An ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields broke away from the Canadian Arctic some time in April of 2005. It was a significant event that no one witnesed first hand. In fact, scientists just recently made the discovery and the Associated Press is reporting on this phenomenon for the first time today. Here is yet more evidence that global warming is accelerating climate change.

What are you doing differently as an individual to help offset these changes? Here are some ideas for easing your impact on the environment in 2007:

- Use compact flourescent bulbs in your house.

- Combine shopping trips. Decide which days of the week are non-driving days, or try to commit to not using the car at all for one or more days per week.

- Make short trips by walking or riding a bike. (If you live somewhere where that's not possible, you're out of luck. Move or demand changes in your community such as sidewalks or bike lanes.)

- Hang your clothes on a clothesline and forego the use of a dryer. Clothes can dry year-round (except when it's raining) and you save save money by not using a dryer.

- Buy a Terrapass or invest in a company involved in carbon offsetting.

- Don't let your car idle. Turn off your engine whenever possible.

- Ask business owners to provide a bike rack within reasonable walking distance from their front entrance.

- Shop at resale stores. On an infinitesimally small level for an individual, buying second-hand stuff saves on consuming resources worldwide, but there's tremendous potential for energy savings here if it becomes commercially lucrative and culturally popular.

- Don't use an elevator. Take the stairs instead.

- Mow your grass less frequently.

- Use the internet to discover new ways to reduce consumption and recycle. Here's a good link for the Twin Cities.

December 22, 2006

A sloppy coating of sleet and snow whitened the landscape just in time for Christmas. Hurray! Next week it looks like some of that snow will melt off. Reservations continue to come in for days following the 25th. Cycle Seven will expand its days of operation up to the 2nd of January, and following that go back to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

December 14, 2006

Temperatures as we enter the third weekend of December will be in the 30's and 40's. There's no snow on the ground. No ice. No skating and only artificial skiing. What are you going to do in this lackluster December 2006?

December 9, 2006

Reservations are coming in more slowly now. I expected a little business for this weekend and so far have none. With temperatures reaching almost 50 degrees and approaching mid-December, riding on a conference bike with your family would seem to be the perfect holiday outing. Afterwards, you can stop at Brit's Pub and cozy up to something warm and alcoholic.

Here's a bit of news: Cycle Seven is looking for storefront space in downtown Minneapolis. I need something that has a big window and very big doors.

Yesterday I took the bike to Hopkins to get a sense of how it might work to ride the bike around the main business district. A couple of people jumped on, and that was about it, but it was fun to freak people out and ride along with traffic, which made it worth the short trip from my house. I talked to one person about renting the bike, passed out a few cards and went home. It's not the most efficient method of promoting something, but for now it works. It's important simply to get the bike out and have it seen.

For a Minneapolis suburb like Hopkins to have an old downtown with several blocks of well-preserved buildings is a rarity in the Twin Cities area, and I think I can make money here by taking the bike from the the business district into the surrounding neighborhoods.

An old-school pedicab business could work here as well. Why doesn't one exist already? At the very least, there should be one with a constant presence in St. PauI and Minneapolis. I continue to monitor the growth of pedicab companies around the country. It seems that in cities where this kind of business is welcomed, the operators are making money or they're just doing it as a hobby. In cities where the local authorities and leaders lack vision, laws are put on the books to hassle pedicabbers or make their business illegal. With the onset of global warming and climate change, I expect these attitudes will begin to change, and ironically, a market economy that spawned this global catatastrophe will rally to save it through investment in green technologies and an ecocentric infrastructure.

Hopkins, Minnesota

December 2, 2006

December has started with temperatures ranging from the teens to the single digits. Winchills are below zero at night.

I'm still operating the bike this weekend on Nicollet Mall during the day. If you keep moving, you don't get too cold. Fortunately there's no ice or snow on the ground to make everyone feel even colder.

November 24, 2006

50-plus degree temperatures are forecast for the weekend. Normally, temps at this time of year in Minnesota are in the 30s. Well, the upside of global warming is that customers are more willing to climb on the bike if they aren't dressed for cold weather. The downside, of course, is that the earth's animals and plant species slowly slide towards extinction, and as they go so do we.

Here's a link to the Union of Concerned Scientists for information on the phenomenon of global warming and other scientifically supported research. Or if you prefer the U.S. government's spin on "climate change," read about it here. It doesn't really matter how truth is labeled if it's the truth. Knowledge is good. Ignorance is bad.

November 17, 2006

A gray day in November was offset by Cycle Seven's cheery red frame and the trill of its bell. Now that business is slowing down some, I decided to go out and give free rides and promote the bike.

Free parking for the car and the trailer is trickier to find on Friday than on the weekend, so I parked in a neighborhood close to St. Anthony Main, crossed the river on the Stone Arch Bridge, and immediately started picking up riders around the Guthrie Theater. Have you seen the newly-built Gold Medal park next door. Awesome! It's good for my business because it's yet another thing I can show off in Minneapolis. That list just keeps getting longer.

While making my way towards Nicollet, I invited one group after another to hop on and give the bike a try. It's not profitable to give free rides, but it is a good way to get the conference bike out in front of people, let their jaws drop a little, and usually I snag business from these escapades weeks later. December should be busy.

2:30 pm. Happy Hour -- Nye's in Northeast Minneapolis

To future and wannabe conference bike operators: Unless you're operating a business like this in a tourist Mecca like New York or Chicago, be prepared to let people get on the bike for free. One lone operator pedaling through city streets isn't nearly as interesting as two or more people, laughing and talking about the experience. When passersby see everyone in motion, they want to get on the bike themselves.

So I just rode my bike around downtown Minneapolis today and gave tons of free rides to people. That's fun, too. Doing something for free and turning down offers of money is a riot. You have to try it sometime.

Web traffic to my site from Europe has picked up considerably in the last week or so--especially from England and Wales. I wonder what's up. Someone must have started a business there recently.

Off topic....Laurie Blake of the Star Tribune reports that R.T. and others want to redesign downtown. Don't forget to add more bike lanes, and please make them wide enough for pedicabs and conference bikes!;-)

That story is here.

October 28, 2006

An awesome weekend and it's only Saturday! Here's a recent video of some riders on Nicollet MalI-- also posted on You Tube:

October 24, 2006

We're eating up earth's resources at an alarming rate, yet most Americans haven't changed their behavior much in light of the evidence: Click here for a report from the WWF.

Cycle Seven will be busy this weekend. Look for the bike in downtown Minneapolis this Thursday and Friday, and possibly in St. Paul on Saturday.

October 10, 2006

Here's an article from the New York Post regarding the operation of pedicabs in New York. Ordinarily I'd post only the link, but I thnk this is an important story and I'd rather not depend on the New York Post for an archived version. Because the Twin Cities are so bike-friendly, I expect pedicab businesses will do as well here as they have in New York.

