Riding the Ohio to Erie Trail [Dispatch]

There’s a thin strip of mostly-paved amazingness that runs from Cincinnati to Columbus and on to Cleveland.

And it’s not Interstate 71.

It’s the Ohio to Erie Trail, and while technically it’s a multi-use path and walkers, runners, roller bladers and even cross-country skiers (but only in the winter) are welcome, we all know it’s really a bike trail.

And it is 329.7 miles long.

I had the chance to ride a 30-mile chunk of it this weekend with the guy who probably knows as much about the O to E as anyone: Jerry Rempelt, executive director of the O to E Trail Fund. They’re the non-profit group that promotes the trail and are helping local communities acquire and pave the last few miles needed to complete it.

“It was started in 1991 and is 85-percent paved,” Jerry said, adding it will be totally complete in another couple of years. One of the biggest missing pieces of the puzzle is here in Columbus, but they’re working on it. In the meantime hundreds of people ride from one end of the O to E to the other every year and thousands more ride sections, such as the popular and nearby London to Xenia portion...

Continue reading at The Columbus Dispatch

Cyclist’s death should be a lesson for all drivers: don’t kill people with cars [The Collegian]

At 8 a.m. on May 31, Gail Lynne Kline rode out of Salina on her bicycle, heading west on Crawford Street — a paved county road with no shoulder and a speed limit of 55 mph. Between 8:05 and 8:45 a.m., authorities estimate, Kline was struck from behind by a driver in a large, white van, who fled the scene without reporting the accident. Her unresponsive body was discovered lying beneath her bike in the ditch by a passing motorist, both her back wheel and her shoes knocked off. She was pronounced dead later that morning at Salina Regional Health Center.

49-year-old Gail Kline did not have to die. But it was not Kline who was in the wrong. It was the driver, whose inattentiveness caused the accident and whose cowardice prevented him from reporting it, who killed Gail Kline.

Yet days after the tragic accident, Ben Wearing, executive editor of the Salina Journal, drew a different conclusion. On June 5, in an article condescendingly entitled “You’re Not Training for the Olympics,” Wearing admonished cyclists to stay off county roads.

The May 31 hit-and-run accident that killed Kline, Wearing wrote, marks “an appropriate time for us to make our annual appeal for bicyclists to stay off county roads during harvest.”

[Keep reading at The Collegian]

Joshua "Pro" Hartman from Major Taylor Development Team Medical Expenses [gofundme]

This website was set up by the Major Taylor Development Team in show of support for our talented teammate Joshua “Pro” Hartman and his family during this incredible crisis. As many of you know, Joshua participated in a bike race on Saturday, June 8 and experienced a devastating crash during the qualifying rounds. He sustained multiple injuries to his face - he fractured his cheekbones, nose, and jaw. Thankfully he had on a helmet which protected his head. However when his face hit the protective railing his mouth was split open. Joshua lost a tremendous amount of blood and now remains in the ICU at Kings County Hospital. 

We hope to raise lots of money to assist the family with the overwhelming medical burden they will surely incur. Joshua will need a series of surgeries to reconstruct his face. I can’t emphasize enough how critical the situation is and that your support is deeply needed. 

Joshua is a fierce competitor, whose talent is equally matched in both road and track cycling. He’s the youngest member of the Major Taylor Development Team, an amateur race team, based in Brooklyn, NY. For the past two years he’s amazed all of us competing in countless races throughout the Tri-State area. Not only does he compete at the Jr. Level he also competes as a Cat-3 on the track and Cat-5 on the road. Last summer 2012, he placed first in the Floyd Bennett, Mango Seed Summer Series along with placing 3rd in the Lucarelli & Castaldi Series in Prospect Park all at the tender age of 14 years old. 

Joshua is an exceptional talent and we love him dearly. We have all the confidences that he will be on the mends in no time. In the meantime, WE REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Your donation will enable him to have the countless reconstructive surgeries needed to change his life and his ability to thrive in the future. 

