Southeast Portland bike shop (and long-time BikePortland supporter!) Clever Cycles is no stranger to introducing innovative products from Europe to local bike lovers. But their latest idea might be their most awesome yet.
Perusing their latest email newsletter I came across this…
Is that a hot tub? On wheels? Why yes…
Yes, this is a portable outdoor hot tub from the Netherlands that you (of course) tow behind your bike. Clever Cycles plans to rent these out! Here’s more:
Our next container from the Netherlands will include a couple Dutchtubs, which we will make available for rent. These are portable wood-fired spas with seating for four. Why? Because they can be towed by bike! We think water, fire and bikes are already key parts of living well in Portland; we love how the Dutchtub ties together all three in a virtuous spiral. O, and there’s a wok for the top of the fire ring.
They weighs around 150 pounds empty. We’ll have a trailer and accessories to allow the Dutchtub to get under most any downspout in Portland by bike within an hour. You pedal. Give us a couple months to get all this ready, but start dreaming now.
Wow. Imagine the possibilities (cyclocross races, cold Midnight Mystery Rides, oh man).
Check out the manufacturer’s website for more info and look for these on the streets of Portland later this summer.
Thanks for reading.
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oh, man! i’ve read about these for years! so exciting they’ll be available in pdx!
That tub looks pretty wide… does it fit within a standard-width bike lane?
I doubt it would fit in the old school, 4 ft wide bike lanes we have in some places… But I bet it fits the new standard, 6-7 ft lanes we have. And I doubt it’s wider than the B-Line PDX freight trikes!
They have the dimensions on the manufacture’s website and it’s about 5 and a half feet wide.
Super easy to make with a water trough, copper pipe, and charcoal starter, or just keep the money and ride to a hot spring.
Here is a idea if you want to improve the water heater.
http://oldgrouchsurplus.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/military-immersion-heater-uses-m67/
These things work awesome.
Second photo, lower right hand side…is that a dead chicken??
Nevermind, it’s two live chickens. Yes, very Portland. 🙂
I suppose they will soon be boiled chickens.
dude’s hat will catch a fire for sure!
Dutch tub, Vouvray Clicquot , Eastbank Esplanade…..
Vueve*
That’s Hicker-billy phonetics. I guess it the joke didn’t translate.
I’d like to see this rigged to use solar power
I had a solar-powered hot tub, not that neat, actually. Doesn’t work well when when it’s cloudy. You know, when you want to use it.
That is too freakin’ cool!
Somehow, one of those needs to find its way into a Cycle Wild trip…
Totally. I wonder if Clever is going to rig up a StokeMonkey on the trailer to help out.
wow watching their video makes me think “tooo sexy”
The worst day of the year ride is starting to look much more appealing!
There’s this one too:
http://www.tinygogo.blogspot.com/2009/11/doug-and-erins-wood-fired-hot-tub.html
Super easy, low maintenance, etc. Not transportable by bike though.
I want to see someone do the Ronde with one of those next year, culminating in a Council Crest soak!
In a remote location – like the beach – away from water spigots, how does one fill the tub with water? I suppose one can haul 5-gallon buckets repeatedly, although I would guess that would require quite a few such hauls.
You could rig a garden hose and a bike- or hand-powered pump to draw water from a nearby creek.
Saltwater hottub?
Awesome! I think the most important question is: how much does it weigh when filled with water? That is, is there anyway to fill it up, stoke the firebox, and bike around the waterfront while your passengers sit in the hot tub? Maybe one of the few times I’ll concede the necessity of using an e-bike 😉
Looks like the chickens are making stew for dinner!
I’m guessing it holds 100 gals, probabaly more. Water = 8 lbs per gal, so 800 lbs, plus the unit, plus a passenger, over half a ton. And good luck slamming on the brakes!
So, you’re saying I’ll need a granny gear? 😉
I saw this too. Hot damn
Open fires are very polluting. Just because it’s towed by a bike doesn’t make it a good idea. It would be better to have a propane powered tub pulled by a car.
Yabbut it’s locally grown, carbon-neutral pollution.
Open fires are only a problem in dense, populated areas. I believe the intent of these tubs is to tow them to the beach, or camping. These places generally have excellent air quality, and a few of these tubs won’t have a noticeable impact.
Ha! Look like a giant mocajete.
I wonder how they’d work as birthing tubs for a bicycle-based midwife.
Love this! To nervous hubby… “go boil water to make the tub hot”
I don’t see passive convection being enough for effective circulation of water. But I really don’t know.
This idea looks like a lemon to me (sorry I couldn’t resist)
This is not a Dutch design from 2002. This design has been for ages and designers like Shiro Kuramata (1943-1991), and Koehler has had these designs from long time ago. the only difference is that the Dutchttub is made with poor quality and longer heating time. What a rip off!
My hot tub dreams came together when i discovered a wood fired hot tub made in Sweden. Check it out http://www.badtunnaexpert.se/badtunna-i-plast