IKEA Bike Racks

Whenever I am at IKEA, I am struck by how many bike racks there are.

Portland IKEA has included several key factors when placing bike racks:

1. Location: these racks are right by the entrance
2. Traffic Flow: these racks are neither in the way of people walking, nor are forced to compete with automobile parking
3. Amount: there are plenty of bike racks at the front, and others elsewhere
4. Style of Rack: while waves are not my favorite, they are not the worst. I can see why buildings choose them--each install, clean, and appear to take up less space (my ideal set up would be a series of staples and if the company wanted easy install, the bottoms of the racks could be welded together on a strip of metal and then the metal installed to the ground)
5. Shelter: some of these racks, look back by the building, are in an enclosed area thereby providing good shelter from wind and rain.
6. Encouragement: prominent display tells people, "Could you take your bike next time?"
   

However, for all of the great placement features, these racks are rarely used. I have never seen a bike locked to the racks when I go to IKEA, and only in photos from Katie and David Proctor have I seen a bike by a rack.

Is this IKEA's fault? No. It is the consumer's. It is understood that (a) IKEA is on the outskirts of Portland and it is not a typical bike ride down there; (b) that the route out there is doable, but not the most convenient, nor best if biking with several kids on their bikes; and (c) usually people getting things at IKEA are purchasing bulky items.

What could IKEA and Portland and the Community do to increase bike traffic to IKEA? Here are some starters:

1. Save bulky purchases for one trip with a trailer or group of friends. Hell, make it an activity.
2. Maybe a reverse Bike Move--from IKEA to home!
3. Find a way to get access to a trailer for occasional use, or bur one, or make one.
4. There are a number of cargo bike/bike hauling cargo people out there who would love to show off the power of the bike, ask them.
5. IKEA bike rack photo Panda!

Why Social Networks Work

Social networks make wonderful things like the following possible.

A friend from Chicago, Brandon, had a weekend trip to Portland. He wanted to borrow a fixed gear bike while here for the full Portland experience. He tweeted that he was looking for a place to rent a bike. I then tweeted that I was looking to borrow a bike for him to borrow while he was in Portland. Within a short period of time, David Haines, offered up his bike.

This is a testament to the value of social networks. It is also a testament to how wonderful Portland is that I could procure a bike so quickly. It was a generous offer by David as he made it easy and totally low-key.

And in the process of picking up the bike, I met Emiliano Jordan who, aside from being a great guy, answered all my son's questions and allowed him to pick up all the shiney and pricey things at the shop.

The above photo is of the front wheel with a head nod to David's twitter icon and alter-ego: BikeRanger.

I had never ridden a fixed gear bike so when Brandon was done, I took it out for a spin. The bike was fast and the forward momentum was unexpectedly strong. Intellectually I knew that the wheels would keep moving forward. However, it was still a shock on how well and how much forward those wheels rolled.

The benefit of a fixed gear (or single speed) is the low maintenance and simplicity. The bike was also incredibly light. This would make a great commuter or around towner bike.

A Tale of Two Burger Joints

The McDonald's in Vancouver, WA (2110 East 4th Plain Boulevard) has a number of bike serving features, specifically parking.

Rather than get into a discussion on the relative or perceived nutritional value of the food, I want you to look at what McDonald's has provided.

I cannot say if this wealth of bike parking unique to this McDonald's, or whether these are features adopted when a McDonald's gets a remodel, which the one on 4th plain did get.

The 4th Plain McDonald's has a sign right by the front door that is easy to read and clear on where the bike racks are. Having a sign by the door almost says we are glad you came by bike and we have facilities located right over there...enjoy.

The location of the bike parking is about 40 feet from the door, right at the front, along the front sidewalk, and within view of the front. It is obvious and clearly put for a person on a bike to ride up, park, and walk in. No adventures through bushes or a trek from the other side of the parking lot.

The swatch of land that makes up the bike facility is also clean and has easy access. The concrete slab around the rack is a nice touch as no one likes to stomp in the mud while securing a bike. The facility is also located far enough from the door that bike use does not impede people walking by. There is no interaction which is great.

This particular McDonald's must be unique because I often see a bike inside the entry when a person needs to pop in but does not have a lock. No issue is made. And no one is bothered by it. Clearly, it could be something that the manager complains about or puts up a strict rule, going so far as to post a sign within the entry way saying NO BIKES. However, the manager has not.

