Rock The Bike: BLOG
Jay pedaled! National TV debut of the Fender Blender Universale
To our delight Jay Leno climbed on a stylish white and orange step-through cruiser with a properly installed Fender Blender Universale bike blender (FBU) and blended what appeared to be a daiquiri, about 15 minutes into his show as part of the Last Minute Gifts segment. He pedaled for about 15 seconds, though to be honest I was too busy celebrating and making rock signs to count accurately. Jay had a medium-slow cadence and seemed very comfortable on the bike, smiling his trademark chinny grin and joking as he went — “for the active alcoholic!” Although his leg extension wasn’t optimized for power output, he had no problem crushing ice. He did not tuck in his pant leg prior to pedaling.
Watch the segment on Jay’s site: fast forward to 25:00 if you’re in a rush.
Above: The Fly Stick Van De Graaf effect levitation wand, one of the cooler toys on the segment.
Of the 13 products he selected, only three — the FBU, the Fly Stick Levitation Wand, and Snow To Go instant snow — fell into the category of positive, educational, or amazing. The others were novelty gags.
Six of the products were off-color: a stripping, singing Santa, a pole dancing alarm clock, and two products that involved sticking something (a pencil to be sharpened and a beer bottle to be opened) into the backside of an animal.
Two were personal care products gone awry — a head massager and a facial treatment system.
At $249 The FBU was the most expensive product on the segment. The others (apart from the Deer Rump bottle opener) were all in the $30-and-under price bracket. All of the products were available through the internet. Not a single mainstream store such as Target was mentioned.
When the producer emailed today to say that Jay had selected the FBU for the show, I had to think for a minute where I’d be able to watch it — there hasn’t been a TV in my place for two years. Luckily Adam had one and was willing to host a viewing party. Four of us from the Rock The Bike crew, plus his two housemates, were there to take it in. At the top of the show, we took bets on whether Jay himself would pedal the bike, or an assistant. Heading into the segment, 4 out of 6 in our SF viewing party thought he’d do the deed. But at the last moment Grace changed her bet and it was 3 and 3.
above: Adam updating Facebook status to “Jay Rocks The Bike” moments after Leno cranked out a frozen cocktail.
When the show first contacted us a few weeks ago to request an FBU, we offered to send it to them complete and built up on a Jamis city bike. We figured that they’re busy TV people, not bike people, and they’d probably rather have us install it. No thanks, they said, just send hthe boxed FBU. Clearly installation was straightforward for them. The rack was perfectly level and the pitcher sat directly over the rear wheel.
above: the FBU installed on a classic Stumpjumper with Sweetskinz tires.
Invented in 2006 by Nate Byerley, the FBU is our most affordable bike blender, and it’s the one that a lot of schools, nonprofits, and summer camps buy. Earlier this year our engineer Leif redesigned the FBU so that it goes on and off a bike without tools (once you install the aluminum rack). When the blender base is removed, you’ve got a strong, light, functional rack you can use to commute, carry groceries or boxes. Every FBU we sell is adding carrying capacity to the bicycle fleet of America!
Bike blending is the most approachable, affordable way to demonstrate human power at an event or school. It’s a great conversation starter — literally an awesome ice breaker — and one of the few products that can raise environmental consciousness without a guilt trip. It gets people pedaling at events, which reminds them how awesome bikes are. Kids love it! Check out the awesome testimonials we’ve posted for the product.
We also recently came out with a human power generator that’s compatible with every Fender Blender we’ve ever sold, so that a school that bought one, say, in 2007 can now add the generator and use their FBU to make power for a music system, lighting display, etc.
Many thanks to Jay and the producers for helping to spread the cheer and magic of Pedal Power at the holidays.
Yuba’s factory team takes first in the two-wheeled division at food-hauling cargo race “Supermarket Street Sweep”
Team Yuba’s Ben Sarrazin hauled 330 pounds of food, mostly rice, to a food bank to win the two-wheeled division of the “Supermarket Street Sweep. Rock The Bike ran support for the race.
The overall race winner, Jeremiah Ducate, hauled 900 pounds on a Reuben Margolin cargo trike. Together the riders in the load-carrying race brought in over 8500 pounds of food to the San Francisco food bank.
The required cargo on the manifest weighed only 30lbs, which is nowhere close to the Mundo’s 440-pound payload. So we stopped in Chinatown to load up 300 pounds of rice. The price went up $4 during our visit. Thanks to Geoff for pitching in.
