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Showing posts from October 11, 2015

Do cyclists ride in the middle of the road simply to annoy motorists? @bikeroar

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image:  manchestereveningnews.co.uk Let me start by pointing out the obvious: Cyclists DO block the road. It is also true that many motorists find this extremely frustrating, which has led, unfortunately, to terrible decisions being made and cyclists ending up injured or killed. Do bike riders do this deliberately to put themselves in harm's way? I can vouch for most road cyclists that one of the main objectives when heading out on a bike is to arrive home firmly in the land of the living, not the realm of the dead. One popular television journalist likened road cyclists to cockroaches, and we all know what happens to them! (the cockroaches, not the journalists). I implore every road user to ignore this foolish ignorance, but if you wonder,  "if it is so important to stay alive, why do so many cyclists seem intent on blocking traffic by riding in the middle of the lane?",  then read on... [Keep reading at BikeRoar]

Ride, hustle, kill, repeat: the underground cycle gangs of Los Angeles @guardian

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 Willo, a former gang member who served time in jail, leads the Hope Street race. Photograph: Noah Smith for the Guardian A golden moon hung over the city, and as night deepened the crowd lounging off Hope Street grew giddy. People swigged beer, marijuana spiced the air, hip-hop streamed from a sound system. It felt like a gritty picnic, minus food. A yell from a guy with a Hawaiian shirt and a clipboard signalled business, however, and the hundred-strong crowd promptly lined the sidewalk, expectant. The race was about to begin. About two dozen riders, many in Lycra, some in jeans, gathered at a traffic light with their eyes fixed on the race marshal, a ragged figure with a raised baton. The contest that followed was noteworthy for several reasons. Some competitors had been among the boozers and smokers. The marshal was a homeless man who sleeps under a nearby bush. There were no traffic cones or markings delineating the route. And most striking of all: this guerrilla bicycle ev

This Video Will Get You Off Your Ass and On Your Bike

Video: Carbon Sidecar from Scandinavian Side Bike

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Video: Darren Berrecloth Farewell

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Hunting for Monsters (trailer)

Hunting for Monsters (trailer) from Bjørn on Vimeo .

CHICAGO TOASTS A SHIFT IN THE REAL ESTATE THAT SHAPES CITIES MOST: STREETS @peopleforbikes

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A buffered bike lane in Chicago, Illinois. Compared to 100 miles of almost anything else a city can build, 100 miles of buffered and protected bike lanes costs  practically nothing  to install. But when you look beyond the budget line items and start to consider what it means to transfer access to part of a city's  most valuable asset  — physical space — a few stripes painted onto previously car-dominated streets can represent a massive investment. When it's wide and comfortable, a buffered bike lane is a big improvement over a conventional bike lane that also opens the door to further change in the future: adding the physical protection, such as curbs or posts or parked cars, that is required to make biking relevant to a much larger share of the population. [Keep reading at People for Bikes]