Cleverchimp: keeping bicyclists on bikes since late 2005
Cleverchimp LLC is a family business founded to help other bicycling households stay or become car-free, as ours has always been, using the same tools that we have found or developed ourselves. We don’t aim to get drivers onto bikes; that’s a sociological problem beyond our means to change — we aim to help keep bicyclists out of cars and off the bus; we can help with that.
Living with only regular bicycles, panniers, and a small trailer was enough for us before a decade of foregone car ownership costs bought us a fixer-upper house in San Francisco, when we needed to haul heavy tools and materials often. That’s when we discovered Xtracycle’s products, and completely lost our minds. Later, an 18-mile commute, a child, and faltering knees after a season of randonneuring left us with less enthusiasm for hauling passengers up hills unassisted, and we began to look for a way to add power to use our Xtracycles to their full potential.
We found that the best existing power assist products didn’t have much to offer us, so we began work on Stokemonkey. We soon found ourselves in possession of prototypes far more credible as car alternatives than anything else available. Best of all, they still felt and worked like bicycles, both before and after the charge died.
Years of refinement, many thousands of test miles, and a move to Portland later, we’re entering business as Peak Oil is becoming mainstream news. It’s an exciting time to live and work and try to make a difference, however small.
You can read more about our company goings-on by viewing the Entrepreneurship category of our blog.
Contact
As we enter the final stages of opening our bike shop, Clever Cycles, we find we have no time to respond to the numerous Stokemonkey inquiries we receive daily, nor to fulfill orders. So, until about 10 June 2007 or so, please consider us unavailable unless you are an existing customer in need of technical support. Those of you whose orders are already in process, don't worry; you'll get your kits.
Cleverchimp LLC
1129 SE 50th Ave.
Portland, OR 97215
Unless you are a customer in need of real-time support, we strongly prefer email to voice mail, and can often respond more quickly to the former. Most callers ask questions answered in the FAQ. Need support? Call (503) 922-3528.