Foo - Chicago Bike Kids ~ Now Chicago Moped Lads ?!

Has anyone in Chicago noticed the proliferation of these little mopeds dating from the ’70s + ‘80s running around the streets of Chicago? With their 50cc engines it means you don’t need a special license. My friend bought a nice track bike from a guy who was going to use the cash to buy a moped. Is there some moped gang in town? Are there gonna be bike / moped wars ala the rumbles in Brighton between the rockers & mods? I’m not surprised that Peter & The Test Tube Babies’ “Moped Lads” just popped into my head.

Any thoughts from you Chicago folks?

Are they another trend? Are track bikes out? Anybody score a deal?

When are they gonna jump the shark? Or have they already?

And what’s proper moped attire? White belts & trucker hats or parkas & porkpie hats??

not sure - I know there used to be a good sized group of Vespa riders (re: porkpies and parkas nice touch]). There was a weird rivalry between the rudies and skins vs. the mods. One of the cool places for Mods was Java Jive near School and Clark, by where Medusa's used to be. Mods...whatever. I knew a few people who thought they were living out Quadrophenia. I always found that funny. Although the music associated with the Mod 'culture' (Northern Soul, Jam, Who, Kinks, etc) is good. Hell, let people sell their streetracks; I'll buy another one. I believe this is a process of weeding out. I guess Wicker Park will soon fill with the sound of 2 stroke engines...

thats odd... i sold my moped to some newborn hipster to pay for my track frame.

There was an article in the Trib a few weeks ago about a Chicago moped gang, I can't remember the name of the gang though. I don't think I've seen a mod on a Vespa since I was last at the Fireside Bowl 3 years ago, and I don't get up north all that much, but I keep hearing about a resurgence.
I'm ready for a rumble between the DCC and the moped gang.

Doesn't seem too new as a trend. As for those who sell their bikes... Let'em go with glee. It'll keep it for those who wanna ride track.

mopeds.... man!

There are a few moped gangs around now. I guess its getting popular everywhere. I traded an air conditioner for a 1970's moped a few years ago, I rode it for a bit, then sold it and used the money to help buy my Fuji Track bike. Anyway.... there is a chicago moped gang called the "Peddy Cash" perhaps you should form a fixed gear gang and become their arch enemies. Then you could do battle on the streets and swing Ulocks and NYC chains.

http://www.mopedarmy.com/members/view/peddycash/

http://www.djautobot.com/peddycash/

I haven't seem more than the usual couple of vespas around the far north city, Evanston & Skokie areas.

http://www.milkandhoneyfarm.com/diary/images/moped.jpg

I was walking on division/milw. this summer (in the bowels of that which is hipster) and could make out the sound of something not quite automobile, not quite motorcycle and definitely not bicycle related. And then as the sound got louder I noticed the odour in the air. So I turned around and was greeted (?) with the sight of ~40 people on mopeds coming down division. and then they were gone. but the smell was not.

not to get anti-motorized on anyone, but those cannot be clean, efficient engines. it's almost sad to see people giving up bicycles for something that is, perhaps in great enough quantity, worse than the automobile on the environment.

at least the hipsters were once environmentally friendly.

I was walking on division/milw. this summer (in the bowels of that which is hipster) and could make out the sound of something not quite automobile, not quite motorcycle and definitely not bicycle related. And then as the sound got louder I noticed the odour in the air. So I turned around and was greeted (?) with the sight of ~40 people on mopeds coming down division. and then they were gone. but the smell was not.

not to get anti-motorized on anyone, but those cannot be clean, efficient engines. it's almost sad to see people giving up bicycles for something that is, perhaps in great enough quantity, worse than the automobile on the environment.

at least the hipsters were once environmentally friendly.

yea, no sh*t. but the goddamned wave of hipness has picked up on the movement and more about bound to be coming. i only hope that they develop lung cancer for being so careless.

those cannot be clean, efficient engines. it's almost sad to see people giving up bicycles for something that is, perhaps in great enough quantity, worse than the automobile on the environment.

They are usually quite efficient. Most 50cc mopeds get between 50 and 80 MPG. The one I had a couple years ago ran about 70 MPG even with an aftermarket pipe and some less than legal derestrictions that let it go 60 MPH.

You are right about the non-clean, though. Two cycle engines burn oil mixed with the gas and produce more emissions per gallon than cars. It probably ends up being close to the same net result environmentally speaking.

It's not just a Chicago problem.

There are clean-burning two-cycles these days. In fact the latest Vespas use them. The old ones...not so much. They're dirty as all get out.

Hello everyone this is Curt from "Peddy Cash" the moped gang you guys are talking about. First off I would like to say its good to see that we are being noticed, but its sad to see the negative responses toward us.

I don't think there will be any wars between us an bicycle kids. A few of us are still messengers, or ex messengers. Pretty much all of us in the gang ride and fix bikes along with our mopeds. Many of our friends are avid cyclists and support what we are doing.

Our mopeds are a good way of getting around the city fast and cheep, at a rate of 150 miles per gallon its well worth it. Most of the synthetic 2 stroke oil on the market to date is low emission, but some time you get the kids who buy the cheep 2 stroke oil that causes that lawnmower smell, and in a swarm of "50" I can see where a cloud would be present.

Most people were switching over because of the affordability of mopeds. You can buy a 2 used mopeds for the price of some used bikes out there. For the price of a train ride I can fill up with gas once, and I wont have to fill up until about 7 days later, and if I run out of gas I can just pedal to the nearest gas station. The guy you are talking about who sold his track bike for a moped lived on the south side and had to work on the north side. A moped made his commute smoother and quicker. In Chicago moped (pedal cycles) have the same rules as bikes such as, riding in bike lanes, locking to bike racks, and no registration. As pictured in the photo above moped are not scooters, and we don't really like being associated with them. oh and were not hipster mods... I hope I cleared up some questions.. Please reply back with any other questions you might have... Or shoot me an email off of http://www.peddycash.com

Thanks,
Curt

Hi Curt, welcome aboard. Good to get the 411 right from the folks in the groove... instead of having rumour & conjecture bandied about.

I don't know, but I saw 3 groups of folks on segways doing tours today in Chicago. It was messed up.

Koffee

I consider segways a poor joke.

I consider segways a poor joke.


How so? Have you ever rode one?

I almost ran into a gaggle of Segways doing a Segway tour of Chicago last weekend just south of the Shedd. It creeped me out.