Yet another good chance to “ride long distances, carry heavy loads.”
We had a crew of eight supporting one rider. A bit overkill, perhaps, but a nice way to spend a Saturday.
As you can see in the video, carrying the rice on the Mundo was, for the most part, quite stable. I was able to surf on top of five sacks of rice, which was a bit more scary than other forms of bike surfing.
The view from the Choprical Fish on 3rd St.
After the race we picked up Adam’s girls and went on a dusky sunset cruise.
How to surf a Mundo
Here’s a very clear demonstration of the technique.
See how the calf muscle hooks the front of the saddle? That’s how you control the bike. The rear foot plants forward of the axle.
Repeating our warning to check your Down Low Glow system for signs of insulation breakdown and bare copper.
The battery output wire on the Down Low Glow has a certain amount of insulation. But with repeated flexing that insulation can break down.
Please look at the battery in the picture and compare it to yours. The black insulation has kinked and separated where it exits the pack, and you can see the white and red insulation of the inner two wires underneath. This is a result of repeated flexing of the wire. It is worse in cold places where the insulation can be brittle.
Our goal with this announcement is to keep you riding safely with the Down Low Glow, and to prevent needless short circuits. In our experience, most of these short circuits happen because the type of wiring damage shown above has escalated to the point where the white and red wire jackets have also crumbled, and bare copper is visible. If a customer continues using the battery at this point, the output wire may twist, bringing the two coppers into contact with eachother. When copper touches copper, a short can start at any time, but it still may take days or weeks of use before it happens, if it happens.
Short circuits are scary and can create lots of foul smoke and possibly a few seconds of a small open flame. They can melt surrounding plastic objects like nylon backpacks. You certainly wouldn’t want to hold one in your hand. But in our experience they are unlikely to start a fire. We shorted five batteries outside our workshop underneath a newspaper, and none of them ignited the newsprint. The sputtering, smoky part lasted about 2-3 minutes on average before the pack had dispensed most of its energy.
About a year ago we tried to recall batteries from a specific, problematic production period in 2008. But since this type of failure invoves wiring, and all Down Low Glows sold to date have wiring, we are asking that you simply check out your system to see if it has this type of wear.
We want to replace batteries that show this type of wear. If you have one that’s showing signs of wear, please either follow the DIY steps to prevent further wear on your battery, or send it back to us for replacement or service.
We worked with our battery manufacturer on this issue and are now selling batteries with a thermal fuse that prevents short circuits. We’ve also beefed up the strain relief on the wire leaving the pack. Down Low Glow systems sold today are much less likely to fail in this manner.
We have a reputation for excellent customer service and for being generous with warranty periods. If there’s something bugging you about your Down Low Glow system, or anything else you bought from Rock The Bike, please let us know.
Are all Down Low Glow systems destined to fail in this manner eventually? No!
New units have better tapering strain relief.
All DLG systems can last if you follow these Dos and Don’ts:
Don’ts:
Yank the wires when disconnecting the battery from the charger or from the light tube(s). Yanking puts unneeded strain on the wiring.
Don’t carry or swing your Down Low Glow battery by the output wire:
Dos:
Do hold your battery pack by the pack itself:
Use two hands to pull the main power connector apart. Same for removing the battery from the charger:
DIY repair:
1. Pinch output wire as shown to prepare for taping step.
2. Wrap tape over one side of the loop.
3. Wrap tape over the other side of the loop. The tape prevents yanks and tugs from creating strain on the wire where it exits the battery pack.
The mod shortens the battery’s output wire a bit.
New to Rock The Bike? Here’s a quick intro with links to our most popular products.
The Fender Blender — a Human Power base station
As seen on Jay Leno’s holiday gift guide, and a Rock The Bike exclusive. The world’s finest bike blender now doubles as a Human Power base station when you drop in one of our compatible generators without tools. Available in three different styles, starting at $249. Made in USA.
Mundo Cargo Bikes and Xtracycle Sport Utility Bikes
We ride useful bikes like the Yuba Mundo cargo bike above and the Xtracycle SUB (Sport Utility Bike) below to get back and forth to Rock The Bike events, deliver our goods, and live life.
Not only do we sell bikes, we help design them and customize them. No one puts load-carrying bikes to the test like Rock The Bike; trust us when it comes to your bike decision.
