Kiwi Short: Frocks on Bikes

We are currently in Christchurch with some down time as we wait for some repair parts. It’s giving me time to work on some videos. I’m starting to edit the next Kiwi Chronicle episode and lamented all this great Frocks on Bikes footage that probably will be cut from it. So instead of just letting it gather digital dust, I had to cut a Kiwi Short. I was feeling pretty down about cycling in New Zealand and Wellington in particular after the International Bike Incident. This gave me some hope again. Everyday cycling in NZ seems to be in its infancy and its groups like Frocks on Bikes that will hopefully help take bicycling from recreation and bring it back to the everyday. In the video is Leah Murphy, one of the founders of Frocks on Bikes which has become a national movement of sorts. Also present is Celia Wade-Brown, the mayor of Wellington.

As you can tell from the video is that it was pretty windy. What you probably can’t tell is how absolutely terrifying the ferry ride was. The seats in the ferry weren’t bolted down and actually started moving during the ride from all the tossing! Everyone was pretty ecstatic to be back on shore and we all decided that riding a few hours into the headwind was more enjoyable than another ferry crossing. What was suppose to be a short picnic ride, turned into some epic riding battling the winds back into Wellington. At one point, three people in front of me and myself included were actually blown into traffic. We got off and had to walk a 100 meters. Surprisingly, everyone kept their spirits high and made it back. Even Celia pedaled all the way back, proving to be a stout cyclist (now if she can only get some more bike lanes in Welly!). Riding with the Frocks, renewed some faith that I had lost in cycling in NZ. It still has a long way to go, but moments like this give me hope.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our 2012 2012 calendar or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing.)

Auckland and Beyond

We’ve had a busy week in Auckland. We were set to leave Auckland on Thursday, but after coffee with some Auckland bicycle advocates we were persuaded to stay until the weekend to witness the first LEGAL crossing of bicycles over the Harbor bridge and we are glad we stayed. The Harbor Bridge (called the “coathanger” by some locals) connects St. Mary’s Bay in Auckland with the North shore and has been completely off limits to cyclists. There has been a growing movement to allow cyclists and pedestrians on the bridge and the Telestra Challenge ride was the first time cyclists were allowed to legally cross it. We volunteered a few days before the ride to help with registration at the University of Auckland campus. It was great fun to volunteer and we got to chat with some local cyclists about biking in Auckland.

The day of the event was a cloudy and blustery one, but it didn’t discourage the 5000 cyclists that showed up to ride. Before the ride started we got to meet Len Brown, the mayor of Auckland and got a short interview on film. He was jovial and affable and seemed like a nice guy trying to make Auckland more livable. One of the highlights of the event was to witness the protective barrier on the bridge formed by buses. It was a stunning sight and highly symbolic of the buses attempts to bridge the gap with cyclists. While it was a one time event, we certainly hope that it opens new minds about adding pedestrian and bicycling facilities.

After the official ride there was a bicycle carnival where we got to meet the Velociteers, Aucklands only synchronized bicycling group. The thing to know about Auckland is that it has a lot of cyclists, but very few who commute or are more everyday riders. Cycling is very much a sport and the idea of bike fun that is easy to take for granted in Portland hasn’t quite taken hold yet in New Zealand. But it is hopeful with groups like the Velociteers and Frocks on Bikes that an every day cycling culture will soon develop. After the end of the official happenings, we had a wonderful time at a cafe with a few of the Velociteers and Frockers.

We soon left Auckland, but not before exploring the cute suburb of Davenport. We rode up to North Head which was once a military installation with a big gun to protect against the Russians. It was beautiful riding and the top of North Head had great views of the city.

Waiheke Island

We hopped a Fullers ferry to Waiheke Island. Fullers is a local ferry operation that also operates buses on the island. They are unusual in that they are making great steps to being bicycle friendly. There is no charge for bicycles and some of their ferries now have indoor bike racks, which we haven’t even seen in the states! When we got to Waiheke, we saw that their buses had a great PSA to look out for cyclists on back. We also heard that they received a shipment of bike racks and would be piloting those soon.

