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Showing posts from March 10, 2013

Have grill, will ride. Backbrat

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[See more about it here]

Becoming a Biking Family [Paranoid Stay at Home Mom]

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“We spend how much on the car?” My wife asked in disbelief at the figure I had presented to her during a discussion of our family’s budget. She had already been bike commuting to work most days and the kids and I were doing the lion’s share of our errands around town by bike. Our car sat unused for a week or more at a time. When we added all the car expenses up (purchase price, insurance, maintenance, registration, and gas) it averaged out to over $500 per month. Car expenses had always been something we accepted. They were just something we took as part of life. We paid them and never questioned if they were necessary... until now.  Let me back up-- about a year after our first child was born, I thought it would be fun to go biking with kiddo. I bought a $50 mountain bike and $30 kid trailer off craigslist. After a tune-up at the local bike shop, the bike ended up costing closer to $200, but that’s another story. A neighbor gave us a kid-sized helmet and we began using the bike/trai

Follow Danielle Musto race her FAT BIKE!

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Friday (day before the race):  I was up at 5 a.m. and out the door by 6. After a quick stop for coffee I drove 2.5 hours North to pick up Jorden. He was literally waiting for me right off an exit ramp! We threw his Mukluk and bags in the truck (Big Red) and were on our way. The 12 hour drive to Cable, Wisconsin went by much quicker then I thought that it would.  Maybe I'm becoming immune to long trips in the car???  Anyways, it seemed like we were pulling into the Telemark lodge in no time. After picking up our registration packets we ate a quick (and not very good dinner), and then ate a second dinner of food we had brought with us. Jorden had peanut butter and bread and I had trail mix plus some cold, hard mac&cheese. Dinner of champions :-) I was in bed and sleeping by 9 a.m. I think it was the most sleep I've ever gotten before a race. Saturday (race day):  When my alarm went off at 5:45 a.m. I was awake and ready to go. The Fat Bike Birkie started and ended at Telema

Gone In 15 Seconds: The UK's Stolen Second-Hand Bicycle Market [BikeShepherd]

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As cycling has grown in popularity, more bikes are being resold on the second-hand online market. Not all of these are legitimate. So how do prospective bike buyers minimize their chances of buying stolen bikes on online classified sites?   In the UK, a survey from London Cycling Campaign found that one out of every 6 bikes sold online is stolen, with many bikes up for sale within hours of being taken.     College towns such as Oxford, Cambridge, York, Norwich, Sheffield and Lincoln are some of the highest bike crime hotspots with London & Edinburgh being in the top three for worst cities for bike theft overall.   Selling stolen bikes online is big business. In   Edinburgh, one man was charged with selling 28 stolen bikes on Gumtree, one of which was valued at £4,000. All the bikes were being sold at a fraction of their real worth.       The investigating officer, PC Keith Young, said: "The person who saw his stolen bike on Gumtree was looking for his property

Columbus Rides Bikes will be heading to Detroit to attend Detroit Bike City 2013 (@detroitbikecity)

Columbus Rides Bikes will be heading to Detroit to attend Detroit Bike City 2013 [Facebook event] Detroit Bike City returns to Cobo Center to fill an even bigger space, Wayne Hall. With 100,000 ft2 of floor space and 30 foot ceilings, Wayne Hall is going to be filled with bikes, lots and lots of bikes. With vendors from all over the Midwest and beyond offering new, used, custom, road, mountain, BMX and more, all things two wheeled will be covered. www.detroitbikecity.org March 16, 2013 Cobo Center // Wayne Hall 10:00am - 6:00pm $10 at the door (look out for early bird tickets with discounts / raffles) Kids 12 and under get in free Everyone in welcome to swap for FREE, details below. Detroit Bike City is the premier bicycle event of the year. Started in 2012, Detroit Bike City took hold of the cycling community with a bike show on a scale that Detroit had not yet seen, and it was met with great appreciation. What to expect: Detroit Bike City 2013 is expected to more than double the fi

RACING THE END ------(Marathon Crash Race 2011)

RACING THE END ------(Marathon Crash Race 2011) from Warren Kommers on Vimeo . On March 17th 2013, The Marathon Crash Race is back! Register at  wolfpackhustle.com  if you want to race and find out more about this event and future races. Registration is free foo and everyone is invited. Join Wolfpack Hustle on FB facebook.com/groups/wolfpackhustle/ Marathon Crash Race 2012 FB Event Page: facebook.com/events/222268527859119/ For 2012 event/film sponsorship inquires contact: event:  roadblock@wolfpackhustle.com film:  warrenkommers@gmail.com Music: Cliff Martinez, First Sleep, Solaris Soundtrack itunes.apple.com/us/album/solaris-original-motion-picture/id327130320 Health, We are Water amazon.com/Get-Color/dp/B002MHG9LI/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329961255&sr=301-1 Beck, Going Nowhere Fast Cameras: 60D, 5D, 7D, AF100, GoPro

