Author Archives: Russ Lowthian

Bike Pic Nov 17, one last look at this summers bike riding season

As the temp start slipping down, this bike pic Thursday, one last look at the 2022 summer riding season as the winter fun begins in Minnesota. Photo of these two cyclists and passenger was taken in Hastings, along the Mississippi River Trail.

So, get into the zone when continuing your time outdoors and your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Iowa or Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of Minnesota’s HaveFunBiking destinations. And now, check out more stories at Let’s Do MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Now rolling through our 18th year as a bike tourism media, enjoy! As we pedal forward, we aim to encourage more people to bike and have fun while highlighting all the unforgettable places you can ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle-related photo of yourself or someone you may know we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to [email protected]. Please Include a brief caption for the image, who shot it, and where. Photo(s) sent to us should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue encouraging more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure. Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile-friendly, as we enter our 13th year of producing this handy information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends, and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo appearance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic of the Day.

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Bike Pic Nov 16, wheelie Wednesday may help you into your sweet spot

A bike pic to remember! This wheelie Wednesday, take a chance. If life were a fat bike trail, a wheelie could help smooth out your day-to-day ride or aid you in dropping into your sweet spot. Why not review the following tips to make your week an adrenaline high?

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Bike Pic Nov 15, fond summer memories with warmer days ahead

In this bike pic, digging through The HFB archives, we captured this fun photo of riders on the Rock-n-Roll the Lakes in Albert Lea. See more fun photos on their Facebook page.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Bike Pic Nov 14, riding into the Monday morning sun

In this bike pic, a biker chick remembers warm weather pedaling into the Monday morning sun along the streets of St. Paul.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Bike Pic Nov 13, our ice cream smiles Sunday picture of the day!

It’s Ice Cream Smiles Sunday around the world. Here this biker chick stopped along the bicycle route to enjoy a creamy cool ice cream sandwich before resuming her ride.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Bike Pic Nov 12, it’s fat bike fun in the Minnesota River bottoms

It’s a perfect time of the year to jump on a fatty and hit the trail. This Bike Pic was taken last year in the Minnesota River Bottoms, in Bloomington, MN.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Bike Pic Nov 10, some never learn, they just want to have fun!

This Bike Pic Thursday, digging through the summer archives we found a photo of a biker chick enjoying the Iowa countryside, on RAGBRAI, while showing us her bandaged wrist from a previous injury.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!

Tern’s HSD electric-assist bike, out of the box and on the road

by Russ Lowthian, HaveFunBiking

Every so often, I run across a truly unique bike, and the Tern HSD electric-assist bike is one bike worth checking out. Especially if you are looking for a comfortable ride with options when needing to haul cargo or a child. Looking over some of the latest electric bikes that will be available to test-ride at the E-bike Challenge Minneapolis, I had a chance to take this new Tern cargo e-bike out for a spin

My initial test ride of the Tern HSD electric-assist bike

Using three parallel streets, on a hillside in my neighborhood as my personal test course. I had a chance to experience the pedal-assist-power and comfort of this new e-bike. On my initial ride, with close to 300 pounds of weight between myself and some extra gear, I found the bike had a smooth acceleration with plenty of power to spare. It didn’t matter if I stopped on the flat or on the 12-degree incline of the hill. Each time I started pedaling, which kicked in the motor, there were no irregular jerk movements, it was smooth. Plus, with the Bosch motor set on the Eco mode (the lowest of four e-assist settings) and the 1×9 gear drivetrain, my cadence was comfortable going up all the hills. It was also reassuring that I still had the Tour, Sports, and Turbo motor settings at my fingertips if needed.

About Tern’s HSD electric bike

THE TERN HSD ELECTRIC-ASSIST BIKE IS A COMPACT CARGO BIKE OFFERING A COMFORTABLE RIDE.

The Tern HSD P-9 is a compact cargo bike perfect for commuting, recreational riding, and running errands with some extra space to haul cargo or a child. At 5.5 feet long it is slightly shorter than the average road bike and has a load capacity of 374 pounds.

