My Biking Page

April 2006 was a defining point in my life. Fuel prices were going through the roof, I was my heaviest weight ever (near 270lbs) and I didn't have the energy of my youth. I made the decison to park my comfortable Diesel pickup truck (We also own a Diesel VW Jetta that gets 50mpg) and try riding my bike to work, just over 17 miles. It's some level and mostly down hill going from Buckley to Auburn, but the reverse coming home. I started equipping my bike with night time safety items, lots of red strobes on back and Xenon technology for the head light. I would be commuting in the dark most days.

Well, three years later that big adventure has turned into a daily routine. I still commute with the same old Schwinn mountain bike, nothing high tech or light weight. But I've learned a lot over the last couple years about bike clothes (cotton is out, synthetic fabrics are good) and equipment. I've also learned some people in cars are not very nice, but for the most part people are accepting even though I commute where there are no bike lanes or paved shoulders. I do take my share of the lane when riding on public roads.

To date I've lost weight, gone down four inches in my waist, logged over 12,000 miles on my bike and saved hundreds in fuel costs. I feel great and miss my riding when rain forces me to drive. I've made the bike commute in temperatures down to the low 20's and high's in the 90's. I've also had my share of rainy days. I don't generally leave in the rain, but if I can get to work dry I'll chance any weather on the ride home. I can always take a warm shower at home, and my employer will pay me to take a taxi home as a privilege for bike commuting.

New Year of 2008 I departed from the purist of bicycling and equipped my old Schwinn with an electric hub motor, which is built into the rear wheel. The battery mounts where the water bottle used to go and it's equipped with a thumb throttle on the right handle bar. This new motor can push my bike along at 18 MPH without pedaling, and the battery easily last more than twenty miles without pedaling.

I still pedal even though the motor is a big help, what used to take one hour twenty minutes going home is now a forty five minute ride home. I cruise with pedaling well over 20 mph, and all the heart ache is gone from the hills. I really recommend this set up to any one who wants to do the "green" thing but doesn't feel like a super athlete. My only regret is I equipped the rear wheel with the motor and it would have been much easier to use the front wheel conversion. But I now have several hundred miles riding with the new setup and it's exceeded my expectations in every regard.

This is my Schwinn Frontier with well over 12,000 miles now.

Big black thing is the Nickel Metal Hyd battery, which powers hub motor.

Huge handle bar lift for sitting upright.

Safety lights, flags and reflectors everywhere.

Full fenders with mud gaurds.

Two piece seat for prostrate relief.

Combo/Clip in pedals for riding shoes

Custom luggage rack for carrying rain gear, food and work clothes.

There is the electric motor that pushes my bike down the road at a good clip when I want to take a break from pedaling. A big help on the hills. Steep hills I go up in my tallest gear, never have to shift down. My 34 mile round trip commute is 45 minutes each direction, really only about 15 more minutes than if I drove my truck.

I had problems with the battery and sent back the wheel thinking it was the problem. Long story short, the company let me switch to a front powered wheel at no extra cost to me. It's a lot easier to switch a front wheel out than rear wheel, so I'm going to stay with this new setup. It's much quieter, it runs faster, and it pulls me up the hills faster that the rear wheel did. I now take the long way home from work just because it's such a pleasure to travel with this bike. It's really something to climb 6% grades at 16 mph. Below are pictures of my new front wheel with the hub motor. I've now been commuting daily for almost a year and it's performed flawlessly. The battery is holding up without any signs of degragation, and even though fuel cost have come way down I'm going to keep on biking for my health.

Our family also has a fun old Tandem Bike I fixed up after buying it off a neighbor. It's fun at parties and to take camping. We share it with everyone. Here I am riding with my cousin.

This is Sandy's bike, same Schwinn Frontier as mine.

This is my new dual suspension bike I bought Christmas of 2007. I'm still modifying it to suit my needs. Like my commuter bike, I extended the handle bars up, and added some mud fenders. I intend to use this bike primarily for camping, and riding with my family.

My Motobecane all equipped the way I like.

Water bottle holder mounted to handle bars.

Rear view mirror for watching cars.

Removable mud guard up front, just snaps on and off.

Rear fender goes up and down with suspension.

Super bright LED strobe under seat.

Topeak Q-beam rack with optional fender.

Hans's Web Page!

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