We hope we can count on you…  [Donate here]
PS: Visit ebay to check out our online auction to support Joshua  

Mayor Coleman To Kick Off Columbus’ Bike to Work Week on Monday, June 17, 2013 7:30 a.m.

For Immediate Release                 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Web – Facebook – Twitter

Contacts:

Dan Williamson, Mayor’s Office, 645-5300

John Ivanic, City Council, 645-6798

Rick Tilton, Public Service, 645-7263

Jose Rodriguez, Public Health, 645-6928

Steve Faulkner, ODOT, 644-7101

Mayor Coleman To Kick Off Columbus’ Bike to Work Week

Unveiling Share the Road Education Campaign

Mayor Michael B. Coleman will be joined by City Councilmember Eileen Paley, Ohio  Department of Transportation Director Jerry Wray, Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long and Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Executive Director William Murdock, along with LOTS of bicyclists, to kick off Columbus’ Bike to Work Week.

Mayor Coleman also will unveil the City’s Share the Road campaign (sharetheroad.columbus.gov). He created Share the Road to make Columbus’ roads safer for everyone – motorists and bicyclists. It is part of the City’s Bicentennial Bikeways Plan and sponsored by the Ohio  Department of Transportation. Share the Road is part of a national effort to encourage safety and awareness by all road users by staying alert, respecting the rights of others and knowing and following traffic laws.

Where:

Westside Health Center, 2300 W. Broad Street, 43204, at Wheatland Avenue

When:

Monday, June 17, 2013

7:30 a.m. Program

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: PHOTO OP — Action shots of bicyclists

Photographers and videographers are invited to get footage of bicyclists, including Mayor Coleman, as they travel east along Broad Street to City Hall, between 7:45-8 am. Local bicycling organizations will have informational tents at City Hall until 9:30.

Bicycling: The SAFEST Form of Transportation

Of all the objections I get from people about why they can’t ride a bike to get around, perhaps the most frustrating is the claim that bicycling is too dangerous. According to this line of reasoning, we all need the protection of a two-tonne steel cage in order to survive the trip to the office or the grocery store.

I’ve always felt that this was complete bullshit, but I admit that my emotions may have been playing a part in this rapid condemnation as well. I started riding bikes about 32 years ago, and I just never stopped. To me, bicycling is being alive, and I’d rather run any necessary risk of death than be condemned to a life where cars were the only way to get around, because that sort of soggy dependence wouldn’t be much of a life to me.

But luckily for all of us, we don’t have to choose between safety and freedom. They both come together perfectly in the form of bicycle transportation, and once we work our way through the statistics of the matter, all talk of choosing cars over bikes because of safety can be banished from the face of the Earth – forever.

There’s going to be a bit of math involved, so for busy people we’ll begin with the final answer, then work through how we got there below.

Riding a bike is not more dangerous than driving a car. In fact, it is much, much safer:

Read on here

For immigrant women, bikes make goals and dreams possible [Twin Cities Daily Planet]

Claire Stoscheck and Silvia Perez with bike and trailer (Photos by Erin Collins)

"I received a bike last year and it was beautiful," Mariana (who preferred we just use her first name) recalled. "I didn't know how to ride before. But I was able to take my son to school. It also helped me lose seven pounds, and save time. Instead of walking somewhere in 45 minutes, I could ride my bike there in 15 minutes."

Mariana was one of 17 women from the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization’s Mujeres en Accion y Poder who signed up to participate in the 2013 Community Partners Bike Library (CPBL) program, a free loaner bike program of Cycles for Change in St. Paul. During the June 4 orientation session at Powderhorn Park Recreation Building in Minneapolis, she got training and coaching on cycling safety and on proper techniques for locking a bike, fitting a helmet, and loading a bike onto a bus rack. Marianne Baum of CPBL explained that participants may take Learn to Ride, Basic Mechanics, and Riding in Traffic classes, as well as participating in group rides.

CPBL plans to partner with 19 community organizations to lend 275 bikes and 20-30 trailers this year. Partners include Project for Pride in Living, CLUES, Goodwill Easter Seals, and the Karen Organization of Minnesota.