Bikes in Space: Taking the Lane #10 @ellyblue [Kickstarter]

"Bikes in Space" was a whim, but it's a whim that's been a long time coming.  I started reading science fiction as a child, While I read broadly, I gravitated away from writers whose characters were macho heroes, hurtling through space with giant guns, ready to protect and/or tame their scantily clad space babe. I remember the realization that this was a trope, and also that it didn't have to be, and that to deviate from it could be quite radical. I related far more to visions of the future that were populated by strong, intelligent, empowered women with complex personalities, and I hoped I would grow up to be one of them. The  Taking the Lane  series, of which "Bikes in Space" is the tenth issue, began as a response to some especially infuriating instances of unquestioned sexism I encountered in the bicycle movement and while riding my bike. The series has evolved over two and a half years into something even bigger and better—a platform for man

2013 Funk 100/200 is Saturday June 29th

For the 2013 edition of the Funk Bottoms Gravel the distance will be 100K/200K. Riders will have the option if riding one lap or two laps. The Funk 100/200 will be on Saturday June 29th at 7:00 at the Funk Bottoms Wildlife observation platform parking lot in Funk, OH. On each 62 mile loop riders can expect paved, chip & seal, gravel, and dirt roads with over 5,500 feet of climbing.  To enter send a postcard with your name, hometown, email address, and category (see below) for the event to: Funk Bottoms Gravel 8609 SR-176 BVH, OH 44147-1907 Category Funk 100 Open  Men Open Women Funk 200 Open Men Open Women The Funk 100/200 is a self supported event you must be prepared for any mechanical or nutrition needs. There will be 2 parks at approximately miles 12 and 36 that will have water. The course will NOT be marked. A cue sheet will be distributed prior to the event. All riders are required to have a cyclocomputer that can track mileage - Yes, we will verify that you

Mountain bike tire pressure - all you need to know [BikeRadar]

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Question:  I’m relatively new to mountain biking, so forgive me if this seems silly, but how important is it to follow the recommended tire pressure guidelines? They seem much higher than I feel I should be running. Answer:  Tire  pressure is a critical component in getting the most out of your mountain bike. There are a number of variables that go into figuring out the ideal pressure range for a bicycle tire. Many of those are completely out of the control of the manufacturer, causing them to err on the side of caution. “It’s a lawyer thing, for sure,” said Schwalbe's North American OE sales manager Henry Horrocks. A tire’s maximum pressure is not the pressure at which it will burst like a balloon; more often than not it’s the rim that can’t withstand the pressure. Not all bicycle rims are created equal; some can withstand much higher pressures than others. Companies have no way of knowing which rims you, the consumer, will be pairing with their tires. Consequently, thei

DORA Bicycle Helmet Concept

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Cyclist Connection - March 16th is THE Sale NOT to miss!!

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This Saturday, March 16th starting at 9AM, don’t miss our biggest BLOWOUT of the season. EVERYTHING in stock is on sale at CLEARANCE prices (get rid of the old and in with the new). EVERYTHING MUST GO! Have something you want to sell or trade? Bring it along or bring it early. Spring cleaning has begun!! The SWAP MEET begins at 9am as well  [Cyclist Connection]

Amish Country Roubaix is April 6, 2013

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Helmet cam footage of some of the milder sections of the Amish Country Roubaix route in Holmes County, Ohio. Race is coming up on April 6, 2013. Go to www.amishcountryroubaix.com for details.

City to spend $8.7 million on trail upgrades [Northland News]

The city of Columbus will add two significant pieces -- and 6.25 miles overall -- to its system of bikeway trails this year. Included in the $8.7 million in planned 2013 improvements to city trails is the 3.5-mile extension of the Camp Chase Rail Trail, a $1.6 million project that will connect to the Ohio to Erie Trail, completing a 160-mile section of continuous path from Columbus to Cincinnati. When the northern section is complete, the statewide trail will be more than 260 miles as it stretches from Cincinnati to Cleveland. "I think we are beyond excited about the Camp Chase trail improvements because of what it does," said Terri Leist, an assistant director with the city's Recreation and Parks Department. "It allows that connection to Cincinnati via Dayton, via Yellow Springs and every little town along the trail." Another substantial addition is the Alum Creek Trail, which completes the two final segments near Ohio Dominican University to Easton,

