A Do-It-Yourself Bicycle Powered Snow Plow [via Make:]

The custom 3-wheel bike with sidecar was made years ago, a replica of a bike my childhood friend had. Last winter I added a snow plow accessory. Up to 1 inch of snow doesn't make it worthwhile to fire up my big 8HP snowthrower. And shoveling my 90' long driveway by hand can be too much. So my bike plow makes it easy to make a few runs up and down the driveway to make 2 or 3 piles that can then be easily hand shoveled off to the side. A lever pulls up or lets down the plow with a rope and pulley. Pulling the lever all the way back cantilevers the rope and pivot point so it locks in place. The plow blade is hinged with a bungee cord, so hitting a discrepancy in the road allows the blade to flop and give like a real plow. The bike can turn on a dime so raising the plow and returning up the adjacent path is quick and easy. I can do 'reverse' by pushing down on the front wheel with my foot to roll it backwards.Totally useless with larger snow falls, but the light ones make snow removal fun. (yes, my neighbors do think I'm odd)

[make:]

As seen at Paradise Garage

I saw a lot of Masi bikes on the floor at Paradise Garage. Fuji road bikes are available with full carbon frame and 105 in the $1500 range. New lines will be added soon.

REMINDER: Ride the Divide, Award Winning Documentary, will be shown at COSI THIS Monday!

RIDE THE DIVIDE,
AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILM,

ON MIDWEST MID-WINTER TOUR 

Ride The Divide, the award-winning feature-length documentary about the world’s toughest mountain bike race, will kick off a Midwest mid-winter tour when it premieres in Columbus on Monday, January 24, at the COSI Extreme Screen Theater. The film chronicles the story of several mountain bikers who attempt the 2,711-mile race named the Tour Divide along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The movie was named the Best Adventure Film at the 2010 Vail Film Festival.

This film has become an instant cycling classic, and made its television premiere in September on the Documentary Channel. But the Adventure Cycling Association said the film should be seen on the big screen: “The cinematography is stunning!” Nowhere will it be more stunning than on COSI’s 7-story-tall extreme screen.

UpaDowna added, “Ride The Divide is one of the most inspiring real cycling movies … in a long time.” Epic Riding summed the movie up as follows: “In a word? Fantastic. In more words? Moving, funny, inspiring.”

Ride The Divide embraces the inspiring stories of three of the racers who experience the immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada, to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border. There’s Mike, a 40-year-old family man who uses this challenge to chart a new course in life; Matthew, a leader in extreme endurance racing who’s competing for his fifth time; and Mary, the first female rider to race this route. As they set out, they will attempt to accomplish what very few have been able to. Over the course of a few weeks, they’ll attempt to climb over 200,000 vertical feet along the backbone of the Rocky Mountains.

They’ll experience mental breakdowns, treacherous snow, hellacious blisters, and total fatigue. Above all, they’ll race with no support – at times in total isolation. The tests of endurance and the accomplished moments throughout Ride the Divide prompt us to reflect on our inner desires to live life to the fullest.

Ride The Divide made its debut at the Vail Film Festival and was named the best adventure film at the event. Outside Magazine proclaimed that “(t)he toughest bike race in the world is not in France,” after reviewing the film.

Ride The Divide will be shown at 7 p.m. at the COSI Columbus facility located at 333 West Broad St. in Columbus. Tickets are $15 at the door, and $10 in advance at www.IMAthlete.com/Events/RideTheDividemovie.  Bike Source is the presenting sponsor for the event.

The 11-day, 11-city tour continues Wednesday night at the Capitol Theatre in Cleveland at 7 p.m., followed by Thursday night at the Neon in Dayton at 7:30 p.m.