To give some comparison, the other McDonald's that I pass (8011 NE MLK, Portland, OR) has far fewer of these bike facilities. However, it is also an older McDonald's. I have not seen the thin staple rack ever used and the only bike I do see is usually parked inside the outdoor seating area, locked to the fence with a cheap cable lock.

While this rack is located closer to the front door, about 10 feet, it interferes with people walking by and is touching the sidewalk that is next to the automobile exit traffic from the drive up. I wish I had a photo to share of this exchange of traffic, just know it is not ideal.

Perhaps, given McDonald's history and growth around automobiles, bike traffic was not considered part of the food-purchasing traffic. This makes sense and is a totally reasonable business plan. I wonder what percentage of current patrons arrive by bike when visiting a McDonald's. (For a good history and insight into the McDonald's company, I am currently reading, Behind the Golden Arches.)

The real question is what changes will I see at McDonald's in the next decade? Will more and better bike parking be part of the McD plan?

McRacks ... I like the sound of that and the arches totally lend themselves to a custom bike rack.

I did a bit of online reading as I was interested what the rest of the nation was saying, or observing, about McDonald's and bike racks. Most of what I read said two things. One, and it seemed to be quite important to state by the commenter was that they (a) do not eat McDonald's food. The second comment I noticed was that people are observing a lack of racks at McDonald's and if a bike is present, it is usually attached to a fence. (Here is just a sample discussion from 2007 which tells me this is not an often visited topic.)

The Burgervilles that I pass have several racks. Does this make them a better restaurant? Most would argue the food is better and the company buys local ingredients and composts/recycles and maybe that forward thinking mind set is why Burgerville considers people on bike a daily possibility at their restaurant.

The Burgerville across from the 4th Plain McDonald's has a rack. Their unique solution to needing bike parking was to take out a car parking spot and make it a bike parking spot. It is out of the way of people walking, and is near the front door, approximately as close as the parking at McD across the street. The overall look of the facility is less appealing. However, there is good access to the rack from three sides, and plenty of room.

While none of these racks, rack placements, facility designs, or restaurants are indicative of all of the locations, it gives me something to observe. I hope to see more facilities (better) at all locations in the future.

I especially want to know the history of the 4th Plain McDonald's, being that it is a remodeled one, and the Burgerville across the street. Two burger joints and how they approached the need for bike parking. Each need carried out in a way that matched their layout, but also likely reflected the philosophies of that particular branch and access to resources.

The Flickr set of these photos.

Boxing Day

This is what is meant by boxing day, correct?

12 Days of Cargomas! 2011

A head nod to all the cargo bike people.

On the twelfth day of Cargomas, my cargo bike hauled for me ....

Twelve months of cargo

Eleven garden items

Ten shots of espresso

Nine fresh baked pizzas

Eight feet of fencing

Seven feet of evergreen.

Six chunks of lumber.

Five grocery bags.

Four types of gelato.

Three sons a-talking.

Two youthful hipsters.

And a baby snuggled in the box.

Have a merry, sharry (sharrow) Christmas!

Bike Jams

It was a crisp sunny day as we biked around town, delivering homemade jam to friends. Plum, Plum-Rhubarb, Pear-Rhubarb, and Blackberry.

We just need a bike sound system so we can jam with the jam.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Full Parking Lot

At my son's school. The parking lot is small. The only way the parking lot works is for parents to drive in, drop their kids off, and then drive out. The dance is chaos but always seems to work.

However, on some days, when there is an event, or in this case, a Solstice Celebration, the parking lot fills up. Lucky for me, I arrived on my Bullitt. I nestled between two kid-hauling cars and walked to the green canopy in the background and joined in the festivities.

That alone may seem smooth, but the real smooth part was when I left. I just did. Wheeled my bike out of the parking lot, down some stairs, totally avoiding the exit and the pile of cars, sitting, waiting to exit.

Sentence Diagram

'Nuff said.

Educate

Kids have good taste.

I parked my bike in my youngest son's classroom last week while attending a school function. When the kids returned to the classroom, a group of them were drawn to the Bullitt.

Future riders of bikes?

Yes.

Bike Rack Calendar 2012

This is it. Something that I must have. Something that I will buy, wrap in Christmas paper, put my name on it, and place it under the tree.

A bike rack calendar. A mini calendar.

Judy Morton is the creator and you can get them at Bikeasaurus in Portland, OR.

Cargocross?

Photo courtesy of Steven Vance, a co-writer for Grid Chicago and a cargo bike fan. Person in photo is Chicago Cargo.
----------------------------------------
History & Idea Germination:

Idea passed around in various places over the last two years. Clips filmed, but nothing epic. No one has taken the idea to a finished product.