LAWLESS BIKE-CABS SPARKING STRIFE IN THE STREETS
By FRANKIE EDOZIEN

Helen David, 28, Hell's Kitchen
October 10, 2006 -- Uncontrolled and unregulated pedicab drivers have turned Midtown streets into the "Wild West," sparking a turf war between licensed cabbies and "pedicabbies" - and pitting pedal pushers against one another. But the city expects to bring some order to the industry by the new year.
As things stand now:
* Anyone can buy a pedicab for $5,000 or rent one for $200 a week and go into business.
* The operator does not need a driver's license. There isn't even an age limit.
* They can charge anything the traffic will bear.
* Pedal pushers do not need any insurance - and a luckless passenger involved in a crash could be left out in the cold.
Two bills to rein in the drivers have been submitted - one by Mayor Bloomberg and one by the council. The last of three hearings will be held in December, and officials hope a new law will be on the books by early next year.
Meanwhile, independent operators and owners of pedicab fleets continue to trash each other - while licensed cabs complain pedicabs are stealing their business.
Independent pedicab drivers accuse fleet owners of importing foreign pedalers - who flout traffic rules and give pedicabs a bad name. "It's like the Wild West out there. It's completely out of control," said Jordan Kinzler, who's been pedaling for two years.
Gregg Zukowsi, of the New York City Pedicab Owners Association, agreed that there is "sort of a summer surge of drivers from all over the world."
He agreed that some regulation is needed.
"They are price gouging and taking advantage of tourists," fumed Michael Woloz, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade.
"There are no seat belts, you just sit in it. They should be banned from picking up street hails."
Officials said that's unlikely to happen.
"This is a big city and we have a lot of different interests. We don't want to say you can't pick up," said Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
She expects operators will have to have valid driver's licenses and insurance in the range of $1 million.
"Can you imagine if it tips over and cars and buses are swerving to avoid accidents?" Weinshall asked.
frankie.edozien@nypost.com

September 28, 2006

Here's a local blogger and biker that linked to my site. He must get a fair amount of attention because--according to my host, I got a lot of extra hits recently that originated from "nodtonothing." The blog is loads of fun to read if you're into blogs.

September 23, 2006

It's been about a year since all this started. There are no regrets. The business just takes a little patience and a lot of bargaining with the Establishment (you know who you are!) because it's so new. Thanks to all my customers and others who have helped make the bike go forward.

September 14, 2006

"Green is the new red, white, and blue." I've heard it said, here and there, in the media and among friends and acquaintances in the last few months. But I'm not sure of the source. Is it Thomas Friedman? When his column heralded this idea, it seemed so on target--but now more than ever.

Despite evidence supporting theories of global warming and the connections between U.S. dependence on foreign oil and the fortunes of Islamic terrorist groups, Americans addicted to oil continue to funnel money from their gas tanks to financial institutions and individuals with ties to Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremist groups. So what's more effective, sending in the troops or giving up the car? For reasons even larger than the latest gunfight, do your kids a favor and choose the latter. Or try to drive less. It can make a huge difference.

And if you drive a Ford Excrutiator or a Hummer...well, another few Americans died this week in the name of peace and stability in the mideast and cheap oil. Let's not fool ourselves. The war in Iraq is as much about providing cheap oil as it was a fruitless attempt to find WMD.

Then there's global warming. Yeah, bring that one on.

September 9, 2006

The Green Party's "Big Ride for Single-Payer Health Care" was incredibly successful and loads of fun. We started from France Avenue in Edina, just in front of Fairview Hospital, at about 8:45 a.m. and then arrived at Raspberry Island in St. Paul sometime before 5:00 p.m. I guesstimated the number of miles was over 27, but it could be much more than that because of the way we meandered through some neighborhoods in St. Paul. What a fun ride, and the company couldn't have been better. The video clips below give some flavor to the experience.

Click on the pic:

Along the way, candidates and supporters got on and off the bike, made speeches in front of health care facilities, and met and conversed with the public. Here's the itinerary, which we stuck to--mostly. We rode through some of the most affluent and poorest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities, and we learned that there are a lot of people who share the belief that good health care should be made available to all Minnesotans. The ride ended at Raspberry Island in St. Paul where there was a band and food to celebrate the safe completion of the trip. Altogether, seven candidates rode the bike at various times including Jay Pond, Michael Cavlan, and Papa John Kolstad. Click on the links here if you'd like to learn more about them.

September 1, 2006

Blue Sky Guide has published its 2007 edition and this year includes Cycle Seven among hundreds of other Twin Cities businesses bent on healthy and sustainable living. You can order a copy for yourself here and save money on a lot of cool stuff around the metro.

August 24, 2006

Cycle Seven will take its longest trip ever this Labor Day--eight hours and 25+ miles! I just got the bike tuned up by local bike wizards at Edina Bike and Sport, so we're all ready to roll. What a great adventure this will be. For more info. go here.

August 19, 2006

Just a reminder...this blog is mainly targeted towards pedicab and conference bike operators and others considering entering this type of business. You'll make good money and get great exercise at the same time. The startup costs are relatively low!

Of course, making money is not the only benefit. It's also important to think about the impact that gas and electric-powered vehicles are having on the planet. I don't need too much more convincing that global warming is upon us and that we need to change our ways. As Al Gore says, this is not a political issue; it's a moral issue. Ignoring the problem of global warming leaves it left unsettled for the tens and possibly hundreds of generations that follow ours.

We need better transit alternatives now.

Augst 18, 2006

Pedicabbers in Europe are way ahead of the U.S. If you get in early in the U.S., you'll reap the first-mover advantage. Do a search on pedicabs. You'll get some interesting results. So which one should you buy? Read my blog and consider a conference bike over a traditional pedicab.

While the upfront consts are considerably higher for a conference bike, it can easily accomodate several passengers for one trip. You can't do that with a regular pedicab. It's also much easier to pedal because passengers help in providing the energy.

However, these cool pedicabs are awfully tempting.

August 15, 2006

Cycle Seven is planning an epic six-hour journey through the Twin Cities on Labor Day. Stay tuned for more details.

Here's some video of crazy bikers in San Francisco.

Later that day...

Sue Jeffers, a Republican running for Minnnesota governor, is running an ad on my index page. That's kind of weird, but Google has probably figured out that one out of a thousand visitors who click on her ad will be willing to vote for her.

Well...Welcome, Republicans!

August 10, 2006

On Tuesday night of this week I pulled the conference bike out of my garage and pedaled over to a house not a mile away for a neighborhood ride. There was no need to use my car and trailer to haul it. No gas was consumed. It was 100% emission free. Aside from all the various petroleum products involved in the manufacturing of the bike and its parts, and in shipping the bike from the factory to the place where it's used, this thing gets seven people from one place to another with tremendous efficiency and without polluting the air. Plus it's fun.

Cycle Seven will be at the Bell Museum on the University of Minnesota campus from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 12. Rides are free.

August 5, 2006

Rides were free today courtesy of H & R Block. They mounted a big feather banner on the rear of the bike and advertised their services around Uptown. Mobile advertising is somethng I've always wanted to try. It's one way of keeping the cost down for passengers or putting it out there free for everyone to use. It's just like TV! Of course, there are days when it's free--sponsored or not. I want the bike out in the street being used whenever it's possible. But I've got to make money somehow. Free rides won't pay the insurance bill for the business.

Hennepin Avenue, Uptown -- Free rides!

