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4:55 a.m. • 2-11-12

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Bicycling becoming more convenient


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High gas prices have led to a bicycle boom and a push toward making biking more convenient. Things you never thought you could do on a bike, like picking up the children or running errands, are becoming possible.

“Considering how high they (gas prices) are, just going out and getting some things sometimes helps,” bicycler Morgan Walton said.

Getting a few things on a bike is no problem, but going to the grocery store and picking up a lot of items has required more consideration.

“This is a kit that just goes onto any bike and it has these big wide loaders in the back, so you can take your grocery bags they give you and drop them right in there,” Elise Giddings, with Cycle 9 Bike Shop, said.

Cycle 9 in Orange County specializes in biking not for recreation, but for transportation – from the bikes that can haul to ones that fold flat and fit in a suitcase.

The big sellers are electric-assist bikes that you plug in. When you are ready to go, the power gives you a boost for long distances or tough hills.

“This is a great way to avoid using your car and (to) save on gas and help our own national dependence on foreign oil,” Giddings said.

The demand for all this added convenience is huge.

“It's really hard to keep them in stock. As soon as we get stuff, we sell it right out,” Giddings said.

Bike outfitting is a "green" idea that definitely has a following, as more people opt for two wheels to try to save money.

RELATED TOPICS: Orange County

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RE: the comment "This is not the 1890's where bicyclist rode alongside horse-drawn buggies."

As a matter of fact, it is 2008 and there are still horse-drawn buggies where I live, smack dab in the middle of the USA. They're driven by the Amish - some of the most peaceful folks I know (no, they're not perfect by any means). Every time I see a buggy, I feel like a wild party animal riding my modern bike with reflective tape and blinking lights. For that matter, I work at a place that is so respectful of all modes of transportation, there's a bike and buggy shed with hitching posts and bike racks.

Regarding toys, how 'bout them Hummer H2's, eh? Please.

And as far as ComputerTrainer goes, if you weren't trained to "not hit" other cars, car accidents would be rampant, people would be dying all over, and cars would be banned. It's everyone's responsibility to be watchful. Check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

Wow! Nice to learn I've been doing the impossible for over 30 years!... Biking in traffic without getting killed or even hit, carrying groceries, riding in 95+ degree heat (even to business meetings). I must be Superman or something! Oh wait, no, that's not it; I just decided to do it and figure out how to solve some minor challenges.

Oh, and by the way, riding in the middle of the lane is NOT how most cyclists get hit, it's how they AVOID the majority of crashes. Those of us who actually RESEARCH this stuff know that 90 percent of crashes involve turning and crossing movements, not overtaking. If a driver can't see and stop for a bicyclist plainly in the middle of the road in daylight he has no business behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

I respect the bicyclists traveling on the same road as I do. However, I am annoyed when they do not travel on a single file on the right side. I cannot see over them or even around them, creating a safety hazard when going around curves.

Thank you, thats exactly my point. There's a lack of planning for our roads. Someone in our government thinks more roads instead of better roads are better.

@sillsburykeitha

You have an RV? With today's extreme gas prices I feel for you.

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