Houston Chronicle: A tricked-out trike is hauling bikes and turning heads in downtown Houston as BCycle aims for fossil fuel-free fun
By Dug Begley, Staff writer
Ian Freeman may not have the weight of an automobile behind him, but on this rainy, cold Thursday he has 15 wheels and red, blinking lights.
Sure, only two of the wheels have any power whatsoever, 10 of them are not even touching the pavement and he is unlikely to reach 20 mph as he ferries four Houston BCycle bikes and an e-bike on an e-trike.
Yes, an e-trike. A pedal-assisted three-wheeled cycle originally designed as a modern-day rickshaw for carrying folks to and from special events. Houston bought it along with a DJ booth and bubble machine to move bikes between BCycle stations.
There’s no need for speed, typically, on downtown streets, especially when the lights and flags give off the vibe of Houston’s smallest parade.
“I expected to have more trouble on the roads, I am used to being a little bit bullied,” Freeman said. “With all this, they have to respect my space.”
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BCycle officials are hoping the public will respect their commitment to operating the system as fossil-fuel free as possible. The e-trike, rolled out last September, is one of three purchased for the purposes of eliminating, or at least reducing, use of the agency’s vans to transfer bikes between kiosks.
“It is getting a gas-powered vehicle off the road,” said Mary DeBauche, communications director for Houston BCycle.
Ian Freeman, e-trike operator, collects bikes at the 8th Wonder BCycle station Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 in Houston.
Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Freeman uses the trike to maintain 17 of the roughly 140 BCycle stops. His territory runs from the Sabine Bridge stop near Buffalo Bayou Park, one of the most-used in the system, to EaDo. If field techs such as Freeman did not oversee the system, there would be too many bikes in some spots and no place to dock new ones.
“It’s all about balance,” Freeman said. From Thursday through Sunday he scurries along, attempting to achieve that balance in anticipation of where people will take the bikes. That can mean back to Sabine Bridge when it is nice, or, perhaps, to a nearby drinking establishment on Friday and Saturday nights.
Ferrying the bikes also is about balance while in motion, Freeman said. Four bikes can be securely tied on the trailer. Two others on the main rig of the trike. Typically that is where he puts the e-bikes because they are slightly heavier and better to have in the center, just behind him. Bcycle has 100 e-bikes and about 700 conventional bikes on the street at any time.
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Just like the e-bikes available for checkout, the trike is pedal-assisted, meaning an electric motor helps propel it, but Freeman has to pedal to keep going.
“The throttle is my legs,” Freeman said, noting the motor does a lot of the hauling.
The trike is powered by a rechargeable battery that can get about 25 miles on a single charge, which Freeman said lasts a couple days, depending on what it is hauling.
Ian Freeman, e-trike operator, check the brake as he collects bikes at the 8th Wonder BCycle station Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 in Houston.
Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
The trike and two others came to Houston by way of New York, when a bike sharing system there offered them for sale. Houston BCycle leaders leapt at the chance even though the agency still uses vans to do most of the heavy lifting and relaying bikes from their mechanic shop.
“When we saw them, we knew we’d take them,” DeBauche said. “The total sale was three e-trikes, five trailers, DJ booth that goes on the trailer, a disco ball and a bubble machine… I especially like that they came with the bubble machine.”
The trikes also pull double duty as fun way to engage with people — armed of course with the DJ booth and the bubble machine.
Freeman said he was really excited to pedal along as part of the city’s Thanksgiving parade, which officials nixed at the last minute. So Freeman rode the route himself.
“Everyone loves a parade,” he said.
Even a little one.
So, what does Freeman call the trike?
“HMS Bouncy,” Freeman said. “It’s out here on Houston streets.”