So tell me... what is the difference between taking a ride in a taxi that has a roof-top sign advertisiing a product and a conference bike with a feather-banner on it advertising a product? The biggest difference is in the means of propulsion. A conference bike is human powered and a taxi sucks up gasoline. It goes more slowly than a taxi but sleep well at night knowing that the air is less polluted from the movement of the vehicle.

We have to redesign the transportation infrastructure and rethink our consumption of energy. Let's face it, folks. We've screwed up big time and change has to happen now. Do you believe in global warming? If not, get yourself to a library and start schooling up on the basics of science. I'm not a scientist but I believe the scientists are saying, in near unanimity--and nearly screaming, that we need to make some changes.

What are you doing differently?

August 3, 2006

From nyc indymedia comes a very recent update on the conference bike situation in New York City told from the perspective of someone who operates a bike.

July 30, 2006

It was a busy, hot weekend, but a great opportunity to test the limits for operating a conference bike above 100-degree temperatures. Fortunately, the bike can hold an enormous jug of ice water in the middle of it so passengers and driver were kept properly hydrated through the heat.

Next weekend might be completely booked, but the weekend after that isn't. Please call or email to check on the availability of the bike for mid-August.

July 21, 2006

I can't believe I missed these guys when they came to town. Check out this pedal-powered bus. The recumbent-style seating is a good idea.

July 20, 2006

Bicycle Bicycle -- Another cool video from from Be Your Own Pet. View with caution if you are easily offended or don't understand film as an artistic medium.

July 18, 2006

Southwestern Minneapolis-Edina is looking for volunteers to help create future bike lanes. Click here to receive more information. Thanks to Jim Oberstar for bringing home the bacon, and thanks especially to the Edina city council for focusing so much attention on bike lanes. Making travel by bike easier in the Southdale area and throughout Edina will certainly add to the high quality of life in Edina and southwest Minneapolis.

June 9, 2006

One question conference bike operators are often asked is whether or not it's fun to operate the bike all day. Well, it's rarely in use for more than four or five hours on the weekend, so stamina is not an issue, but speaking for myself, it's the most fun I've ever had, and not just because I'm the one who drives the bike and steers (which my insurance company wants me to do unless you rent it for the day and sign a waiver). It's also fun because if feels like we're all experimenting with a new form of mass transit, particularly along Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. That, to me, is the main thrill.

With an all-weather enclosure and the right frame of mind, there's no stopping the possibilities with a conference bike. These people shared the dream.

July 8, 2006

There were more bicyclists in downtown Minneapolis and Uptown today than any other day in recent memory. It was amazing. Maybe the Bicycle Film Fest had something to do with that. It'll be interesting to remember this date in coming months for the sake of comparison--especially when the weather turns cold. (Yippee!! December is Conference Bike Month in Minnesota, remember?)

Here's a link to a recent article by Lester Brown writing for The Futurist outlining what we should do to save ourselves from burning out the planet.

While on that subject, it's worth noting the gas consumption savings from this business. You stay at home and the fun comes to you and your neighborhood. Also, this form of recreation has zero carbon emissions while it is being used. Compare that to a ferris wheel at a carnival or a go-kart on a track. When the bike goes past a lake or through a nature center, it doesn't have an engine spewing fumes or sucking up gas and electricity (much of which in Minnesota is produced by the burning of coal). Although many casual observers believe it has a small gas tank when they see the reservoir for the hydraulic brake system, it really operates purely on human power.

hydraulic brake fluid tank

We're now taking reservations into the month of December. If you're interested in making a reservation for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, please email or call. There's plenty of space available but Cycle Seven is a one-bike business until it gets more capital together, so you might not get the day or time of your choice. We hate turning down business.

July 4, 2006

Perhaps you saw Green party members on the bike today in the Edina Fourth of July parade. In addition to Julie Risser, who's running for Senate District 41 (Edina and West Bloomington), there was Michael Cavlan, for U.S. Senate, Dave Berger for Minnesota state auditor, and Farheen Hakeem for Hennepin County Commisssioner, District 4.

July 4, 2006 - Edina, Minnesosta

The "oil addiction" that President Bush described in his last State of the Union address is wreaking havoc on our nation's overall health. The environment, the economy, and Americans' physical health all suffer from a dependence on the automobile as a primary means of transit. Still more pavement continues to be laid down for expensive and inefficient highways ensuring future expenses for maintaining a hazard-ridden transportation system. Furthermore, because so little attention is given to sidewalks and bike lanes, few people walk and obesity levels continue to rise. The air gets dirtier and we get sick on auto exhauast. And as for global warming? Reputable scientists confirm it's a serious phenomenon. What do you think?

Thankfully the President reminded us last February that we all must work together towards discovering new sources for energy that don't destroy our environment or the future of our children. If you believe that something is deeply, deeply wrong with the way we are consuming resources and using energy, then ask yourself what you are doing to cure your own addiction to oil and gas consumption. And if you're an addict....

My name is Paul, and I'm addicted to oil.

July 1, 2006

Cycle Seven will be in the Edina Fourth of July parade and feature local Green party members, notably Julie Risser who's seeking election to Senate District 41.

June 24, 2006

There have been recent inquiries to the city of Minneapolis on the legalities of operating a 15-person bike cafe within city limits. I'll never reveal my source! Well, this is interesting. I'm glad someone is going to do it because I just don't have $40,000 to pay for one of these beautiful machines:

Yes, that's a beer keg in the front and everyone pedals. Europeans have all the fun while we in the U.S. get sick on our car-centric culture. Why is that? Not only are we choking ourselves on auto exhaust, we're also being gagged by city and state bureaucrats who spend their days finding the easiest way to a 5:00 p.m. quitting time. Why try to make things fun and different when punching a clock? Not all government employees slack off, but in my experience, police and other city workers get annoyed when you try to do something different and rock the boat a little. It complicates their jobs, and so it's a lot easier for them to say "no" than it is to say "yes."

Minneapolis stands to benefit enormously from new tourism dollars if it can continue to allow innovation and take a few chances on things that are new such as the fietscafe. Tres cool.

June 17, 2006

Richfield has begun adding bike lanes and signs designating bike routes around the city. Thanks, Richfield! Residential streets don't need them but the commercial districts do. These new bike lanes are very wide--at least eight feet--and they're on both sides of the street, which is great because that will disuade wrong-way riders from choosing to ride on the left side facing oncoming traffic or, worse, riding on the sidewalk.

I have an idea for a pedibus. Bike builders and welders are welcome to contact me.

June 12, 2006

Before I get called a hypocrite for hauling a conference bike around town from one event to another with my little Saturn wagon...we all have to work within the world as it exists, don't we? We all make compromises, and no one lives a totally pure existence. Not even me. But if you aren't doing anything to change an obviously bad situation regarding the health of your planet, you're doing worse than nothing.

Consider this: How many trips to the store do you make every day? Is there a way of combining trips or even defering a purchase until you're in the vicinity of two more more stores? Can you ride a bike to the store from your home? If not, what are your elected officials doing to make biking in your area easier and safer? How are the sidewalks? Do they even exist? If you can't walk safely in the neighborhood you live in or even within the parking lots that you walk through, then someone isn't doing a good job of minding the interests of the general public.

