Columbus Rides Bikes!

There’s no simple or single solution to get more women riding bikes in the U.S. In 2009, women accounted for just 24 percent of bike trips and the reasons for that under-representation are numerous and complex. Jennifer Klausner (left) and Alexis Lantz (right) of the LACBC (Credit: Women on Bikes SoCal) But one thing is becoming clear — specific types of facilities can dramatically impact the number of female cyclists. The latest evidence? New data on a separated bike lane in downtown Los Angeles, California. In late 2011, the city installed a green buffered bike lane on Spring Street, a major corridor in the downtown district. The  Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition  (which, incidentally, is staffed by some phenomenal female leaders) wanted to capture the impact of the new facility, so they conducted bike counts before and after the paint went down. Released this month, the results are impressive. Overall, riding went up 52 percent after the green lane was instal

A stray dog completed a 1,100-mile trek across China, climbing 12 mountains in nearly 25 days.  All it took to get the dog to complete the mission was giving it a bone. The tenacious pup, nicknamed “Xiaosa,” or Little Sa, encountered a team of cyclists in the beginning stages of a race from Sichuan province to Tibet.  When one of the cyclists fed the hungry-looking dog some food, the smart dog decided to stay with the hands that fed him and continued the race,  the BBC reported . Soon Xiaosa was the team’s mascot, and a national hero in China was born. A blog started by one of the cyclists – reported to be a graduation trip among friends – chronicling  Xiaosa’s adventures had attracted 40,000 fans by the end of the race, according to the BBC. The  UK’s Telegraph reported  that the dog’s Internet followers in China have nicknamed her “Forrest Gump,” after the fictional Tom Hanks character that ran and ran and ran in the movie of the same name. “She was lying, tired, on the s

Stolen yesterday evening at the OSU Union. The parts list is: Front wheel-Hed3 Back wheel-B43 with Chub hub Frame-Gorilla Zengang Bars-Ritchy carbon bullhorn Stem-Ritchy carbon 4 Axis Matrix Crank set-Campy pista Pedals-Speedplay Saddle-Fizik Kurve Snake Brake-Campy Super Record Break lever-Campy   If you have any info on the whereabouts of this bicycle, please call 614-949-7721

Here are the top two  least safe  places to ride: Sidewalk  – While the odds of you getting hit from behind diminish greatly, there are other dangers that come into play. Drivers are not looking for fast moving objects on the sidewalks, so when you come to a cross street there is a good chance you’ll get hit by a turning car. Sidewalks are available for pedestrians and, in many states,  it’s illegal for bicycles to ride on them . You are forced to (and should) go extremely slow. Besides dealing with turning cars and pedestrians, you are riding on surfaces that are not maintained for traffic and you will often have other obstacles to deal with. The extreme right side of the road  – This is the most dangerous place you can ride. You are risking two dangers: Cars will repeatedly try to squeeze by you in the same lane and will almost always come very close to you which, obviously, increases your chance of getting hit. The  Peek-a-boo bike . Picture two cars approaching. The

American children are trained to always wear bicycle helmets. The evidence showing their benefit in a crash is clear. But are there unintended consequences to helmet-wearing that may be causing harm? Living on Earth’s Ike Sriskandarajah pedals through the center of helmet wars. Transcript GELLERMAN: It's Living on Earth, I'm Bruce Gellerman. In our last show we pedaled National Bike Month and took an international turn in our conversation with Mikael Colville-Andersen. He's considered Denmark's bicycle ambassador. Biking is a way of life there and Colville-Andersen surprised us when he said bike ridership in Copenhagen, the capital, is actually going down. He blames advocates of bike helmets. Kids, and adults, ride helmet-less in Amsterdam. (Photo: Scott Osberg) COLVILLE-ANDERSEN: There's very few places in the world where there's a mandatory helmet laws, but the simple promotion of them - suggesting that people wear them - we've seen thi

A new report presented to Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber yesterday outlines and prioritizes 16 new "non-roadway" transportation funding mechanisms. Among the ideas selected as a priority for "additional consideration for further implementation" and possible legislative action, is a "User fee for bikes." The 93 page report,  Oregon Non-Roadway Transportation Funding Options: Report to the Governor , ( PDF ) is the result of a 64-person "Non-Roadway Working Group" that was convened by Kitzhaber back in November. The group included a large list of transportation stakeholders (including Bicycle Transportation Alliance Advocacy Director Gerik Kransky), many members of the Oregon legislature, and State staffers (see full list below). The purpose of this project (which has been on the to-do list for the state since 2008) was to, "develop recommendations for sustainable funding of non-roadway transportation, including rail, marine, aviation, t

