Weird Bike Wednesday - The Hoopy Wooden Bicycle

The Hoopy Wooden Bicycle

Bicycle frames can be made from a variety of materials, including aluminum, steel, titanium, carbon fiber and even plywood. Here's a bike called the Hoopy that I found on the Wooden Widgets website. They don't sell this bike, they sell plans so you can make one yourself. The frame is made from 3/8" plywood. There are numerous pieces that are glued together, and.no fasteners are used to make the frame, which weighs about six and a half pounds. Wooden Widget says you should be able to make a Hoopy for about 300 Euros (about $370).

Here's a video that's just over two minutes long about the Hoopy. The first half shows just the bike. The second half shows people riding it.

Touring Tuesday - Cycling Sri Lanka

Gwyn stayed at this private residence on his Sri Lankan trip

The weather has warmed up a little, but it's still pretty cold here in Indiana, so I'm thinking of tropical places where someone could go bicycle touring. Sri Lanka looks like it might be a good choice. It's not very far north of the equator, and since it's an island, the ocean ought to moderate the temperature somewhat.

While searching the Internet, I found an account by Gwyn Williams of New Zealand, who spent two months cycling around Sri Lanka. It's out on the Crazy Guy on a Bike website, which is a great resource if you are looking for first person information about cycling almost anywhere in the world. Gwyn took it pretty easy on his trip, averaging only about twenty miles per day. He must have spent a lot of time taking photos, because there are over 500 on the website - Many are of the local population.

Here are a takeaways from Gwyn:

• He never camped - He always stayed at small hotels, guest houses or private homes. The owners of the home in the photo we're glad to have him. They said they needed the money.
• Traffic was much less chaotic than in India.
• Main highways were always in good shape. Other roads could be pretty rough.
• Food was good as long as you like it hot.
• National parks and archaeological sites are pricey - $100 (U.S.) or more
• Mosquitoes weren't bad, and most accommodations had mosquito nets. Gwyn carried one with him - Some had holes in them.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1mr&page_id=180232&v=At

Friday Photo - Riding on a Ledge

Don't look down!

I found this photo out on Pinterest. I don't know where it was taken, but it definitely was not Indiana. As someone who is terrified of heights, it scares me just to look at this photo. The view from there must be breathtaking, but anyone riding should keep their eyes on the trail!

Thursday Video - Skunklock

Skunklock looks like an ordinary U lock

Well, here's an interesting product, but I'm not sure how successful it will be. It's called Skunklock, and it looks like an ordinary U lock for your bike. Inside, there is a noxious chemical under pressure. Should a bike thief try to cut the lock, it sprays out. The chemical is legal, but most unpleasant, often inducing vomiting. Skunklock had a very successful funding campaign on Indiegogo, raising over 75,000 dollars by the end of 2016. They project that the first locks will be available in May of 2018, with an MSRP of $159. I love their tagline: "The lock that fights back."

Here's the video:

Weird Bike Wednesday - Ford's Inflatable Bicycle

Illustration of Ford's inflatable bike (courtesy of PSFK)

Now here's a weird bike that just looks stupid to me. The designers at Ford (Yes, the car company) have come up with a concept for an inflatable bike, and recently received a patent for it. They say they are focusing on the last mile, and this is to be ridden home from wherever you leave your car (assuming it's not in your garage). Now I don't doubt that an inflatable bicycle can be made. Back in 1956 Goodyear developed an inflatable airplane (Here's a 16 minute video about it). The purpose was to come up with a plane that could be dropped to pilots who had been shot down behind enemy lines.  But I just can't figure out what advantages an inflatable bicycle has over a folding bicycle - And there are plenty of good folding bicycles already on the market. We have some of them for sale at Circle City Bicycles.

They only practical use I can see for an inflatable bicycle is as a "bait bike." It could be fitted with a remote device to let the air out of the frame after someone steals it. Imagine the thief's shock when the bike deflates and becomes unrideable.

Friday Photo - Bicycle Towing a Rhino

Riding along with rhino in tow (photo courtesy of The Daily News)

It seems like you can transport just about anything by bicycle. In 2017, Matt Meyer from South Africa, towed a fiberglass replica of a rhino down the west coast of the United States. His goal was to rsie a quarter of a million dollars to aid rhino conservation through three non-profit organizations:

• Care for Wild Africa
• Save the Rhino Trust
• Ol Pejata Conservancy

 His plan  was to ride nearly 2,000 miles from the Canadian border down to San Diego. He started on April 17, and reached San Diego on June 18. Matt's trip was sponsored by Piper & Heath Travel and Wilderness Safaris, so all of the donated funds went to the non-profits. Next time you are biking up a difficult hill, keep in mind that Matt Meyer did his trip while towing a 300 pound rhino.

Thursday Video - Bicycle Powered Blenders

Boys enjoying smoothies from bike blender

Here's something for those of you who like smoothies. In this video, Paul Freedman shows you options for creating smoothies by bicycle. These products are available for sale at the Rock The Bike website. They offer three choices:

• Fender Blender Universale: It is a rear rack with the blender attached. They say it should work on any bike.
• Fender Blender Xtracycle: This is a similar blender, but made to fit on an Xtracycle.
• Fender Blender Pro: This one is a stationary bicycle (actually there is only one wheel). With this one, the blender is right in front of you, so you don't have to turn around to see how if the smoothie is ready.

This is an interesting product, but I see two problems with it. First, I doubt that there is enough room for a bicycle in most kitchens - There certainly isn't in mine. Second, these blenders are expensive. The Fender Blender Universale starts at $249, the one for the Xtracycle begins at $225, and the Fender Bender Pro starts at $1,700. These are way to expensive for me, but then I don't like smoothies anyway.

Here's the video: