Bicycles Move Stuff in Ames, Iowa #1

A growing number of bicycling enthusiasts in Ames, Iowa, have obtained trailers for their bicycles and are commonly seen hauling items around town. A few of the folks are long term friends, but most have gotten to know each other informally in recent years through their bicycle-trailer activities. Several organized themselves as a contingent for the 2009 4th of July parade in Ames and showed up in spite of the heavy rain. From that collective effort, the idea evolved to offer residential moving services. The first move was for a friend of one of the cyclists and was carried out on July 12, 2009. Many of the trailers were manufactured by a small company, Bikes at Work, in Ames with a Web site at: www.bikesatwork.com

For further information about the group's moving efforts, contact Jim Gregory at Bikes at Work. This video was produced by Helen Gunderson (one of the bike-trailer enthusiasts) of Gunder-friend Productions of Ames with a Web site at: www.gunderfriend.com The music is The Bubblegum Song by the Pretty Good Band. It was active in the Ames area in the 1990s and included: Mike Bell, Rick Exner, Von Kaster, Joe Lynch, Lonna Nachtigal, and Mary Sand.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• bicycles move stuff
• green residential moving
• Ames
• Iowa

[ouggnoy]

hi, in case you see my comment, I made my own cargo bike trailer after seeing these things in Ames. What I don't understand is how some of the trailers in the video can afford to have the wheels all the way in the back of the trailer such that all the weight is in front of the wheel and behind the hitch. Isn't that a LOT of pressure on the hitch?

by the way, I made mine out of an aluminum burley trailer. I'm assuming bikes@work uses steel frames? They're just so durable.

[gunderfriend]

@ouggnoy Congrats on making your own trailer. Sounds like you are resourceful. I don't know any of the engineering factors in the Bikes at Work trailers, but you could go to the Bikes at Work web site and get contact info and ask Jim Gregory your questions, and I suspect he would be more than willing to give you some insight. Happy trailoring to you.

[Sundance8989]

For the life of me, I don't get YouTube sometimes. You have so many silly videos with millions of hits and thousands of comments, and something like this video that offers an excellent solution to known problems, and it gets virtually no hits and 2 comments?

Anyhow, nice job guys. I know "Bike To Work" is based out of Ames, but I wonder how one can duplicate the community you have formed in other towns across the country?

[gunderfriend]

Thanks for the note. Yes, it's interesting that some YouTube posts are so popular. I'm glad you liked our bicycle post. I am not sure that "Bike to Work" is based in Ames. Will have to check into that. But Jim Gregory and his small company Bikes at Work, that he runs out of his home here, is a great asset. Many of us have met through our connection with him or simply seeing, and getting to know, others with bicycle trailers. Seems, though, that we are still a small percentage of Ames traffic.

[Sundance8989]

Hey, as a business or group, how are you compensated for these moves? Do you charge comparable rates as other "traditional" movers? And does the money go towards furthering the bike community in some way? I bet the comradery is payment enough though.

[gunderfriend]

Jim's being here with his Bikes at Work business, enthusiasm, and friendliness is a strong factor in our success. We haven't charged for our work. It's more like a party, but instead of fishing or Frisbee, we move people. We thought about asking for a small fee to put toward some worthwhile effort, but that seems complicated. My suggestion has been that when someone gets help from us, they return the favor by helping when we move someone else. And that can be like the woman who brought cake.

[CMalburn]

Awesome!

[PalmyBruce]

Good on you. Interesting. Amused by the homemade music (I play that stuff too). I have more respect for the side-of-axle connection after seeing these trailers. Personally I use a $30 hand truck hitched onto the carrier of my bike. It's carried up to 350 Kg, & with extensions, a house door, tables, etc. The beauty of it is, anyone can buy one for $30 and create the trailer in about five minutes. If interested, search YouTube for $30 bike trailer. Cheers, Bruce Thomson in New Zealand.

[Sundance8989]

Ooops, yes, I meant, Bikes "at" Work is based out of Ames. It sure seems like that product and all its possibilities has been instrumental in bringing your group together - would that be fair to say? I have a utility bike and I use a Burley Nomad trailer, but had I seen Jim's product first, I would have gotten it... in fact, I still will in the future. His product just allows you to go so much further with the function of a cargo/utility bike.

[gunderfriend]

Glad you liked it. ;-)