The HSD P-9 model uses a Bosch Active Line Plus motor and 400Wh battery with a Purion display, with Eco, Tour, Sports, and Turbo power settings. The drivetrain uses a 9-speed Shimano® Alivio Shadow RD cassette/derailleur. So this motor/drivetrain combination was smooth when beginning to accelerate and throughout the ride.

Bonus items that come standard

The HSD comes with a headlight and taillight. A Suntour suspension front fork to help ease bumps, 20″ wheels, an aluminum frame, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and an integrated Abus frame lock in the rear wheel. Plus, the bike can be stored standing on its rear rack and the handlebar stem folds down flat, making it easy to fit a compact space.

THE HSD EASILY STANDS ON THE BACK RACK FOR CONVENIENT STORAGE.

Accessories

You can buy many accessories online, but Tern’s proprietary ones are fit to the bike and add convenience. Specifically, the Go-To bag that attaches to the front of the bike using a Tern Luggage Truss™ adapter. It was easy to fit my laptop inside this bag, and perfect for commuting to work, school or the library.

THE TERN GO-TO BAG COMES WITH A SPECIAL COVER FOR ADDED WEATHER PROTECTION AND VISIBILITY.

On the rear, Tern’s proprietary cargo hold panniers are weather-resistant and pack down flat. Each pannier can hold up to 60 pounds and closes securely with a magnetic clip. I found I could easily slip in two paper grocery bags on each side, nice!

Need more cargo or kid hauling capacity, test ride all the Tern Bikes

Stop by your local Tern dealer or mark your calendar for the E-bike Challenge Minneapolis, March 11-12, 2023. There you can ride all the Tern Bikes including the GSD on the electric bike expos huge indoor test track. Have Fun!

Bike Pic Jan. 9, cold Temp. biking can be fun if prepared

Prepared for the the upcoming cold snap, in this photo, a cyclist standing next to his bike models his gear to stay warm as temperatures drop.

We have all thought, when looking out the window, the weather is too rotten to ride my bike.

Regular cyclists know that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If you dress in layers and fabrics that block wind and repel rain or snow and breathe, you’ll be fine. There are even special gloves and booties to keep your fingers and toes toasty. Visit your favorite bike shop and they can help you select the proper equipment for year-round riding. And, even if you decide to bike only during warm weather, that’s still months of not using your car, which will save you big bucks and make you feel great!

The Ultimate Bike Commuter’s Guide to Winter Cycling

#FindYourNextAdventure

Thanks for viewing the Bike Pic of the Day here at HaveFunBiking (HFB).

Now, rolling into our 10th year as a bicycle media, our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike, while showcasing unforgettable places to ride. As we search and present more fun photos worth a grin, scroll through the information and stories we have posted to help you find your next adventure. Then, while out there if you see us along a paved or mountain bike trail, next to the route you regularly commute on, or at an event you plan to attend with your bike, be prepared to smile. You never know where our camera’s will be and what we will post next!

Do you have a fun photo of yourself or someone you know that you would like to see us publish? If so, please send it our way and we may use it. Send your picture(s) to [email protected] with a brief caption (of each), including who is in the photo (if you know?) and where it was taken. Photo(s) should be at least 620 pixels wide for us to use them. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and an acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As HaveFunBiking continues to encourage more people to ride, please reference our blog and the annual print and quarterly digital Bike/Hike Guide to find your next adventure. We are proud of the updated – At-a-Glance information and maps we are known for in the HFB Destination section on our website and in the guide. Now, as the Bike/Hike Guide goes into its seventh year of production, we are adding a whole new dimension of bicycle tourism information available for mobile devices where you may see some additional bike pics – maybe of yourself so.

Bookmark HaveFunBiking.com and find your next adventure – we may capture you in one of the next photos we post.

Have a great day!

Bike Pic Nov 08, why not use your bike to go and vote

This bike pic Tuesday, it’s Election Day and another mild fall weather day to get out on your bike and ride to your polling station to vote.

Thanks for viewing our latest bike pic

Have a great day with a safe and memorable year ahead!