ypsi~dixit

Mind you, I had no intentions of taking Clover on a merry little neighborhood ride without properly securing her into the Porta-Pup 2000. Which I did, using the kid securement strap thingies you can see in the photo. With Houdini-like agility, Clover promptly squiggled free from the securements, with the utmost disdain. She barely humored me long enough to take the photo. Eh, she'll change her mind.

Porta-Pup Update: I just returned from Boggs's gas station, where I inflated the PP 2000's wee tires to the proper psi, using my psi-o-meter thingie. Yes, sir, those tires are plumped up and ready to go!

Note the wide wheel base, please. Do you remember the ridiculous getup I had last year, using the recumbent and a stupid narrow-wheel-base dolly of all things, in order to get my boat stuff to the river? The dang thing used to tip over every mile or so and was ridiculously impractical.

Those dark days are long gone. I'll just toss my gear in the Porta-Pup 2000 and spin down to the Huron. It's even small enough to take on the boat itself, so I don't have to lock it to a tree by Moss Island and pray some hacksaw-wielding woods-wanderer doesn't swipe it.

Yes sir, a new day is dawning on the self-reliant front. I'm off to lube and tenderly clean and wax and Armor-All my PP 2000 so that it lasts a good long while.

You know if the basket in the back was bigger,you can transport people and start Ypis,s very first bicycle Taxi Service. You can charge a flat rate and offer a bottle of soda pop and chips with their ride.You can even offer historical trips offering to take people to famous sites in Ypsi like The statue of general Ypsilanti on cross street,etc. There is a lot of potential here! :)

Tim! That is a stroke of genius. I am indebted to you.

Yes! The Porta-Pup 2000 is more than rugged enough to serve as a rickshaw! Rugged, yet tough, its tubular construction can safely transport people weighing up to 1,000 pounds.

With rippling muscles sculpted to perfection by years of year-round biking, Y. is the ideal person to power such a contraption.

Yes sir, as my rider on the Porta-Pup 2000 you'll be exposed to thunderstorms, wind, mud, road-salt, snow, and a possible rain of red frogs. So what? Are you man or mouse? Do you think our hardy pioneer forefathers whined about a red frog or two while being carted around in a Porta-Pup? Nosir. They thiftily saved those frogs and had them for dinner, using time-honored recipes handed down for generations. Follow their example.

That thing is really cool! You can buy special dog halters that attach to seat belts that they are unable to wiggle out of. They are cool but if Clover is anything like my dogs, she'll hate such things. It always cracks me up too. Dogs are such weirdos. A dog who loves riding in a car might hate the porta-pup in the same way that a dog who cant stay out of any body of water we come across (lakes, ponds, rivers, even puddles) sometimes hates taking a bath.

Lynne: That's good advice. I was thinking of a body harness for Clover, the kind sled dogs have.

Hmm.

the kind sled dogs have.

Maybe Clover is on the wrong end of the bike.

Actually I have dogbiked with her in the past. She is so excited to go on walks that she tends to pull, which, with a rolling bike, translates to free power.

It's a bit dicey, though, since she is easily distracted and, come a squirrel, might dash across the front wheel, causing havoc. So I only tried it once.

It's true, dogs can be quixotic. Put out a nice bowl of water for Clover and she's likely to drink from the algae-y flowerpot saucer.

I was going to warn you about the squirrel factor. That's one reason we have a seltbelt harness on our dog in the car. If she saw a squirrel on the sidewalk, she wouldn't hesitate to leap on the driver in her efforts to get at it. We wouldn't want a Stephen King like incident (google his accident a few years ago if you don't know what I'm talking about). Also, it keeps her from stealing french fries from the kids in the back seat.

Just curious?
Nice bicycle, where did you purchase it?

Anon.

Thanks.
It's a Schwinn hybrid from Bicycles in Town.

For the record, I went there yesterday and picked up a couple bike catalogs and chatted with the owner, who went out of his way to remind me that I'd bought this bike less then a year ago and could still get FREE SERVICE. Yep. You get *a year of free service* on his bikes, if you can believe that.

Note, please, that HE brought this up and offered to do the free work and spend time that he could otherwise use doing work for pay.

Thanks, for the quick reply.

Yes, the bicycle shop downtown Ypsilanti always seemed to have a reputation of trying to help all bicycle riders.
It has been there for decades.
Different names and owners, I think.
But same buildings.
Seems like, loyal Ypsilanti customers keep the shop moving right along for all these years.
Great to see that in downtown Ypsilanti.

Anon.

BIT is in the midst of expanding, to fully double its size! They're remodeling the former storage room on the east side of the store.

They're doing something right, clearly.

And they're WAAYYYY less expensive than 2 Wheel Tango, I can assure you. Or any of the other boutiquey bike stores in AA--I've visited them (once).