BAS is a thing. I have it.

Well, I've just officially started my folding bike collection.  Prior to approximately 10 minutes ago, I only had one folding bike, so it was just part of a larger bike collection.

However, I've been umming and ahhing about maybe bying a Strida (for quite some time), and the online shop I occasionally stare at just slashed the price by $200.

This means I could get the bike, a bag and a couple of other accessories for less than what the bike usually costs.

So, I've now ordered a Strida (a cream one) and I'll probably be posting photos of it soon enough.

Two folding bikes = folding bike collection.

Alternatively, two folding bikes + penny farthing + unicycles I still haven't sold/given away/disposed of = "novelty" bike collection.

It's probably best not to question too closely the reasons for buying another folding bike when I'm currently riding my "regular" bicycle to work due to the fact that I've blown out the rear tyre on my Brompton and I've decided I can't be bothered changing the tubes when I want to try buying some Tannus tyres anyway.

Bike Acquisition Syndrome is a bear of a thing to live with.

Small to medium folding bikes - Or "Really? Don't you have enough crap?"

Here's the way my brain works.

I'm going to Melbourne in a couple of months for a conference, and I'll have a few days at the end to amuse myself.

Naturally, my thoughts turn to bicycles.

Strida

I've been eyeing off Strida bikes for a while now.  Not because I need another folding bike.  I'm not sure anyone ever needs more than one good bike of any kind, and I've got a Brompton - which is one of the best folding bikes on the planet.

No, I want one because a) I love novelty bicycles, and b) I'm slightly obsessed with things that transform.  The Strida has a different design principle to the Brompton, so it's a different kind of folding bike.

There's a part of me that longs to be an inventor making my own folding bikes in my workshop.  But I'm not an inventor and I don't have a workshop (or any mechanical skills or experience, for that matter), so I just obsess over the work of other designers.

There's a shop in Melbourne that sells Stridas, so I'll have the chance to take one for a test ride.  Then I'll know if I just want one because it's pretty or if I'm actually likely to ride it.

Now, there is an excellent chance that, if it's magnificent enough in person to impress me, I'll just buy one there and fly home with it.

However, I've gone off trawling the Internet for folding bicycles again, haven't I?  And because I'm now looking for something that's in a different class to the Brompton, I'm now looking closely at a bunch of bikes I dismissed back when I was looking at folding bikes last time.

A-Bike

For instance, part of me really likes the idea of the A-Bike.  I've long thought the ideal folding bike would also be collapsible, and the A-Bike does pack up quite small.  It also has 6-inch wheels, which is a little bit alarming.

I'm sure it rides much better than it looks like it will, but I've had enough experience with scooters and the like to know the smaller the wheel, the more likely it is that a pot-hole will send you flying.

If they had offered a model with larger wheels, I probably would be thinking about it more seriously.

The Carryme
Image from Ridethisbike.com

The Carryme by Pacific Cycles is not quite as compact as the A-Bike, but it looks much more robust, it has 8-inch wheels (which makes more difference than you may think) - and it's got some pretty good reviews on the Interwebs.  Some of them even rank it higher than the Strida in terms of practicality and value for money.

I have to admit that the more I look at the Carryme, and the more I read about it, the more I want one.

Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to take it for a test ride while I'm in Melbourne.  And something in the back of my head is saying: "It's sort of in the same 'class' as the Strida, and it might be better - so you really shouldn't get both..."

And, really, I shouldn't get either.  I don't need another folding bike.

No, really, I don't.

Are you listening to me, Sharon?  You don't need another folding bike.

Stupid big-wheeled bicycle

The more I ride my Brompton around, the more I'm convinced that all "normal" bicycles are just plain silly.

I rode one of my "normal" bikes to work today for the first time in ages as I felt the need to get some practice in on a 26-inch wheeled bike ahead of my cycling tour in New Zealand later in a few weeks time.

As always happens when I ride a "normal" bike after months of noodling around town on a Brompton, I spent the whole trip going through thoughts like this:

"Mannnn, these wheels are so huge, and they roll so slowly!"
"Why is this bike so heavy?"
"What the heck is this top-tube even for?  All it's doing is getting in the dang way..."

No, seriously, why do we have top-tubes on bikes?  And why are they so dang high?  Is there some benefit (outside of racing) over a step-through bike?

And why, is it more common to have lower top-tubes on women's bikes than men's?  Don't men have a greater reason to want to avoid coming into sudden contact with a metal pole positioned at groin level (should a sudden stop cause them to move forward)?

Honestly, the smart thing to do would be to make step-through models the norm for all bikes that don't need the extra stability for racing purposes.

Anyway, where was I?  Oh, yeah.  "Normal" bikes are weird.

Monorail, monorail, monorail!

Gfgbeach

My vision for the future of Townsville includes a monorail.

I want a whole elevated rail network,  but I specifically want monorail connecting the island to the mainland. Not one of those dorky circular monorails like Sydney used to have,  which only went in one direction so you wouldn't bother taking it if you wanted to go to the stop behind you.  This would be a point-to-point monorail that goes back and forth between Picnic Bay,  Cape Palaranda and some place near Kissing Point. There will probably be a couple of stops along the way, as well.

If possible, you'd set it back from the coast-line so that people on the monorail could get a good view of the beaches, but people on the beaches wouldn't have their eye-line ruined by a monorail.

Now, ideally, I'd like to see this meet up with a stop on the greater elevated rail network: a simple, but well designed light rail network crisscrossing the city at first-floor level. Stops would be located at every major shopping center and landmark (like the hospital and the university),with other stops at regular intervals along the way.

So, in theory, you could take the "sky tram" from the uni to the Nathan Street interchange (handily located adjacent to Stockland's roof-top car park), switch to the line that goes to Kissing  Point, and then catch the monorail to the island.

The great thing about an elevated network is it could be erected over existing roads, streets and drains. We have a lot of open space running throughout the city for storm drainage, and an elevated rail network will be able to take advantage of those spaces without impeding the flood waters too badly.

Part of my vision involves making sure that the monorail and the trams used for the network are pretty. I don't want some ugly, utilitarian looking eyesore spreading over the city.  Make the rail network a feature of the town, so that the tourist love looking at it as much as the locals love using it.

So, vote one, Sharon B, because a vote for Sharon is a vote for monorails.

Are you thinking of buying a Brompton?

As mentioned in my previous post, I’m thinking about buying some more folding bikes.  I’m thinking about getting an IF Mode (because it looks pretty), and/or a Strida (because it looks funky).  I don’t really have a good reason to buy another folding bike, apart from a slight case of BAS* (much like my rather tragic case of MIAS**) that has plagued me for years, although I have managed to keep it largely in check.

As I’ve been thinking about these bikes, I’ve been indulging in some very similar behaviour to what I was doing back when I was researching my first folding bike – that is, cruising the internet to find other peoples’ opinions and reflections on their bikes.

And I started thinking about what past me would ask present me about buying a Brompton, and what advice present me would give to past me on this topic.

I’ve had my Brompton folding bicycle for around two years now, and I think I’m in a good position to go back in time and give myself some advice.  It’s not actually much use to me, as my time machine hasn’t arrived in the post yet, but hopefully it will be useful to something else.

Why did I buy a Brompton? 

Well, I was originally planning some glorious holiday that would involve riding a bike all over Europe, and I wanted a bike that would travel well.  The original idea was to use a train or a bus to travel the large distances and use a bike to travel the short ones, so I wanted a bike that could easily be taken on a train.

My research led me to two bikes, the Brompton and Bike Friday’s World Tourist.  I poked around, I read some reviews, I asked some questions.  The people who had experience of both said the Bike Friday was the hardier bike of the two, and probably the best suited to touring, but that the Brompton did a better job of fitting in the luggage section of a bus should you decide to catch busses more frequently than you thought you might.

My attempts to test-ride a World Tourist failed miserably when the bike shop I arranged a test-ride through decided actually making sure they had the bike in stock was too much hard work.  But I did get to test-ride a Brompton and I didn’t mind it at all.

Besides, I secretly wanted the Brompton anyway – the fold was just the coolest thing out there.  YouTube clips of the BF had nothing on the Brompton’s fold – and I wouldn’t have to dismantle the bike to put it on a plane or train, which was a big plus for someone who is very good at losing screws.

Bottom line, the Brompton had the best fold on the market, as far as I could see, and it was one of the bikes that was frequently mentioned as a touring machine.

What model of Brompton did I buy?

I got the P6R, which means I had the “P” shaped handle bars, with six gears and a rear rack (with the little wheels on it).  I also got the Schwalbe Marathon PLUS tyres, for the puncture resistance.

I bought this because it was recommended for touring.  The “P” handle bars give you a bit of flexibility with your hand positions and were (at the time) the tallest handles in the bunch.  Six gears gives you a decent range of options for travelling long flat straights and hills.  A rear rack is always useful and the little wheels meant I could convert the bike into a “trolley” and take it into shops with me.

What accessories did I get?

I bought the cover and bag, the B-bag and the folding basket at the same time as the bike from the same shop.  From a different store I also bought a T-bag and a Carradice Camper longflap saddlebag.  Eventually I also bought the telescopic seat pillar.

If you went back in time, would you do it again?

Buy the Brompton?  Absolutely.  I love that bike and it's now my primary commuter.

But...

I never took it "touring" (although I have bundled it in the boot of my car to take on holidays), and I made some key decisions based on a "maybe I'll do this" that I never did.  There are some things I'd do differently.

What would I do just the same?

I'd still get the 6 geared version.  I'm pretty much a six-gear girl - even when I have more gears on my bike, I'll only use about four of them.  Occasionally I'll kick into a slightly higher gear or a granny gear depending on the road, so 6 gears suits me just fine.

I've not had a puncture yet, so the tyres are okay.

I'd still get the rack with the wheels because it's convenient for pushing the bike around when it's folded (although the little wheels do get black stuff on the back of my legs while I'm riding).

I'd still by the cover and bag - that thing is worth it's wait in gold.  It's the accessory I use every single day.  The bag stays on the bike and I keep my lights in the bag to make sure they're close at hand, and whenever I take the bike into my house or my office (which is all the time) I put the cover on it.  A) it keeps bike related dirt of everything else, B) it makes it all look like a bag sitting in the corner of the room, rather than a bike.

The other accessory I use fairly regularly is the T-bag.  I put my clothes in there when I'm commuting, and I usually use it to carry my repair kit and lock/chain and such.

I'd probably also get the basket again, even though I hardly use it, just because you don't always want a huge stuff-sack every time you go out on a bike.

If I could check in on an alternate universe, I wouldn't mind seeing if there's a version of me who bought the C-bag instead of the T-bag and basket to see if I could have gotten away with just getting the one bag, but I'm pretty happy with those two bag thingies.

What would I do differently?

I'd test-ride an H-bar before settling on the P-bar.  Yeah, there's less space to move your hands around, but it's taller.  It wasn't available when I was looking, so obviously this doesn't benefit past me at all - but if you're thinking of a Brompton this is worth considering.  Occasionally I find the level of the P-bar is just a little be lower than I'd like it to be, and a more upright stance would be nice.

I would just buy the extended or telescopic seat post right from the very beginning.  I was at the top end of the standard seat post in the test-ride in the shop, and wondered if I should go higher.  I should have gone higher.  Much knee pain could have been avoided if I'd opted for flexibility.  The extended would probably have been fine - I don't actually need the extra height of the telescopic one, I just decided to get the most flexible post possible after spending a year cursing the short one.

I would hold off on buying the B-bag or the Carradice saddle bag until the bike tour was something that was definitely happening, rather than something I'd like to do.  These bags have both been sitting in a cupboard doing nothing at all for two years.

Since I'm probably just going to keep using the Brompton exactly as I have been using it and hire bicycles for overseas tours, kitting myself out for a tour was a waste of money.

Lesson learned - buy only what you need for right now (especially if it's going to cost just as much to buy something later as it would to buy it now).  Add other stuff later when you actually have a confirmed use for it.

What other nuggets of advice could I pass on?

Well, the thing with the little wheels on the rack for one - the black rubber leaves marks on the back of your legs.  It just does, and will keep doing it (two years later, no change).  Plan your clothing accordingly.

Another thing is, the back tyre will go down if you keep the bike completely folded while it's not in use.  I thought there was a problem with the tyre, wheel or tube and spent a bit of money having bike people look at it.  Eventually I realised it's just because the frame of the bike is putting pressure on the tyre while it's folded.

You just need to remember the back wheel will need to be pumped up more often than you may, at first, expect.  If you've had it folded for a few days, you'll definitely need to fix the pressure before riding anywhere.

There's a bit of flex to the bike that's a bit strange at first - you bob around a bit if you don't get the "sweet spot" in terms of cadence.  Go up a gear and you should be okay.

Would I use the Brompton for touring?

I don't know.

To be perfectly honest, I'm more likely to hire a bike at my destination.  Whenever I think of taking the Brompton with me on a big trip, and the percentage of my luggage it would take up, and the fact that I don't trust baggage handlers to not break everything, I can't help but think it's all just too much bother.

I've quite successfully hired bikes in the past, so...

I might eventually take it for sojourns around Australia - as in, take a train to X and then ride around X on the Brompton.  Maybe.  I don't know.  I'll see.  I'll probably never put it on a plane, though.

If I did take it for serious touring, I probably wouldn't use the B-bag.  I'd go for a chubby cyclone bike trailer (https://www.radicaldesign.nl/en/products/bicycle-trailers/cyclone/cyclone-iv-chubby) - something else that wasn't in existence when I bought my bike, but came out shortly afterwards.  Sure, it's hideously expensive, but it's a trailer that fits the bike inside it - and you can get a "carry system" that lets you carry the darn thing on your back.  What more could you want from luggage?

This is another reason for why you should hold off buying anything until you actually need it:  You never know if something better is going to come along.


*BAS = Bike Acquisition Syndrome
**MIAS = Musical Instrument Acquisition Syndrome

Little wheels

Okay, don't tell anyone this, but after all those deep and meaningful thoughts last week about freeing myself from the clutter of old unicycles, I just spent an hour I was supposed to be working on an assignment looking up reviews of the Strida.

Because, you know, you can never have too many bicycles - especially if they a) look like "art", and b) fold into compact packages.

Yes, I know, I was only recently drooling over the IF Mode, wondering if I could justify having that in my life.

The answer:  Sure, I don't see why not, but perhaps later.

Why would I want a Strida?  After all, I already own a Brompton, which does the folding bike thing, and a Micro scooter, which does the quick-short-range-don't-fuss-so-much-commute thing.

Well, to be honest, mostly because it looks like penny-farthing.

Okay, granted, it looks nothing like a penny-farthing - but it looks like it would steer and handle much like a penny-farthing.  The way the handle-bars are practically in your lap and your centre of gravity and steering axis are practically in the same place...

That's how penny-farthings ride.

All right, yes, I already own a PF as well, so I've kind of got that covered, too.

But I'd be able to take a Strida out more often and to more places than the PF, which would give me more practice steering the tall bike without worrying about the whole "technically illegal to ride on streets due to a lack of brakes" thing.

Plus, you know, you can never have too many bicycles...

  

Can you see it?

Momentous decisions

I've made a momentous decision.  One that cuts ties with the dreams and aspirations of the past and opens the way forward to a future unburdened by the clutter of a life no longer mine.

I'm going to sell my unicycles.

I realised today that it has been at least five years - probably closer to six - since I last attempted to ride them.  When I bought them I was in my late 20s, obsessed with circuses and keen to turn my life around.  No more would I be an overweight, bookish couch potato.  I would be someone who was active and adventurous and rode unicycles.

Well, I did turn my life around.  I am active and adventurous.  And being the person who owned unicycles helped me on this journey.  I am where I am now because I once thought trying to ride a unicycle seemed like a good idea.

However, I never quite nailed it.  I got to the point where I could occasionally (but not often) mount without holding onto something, and I could amble around a car park or the paths at my local park for some distance.  And I progressed to the point where I came off the unicycle on purpose 9 times out of 10 and rarely hurt myself any more...

But I didn't stick with it long enough to become a fluent rider.  And, if I didn't do that in my late 20s, what are the odds I'm going to suddenly get back into it in my mid-30s?

Looking back, it was just too much hard work.  And I have so many other toys and obsessions that have whisked my attention away since then.  While I still appreciate all things circus, I'm less obsessed now - and less likely to try running away to join a troupe.

So now my unicycles are really souvenirs of a life I wanted to live, once.  And as souvenirs go, they take up a bit of space.

Time to lose the clutter, and let them go fill someone else's dreams for a while.  I still have a penny-farthing, and that will do me for now.

For those playing at home (van pics)

I was recently told that I need to put photos of the van on this blog.  By "recently" I mean ages ago, but time moves differently in the dimension I inhabit.

Anyway, behold:  van.

Okay, that list picture was actually a pineapple in flower.  Not connected to the van at all, but pretty cool, don't you think?

See on minu ananass.  See oli väga ilus, lillega, aga see oli polnud hea süüa.  Ananass oli liiga väike, ja üks pool oli mädanenud enne teine pool oli küpsenud.

Car!

I can pick it up next week!  My weeny-looking girly van will soon be sitting in my driveway!

Carlike things

CORRECTION:  throughout this post I refer to the van as an AVP.  It's actually an APV.  This probably means it stands for All Purpose Vehicle, or something quite boring.

So… I put a deposit on a Suzuki AVP.  I haven’t even taken one for a test drive.  All I know is it’s got a good reputation and it’s a van that fits into the footprint of a car.

It’s a weeny-looking girly van.  Or a blokey-looking station wagon trying to pass itself off as a van.  With only two seats.  I’m trying to work out if that makes it “sport”.  Don’t cars become “sports something-or-other” if they are rendered useless for any more than one passenger?  Doesn’t “sports” actually mean “not as useful as other vehicles”?

I’m sure that’s the case.  “Sports cars” are not as useful as other cars.  “Sports wagons” are not as useful as other wagons…

What does “AVP” stand for, anyway?  “Automobile, Vanlike but Petite”?  “Actually, it’s a Vanette, you Ponce”?  “Armadillo with Variegated Paws”?

Importantly, it’s a van that costs $20,000 less than the other vans I was considering.  This means it’s much more affordable to invest $3,000-$4,000 in having extra seats installed.  Because, what I really want in life is a station wagon that can convert into a van at a moment’s notice.

No, seriously – that actually is exactly what I’ve been looking for over the past three months.  I want a transformer that changes from being a car into being a different kind of car.  The robot option would be cool, but not entirely practical (what with the constant battles between the Autobots and the Deceptacons, I’d probably never get to drive it*). 

I want a people mover with back seats that transforms into a van with no backseats.  The Volkswagen Caddy seems to be the only model that actually does that on purpose, but it’s also what I like to call “not exactly cheap”.  It’s cheaper than others, but not cheap.  The AVP is what I call “rather affordable, really”.  Maybe AVP stands for “As Vans go, reasonably Priced”?

The dude at the local Suzuki shop told me they wouldn’t get any in for six months.  I was on the verge of buying one on the Gold Coast, flying down and driving it back when I phoned the guy back and said: “are you sure?”  Turns out, he wasn’t.  They actually had one due to arrive in two weeks.  It was even the colour I wanted.  The thing only comes in two colours:  white and invisible-when-raining (they call it “silver”).  The AVP on the Gold Coast was invisible-when-raining, and I was hoping to avoid that, but I wasn’t going to fly all the way to Sydney to buy a white car.

I said:  “I’ll take it!”  He said:  “Okay!”  Then he called me back and said:  “Whoops, sorry, we’ve already sold that one.  There’s another due to get here in early April”.  I said:  “Is it white?”  He said:  “Yes, I believe so.”  I said:  “I’ll take it!”  He said:  “Okay!”

So a month from now I should have a new car.  My car.  Bought with my own money.  Which I earned by working in a real job.  I feel like such a grown up.  I mean, sure I don’t have a house, husband, children or anything resembling a life – but a month from now I will have my very own car.

I have to think of an appropriate name for a weeny-looking girly van.  I’m thinking “Vanette”…

* I’d love there to be a third race of Transformers who are like the Wombles of the Transformer world.  Peaceful, pottering around and more interested in making stuff from scrap than the ultimate battle between good and evil.  They’d be the Passivotons, who think the Autobots and Deceptacons should really get over this constant fighting nonsense and do something useful for a change – like actually providing a transport service, rather than just looking like cars and planes. 

When the Passivotons transform, they’d turn into power tools and garden implements (which would mysteriously be the right size for humans to use, even though in their robot form they would be a fraction larger than humans…)

Things that must exist

I have a theory that some things must exist.  The universe will keep shopping the idea around until it finds someone who actually follows through.

I base this theory on the fact that I'll often have an idea for something that I think would be pretty neat, and then about five years later someone goes and produces it.

Take this, for example:  http://zike.net/products.html

For years I've been thinking about combining a scooter with an old treadle-powered velocipede.

No, seriously.

Years ago I read about the treadle bicycles - a stage between the foot-pushing-against-the-ground draisine and the direct drive pedals of the boneshaker, and I thought it had potential as something to come back. Not as a bicycle, obviously, because it's kind of daft - but perhaps as a variation of a scooter...

It was, after all, not far removed from some popular exercise contraptions I'd seen in gyms.

If you look at my note books from a few years ago you'll probably find drawings and scribblings of something based around the idea of a pair of 20inch wheels propelled by something like a sewing machine treadle.

My idea was less chunky than the execution the zike people have come up with, and involved something more akin to the articulated arm thing of 19th Century treadles than the stair-master thing they have going, but the basic concept is more or less the same.  My treadles probably wouldn't have supported much weight, anyway.

When I saw one in the toy shop this morning part of me said "Oh, darn, someone's beaten me to it..."  but then I realised it was a bit daft for the universe to give me this idea in the first place.  I'm not an engineer - I don't know anyone who is, and I have absolutely zero back-yard inventor skills.

I can think things out, but I can't commit to buying stuff that I can use for tinkering or building up the skills necessary to make things stick together in a useful manner.  I've tried it in the past and I end up with a collection of useless things.  I spend about a fifty bucks on a project that probably needs about three hundred bucks worth of bits and bobs (and better quality bits and bobs than I'm willing to pay for), then spot the error of my ways and distract myself with something more cerebral - like learning German.

So, it's not surprising at all that someone else gets the same idea and then does something much more useful with it.

Mind you, now that I've seen these things in action, I'm convinced the execution would be much better if there was more of a skiing motion than a stepping one - which would bring back the treadles as a viable option...

Things that must exist: gauswheel

Some months back I wrote a post about impossible wheels, and how I was dissapointed with the fact that you couldn't punt with them, but thought a few improvements based on the same design principles might make it possible.

Well, now there's this:

Gauswheel



Comments on the "street" are along the lines of "less useful than a unicycle" "I'd rather stick with my skateboard" and "wouldn't that break your teeth/testicles?", but it looks like a huge improvement on the impossible wheel, if you ask me.

Fortunately, I'm saving up for a trip to Europe right now, so my own teeth have a bit of a reprieve.

Still, I wonder if you can buy the frame separately and use your own wheel...

16 Inch Wheels

Well, it looked like it might rain today, so I took my old, normal bike to work.

I'm sure I'll get to the point where I don't care about shielding the Brompton from bad weather and just take it everywhere, but it's still kind of new and shiny and I'm happy for it to be a "fair weather" bike at present.

I have to say, riding my old bike for the first time since I got the Brompton has brought home how thoroughly I've fallen for the Brommie (which I've started to call "Babs" - short for "yeah, baby!". And, yes, I know how sad that is).

I am definitely a convert to the 16 inch, foldable life.

My old bike just seems ridiculously huge. Why would you need such ginormous wheels? Why do they take so long to get rolling? What's the point of that top bar? Why is everything so high off the ground? Why is it so cumbersome to move? And why can't all bikes have an internal gear hub?

It doesn't help that the old bike was a size too small as well. Things are ridiculously large, and yet not quite large enough. Everything is just a little too close and at the wrong angle, so that even though the seat is uncomfortably high off the ground and set far back on the seat post, it's still a little too close to the pedals and the handlebars.

That's my own stupid fault, of course. I didn't have a model of that bike to look at, and I was used to women's step-through bikes previously, so when I ordered it I was working with a mixture of ignorance and nervousness. It's one of the reasons why I was determined to try the Brommie before buying it.

So, I think I can safely say I'm a foldie fan now. Riding my old bike has brought home how much the new bike has changed the game.

Plus, I had to leave it outside, which is boring. I much prefer having my bike under my desk - it's a great conversation starter.

Scoot

There is an extent to which Peter-from-NYCewheels can sell me anything, but I can't help but feel I'll be comparing all kick-scooters to this one:



And no, the scooter thing isn't a new obsession now that I've got the folding bike thing and need a new toy over which to drool. I'm still drooling over my own bike - it's unbelievably cool, although I'm still trying to find the sweet spot for the saddle. At the moment I can get my knees happy or my shoulders happy. Why they can't just agree is beyond me.

I've been looking at scooters ever since I saw this a couple of years back:


The way you propel this thing (carving) both intrigues me and makes me reluctant to commit. Sure, the fact that you would build mad levels of core strength propelling yourself with only the sinuous movements of your body sound great, but it looks like you need a fair amount of space for that. I am rather fond of being able to move in a straight line when desired...

Anyway, back to scooters. When I was in Sydney last year I found myself really wanting a scooter. I just wasn't there long enough to be motivated to seek out one that was suitable for adults but not ridiculously cumbersome (as the only adult scooters I've seen in shops always seem to be). The NYCewheels one looks pretty cool. I think the board could be a little more spacious and it doesn't look like you can adjust the handlebar height, which may be problematic if you were using it for more than ten or so minutes at a time...

But, hey, Peter-from-NYCewheels does make it look good, and we all need a benchmark to start with.

Update on the Bicycle saga

Well, it turns out my bike is in the country, and making it's way through customs. It took a little effort on my part to get this information, as the shop didn't seem to be in a hurry to supply it, but I just *might* have it in my possession by October - which means I might be able to take it with me on holidays after all.

I don't mind the odd bit of delayed gratification - it's nice to be able to "look forward" to something, and can be a bit of a bonus when you have to "look forward" to it for longer than expected...

But I have to admit I'll be much happier once the Brommie is folded neatly under my desk at work (just because I can, that's why - I know of a guy who stores his in a bookcase!).

Taking a Punt

Several years ago, for some reason I still can't quite explain - even to myself - I became fascinated with the idea of punting. As in, the technique for propelling a boat through shallow water with a pole:



It started shortly after I saw an episode of Dr Who in which the Doctor took Romana punting down some river or other (can't recall which), and said something about how great punting was. It was the first time I had noticed there was a difference between the way people propelled a punt to the way they propelled a gondola, and I thought it was most intriguing.

That concept sat, stewing in my brain for a few years, until I took up unicycling. I started by buying a 24 inch unicycle from a local shop, but then went and built my own 20 inch unicycle from parts bought from the Australian and New Zealand shops tied into unicycle.com. While I was poking around their shop, I discovered the concept of an impossible wheel:



Now, most people would look at that thing and say: "that's one of the stupidest ideas ever".

They would be right, of course, except for using the word "stupidest". It should be "most stupid".

Me? I looked at it and thought: "I wonder if you can punt with that thing?"

The answer to the question turns out to be "no". I bought the platforms and attached them to a good quality BMX wheel I bought specifically for the purpose, and promptly discovered that you can't actually mount and propel an impossible wheel while it is stationary.

Turns out the only real way to get one of the things moving is to get it going while you aren't standing on it, and then jump on the moving death-trap and hope for the best. If your balance is excellent, you can pull it off. Mine isn't, and while I may be stupid I'm not suicidal.

Ever since then I've been looking at that wheel and wondering if I can do something else with it. I keep coming up with all sorts of ideas for bicycle related contraptions, which may be entirely possible if not for the fact that I don't have to ability to build new things, only assemble existing things according to instructions.

In the back of my mind, though, I still want to punt with it. The main reason why you can't get it going from a stationary position is because the wheel itself leans against your leg when you try to brace for balance. I maintain that, if you designed some sort of cage to keep the wheel free while still bracing, you would be able to use a pole to mount and propel the wheel...

I also think "land punting" might work better if you were on at least two wheels and a platform, so part of me wants to buy a matching wheel and try sticking them into a board of some description, or creating something like this:



Only with the wheel-board relationship altered so that the wheels go in the center line and the board splits on either side...

Or maybe it would make more sense to just get a real longboard and us it as is. Then I'd still have a spare wheel lying around the place, but I've enjoyed dreaming about what I could do with the wheel, so I guess I can keep dreaming about it.

And, no, I don't have a good reason for wanting to punt on solid land. I don't have a good reason for most of the things I want to do.