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273 comments on DrumBeat: July 5, 2008

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Substrate on July 5, 2008 - 10:22am

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880516153

Pedicabs bring leg-powered locomotion to downtown

Nanci Bompey • • published May 17, 2008 12:15 am

ASHEVILLE – Tourists and locals will have a new way to get around parts of the city when Your Chariot Awaits rolls out its fleet of pedicabs today.

Instead of walking from the Grove Arcade to Pack Square, potential customers will be able to call, e-mail, text message or hail one of the five bicycle-powered rickshaws to shuttle them around downtown Asheville, the River Arts District and the Montford neighborhood.
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“I wanted to incorporate fun with a business, and this is what happened,” said Felicia Thurman, the company’s owner, who got the idea after a trip to Charleston, S.C., where the three-wheeled, human-powered vehicles shuttle tourists around town.

Thurman’s pedicabs, outfitted with 21 gears and hydraulic breaks, are designed for Asheville’s hills. Small motors Thurman ordered to assist drivers up some of the tougher inclines didn’t fit on the pedicabs, and she’s waiting for others to arrive.

In the meantime, drivers will have to provide the power to maneuver the cabs, which weigh 180 pounds without passengers, up and down the hills of Asheville.

Thurman hopes the three-wheeled pedicabs will fill a transportation niche in the city for both tourists and locals while providing a more environmentally friendly way to get around town.

The cabs will go where the city buses don’t and alleviate anxiety about finding a place to park, she said. They also will allow people to have a fun, unusual experience, said Ken Putnam, assistant director of transportation and engineering for the city.

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fishey72 on July 5, 2008 - 11:58am

I live in Asheville and have seen them downtown. Also I have been a competitive cyclist all my life, am in fantastic shape, and have 20 years of serious cycling behind me. Still I cannot imagine riding a 200lb thing + passengers up these hills.

Many a time I have seen pudgy tourists having to take a break just walking up some of our streets.

Commuting to work 5 miles to by bike is not bad except bringing a complete change of clothes for 'professional office attire'.

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Substrate on July 5, 2008 - 1:42pm

I'm a veteran Hike-Biker. Asthma nails me sometimes and there's no benefit on staying on the wheels for some of the steeper hills. I used to do it A LOT while mountain biking when all I had was a Huffy 12 speed that was geared well - if you lived in a world that was perpetually downhill in all directions. That was back in the day when suspension systems only came on the front of the bike, were a total novelty, and had all of about 1" of travel - 18 speeds were common enough, 21 speeds were like some holy grail, and if the bike was under 30 pounds you were doing well. I used to pass people by walking the bike up steep grades...moseying by people pedal standing and spinning their tires. As far as the pedicabs I've yet to see one and I walk around downtown quite a bit. I imagine if it's geared well enough the weight isn't going to matter so much, no minimum speed is required to keep them upright, but you'd better be ready to accept SLOW. 100watts can only move a heavy object up a hill so fast.