I went to the South by Southwest Interactive festival (SXSWi) in Austin last weekend for work. While there I was lucky enough to score a loaner bike from our friends at the great Austin bike blog/magazine: Austin on Two Wheels.
Oh, and this wasn’t just any beater… it’s was a sweet Azor Transport all the way from Holland (via our pals Dutch Bike Seattle—small world)! Anyway, as you can tell from the reflective Panda snapshot, the bike was a tad small, but that sure didn’t stop me from having an excellent time riding it all over Austin (side note: how freakin’ cool is the Internet when other bloggers loan you their very own bike, just ’cause you’re a fellow bike-life blogger and long-bike rider?).
Though I was totally there for work, I also managed to squeeze in time for the Bike Hugger Mobile Social Ride and BBQ, and even went to a great after party at Lance Armstrong’s Mellow Johnny’s bike shop. Speaking of the party: where else would you see half naked, heavily tattooed fixie kids dancing up a techno storm under a priceless gold Madone (I think this was his ride into Paris for TdF #7). Good times…
In honor of Austin, this weekend I plan to BBQ and work on bikes with the family. I also hope to squeeze in a couple hours to follow up with more bike-flavored goodness from the trip (blog post, photos, and at least one video of above mentioned party). Keep your eyes peeled.
For now, thanks for the hospitality go out to: Elliot and Marcus from Austin on Two Wheels, Byron @BikeHugger, Mellow Johnny’s, the crew from Ibex, and probably a few other fine folks that all the free beer made me forget.
-Tim
Anne & Tim
Tim King
Anne
cfdgirl
Tim K
Car Free Days 
Fun! How did the Transport compare to the Oma? Was it much lighter?
So, next time I’m in Seattle… 🙂
Hi Dottie — I haven’t ridden Anne’s Oma that much (though I think it was about the same size as the Transport…), but I’d say it’s a bunch lighter, a little faster and a little sportier — however you do give up that ride-over-anything, bullet-proof limo feel in the process.
One comparison — my xtracycle felt really sluggish when I went back to work after the transport riding. In comparison, Anne normally says her xtracyle feels a little sportier than the Oma (hmmm… I hope I don’t have that backwards).
And the next time you are in Seattle…. Yes. 🙂
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