Posts tagged “bettie 20”  

The Party for Val has been opened up to everyone and is on tomorrow night. We’ll be there with some gear for the raffle and toasting Val.

At first we wanted to have an insiders-only Seattle Bicycle Industry Party. However, Val’s battle with cancer is overshadowing that event. Lots of people want to come show him their love and support. So we decided to cancel the original event and just have a party for Val. Anyone that knows, loves or appreciates Val Kleitz is invited!

Host: Aaron’s Bicycle Repair
Location: Pike Brewing Company
When: Tuesday, November 17, 8:00 PM
Raffle details.

Val’s Dreadnought

Val was riding cargo before cargo was cool. In fact, that’s his only means of transportation. He built Bettie 2.0 for us. Cappy likes Val too cause he has treats stashed in his oyster buckets.

We all learned last month that Val has cancer.

Well-timed for National Bike Month, another New Urbanism piece and this one is focused on how destructive cul-de-sacs are. In the years I've been riding in Seattle, Lake Washington Blvd (a standard Seattle-area bike route) went from a quiet road to a highway when I5 is gridlocked. Farmland I'd ride out and back to is covered in houses and the State widens roads just to have them fill up with cars.

Slow Down

Going out for coffee in Girona, we noticed that no one got "coffee to go." They ordered a drink and then sat down to drink it.

Point is that part of a new urban community isn't just less cars, road diets, and biking to work. We need to shift our thinking and slow down. An adjustment I made riding Bettie was that bike is slow and low. It takes double the time to get anywhere and I eventually got used to it.

If we're to depend less on cars, we've got to eventually accept that we can't zip around everywhere. Ride to get coffee and take a few minutes to enjoy it.

Hat tip to Seattle PI.

Ran an errand on Bettie to pick up a Torker cargo bike. That's bike on bike action and both were cargo. Add a fixie next time and we've got a menage a trois.

A mixed-item load like this, you just stack on the back of a longtail, strap it down, go slow, and avoid bumps. Use your longtail foo.

That's a handtruck, giant gym bag, plant. On the other side, another box of plants.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

While we used trucks and cars for most of our move to a temp location — we’re remodeling Hugga HQ — the Bettie worked well for items like this Workbench.

Check the crappy camera phone video and notes on this photo. Also, please don’t try this at home, without advanced cargo skills. Riding with that much unbalanced weight required constant adjustments to counter the twisting.

More Longtail

Recent posts we’ve written about Longtails and Xtracycles, including videos, are available on our Longtail Page.

I had this same problem once with a bollard and thought, "maybe that'll trick a crackhead." To avoid a fail, I then U-locked the front wheel, unplugged the Stokemonkey, and toe-strapped the front brake. If the cable-around-the-bollard trick didn't fool the crackhead, he'd surely not get far with the front brake on.

Sometimes I'll also just pull right into a parking slot, and immobilize the bike, as noted above.

What are your locking techniques for a cargo bike? I know Val figures that his Dreadnaught is so intimidating few would consider stealing it and if they do, it isn't going far with the brakes locked.

Hat tip to jacobawhite

Here at Bike Hugger, we're constantly riding and blogging about Barney and Bettie the Bike Hugger Big Dummy's. If you've been on the fence about getting your own Dummy, this might be your opportunity. From now through Friday at midnight Xtracycle is collecting entries for the grand finale of their Month of Love promotion. One lucky winner will have the opportunity to purchase a Big Dummy Frame and Xtracycle will have it powder coated in any color you can dream up! Check it out after the jump.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Dapper Lad Cycles Photostream.

Val was visiting Hugga HQ, working on the Bettie, and Cappy the Pug was crazy-sniffing his bike. I wondered if Val had ridden through a swamp recently or maybe feral cats had mated near his bike?

Nope there were pecan sandies in the oyster bucket.

Stormy, Winter day in Seattle and out running errands on Bettie. Noticed the swells and grabbed this shot.

Here’s another.

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This Huggacast video features Aaron’s stoked Bafkiets with Haulin Colin’s trailer and Schlumpf drivetrain. Later, riding up steep hills in Seattle with Bettie.

195 pounds of Clip-n-Seals en route to Canada. Delivered by cargo bike to the mail dispatch. Made possible by Big Dummy, Xtracycle, and Stokemonkey.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these Cargonistas from riding to a soccer game.

