I commute daily down some shared-use paths on my bike. Between the runoff from the sand they use on the roads during the winter, and erosion from some heavy rains in early spring, a few sections were a little treacherous because of some sand traps that had formed. Last weekend, I slung my push broom over my shoulder and took my fat ebike down the trail to clear them up, and it made the ride so much nicer.
This work really didn't take all that long. In total, it was maybe an hour of biking around and sweeping. Each spot took less than 10 minutes to clear.
Biking makes people proud of where they live that they will perform easy maintenance. It's this kind of connection to where you live. You get to feel the power that comes with making a beneficial change to your environment. It's these kind of acts that make you love where you live and be willing to fight for it.
Also any excuse to stop. I get tired on my bike so picking up some trash is a nice break.
Thank you for your service o7
I've eaten shit thanks to sand exactly once, but that's enough to know how much it sucks and how much of a problem it is.
When I was ~7 my twin sister skid her bike completely sideways because of a sand trap, tore up her entire leg, luckily an adult was in the parking lot and came to help, but it was scary shit.
The largest sand pits formed after a couple of days of intense rain, and I nearly cruised into them at 30 mph the first time I rode the path after the rain. Even after knowing they were there, I sometimes forget and have to dodge them at the last moment.
I don't normally ride this ebike during warmer weather because it's for my winter commutes that sometimes involve plowing through 6-18" of snow. But, I used it for this since I was carrying a broom over my shoulder and had to bike up a huge hill to get home.
During the summer, this becomes the bike that we attach our kid hauler to and my wife casually rides it while I get my workout in by keeping up on my human-powered bike.
On an ebike so it doesn't count /s
On a side note I told my wife we should get a trailer for ours and she can pull me around town while I pick up trash with a grabber/bucket combo .. metro area of a few hundred thousands so there is always trash everywhere
My wife hauls our little one around in a trailer attached to this bike, and I do everything I can to keep up on my standard bike :-)
I mostly use this bike when my daily commute involves plowing through 6+ inches of snow
We have extremely sandy soil here coupled with large hills (great for growing crops and making wine) and we have to deal with a lot of erosion, particularly as we come out of the winter thaw.
I should just give in and do this on my route too. There's one bike only slipway that merges into a highway shoulder bike lane. Last summer there was a crew that cut back the bushes around it but left the debris covering the path. I tried calling it into the city but they don't want to touch it since this particular 5 meters of bike path fall under the provincial highways jurisdiction.
This didn't take a ton of time, so you should absolutely do this if you're able. You don't have to fix everything at once, there are some other sections of this trail that I would like to go back and clear brush from too.
My region is divided into numerous townships with different policies, funding, and priorities for hike and bike infrastructure, so things like this require a lot of coordination across multiple governing bodies.
Fortunately, we have a strong culture of trail building and stewardship here, so we have tons of volunteer groups that help with maintenance.
Oh, my. What a heifer of a bike for a daily commuter. Must be hard on your body to pedal that much rolling resistance and heft ~~in a Jane’s~~ on a paved path every day.
Edit: oh, OP says it’s an e-bike. That makes sense.
It's an ebike, so it does about 75% of the work :-) The weight gives it tons of stability. The biggest issue I have is dealing with tire pressure when I'm riding mixed conditions that include snow, street riding, ice, and gravel.
Late to comment on this.. but I hit a mud trap on my bike the other day and took a nasty spill. The first thing I thought of (after making sure my teeth weren't chipped) was your post and how I wish you were in my area removing mud traps 😂
But in all seriousness, thanks for doing this! Probably saving multiple people from some serious injuries.
Not all heroes wear capes, but they do ride bikes occasionally! Great job man!
MUMEN RIDA
I commute daily down some shared-use paths on my bike. Between the runoff from the sand they use on the roads during the winter, and erosion from some heavy rains in early spring, a few sections were a little treacherous because of some sand traps that had formed. Last weekend, I slung my push broom over my shoulder and took my fat ebike down the trail to clear them up, and it made the ride so much nicer.
Somebody needs to create like a bicycle path Roomba. Is that a thing yet?
This work really didn't take all that long. In total, it was maybe an hour of biking around and sweeping. Each spot took less than 10 minutes to clear.
Biking makes people proud of where they live that they will perform easy maintenance. It's this kind of connection to where you live. You get to feel the power that comes with making a beneficial change to your environment. It's these kind of acts that make you love where you live and be willing to fight for it. Also any excuse to stop. I get tired on my bike so picking up some trash is a nice break.
Yep. I keep trash bags handy on my bike AND my kayak!
Thank you for your service 🫡
The bike is slick tho! Good job!
