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Showing posts from September 22, 2013

Cycling in the US from a Dutch perspective | YouTube

Avid St. Paul cyclist bikes through pregnancy, to hospital for birth | myfoxtwincities.com

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - There are many stories about pregnant women driving themselves to the hospital, but biking there? That's what one St. Paul woman did with her doctor's blessing. For many mothers, just being pregnant is uncomfortable -- but Amber Dallman wasn't going to let carrying a child slow her down. "I've always biked," she explained. "When we were younger, that's how we got around." As someone who works in public health and promotes physical activity, Dallman certainly leads by example. She ordered a specially-designed cargo bike from Holland to cart around a couple of kids, pick up groceries and drop her son, Fritz, off at daycare. "This is probably my favorite bike to ride now," she said. So, it should really come as no surprise that when it was time to give birth to her daughter, Elise, Dallman made the trip to Regions Hospital on two wheels. "I'll be the first to admit this is a little over the

Transforming the Old Bay Bridge Into a Park for Adventure Tourists | Gizmodo

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Now that the  new Bay Bridge  is here, what to do with the old one...? Is the  slow and expensive demolition  of the iconic structure really the best or even most cost-effective answer? A handful of local proposals have emerged, both earnest and speculative, hoping to find perhaps at least some useful future for the now obsolete mega-span, currently just a ruin strung uselessly through the air. The Bridge should be  broken up and incorporated into local housing , some say; others, like architects  Ron Rael and Virginia San Fratello , think the Bridge should instead be seismically stabilized, retrofit with clusters of smaller buildings, and converted into a public park. 3 Indeed, several years ago,  Rael San Fratello , as their office is called, released a series of images intended not as actual design proposals for the future of the Bay Bridge, but as somewhat tongue-in-cheek conversation starters: they depicted the Bridge refit with climbing walls, bike paths, outdoor cine

Glory Hole | YouTube

Tour Divide 2013, Ballin Halls | Bill Bryson is a Pussy

Why does anyone ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race? Why do I ride it? I have said many times, I am a cyclo tourer much more than I am a bike racer. Then why the hell are you racing this damn thing?   Hmmmm. Questions I have been mulling over for some time. Reasons for riding the gdmbr mostly fall into a few categories according to me.   1. The divide route is gorgeous, amazing, epic, scenic. It brings a rider out, OUT, into the west. Escape from society is not total, but much more than any other normal bike tour. 2. You’re a competitive son of a bitch who loves the idea of going hard and beating the shit out of your buddies. 3000 miles over 2 weeks, an epic race. Along with that are results. You were attracted to the race based on those insane folks who tore it up in years past. Your respect them for their accomplishments and results have stuck with you, and dammit, that could be you. 3. You’re a gearhead  Between the ages of 30 and 50. Hungry for an adventure. Slight

A Vintage Bike Ride In France | Bike Pretty

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This past June I found myself on a vintage bike ride through the Loire Valley region of France: the  Anjou Vélo Vintage. Along with my good friend  Kelly , her French boyfriend  Sebastien , Jenny and Peter from the London Bike Kitchen , and about 2,500 other  well-dressed cyclists. Despite quaffing obscene amounts of the delicious local  champagne  sparkling wine the night before,  our bike gang managed to ride about 30 kilometers on vintage steeds (lent to us very generously by the organizers of the  Anjou Vélo Vintage ). [Read more at Bike Pretty]

Slow Roll noticed: Massive Detroit bike ride raises questions from city officials

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DETROIT, MI -- It started with about 10 bikes rolling slowly through the city. They multiplied over the last three years, and some 1,600 bicyclists rode through Detroit's neighborhoods Monday night in the extraordinarily diverse weekly gathering. But the Slow Roll has gotten so big that city officials have taken notice after hearing some complaints about clogged roads. The attention could threaten to complicate the free, informal gathering. "I have nothing against bike riders, but... They're blocking the traffic quite a bit," said City Council member Brenda Jones on Tuesday. "I don't want to see them stop, but they need to know that there needs to be something in place." She said she was stuck in traffic herself Monday as the bicycle horde rolled through an intersection and that other drivers were turning to her for intervention. "There's no way you're going to ticket all of those participants," Jones sai

Parents shocked by 'ban' on cycling to Risca school | South Wales Argus

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Pupils at Risca Primary school are upset that they are no longer allowed to bring their bikes to school (1106249) Parents say that children at Risca Primary have been banned from riding their bikes to school. Ceri Jeffries, 32, has three ten-year-olds at the school and says she is shocked the school has taken this decision considering its “eco” status. Her children normally cycle in a group with four other children, cutting the twenty minute walk down to a five minute ride. But now she says they cannot bring their bikes on site, and have to chain them outside the grounds if they decide to continue cycling. Mrs Jeffries said she understood the school bike shed was to be removed. She said: “The school is an eco- friendly school but has decided that children are no longer allowed to cycle to and from school, even though children have been doing this for years, including myself as a child.” [Keep reading at South Wales Argus]