Lawson BLUE RIDGE CAMPING HAMMOCK

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Blue Ridge Camping Hammocks are the finest tent hammocks, jungle hammocks and wilderness hammocks made anywhere. This camping hammock is lightweight, weather resistant, and flying insect free. Blue Ridge Camping Hammocks are designed specifically for backpacking in hard terrain. Anywhere a tent can't go the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock is there - mountainside, jungle, wilderness, along river beds, etc... It's for people who are on the move, who need to set up fast and go. It can be used either as a tent hammock or on the ground as a bivy tent. Blue Ridge Camping Hammocks are made of the finest materials, including a nylon pack cloth bed, rip-stop nylon rain fly, and no-see-um netting. Blue Ridge Camping Hammocks are safe, comfortable, easy to set up, and really protect the occupants from flying insects and the elements. It's also light-weight, weighing only 4.25 lbs. Users don't have to carry added bulky weight such as ground tarps and sleeping pads. Blue Ridge Camp

AROUND THE WORLD IN 1,026 DAYS [Outside]

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Erden Eruc.  Photo:  Ryan Heffernan Who is the man at the oars, alone in the middle of the ocean? What is his purpose? Ten-foot swells roll beneath the little boat, ferrying it into the troughs, then lifting it, presenting the horizon in queasy undulations. He drives his feet against a brace plate, dunking the carbon-fiber blades, putting the full power of his Popeye forearms and blocky shoulders into his strokes. The oarlocks groan; the  Calderdale  slips a few more feet through black water. The date was December 3, 2007. Erden Eruc, a 46-year-old Turkish-American software engineer from Seattle, had been on the Pacific for 147 days, struggling forward in a 24-foot plywood rowboat. For weeks there had been rain on and off; his world was sodden and gray. Salt sores—burning red boils raised by chafing and sea spray—covered his arms and thighs. He was roughly halfway between Northern California, where he’d started, and the eastern coast of Australia, his destination, a distanc

Traffic camera ban sought by some Ohio lawmakers: Road Rant [cleveland.com]

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View full size Legislation introduced at the Statehouse could prohibit Cleveland and other Ohio communities from red-light and speed enforcement cameras. Plain Dealer file    Some state lawmakers want to ban the controversial red-light and speed cameras that ticket thousands of motorists a month in Cleveland and more than a dozen other towns in Ohio. Legislation  introduced last month would prohibit communities, counties and the State Highway Patrol from using photo-monitoring devices to enforce traffic laws.  State Rep. Zack Milkovich, a Democrat from Akron, said the cameras siphon money out of people's wallets. Milkovich is a cosponsor of the bill, which has bipartisan support. "They're oppressive to folks just trying to put food on the table," said Milkovich, who added that he regularly hears complaints about the devices. "It's a little bit too much." Cleveland officials believe the proposed legislation is unconstitutional given a city'

LBi UK - Cool Unicorn Bruv

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London’s Billion Euro Cycling Plan – A Story of Successful Advocacy [ECF]

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About ECF’s UK members ECF’s member groups in the UK include Cyclenation, the umbrella group of city cycling campaigns, CTC the national cyclists’ organisation and Sustrans the sustainable transport charity. All played a big part in the campaigns in London. You can find a copy of London’s new plan here London has planned to spend over €1 billion (£913 million) to revitalize urban cycling. Such changes would not have been possible without a strong advocacy movement.  You’ve probably heard the news. London’s cycling revolution has been backed with money, big money. More than one billion euro.  The capital’s ambitious new cycling plan backs Dutch style infrastructure with strong commitments on better cycle routes, traffic restriction and ‘Little Holland’ style developments. The £913m investment forms part of a ten year plan with the majority of infrastructure to be built within the first four years.  So how did this change come about? Well, credit should definitely go to

The Bike Helmet Paradox [The Atlantic]

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(Jonathan Hayward / AP) Admonishing a teenager for smoking is commonplace. Reprimanding people for  taking antibiotics when they don't really need them  is the next big thing. And giving people a hard time about biking without a helmet is still entirely in vogue. It's because we care. But as we learned from  the original food pyramid , sometimes good intentions pave the road to adult-onset diabetes.  People are still questioning whether bicycle helmets, compulsory or voluntary, reduce injuries. Do we ride more aggressively when we wear them, because we feel invincible, putting our whole bodies in more dangerous situations? Drivers are  more cautious  around riders without helmets. While  good evidence says helmets do  their job in reducing head injuries, we're best to -- as in all things -- think outside of our heads. Helmet laws are associated with a number of less intuitive behaviors. The case against them is increasingly compelling -- surfaced again last week  in

H&M for Brick Lane Bikes - Look Book video

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