Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.xcapekey
05-02-06, 09:33 PM
well...here's the lowdown, i live in Long Beach, CA and I'm a photographer sans car....after trying out a few trailers, I had an xtracycle installed on my bike...best thing i could have done because it has made it possible for me to bring my lighting gear without pulling a trailer through traffic...
southern california roads and drivers don't get along well with bicycles, but i've decided that i'm going to make it happen...
yesterday, i had a job in garden grove where I was meeting the writer at a tattoo parlor for a shoot with the owner for a magazine....it was about 28 miles roundtrip carrying a backpack full of photo gear on one side and a light stand, soft box and umbrella on the other....
today, i had a job in harbor city, about 30 round trip...this time, i took my backpack with the camera, a small portable strobe kit, 3 lightstands and a tripod, umbrella, softbox, reflector, reflector holder....the ride was scary in some parts...i took the LA river trail north for 5 miles and turned off of willow which put me in the heart of the industrial part of town with refineries and semi's barreling past me at 45 mph...
anyways, i survived and i have to say i'm pretty proud of myself...i've been bike commuting for the last year, but never with that much gear at those distances through LA traffic....i'm trying to put together a really lightweight kit now that will shed some pounds of my cargo....
amazingly, during both rides I didn't get a single horn honk or a get off the road yelled at me...maybe it was because of a very full looking xtracycle or perhaps the rising gas prices have changed people's opinions of bike commuting....
southern california roads and drivers don't get along well with bicycles, but i've decided that i'm going to make it happen...
yesterday, i had a job in garden grove where I was meeting the writer at a tattoo parlor for a shoot with the owner for a magazine....it was about 28 miles roundtrip carrying a backpack full of photo gear on one side and a light stand, soft box and umbrella on the other....
today, i had a job in harbor city, about 30 round trip...this time, i took my backpack with the camera, a small portable strobe kit, 3 lightstands and a tripod, umbrella, softbox, reflector, reflector holder....the ride was scary in some parts...i took the LA river trail north for 5 miles and turned off of willow which put me in the heart of the industrial part of town with refineries and semi's barreling past me at 45 mph...
anyways, i survived and i have to say i'm pretty proud of myself...i've been bike commuting for the last year, but never with that much gear at those distances through LA traffic....i'm trying to put together a really lightweight kit now that will shed some pounds of my cargo....
amazingly, during both rides I didn't get a single horn honk or a get off the road yelled at me...maybe it was because of a very full looking xtracycle or perhaps the rising gas prices have changed people's opinions of bike commuting....