Living Car Free - A day in the car-free life of...

I'm not actually car-free but I did have a car-free day. I spent much of the day working on the mountain bike my neighbor so kindly gave me. I'm planning to use it as my main bike, although it's currently got some definite flaws.

I rode the thing to Trader Joe's to buy groceries, towing my home-made trailer. Shifting performance wasn't great. The tires on it now are pretty much what I would pick for singletrack riding, not paved roads. (buzz buzz). I put bullhorn bars on it and they're good except that they put my hands too far from the seat so my back hurts a bit. Finding a suitable short-reach quill stem looks like it'll be a real challenge because the headtube is big and not many stems are made to fit it. Maybe I'll go for a narrow flat bar with bar-ends and put the brakes on the bar-ends.

I bought enough groceries to fill the trailer's 45-gallon container two thirds full so it was fairly heavy on the way home. One of the trailer tires rubs the wheel-well.

At the grocery store I ran into an acquaintance who told me he used to have to ride his bike there, but he was excited because he just got a car. I told him I had biked there with a home-made trailer, but I didn't tell him that we're hoping to have my sweetie's car sold soon so we won't have a car (aside from PhillyCarShare).

I'm not actually car-free but I did have a car-free day. I spent much of the day working on the mountain bike my neighbor so kindly gave me. I'm planning to use it as my main bike, although it's currently got some definite flaws.

I rode the thing to Trader Joe's to buy groceries, towing my home-made trailer. Shifting performance wasn't great. The tires on it now are pretty much what I would pick for singletrack riding, not paved roads. (buzz buzz). I put bullhorn bars on it and they're good except that they put my hands too far from the seat so my back hurts a bit. Finding a suitable short-reach quill stem looks like it'll be a real challenge because the headtube is big and not many stems are made to fit it. Maybe I'll go for a narrow flat bar with bar-ends and put the brakes on the bar-ends.

I bought enough groceries to fill the trailer's 45-gallon container two thirds full so it was fairly heavy on the way home. One of the trailer tires rubs the wheel-well.

At the grocery store I ran into an acquaintance who told me he used to have to ride his bike there, but he was excited because he just got a car. I told him I had biked there with a home-made trailer, but I didn't tell him that we're hoping to have my sweetie's car sold soon so we won't have a car (aside from PhillyCarShare).

Good luck with your car-free efforts; it looks like you're well on your way. I'd get road tires if I were you, though. I used to use a MTB for my street riding, and those knobby tires can be a pain. Actually, if I were you, I'd get rid of the MTB altogether, if you can. They're wonderful for trails, just the thing, but the combination of big jeep tires and shocks add a lot of unnecessay weight and friction, which translate into very low speeds and a whole lot of sweat when you're ridng to work on paved roads.

That the Trader Joes on 22nd? I like their stuff but they make me feel like they don't want me to cook.

Anyway, rock on with the trailer. I love seeing those things on the road, they make me want to hop in.

At the grocery store I ran into an acquaintance who told me he used to have to ride his bike there, but he was excited because he just got a car. I told him I had biked there with a home-made trailer, but I didn't tell him that we're hoping to have my sweetie's car sold soon so we won't have a car (aside from PhillyCarShare).
See how excited he is when he gets to pay car insurance, gas, upkeep, something major breaks, yearly taxes, registration, etc. etc. etc.

That the Trader Joes on 22nd? I like their stuff but they make me feel like they don't want me to cook.

Yeah, that's the one. And yeah, there are lots of prepared foods.

Have you tried putting the seat forward a bit to get closer to the bars? Sometimes it also helps to tilt the seat back a tiny tad so you're not sliding forward.

And remember, on a MTB you're not supposed to be sitting upright. You should be leaned forward at like a 45 deg angle--like a road bike when you're holding the brake hoods. This might seem uncomfortable at first if you're used to an upright bike. But you might get used to it and even come to prefer it.

You could try the Albatross handlebar from Rivendell (http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/handlebars_stems_tape/16122.html)
Looks like they would put your hands back a bit. I have not tried them, but they kinda look cool.