The Cold Trailers, a Lawrence gang of mo-ped riders include, from left, Mike Biery, Daryl Armstrong, Kenden Christienson, Dylan Medina, Ashley Siebert and Dustin Medina. Biery explained that one of the draws to riding a mo-ped compared with a motorcycle, is that, with a top speed of 30 mph, the mo-ped rider gets to experience more because the drive is much slower.

More than 40 years after the mo-ped became a popular mode of transportation in the United States, a resurgence in riders is taking the area by storm.

The motorized pedal bikes have remained viable on college campuses all over the world for their agility on streets and in parking spaces. And they get great gas mileage: up to 100 miles a gallon.

Now, a group of local mo-ped riders have formed their own gang.

Meet The Cold Trailers.

The group forms rallies for riders throughout the region and finds them to be a great hobby. The Cold Trailers are 10 local men and women who are in their 20s. Most of the group attended Kansas University and one is a graphic designer in Kansas City, Mo.

Many of the riders have switched over from motorcycles to mo-peds. Life, they say, is better in the slow lane.

“You can get on it like a bicycle, but safety-wise it’s just like riding a motorcycle,” said Dylan Medina. “I’ve ridden with large groups of motorcycles but it’s a lot more fun on a mo-ped with a group.”

The group’s members ask: Please, don’t confuse mo-peds with scooters.

“The difference is that scooters don’t have pedals … like more of a Vespa style,” said Mike Biery, who has been riding for several years.

When following one of their rallies, which draw riders from surrounding states, you’re more apt to find them broken down on the side of the road than cruising around. These mo-peds require a tremendous amount of work to keep running, mostly because they’re pieced-together bikes that are nearly 40 years old.

Of the 200 to 300 mo-peds that begin the area’s larger rallies, only half make it the entire route, which averages 50 miles.

Support vehicles — which carry extra tires, tubes and parts, and at times just pick up the mo-ped on the side of the road — are a must for the rallies, said members of The Cold Trailers.

“Zip ties and electrical tape go a long way,” Medina said.

Group members agree they spend more time working on their mo-peds than riding them.

“It’s like riding a motorcycle but you just see everything slower,” Dustin Medina said.