I’ve written about my Dahon Folding Bike before. It’s the one that I configured as a city apartment bike (read more here). The Dahon is a fun bike to ride. With its tiny tires you feel like you’re on a kids bike. It has a three speed hub gear system, so it’s easy to use. And it has fenders and chain guards, so you don’t have to be outfitted in bicycling gear to ride it.

While I had previously outfitted it with a lighting system, etc, it was lacking a good way to carry stuff. It has a really nice rear rack — but the wheels are so small that you can’t use regular pannier bags. It needed something like a milk crate.

Trouble with milk crates is that they look like milk crates. And any attempt to make it look nicer simply resulting in a nicer looking milk crate. I’d have to build my own.

So, out come some 1×12 scrap boards, and some knowledge recently gained from a new Super Secret Project. Here is the core:

The front, angled parts, and sides are all 1×12 pine boards. The front is 6″, angled 4″, and sides 8″. These dimensions were chosen because (a) my scrap of wood was only 30″ long and (b) it just happens to be exactly the right size for my rack.

In this shot you can see the angle cuts:

This is where having a gigantic miter saw really paid off. I was able to make those 22.5 degree bevel cuts right on the Makita. You can also use a portable circular saw, a good straight edge, and a steady hand.

Why 22.5 degrees? Because if you cut your lumber equally you’ll make a hexagon. I wanted a hexagon-like shape for my box, since I didn’t want it to look like a cube. The other huge added benefit it that the angled parts allow my feet to clear — if I made a cube my my pedals/feet would have whacked into the box. Luckily, my aesthetic choice was also a good usability choice.

The sides were glued up and allowed to dry using a strap clamp to hold it in place (this was a big pain and the hardest part of the project).

If you look carefully in the above photo you can see that I also used small pieces (cut at 45 degree angles) as braces. Why 45 degrees? Because 45 + 22.5 + 22.5 = 90. Geometry in action. The braces are glued in and then bradded (using 2″ brads — thank goodness for my DeWalt nail gun).

Again, by lucky happenstance, my scrap lumber and it’s dimensions lead me to one very important conclusion: It’s ideally sized to hold a 6 pack of bottled beer. If you are going to build your own, make sure it can accommodate 6″ x 8″ x 10″ tall. Unless you drink from cans, then you can reduce the height.

For the back, I used a piece of scrap 5mm plywood held in place with brads. You can use 1x if you have it (I was out). The bottom is another piece of high-quality 1×12 that I’ve had around. It’s held in place with about eight 1 5/8″ deck screws. Make sure the bottom is fastened well — it’s the primary mounting point to the bike.

Now that I knew this would hold beer, or a picnic lunch, or both, it was important to add some insulation. Two reasons for this: (a) to keep stuff cool in the hot Texas summer and (b) to keep things from rattling around while I’m riding.

I had some spare garage door insulator lying around (it’s like silvered bubble swap) which would work perfectly:

The insulation on the sides is one piece, held in place with construction adhesive. The bottom is more insulation, but is NOT adhered to the bottom. It has to be removable so that you can bolt the box to the bike rack.

This being Austin, I knew that I couldn’t leave the box plain black. That would be too boring. So we finally put to use some of the many, many bottle caps we have collected:

The caps are hot glued to a piece of Kommerling Komacel. Komacel is a plastic material that is weatherproof, cuts like wood, and can be purchased in a variety of colors. It’s a great material to work with. We had a scrap of white, so I spray painted it matte black. The resulting panel is then mounted to the rear 5mm back using 4 machine screws and nuts.

You can see that the top is cut to mirror the shape of the box, has the edges rounded over, and then mounted with a single hinge. Since I was out of larger boards, I biscuited and glued up two 1×6 boards and then cut to shape. Insulation was also glued into place so that the entire box is insulated.

Next up, some designs for the side:

A nighttime test ride:

I’ll try and get some photos of how the box gets mounted to the rack, and some more of the top.

For the final touches, we’ll decorate the sides some more, and probably put a latch (perhaps magnetic) on the lid so it doesn’t bounce around. (I noticed a little movement in the top — mainly because I used a cheap leftover hinge. If you have one, use a piano hinge.)

Our prototype panel is above. We decided that the black background looked better than white.

or, Building A Better Commuter Bike.