June 8, 2006

What a relief to know that the Twins stadium is going to be built in a new location in the warehouse district. Opponents to the deal were upset because it subsidizes a billionaire businessman and his team, but look at the long-term good that comes with the dealmaking. The stadium is planned to become part of a large transit hub connecting the Hiawatha light rail line with the upcoming Northstar line, and together they'll form the main artery going north and south through Minneapolis. This will be very good for downtown businesses. And if the University Avenue LRT is approved, the whole Twin Cities area moves well on its way towards more economically sustainable development and begins to reverse the tide of suburban sprawl.

So how does a ballpark and an LRT transit hub help curb inefficient suburban growth? The proven success of the Hiawatha line demonstrates to taxpayers that the benefits of rail transit outweigh the costs for investment in the system, and as a commuting option over the everyday drudgery of traveling by car, light rail becomes viable for a multitude of other transportation needs. Extending from the Mall of America and the airport from the south suburbs (possibly someday as far as Burnsville as originally planned), and just north of Elk River, nIghtclubbers and sports fans without a car are more likely to stay at downtown bars and restaurants instead of immediately returning home. And if you drink and drive....well, we all know that's not legal. It's much smarter to be safe and take the train home.

Because the suburbs here are closer to the urban core than in other U.S. cities, a network of trains, buses (but please make them smaller and more fun!), pedicabs, and a broadly expanded bikeway sytem will encourage denser city and suburban residential growth while freeing up space for parks and public amenities such as transit hubs connecting suburban shopping and entertainment districts.

Not too long ago, at least up until the early 1950s, it was possible to travel by trolley from the western suburbs around Minnetonka to the eastern suburbs of St. Paul all the way to White Bear Lake. That network of trolleys provided an efficient and sustainable transit mode of transit for the metro. Then it was dismantled by greedy local business interests and politicians who favored buses over trolleys. What a costly mistake that deal has turned out to be. Commuters may have initially found the buses to be more modern and perhaps faster, but then as Americans grew prosperous they opted for private cars instead. Carless commuters had to fend for themselves if they couldn't find a reliable bus route, and the newly minted suburbs foiled the bus system by failing to incorporate bus transit into their desgins. How things have finally changed.

Now that we're rediscovering the benefits of mass transit by rail, and increasingly by bus, the number of light rail supporters has suddenly sky-rocketed and suburban business districts are showing interest in the future expansion of rail lines. Why? Because residents from neighborhoods and suburbs served by LRT don't have to drive downtown, pay for parking, and then fight traffic on the way back home. Isn't it worth the added taxes needed to pay for this newly rediscovered luxury? The long-term savings on land use alone are worth it. Tax me and thank-you for doing it.

Carl Pohlad could have coughed up more but he didn't. Fortunately there are enough people with vision who can look past age-old avarice here and see the dangling fruit and want to create something bigger than just a ballpark. This combination ballpark/transit center stands a good chance to become a part of the civic infrastructure as well as a mode of transit. Done right, it will become something that tourists in and out of Minnesota seek out when they come to visit. Think" Wrigley Field" when designing it and the whole region will benefit while rediscovering the benefits of traveling by train in the Twin Cities. Taxes are not always bad, even when taken from the poor and given to billionaire ballpark owners. In this case we all win.

Hey, who were those guys that took that cool old trolley system apart. That was sick . How cool it would have been to get around town in one of these.

May 31, 2006

I thought Cycle Seven had the first seven-person bike in the Midwest, but then I stumbled upon this gem. A conference bike looks much safer. But why stop at seven? How about thirty-two?

For more cool multi-person bikes, click here. What's a conference bike experience like? Kind of like this.

May 27, 2006

Hello, Minnetonka! Next weekend it's Woodbury.

May 24, 2006

Last night the city I live in held an open-house/public rant regarding the expanision of a public space that will be redeveloped into a bike and pedestrian transit corridor. This is very exciting and an incredible opportunity for the city to capitalize on the growing national trend to reintroduce sensible methods of transportation--such as WALKING--to an American public that has sickened itself on an addiction to automobiles.

President Bush (no stranger to the evil nature of addiction) even said it himself. We're addicted to oil consumption and it's time to kick the habit. Not only has it become an expensive means of transportation, it fouls the air, it generates land-wasting sprawl, it indirectly results in obesity in the general public by taking regular exercise out of the daily regimen, and through car accidents it results in the deaths of over 42,000 Americans each year. What's the number of people killed by bicycles each year? Hmmm.

A hundred years from now, future Americans are likely to look back and wonder how we'd ever gone so astray by building everything around the automobile. May those days soon rest in peace.

Below is a group of people who want to look into the future:

Centennial Lakes Plaza, 5-23-06

May 21, 2006

Yesterday and today I took the greenway from Uptown and Lake of the Isles/Lake Calhoun over to Nicollet Avenue. What an excellent location! I just keep crossing my fingers that no one complains about it because a conference bike is little wide and someone unfamiliar with it is bound to suspect it has a motor (which it doesn't).

Customers have been ultra-cool and fun to talk to on long tours. This is another hidden benefit to operating a conference bike--especially for tours lasting an hour or longer. You get a chance to meet a group of people you don't know, and then suddenly you're thrust into the middle of their day. That's very interesting.

It's been almost seven months since I started to do business in Minneapolis and St. Paul. I've got a lot to learn about marketing. The suburbs are next. Next weekend, it's Lake Minnetonka. After that, the suburbs of St. Paul.

May 18, 2006

Metro Transit is sponsoring an event tomorrow morning outside of the Hennepin County Government Center in commemoration of National Bike to Work Week. Unfortunately, Cycle Seven will not be able to attend, but the bike will be out around Minneapolis in the evening after 8:00 p.m.

May 17, 2006

As mentioned here before, one of the reasons for the blog is to promote pedicab and conference bike businesses, whether it's part-time and on the weekends or an all-out full-time gig, here in the Twin Cities or elsewhere. You can go to www.conferencebike.com to get information about obtaining bikes for your own business. The company will give you as many conference bikes as you may need, FREE OF CHARGE! All you have to do is pay for the insurance, licensing fees that may apply, storage costs perhaps, and other miscellaneous costs that arise depending on how you choose to do business, and then you share your revenue with the company. What a deal!

Call now to make reservations for the summer. I'm averaging one to two calls per day, and most of those calls result in a reservation, so it's better to make that reservation now rather than wait. The promotional thing is over folks. It's been fun, but I've got a lot of expenses and big plans for the future. Stay tuned.

May 13, 2006

It looks like this weekend is going to be a washout although Sunday afternoon might be dry. In the meantime, here's a link to a bicycling expert's take on biking around downtown Minneapolis.

And here's mine: Minneapolis and St. Paul can become a Mecca for tourists and others who are interested in bike transit and recreation if city leaders can figure out how to add more bike lanes or proclaim entire streets off limits to cars and trucks. Nicollet Mall is a good start. After having operated the conference bike on Nicollet since Last October, I know for certain that allowing for more biking (conference and conventional bikes) on the mall and other bike-friendly streets will bring business to downtown Minneapolis, especially if it becomes more accessible from the neighborhoods and the suburban inner ring.

