Comments Montanaebiker has made

  • my house scores 71 but...

    We have everything in our small town within a mile so we scored high on the "walkability" however...a lot of jobs here are in the next town over, 8 to 10 miles away, so definitely something else to consider. My husband and I, and a lot of people we know, all live in one town and work in the other. It's the whole dilemma of the "regular folks" being driven out of the resort town by the millionaires, and the "regular folks" moving to the next town over, which has mills and plants, and driving out the "blue collar" workers. And making everyone drive farther to work. On Calculate how walkable your home is posted 2 years, 4 months ago 12 Responses

  • There are kits available...

    There are definitely electric bike conversion kits available, and they come with very good instructions, but if you dont' have a LITTLE bike knowledge you're going to have some difficulty putting it together the first time. Any local bike mechanic, even if he or she has never put together an electric bike, will be able to follow the directions - it would probably be a good idea if you already have a bike and want to get a conversion kit, to take everything to your local mechanic, and talk to them about putting it together. THEN once it's together and running, figure out how it works so you can do your own routine maintenance!

    One thing I haven't seen mentioned recently is helmets. EVERYONE SHOULD WEAR ONE! And I think that everyone I saw in BioD's video had one on. Don't worry about the spandex or the right socks or whatever, but you ABSOLUTELY should wear a helmet!! Even if you're the greatest bike rider in the world you still have to watch out for hte other guy, who's probably in a 3,000 lb hunk of steel travelling at a very high rate of speed!

    Here's another one for aspiring e-bikers - review the rules of the road that apply to you - especially if you're not usually a road biker.

    Finally, there's a really good comparison chart at the web site wildernessenergy.com that shows a large majority of the e-bikes and kits out there on the market now. It gives you a good idea of price variations and the difficulty of each installation. On Dumb and not so dumb questions answered posted 2 years, 5 months ago 51 Responses

  • a must read...

    This is an old one but a must read that I just started...so I don't know if it will be perceived as an "upper" or a "downer" - Jared Diamond's Collapse - How Societies Choose to Fail or Suceed, published first in December of 04. So far I'm finding it easier to read than Guns, Germs and Steel, which could be a little ...dry at times. And long. One of the things I'm finding fascinating about it is how ancient societies that "failed" could not see the warning signs that seem so blatent or transparent in retrospect...but Diamond is good at teasing apart complex reasons behind the collapse of specific groups of people. One little thing, like deforestation, coupled with a small change in climate, coupled with a warring neighbor...and you're doomed! Very very interesting...On Pick-me-up books needed posted 2 years, 6 months ago 7 Responses

  • Speaking of who's the real asshats...

    One thing I've always joked about as a waitress is that everyone should HAVE TO, at some point in their life, work in the service industry...to get a taste of what it's like to be treated disrespectfully by others. You really learn to be nice!

    And it's the same thing with mutual respect on the road or trails...everyone should have to see what it's like being a horseback rider and having a bike whiz by you and upset your horse, or being on a bike and having a car pass you on a tight corner (when there's a big straight stretch coming up...). You really learn to slow down a bit and give other users some space!

    Here in MT, on trails (I'm talking about dirt, in the woods type trails) bikers yeild to everyone - walkers and horseback riders. And I make sure to practice this every time when I'm biking because that mutual respect is what keeps our trails friendly for all users.

    It's much much different when you're a biker on the road, of course. But the lessons of respect still apply - if you're on a bike and going slow - pull out so a car can pass. And if you're in a car and approaching a biker, have a teeny bit of patience and wait until it's very clear that you can pass easily without endangering the biker's life! On Is your town? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 17 Responses

  • welllll....

    I live only minutes from Glacier, so this contest made me laugh, and of course made me want to cry!

    I think the "Bush Legacy" is hilarious, but we should keep in mind that while Bush has certainly done nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and really nothing that could even vaguely be construed as "environmentally friendly," it's each and every one of us who have contributed to this problem. So my suggestion is... Warm and Droughty National Park - Monument to Humankind.

    It's rather ironic that Glacier is part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park...what should we call that when there are no more glaciers? The International War on Nature Park?On Contest in need of Grist readers and their funny posted 2 years, 6 months ago 18 Responses

  • newer hybrids are faster and go longer

    Just like all technology, hybrid bikes are able to travel farther on a charge and go faster now...for less $. My electric kit was $500, my husband installed it on a $5 yard sale mountain bike, and it will take me a little over 20 miles on a charge, at 25 mph the whole time - except up steep hills! I've passed quite a few road bikers, not the real "pros" that ride around here, but good riders! I don't have to do much if I don't want to - if I'm feeling really tired that day or something. But a lot of days I'll pedal for a good ways to get a good workout - keeps me in shape for REAL mountain biking - without having to go to the gym! So I enjoy the physical aspects of bike riding, just not ALWAYS on my way to work.

    As far as groceries, and carrying stuff around, my husband and I both have a great set of collapsible metal racks - they hang on either side of your back tire, and fold up flat alongside the bike when not in use. You can easily carry a very full grocery sack in each one - and the racks are only around $30.

    If you're looking into electric bike kits, make sure you understand the difference between brushed hubs and brush-less hubs. Wildernessenergy.com has a good lay-person description of the way a brushed motor works - the brushed motors do require more maintenance - replacing brushes and bearings - but it's my understanding that they'll last a lot longer.

    You also want to make sure, like they state on the wilderness energy page, that you always recharge your bike immediately after using it. The lead acid batteries that come with their kits ( 3 - 12 volt in series) will have issues if you don't recharge immediately. The chargers are small enough to carry with you on the bke, so if you've got a 20 mile commute one way to work, you can take them along and charge while at work. We don't really notice that big of a difference on our electric bill either, and we have two of them plugged in all the time at home, except when we're riding them.

    BTW, we had a brush-less kit first, and had some issues with it. We're a lot happier with the brushed kits. On People-powered transit makes you happy posted 2 years, 6 months ago 17 Responses

  • Costs of e-biking

    Like every sport and activity, you can spend a little or a lot on an electric bike. My husband and I both have electric bikes and regularly ride them to work (both of us 10 miles one way). The electric bike kits we bought were about $500, my husband put mine on a $5 20 year old mountain bike we found at a yard sale! Sorry I don't remember the brand name of the kits, my hubby's the technical guru!

    Our top speed without pedaling is 25 mph, and trust me that's fast enough on a bike (like BioD said, no airbags!). Our batteries weigh about 30 pounds, so you need a sturdy rack, and they can transport us 20 miles on a charge. Since we have some hills on our way to and from work, it's important we pedal to assist the bike, so we don't run out of juice. The weather doesn't always cooperate in Montana, so we do drive, but it definitely helps us reduce our gas bill, and keeps us in good shape!

    I love that I'm also seeing more and more people riding around town on old cruisers they've dug out of the back of the garage. There are lots of great advantages to riding your bike, one I haven't seen discussed recently here at Grist is that it puts you back in touch with your community. You can say hello to your neighbors face to face, rather than riding around in an enclosed vehicle and talking to everyone via cell phone. Riding back streets has helped me locate local sources of food - I can stop on the way home from work at various farms and pick up dinner! I could go on and on about the advantages of riding a bike...try it!On Electric hybrid bikes going mainstream posted 2 years, 6 months ago 10 Responses