I’ve owned a lot of bikes. Road, recumbent, mountain, folding, tandem, cheap, expensive, and in-between. I used to ride a lot, but haven’t done much in the last couple of years. Work and weather always seem to get in the way, especially in Chicago.

In Austin, I have far less excuse. The weather is rideable for most of the year, and even in the heat of summer the evenings are no worse than a humid Chicago summer night. Austinites seem to bitch about how unfriendly the city is for bikes, but I haven’t seen that in the central part of the city. I can safely follow a route from 8500 North all the way downtown to Ladybird (Town) Lake. Try doing that in Chicago, especially on the South Side. (Drivers are often another issue, but there always jerks, so I obey the rules of the road, and give cars a wide berth. A “hello” doesn’t hurt either.)

Anyhow, we had our mountain bikes in the apartment for a while, but no longer had space for them. Then I remember my Dahon folding bike. I had bought it a couple of years ago for my Chicago commute (a disaster, for many reasons). I wasn’t too keen on the folding and unfolding part, but even “put together” it’s quite small. In fact, it sits very nicely behind our front door, in a 4×4 “foyer”.

As you can see, the wheels are very small, like those on a kids bike. I think they are 14″ diameter. They take a little getting used to (watch out for big bumps and potholes), but allow the bike to take up very little space. From stem-to-stern it’s about 52″. Normally the bike can be folded at the midsection, the seat tube dropped, and the handlebar folded and tucked in. Even the pedals fold down. It compacts pretty well, but I intend to keep it opened up.

So now I had a bike that would fit into the apartment without taking up any new space (it’s behind the door, which has to be kept clear). Now, how do I make sure I use it? Well, you have to eliminate the excuses.

Here are my standard reasons for putting off riding: Gotta pull the bike out, and that’s a hassle. Gotta charge the light. Gotta attach the light to the helmet. Gotta wear a shirt that will hold the battery for the light (a jersey). Gotta avoid getting killed (need lots of lights). Gotta this, gotta that. My goal was to eliminate those excuses and bring it down to one: laziness.

First the light. I have a NiteRider, which is the only headlight brand I recommend. I’ve found most of the others to be junk, or just not as well built, or lacking in light.  I have the model which mounts to your helmet. These are wonderful, because they allow you to shine light where you’re looking, not where the bike is heading. Great on trails, but more of a hassle for a commuter bike. So I mounted the light near the handlebars:

Since I’m not planning on folding the bike, I secured the wire along the frame with some zip-ties. Luckily, the cable was long enough to reach the rear of the bike, where I wanted to mount the battery. Note that I’ve got the headlight pointed down a little bit. That’s because the NiteRiders are super-bright, and since I’m on city streets, I’m usually worried about people seeing me, and don’t need to see that far ahead. However, if I’m in a darker area, I can crank up the output and tip it up a bit.

As you can see below, the battery is a slim rectangle, normally dropped into the back on your jersey. Instead, I zip-tied it to the rear rack of the Dahon. This is the perfect spot for this battery, as it doesn’t block the rear rack in any way (it sits on the supports) and is rock-solid.

The battery gets charged with a power pack that I keep right near the bike. I bring the bike in, attach the charger, and I’m ready to go whenever. No searching for the battery, no hassle.

Above the battery area, you can see how I mounted a water bottle holder. Since this is a folding bike, and there is little frame, there is no traditional mounting points for a bottle cage. So, zip-ties to the rescue again. A little bit of orange non-slip “shelf liner”, a couple of ties, and it’s a strong as it can be.

Now, you can skip this, and go with something like a CamelBak, but I wanted this to be a get-on-and-go bike. A CamelBak means filling up the water bag, putting it on, etc. More preparation. More reasons to “skip it”. So I went with the simple water bottle.

As for aesthetics, well, this isn’t some hand-crafted Italian carbon and titanium setup. I’ve got zip-ties and tiny wheels and ride a bike that looks mutated. Frankly, I could care less. For three reasons. First, I’m too old to care. Second, this is designed to be a commuter bike, not a racer. It’s the Toyota Echo of the biking world. Fourth, I’m in Austin. They like weirdos.

In Puerto Rico, we picked up some really nice combo bags & tool sets for our mountain bikes. I also got the brightest rear light I could find (if you’ve driven in PR, you know why). These were perfect for this bike, as I could mount the light high-up, near the seat.