For Immediate Release May 23, 2012 City of Dublin and the Memorial Tournament introduce first-ever bicycle parking (DUBLIN, Ohio) - 2The City of Dublin and the Memorial Tournament are introducing a healthy and green initiative for guests at this year's Tournament with the first-ever bicycle parking. Two Tournament bicycle parking areas will be available at the sixth tee entrance gate and in the grass lot on the south side of Memorial Drive near the tournament crosswalk. The hours are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday May 28-Sunday, June 3. "Dublin's bike path system, by design, is both recreational and a viable means of transportation," said City of Dublin Parks & Open Space Director Fred Hahn. "We are pleased that the Memorial Tournament is encouraging guests to take advantage of Dublin's 100 miles of bike path system as a safe and convenient method of transportation." "We will assess the success of this bike parking pilot program with a goal

DIY Wall Bike hanger. Posted on   May 27, 2012   This is a no frills/straight forward guide for those of you looking to make your own wall mounted bike hanger but don’t feel like spending a bunch of dough. simple, easy, cheap Let’s Start. Tools: one set of drop styled handle bars one quill stem that fits handle bars one old tire one threaded piece of galvanized steel pipe that your stem fits snuggly into. (In my case a 3/4″x4″) one wall flange that fits whichever pipe you find. tape measure drill two wood screws drill level 1. Put your handle bars into the stem (if they are not already) and flip them upside down to make your hanger. If your bars aren’t already taped you might want to wrap them up to prevent scratches to your frame. I wasn’t about to go buy some bar tape just to hang on the wall so I wrapped my pair up with an old tube and used wine corks instead of bar ends. (This step is not required) Attach your pipe to the wall flange and then insert your

Marble Cliff Village Council has approved a proposed memorandum of understanding between the village and the city of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department that would establish guidelines for the operation of the portion of the Scioto Trail Bikeway located in the village. Columbus plans to construct an extension of the bikeway this year from the Riversedge complex at 1335 Dublin Road to Fifth Avenue and from the Dublin Road water plant to Grandview Avenue. Village Council approved a draft of the memorandum at its May 21 meeting. Columbus has not yet approved the document. "Columbus has assured us that the project will not be a maintenance burden for Marble Cliff," said village Engineer Louis McFarland. The proposed memorandum of understanding states the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department must maintain and administer the portion of the bikeway located in the village. Columbus would be responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the trail an

Whoo-hoo Seattle, the sun is out! Let's discuss a few things before you fumble with swapping the unused ski rack for the unused bike rack on the Subaru. So yes, you've noticed the sun is out, and hey!- maybe it would be cool to to some bike riding. Let's keep in mind that the sun came out of all 600,000 of us, so for the most part, you're not the only one who noticed. Please remember that when you walk into my shop on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. It will save you from looking like a complete twat that huffs "Why are there so many people here?" Are we all on the same page now about it being sunny outside? Have we all figured out that we're not the only clever people that feel sunny days are good for bike riding? Great. I want to kiss all of you on your forehead for sharing this moment with me. Put your vitamin D starved fingers in mine, and we'll move on together to some pointers that will make life easier. SOME POINTERS FOR THE PHONE: - I

My type of rider As discussed in earlier blogs, I am learning how to ride a bike, and the more time I spend in the saddle the more I learn, sometimes the more I question as well. But I am definatly learning the type of riders there are and where I fit into the mix. So first, I guess I should explain what I mean by "types" of riders. Today I will concentrate on the Roadies, Mountain Bikers will come at a later date. So we have firstly: The Racer- oh you know the ones, slimmer, faster, meaner then any of the roadies. The ones who speed past you when your just riding to the supermarket. They wear team kit all of the bloody time, except when its dirty, then its Assos and Gore all the way. They ride for miles, work part time, drink espresso, carb load, hang out with other racers and have skinny girlfriends with big breasts. The Mile Junky- 20 miles is a ride around the block to these lot. They must ride everyday, and if they dont finish off the week with a long, long ride