Leadership programs are also a part of the project. Interested participants will have the opportunity to learn how to teach biking skills to other members of their communities.

[Keep reading at Twin Cities Daily Planet]

Jony Ive redesigns the bicycle. [Jony Ive Redesigns Things]

Jony Ive redesigns the bicycle.

Credit @mikaeledwards

[Jony Ive Redesigns Things]

Yay Bikes! Year of Yay 13.6 ride is Sat, June 15 10AM- Bakery tour #letsride [@yaybikes]

When:10AM
Where: Goodale Park concrete shelter in the center of the park

June's theme is Biking Bakeries!

Best Biking Bakeries calls out to all riders this coming Saturday. Support our vendors and local businesses. Ride with your handlebar and saddlebags, mount your panniers and take some bakery goods home with you. There will simply be too much good stuff to enjoy on the tour. Share them with your friends and family and know they were delivered carbon free. Please support our vendors by buying their products on Saturday.

A YEAR OF YAY! is a series of 12 tours on the streets of Columbus to get people out riding bikes and helping to support our community and small local businesses. You'll be amazed at what you'll discover! 

Tours start at the Goodale Park open-air shelter, near the playground. HELMETS are *strongly* encouraged on all YB! rides. LOCKS are also useful at our stops. All YoY rides are FREE for Yay Bikes! members and $5 for everyone else. Membership is only $25 and helps support bicycling advocacy in Columbus. Become a YB! member at http://yaybikes.com/membership/.

[FB event page]

Knog Muddy Hell 2012

Tommy Dugan: Empire - Bad Idea

Tommy Dugan: Empire - Bad Idea from CollateralBMX on Vimeo.

Beyond the Metal

Beyond the Metal from Sidewayz Films on Vimeo.

Today I saw a silver pickup truck going down the road with a sticker on the lower right bumper. The sticker read “biker repellant” with and arrow pointing to the diesel exhaust pipe. That bumper sticker stirred a dormant anger and sadness in me.

I talked to my 37 year old brother Kevin almost every day. Kevin was my brother and my best friend. Often he told me stories from his daily bike commute to work. “Someone purposely tried to run me off the road today.” “Someone yelled ‘Get off the road’ and honked at me today.” “Someone threw an almost full can of soda at me today.” I finally asked him to stop telling me about the harassment. It was difficult to imagine that he was being treated this way. I often wondered if these drivers ever stopped and reminded themselves that the cyclist was a human being who had a mother, a father, a daughter, a wife, a sister and friends. Kevin was a kind and giving person. He genuinely loved helping others. He had a difficult life, but was one of the happiest people I have ever known. His smile was unforgettable.

On June 11th 2009, while riding his bike, Kevin was struck by a teen driver. He died in the early hours on June 12th.

In memory of Kevin, I would like to ask drivers to see the cyclist. Please give them the space, time and respect they deserve.

They are more than a machine.
Beyond the metal, they are a human being.

The Tour Divide 2013 starts Friday, June 14th, 2013!

Racers will make their way from Bannf, Alberta Canada on their way to Antelope Wells! TourDivide.org and via SPOT GPS atTrackleaders.com! And follow the discussion here. Check out the Google Doc with the start list here.

This year Ed Turkaly will be riding to raise money for Schwachman-Diamond Syndrome. Please consider donating to the cause and follow along as Ed rides the Tour Divide!

Help Ryan Sigsbey reach his goal for Trips for Kids WNC!

**Note: With the TourDivide site currently down, Chris Bennett has posted the rules out on hiswebsite!

The biggest bicycling infrastructure achievement in North America that you've never heard about

CC BY 3.0 SF

Indianapolis' Cultural Trail

Back in 2007, we wrote about the beginning of an ambitious project in Indianapolis, with the goal of creating a vast network of beautiful protected bike/pedestrian paths around the city center to connects the city's five downtown Cultural Districts, neighborhoods and entertainment amenities, and "serves as the downtown hub for the entire central Indiana greenway system". Fast forward to today, and Indianapolis' Cultural Trail has become a reality, yet it has been flying under the radar compared to some other bike initiatives like, for example, New York's Citi Bike. That's too bad, because the Indianapolis Cultural Trail deserves the spotlight, and should serve as a model for other cities. In the words of our friend Clarence at Streetfilms, it could be "the biggest bicycling infrastructure achievement in North America and yet it's still practically a secret."

See for yourself how cool it is:

© ICT

Above is a map of the Cultural Trail (you can see a large version here). What's amazing about it is that it was built with philanthropic dollars. This could be a model for other cities where tax dollars are scarce.

Treehugger

SCREW HIGH ST TRAFFIC! - I'm getting one of these...

HALO Fuel Cell: A Charger For Your Outdoor Needs [Kickstarter]

Get lost in the woods, but don’t lose your charge! The HALO powers devices for the outdoor enthusiast and emergency preparedness.

Portable Power

The HALO Fuel Cell is an outdoor power station that fits standard fuel canisters. It is sized to be a portable, compact, and lightweight addition to your current gear. HALO allows you to keep your electronics running while on camping trips or the times you are left without electricity.

The Halo Fuel Cell charging an iPad.

 

Cutting-edge Fuel Cell Technology

The HALO Fuel Cell uses our patented fuel cell technology (M-SOFC) to charge USB-compatible devices. Our M-SOFC cells are made primarily of stainless steel, with very thin layers of ceramic. The M-SOFC is extremely rugged, capable of rapid thermal cycling and abusive thermal shock, and tolerant to all types of fuels with no fuel processing.This is not a thermoelectric generator. Fuel cells are more efficient than thermoelectrics and more convenient than solar. 

Built To Be Durable

There are no moving parts in the HALO. The ring of fuel cells is housed in a high quality stainless steel body. An optimized circuit transfers energy from the fuel cell directly into your device. As for the lifetime of the fuel cells, they last years under normal usage.

Use Anytime, Anywhere

You shouldn’t have to think about the time of day or the weather to charge your electronics. The HALO Fuel Cell will work rain or shine.

Share the Charge

We’ve designed the product to charge two devices simultaneously. Perfect if your friend needs a charge too.

See the Fuel Cell in Action

A warm orange glow generated from the hot fuel cells functions as a reminder the HALO is turned on. It also just looks cool.

[See more at Kickstarter]

Bicycle tourism is the wave of the future, businesses told [Windsor Star]

Meg Balsillie started Farm Dog Cycles, which offers bike rentals and tours of Essex County. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE / The Windsor Star)

Local tourism officials see the next wave of visitors to the region arriving on two wheels.

For the first time, the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure is bringing about 200 bike enthusiasts from the U.S., Ontario, Quebec and Alberta to the area in August to ride along Lake Erie.

The supported cycling tour starts in Lakeshore and runs through Windsor and Leamington before ending seven days later after 600 kilometres in Fort Erie. For the past five years the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure has toured 730 kilometres of Lake Ontario from Niagara to the Quebec border.

The cycling tour is just one of the reasons Tourism, Windsor, Essex, Pelee Island is bringing in experts from the Cyclists Network to get local businesses certified as able to accommodate cycling tourists.

[Keep reading at Windsor Star]

This Is The Most Poorly Organized Bike Race We've Ever Seen [Deadspin]

Crystal City from Patriot on Vimeo.

Know as you watch this video that only minor injuries were suffered, so you're free to enjoy these crashes as slapstick, and a true mess of course design.

This comes from Sunday's Crystal Cup bike race outside of Washington, D.C., part of the Air Force Association Cycling Classic. The initial crash, at the 33-second mark, looks worse than it is. The camera doesn't capture the collision, but it's not the car hitting the race marshal. It's a straggler behind the peloton that clips her and knocks her down—the car was thankfully able to stop before hitting the downed cyclist.

