By Paul Guttenberg

There are many cycling machines wandering our fair burg. We’ve all seen tandems on our roads, and even the occasional triplet. Those interested in historical cycling machines have seen bicycles that even seat up to six or eight people in a line.

Now, a human-powered vehicle that seats 15 has been plying the streets of Davis on occasion. The Busycle has come to Davis.

Constructed on the chassis of a 1989 Dodge 15-passenger bus, the Busycle is no lightweight. It was brought to life by a consortium of MIT engineers, students, fabricators and artists. Using recycled, donated and scavenged parts, they created a vehicle to move by human power alone, despite a weight of just over 1,500 pounds.

The good news is that the Mack Truck transmission is unlikely to fail, though difficult to operate. There is also no fear of rolling over.

Technically, only 14 people can actually pedal. The 15th steers, brakes and shifts after a fashion. Considering the nature of the transmission, this is not a plum job aboard the Busycle. All those pedaling the Busycle face outward, making for a very naturally friendly mode of transport. The low speeds at which it travels allows people to engage in conversation and wonderment.

How it came to Davis is a matter of serendipity. It was one of those bizarre cycling-related stories that can only happen in a tight, off-kilter community of both like-minded and apparently weak-minded aficionados of human-powered vehicles.

The plan was to return it to Boston after its five-year stint in the Bay Area. Yours truly had ridden it several times in Palo Alto to various gatherings, celebrations and music venues. It had served a valuable purpose, and was a hit for young and old alike.

Now, it was time for it to return to the place where it was created. A bus to tow the Busycle was procured, along with a trailer upon which to transport the Busycle. Goodbyes were said, preparations completed and a commercial driver for the bus recruited. The Busycle was off across the country once again.

But a desperate call came late one fall week. On Day 1 of the trans-American journey, the bus had overheated severely. The hitch had failed. The trailer had disappeared. The Busycle was left at the side of the road in the EastBay. A journey of nearly 3,000 miles had ended in disaster 43 miles from the start.

At least a rental yard pulled the Busycle into its fenced in area to keep it from being vandalized. The organizer of the whole affair was headed to the airport to fly back to Ireland. The one remaining originator of the Busycle was in India. Was there anything the Davis cycling community could do to help?

— Paul Guttenberg is a Davis resident; he’ll continue this saga with Part 2 of his column next Friday. To offer a Davis Bicycles! column, write to them at [email protected] or log on to http://www.bikedavis.info to see instructions for authors.

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Davis Bicycles! and Davis Bike Club members align themselves as a human engine to power the Buscycle. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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Paul Guttenberg drives the Buscycle under the pedal-power of Davis Bicycles! and Davis Bike Club members. Fred Gladdis/Enterprise photo

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