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Showing posts from November 30, 2008

Motorist Rules for a Bicycle-Friendly Community

What can the motorist do to avoid car/bike crashes? Some recommendations: 1. Be aware that when a traffic lane is too narrow for cars and bikes to ride side by side, bicyclists should "take the lane", which means riding in or near the center of the lane. 2. Maintain a safety zone of approximately three feet between the car and the bicyclist. Consider the car`s right outside mirror when maintaining this safety zone. 3. Pass a bicyclist only when it can be done safely. Do not blast your horn when passing a bicyclist - this could startle the bicyclist and cause a crash. 4. A motorist may cross a double yellow line to pass a bicycle (or other slower vehicle) as long as the faster vehicle is capable of passing without exceeding the speed limit and as long as there is sufficient clear space in which to do so. 5. Leave ample room when merging or turning right after passing a bicyclist so the bicyclist is not cut off when the motorist merges or slows for the turn. A strong bicyclist

From the mailbag: A Children Services Holiday Bike-A-Thon

THE BACKGROUND: My husband Brian and I are foster parents with Franklin County Children Services. While we aren't currently fostering a child, we are involved as volunteers. There are over 5,000 local children under FCCS care. It's an astounding number. Most have been neglected or abused at some point in their short lives. Public funds cannot be used for foster children's gifts. The majority of these children depend on community generosity to receive even one holiday gift. Through the FCCS Holiday Wish campaign, you can brighten the holidays for these children in need. You can provide new, unwrapped toys of any kind, donate gift cards or contribute cash. But, I'm asking for something more, something special. We have organized an impromptu "bike-a-thon". THE PHILOSOPHY: Think back to some of your favorite childhood activities. I bet riding your bike is one that comes to mind. Your bike allowed you to visit friends, go to the pool, the park, school, a part-time

Want to bike the Most Dangerous Road?

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Mountain Biking Down The World's Most Dangerous Road. Quite deservedly, this mountain bike ride is our most popular and World famous. Featured in more than 60 magazine and newspaper articles, (as well as six television shows and on the lips and Blogs of almost every backpacker and adventure traveler in South America), this ride is not only famous, but so is GRAVITY!. CUT TO THE CHASE: Show me the photo slideshow of The World's Most Dangerous Road!!! The previews you've all been looking for... The Gravity Video Disco Mix: The World's Most Dangerous Road in 3 minutes 15 seconds. Download it here (it's 64 meg, so it will take a while) by right clicking HERE and choosing 'save as'. The Gravity BEST OF WMDR Photo Gallery. Take a moment to check out a slide show of our photos HERE. Check it out today so you know what you are getting yourself in for when you do our world-famous ride... Or if you have already done it tell your friends and relatives to check these ou

Casualties of the economy... UPDATE

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I read a comment on another blog that indicated Devore Bicycles is closed. I wanted to verify this and gave them a call. They are operating on winter hours for service only. The person I spoke with on the phone said they are not selling new bicycles at this time. So if you need service on your bike please patronize the locally owned bicycle shops. Their site...

World's Most Dangerous Road Video

Casualties of the economy...

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A Gear Higher bicycle shop is closing...

Super Micro Bike

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At SuperMicroBike.com our passion is bicycles and we enjoy what we do. Our bikes were originally designed for racing, but our ultimate goal is to produce a bike that is safe on city streets and country roads. See our “New Developments” section below. SuperMicroBike is owned and operated by Jeffrey-James who has been riding bike since age five. A simultaneous goal is to provide the opportunity for anyone to reduce their impact footprint on the world. The average American throws over 600 lbs of pollutants into the air each year driving an automobile. Combined, cars, SUV’s and light trucks contribute more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide (the dominant greenhouse gas) each year to the atmosphere. Here at Super Micro Bike, we encourage commuting and everyday travel by bike rather than motorized vehicle to reduce your overall impact. We also are minimizing our manufacturing impact by using environmentally friendly materials and processes as well as recycled materials whenever feasible

B O N E S H A K E R: A Bicycling Almanac

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The editors of Boneshaker believe that the bicycle, when conceived of and used appropriately, can become a tool for social change and community building. And though bicycling has become, for better or worse, an activity tied to radical undertones and bohemian implications, we are less interested in those types of categorizations and more so with simply riding bicycles to get where we are going. This almanac is, therefore, a collective ode to the ride itself, that fundamentally lonesome experience one has in the saddle, and the results of repeating that ride over and over in different directions on different days with different destinations in each instance. Boneshaker is not, however, anti-car; it’s just thoroughly pro-bike in heart and mind. With interviews of respected members of the bicycling community, as well as profiles of bike-related grassroots organizations and individuals, not to mention essays, graphs, lists, letters, and stories, Bonesheker attempts to shine light on utilit

Public Hearing Announcement - Columbus Bicycle Law

Subject: Public Hearing on Bicycle Law Friends, As you've read in the past two newsletters, Consider Biking was invited to participate as a stakeholder in revising/enhancing the Columbus Traffic Code as it relates to bicycles. This project was one of the first recomendations from the recently adopted Bicentennial Bikeways PLAN. Many of you raised your hand, and channeled great feedback to the City staff. I'm most excited that we've engaged 20+ EVERYDAY cyclists in reviewing the proposed law. And, let me tell you...that's probably 20+ more than would have been engaged in years past! And, I was most amazed that of the 20+ cyclists, almost all caught different mistakes in the draft legislation, or had different suggestions. It took that many people to thoroughly review and comment on this massive undertaking with unique perspectives. The proposal has been through several revisions, and is on track to be introduced to City Council on December 15th. There will be two more c

WAD Squad official parade video

When your bike is stolen with a Zoombak, track it with GPS

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The Zoombak™ Universal A-GPS Locator is a simple and ingenious way to keep track of anything that needs keeping track of — including bicycles, backpacks and more! More...

Scratch it up to deter theft?

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Temporary stickers on clear paper These rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike/car look rusted and scratched so that passing thieves assume it's not worth stealing due to its apparent shabbyness. Note. This anti-theft device is not guaranteed to work in any way. However I have stuck them to my shiney new red bike and can confirm it hasn't been stolen yet. 13 days of not being stolen in London probably equates to 7 years of non-stealing in the friendly countryside. Inventor's website

Beat the system... Change the light, don't run it.

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Bike Gadget Turns Red Lights Green, from Wired. Getting stuck at a red light that won't change sucks. It's even worse when you're on a bicycle because you'll never see green until a car rolls up and trips the sensor. That's never seemed fair to Ed Richley, so he's invented a gadget that tricks red lights into turning green. "About 10 years ago, when I lived in California, a colleague told me about a particularly obstinate (light) on his commute, and asked me to build something to force a detection," Richley told Wired.com. What he's built is a gadget he calls a Traffic Loop Sensor Activator, and it does exactly what the name suggests — it trips the sensor that tells signal lights traffic is waiting. The bike commuter and engineer from Maryland has patented (.pdf) the device and is looking for someone to mass produce it. It doesn't look like much — in fact, it's pretty clunky, and the gram-conscious crowd will recoil in horror at its size —

Isotruss Bicycle

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Arantix by Delta 7 Sports The only bike in the world built with IsoTruss technology. Limited production Hand-crafted Carbon fiber and Kevlar frames Extremely durable Frame weight 2.6 lbs No rider weight limitations Delta 7 Sports website...

Honjo Fenders available at Velo Orange

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Honjo-Koken, Tokyo makes the very best fenders in the world. They are a stunning reproduction of classic French aluminum fenders, but with better quality control and workmanship. The 43mm width is the most popular, but we also stock the 35mm and 45mm widths. They are available in smooth, fluted, and hammered finish. Velo Orange, VO, brand fenders are a less expensive, but still very high quality, alternative to Honjos. The main difference is that VO aluminum fenders are not polished, but have a matte finish. Both Honjo and VO fenders are lighter and provide far more spray protection than equivalent plastic fenders. All our fenders are sold as pairs only and include hardware and stays. The site is here...

Cool shoe design from Vibram

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barefooting (bare•foot•n) n. 1. The exhilarating joy of going barefoot without leaving yourself exposed; 2. any activity requiring unconventional footwear offering the protection of a thin, flexible Vibram skin; 3. an intelligent way to deepen your connection with your natural surroundings. The site...

chris d's single speed

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chris d's single speed Originally uploaded by natearm Freak single speed bike. Check it out

WTB tires for winter

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USAGE:Cyclocross / Dual Sport CONDITIONS:Dry / Hardpack MSRP:$25 The Interwolf features a low profile, double-fin central tread that provides nimble, swift-rolling attributes and predictable cornering on pavement and hardpack. Its wide 38c casing absorbs trail chatter and provides a smooth, stable ride. If you can get 38's on your bike they are great tires. Their site...

WAD Bikeway Association Annual Meeting

The WAD Bikeway Association Annual Meeting will be held tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm. Location: Linden Branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library. wadbikeway.blogspot.com Directions: Exit I-71 at Hudson St Go east RON Cleveland - go one block RON Kohr Library parking lot on left

Friday Night Ride Follow-up

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Over the Thanksgiving Day holiday I wanted to get out on the bike. Kevin, Ashley and I decided to hit a couple gravel roads. The evening started out with a catastrophic blowout. I changed over my tires to the WTB knobbies, but didn't inflate them until I got to Wheeling. I pumped them up and in haste did not check to see if the tube was pinched. It was, and it sounded like a gunshot when it blew out. We started in Woodsdale and headed over to Washington Ave. Up to the trail. Of course they are rebuilding the bridge and it is chaos to cross the road and get back on the trail. Down to Elm Grove and we wound through the parking lots and back streets to the plaza and onto National Road. Then we turned up Peters Run. Lots of traffic on Friday night. We then hit Stewart's Hill which is gravel and ice, and fresh loose gravel. We climbed up to the top and turned onto Chapel Hill. At that point Ashley realized that the cold, about 30 degrees at the time, makes bike light batteries go wo

Wild and Wonderful

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As soon as I came off the ramp of the Oglebay exit in Wheeling I pulled up behind this. Classic West Virginia vehicle with hand painted message on wheel cover, "Earl and Robin." The truck itself looked like someone had pushed it off a cliff.