It’s a Cateye blind-you-from-all-directions light and I love it, because you get good flashing from the rear and the sides. The bag, which has a complete tool set, has reflective material all around, which also helps me stand-out at night.

A note about night riding: Please, use lights. At the very least, have a flashing red light in the rear. Though, I’d honestly say the least you should have is a flashing red in the rear and white in the front. The LED units are cheap, run forever, and make you much less invisible at night (or during the day, for that matter). I have a proper white headlamp in the front, so people can see me and so I can see potholes, and two rear lights. The super bright-one near the seat, and an always-on one on the rear rack. It’s a good idea to have them on whenever you ride, night or day. There are a LOT of distracted people out there–in cars, on bikes, and walking. Make sure to stand out!

The other really nice thing about the Dahon is that, since it was designed for commuters and folding, there are a ton of nice features. You have a nice rear rack. More importantly, you have complete fenders on both front and rear wheels. No more dirt sprayed on your clothes! The entire chain assembly is covered in a guard, so you don’t have to worry about getting chain grease on your clothes or legs, either! Plus, they use simple pedals, so no fancy shoes required. Finally, it’s a three-speed hub, so no front or rear derailer to get mucked up, or confused about.

With the addition of the lights, a bag, and (soon) a rear basket, I’ll have put together a really handy get-on-and-ride bike. No fancy clothes. No equipment to gather. Just put on a helmet, grab a water bottle, and get out and ride. In two minutes I can be out the door. So much for handy excuses.

Next up on my upgrades: Some sort of crate or box that will be mounted to the rear rack. Something to hold a bag or two of groceries. Something like a milk crate, but smaller. Also, I need some way of holding a U-lock. Perhaps at the bottom of the crate.

I think we’re getting to the point where we need Google Walk and Google Bike. You know how Google (and MapQuest, etc) have driving directions? Well, I think driving directions are so 1990’s. Anybody can get in their car, put in $200 worth of gas, and drive two blocks to the grocery store. But getting around on foot, or bike, that’s another matter.

I know that Google started their Public Transit directions, which is pretty helpful, but that only goes so far. What about the walkers out there? In the Chicago area (excluding some suburbs) you have sidewalks everywhere. Every street. Everywhere. You really don’t have to think about whether you can get somewhere on foot, because you can. The downside, of course, is the car traffic, the crappy weather, and so on.

I didn’t realize how much I took sidewalks for granted until we lived in Puerto Rico, and now Austin. In PR, you only had sidewalks in the main town areas. In Austin, it’s pretty hit-or-miss. There are bunches of areas without sidewalks, which makes taking walks a challenge. We’ve spent a good deal of time just finding safe places to cross, quieter roads, etc. Sure, we have the wonderful “greenbelt” walks (ex. Shoal Creek, near us), but you have to get there first.

I’d love it if I could pull up a Google Map and say, “I want to get to this bookstore” and have the Directions tell me where there are sidewalks, where it’s safer to cross the busier streets (a bonus), and estimated time.

Obviously, it would be a pretty big undertaking, but they already have the data, either in overhead satellite images or the notorious “Street View”. (I’ve actually used Street View to determine if there were sidewalks in an area. It’s not perfect, but it helps.)

Perhaps easier would be Google Bike, which would cover the bike lanes in a city. This should be considerably easier to do, as many cities already have Bike Routes marked (though often neglected). The data are somewhere, and dedicated bike lanes can be seen in satellite images. In fact, it would probably be very similar to what they had to do to get Public Transit Directions working.

So, there’s another project for a budding entrepreneur out there. It sounds like the perfect “mashup” between Google Maps and personal knowledge.

We spent a good part of our day riding around on our bikes. We did a short ride in the morning, then came back home. Just in time to meet our mailman and get our Performance Bike packages–horray! We got a couple of lights (since I love nightime riding–very peaceful, somewhat scary), water bottles, and some “hoists” for our bikes.

In the afternoon I installed the bike hoists in the garage. Basically, they are rope and pulley things that lift the bike off of the ground. If you had a really high ceiling, you could use them to get the bikes way out of the way. We wanted to get the bikes off of the ground because of the lovely rats. You see, the rats down here love to get into cars (etc) and eat at the cables. For some reason, they like the taste of insulation! So, to (hopefully) prevent this, we now have our bikes 4 feet off the ground.

