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New Mode of Transport Spotted by Logan Circle

Dear PoPville,

I saw this group of, um, I guess bicyclists? They went down 14th, around Logan Circle, and back down Vermont, occasionally pausing to wave and go “woo hoo!” It struck me as a good living metaphor for the country, especially in election season – it often seems like we’re all furiously pedaling in different directions, but somehow we do make progress…

Anyone else spot this odd ride?

Category: Bike, What the Helen of Troy is This?

By: Prince Of Petworth | 28 September 2012 12:30 PM | 13 Comments

17th Street

I’ve seen then… seems silly, but maybe that’s the point – the riders were having fun.

September 28, 2012 at 12:35 pm
EdH

In Amsterdam, these come equipped with a keg.

http://damtours.nl/noord-holland/amsterdam/product/Beerbike-Amsterdam/en

September 28, 2012 at 12:50 pm
johnv

It’s called a “Conference Bike”. I know Mt. Airy Bikes has one you can rent.
http://bike123.com/

They say to book well in advance, so there’s at least one floating around the area regularly.

September 28, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Anonymous

They’ve had these in New York, where the contraptions have raised questions about how/whether they (along with pedicabs) should be regulated.

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0811FC3D5B0C778DDDAD0894DE404482

September 28, 2012 at 12:59 pm
- monkeyrotica
  
  Looking forward to Grahamzilla regulating this into oblivion and replacing it with affordable housing for homicidal lunatics with hammers.
  
  September 28, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Winnard

Pedicabs – I’ve seen them in Denver and Portland. And as EdH says above, they were both equipped w/ a keg. Looked fun.

September 28, 2012 at 1:12 pm
- textdoc
  
  Usually the term “pedicab” is applied to a bicycle-powered taxi, not to this particular beast.
  
  http://www.planetbike.com/gallery/pedicab1%20%28Small%29.jpg
  
  September 28, 2012 at 4:34 pm
ah

Capital shared-bike share

September 28, 2012 at 1:13 pm
kev29

I’ll take ‘How to Look Like a Dildo in Public’ for $200 please Alex

September 28, 2012 at 3:01 pm
Anonima

Great, another obnoxious mode of transportation I’ll have to navigate around while driving, and avoid being hit by while walking.

September 28, 2012 at 4:25 pm
- Anonymous
  
  So true. Having grown up in DC and loving to ride my bicycle in DC and surrounding areas – streets and trails – i am glad to see increased usage of bikes. At the same time, I have observed how even just in the last year there has been such a surge of bicyclists on the roads with so many riding so irresponsibly, even idiotically, that last thing we need is some BS contraption like that clogging up the busy roads. Loved seeing them in Amsterdam with, yes, the kegs, but they are generally ridden there in areas that do not impede general auto traffic flow.
  
  September 29, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Jeffrey

Johnv is right, it’s a conference bike, also known as a Funcycle. Bike & Roll used to rent them, but I haven’t seen them around since 2008.

September 28, 2012 at 5:17 pm
PetworthRes

Conference Bike! I was just out at Google headquarters in Cali…they have a couple on the campus and I saw a group pedal by.

October 1, 2012 at 3:15 pm