Media contact: Garry Harrington  603-209-5010  gharrington3165@hotmail.com

Speedway Cycles Fatback (if you really NEED to ride in the snow)

Winner of the Iditarod Trail Invitational two years running thanks to veteran endurance racers Pete Basinger (who helped design the frame) and Jeff Oatley, the often copied Fatback represents the ultimate, yet most practical design in snow and sand bikes. Titanium won't rust and is without question the material of choice for a bike exposed to huge temperature swings (resulting in condensation) and salt water. Featuring the no-offset design paired with the widest possible hubs, this results in the best chain line and balanced wheel tension for strong, dishless wheels.

We offer sizes from 14" to 22" and can build custom sizes with any finish you choose, from bead blasted to brushed, polished or painted. [Speedway Cycles]

Franklinton Cycle Works new digs!

I had the pleasure of touring the newly relocated Franklinton Cycle Works this morning. The new location is 897 West Broad near Tommy's Diner and The Florentine restaurant. They are NOT open to the public at this time, but hope to be up and running in the spring. A fundraiser is in the works so they can build out the inside and details should be available soon.



[Franklinton Cycle Works]

Chris King Espresso Tampers (They have salt and pepper shakers too)

Our espresso tamper is born from an appreciation of the coffee making process as much as the coffee it produces. We worked in collaboration with the Portland, Oregon based America Barista & Coffee School to develop a professional grade espresso tamper with precise dimensions, exceptional feel, and the iconic shape that every cyclist recognizes as the very best.

We offer three flat base sizes in stainless steel, 53 mm, 56 mm, & 58 mm, with an aluminum handle in the four colors shown.

Total stack height is 83.5 mm with a base depth of 10 mm.

446 grams

Made in the USA.

Call us (800.523.6008) to place an order and check color availability.

Price: $75.00

[chris king website]

Brompton folding bicycle towing a boat

The Case Against Lance Armstrong - via SI

AS THE CYCLIST AND CANCER CRUSADER FACES POSSIBLE INDICTMENT BY A GRAND JURY, SI TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT OLD AND NEW ALLEGATIONS THAT HE USED PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS WHILE WINNING TOUR DE FRANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Selena Roberts, David Epstein

Around 8 p.m.on Nov. 11, 2010, Italian police and customs officials acting at the behest of agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pulled over Yaroslav Popovych as he drove on a roundabout in Quarrata, a quaint Tuscan village of stucco facades and colorful shutters between Pistoia and Florence. The officials had been looking for Popovych, one of Lance Armstrong's Radio Shack teammates, to execute a search warrant. Italian authorities say the Ukrainian cyclist was startled but cooperative. He led them through olive groves to his house beside a cemetery. There the officials found drug-testing documents, medical supplies and performance-enhancing drugs. They also found e-mails and texts that, they say, establish that as recently as 2009 Armstrong's team had links to controversial Italian physician Michele Ferrari, with whom the Texan had said he cut ties in 2004.
This new evidence is now part of the FDA's investigation, directed by agent Jeff Novitzky, into whether Armstrong was involved in an organized doping operation as a member of the team sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), an independent agency of the federal government. In light of this criminal inquiry involving the greatest Tour de France rider of all time, SI reviewed hundreds of pages of documents and interviewed dozens of sources in Europe, New Zealand and the U.S. Because the case could potentially involve accusations that are more than a decade old, SI also examined doping allegations against Armstrong throughout his career as a pro cyclist, discovering information that is reported here for the first time.


Read more:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1180944/1/index.htm#ixzz1BdSWJTiO

Need to block spray from your rear bike wheel? Crochet a cover!

Welcome to Simeli

Simeli designs bicycle ornaments: hand crocheted dress guards and matching keyrings.

‘Dress guard’ according to the Dikke van Dale (Dutch dictionary): oilcloth or plastic lining partially surrounding the rear wheel of a bicycle to prevent a jacket or skirt from coming into contact with the wheel.

There is no country in the world which pays so much attention to dress guards as TheNetherlands does. Often there are  fewer bicycles in other countries anyway, but those bikes there are, mostly have no dress guard. In hot countries this is only logical. Nobody wears a long coat which needs protection and the women with their long skirts do not ride a bicycle. In this respect  the dress guard may be regarded as a unexpected symbol of women’s emancipation.

