Comments on: I Am An Ardent Supporter of All Things Bike-Related, No Matter What

By: Marla

Marla — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:46:09 +0000

Well, that stinks. I rode one in Charleston and it was $4 per 15 minutes!

By: Miles Archer

Miles Archer — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:40:21 +0000

I was just in Amsterdam, and they have fake bike taxis. Yep fake. They look like bike taxis, there is guy up front pedaling, but if you look closely, he’s not pedaling anywhere near fast enough. The bike accellerates away while he’s casually pedaling. There are electric lights on the cab, and I’m sure there is a battery and an electric motor in there someplace.

By: Mike Roadie

Mike Roadie — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:40:55 +0000

“We’re on a road to nowhere……….”
—-Talking Heads

WIN

By: Big Mike In Oz

Big Mike In Oz — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:24:33 +0000

Of course you left a tip!

It was the extra $28 dollars you didn’t haggle down at the beginning.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:20:24 +0000

Hey Fatty,

I went to China about ten years ago, and those bike taxis are everywhere. We rode in them quite a few times.

Finally, in a smaller city with less crowded streets, I convinced the “drider” to let me take it for a spin. He wasn’t that keen — he thought that I’d be too weak to pedal it and steer it, and he simultaneously thought that I’d hop on and ride into the sunset, taking his livelihood with me. A dollar or two (which was good money in China back then) seemed to ease his fears, and he let me take it down the block. Yeah, they’re heavy, and a little hard to turn, but a bike’s a bike. I loved it! I would have a great time doing that, especially if I could get $40 a ride a few times a day.

By: Purple Hayes

Purple Hayes — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:32:31 +0000

I read the words “Forty dollars” and nearly sprayed my laptop with triple-cask distilled Scotch. However, only a little came out of my nose, which, in case you’re unaware, burns like hell.

However, your comedic account of your experience in the big city was worth every seared membrane.

You’re a funny guy, FC. Keep it coming.

Ride on…

By: SurlyCommuter

SurlyCommuter — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:36:03 +0000

My lameness knows no bounds as I am too late to sign up – I will instead just add $75 to my LiveStrong challenge fund.

By: Hilslug

Hilslug — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:19:31 +0000

Totally off topic, but I think I want to go to London just to ride the Nowhere ride. That’s a great route!

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:54:39 +0000

This was reported a couple years back about the pedicab industry in San Diego. I doubt whether things have changed. The "driders" might be getting scammed worse than their fares.

By: Kt

Kt — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:36:16 +0000

Huh.

The pedicabs operators here in Portland encourage haggling over the price of a lift.

Because they don’t have a set price, so it’s sort of a “pay what you think is fair” thing.

You should have offered $20, just to see what he would have done.

I want to try one, personally, it looks like fun. :)

I guess I could have haggled, but I didn’t like my position. I had already consumed the product; it was too late to discuss the price. Again, probably a naive point of view. – FC