Riding In A Congested Urban Environment

By Larry Lagarde

On Friday, I posted an introductory video depicting the Mini 8 micro folder's key features. Some readers that saw the video wanted to know how the Mini 8 rides on rough streets.

To determine the Mini 8's handling under the less than pristine conditions of a typical urban environment, I took the prototype adult micro folding bike on a short ride in the heart of New Orleans. I rode on streets bustling with cars, sidewalks filled with strolling pedestrians and over a variety of riding surfaces. My impressions and a ride description follow.
NOTE: Street photos are from Google Street View; click on any photo to enlarge.

How The Bike Handled
In general, outfitted with low pressure tires, rear suspension and having a low cruising speed by design, the Mini 8 handled the conditions quite well. The bike is light, small & nimble enough to avoid many obstacles; however, I would not want to encounter one of New Orleans' famous car killing potholes on it.

The Ride
I started out around 4:30pm on Fulton Street, a side street just a block from the New Orleans Convention Center. As I rode in the direction of Canal St, the pavement was smooth, there was no traffic and the riding was easy at @ 9 mph.

Approaching Harrah's Casino, Fulton St's pavement turns to cobblestones with wide brick sidewalks. When I rode on the cobblestones; I dropped my pace to @ 7 mph & rode with both hands on the handlebars. Then my cell phone rang.

I moved to the brick sidewalk which was fairly smooth and took the call. It was AreaWare, the US distributor for Strida calling with some product news so I ended up holding the phone to my ear for almost the rest of the ride.

The last block of Fulton St is a busy pedestrian promenade flanked by hotels on both sides, a beer garden (Gordon Biersch) and Harrah's Casino at the end. There were lots of people walking but the easy pace of the Mini 8 made navigating through easy and fun.

Crossing Poydras Street was interesting. It was quitting time so traffic was heavy with commuters, taxis and buses. I opted for riding the sidewalk next to Harrah's Casino. As I got closer to Canal St, I moved into the street (just too many pedestrians). The stoplight at Canal St was red so I cycled to the front of the right lane of cars. When the light changed, I crossed.

Cruising now at @ 10 mph, I crossed the steel streetcar tracks that are embedded in the pavement of the Canal St median (we call it a Neutral Ground here), briefly putting my hand with the phone to the other handlebar to steady the bike.

Once I crossed Canal, I was in the French Quarter. With Canal Place looming above my head, I eventually moved closer to the gutter to allow impatient drivers to steer clear. This is where my ride peaked out at @ 11 mph.

Just before the Jax Brewery shopping mall, I turned right towards the Mississippi River so I could ride on the Woldenberg Park promenade along the riverfront. Just before entering Woldenberg Park, there are some streetcar tracks as well as railroad tracks. I slowed to @ 3 mph to cross the tracks and entered the park.

Woldenberg was full of groups of walkers. I rode at a leisurely pace of @ 5-6 mph to admire the river view and to negotiate through all the people.

Woldenberg ends at the Canal St ferry landing. I biked alongside the Aquarium of the Americas and then crossed the railroad and streetcar light rail tracks. I took the tracks again at about 3 mph. It was really bumpy over the tracks but there was no need to dismount and I continued riding.

The street running between the World Trade Center and Harrah's Casino AND Convention Center Blvd. can both be a zoo with cars careening/zooming past so I rode the sidewalk. Crossing Poydras St. at the Hilton Riverside, all the taxi drivers waiting for fares stopped talking as I rode past, staring with looks of "what was that" in their eyes.

I rode on the Convention Center's brick and concrete sidewalk @ 8 mph. There are several driveways cut into the sidewalk so taxis, light delivery trucks, etc. can attend to the needs of conventioneers. There are also columns supporting the Convention Center in the sidewalk so I zig-zagged some and rode up/down the pavement cuts.

I dismounted from the bike once (so that I could walk up the steps rather than take the longer handicap ramp into Woldenberg Park) and rode mostly with just one hand on the handlebars. My speed was never higher than 11 mph but I didn't break a sweat and was talking on the phone much of the time.

Summation
Assuming you're within the bike's weight & height capacities, the Mini 8 is a good match for short distance rides in a paved, congested, urban environment. If you live a few blocks from the bus, subway, etc., this bike is a good choice for multi-modal transportation. It's very compact so it's easy to take aboard. You can simply fold the pedals and roll it down a hallway or carry it (folded or unfolded) up a flight of stairs. It's pace will not leave you winded or sweating. You can ride in areas with many people walking and can cycle around them without scaring anyone.

Labels: Mini-8-folding-bike