Rock The Bike

Optional Hebie BiPod Kickstand simplifies loading

The Mundo’s frame accepts standard kickstands, including the Hebie BiPod kickstand. We recommend the BiPod, because it provides the right combination of strength and simplicity needed for utility bike.

The BiPod is not a true cargo kickstand. If it were, it would be much wider. Therefore you cannot expect the BiPod to keep your bike upright when loading heavy loads on one side of the bike. With this limitation in mind, the BiPod does improve the experience of everyday loading enormously. Over the course of a single shopping trip to a farmer’s market, you may use it 10 or 20 times.

Correct assembly of Mundo’s chain guard

The Mundo’s chain guard mounts to a steel bracket that is between the drive-side crank and the bottom bracket. To keep the box small, this bracket is rotated 90 degrees so that it is parallel to the ground. Before installing the drive side crank, this part must be rotated so that it is perpendicular to the ground. The second image shows the correct orientation.

Customize your cargo bike at Rock the Bike

Gian welding a custom tab on a Mundo frame for faster loading of equippment.
Gian welding mouning tabs to a Mundo frame.

If you have a specific idea for a bike-based business that requires customizing a bike, you’ll find Rock the Bike to be a valuable resource. We’ve been adapting bikes to specific applications for years, including food-delivery and preparation, music events, education, and more.

We’ll take a thorough listen to your unique project idea. It may require the services of our next door neighbor Gian, a metal fabricator, machinist, and welder. Or it may be a woodworking task that we take on in our workshop. Whatever your needs, we want to help you achieve it!

Leif cutting honeycomb
Leif cutting honeycomb

When you schedule an appointment at Rock the Bike, you’ll not only get to test ride bikes like the Mundo and Xtracycle, you’ll be talking to a team of people who have come up with creative, simple solutions for musicians, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and families.

Whether you want your bike to carry your two smallest family members, to have the perfect pouch for your pooch, or perhaps to hold a keyboard on it, we are here to help you. Call us today about how we can customize your ride.

Janaysa was in need for a cargo bike that could carry herself and her keyboard for a LiveOnBike performance.

Janaysa and the LiveOnBike rig



Janaysa and the LiveOnBike rig

 

If there’s something you find reassuring about having a tailight this powerful, this large, on your long bike or commuter bike, trust your instincts. Get the Down Low Glow.

Down Low Glow as a rear taillight.
Down Low Glow as a rear taillight.
Photo: Rob Arnaud

For years we’ve been selling the Down Low Glow as a Side Visibilty and Ground Effects light for bicycles. Some of our customers have been trying it out as rear light, and I finally set it up that way for myself. The results are in. Never has it been this much fun to take the lane.

The Down Low Glow makes a killer taillight on any bike with a rear rack. The complete sweep of visibily of the Down Low Glow outdoes anything else on the market, and the bright red light around your bike communicates to drivers what part of the road is theirs and what part of the road is yours.

You can rotate the DLG’s light tube so its brightest light hits the eyes of drivers. The DLG is brightest at the extreme angles of its light tube, as you can see by the hard transition to from the Plush Red on the ground near the rear wheel to the Royale Purple from the DLG system mounted on the downtube and chainstay of this Mundo. The other bright band from this rear-mounted tube is the one aiming right at the camera. Stand your bike up near a wall and rotate the light tube until the brightest band of light come up the wall light. Angle it up at eye level of drivers approaching you from the rear in cars and trucks.

Speaking of trucks, have any of you driven at night on a highway with decent truck traffic lately? It’s obvious when you see a trucker who cares about their rig and their own safety, because they illuminate it with large bright lights and reflective tape. Why do they do it? Because driving probably feels a little better, a little less stressful with all that safety gear, and because they probably have pride in their rig and don’t mind communicating that pride. You can do the same with your bicycle. Make a bold statement about bike culture and your own safety at the same time. And with the Down Low Glow, you won’t need a CB radio to talk to other bike people. You can just say “Hi.”

One last point. I have yet to verify this with an neurobiologist, but anecdotal and visual evidence suggests to me that the Down Low Glow could be an inherently more effective bike light because of its size. My theory is that our brains are wired to think that bigger is more important. Therefore, a point source of light, like a strobe or an ultrabright blinky, even if it gives off as  many lumens, can’t catch the eye of drivers like the Down Low Glow. The Down Low Glow has a 1-foot-long, 1-inch wide light tube. My theory is that this longer, wider source of light simply trumps the importance of smaller ones in the brains of drivers.

Try the Down Low Glow risk free for 30 days. We look forward to getting you Glowing.

Lighter Mundo

The creators of the Mundo have made the current model 13 pounds lighter. The new model is noticeably sportier on hills, and easier to carry down a flight of stairs.

The weight savings is related to the narrower gauge tubing in the Mundo’s carrier. The carrier also has fewer tubes.