Will Vanlue (Prudent Cyclist) DMed me December 4. His idea is a cargocross with humor and drama. He inquired about interest by me and others and wondered if a group could be collected to film this.

This may be a good video for filming in the spring. Perhaps at PIR cyclocross.

Needed: cargo bike owners and riders to participate and for the raging group shots. Videographer. Contact Joe Bike, Splendid Cycles, Clever Cycles, Metropolis, Aherne, Metrofiets, CETMA, Tom LaBonty, B-Line, eBikeStore, Spoketown, all of the Joels, Et al

Possible final. It submission for Filmed by Bike 2013? And certainly for fun.

Bit of humor in the video. Some epic shots, some slow-motion, some pain.

As an individual, I cannot do it by myself. However, I have endless energy and ideas; a willingness to organize what needs doing; and I can cook--I make you dinner as we discuss the movie.

Cargo Bike Dogs

In October we adopted a dog; his name is Bleu. He is a mix, but it appears mostly German wirehaired (but we have been told blue healer and labrador as well).

We have not had a dog in our family before so we are newbies. However, one thing was sure, if we are going to make regular visits to dog parks so Bleu can play with buddies, we will do so by bike.

On a whim, we had Bleu sit in our Bullitt cargo bike box to see if it would just "work" and as we pushed off with him in the bike ... It did not work. I did not expect it to, but if it did, well, that would be sweet.

To help Bleu get comfortable to the box, we brought the box into the house and put it in the living room, thereby making it a fixture in his life. In addition, we:

1. Put his toys in the box.
2. Give treats when he goes into the box.
3. Stand in the box and hang out with him.
4. Have worked on the command "box" which he seems to understand as he will head to the box and jump in regardless of where we are in the house.
5. Took the box in the car so he could sit in it on the way to the dog park

Later this week, we will put the box back on the bike and go for a push of the bike around the block. Then, slow biking around block. Hopefully, we will get to biking to the dog park later next week.

Check out Splendid Cycles, a Portland seller of great cargo bikes, for photos of owners with dogs in the boxes. I cannot seem to find the recent photo they have of an owner with a custom box for his dog--a larger dog. Perhaps it is on their Facebook page and has not made it to Flickr. (12/21/11 yep, Fb: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=282270301818978&set=a.106459846066692.3503.106290576083619&type=1&ref=nf)

Set of photos for Bleu in the box.

Rides-A-10-Speed-Everywhere Guy

Family Guy
S6:E8
"Peter's Daughter"

About 1 minute in The town is getting unseasonable rains to the point of flooding. News Chanel 5 is there to interview the man on the street. This guy mentions how bicycling is a great way to stay in shape. Simple. However, he repeats how bicycling is a great way to stay in shape at every topic change, even when he discloses that he has rectal cancer--information that was not asked.

Family Guy pokes fun at everyone and everything so it would be hard to say that FG is debasing people on bikes (or bikes), and it is funny. But is it the kind of funny that has a deeper layer that perpetuates a mind set?

Twas the Night Before Cargomas

Starting with:

Twas the night before Cargomas, when all through the ....

Let's put our spin on Moore's poem with a bit of cargo bike flair.

Add a stanza or two in the comments; add the stanzas in order. If it finishes, I will share the results on the 24th.

Here is the full poem for rhythm and syllable count. I have added stanza numbers to aid in our organization:

Twas the Night before Christmas Poem

(1)Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

(2)The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

(3)When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

(4)The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

(5)With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

(6)"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

(7)As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

(8)And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

(9)He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

(10)His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

(11)The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

(12)He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

(13)He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

(14)He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Cargo Bike Kid Drawings

Kids are cute ...

Kid drawings are cute ...

Cargo bikes are awesome.

Kid drawings of cargo bikes are awesomely cute!

I have 4 sons. They all have, at one time or another, drawn a cargo bike. I like how certain parts of the cargo bike are accentuated or in unique places, depending on the child's experience with the cargo bike. In most cases, the box, or kid-sitting location, gets the focus.

I have started a Flickr group to collect Cargo Bike Kid Drawings. This was in answer to some interest shown on the (R)Evolutions Per Minute, a crowd sourced American cargo bike documentary Facebook group.

The talk was about including some kid drawings, maybe animating them, for the documentary. If you think about it, this makes sense because quite a number of cargo bike users in America have one for children. Liz has an animation plan.