May 08, 2006

Human-powered mass transit in the Twin Cities took a big step forward last weekend when Cycle Seven appeared at the Living Green Expo in St. Paul. Of course, attendees were easily sold on the concept of a seven-person bike, but it was still great to meet so many like-minded people and hear them get excited about the possibility of using a conference bike as a serious form of transit. What willl it take to make converts of the rest of the public, or of those who don't think about environmental sustainability and good old-fashioned personal health?

Mass bike transit, huh? At 10 mph it takes a little longer to reach your destination than in a bus or a car--or on a regular bike--but the trip is much more enjoyable.

We had time to get to the May Day Parade Sunday afternoon where Cycle Seven squeezed itself into the free-speech section at the end and hung out with the Green Party. it wasn't any problem to pick up people along the parade route. What a riot! Thanks to Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater for putting this together year after year. It's the best parade in the Twin Cities!

May Day Parade 2006, Minneapolis

May 05, 2006

Happy Cinco de Mayo mi Amigos! Let's celebrate our Mexican neighbors to the south, even if they themselves don't think the holiday is that big a deal. It's enough that they're here among us--in very large numbers--and we all benefit from their presence here in the Twin Cities. Gracias!

Tomorrow and the first part of Sunday, I'll be at the Living Green Expo in St. Paul. Look them up online and see who will be there. I'm expecting a big crowd, this year especially.

April 26, 2006

Dan Olson from Minnesota Public Radio jumped on the bike with some of his friends a couple of days ago and did an interview as we rode up and down Nicollet Mall. What fun! This follows fast upon the Fox 9 interview. Ring! Ring! Here's a small video clip of Dan Olson and me, trying to answer questions and operate the bike at the same time.

Gas prices continue to rise, now standing at about a dime below three bucks here in the Twin Cities. Once again the U.S. is caught unprepared to deal with the situation and so prices on everything dependent on cheap oil will start to go up as well. In response, will city planners finally decide to add bike lanes to new and existing streets in order to encourage a more sensible form of transit? Not everyone can ride a bike--right. But if you build it, the bike commuters will come.

Scientists are now convinced that last year's violent hurricane season can be directly attributed to global warming. Here's a link to the story on CNN.

April 24, 2006

There's a bike rental business in Washington D.C. that has started to include conference bikes. Thanks to Rick of Boston Pedal Party for that information.

Something interesting is going to happen later today. I'll blog on it later.

April 17, 2006

As you can plainly see, the conference bike moves very easily in a dense, urban area. In fact, in many places it moves more easily and is more manueverable than a car. Today I visited downtown St. Paul, the Summit-Grand neighborhood, and Dinkytown to promote the bike and explore some new routes.

The authorities in Minneapolis have recently given me cause for concern regarding the operation of the bike downtown, but I'm not sure why. I obey all the traffic laws and I try never to be an obstacle to any motorized vehicle, always allowing them to pass. Well, this could turn into a problem for Cycle Seven in Minneapolis. St. Paul, on the other hand, has been exceptionally accomodating. Thank-you St. Paul.

Last weekend, there was a national girls' volleyball tournament at the Minneapolis convention center, and many of them, visiting Minneapolis for the first time, got on the bike. They were thrillled to ride through

downtown, and some even said that the experience was the highlight of their trip to the Twin Cities. The future looks bright for this business--but only if the powers that be can lighten up a little.

April 16, 2006

What can the city of Minneapolis do to rid itself of the lunatics who are downtown, yelling obscenities and generally scaring away business? When someone is screaming in your face to "Resist incantations and evil!! Resist incantations and evil!" over and over again, it seems the police should be able to get on top of that, but there's probably a good reason why they don't or can't given the boundaries of the law addressing civil discourse and public speech, so a guy with a KFC bucket on his head gets to say his piece, but it still doesn't make for a very family-friendly environment. And I don't blame the police for that.

Now that I've gotten a really good look at the potential for downtown Minneapolis--particularly Nicollet Mall--from the seat of my bike, it's obvious that the more people there are on the street, walking around with shopping bags in hand--and not on their head--and children in tow, the less threatening it feels for everyone to be on the mall. Of course, this isn't news to the boosters of the tourism and hospitality industries and to downtown business people, and others who have worked so hard to make their dreams for a walkable and interesting downtown a reality. People have an uncanny attraction to crowds while drifters and ne'er do wells loathe the sunshine cast by public gathering. Minneapolis gleams when large crowds walk its streets. It's too bad Holidazzle only happens in December.

The conference bike, miraculously, brightens the cityscape and adds color and mirth to stark, blank plazas on Nicollet and everywhere else. It's especially fun when there are few cars and buses to worry about. I can hear kids scream out "Here comes the big red bike," and mixed into their laughter and enthusiasm for the spectacle is the memory of the day they went downtown with their parents and saw something fun, as opposed to something as dark and depressing as a street shadowed by skyscrapers.

Thrivent Financial tried to liven things up with a red exterior, but where's the welcoming civic space? At least they got the color right:

Thrivent Financial - 625 Fourth Avenue South

Someone could have done better in designing these buildings. Not me--but someone. On the other hand, these are great places for lonely, destitute people and Saturday afternoon panhandlers. They practically own the place.

Now that it's spring, it's encouraging to see the reappearance of chairs and tables and large groups of people sitting outside to soak up the sunshine, eschewing the skyway when playing hookey from the office for hardcore, urban people watching. On sunny days the city really comes alive. In contrast, there are those upon whom fortune has not taken kindly, but they are a necessary part of the landscape. It's they, afterall, who remind us that there's still work to do in making Minnesota more livable for all its citizens, and if not for their benefit than for our own if some unfortunate circumstance should land us in the same place. There's no such thing as sending problems away. "Away" no longer really exists in cities and suburbs where every square inch of real estate has recently gained in value.

But as for the guy who's yelling at the top of his lungs and on the verge of internal self-combustion, frightening children and causing consternation among pedestrians, I'm starting to wish hard that tranquilizer guns were sold at Target.

April 14, 2006

It was a little warm for mid-April today, but with the warmth and the sunshine came huge opportunities to find riders downtown. I'm going out again tonight, so if you happen to be reading this and are in need of a ride, just contact me on my cellphone.

After a two-minute news story on Fox 9, I'm suddenly very busy. Make those reservations now! In the meantime....I just threw this together but there needs to be some original music for the video.

April 12, 2006

Here's a very cool video about biking in Copenhagen. Everyone rides a bike to school, work, or wherever--and there's a huge benefit in public health and safety. Choose your connection (dial-up or broaadband--of course, broad band rocks!!!) and see it here.

April 8, 2006

There were so many police in downtown Minneapolis last night--and walking the beat! How long can the city keep that up? Whatever it costs, it's worth it because it did feel a little safer in those few stretches of blight on Hennepin and Nicollet and other sections where the hoodies hang out.

First Avenue was rocking. If I can figure out how to make money there, I'll have it made. You people still have to get used to seeing the bike on the street (instead of freaking out!) and consider its utility as a form of legitimate transit. Don't get in a cab folks. You'll get taken for more than a ride if you're just going a few blocks.