NYCycle for Google Glass

The State of Bike Commuting | Bicycling

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Rapid Results Installing a mile-long protected lane on Ninth Avenue in New York City resulted in a 49% estimated potential increase in retail sales among merchants located along the path and a 58% reduction in injuries to all street users (cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers). Source: New York City Department of Transportation, Measuring the Street, 2012 [See more statistics at Bicycling]

Danny MacAskill's Imaginate | YouTube

Mountain Bike River Jump | YouTube

The 50 Best Bike Shops In America 2013 | The Active Times - Congrats @paradisegarage #23

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As we've said before, a good bike shop is more than just a place to buy new wheels. It’s also a place to get your trusty steed patched up or learn how to do it for yourself (teach a man to fish, they say…). It’s a place to swap war stories about the dead-of-winter commute or receive hard-earned advice regarding gear ratios and componentry. It’s where you can find an after-work group ride, link up with a training partner, get information on the local singletrack or volunteer to help maintain it. In other words, we at The Active Times think that, at its best, a good local bike shop (“LBS” in cyclist parlance) is the hub of the cycling community. Because we love biking so much, we wanted to recognize 50 shops across the nation that embody this spirit better than anyone. A couple weeks ago,  we asked you to get involved and vote  for the best bike shops in America. [See the 50 Best Bike Shops at The Active Times]

Light & Motion Taz 1000 Review | Urban Velo

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Light & Motion has always been at the forefront of the high-powered commuter light market. The venerable Vega  came out more than 10 years ago, and at the time 85 lumens seemed more than impressive for a self-contained, rechargeable headlight. I ran that thing for years, and eventually gave it to a young cyclist who’s still using it to this day. That speaks volumes about the quality of Light & Motion products. The market has seen tremendous advances in technology, and now the 1000 lumen Taz isn’t even the brightest light on the market. As you might surmise, it’s way more light than most people need, but there are folks out there who want or genuinely need such a light. There are definitely roads in my city that are pitch black at night, but you could still coast at more than 20 mph. Head out into the suburbs and the number of similar situations is multiplied. And let’s not forget the potential for using the Taz offroad, as I have been doing extensively. I used to own a top

Amidst Car Culture, Breaking The Law Is “Ethical” | theurbancountry.com

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Driving at night – Photo by  Dennis Wilkinson Here in Canada – and especially in Ontario – you could be cruising along the highway at 125km/h in a maximum 100km/h zone – and many other drivers will still be buzzing past you. Bicycling on an empty sidewalk, or rolling through a red light at an empty intersection on a bicycle  evokes sharp criticism in the media , usually by journalists who are clinging to their car culture and have probably never ridden a bicycle in a city before. When entitled drivers chastise me about bicyclist behaviour, I ask them if they ever break the law when they drive. First they say no. But when you query them about speeding, they say “well, everybody does that. It’s harmless”. I am currently enrolled in an online university course in business ethics. While reading the course materials tonight, the text discussed how people can obey the law, but be unethical. Similarly, someone can break the law, but still be acting ethically. This is of

Reconnecting the Historic Columbia River Highway | YouTube

Going Slowly: Two Years of Travel | Vimeo

Going Slowly: Two Years of Travel from Going Slowly on Vimeo . The hungry cycle tourist's guide to slowing down, eating well, and savoring life on the open road. A cookbook with 50 recipes! THE BEGINNING After returning from a multi-year bicycle tour across Europe and Asia with my husband Tyler, I set about writing a cookbook for other two-wheeled wanderers.  Bike. Camp. Cook.  is the result of my labor. Despite the obvious focus on cycling, it's a beautiful food-centric journey for anyone to enjoy. For a taste of the adventure that inspired me, here is glimpse of two years on the road, condensed into five minutes of photos.   For a more detailed account, check out our award-winning website,  goingslowly.com . [Help fund it at Kickstarter]

Bike thief gets caught

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Bike Touring Special: How to Pack Your Bike | adventure journal

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Photo by Aaron Teasdale For as long as people have been touring on bicycles,  people have been carrying too much stuff when they tour on bicycles. In fact, the central image most people have when you mention bike touring are the people you see with a full set of front panniers, rear panniers, and a mountain of crap — pillows, guitars, their dog — strapped on top. The eternal debate in cyclotouring is panniers vs trailers, but more than once I’ve seen people loaded down with both like they were punishing themselves for past crimes. The truth is that both panniers and trailers work great, though panniers are a better choice for road touring and single-wheel trailers for dirt. Panniers are fine for mellow dirt, but put more strain on your wheels and affect bike handling more than a trailer. Trailers are fine for pavement, but I’d suggest a two-wheeler like the Burley Nomad rather than a single-wheel trailer. Single-wheelers like BOBs require more handlebar input to balance and make