(At night, the two “puppies” [now young dogs] get put in the garage where the bikes are at. So, our bikes get guarded by them, which is nice. It’s kinda interesting–they really do know who “should” and “shouldn’t” be around. If a stranger comes in, they are all barking and growls. I guess that’s what you want in a dog. It’s funny, because they are still pretty small, but they sound like they’d rip your throat out.)

I wanted to break in my new Nite Rider light, so Ev and I just went out for a ride. I’ve had Nite Rider stuff before (mounted on the handlebars), but this one mounts on your helmet. Let me tell you, you may look goofy with the light on your head (you look like a coal miner), but it’s a thousand times better than the handlebar mounts. You can look around and see what you’re getting into. (I wish cars did that–especially on these roads–who cares what’s in front of you–I want to see the next turn!) Plus, the battery pack is small–it slips right into a jersey pocket. (My old Nite Rider had a big battery pack the shape of a water bottle. Nice design at the time, but you wouldn’t want to put it in your back pocket!)

The ride was nice and peaceful, plus it’s a lot cooler, so you don’t get so dehydrated. In all, I think we passed one car altogether. It will be interesting once we have a full moon, then we’ll be able to see the whole valley at night.

So a thumbs up on the following bike gadgets:

* Cateye TL-LD 1000 rear light. Super bright. A couple of modes and true 180 degree (almost 360) coverage–since it has two LEDs on each side, in addition to 10 (two banks of 5) in the rear. Down here, you really need a rear light, even during the day.

* Nite Rider Digital Head Trip 3.0. Made in the USA! A solid 15 watts of blazing power. Many modes (4 levels of brightness, flashing, etc). Small battery. Simple to install on the helmet, though a tad heavy (that’s the price you pay for a metal lamp). Even comes with a nice zippered storage case. Not cheap, but well worth the money.

And a general Thumbs Up to Performance Bike. They shipped fast (the next day) and have very reasonable shipping rates. We ordered the stuff last Wed/Thr and got both today (Tue), which is really good.

P.S. Sorry to those of you in Chicago who have to listen to this outdoors stuff in February. Right now it’s coming up on 11 PM and is 73 degrees outside. I see it’s 28 in Chicago. Sorry.

Well, it’s been a couple of weeks since we got out bikes. So far they are working out okay. The trouble I’m having with mine is with the fancy hydraulic disc brakes. Clamp down on them too hard (which happens a lot in this area–lots of hills) and they squeal like a pig getting killed. Man, they are LOUD.

I’ve taken the bike back once to have them checked, and they say they are okay (pads just need to “break in”), but I’m skeptical. For now, half of the countryside can hear me coming–it’s at the point where I don’t want to brake, because of the noise. There is supposed to be some “anti-brake-squeal” stuff available (for cars) which I might try. For now, I don’t need a horn/bell on the bike.

Riding around here (with us out of shape) was pretty discouraging at first. This area is quite hilly–no flat-as-glass Illinois here. Here you have uphill battles that last for MILES.

The first route we took was going south-west from the house (along 455, for those with maps). The first part of the trip was really fun–it was all downhill. I was easily doing 35 mph (on a mountain bike, none-the-less)…with disc brakes SCREAMING. (When I hit a puddle, the discs threw off steam!)

Coming back was like a death march. If I wasn’t on BP medicine I probably would have had a heart attack. Mile after mile of steep uphill. I tried part of the stretch again the other day and even a small section killed me. (There’s just no place to get warmed up.) Just goes to show what years of sitting in front of a computer will do to you.

Anyhow, there are some flatter parts in the area–but they all require driving around. We have a small bike rack for the car, but there’s nothing that kills the urge to ride than knowing you have to drive someplace. It’s just a hassle for the daily ride. I was discouraged.

Yesterday Ev and I went out again, this time in the opposite direction. On a whim, I turned down what looked like a sideroad (in between farms). Lucky I did! It’s hilly, but a good mix of up-and-down, so you can build up speed to make it up the next hill. It is also infrequently used (it leads to a little community of about 20 homesteads), so you don’t have to worry about getting killed by a speeding car coming around a blind corner. (There are enough killer potholes to keep the riding interesting–and keep the cars from speeding.)

