Utility Cycling - see the big dummy Pug in action .....

jus went browsing at youtude and found a great video by the "riding the spine" group ....

take note of the sleeveless shirt guy aka Goat, he is riding the infamous big dummy pug; the rest are big dummys ....

hope u enjoy like me :DD

link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJBEkLU5zxw) .....

and this (http://vimeo.com/6590436) tooooo

Fun!

Cool!:thumb:

What stories these young men will have to tell to their children and grandchildren. In this era of paved, multi-lane interstates, trains and flight, most of us tend to forget just how hard it can be to travel undeveloped or underdeveloped areas.

President Eisenhower was a big supporter of the Interstate highway system in the US in part because the awful experiences he had in a cross-country deployment exercise he was in charge of in the 1920s. It took months for the convoy to travel from the east coast of the US to the west coast. Muddy, unpaved roads often stopped them for days.

One can see why they didn't invent the wheel in the 'New World'.

So its a Pugsley with a xtracycle type attachment? That's sooooo sick

Looks more like futility biking than utility biking. Haha

If you go to their web page, you will see that they completed their journey from Alaska to Ushuaia in January of this year. http://www.ridethespine.com (http://www.ridethespine.com/) It was an amazing 3-year adventure and quite an accomplishment since they tried to avoid paved roads as much as possible. Congratulations to them!

It's a custom longtail built around the wheels from a Pugsley. More pictures are here.

http://www.ridingthespine.com/Journey/chupacabra/ode-to-the-chupacabra

What stories these young men will have to tell to their children and grandchildren.

Seriosuly! This is the most awesome and inspiring bicycle adventure I've ever read about. I've seen all their pictures and videos and read all journals. Although somehow I think their adventures won't end here. I wonder if they plan another expedition.

In a Word,,,WOW. Having criss crossed Colombia myself on a dangerous Cross country Bus trip in 1995 when the Guilleras(FARC-revolutionary armed forces of colombia) who were still very active along the rural Bus Routes in Colombia , I feel a certain sense of Empathy with these riders. Many times I feared our Bus(malfunctioning brakes & headlights) was going to fall off one of the poorly maintained mountain roads as the driver sped down mountain passes with no guardrails ect. Having done my trip in a dry Bus, that is crossing the "Spine" at a right angle, I can't even IMAGINE doing what these guys did. I recall standing outside the Bus at a road stop on top of the Andes(grand spine) and waving my hand thru a cloud which enveloped us in the middle of the road. For anyone wanting a nice trip cheap , Colombia is a beautiful country with super nice people and is much safer now. I still return there for Dental Work in the Capital which is Bogota. Very reasonably priced dental work to be had for anyone interested as well as other medical procedures. There are now a few Colombian Adventure cycling companies offering trips (day & extended) on Mountain Bikes as well on Sunday in the Capital The Ciclovia. That is where the Government shuts down the Main Streets--NO CARS-- and 1000s of Bicyclists take to the street, like a huge Block partyextending for miles for cycling fans.

Bogota Ciclovia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELa5CHsUepo


Some typical Colombian Roads experienced during my Bus Trip, makes you appreciate even MORE what these Guys accomplished on Bicycle :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7dsi6WIQys