Pedal Power gear
Photo Cred: Volker Neumann
Electric Mundos, Electric Fender Blender Pros, The Pedalometer, Modified JBL loudspeakers, and our dependable Pedal Power Utility boxes. Welcome to our weekend. We’re the undisputed experts for building Pedal Powered Stages for event audio. So call us if you need: consulting, a quote for a build, advice.
The Down Low Glow — Unmatched Side Visibility for night riding.
Photo: K’Tesh
The Down Low Glow is a rechargeable safety light offering unmatched Side Visibility and huge style points. The Down Low Glow 1.0 has been discontinued. Contact us to get on the wait list for the new version of the Down Low Glow. Follow our product development on Flickr!
We’re also a Bike Culture crew that Pedal Powers events, mostly in the San Francisco area
Our Pedal Powered Stage events are where we bring it all together. Pedal Powers music events and political rallies in the Bay Area. We have a number of event offerings but the primary ones are our Pedal Powered Stage and our music production. We co-produce the San Francisco Bicycle Music Festival, and have appeared at: Earth Day Central Park, West Fest (40th Anniversary of Woodstock),
Often there is some sort of athletic feat involved, such as getting our gear across town by bike.
We are developing partnerships with bike culture crews and pedal power people in other places. We support them with technology (Pedal Power gear), know how, and promoting the field in general.
Pastana Surfs Valencia as Rock The Bike crew roll from Bike Expo to nighttime gig at Baobab.
Of the three in our crew that can surf Mundos only Adam Pastana has the sense of foundation that allows him to dance while surfing. We were on our way from the SF Bike Expo to power the Genie and yours truly at Baobab Village last night.
My parents have told me to take this off our homepage and focus on selling the Down Low Glow.
I think it’s rolling street theater and an absolutely stunning breakthrough in rocking the bike (lowercase). It’s inspiring to me, so I hope that, despite the obvious safety considerations, it’s inspiring on some level, to you too.
Besides that, this brief video shows three of our most important products in action: firstly the Mundo, which we already knew was stiff as a tree trunk and danceably strong, is apparently a great handling surfing bike too. A bike this rigid and predictable is going to be reassuringly stable when you carrying a passenger or a serious load.
Adam’s not only surfing the Mundo, he’s also carrying 30 pounds on one side of the bike in a GoGetter bag while towing a 75 pound Electric Fender Blender Pro from one event to another. Two other bikers pass on the right, with the Down Low Glow providing excellent Side Visibility; one is towing a racing bike on a Mundo.
So you see, it’s not just a video, it’s how we put our gear to the test, week in, week out. If you want to buy your bike products from some place where they all drive to work and click the mouse all day, go right ahead. But if you’re looking for people who ride, who push the envelope, who break and fix things, people you can trust with gear recommendations, you’ve found the right place.
Welcome to Rock The Bike.
Surfin’ Mundos with the Rock The Bike Crew in SF
Adam Aufdencamp spreads his wings on his first Mundo surf.
Below: Video of a Sunday Night Mundo surf with Pastana and Masha. Footage: Aufdencamp.
Yuba’s new V3 Mundo is here, offering numerous parts upgrades and usability improvements
Yuba releases its all-new V3 Mundo Cargo Bike, with numerous upgrades and usability improvements, making this already beloved bike a true tool for mobility, fitness, and community. Stylish, tough, and highly customizeable, the V3 Mundo stands at the ready for all sorts of missions. The new 21-speed drivetrain and the impressive weight savings — 9 pounds lighter than the original V1 Mundo — mean more riders can enjoy a true cargo bike, in more terrains, with no sacrifice in the Mundo’s legendary stiff ride quality.
Above: 36-spoke front and 48-spoke rear wheels with sealed-bearing hubs mean fewer popped spokes and a stable ride when carrying passengers and heavy cargo.
With a max payload of 440 lbs, the Mundo is still the heavyweight of the long-wheelbase cargo bike world. Riders have raved about the predictability and surefootedness of the frame, which become all the more apparent when the bike is loaded down. The 48-spoke tandem-strength rear wheel with its new sealed bearing hub and oversized axle, is a big part of why the Mundo feels so stable when hauling loads.
Above: 4 strap guides keep straps from slipping, and 24 threaded customization points make it easy
to mount running boards, locking equipment cases, custom equipment racks, and Mundo accessories.