As a bonus, the route is about 3 miles long, starts about 2 minutes from the house, and is mostly downhill on the way back home. “Three miles?” you say “that’s nothing!” Well, I agree. Three miles in Chicago is nothing (taking out the killer traffic–cars-bikes-people). But, when you have a 25 degree grade to climb, it’s another thing altogether. No wonder why all the roadies we see out here have tree trunks for legs. Strong guys who are just barely getting up some of these inclines (tough for cars, let alone bikes).

So, I’m pleased. Found a good training route, close to home. I can go back and forth a couple of times to build up my stamina. Plus, it’s got really beautiful views that look out across the countryside. (It’s kinda elevated, runs along the ridge–you look down on the valley.) Now I just need to get out there everyday. (Just ordered a new headlight from Performance Bike, so that I can ride at night, when it’s much cooler. I’ve bought from Performance for ages [over 12 years, at least] and I’ve always been happy with them. They ship fast and have good prices.)

One of the things we’re considering doing down here is some Eco Tourism (hiking, biking, etc). Well, in order to do the biking part, you need a bike, right? (Okay, I know: Those who know me are aware that I have about 5 bikes right now: tandem, recumbent, road, mountain, and folding. But hey, they are all in Chicago!)

So, I was looking around for bike stores. There’s one chain on the island, but it didn’t look too promising (didn’t really tell me what brands they carried, plus, I’m not a big fan of ‘big” companies). Luckily, while searching for trails, I ran across Xtreme Bikes, in Aguadilla (Xtreme Bike PR). They looked like a small business bike shop–the kind I like. So, Evelyn and I decided to check them out today.

Now you gotta remember, when it comes to most “specialty” stores in PR, they are typically postage stamp sized and don’t have much. I’m talking 10 x 12 sized stores. So, I wasn’t keeping my hopes up. However, I was betting on one thing: On their website they show themselves as a Rocky Mountain Bicycles dealer. For those not into bikes, RM bikes are hand-built in Canada. Real people welding the frames. Real people building the wheels.

So, off to Aguadilla we headed. It’s about 45 minutes from home, depending on traffic (the side roads are the easy part–the main roads [like 2] get all backed up). When we got there I wasn’t too sure, but lo-and-behold, it was a decent sized bike store with probably 25 bikes on the floor. Helmets, glasses, shoes, gadgets, etc. I was pleased.

When we got there we were greeted by Lizette, who we found was one of the owners. She was very friendly and helpful, which isn’t always true of store employees here. (As in the US, there are those people who want to help you, and those that don’t. Unfortunately, there are a lot more lazy unhelpful ones than good ones. When you find a good one they are like gold.)

I took a look around and eyed a couple of Rocky Mountain bikes (they also have Kona, a few Specialized road bikes, and some Iron Horse). I took three of them for a spin, two full suspension and one front-only. Man! It was nice to get on a bike again. Zipping down the Calle Marginal at mach speed, then slamming on the brakes (disc, front and back–sweet!) and hearing little kids squeal as the bike slammed to a stop near them. (If I could understand Spanish, I am sure that they said “do it again!”.)

The only problem is, I haven’t been on a bike in ages, so soon after I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack. But, I survived, and was hooked. Evelyn, not wanting to be left out, also took a couple for a spin, and found a liking to a hard-tail RM bike.

In the end, we ending up walking out with a new Rocky Mountain Element 30 for me (Ron’s Bike) in red, and a Rocky Mountain Trailhead for Evelyn (Evelyn’s Bike) in black–of course. Also picked up some new Giro helmets (my old Giro Ventoux is probably 10+ years old now, and still in good shape–but still in Chicago)…I never ride without one.

So, Ev and I are gonna find some (quieter) roads tomorrow and break in the bikes. Heck, we might even be able to ride them around her parents land–just watch out for the cow pies! After that, we’re gonna check out some beach trails, and a really cool trail in the dry forest in the south (Guanica). Once I’ve put a few hundred miles on the frame, I’ll write up a full review of the bike.

I’ll post some pictures tomorrow (once it’s light out). All you ladies out there will get to see me in my biker shorts.

Evelyn and I visited a regional forest on our last trip. It was to the east of Arecibo…need to look up the name. The thing I noticed was that they allow / have mountain biking trails. Once we have our bikes down there, we’re going to give them a try. I’ll keep you posted. (One other thing was that the park was pretty busy, so if you are looking for silence, this probably isn’t a good place–lots of people with picnics & beer.)