Beer, Herbs and Cheese

Went to Publix this morning to get beer and cash-back so I could buy things at Haile Village Farmers' Market. After several week's absence an acquantance of mine was back showing his handmade wares. After bringing each other up to date we admired each other's trailers. He carries his table and wares to Haile and to the Wednesday evening Downtown Market with a Burley Travoy. He is a native of Mexico so I pointed out to him that I was carrying a 12 pack of Mexican beer. He approved of my cargo. When I drove I used to visit the Farmers' Market on 441. Now, maybe I am lazy, because I do not ride the 12+ miles opting, instead, to use the much closer Haile Village event. Some of the vendors do both places, so I convince myself that I am not missing anything. In fact, I might have missed the couple from whom I have been purchasing herbs and other growing things to plant in my small garden. I know they are good people because he likes bikes, she likes to grow things and they both like "The 13th Warrior." What more could you expect of strangers? More importantly, they have nice herbs and a great manner about them. One of the vendors who does both Markets is the couple making "Raw Milk Farmstead Cheese." Growing up in an area with a large Pennsylvanina Dutch (Amish and Mennonite) population meant being exposed to what would now be called "artisan cheese." Back in the 60s and 70 that term was not used. We just called it cheese. What this couple is making near Hawthorne is damn nice. It was a fruitful (or beer-ful, herb-ful and cheese-ful) Saturday morning made pleasantly possible by my Schwinn and Burley Travoy. I understand that most people cannot relate to living without driving and if I lived anywhere else life might be different for me. But I don't and it isn't. Geography and climate make it possible. Good equipment makes it easier.

Two Wheels Are Usually Enough

Not everyone can manage without a car. When I worked 50 plus miles from where I lived a car was necessary. Now, as I have documented, I live in a small city with adequate mass transit, few hills and a mild climate. It is a bike friendly place in that there are bike lanes and paths and people in trucks and cars don’t aim at you (generally). The city’s pros far outweigh any of the cons. Hundred degree summer days and hurricanes are an inconvenience.

Months ago my PC quit working. I was immersed in anticipating my long ride and couldn’t spare the money to replace its motherboard. Upon returning, well, if you have read my entries here since August you know what has been going on. Today (ta da!) I picked it up at my Friendly Neighborhood Computer Shop (FNCS). Just as a bike rider needs a FNBS (Friendly Neighborhood Bike Shop), computer users will eventually need their own FNCS.

In my past employed life I discovered 43^rd Street Computer Repair and they proved to be competent and reasonably priced, a nice combination. Now as an unemployed old guy it is even nicer! And just as the people at Bikes and More (my FNBS) didn’t mock and scorn me when I stripped the tread on the left crank of the Schwinn putting on a pedal, 43^rd Street won’t laugh when you have crashed your PC while trying to install memory sticks. I like that.

Transporting the PC was possible because of the designers of the utilitarian Burley Travoy. Using foam packing from the PC’s delivery carton and a bunch of air filled packing bags inside the Travoy’s tote bag then strapping it all in place with bungee cords I made the seven mile jaunt home with no undue jolting.

The Travoy is a damn good piece of equipment. I can be moderately critical of the two straps that accompany the tote bag, as they are often useless because of their tendency to slip on the smooth surface of the tote bag when loads shift. For groceries they are adequate, but for other bulkier items the ubiquitous stretchy elastic bungee is the only option.

 

The Travoy’s hitch is also a remarkable design. It’s flexibility means you don’t have to be quite so concerned about the loaded trailer tipping and pulling you down with it. Additionally, the one hand operation to slide the trailer tongue onto the hitch is cool.

 

When I arrived home and considered my circumstances I wondered about the juxtaposition of my bike, which I view as a potential means of escape if the electrical infrastructure fails, and a PC that I love because it allows me to re-immerse in technology. Apocalypse meets technocalypse?

Are you following me?

I have been using the Burley Travoy long enough to have opinions.

The Travoy does exactly what it is supposed to do. It has allowed me to purchase and transport a week's worth of groceries without incident. My presence moving along the aisles does not seem to cause obvious disruption or consternation and I am learning how to gather items so they can be bagged most conveniently for the return trip.