The island of Waiheke is home to beautiful beaches, vineyards and mountain biking trails. On Waiheke you are either going up or down, there is very little flat road on the island. Its a beautiful but can be a challenging place to cycle if you’re not use to hills, but the leg burning is well worth it. The islands roads are a veritable roller coaster and are fun on an loaded bike. The weather hasn’t been very cooperative (where did summer go?) so we didn’t get to do as much riding as we would have liked, but what we did see was spectacular.

Tomorrow we ride out to Orapiu and hop a 360 Discovery Cruises ferry to Coromandel. We’ve heard the ride is beautiful and a great way to enter the peninsula. From Coromandel, our next stops will be Rotorua, Taupo, Napier and then down to Wellington. The holidays are coming so we’re starting to worry a little about accommodations, but since we travel so open ended its hard to make reservations. If you’ve got any leads for homestays in those areas, let us know. Episode 2 of Kiwi Chronicles will be up next Wednesday and its a good one!

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new 2012 calendar or some of the fun zombie apocalypse shirts we’re designing.)

The Path Less Pedaled Goes International!

Where can you find sheep, glaciers, meat pies, and a government that’s actively trying to entice bike travelers? The same place that you’ll find us in a few days… New Zealand!

That’s right, on Sunday, we fly to New Zealand! We’ve been keeping this a secret for so long, as we’ve been working through a lot of the details. We have so much that we want to share about our plans overseas, but for now we wanted to finally reveal our next travel destination.

We’re taking our faithful Bromptons with us as we spend the next several months exploring both islands. And we’ll be connecting with cycling advocates and tourism officials across the country. What’s it like to be a cyclist in New Zealand? What are all these great new facilities for bike travelers that we keep hearing about? How long does it take to learn how to ride on the left side of the street?

We’re also simply excited to follow Summer and go back to camping and fishing and trying new foods. As we explore New Zealand as a cycle touring destination, we’ll be continuing the video series that we started this summer in Eastern Oregon. We’ve even teamed up with Bicycle Times magazine! You’ll find our videos both here and on their website, but you’ll have to check out their site for exclusive behind-the-scenes information.

We’ll post more details soon (we’re working on a video!). In the meantime, let us know of anyone you think we should connect with while we’re in New Zealand. We arrive in Auckland on Tuesday and would love to meet up with some local folks!

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new 2012 calendar or some of the fun zombie apocalypse shirts we’re designing.)

Car-ody Shirts: Threads for Bike People

Our Zombie Apocalypse shirts have proven to be wildly popular! Thanks to everyone that ordered one. We never imagined that the shirts would do so well and it’s all helping us inch our way a little closer to New Zealand. I’m branching out to different shirts that will have a pro-bike message. Since we have a large contingency of readers who are bike advocates, I’ll be working on shirts that are a little transportation wonky (talk about a niche market!). So if you’re looking for some fun pro-bike shirts for yourself or for friends for the holidays, visit our Carody shirt section and the links below. The shirt sales keep us on the road and keep the site running!

After reading about Senator Boxer’s cuts to funding in a Federal highway bill and the inclusion of a clause that would create a mandatory sidepath law along Federal roads, I came up with this VOTE BIKES design. We’re at a time where we need to remind our elected officials that we bike AND we VOTE.

As we have been touring we have been taking a closer look at how bicycling can help local economies. With the limited range of bikes (not always a bad thing), people are more likely to support local businesses. With this idea in mind, I came up with the Bike Local. Buy Local design.

We love trains -Amtrak, light rail, HSR, etc., Perhaps not surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of shirts for transit aficionados. So I decided to reappropriate the popular X is for lovers slogan for rail with Trains are for Lovers.

And of course a few designs that poke fun at Zipcar and Smart cars : ) Visit our Carody shirt store!

Hope you enjoy the shirts and thanks again for supporting our travels. If you want a color combination that isn’t offered or have an idea for a shirt design, feel free to email us.

A Brompton Touring Video Montage

Just a quick video montage from footage from our trip. I’m still going through and editing interviews and piecing episodes together. Hope this quick cut gets you excited about bike touring! (YouTube version here.)