Liz Canning, the creator of this vision, is collecting your raw footage of cargo bike use and interviews of cargo bike users. She will edit the pieces together for a documentary. And she can edit well. Some of the clips in her trailer are from me, so I can see how she blended my cheap footage on a 10-year-old video camera with current video of interviews, seamlessly.

Join the Cargo Bike Kid Drawings Flickr group and pass it on to your friends. I would like to see some drawings in the documentary. I think the addition of another media, illustration, will add to the breadth of the project.

Family Guy Unicycling Fish Juggling Hitler

The girls have come to check out the Drunken Clam. They mention that they may make this their regular spot. Peter, in a cut away, shoots himself, saying that he has another one of his Scrubs cut aways. Cleveland complains about shows that have cut aways and then

Family Guy

S6:E3 minute 2:22

Scrubs does do that and so does Family Guy. What is interesting is the choice of items to push together in a cut away. Clearly, they are supposed to be incongruous.

How does this cut away color the use of a bike? Does it imply that biking is silly? Yes, it is a laugh, but does it show deeper ideas? It is possible it does not. I laughed.

Winter Cargo Bike Roll Call

Are you hardcore? Do you have a cargo bike (or want to look at cargo bikes)?

Then this Saturday, December 17, 2011 meet at Breakside Brewery in NE PDX.

Start up time is 2 - 4 pm and we will see what happens from there.

Share with any like-minded or interested people.

We can talk about a huge SantaHaul, delivering food boxes and such, for 2012.

SantaHaul Coloring Page

While our kids made ornaments for their teachers, I sketched away, turning an idea into a decent illustration.

Some of the cargonauts in Portland are planning a winter Cargo Roll Call with a possible carrying of donated toys and goods to shelters and the like. Joe Bike posted on our idea and aptly named it, SantaHaul. Hence the name atop the drawing.

Print and share with your kids to color. You may want to point out to your youngsters that the bike frame is 100% locally made candy cane tubing.

Thanks, Will Vanlue, @vanlue, for PDFing the drawing for me. Nice crisp edges and all. Here is the PDF

The original sketch is the smaller one. Larger sketch was for size and proportions.

After some helpful feedback from my wife, my kids, and the online presence (thanks @stevevance et al), I took out the words under the bike, used a different font, and put the words above the bike. I like having the white below the bike. Easier to see it is a bike.

SantaHaul

A number of emails have been sent back-and-forth, resulting in some tweets and a formal post.

The basic premise is a winter Roll Call for cargo bikes. Whatever manifestation it takes on from there will come.

If interested, email Joe at Joe Bikes, http://www.joe-bike.com/2011/12/09/open-call-for-cargo-santas-deliver-with-us-bike-shops-get-on-the-list-wittco-splendidcycles/

And for those that care, I did not cringe when using the word, "manifestation."

Happy Cargomas!

Ps, we could use a really cool Santa Cargo illustration.

Travis A. Wittwer, M. Ed., NBCT

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Please excuse errors; I do not have the nimble fingers of an adolescent.

@WITTCO

http://bikenounverb.blogspot.com/

http://schools.evergreenps.org/Page/1851

QUINONESentially Artful

Ruhiyyih and I attended Bike Craft this Saturday for the social atmosphere and the bike related wares. I had another reason. I wanted to get my hands on Tomas Quinones's latest art--a beautiful coloring book of animals on bikes.

What do you get for the cargo bike lover who has everything AND kids? A super coloring book.

There is a great illustration of squirrels on a tall, tree bike, and several cargo bike drawings--both long tails and long johns.

The Fox with Hens (which has been nicely dubbed FOXFIETS or FOXCYCLES in the 'We Likes Cargo Bikes' Facebook group) is my favorite.

Tomas has these illustrations printed on nice, watercolor paper and he adds watercoloring. We have 4 of these that we will frame and place in the hallway by our sons' rooms.

Want to give a coloring book to your little cargo bike riding kids? You can reach Tomas through Flying Snail Creations.

You can also find Tomas prominently displayed through a Google Search and on Facebook.

Sloppy photo taken out of respect of the artist--to not have a photo that is of a reproducible quality. If you want, Tomas has posted some free downloads on his web site, Flying Snail Creations.

Very Bikey Christmas

Happy December to all of my bikey friends and families. Stay dry. Stay warm. Enjoy!

Psst ... I had to use Paint to create this. An awful program but it does work. If you have access to better software and want to remake this so that it is an awesome design for a Christmas card, please do so and send me a copy. I think it is a great idea and would love to see it polished. Here is my original photo.

Ethan, thank you for the design suggestion. Appreciated.