But wait: that's the lead car. Take a look at the course map—this is the north section. The peloton is coming back around. They have no idea what's waiting for them. As officials desperately try to get the riders to stay right (even as one yells, "Left! Left!"), one swings wide and attempts to bunny hop the prone marshal. It goes poorly.

That rider, Tim Rugg, wrote about the crash on his blog.
[Keep reading at Deadspin]

Salsa Cycles Recalls Bicycle Forks Due to Fall Hazard

Consumers should stop using this product unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Recall date: JUNE 12, 2013

Recall number: 13-213

Enlarge

• 
  1 of 4 photos
  Recalled Salsa La Cruz bicycle fork

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Recall Summary

Name of product:

Salsa Bicycle Forks

Hazard:

The bicycle fork can bend above the disc brake mount, posing a fall hazard to the rider.

Remedy:

View Details

RefundReplace

Consumer Contact:

Salsa Cycles; toll-free at (877) 774-6208 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or online at www.salsacycles.com and click on the Fork Recall button for more information.

Report an Incident Involving this Product

Recall Details

Units

About 1,700

Description

This recall involves all Salsa Vaya bicycle forks stamped with the batch codes 2011 02 21, 2011 04 11, 2011 06 14 and 2011 09 09 and all Salsa La Cruz bicycle forks stamped with the batch codes 2011 03 01, 2011 04 08, 2011 05 30 and 2011 09 09. The batch code is stamped on the steerer tube. The forks are made of tubular chromoly steel and can be installed on any bicycle that takes a threadless 1 1/8 inch steerer tube. They were sold individually and as original equipment on Salsa Vaya bicycles and framesets.  Salsa Vaya bicycle forks are orange or dark gray.  La Cruz bicycle forks are black.  The manufacturer’s insignia “CWI” is stamped on the steerer tube. “Salsa” is printed on the bicycle’s frame. 

Incidents/Injuries

Salsa Cycles has received eight reports of forks bending above the disc brake mount. No injuries have been reported.

Remedy

Consumers should immediately stop using bicycles equipped with the recalled Salsa Vaya and La Cruz bicycle forks and contact a Salsa dealer for a free inspection, replacement fork or a full refund.

Sold at

Bicycle stores nationwide and on various websites from February 2011 through June 2012 for about $100 individually for La Cruz forks and on Salsa Vaya bicycles for between $1,300 and $1,600.

Importer

Salsa Cycles, of Bloomington, Minn., (a wholly-owned brand of Quality Bicycle Products, Inc.)

Manufacturer

CWI, of Taiwan

Manufactured in

Taiwan

LINK --> http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2013/Salsa-Cycles-Recalls-Bicycle-Forks/

Bicyclists follow Waterfront Trail across Ontario; spending as they go [BikingBis]

This surely isn’t the first time you’ve heard this, but it certainly bears repeating: Creating long-distance bicycle routes and trails draws travelers on two wheels who spend money.

Ontario’s Waterfront Trail (click for detail)

Twenty-seven Canadian communities will learn that this summer when a new, 370-mile section Ontario’s Waterfront Trail will be opened along the north shore of Lake Erie.

Coming in the slipstream of that trail opening will be 200 bicyclists on the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure Bike Tour. More will surely follow on their own and in small groups.

To learn about bicycle tourism, local merchants are attending seminars to learn the benefits of being bicycle friendly. according to the Windsor (Ont.) Star.

One suggestion, for instance, is for hotels to provide secure storage for bicyclists and provide information that touring bicyclists would find helpful. Wineries are told to install bike racks so passing bicyclists will be encouraged to stop.

[Keep reading at BikingBis]

The Road From Karakol Trailer

Grinding on the Gravel

New York's bike-sharing program - The Daily Show 6/6/13

What Are Complete Streets? [AARP]

What is a Complete Street? It has adequate crosswalk, sidewalks for all abilities, and designated cycling paths.

Do you have easy access to schools, parks, medical facilities and simple services like grocery and drug stores? Do you have alternative transportation options when the car is in the shop?  Does your neighborhood have sidewalks? And if so, are they well maintained?