All Mundos sold by Rock The Bike as of June 2009 have this improvement.

Customizing a Mundo with bamboo running boards

It’s easy to customize a Mundo. We used a jig saw to attach bamboo running boards for a dad in San Francisco. The oval holes allow straps to pass through for securing loads.

Trim with a jig saw. by you.

See the full How-To documentation on Flickr. Please note it is no longer necessary to use self-drilling screws into the Side Loaders of the Mundo, as the Mundo now has threaded customization points.

Here’s the finished product, with a child seat for his daughter:

Go_GetterP1020340.jpg by macpaulster.

Rock solid for passenger transport

The beefy steel tubing and integrated rack design of the Mundo makes it easy to carry friends, kids, and spouses.

The top surface of the Mundo requires some padding before it’s passenger-ready. A trail blanket would do nicely.

Bike Blender parts now made from recycled milk jugs

Rock the Bike is excited to announce that the custom plastic components of all the Fender Blenders are being made from 100% recycled or reused plastic. Historically, these parts have been made of virgin HDPE (high density poly ethylene), and now will be made from a recycled source of the same material – recycled milk jugs.

Rock The Bike has always sought to make products that help individuals tread lightly on the planet. Making sure that our products utilize as much recycled materials in the manufacturing process and contain as many recyclable components as possible is an exciting way to deepen our commitment to being a truly environmentally minded outfit.

Draw people to your event with a Fender Blender

If you’re interacting with the public at events, whether it be a trade show, a performance, a marathon, or a science fair, the Fender Blender can help build excitement at your booth. Kids are magnetically drawn to the simple red frame, and they can pedal their own smoothies, or just turn the pedals for fun. Once people are gathered at your booth, what you do from there is your own choice. But having a natural, fun, guaranteed effective way to bring people in can’t hurt.

Non-Proprietary parts, easy to maintain

 

From the gears, handlebars, and bearings on the blender, to the Oster blender blade and pitcher, you won’t have a problem finding and replacing many of the parts on your Fender Blender. Should your chain wear out (after thousands of smoothies, mind you!) Any bike shop should be able to service your bike blender.

If you are missing a part, we’re more than happy to get you a new one! Use this link to get replacement parts

 

Sized for large and small riders

 FB-Pro-Rider-Scale

Designed to fit riders from 7 years of age on. Just adjust the seat height for smaller or taller riders and let them loose. Designed for maximum rider participation and superb ease of use. Watch how easy it is below:

Shipped nearly ready to ride

Simply bolt on the lateral feet and cross bar with included hardware, tilt the handlebar into place, pop on the seat and pedals, load your blender pitcher and get to work! Premium product designed for nearly instantaneous customer implementation. Ship to your tradeshow and have it up and running in twenty minutes!

Don’t have enough time to build it? Ask us about receiving your bike completely assembled!

Locally made components are built to last

The curved steel frame is locally assembled. The machined plastic parts are made of recycled plastic, and are dishwasher safe and virtually unbreakable. The square drive shaft is heat treated and hardened for maximum life. All hardware is stainless steel to avoid rust. Frame is powder coated for long life/outdoor use. The Fender Blender uses a simple friction drive to spin the blender blade fast, while remaining simple and easy to service.

Pedal Powering Awesome Local Music at Sunday Streets Season Opener March 20

Posted by fossilfool
Time:
03/20/2011 – 11:00 – 15:00

We’re stoked to kick off our 2011 Pedal Powered Stage season with a performance by two Balkan-influenced San Francisco bands, formidable danceable groups with musical flavors from French, Spanish, and Balkan traditions. Check out the video above to see an example of this style of music. Come Pedal Power them at the March 20 season opener of Sunday Streets!

Live music will start around 12PM with a performance of Fanfare Zambaleta. The performance will be at East Park, a beautiful plaza along the Sunday Streets route with a view of the Bay, shown near the top of the map image at the bottom of this post.  Assuming we all get out of bed on time, we plan to arrive and warm up the spot with Pedal Powered DJ music a little as early as 11 AM. Look for Rock The Bike cruising the Sunday Streets route towards East Park on our amazing Soul Cycle party bikes, including the newly completed El Arbol, around 11! After the show, ride back to the Mission District with Rock The Bike after the event ends at 3PM.

Last year at East Park, Rock The Bike was ensconced in Pedal Powered hot-wire foam sculpting of an in progress El Arbol (below). Now that El Arbol is complete and twice as tall, we’re stoked to return to the same spot and Pedal Power amazing Live Music for the assembled rollerbladers, tourists, bicyclists, families, and pigeons.

The performance is FREE, but we will be be busking for the band AND cranking out delicious Bike Blended Smoothies (with farmer’s market fruit) to benefit the Bicycle Music Festival, coming June 18 this year. So please, bring a reusable cup and some bills for the band!