No one walks in LA, but a few environmental trendsetters are pedaling around on a moto-hybrid. The assistance of a small Honda utility engine on steep hills is not to be sneezed at as it meets the stringent California Air Resource Board’s (CARB) tier 3 emissions regulations for small engines whilst getting an unprecedented 150 to 180 mpg. The concept of putting a small engine to a slightly modified bicycle frame is not new, but the remarkable concept behind Derringer Cycles is you’re making an eco-statement in a retro-styling manner. While cruising down Santa Monica Boulevard with a color matching helmet, goggles, and saddle bags, definitely adds to the hipster-environmental mantra. Let’s face it, retro is the new green wave sweeping the globe. If you take ecological steps toward sustainability in a fun and practical manner, then a hand-made Derringer Cycle might be just what the green genie will order you. For the past two years president, owner and wunderkind Adrian Van Anz, 29, has made his dream a reality at a small store front office in Santa Monica. His small workshop cranks out the two-wheeler marvel customized to the buyer’s choice, which includes colors, accessories like two retro saddle bags and lights, to a larger engine upgrade to which will propel the miserly cycle to 50 mph from a respectable 35mph, but your mileage will take a small hit. The gangster name sake was given to the small motor company as a “bad boy” image to the fashionable elegant velocipede. Next time gas prices spike to last summer levels, consider an alternative method of getting around in a pistol-packin’ sixty pound, 1.5 gallon tank beauty.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 7:00 pm and is filed under Green Solutions, hybrid vehicles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.