If you are like the large majority of Americans, your plan is to stay in your community — if not in your very same home — as you get older. However, in order to do so, you need to be confident that your community has convenient, safe and reliable options to get you where you need and want to go.

For years, U.S. transportation policy has focused almost entirely on construction and maintenance of roads to accommodate more cars. And while cars are obviously critical to our transportation network, they are only part of the equation. That is why AARP is so pleased that transportation planners and engineers are expanding their view and design of travel networks to accommodate all modes of travel, including driving, walking, public transportation and cycling. This is an approach that we have been championing for years — we call it Complete Streets...

Read on at --> http://blog.aarp.org/2013/06/06/great-places-what-are-complete-streets/

How a humble rail-trail has helped Cleveland bounce back from the Rust Belt doldrums

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

The inspiring true story of how a humble rail-trail has helped Cleveland bounce back from the Rust Belt doldrums... It's wonderful to see the fruits of our labors - we are inspired to keep helping America's communities reap the benefits of bike- and walkability!

Sole Bicycle: Fixed Gear Bike & Single Speed Bicycle

BicycleTraveler Magazine June 2013 - NOW AVAILABLE FREE!

In this issue:

The “Why” question
Edward Genochio reflects on why he takes bicycle journeys.

Inspirational photos
Diverse images from the bike touring survival guide book cover photo contest.

Gijs Stevers
Cycled from Norway to South Africa on an electric bike.

Equipment information and more…

Bicycle Traveler is an international magazine about bicycle touring. It’s full of entertaining stories and inspiring photography which will have you dreaming over new destinations and the latest cycling gear.

Subscribe to the magazine (it's free!) so that you don’t miss out on future editions.

Read more, subscribe, and download your FREE issue at http://bicycletraveler.bicyclingaroundtheworld.nl/

Growler Cage

Take your growler on a bike ride!  Growler Cages are specially designed to attach popular glass growlers to your bike.  These cages have a steel core wrapped in a soft, smooth, waterproof neoprene sheath that protects the glass while holding on tightly.  Each cage is made individually in Minneapolis, MN.  Growler Cages fit in place of any water bottle cage, and have an adjustable sliding mount to fit a variety of frame sizes.  Patent Pending.  Please do not drink and ride!

[Growler Cage]

Velonia Viks

Urban steel commuter

Stainles steel unique frame without seat tube. 100% handmade in Estonia. Two identical tube frames rune alongside the entire fraem. Joined at the head tube, seat tube and bottom bracket.

This frame is still in prototype mode. First set of frames are in the production for first customers. Estimated to be finished by the end of April. After that a new patch will go into making. If ou are interested in getting on Viks (entire bike or just a frame), send an email to info@velonia.comand get on the waiting list.

Check out Viks's facebook page for more updates and news.

SO I DON’T WEAR A HELMET. [Details]

Photo by Dmitry Gudkov – gudphoto.com

When I’m with my bike, “Where’s your helmet?!” is a real popular question from just about anybody who feels entitled to exercise passive-aggressive judgment in question form. Thankfully, I don’t feel the gall to ask total strangers “Do you really need another martini?”, “How about salad instead of fries?” or “Are you sure about the tank top?” – even after it’s clearly too late.

When I was a kid growing up in the ’70s and ’80s in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, riding a bike was fun, not serious. In our early years, we rode upright on Huffy Dragsters and dirt bikes, doing fast turns, going down hills and catching air on crude homemade ramps on the driveway. And sometimes we fell. When we fell, whether sideways or front-ways, our hands met the ground. We didn’t wear special bicycling clothes, and none of us wore helmets.

I was the youngest of five when I learned to ride a bike in the mid ’70s. My oldest sibling, my sister Tracy, had an upright Schwinn. Between her bike, my bike, my other siblings’ bikes in the garage and most of the other bikes in the neighborhood, the mode of cycling was upright. Still no special cycling clothes, still no helmets.

[Details]