I got to try out the new Pacific Cycles Integrated Folding (IF) bike designed by Mark Sanders. This bike is something like a full sized version of the Strida folding bike. Like the Strida, it folds in half quickly, with unique uni-“forks” so the wheels lay flat against each other. James at Bicycle Design is…
Shop Updates
The bikes of Urban Legends
The ladies of Momentum Magazine put on the Urban Legends Fashion and Art Show last night at Interbike. DJ Miss Dust spun her urban tunes as models rode show bikes around the runway. The readers of Commute By Bike are naturally more interested in the bikes than the models. They rode bikes like this pretty…
Interbike 2008: Trends
I’m at the first day of Interbike 2008 in Las Vegas with others in the Crooked Cog crew. Here are a few things I’ve seen: Attendance is incredible — the show floor is absolutely packed with a record number of booths and attendees. Everybody is offering single speed and fixed gear bikes. The companies that…
Trek city and commuter bikes for 2009
Commuter bikes were front and center at last weekend’s Trek World 2008 dealer show in Madison, with the singlespeed District stealing the show. This flat bar urban screamer features the Gates carbon belt drive that shaves nearly 280 grams from the weight of the bike, according to Trek. No lubrication is required for belt drives,…
Product Recall: SunRingl Hollow Quick-Release
Hayes Bicycle Group has received four reports of the SunRingl Hollow Quick Release Device breaking. No injuries have been reported. According to the press release: “The quick release devices can unexpectedly fail or break when locked in position on the bicycle, causing the rider to lose control, which poses a serious fall hazard. This recall…
Old bike stuff selling like hotcakes
First this: Obama meets with Bikes Belong board of directors and pledges funding for cycling Then this: 27″ tire sales up — those are the kinds of tires that go on old 10 speeds from the 70s. And this: are bike shops selling the bikes that new bikers want? And finally an anecdote: One of…
Folding bikes: Great leap forward
U.S. folding bike maker Dahon reports record bike sales in 2007, with 348,000 folding bicycles sold in 2007 compared with 290,000 in 2006, representing a 20% increase in unit sales and 36% increase in revenue. Dahon’s increased sales in the U.S. and worldwide are part of a larger trend of increased sales of commuter bikes….
Dahon Seatpost Bolt Recall
With record sales of Dahon folding bicycles this year, I just want to note there is a voluntary recall related to the seat post bolt on some 2007 models. Effective immediately, Dahon is issuing a voluntary recall notice to all owners regarding a potential safety issue with seat post bolts affecting all 2007 model year…
Demo CELLOS
This Week at Wandertec:1. Watched the shop not being built(progress is to resume soon)2. Sold my Honda Element (CELLOmobile)3. Came up with a name for my new bicycle design, the Wandertec SanToor.4. Did away with the Wandertec Purchase page and pointed all sales to BikeTrailerShop.com.5. Listed Demo CELLOS for sale at the BikeTrailerShop.com.6. Was introduced…
Commuter bikes on talk radio
KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles had a 40 second piece on the commuter bike trend at Interbike. KFI’s Michael Clarke talks with Derek Deubel of Trek and our friend Tim “MasiGuy” Jackson of Masi Bikes. Click “Listen Here” for the story at the KFI news page. Via Masiguy. Over the past couple of years…
CELLOing to EuroBike
This Past Few Weeks at Wandertec:1. Added loads of info and options into the Bike Cargo Trailers at the BikeTrailerShop.com.2. Purchased a Toyota Corolla for the business.3. Sent Joe and John of VooDoo Cycles off with some demo CELLOs on their trip to EuroBike.4. Ordered a bunch of 20″ tires and bike trailer tubes to…
Wandertec SAX – BOB Cargo Liner
This week at Wandertec:1. Designed & listed a new adapter that makes Ortlieb rear panniers fit much better when used together with a BOB Trailer.2. Listed the Wandertec SAX on the BikeTrailerShop.com.3. Worked on sourcing Wandertec woven labels for branding the SAX.4. Ordered a sizable load of trailers including 10 Carry Freedom Large Y-Frames to…
Wandertec Custom Touring Frame
Here it is, our first custom touring frame. This was a project for the fun and joy of learning the art of frame building. We may become involved further in custom touring bikes in the future.This bike is setup with longer chainstays to accommodate racks. It has an additional third water bottle mount and braze-ons…
The CELLO's Literary Foreshadowing
Recently, I’ve been clued into an interesting literary reference concerning the name of the Wandertec CELLO bike case. My uncle had been reading One Hundred Years of Solitude, the literary classic written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 1967. He came across a passage which would seem to be the inspiration for naming a bike case…
Wandertec Cargo Net for BOB Trailers
We’ve just introduced a new product! It’s a simple devise, but very useful in combination with a BOB trailer. The cargo net works very nicely to hold gear down in your BOB trailer. The development of this cargo net has come out of our work on a new, forthcoming product, the Wandertec Sax which is…
Wandertec Custom Touring Frames
After several months of practicing and gradual effort, I’ve nearly completed building a custom touring frame. In the months ahead I will be building bike frames to replace all of my current bicycles as well as outfitting my family and friends with custom bicycles. I’ve been working together with my friend Joe Murray of VooDoo…
Wandertec Sax On the Way
After a winter of bike commuting, the arrival of spring makes the bike commuting that much more fun. I’ve been dusting off the mountain bike for some much needed trail riding as well. We are looking into the possibility of sharing some space at Interbike with our local friends at VooDoo cycles… http://www.voodoocycles.net/ . We…
Bike Radio & Product Development
Wandertec’s European delegate, Mike the Bike, recently turned me on to Bike Radio. This weekly broadcast from the UK covers a variety of topics surrounding cycling mostly in the vein of using bikes as transport. It is a great show and truly inspiring thing to listen to as I spend my days doing what I…
Viola!-Bike Case for Folding Bike
I am eagerly awaiting photos of a new concept – a case for a folding bike that fits around a BOB trailer. I received a call last week from a fellow BOB enthusiast who had fabricated the devise in his garage and was eager to compare notes on it with the CELLO. This sounds like…