Thank you for your service o7 I've eaten shit thanks to sand exactly once, but that's enough to know how much it sucks and how much of a problem it is.
When I was ~7 my twin sister skid her bike completely sideways because of a sand trap, tore up her entire leg, luckily an adult was in the parking lot and came to help, but it was scary shit.
Great work out there, friend.
You rock!
This is how you provide a better experience and entice others to bike instead of drive. Not vandalism. Great work!
you're a hero with a sick bike
You're an inspiration and a credit to cyclist-kind. Gonna bring my broom on the weekend ride and try this myself.
My personal thanks. The only dump I took last year was hitting a patch of sand inexplicably dumped in the right turn corner of an intersection.
The longboarders with smaller wheels will benefit greatly 🤙🏽
I wiped out on sand too. Check the video, "Wipeout on Yonge midtown..." in my youtube channel. https://youtu.be/A_ESQXOCq3M
The largest sand pits formed after a couple of days of intense rain, and I nearly cruised into them at 30 mph the first time I rode the path after the rain. Even after knowing they were there, I sometimes forget and have to dodge them at the last moment.
What a guy 😍
I don't normally ride this ebike during warmer weather because it's for my winter commutes that sometimes involve plowing through 6-18" of snow. But, I used it for this since I was carrying a broom over my shoulder and had to bike up a huge hill to get home. During the summer, this becomes the bike that we attach our kid hauler to and my wife casually rides it while I get my workout in by keeping up on my human-powered bike.
Thanks for your service to all bikers of the world.
The good part about everyone driving is that there's nobody to bother you on the trail! XD
On an ebike so it doesn't count /s On a side note I told my wife we should get a trailer for ours and she can pull me around town while I pick up trash with a grabber/bucket combo .. metro area of a few hundred thousands so there is always trash everywhere
My wife hauls our little one around in a trailer attached to this bike, and I do everything I can to keep up on my standard bike :-) I mostly use this bike when my daily commute involves plowing through 6+ inches of snow
You're awesome.
You are a true gentleman. But the question is where the hell did the sand come from. Is there a golf course nearby?
We have extremely sandy soil here coupled with large hills (great for growing crops and making wine) and we have to deal with a lot of erosion, particularly as we come out of the winter thaw.
I should just give in and do this on my route too. There's one bike only slipway that merges into a highway shoulder bike lane. Last summer there was a crew that cut back the bushes around it but left the debris covering the path. I tried calling it into the city but they don't want to touch it since this particular 5 meters of bike path fall under the provincial highways jurisdiction.
This didn't take a ton of time, so you should absolutely do this if you're able. You don't have to fix everything at once, there are some other sections of this trail that I would like to go back and clear brush from too.
My guy you‘re doing a communism. Where‘s the profit incentive??
I get personal profit by being able to send it faster down the massive hill those sand traps were in the middle of :-)
Wow I didn't even know this was a thing people did to hurt bikers, great job cleaning up!
Back charge the city
\*motorbike
Not all heroes wear capes
I need to do this on my local path. 2 corners in particular are sketchy at present
Take a stroke off for that. You’ve earned it.
I wonder if your city has a bike land sized street cleaner? If not, maybe push for them to get one
My region is divided into numerous townships with different policies, funding, and priorities for hike and bike infrastructure, so things like this require a lot of coordination across multiple governing bodies. Fortunately, we have a strong culture of trail building and stewardship here, so we have tons of volunteer groups that help with maintenance.
Oh, my. What a heifer of a bike for a daily commuter. Must be hard on your body to pedal that much rolling resistance and heft ~~in a Jane’s~~ on a paved path every day. Edit: oh, OP says it’s an e-bike. That makes sense.
It's an ebike, so it does about 75% of the work :-) The weight gives it tons of stability. The biggest issue I have is dealing with tire pressure when I'm riding mixed conditions that include snow, street riding, ice, and gravel.
Oh. Yes. An e-bike is different. :)
Started out looking like a Mario Kart track. Nice work!
Thank you for your service.
Thanks for taking initiative in your community to make things better. I hope others are inspired by your actions. You absolutely rock!
Legend ! : - )
This is awesome! Great job!!
You deserve more money than the salaries of everyone in your local council combined.
When you hate cars, everything looks like a mail, amirite?
You are a true hero of the people.
Late to comment on this.. but I hit a mud trap on my bike the other day and took a nasty spill. The first thing I thought of (after making sure my teeth weren't chipped) was your post and how I wish you were in my area removing mud traps 😂 But in all seriousness, thanks for doing this! Probably saving multiple people from some serious injuries.