weird bikes

Whether it's eccentric or ordinary, spend some time riding a bike to burn calories and avoid burning fossil fuels.

RODALE NEWS, KEMPTON, PA—It was all but impossible to miss "Bob the Bicycle Guy" at last weekend's Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival in Kempton, PA. In between the solar panel and gigantic wind turbine displays, Bob Swaim blatantly reminded us of a form of energy we're not tapping into nearly enough these days: human power. "I'm not going to try to sell you anything," he told me as I eyed up the seven-passenger conference bike. "This is a hobby, I just love bikes."

As it turns out, so do a lot of people.

With a few dozen rare and eccentric bikes under his tent, Swain grabbed a megaphone to address the growing crowd, talking about his collection of 200 bikes and his hope that more people will get off their butts and start using human power and riding bicycles to improve their health.

He even let me, and other members of the crowd, ride some of his prize cycles.

SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPANION BIKE

My first test ride was on his Companion Bike, a two-person cycle that differs from a standard tandem in that the riders are next to each other. Popular in the 1970s, the concept for this model dates back to the early 1900s. It's a nice setup because you can easily talk to the person you ride with while you both burn calories pedaling. That makes it a nice first-date bike, and apparently it can reveal a lot about the person beside you, too. 'I'm the captain, she's the stoker. The only purpose of her is power," Swaim said to the crowd as we got started, adding, "I always suggest if you start dating, take your prospective boyfriend or girlfriend for a ride on this to see if they're a worker or slacker. If you've got a slacker, move on!" Swaim added that the bike is a great way for a blind person to exercise with a friend, since only one of you needs to steer. To underscore that, Swaim took me out for a spin on the bike while I was blindfolded. Although it was a bit surprising going around turns, I just continued to pedal and burn calories while he watched where we were going.