One of the motivating factors in buying the Travoy was the inconvenience of strapping a bicycle rack to my bike when I rented a car. It was obvious that some things cannot be slipped into panniers and if I intended to continue this two-wheeled existence I needed a solution. Only the Travoy offered a high enough level of convenience and efficiency. I imagined putting the rack on a trailer and eliminating the inconvenience. What I imagined did not even come close to the ease by which the Travoy accepted and carried the rack.

Twenty-four miles of Gainesville's streets reaffirmed what I already believed. The Travoy is cool. The bike rack fits perfectly and is easily held in place with three bungee cords. When I picked-up the car on Friday the Travoy quickly and easily folded compactly enough to fit perfectly behind the car's front seat. Low pressure tires provide the right level of rebound over bumps and roll easily enough to make little difference in pedaling effort. Only the occasional click from the hitch gives real evidence of the trailer behind. Only the weight limit (sixty pounds) and imagination create parameters that can't be exceeded. Beyond that, if it fits I can probably carry it . . .  them . . . all of them.

A short transit on a dirt path through a stretch of woods takes me from my complex to another paved street when I go grocery shopping. Too and from are handled with equal ease. The trailer is no wider than my handlebars so it is easy enough to determine whether a passage is wide enough. As with city street bumps, the low pressure tires handle off-road competently.

It's not built for touring and that was never my intention. Burley promotes it as a tool for commuters and it fits that role perfectly. All I can wonder about now is its durability. A few thousand miles from now I will have an answer to that question.

Things That Work

The travoise has been used successfully by indigenous people, like the Plains Indians. Simplicity of design and high functionality are its prime attributes. Burley, maker of bicycle trailers since the 1970s found a way to bring the Travoy to the 21st Century. I recently acquired one of these marvelous things.

Many people will tell me that $300 is a lot to spend on "something for your bike." Even people who have known me for all of the two plus years I have been a full-time rider do not understand that cycling is not a whim or hobby. Cycling is not part of a phase that will pass. It is who I have chosen to be. And I spent closer to $400 when I added the Upper Transit Bag accessory. As with the Travoy, any additional Burley accessories will be purchased through my FNBS, Bikes and More.

I've had the Travoy two weeks and used it twice to get groceries. Not enough time for a serious long-term test, but more than enough for "initial impressions." It is attractive and well designed, working as it is supposed to with out work-arounds or adjustments. Burley's hitch fastened to my seat post properly and was easily adjusted for height. The Travoy unfolded and attached without a problem.

Novara Safari, Click-Stand, Ortlieb Back Rollers and Burley Travoy

Switched into its hand-truck mode the Travoy was easily maneuvered around my local supermarket. I will have to adjust my path through the store to avoid constant rearrangement of heavy items to avoid crushing tomatoes, squashing bread or tearing plastic film on products. The provided bag (the one that also holds the folded Travoy) handled a large supply of stuff. In the past I have used front and rear panniers to handle the largest loads. Using the Travoy bag to gather eliminated any worries about having enough room. Additionally, having the Travoy AND front and rear panniers provides a dramatic amount of room to transport things.

Towing the Travoy is like . . . towing a trailer. There is added weight and cornering requires anticipation to be done cleanly. Stopping distances will be longer, but nothing that should not be expected when pulling a trailer. Mounting the hitch on the seat post makes the turning radius shorter than it would be with a conventional trailer. All that needs to be said is that the Travoy is well engineered.

I've read very few points of criticism for the Travoy. One person observed that it was too wide. It fits through doorways with room to spare and is no wider than my handlebars. Seems narrow enough for my needs. Another person observed that it was expensive and it is if you are not investing in something to fit your lifestyle. If cycling is more trendy then the Travoy might be expensive. For me, having done without an automobile for more than two years, having something that makes shopping and transporting things a fact of life is, well, a fact of life.

As a committed commuter I am pleased to have the Travoy as a part of my life style. I anticipate a long and meaningful relationship with it and will give a long term evaluation in a few months.