Here's a picture of some nice folks visiting the Twin Cities from Norway. They needed a lift to their hotel. Good tippers!

4-07-06 - Nicollet Mall

April 4, 2006

The one thing I'm continuallly struck by when seeing pictures of this bike is how efficient it is in moving people from one place to another within a modern downtown area. Seven people riding together put a very small footprint on the urban environment, and there are no carbon emissions. The bike takes up less space and is more flexible and manueverable than a cab or a bus. When's the last time you saw a bus make a 180-degree turn in the middle of a narrow street? A conference bike can do that with no problem.

Here's a link to a story about a conference bike business in New York City. It's too bad the city's going to shut this guy down. At least there's one other "partybike" business in the city still in operation. Read about it here.

April 1, 2006

It's been a busy week for Cycle Seven, visiting both downtowns in St. Paul and Minneapolis. The reception continues to be good, the police haven't given me a hard time--anywhere--what a relief, and I've been riding on Nicollet Mall during the day, which is cool because I'd like to use the bike as a pedicab and just stay there as much as possible because there isn't any regular traffic on that street--just buses, taxis, licensed bikes, and now the conference bike. The pedicab license cost $83, so I think I'm going to put that fee to good use.

There's a new section on the website for video. One of the best ways to convince people to take a chance and get on is to have them listen to testimonials from riders actually riding the bike. So I'll try to do more videos. They're kind of entertaining. I hadn't expected that. These three passengers were especially fun to talk with:

While riding through St. Paul, a man hailed me down from the sidewalk to talk, and he asked me what kind of motor the bike had. I told him it didn't have a motor, and he didn't believe me, saying "You ain't that strong," and he walked away in disgust thinking I was pulling his leg. Well, what can you do but always try to tell the truth? From a distance it's possible that the little tank for the hydraulic fluid could be some sort of miraculous little engine that moves a 450-pound bike and seven people, but the human power turning the pedals is reallly enough.

Just announced: The Minneapolis City Council wants to join the fight against global warming. Well, give me a call or email me. I've got a few ideas that will not only reduce carbon emissions but also increase tourism to downtown. I emailed R.T. Ryback earlier this week and offered to demonstrate my bike but never received a reply. Drats.

It's April Fools Day. This should be my busiest day of the year, but the business is still so new a lot of folks just don't know it's here yet, so here I am just working on my blog.

March 28, 2006

Today I took the bike from the west side of downtown near the Sculpture Garden and the Walker Art Center, through the middle of downtown and then east around the Metrodome and almost to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, but not quite all the way because I'd been there recently and didn't want to get too far from homebase along Nicollet Mall. It was probably the most pedaling I'd ever done by myself on this 450-pound beast, and for once, surprisingly, resisted the urge to invite passengers on for free--which was different. Doing something with the bike in broad daylight was different as well starting off at 10:30 a.m. and endling at about 1:00 in the afternoon.

The Walker Art Center                                      Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

It was another learning experience. I can get from the east side of downtown Minneapolis to the west side in about 30 minutes. Round trip it should take an hour but that would depend on the number of passengers and the amount of traffic. It was tough going uphill in a few places on my own, but getting across downtown Minneapolis is possible for one person on the bike.

Before I set out, I met a couple from Georgia who wanted to see downtown and anything else worth seeing, so I told them about the Walker Art Center and the Sculpture Garden and some other places. My mind reeled back to the beginning of The Mary Tyler Moore show, but I'd forgotten where all those locations were, so I looked it up online afterwards and came across this interesting bit of research regarding the beginning of the show when M.T.M. throws her hat up in the air over that one long, last note while Hazel Frederick looks on.

Downtown Minneapolis never looked so good as when it had Mary Tyler Moore whirling around in the middle of it.

After going up and down Nicollet a little, I headed to the Metrodome with the intention of getting some ideas together for a regular route. It turned out to be a good experiment because I need to understand the best way to go east and west through the city's epicenter.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I'm going to St. Paul.

March 26, 2006

Cycle Seven visits the North Loop

Northwest of downtown Minneapolis, the North Loop is a great place to find free parking on a Sunday afternoon.

The perfect antidote to boredom. Click here. (Warning: If you're offended by nude people riding bikes, don't click it.) I got this from a blogster in London. Very cool site: Velorution.

March 24, 2006

Cycle Seven will be hitting the streets hard for fun and profit going into the end of the month and the start of spring break. Let's see how the middle of the week feels during the day in both downtowns. Another new experience.

March 12, 2006

One of my favorite neighborhoods in Minneapolis is the Cedar-Riverside area in the West Bank. It's dominated by East Africans--mostly Somalian--who occupy the high-rise residential buildings that tower over Cedar Avenue. It's also home to a good collection of gritty bars and ethnic restaurants patronized by old punks, college students, hustlers, cyclists, and downtown residents. If you want to have an interesting Friday night, you go here.

I parked the trailer in a dead-end street near the Corner Bar and immediately picked up three passengers in need of a lift to the seven corners intersection by Washington and 15th Avenue. The ride was so short I told them not to tip me, but they did anyway, which seems kind of stupid in retrospect because there I was telling riders not to give me money, and a big part of this business if to make money, so....I've got to think about that.

From Seven Corners it was an easy coast down to the Cedar-Riverside Plaza where a group of young Somalian men eagerly boarded and suddenly I knew that if I stayed there I wouldn't make any money and it would become another night of promoting the bike and giving free rides, which sure don't pay the rent, but it's one way to build good will within as many different communities as possible. In the long term, this could prove to be more valuable than any short-term payoff.

But I'm still very interested in learning how giving free rides can work in this kind of business. Here's an idea: If bar owners in an entertainment district pooled their resources, they could easily pay the hourly rate I charge customers for a tour. With the presence of a conference bike, any bar or groups of bars and restaurants can become more interesting--especially in sections of the city that have a lot going for them already.

Cedar Avenue, 3-10-06

With the bike fully loaded we rode around the plazas of all the buildings, to the LRT station, and up and down Cedar Avenue before arriving outside of the Triple Rock rock club. This is a great place to pick up passengers because they're always outside smoking, and on the inside of the bar, patrons can get a good look at the bike from the front window. After about an hour or so of directionless riding around, I ended up the night at Palmer's Bar where I made some new friends and spent all my tip money on beer.

Sort of off the topic but not too much: In my regular job as an English teacher for adults learning English as a second language, I meet a lot of East Africans, most of whom are from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. They're among some of the most hard-working immigrants now moving to the Twin Cities, and I really enjoy working with them because they try so hard to be good students. Plus they're fun to talk with. They love their new lives in the U.S. and have learned well how to navigate the differences between their tradition-bound upbringing and muslim faith and American culture. The chldren caught between these two cultures have especially embraced American lifestyles and values wtithout compromising their beliefs, and you really have to admire that.

Benefits bestowed upon the United States through immigration shouldn't be underestimated.

