The ELF

photo from the Organic Transit site

I'm completely fascinated by this. Breathless! Organic Transit makes them. They cost $5000 and the delivery is in addition to that. There was a successful Kickstarter campaign:

CNET has an overview. Digital Trends says, "The ELF has a top speed of 20 mph when utilizing electric power, but the user can use the pedals to increase the overall speed of the hybrid vehicle. ... the ELF is classified as a bicycle in all fifty states according to current federal guidelines." Indy Week says,

Whether Americans will embrace vehicles like the ELF is uncertain, but anything that might help break cars' near-monopoly of our transportation can only be a positive step. America's so-called "love affair" with the automobile, which long ago degenerated into a toxic, consuming obsession, is harming our bodies, our cities and our planet.

"The most environmentally damaging thing each of us does every day is get in our car and drive," says Cotter [company founder]. "And 40 percent of trips are under 2 miles. What the hell are we doing? And I'm an American too, I'm guilty of all those things. But there's not a lot of options."

Here's a test drive with the founder:

Here's a video that covers background, manufacturing, and how you get in and take it for a ride:

I want the mango colored one. I need to find out exactly how these are legally classified and regulated here in Tennessee. And I need to save my pennies.

Bicycle Milestone

I didn't ride any at all during the Winter or during this rainy Spring we've had, so I've been trying to build my flabby muscles back up. I was riding on the sidewalk and decided to see how slowly I could take a right-hand turn at a corner. I found out. I haven't had a skinned knee or shin since I was in elementary school, but I have both now. One on each leg.

I got back on and rode some more before coming home and assessing the damage. My knee was ok, but the shin was skinned up pretty bad and quite swollen. I cleaned myself up and put ice on it. I'll live. It doesn't even hurt that much. But, ya know, I'm not as young as I used to be.

Bike Naked?

The [nsfw nudity at that site ->] World Naked Bike Ride was held March 9th, and I missed it! It's just as well. Although I hear there are others scheduled for June and July, I'm having trouble riding in traffic as it is and can't imagine that riding naked would help me at all.

In fact, I can't imagine wandering around naked in my own house, much less in public with bunches of other people on bikes. Have you heard the saying, "Them that likes it speaks well of it"? I don't think I'd like it.

The picture at the top of the post is from phidauex's photostream, which has no naked pictures at all.

The Perfect Bike Headlight?

I still haven't worked up enough courage to ride my bike on a busy street, but still... I'll get there once it warms up a bit. I've given up thinking of my bike as a street vehicle and plan on treating it as a walking aid, getting off and walking across intersections.

But this headlight? I think I'm in love!

The picture at the top of the post came from the Pedal Bright web site.

Bike, Day 3

Ok, so I'm a wimp and am not going to re-learn to ride a bike in the rain.

But I did come to the realization that my shoe wardrobe is sorely lacking for biking purposes. I've never been much of a shoe person, and I don't have many pairs. Of the shoes I do have most are slip-ons, clogs, flip-flops and the like -totally unsuitable for bike riding. I have one venerable pair of New Balance running shoes and a pair of black leather ballet flats that would work. Hmmm...

Now I have these:

thanks to a trip to Plato's Closet with The Daughter.

Bike, Day 2

Hooray! Progress! I'm pleased to see that I can improve. Today I went further in less time and had less trouble. I had an easier time making corners, I crossed a couple of side streets using driveway cuts, I talked to 2 people without losing my balance, the kids at the school I passed didn't point and laugh, and I'm not the least bit sore.

I have learned why bikes are usually stored outside. I'd never given any thought to bike storage before, but I can see I need to. Mud is not a carpet-friendly material. Not that my carpet is anything to write home about, but still... It'll be so much easier for me if I can come and go through the front door and store the bike beside the door. I'm seeing a lot of options online. Who knew there were so many ways to store bicycles?

Maybe this one from Amazon.com:

It gets decent reviews.

My New Bike

Isn't that pretty? The picture is from the Electra website; the bike is from Midtown Bike Co, which -strangely enough- is located downtown. I am so short that a standard-sized 26" bike puts me way too far off the ground for comfort. On this bike, I'm closer to the ground.

I haven't ridden a bike in decades, but I honestly thought it'd be easy. Just get on and ride. I figured I'd be making my 4-mile commute to the Grandmother's house within the week. Not gonna happen. For one thing, I'm just a wee bit too insecure on it to strike out in traffic. For another thing, the way they get the seat closer to the ground while allowing for longer adult legs is to shift the pedals forward and the seat back a bit. My balance feels a lot different on this bike than on a standard-sized model, and my wobbly 30-minute test-ride this afternoon lets me know it'll be a while before I'm fully stable on my new toy.

Practice makes perfect, they say. We will see.

A flashing light does not mean you have to stay stopped, you idiots!

I was driving south on Highland approaching the Greenline when the light turned yellow. I slowed down. And then red. I stopped, first in line. There was a lot of traffic, so there were lines of cars stopped in each lane. 2 bicyclists rode past on the Greenline, which is why the light had turned red. A short time later, the light began flashing red. I looked both ways, and there was nary a pedestrian or bicyclist in sight, so I proceeded to move on down the street.

You'd think I had committed some heinous crime. Much honking and waving and thrusting upwards of obscene gestures and the making of angry faces ensued. And as I kept an eye on the traffic behind me I noticed that not a single one of those cars moved until the flashing red light went off.

Just a little info for the idiots who apparently missed that lesson in drivers' ed: A FLASHING RED LIGHT IS TREATED AS A STOP SIGN! The flashing red light is specifically intended to allow drivers to proceed after stopping.

Here's a video that explains this:



I swear, I'd vote for annual re-testing of all drivers.