NukeouT

It always struck me as neat to see what fellow human beings who live on the street use and/or modify to ride. After seeing a guy with a huge custom welded waterbottle cage that he was pushing with his bike, on my last ride, I decided to start a thread so that these creations and standard beusaged/modded bikes can be seen.

I didnt get a picture of trash cage bike, but I have this overloaded plastic hobo-fort from Santa Monica LA to contribute instead.

Fizzaly

I like the idea of this thread, I'll see if I can add to the thread maybe later today

StabbageCycle

In February there are mostly hobos who bike around here, with some spandex warriors, middle aged commuters, and a messenger or two.

Some of the hobos have really good setups for hauling bottles! If I get a picture of the guy who uses a trailer I'll post it here.

wahoonc

Here is my contribution...

This guy cruises around the Iowa City area getting cans and bottles out of trash cans, and at a nickel a piece didn't seem to be doing too bad.

Aaron

folder fanatic

"Hobo" is not the proper term. That belonged to the migrant workers who rode trains or "hopped freights" during the Great Depression mostly-although they existed a bit before and even afterwards until the 1960s. You are describing what hobos themselves called that group of people "rubber tramps." They drove battered old cars or even bikes if they could afford them. The people nowadays are simply "street people" or "the homeless"-casualties of society's nonexistent safety nets, loss jobs, mental illness, or the like. My father was a hobo from 1934-1940. If I lose my job or home-I would not be as lucky as he was.

NukeouT

To me the terms were interchangeable up until now. Thanks for setting that straight.

dcrowell

I love the double trailer. I just recently got a trailer, should I get a second one.

Roody

This reminds me of my favorite cycling rig, a guy who has two trailers in tow as in your picture. But throw in a boom box, 5 or 6 flags, and two dogs. One lazy dog always rides in the trailer, while the other one prefers to run alongside. I always thought this guy was a "hobo" but I saw him pull into a modest but nice house right next to the Rivertrail. When I talked to him once, he said he does live in that house. He also has a car but he said he only drives it in the winter.

There was a youngish guy who rode around in an adult trike in one of the suburbs (Holt, MI) for many years. He picked up cans and bottles and returned them to stores for the 10 cent deposits. They called him the Bird Man because the wild birds would land on him and his trike to be fed day-old sandwiches that he got from local stores and restaurants. When he died (he was only in his 30s), the newspaper ran quite a large article on him. Even though he mostly shunned human company, he was very much missed by the townspeople.

These "characters" who pedal to their own drummer are interesting and entertaining, and people just love to watch them on their bikes or trikes.

qmsdc15

Todays pics

Jay McGinley looks like a hobo. He lives across the street from Barack Obama, sharing the 24hr peace vigil with Concepcion Picciotto.


Unknown car free person.

folder fanatic

Rubber Tramps all-not a hobo in sight. See my previous post #5 above....".....The people nowadays are simply "street people" or "the homeless"-casualties of society's nonexistent safety nets, loss jobs, mental illness, or the like....."

qmsdc15

If you click on Jay McGinley's name you can learn a little about him. He may look like a 'rubber tramp' to you but looks can be deceiving. Whether or not an individual meets your definition of 'hobo' means very little to me and probably even less to the person you're judging.

Flying Merkel

Around here we call these "Dewey bikes" Phonetic pronunciation of DUI.

Got to get a picture of the guy who has a nameless mountain bike with the basket of shopping cart attached to the back. Usually brimming with cans & bottles. The business of recycling is sure different in real life than on TV.

qmsdc15

We don't call 'em that 'round here.

qmsdc15

Clifford Ringwald rode here from California with two dogs.

qmsdc15

This itinerant worker was offering barbering and bike cleaning services.

rdkopp0153

A couple of decent shots here:
https://www.alternativecommutepueblo....e-are-one.html
https://www.alternativecommutepueblo....y-cycling.html

Artkansas 

That's quite an assumption.

Artkansas 

That was good. I saw William Thomas and his exhibit on Pennsylvania Ave last week when I was there for the National Bike Summit. I was impressed, but I didn't realize that he's been doing it for so long.

Kinda cool that bikes are allowed in front of the White House but not cars.

NukeouT

Awesome pictures everyone! It is wonderful and fun to see all the unique contraptions.

Pretty awesome way to recycle hospital equipment. That guy is a BOSS!

Here is a bike I spotted at my local Von's in Hermosa Beach, LA. My favorite part about it has to be the combination of Olive Oil, WD-40, a Soft Drink and a Stuffed animal. Not sure if this guy was homeless or if he was just touring on that thing. Looked like an okay older man with a gray beard, in jeans and t-shirt.

qmsdc15

If he was roughing it, he was doing it in style!

RunningPirate

Well, from casual observation, that looks like a fairly new Surly with a Brooks saddle and Ostrich Panniers. Not saying the guy isn't homeless, but if he is, he's got the plushest ride of all the homeless guys out there

qmsdc15

Steve is still in town. Canada done him wrong. He rode here for justice.

wahoonc

That looks more like a tour than homeless, but then again if you are on a long tour you could be technically homeless.

That is a fairly new Surly with some high dollar accessories.

Aaron

folder fanatic

In the fall of 2001, anguished by the plight of the children there, he left his wife of 27 years and their two sons, now 22 and 26, along with the bulk of his assets, moved into his car and put himself on a semi-starvation diet to express his outrage....."He's always been a person of very strong conviction. And I believe he truly believes in his cause," said his ex-wife, Cathy. But, she adds, "it's been very painful....But he has no illusions that his lone protest will make a difference...."

What are you saying? I am not judging, merely defining the original term of "hobo." As my father is no longer with us to speak for that group of mostly vanished people, I simply defined what was in our family's history. Whatever name is applied, that was many years ago during a different time, coping with different circumstances. Now the streets are filled with a different sort. Most are society's cast-offs, but a few are like the man with strong convictions, freely volunteer to do so and he should be free to choose that path as my father chose his when the opportunity came. By 1940 when the employment and the looming War began to go into overdrive, my father settled in the Southern California area, later served in the South Pacific with full military honors, then in federal Civil Service until retirement. My father never was ashamed of being a hobo. It was just is. And I remember where I came from with The Bicycle Hobo's basic business foundation as my father taught me and the rest of the generations that came after him how to be honest and hard working all those years ago.

Now here is a photograph of a real hobo on a motorcycle circa 1950s (my father did not know how to ride a bicycle-he was too poor to afford one when he was a boy):

Booger1

Where do hobo's ride Harleys? I've been working my whole life and can't afford a Harley.How do you get Harleys on the train?I want to be a hobo.....