March 9, 2006

On the front page of today's Star Tribune there's an article about the housing and development boom taking place near the new light-rail line along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis and leading into Bloomington. Condominiums and shiny new office buildings are sprouting up where once there was empty brown space and poorly-planned commercial crap. Before the LRT line was built, critics didn't believe that developers would consider investing in areas along the transit line; other negative nabobs cried foul and said the project smacked of "social engineering," which at the time seemed like an odd comment, but now seems totally xenophobic and backward. Well, the Hiawatha Line has been a tremendous success and has exceeded all expectations of ridership and the renewal of blighted urban areas. It's enjoyable to watch pre-LRT critics--the vast majority of them Republican state legislators and one governor (sorry the truth hurts so much) eat a little crow. How's it taste? Bon appetite.

Also from the Star Tribune, here's a great feature on street musicians in Minneapolis. Click on the picture and listen. Cool stuff!

March 6, 2006

Here are some pictures from last weekend's expo. Everyone had a great time! Thanks to Michael Fredericks of Minnesota Cyclist magazine for inviting me. Here's a short video of riders going around the test track. This reminds me to start doing some video projects.

If I spoke to you about renting the bike or doing a tour, email or call me anytime.

February 18, 2006

Meet me at the Bicycling Travel and Fitness Expo at the Minneapolis Convention Center in March! I'll be there all day on Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5. See you at the show!

Notice that my website has started to take on advertising. I'm just going to experiment with this for a few months and see if it's worth doing. Without any control over ad content, there might occassionally be some inconsistency in what is adverstised and what I'm saying in the blog. Let's hope not.

February 8, 2006

It's good to remind readers every now and then of the reasons for the blog:

1. To record early fumbling in getting the business started so that others might learn from my mistakes. I have a lot more to make, so keep reading about them in the future.

2. To promote human-powered vehicles as a good alternative to cars, whether they're powered by gas or electricity. Bikes require no fuel and emit no toxins into the air as they are moving. We're killing the planet, folks. If you don't believe that, you're not paying attention.

3. To vent my frustration regarding the crazy transportation infrastructure. Not only is it responsble for the deaths of over 40,000 Americans killed annually, driving indirectly contributes to increased levels of obesity through inactivity. It's also a collosal waste of time.

4. To encourage others in the Twin Cities to start similar businesses--even one that competes against mine. Come on in--the water's fine! I believe, fundamentally, that competition is a good thing for just about any business, but especially now for this one while the concept is so new. We can't wait another five years for conference bikes or human-powered vehicles to catch on fire. It has to happen now.

5. To promote this incredible invention. It has tremendous potential in the future whether for fun, transit, or sport. Eric Staller is the man behind the vision thing.

6. It's fun to keep a blog! Go here for to set one up for free.

February 2, 2006

Still not feeling the love for greener modes of transportation in your State of the Union Address, Mr. President. Please don't lob more nuclear power and clean coal plants at a public desperate for cheap energy sources. You never, never even considered the easiest solution to our predicament: the bicycle. Too Jimmy Carter? Here's an article in Rolling Stone about Bush's "Fake Energy Solution."

Today is Ground Hog Day. It feels like we've been here before.

January 30, 2006

Where are all the pedicabbers in Minneapolis? There are two in St. Paul: Comopedicab and Pig's Eye Bike Taxi. Is that all in the Twin Cities?

January 28, 2006

One of the many interesting things about the Twin Cities is that two moderately large American cities can sit side-by-side yet be so distinct in architecture, commercial activity, and population. St. Paul is the older, dignified seat of state government, and Minneapolis is the modern upstart with money to burn. There are other notable differences in culture and temperament, but I won't get into that. Both cities rock--definitely!

There's also a big difference in the terrain. Whereas the Minneapolis core is relatively flat, St. Paul slopes down towards the Mississippi in a long descent from the Capitol building, and many of the downtown streets closest to the river are extremely steep. So it was here that I put the bike to the ultimate test in going up and down really steep hills.

Both the Winter Carnival and a Bon Jovi concert eliminated my favorite places to park downtown, so the only free public parking was somewhere down near the river. Luckily, I found it without too much trouble around Jackson and Kellogg, but this area is absolutely the lowest, darkest, scariest part of the city. It felt like I needed a flashlight to see what I was doing when unloading the bike. No wonder there were so many empty parking stalls! Below is a picture of it lightened several times (Thanks to i-photo!):

Jackson & Kellogg, St. Paul - Free parking on a Friday night!

From there I had to hump it pretty hard up Sibley and almost made it to Mears Park without stopping, but then my youthful 42-year-old frame said stop, so I got off the bike and walked it to the park where I met a couple of joggers and persuaded them to get on. What a relief to get some help! But even better, now I know what the bike can do. Despite being a 450-pound behemoth, it's so well-engineered that it was able to climb this insanely steep hill in a river city like St. Paul. I did a little work, too--for sure! But it was also the machine. Damn, those Germans are good at building stuff like this.

From Mears Park I took 7th Street West and then snaked through downtown to get to Rice Park where every year beautiful ice sculptures dominate the park, except this year. Forty-five degree temperatures yesterday reduced the sculptures to miniature ice ruins, ravaged by a few days above freezing and a little sunlight. What a shame after all that work. BUT the conference bike was a big hit! I rode around inside the square and picked up quite a few groups of people whose disappointment in the fallen works of art was suddenly offset by the crazy seven-person bike.

It was the best night so far. At times it was a heck of workout; however, of all the places I've gone to, this is where I've had the greatest success. Where there are crowds of people and a big open space to park the bike, I can make some money. But most important is that St. Paul, once again, proves that it's an easy place to do business in. Pedicabbers take note.

January 26, 2006

This is an awesome site to go to if you're interested in all-weather biking. Wish I had a velomobile!

January 22, 2006

Is there a good reason why Minnesota can't cut in half the number of auto-related fatalities? Although statistics I've linked to are a few years old, our state has twice as many deaths per 100,000 when compared to Sweden (6.0), the U.K.(6.1), and the Netherlands(6.1). Minnesota settles in above average at 12.98 compared to the U.S. average of 14.9. Massachussets raises the bar for the nation at 7.2, and Wyoming sits at the bottom with a whopping 33 per 100K. Since the World Trade Center fell on 9/11, over 160,000 lives have ended on American highways and streets. In Minnesota the number exceeds 2300. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, death by automobile is the leading cause of death in people between the ages of 3 and 33. Someone's doing a heck of a job for the funeral industry.

So what's the solution? Here it is: Increase the number and width of sidewalks and create safe, dedicated bicyle lanes when building new roads. Isn't that kind of a no-brainer? If pedestrians collide, the worst of it might be a bump on the head. And biking deaths per capita are far lower than what's been reported for automobiles. When you add in the consequences of pollution and poor health caused by physical inactivity, what exactly is the rationale for spending so much money on miles of new pavement? It's no wonder obesity levels are on the rise when the transportation infrastructure obviously favors cars and buses over biking or walking. Fortunately Minnesota and the Twin Cities are improving non-motorized transit options, but there's so much more that can be done.

Michael Brown, A.K.A. "Brownie," is currently everyone's favorite poster boy for governmental negligence, but there are hundreds more do-nothings like him in Washington D.C. and St. Paul M.N. Death caused by driving is kind of a slow-motion disaster. It unfolds before our eyes every day on the 6:00 newscast, but it happens so slowly in dribs and drabs of one fatatily here, two there--it isn't seen as a disaster until it happens to a loved one. Agghh! Enough ranting on this.