Long live the dress guard !

[simeli website]

Proposed bill would restrict bicycle bans in Colorado cities [via Biking Bis]

by Gene Bisbee at 04:56PM (PST) on January 11, 2011  |  Permanent Link  |  Cosmos

The fight to reopen the streets of Black Hawk, Colorado, to bicycles is going to make it to the State House this year.

A state legislator told the Bicycle Colorado advocacy group that he will introduce a bill entitled the "Open Roads Act" when the General Assembly opens for business next week.

The bill would allow local authorities to prohibit bicycling on some streets only in limited cases and only if a nearby alternative route is designated.

The author of the bill, State Representative Andy Kerr, told Bicycle Colorado:

"Banning bicycle travel on every street in a community penalizes people that choose healthy, affordable, pollution-free transportation."

Black Hawk's ban

The firestorm about bicycle bans was sparked over the summer when police in the town of Black Hawk started issuing tickets to people on bicycles.

The City Council for the casino-rich town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains enacted a law in 2009 making it illegal to ride a bicycle on nearly every street. "No bicycling" signs went up in 2010. Police began issuing tickets over the summer.

City officials asserted the ban was needed because bicycling was dangerous. They raised concerns about the possibility of accidents between bicyclists and the  many gambling tour buses that prowl downtown, although there are no such collisions on record.

[continue at Biking Bis]

Yay Bikes is now officially a Non-Profit!

[yay bikes website]

It's Time to Take a Stand for Bicycling

YikeBike Review [via Engadget]

Want to meet a bunch of random strangers everywhere you go? Start riding around on a neon green electric bicycle that looks like nothing this world has seen before, something tossed out of a passing UFO that some New Zealand shepherd found glowing slightly as it rested in the middle of a smoking crater. This $3,595 electric bicycle with a 15mph top speed and six mile range does come from New Zealand, but the YikeBike is very much a product of human ingenuity, or so creator Grant Ryan claims, but that doesn't stop it from giving us a riding experience that is nothing short of other-worldly. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily equate to a entirely perfect experience.


[continue at Engadget]

Pinchflat - Watch out for it!

Pinchflat is a partnership between WGC, Yay Bikes!, Jeremy Slagle Design, and Fulcrum Creatives with additional support from the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts.

Pinchflat will be a part of a whole month of programs celebrating the intersections of bikes and art at Wild Goose Creative.

Pinchflat - a bike poster blowout slated for May 14 at Wild Goose Creative!

[facebook page]

More details will be posted when available.

Gearlocks - Dedicated to the Enhancement of Bicycle Security

From the website:


Gearlocks is the newest way to provide security to bicycles under many kinds of conditions for many users.  The locking system can be mounted to existing structures such as bicycle racks, hand railings, sign posts, walls, or even be used as a portable device.  It can be used by a single user or by a series of different users, always with the same ease and security. 

Our "patent pending" cable design is made to eliminate the vulnerability that typical bicycle cables have to being easily cut.  Our proprietary cable utilizes a layer of pinch resistant fabric (Kevlar from DuPont) outside of the strength cable core and an alarm trigger that is exterior to the layering.  The cable system is designed to activate the alarm during the first part of a cutting attempt with the multiple layering to eliminate the ease of cutting through in one quick cut attempt.  You must experience our hybrid cable system before discounting this product.  The beauty of this early activation alarm design is the activation of the alarm can be used to do any number of activities including page security, engage audible alarm tones, turn on surrounding lighting, engage a still or video camera system to document the event, text the bicycle owner as to the event, send an email out notifying the member community, etc..... all while deterring the completion of the theft.  


Gearlocks is also currently being developed to used as an inexpensive bike-share system.  Our ability to network into your current IT infrastructure or provide a completely independent and wireless system will ensure an adequate solution will be available to you at the most competitive rate in the industry.  Our system allows for any bicycle to be used, creating more options to suit your demographics.