Visting Adventure Cycling

Whereupon we finally make it to Adventure Cycling! It has been our goal to get there and have our picture taken ever since we discovered bicycle touring. On the way, we get stopped by a puncture, distracted by a farmer’s market and some ice cream. But we do get there eventually and get a wonderful tour from Greg Siple and get our photos taken for the National Bicycle Touring Portrait Gallery. The first Bromptons to be photographed, according to Greg.

Highs and Lolos

In this video we travel from Lewiston, ID to Lolo Hot Springs, MT via the 12. The 12 is a beautiful stretch that has some absolutely terrible riding. The climb up Lolo pass itself was uneventful, but the getting there from Lewiston was memorable and not in good ways. (YouTube version)

Economics of Bike Touring

After an eye-opening talk with Bill White, the man who rallied the community of Twin Bridges together to erect the nation’s first ever Bike Camp, we’ve been thinking a lot about bicycle touring and its effects on small towns. He started Bike Camp as a means to get touring cyclists to stay in town and to benefit the local economy. He became enamored with the many stories of passing cyclists but also saw an opportunity for the town of Twin Bridges to benefit from hungry and tired bike tourists riding through.

For Bill, it was simple. To not do something to keep the cyclists in town was like “watching gold flow down the river.” So he dreamed up Bike Camp and raised the funds and community support to see it happen. It was such a simple insight, but one that we as bike tourists always clamor for. Show us a modicum of bike friendliness and we’ll be eternally grateful. Heck, we’ll even spend money in your town.

This got me thinking about our spending habits and how it would be different if we were in a car. We’re pretty average as far as touring cyclists, shooting for about 50 miles a day. Far enough to move through the landscape, but slow enough to do some fishing and eat some pie. Because of our limited distance per day and the massive amounts of calories we’re expending a day we eat a lot and require a place to overnight (camp, RV park, motel, etc.,).

I began thinking of how our spending habits would be different if we were driving. Take a 200 mile road trip. It would be easily accomplished within a day in an automobile. You’d probably stop for lunch, refill the gas tank along the way and get dinner and lodging at your final destination. You might pass a handful of small towns along the way, but since you’re moving so fast and not expending any calories, chances are you probably won’t stop unless you have to use the bathroom. Those small towns would just be a blur from inside your car.

Take that same 200 mile stretch and think of how a bike tourist would move through the landscape. If they’re 50-mile-a-day cyclists like us, they would require 4 nights of lodging or camping. Because we’re constantly burning calories, that same trip would require 12 meals or snacks in between (either cooked with food bought from local markets or meals at the local eateries). We would definitely stop in every town to refill water bottles, stock up on food, use the restroom and spend the night.

Given the same 200 mile stretch, a touring cyclist will make more of an economic impact on the small towns along the way than a person driving in a car. Now imagine, if small towns across the country welcomed cyclists by offering simple accommodations like the Bike Camp, especially those along Adventure Cycling routes. Not only would it benefit cyclists, but small towns would benefit as well with a constant stream of tired and hungry bike tourists coming through town. The more accommodations, the more people touring, the more people spending money in small towns.

It’s a dream for sure. But after seeing Bike Camp, in Twin Bridges and talking to Bill, we had a momentary glimmer of what bike tourism could be.

The Tallest Hobbit I Know

In this video, we make it out of the Wallowa mountains and land in Joseph, OR. While there, we have the opportunity to spend a day with Dan Price, author of Radical Simplicity and The Moonlight Chronicles. Dan has been living the “simple life” for decades before minimalist bloggers (heck, before blogs!) and 100 thing challenges. True to his word, he lives simply in Hobbit home and gives us a tour of the meadow.

VIDEO: Small Towns. Big Hearts.

Like a string of pearls, we pass through small town after small town in Eastern Oregon, each with its own unique personality. We camp on a perfectly manicured lawn of an RV park, we find the Bike Inn in Mt. Vernon, we camp behind an old train depot and celebrate Laura’s birthday with new friends. The magic of bike touring!