to autonomous solar-powered transportation, and that has me reeling with hope. Roll on, Canadian e-biker!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go9vbhrXoEU&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

May you travel with absolutely no concern for the price or cost of gas!

Following Your Dreams (!@#$%???) - Lubbock Food Trucks

This is Keith:

Until recently, I did not know Keith well enough to call him a dreamer. (By the way, he's not a Pastafarian, that I know of.) I now know that Keith has two dreams. Dream One is to rebuild an old Italian scooter and to race it from Alaska to the Big Easy. Dream Two (the one important to this post) is to have his own coffee cart and to sell phenomenal coffee to the good people of our town. I don't know that he wants to pedal his cart, but I do know that he creates some very tasty beverages.

Lately, it seems that several of my friends have been talking about food trucks and vending carts in Lubbock, so I started looking around.

Yelp thinks we have no food trucks at all:

But the Twist'd Texan would seem to disagree:
The Twist'd Texan (By the way, this article mentions a ban on food trucks in Lubbock.)

When searching for the best food truck in Lubbock, I found that the best Lubbock food truck is actually located in NY, NY, and most of the rest don't actually have wheels.
Best Food Truck in Lubbock

That might be because of the Lubbock ban on them and the obstacles that businesses like Crusty's Wood-Fired Pizza have faced here in the Hub City:
http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2011-12-12/street-use-license-laws-confound-some-lubbock-vendors

So Keith, Grizz, JB, and all you other food truck hopefuls, I don't know what to tell you guys about following your food truck dreams, but I promise to be a customer if and when it happens.

Dear Reader, what other food trucks have you seen around here? What foods would you like to see rolling up to a location near you?

Have yourself a wonderful day and be sure to support your local businesses - especially if they have wheels.