Being used as a stationary-mount bicycle locking system, Gearlocks can provide mutiuser access for community use.  An electronically controlled, retractable cable locking system, Gearlocks is alarm activated to further deter theft.  We also also have several designs for rack systems containing Gearlocks and outdoor advertising space creatively connected to allow advertisers to support the cost of ownership.


Gearlocks can also be purchased as handheld portable units for security enhancement in situations such as tool storage on job sites, camping gear left around the campsite while out recreating, boating supplies, gear in the bed of a pickup, patio furniture, and even power equipment such as dirt bikes and four-wheelers.  This unit can be bolted on the front wall of stores to secure outdoor display items such as bicycles, snowblowers, lawnmowers, barbeques, and more.


With this versatile product, the sky is the limit and enhanced security is the priority in locations that usually don't have adequate options available.


[gearlocks website]

SP Carbon Bikes straight outta Manhattan

Editor's note: These frames look eerily like Pinarello bicycles. So my best guess is that they are purchasing the frames from the same Taiwanese manufacturers and adding their decals and details.

From their website:

Hello, Glad you found us. First off, we are not a bike store, with high school kids that just want to sell you something. We have a vested interest in seeing you get the best possible bike. We are small and need postive word of mouth to continue growing.

Who IS S.P.CARBON? A dedicated builder and growing group of riders. S.P. has been taking care of customers for over 10 years. Our new space has been located in downtown Manhattan's Tribeca waterfront district since June of 2009. We have created over 55 bicycles in the past year. We have many satisfied customers with solid testimonials available upon request.

* NEW SPCARBON bikes can now be ordered from Waterfront bike store on West st. Free test rides can also be arranged on weekends.

We have a private studio in Tribeca, Manhattan New York. We build by an appointment basis and choose who we work with very carefully. If you are the right customer, the right bike will be made for you. Its about solid performance and major savings over the typical bike store bank breaking prices. I mean come on, $10,000 for a bicycle... We often ask, for that price...Is there a motor in it ?

We have low overhead and tight margins. Compare the top models at the LBS and then get something much more unique from us for around half the price on the high end models. GET YOURSELF THE ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSS AND FITNESS MACHINE... SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. And to boot, its custom, fit just for you. We put you ahead of everything else.

A real commitment to service and excellent bikes. If you want really cheap bikes or really really expensive bikes, go to the LBS, if you want great value and a rolling work of art, call us at S.P.CARBON today. 12pm-10pm every day. CALL 1 646 306 2667 TO START YOUR OWN BIKE TODAY.

[SP Carbon Website]

Yuba Change Your Mobility Tour – Redux 2011

Steve is Coming And He's Bringing Bikes!

We’re taking YUBA to the people on the “Change Your Mobility Tour 2011″!

Steve’s taking YUBA Mundos to the people across the US.  No, he’s not riding, but that’s a great idea!  He’s going in the YUBA Van and he’ll have lot’s of Yuba Mundos and accessories with him.  He’ll be visiting dealers, going to shows and going on rides!

Click here to see his route.

If you’re on (or even near) his route, drop him an email at: bode@yubaride.com and let’s schedule and event in your area.

Let’s go for a ride!

[yuba website]

Rides a Bike - a Tumblr link

Movie stars and their self-propelled vehicles. Created on Thanksgiving, 2010. Updated twice or thrice a week.

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy and Luella Gear ride bikes.

[http://ridesabike.tumblr.com/]

2011 Lynskey Backroad Touring Frame

When we were in Chattanooga last year we did a drive by of the Lynskey factory. I should have stopped in, but I didn't want to show up unannounced. It may be worth the trip down to get fitted for the Backroad. Titanium, touring geometry, racks, and disk brakes, plus the ability to run 38mm tires with fenders would give the best flexibility. Now, if I could get a demo bike to test that would make it enticing. ; )





[Lynskey Website]

The first Ohio Randonneurs ride is March 26th. