Today, Natalie and I pedaled over to Waterloo’s Button Factory to share some bikes with the kids at the Eco-Arts Discovery Camp. The Couchbike was pretty loaded down for the trip. We brought along a laptop computer, data projector, Hula Bike and mini bicycle.
But it was all worth it. The kids had a fun time and so did we. Here are some pictures from the day.
Yesterday, the UK based Gadget Show dropped in to film a segment featuring some Bicycle Forest creations. We had a great time with producer Karen, cameraman Tom and host Dallas Campbell.
I’m grateful for the assistance of Greg, Jen, Natalie, Natasha and Ted who helped move all the bikes around, brought refreshments and risked life and limb performing demos on camera.
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I’m not sure when the episode will air, but will let everyone know as soon as I find out!
| The latest issue of VeloNews, the Journal of Competitive Cycling, has a nice article by Lennard Zinn about BikeCAD Pro. For more information about BikeCAD and the many great shops and builders that are using it, visit: BikeCAD.ca. |
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Today, Wilfrid Laurier University kicked off their annual Commuter Challenge and the Bicycle Forest was called in to present various modes of alternative transportation. Thanks to Ted and friends for pedalling the bikes to the event. With all that rain it was a smart move to bring the pickup truck bike!
The City of Toronto kicked off Bike Month yesterday with its annual Group Commute. Bicycle commuters from around the city met to ride together from four start points and converged at Yonge and Bloor before descending on mass to Nathan Phillips Square.
Coming from Waterloo with nine bikes ranging in size from the diminutive Mini 125 to the enormous Family Truckster and Couchbike, our commute was surely one of the more logistically complex. Kudos to Ted for keepin’ it real and cycling all the way from Waterloo.
In Nathan Phillips Square, we had a special area set up for people to try some of the unique bikes we brought from the Bicycle Forest collection. Good times were definitely had by all.
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Every year, Pacific Southwest Container hosts a Customer Appreciation day and golf tournament. Ryan Perkins’ department is responsible for creating the unique golf holes. Think Putt Putt golf but everything is made of paper. This year’s theme was Going Green on the Green. Ryan used a full scale PDF output from BikeCAD Pro to create this amazing cardboard bicycle.
I’m sure many a junior golfer would have contemplated theft had it not been for the sturdy cardboard chain. Good thinking Ryan… and nice work!
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When Drew and Nadine’s friends and family dreamt of a clever way to surprise the pair of avid cyclists on their wedding day, it wasn’t long before they settled on the couchbike.
It was an honour and a privilege to play a part in Drew and Nadine’s special day. I wish them both all the best in their future together.
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Henry Thompson from Oxford, England drew inspiration from the Couchbike in putting together this armchair bike. According to Henry, it started with a £9/$18 armchair from e-bay. He bought the six feet or 1.8 metres of 2″ / 500mm square section tubing and half a day of time of the welder/fabricator, Julian Bloomfield – a gentleman artisan of the old school. And Juriaan’s wheels – which are pricey but there isn’t a substitute. Everything else came from junk. It only took a couple of days of his time to make. |
The armchair bike will be going on the World Naked Bike Ride – an event that throws light on the vulnerability of cyclists and on our dependence on oil – (Henry works in the oil industry himself). Last year, he went on a normal bike and laughed himself silly for 3 hours straight. This year on the armchair bike, Henry imagines he’ll get a lot of attention, and so he’ll be wearing an orangutan suit – his nod to the palm oil bio-fuelled predation on the rainforest home of our second cousins.
After the ride it’ll go on e-bay as a comfy bike. Sadly, Henry hasn’t got anywhere to keep it!
Today, I bumped into Jeff from Rebel Cycles in Waterloo. Jeff’s been riding his trike all winter long and told me that he probably never would have made it through this tough winter on a regular bike. I was surprised, as I’ve ridden through my share of winters and sort of prefer two wheels for the ability to use body English to get traction when I need it. Trikes do not typically have a lot of weight on the rear wheel so traction can be an issue. However, Jeff pointed to the studded tire on the back of his trike and it did look like it would do the trick.
The other issue that sometimes scares people away from trikes is visibility, but Jeff had that problem licked with an animated LED panel mounted on his rear rack. The flashing LED’s were highly visible even in the light of day.
I’m not sure how much more snow we’re going to be getting this spring, but judging by the size of the snowbanks in town, I think the long range forecast is for puddles. Here’s hoping that the Easter Bunny has fenders on his bicycle!