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Loaded up a futon and rode it from one apartment to the other. You never know when a longtail cargo bike will get called into action or what’ll carry.

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How to change a longtail wheel — benefiting from a center stand and a very talented mechanic. Val made it look easy while I hope I don’t ever have to do that; at least on the road.

The technique is to remove/replace just like a road wheel: start on the center stand, lift the rear up cradling the Xtracycle in the left arm; center the wheel in the drops with the right arm, catching the cassette on the chain, and let the rear fall into place.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

The rainy season is back in Seattle with new wet-weather gear challenges for a longtail. I’ve got riding in the rain down to a science when touring, training, riding hard, and even racing. It’s a liner, windtex, outer shell, and fleece-lined knickers or tights. I don’t generate the heat riding a longtail in a urban enviroment, but also need to stay warm and not get to hot. I’m experimenting with

• Ibex Woolies Crew

• Ibex Vertigo — Loden — Jacket

• Ibex Silas Backcountry Pant

• Marmot PreCip Shell

• Salomon Shoes

• Windtek gloves

As you can see in the photo, I’m bundled up good with the PreCip hood up and over the helmet. Sitting up and seeing the world is great on the Bettie, but also means the driving rain drives right into your face. Got the campy hat with the bill to keep some of out of my eyes and the eyeware is for protection as well as glare. I wish someone made chaps for cyclists. Reports to follow on how this works out.

What are you wearing on your commute?

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Since the summer of 2006 Byron has integrated an Xtracycle longtail cargo bike into his family’s life and blogged about it here on bikehugger. The affectionately named “Bettie,” has seen several iterations. Bettie 1.0 was a Karate Monkey equipped with an Xtracycle Free Radical. Most recently, Bettie 2.5 has emerged as a Surly Big Dummy with custom mounted Stoke Monkey electric assist. No matter where we go, the sport utility bike turns heads. When we’re spinning up bike blended smoothies at a crit race, or just out with the kids at soccer practice, everyone wants to know more about Bettie. We’ve become such fans of Xtracycle cargo bikes, that we’ve doubled down. I’m pleased to unveil “Barney” Big Dummy. Mark V, recently completed the build of Barney at Elliot Bay Bikes. You can check out photos of Barney step’in out with a down low glow on his first trip to “Full Throttle Bottles,” Beer store in Georgetown. We look forward to comparing Barney’s Rohloff drive train performance to Bettie’s Nuvinci after I get a chance to put some rubble under Barney’s tires.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

I get asked so many questions, the cards help. I explain that it’s a sport-utility bike, a car replacement, and a cargo bike. That it’s liberating for errands cause no parking. Go to the store, just pull right up, and park.

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Kid 1 gets the camera to record the ride to school on Bettie. After the slow, grinding climb, we hit Ludicrous Speed on the descent and that’s a big wheeeeee!

Note: this ride is performed by experienced cargo bike cyclists and passengers. Please don’t try this at home.

She complains about how slow we go, until we go fast. Oh and we have an agreement that I drop her off a block from school to prevent mortal embarrassment.

Also, we need to get one a Speed Vest to proudly display our speed.

Bolts came loose on the Stokemonkey, chain fell off, not feeling the Electric MonkeyLove — toestrapped back into alignment for a “disabled” ride home. I was in the middle of a hill and after the fix, rode at like 1 mph to Alki Bike and Board for tools. I’m keeping the strap there as a backup. Also, my stupid mistake for not having tools with me. I was on another quick test ride.

How has a toe strap saved you?

sidenote: When I arrived at Alki, someone said, “hey, aren’t you the jackass that busted his nuts in the Cyclocross video?” “You mean DZ-Nuts?”

We just updated Bettie to 2.5 with the addition of the Stokemonkey — we did it with a one-time exclusive, Rolling Jackass mount and barrel-adjustable tensioner. Bettie 1.0 was stoked and when we built Bettie 2.0, we already had 2.5 planned. Our decision to make a Monkeymount was driven by back-to-school and getting the kids to and from schools. For those wondering, Stokemonkey status is best found on Clevercycle’s blog. At this time, according to the blog, they are not back on the market. We recommend Stokemonkey owners wait to hear from Clevercycles on the status of Big Dummy mounts and Stokemonkey retrofit kits.