No. One more thing. 30 miles per hour in residential areas is too fast. The speed limit should be 20 or 25, but there isn't a single politician with the courage to propose it. Oh, you didn't know? Unless posted, the speed limit in residential areas is 30 mph in Minnesota. Add to that the extra five miles per hour some drivers feel entitled to and the de facto limit becomes 35, but 40 mph is breached on my street everyday. And nothing is done about it.

* * * *

Time to give Uptown a rest and find new digs. Will uptowners miss Cycle Seven when it's gone? By going there regularly for the last three weekends, I think I've shown that the presence of a conference bike adds excitement and interest in an entertainment district such as Uptown. It's a safe means of moving through dense, traffic-congested streets, and it stimulates real discussion as an alternative means of transit for short distances when compared to a bus or a taxi. The first night I tried Uptown, I didn't think it would work out too well, but it turned out to be better than downtown Minneapolis although I still prefer Nicollet Mall because it has greater potential in the future as a link to the LRT.

A really cool route between Lyndale and Hennepin is shaping up. This nice group of four did it in under 20 minutes:

1-20-06 - Lake and Bryant

Where to next? Nordeast Minneapolis? Dinkytown? A return to downtown St. Paul? How about the Mall of America? Wouldn't that be a riot? I definitely want to work with them sometime soon but the weather has to get a little better first. If you think your town or neighborhood is a good place for a conference bike to do business, email me and tell me why.

January 14, 2006

I went to Uptown again this weekend. Temps were in the high 20s. Not bad at all for January in Minnesota. Both nights seemed kind of slow, until this rambunctious group climbed on:

January 14, 2006 - Uptown

Uptown demographics play a definite role in doing business in this part of the city. It seems as though the people most willing to get on the bike live in the area, or are Uptown regulars, mostly high school kids who bum cigarettes off each other, and those most resistant to jumping on are usually late 30s or older, meaty and newly affluent suburbanites who park as close as possible to some restaurant and then scramble back to the parking structure when they're finished eating. Somewhere in the middle is my customer base.

A good, solid route is emerging in Uptown. The ride would last about twenty to 30 minutes going between Hennepin and Lyndale and use the Midtown Greenway and Lake Street to connect the two areas.

. the Midtown Greenway in the summer

Some small sections of the greenway might be a little narrow if there's oncoming bike traffic, but I can make it work. I'll just wait until a biker passes. Why not use this cool bicycle highway, especially at night when no one's on it? The ultimate fun ride will be one that goes between Uptown and downtown Minneapolis. A round trip would probably take about an hour unless passengers wanted to quench their thirst at the many bars along the way, such at the 400 Bar, Whiskey Junction, or even Palmer's Bar.

So I've been to Uptown now for two weekends straight. Where to next? Dinkytown?

January 9, 2006

One of the reasons for the blog is for others to learn how a part-time conference bike or pedicab business can work. A lot of people have wanted to talk to me on the phone or exchange email, which is fine, but read the blog first and that might answer some questions. Most of these inquiries are related to cost. The bike cost $13,000. Delivery of the bike, which was made in Germany, then shipped to New Jersey, and then trucked to Minnesota, was $1000. Insurance is $1500 per year. Through Ebay I found a trailer for $660. It's possible to operate the business without hauling the bike around on a trailer. In fact it's preferable, but just not realistic until demand increases. Then there are the expenses of setting up a business and paying off the local governmental entities which might come to an additional few hundred dollars. There will be maintenance costs as more hours are put onto the bike; however, I don't have to contend with an inventory, I don't have any employees, and the business is portable.

If a conference bike seems too expensive, consider buying a pedicab instead. A good one will cost between three and four thousand dollars, although you can find some priced suspiciously low on Ebay for a couple hundred, or if you're handy build one yourself. One of the biggest expenses is insurance, and you have to have that. I get mine through ISU Stanton & Assoc. Insurance, Inc.

Cycle Seven, LLC is the first conference bike business in the midwest, but hopefully not for long. The more of these there are on the streets the better because then some public consensus forms regarding various costs for rentals, tours, and pedicab service, and also how long a ride should last. If you're reading this blog and thinking about getting into the business go online and read about what others are doing. Do a search and find out how many pedicab-related articles there are. It's an industry in its infancy, but get onboard now. The payoff could be quite satisfying in the future.

You know that feeling you get when you see something that's so unique you can't stop looking at it? I see that everytime I go out with the bike in the expressions of those who see it for the first time. And even though I own the thing and it's sitting out in my garage right now, I still wander out there just to look at it and try to figure out how it works.

 The conference bike in my garage.

This is the real genius of the bike. How does it work, and if it works so efficiently why hadn't someone invented it long ago? Eric Staller really got this one right, and so did the manufacturer.

January 8, 2006

Uptown was a blast last night, and I made a little money but still those dollars have to shake loose from their handlers. How much does the average patron spend on a drink? $5.00? And for your fiver you get a little lift that leaves you feeling sick the next morning except the total came to $60 dollars because you bought drinks and a few appetizers for all your friends. So what's a ride worth, bloggees?

Aside from the money situation, it really has been fun, and I hope that those I've met and given rides to will help me promote my business by telling alll their friends about how much fun it is. The bulk of this business should be in giving tours and in renting out the bike.

Uptown in Minneapolis 1-07-06

January 7, 2006

Uptown is a great place to go out to eat or get a few drinks, but riding the conference bike through the Hennepin-Lake intersection is lunacy and madness--just what the area needs for weekend fun. However, traffic always sucks on both streets, so if I can manage to pick people up from in front of bars and restaurants and hightail it to the residential streets, that just might work out well. The side streets are safer and more relaxing, although it seems most people prefer the excitment of mixing with regular vehicular traffic on a busy street.

At least that seemed to be the case when I met these five rable-rousers from Southwest High:

1-06-06 - Calhoun Square

After riding once around Calhoun Square, we headed up Hennepin and cut over to the Greenway--something I've been dying to do for months. Kaching! Kaching! This is the place to take the bike and get away from the hassle of navigating car-centric streets. Here I can make money. But there are a few concerns. I don't want the conference bike to present itself as a big obstacle for regular bikers although we didn't see a single bike or pedestrian during the short ten-minute jaunt on the corridor, so it's probably going to be okay, but I expect some hard-nosed racer dick in lycra is going to give me shit someday.

Then it was over to Lyndale and Lake. One of the things that makes Uptown interesting is that it mirrors the Twin Cities by offering two separate and distinct districts for having fun, and the Bryant-Lake Bowl is just on the edge of this eastern enclave. When I arrived out in front, the reception was awesome. Everyone who rode it was into it, plus the neighborhood nearby is a great place to take people. In fact, its proximity to the corridor makes this an ideal area to go to.

Friday Night Revelers Outside of Bryant-Lake Bowl

January 2, 2006

Yesterday, when putting my bike back up on the trailer, I met a man who was biking down the street. He stopped to have a look at the conference bike, and while speaking a mile a minute, he told me about his life and the bikes he's built. Quite an interesting guy. He can also ride a bike backwards.

Continue backwards in time here.....