The chassis-style loading system has evolved, with welded strap guides, ensuring your straps won’t slip from road vibration. The Mundo is now easier to customize to your unique cargo applications. Threaded braze-on points positioned throughout the cargo rack allow customers and businesses to integrate specific cargo racks, signage, tools, etc. Yuba’s huge and water-resistant GoGetter Bag is a great way to carry smaller and softer loads like food.
Rock The Bike uses Mundos to haul music equipment to their Pedal Powered Stage events.
Above: Yuba’s Peanut Shell childseat installed on the rear rack. There’s still room for picnic supplies or a second child seat.
Adam dropping his girls of to school with a Mundo in San Francisco.
Bigger kids can sit directly on Yuba’s top deck, and rest their feet on the bags or the Side Loaders. The Mundo’s new customization points make it easy to add full-length running boards to the Side Loaders for a stylish and secure footrest. And as the kids grow up, they’ll be able to ride the same bike mom and dad used to drop them at school. The Mundo’s low standover height and long seatpost accomodate riders from around 5′ to 6’3″, and the adjustable stem can be positioned to give the desired room in the front.
The welded and reinforced rear rack offers chassis style loading for rigid objects like equipment cases.
Previous generations of Mundos had a bolt-on rear rack.
Bike shops and home mechanics who assemble the new Mundo will love the simplicity of assembly. The all-welded cargo system and full-size carton means the build is now well under an hour, with most key parts (derailleurs, brakes, cranks) installed at the factory and in need of only minor tuning.
The V3 Mundo starts at $1099, and includes fenders and a sturdy side kickstand. Most customers will add the $115 GoGetter bag, and a $16 pair of cam straps. A cargo-strength center-stand will be available in early 2010.
Pedal Powering the Fashion Show at SF Bike Expo this Saturday. Join us for epic 5-mile gear haul missions to and from the expo.
Come roll with us to and from the SF Bike expo, where we’ll be pedal powering our first Fashion Show.
Meet up at 9:00 AM at Alemany Farmer’s Market to eat breakfast.
Ride at 9:30-10AM to Cow Palace
It’s only 3.2 miles, but we are anticipating, in all honesty, approximately an 11AM Arrival. If you want to get to the Expo closer to the opening time of 10AM, you can always follow the route yourself at a faster pace.
11-4 Swap meet all day. See the Bay Area’s bike community geek out together. A great place to buy a bike for a friend or replace worn out things. We’ll have Bike Blended Smoothies, the possible appearance of an in-progress El Arbol, test rides of the new V3 Mundo, and plenty of colors of the Down Low Glow, in time for the winter.
Around 4 in the afternoon we transition to Pedal Powering Momentum’s Fashion Show which starts at 5PM.
After the show, around 7 probably, ride back to the Mission with the Rock The Bike crew. We’re notorious for hosting some of the best night rides. Come experience it for yourself. We will be heading to OUTSIDE -> IN, a street chef night at Baobab Village (formerly Bollyhood) on 19th and Mission. Eat dinner, then stick around for entertainment.
We’ll be pedal powering the Genie at 10:15:
and yours truly, Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper at 11
with Jared May on bass, Mafiosa Felice on Cuatro and percussion, and Travis on drums, yeow!
TreeHugger post confirms that at least 70 percent of accidents between bikes and cars are related to Side Visibility
A TreeHugger post confirms the importance of Side Visibility for cyclists, stating that 60% of accidents between bikes are cars are due to broadside impact alone (and broadside is only one of several accident types that can be considered “Side Visibility” types). This is consistent with what we’ve been saying about Side Visibility all along. Every rider has to make their own decision about safety — whether to wear a helmet and what type of lighting to use. But this evidence definitely supports the Side Visibility.
In fact, what they call a “broadside is far more common. They are defined as ” any crash when a bicyclist hits or is hit by a car on a perpendicular road.” Yokota at Cyclelicious clarifies it as “That’s when a motorist goes straight through an intersection even when there’s a bike right in front of him” 60.5% of the accidents were caused that way, compared to only 13% by the right hook.
I enjoyed seeing their black and white drawings of intersections, similar to the ones I made in SketchUp 4 years ago to show the Side Visibility benefit of the Down Low Glow :
Check out an excerpt from a recent Down Low Glow testimonial on the topic of Side Visibility:
I have had many situations where a car has come to an intersection where they had a stop sign and I did not, at least half a block ahead of me, with no other traffic on the road to prevent the car from pulling out, and they waited for me to pass. This situation has happened many times since installing the Down Low Glow.
