Fred's Bike/walk Page
Selected bike related links - mostly Minneapolis related Fred's Bike Blog
City of Minneapolis Bicycle Program has many useful links. "Where to Ride" link goes to page with
maps - online and where to get printed ones including the great Hennepin County Bike map.
City of Minneapolis Pedestriain Program Similar resources for walking.
Nice Ride Minnesota public bike sharing system will start in Minneapolis in May of 2010.
Theodore Wirth Park Off-road Bike Trail
Transit for Livable Communities advocating for buses, light rail, commuter rail in Minnesota
Walkscore site calculates a number that reflects the distance to destinations within walking distance for an
address one enters. It is a fairly rough calculation using information from Google. Choosing where to live
in a location with most destinations in walking / biking distance greatly reduces the potential
environmental/energy transportaion impact. Of course routes to work destinations are very significant.
North Minneapolis Bikeways
Luce Line Bikepath from Douglas Drive in Golden Valley to Wirth Parkway is now open. A key link west from Mpls.
Major Taylor Bike Club is the premier African-American bicycling club in the state of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest
Fred's Links
Blue bike lanes in Denmark which are used (only) at some intersections. 1999 picture.
Note in the foreground that bike lane has curb between it and vehicle lanes as well
as between it and sidewalk. BTW note that bus has 3 doors to speed stops.
Fred's bike design and recumbent bikes it evolved from. A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle which places the pedals
in front rather than below the rider. The rider's back is supported. Many recumbent riders find them easier
and more comfortable to ride.
FUS Earthday bike rides: 2007 (no ride) 2006 2005 2005,2 2004
Special Twin Cities bike shops - public workshops, used, coop, recumbent
Minneapolis
Calhoun Cycle Uptown area. One of the nations largest recumbent and folding bicycle dealers.
Freewheel Midtown Bike Center on Midtown Greenway. Storage, Rentals, Cafe , Repair Classes, Public Shop ($4/ 15 min)
Full Cycle is now a bike shop based on program to teach at-risk youth to repair bikes at 3515 Chicago Av S 612-824-7581.
Grease Pit Bike Shop By Cedar Riverside LRT stop. Free public workshop - little retail.
Hub bike Shop Coop, two locations, Cedar Riverside; near Hiawatha & Lake (has used bikes and public shop ($5/hr))
Sunrise Cyclery at 901 W Lake Street has an extensive inventory of used bikes.
Varsity Bike Shop Dinkytown. Has air and HAD basic tools tethered on sidewalk for basic repairs. Not currently available 9/09.
St. Paul
Express Bike Shop near on Sibley near Lexinton. Community based used bikes / training.
Sibley Bike Depot NEW location: 712 University Ave., St Paul Member based nonprofit advocacy and public repair/education
Edina
Edina Bike Shop NW of France Av and Hwy 62 Lower cost recumbents.
Fred's Bike Blog Fred's general blog
10-05-2009 __ Used Sun EZ-Speedster CX Recumbent Bike .
Yesterday I bought a used Sun EZ-Speedster CX Recumbent Bike from Jory in Carver, MN
which I learned of from the Craigslist TC bikes for sale area.
(Only a few 'bents show up here; I searched for "bent" back about a month periodically. )
Sun EZ Speedster CX Recumbent Bike Higher resolution Fred on the Sun bent Nov 2009
On 10/7 I studied the bent closer. Some observations:
1) the front "Promax" disk brake's rotor is not centered in brake and is rubbing
on one side. Red knob does not seem to alter centering (it does on back).
(Later, it needed lubrication .)
Seat slides about 8" . For Fred about 6" from back of square tube to seat
bracket seems about right
Seat back braces has minor deficiencies. Width at seat back is different
than lower tubes. Length adjustment is minimally adequate and awkward.
Where braces attach to frame near rear hub should allow tubes to pivot
while being secure.
Recently installed rack was only loosely attached in front (to seat back braces
with wire ties). Tight attachment there would inhibit seat adjustment. Plan a
tube from front of rack down to frame by "down tube". Done.
Update 11/29/09. I've ridden the bent a fair amount thanks to the good weather we've had
including a long ride on bike trails out to Lake Minnetonka. I'm quite pleased with it.
10/08 This year I've been biking to Roosevelt High School (RSH) to help with an inovative
installaltion of computers in a science classroom (see GCOS ).
It's about an 8 mile ride across Minneapolis. One day in Sept. when I got close to RSH I noticed my front tire was
going flat. I got to RSH ok - walking a few blocks. I thought the leak was quite slow so I decided to try and limp
home with it as is. I made stops for air: (many bike shops have a loaner bike pump to use on site)
Hub Bike on Minnehaha for air
Hub Bike on West Bank for air
One on One Bike just N of Downtown for air (curiously it had not lost
much if any air since the west bank ). I got home in about an hour.
This route followed the LRT/bus routes so I could bail out and
ride transit with the bike if the leak was too fast to keep inflated
enough to get home. All Minneapolis city buses now have a fold down rack for two bikes.
They are used a lot. (Some bikes get forgotten on the rack :)
If I have a suspicious tire, I'll take a pump and maybe a patch kit.
There are enough resources in the city that I don't carry them routinely.
10/07 This image, 4 bike vertical rack , is a mockup that attempts to illustrate an idea for a bike
rack that holds bikes vertically and overlapping side to side by having alternate bikes higher
thus allowing bikes to be stored more densely. This is probably more dense than realistic since
the bikes are all the same. I expect that only with experience will it be possible to arrive at
a practical density. Maybe some racks set up at different density for different bikes -- mostly
touring bikes vs mountain bikes and maybe different style handlebars. I would hope that the
rack could be used for short wheelbase (about 40" between axles) recumbent bikes. These
would only be used where there are many bikes parked like around dorms. There will be need for
some conventional racks for bikes and riders for whom these racks don't work. Bicyclists can be
given incentive to use them such as availability of space, proximity, maybe reserved spots,
maybe shelter from rain. Note that in some ways bikes are actually more maneuverable when they
are walked vertically than walked conventionally since one can walk behind the bike and thus
maneuver in a narrower space. I often walk my bike into the garage on end (where I have a
vertical rack).
In this image:
o red by the front tires represents hooks
o longer red line by the stem represents the top of a loop tub which
the bike can be locked to and which stablizes the bike side to side
( see crude attempt at a side view of bike in vertical rack )
o lower red is a channel where the rear tire sits.
o Not shown is a ramp for the raised bikes to roll up into position.
Note that Dero Bike Rack Co. (here in Mpls) has a bike rack something like this
Dero Space Saver which is used mostly indoors that stores bikes 16" apart.
Also their Track Rack has hooks suspended from trolleys that allow you to push neighboring bikes
apart when hanging or removing a bike so bikes can be stored about 8" apart.
7/07 Today I picked up a large yellow Schwinn bike from a friend with an adaptation to the
trailer I use haul water and supplies to the garden. I mounted a "tray" that is normally used
on a car top rack on the trailer - the kind that keeps both wheels on and has a brace that clamps
on the down tube. Bike on trailer
6/07 pondering conversion of a used aluminum "women's" frame with 7-speed hub and internal brakes
to a recumbent... Replace forks with those for 20" bike for a 20" wheel. Mount a strong tube to
support cranks out front and seat (red line in picture): Yellow aluminium bike
Compare to this 29 pound Volae with 650 C wheels
Compare to this to this Vision VR-50 USS Short WheelBase with Underseat steering recumbent
bike for sale in Aug '07 for $695 (It was sold before I saw it) Note that it has Full Suspension
This page is maintained by Fred H Olson email: fholson at cohousing.org
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