Driving a Rickshaw

"Do you have, like, really strong calves? I bet you have strong calves. Your going to get soo many girls!" (I can only hope)

- Drunk college girl riding back to the dorms 

Driving a rickshaw is quite an interesting and enjoyable experience, not to mention profitable. In other cultures it's seen as nearly rock bottom for unskilled manual labor. In Oxford, it's seen as a novelty and a convenient mode of transportation. 

When I first got the idea of driving one, I was afraid it would ruin cycling for me. I thought I'd be too tired to do regular fun rides. But, after the first month of driving, I've realized I was afraid for nothing. My mind wants them to be the same, but they're far from it. A bicycle (specifically a racing bike) is light and agile. It accelerates well and leans into the corners. A rickshaw is big, cumbersome, slow, and heavy. The only similarities are the open air and pedalling. 

The rickshaws I drive have an electric assist in the front wheel that helps to maintain momentum. At first I wanted to think that I was contributing the majority of the propelling force. But after some experimenting and having two batteries die on me, I've realized that, at best, I contribute 10 - 15% with the other 85 - 90% being electric or gravity. In a flat city, I might be able to get by without electric power, but in the hills of Oxford, it's an absolute necessity. I can barely pedal an empty cab up hills; there's no way I could haul people up these hills. 

Some people are sadistic though, "Let's see if this scrawny kid can pedal 1000lbs of fat redneck up University Ave!"

Two of them ended up pushing, and I got paid $20 for less than 10 minutes of work. Fortunately those are few and far between. I might just say no next time though.

For the most part, it's as easy or as hard as I want to make it. However, I have noticed an increase in power on my mountain bike. If Oxford was flat, I'd look into investing in my own cab and truly working for myself. A smoother drive train would be nice. I'm not sure I want to invest in the necessary electric components though. I do plan on swapping in my own saddle and maybe pedals too.

I'll be chronicling some of my experiences and observations of driving a rickshaw so stay tuned!