It is a truism the world over that there never is enough bike parking (motorists might argue that there is never enough car parking either, but that’s another discussion…). Whether you’re in Amsterdam or Auckland, Copenhagen or Christchurch any …
Category: Bikes & equipment
Reviews of bikes, equipment, gear, etc.
Flashback Friday: Electric Bikes. Even more reason for good cycling infrastructure
It’s hard to turn anywhere in NZ these days and not see people tootling about on electric (e-)bikes; they have certainly been a growth item (and car-swapping game-changer) for many people over the past few years. Seven years ago, they …
Make Your Own Bike Trailer Workshop 2019
On Saturday 5th October 2019, around 20 people gathered at the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church to construct 14 wooden-framed bike trailer for $50 each. Steven Muir supplied the aluminium towbars, quick release ball-joint hitch, wheel attachments, and a variety of …
Flashback Friday: Public Bikes for Christchurch?
With all the car/bike/scooter sharing schemes available these days (partly thanks to clever apps on our smartphones), it’s hard to remind ourselves that only a few years ago these were all pie-in-the-sky ideas, certainly in NZ. As reported back in …
Make a bike trailer workshop 5th October
Ever wanted to carry a larger than usual load on your bike but couldn’t? A bike trailer increases the range of journeys you can do by bike hugely & on the 5th of October you can make your own for …
Flashback Friday: The banana box challenge
I never get surprised at what Steven Muir manages to carry on his bikes; over the years we have seen all manner of things attempted thanks to his collection of cargo-bikes and trailers. Cast your mind back to July 2012…
Flashback Friday: Snow chains on bikes
Steven Muir has been a regular contributor to “Cycling in Chch” since the start. Many will be familiar with his numerous inventive cycling accessories, a lot of them captured on his cycletrailers.co.nz website. It’s hard to believe now, given that …
Guest Photo of the Day: Theory and Practice of Wheel-Bender Cycle Parking
Jan Jakob Bornheim sent in this interesting photo from his recent travels around town. Jan Jakob says: “I noticed the following when going shopping recently (at the green grocery store at Northlands). Note that there are seven bicycles, but only …
Photo of the Day: the Variety of Bikes (and other things)
Many people in NZ still perceive “bicycles” as only either a mountain-bike of some sort or a sleek road bike. When that is your worldview of bikes, it’s not surprising that you might struggle to comprehend that they could also …
Community Bike Workshop News from Around NZ
I’ve put together some news from community bike workshops around the country – its great to see what is happening all over the country – lots of volunteers doing great work to get more people biking and saving a lot …
Photo of the Day: Wellington Bike Corral
Biking routes around the city are all very well, but at some point you need a place to park your trusty vehicle. Christchurch is proving generally pretty good at rolling out more public bike parking with every new street or …
F3C3 2019 – Fossil Fuel Free Coast to Coast to Coast
The idea of the Fossil Fuel Free Coast to Coast to Coast (F3C3) is to have a fun holiday, and to encourage the use of active (fossil fuel free) transport for as many journeys as possible, particularly those journeys that …
Can e-scooters and bikes co-exist?
In case you have been living under a rock lately, it’s been two months now since Lime e-scooters turned up on Christchurch (and Auckland) streets. Judging by the volume of alarmist news articles and letters to the editor, you’d think …
F3C3 Fossil Fuel Free Coast to Coast to Coast 2019
Would you like to be part of an entertaining outing happening 15-22 Feb 2019? It will be the third time Steve Muir and around seven others will bike from Christchurch to the West Coast and back again towing kayaks behind …
CHOCBAR 2018
The 2018 CHOCBAR (CHristchurch Otautahi Cargo Bike Annual Rally) happened on Labour day 22nd October 2018 and was enjoyed by 25 riders and three dogs. There are an increasing number of cargo bikes seen on the roads of Christchurch …
Fourteen bike trailers constructed at workshop
On Saturday 6th October Steve Muir ran a workshop where fourteen people constructed a bike trailer using up-cycled pallets for the frame, with Steve’s locally made aluminium towbar, dropouts and steel quick release hitch. The workshop was run in …
Set the world record for the number of bike trailers constructed in one afternoon
Ever wanted to set a world record for cycling? There are some described here. All you need to do is ride 56 km in one hour or 942 km in 24 hours. Maybe a more leisurely 139325km in one …
Make your own bike trailer workshop 6th Oct
Its been a very long time since I ran a workshop for people to make their own bike trailers, but the time seems ripe to run another one with a bit of a twist. We are mainly up-cycling old pallets …
Carrying stuff by bike
Apparently you can’t carry a refrigerator on your bicycle. I’ve seen one or two examples where that has actually been done, but I must admit I probably won’t be doing it anytime soon (nor for that matter bringing it home …
Rickshaw Charity Ride Success
Last weekend (24-25 March) Sean Pawson and Josh Geddes took turns pedaling a cycle rickshaw 250kms across the South Island from Kumara Beach, over Arthurs and Porters Passes, crossing the Canterbury Plains, and ending up at New Brighton Beach in …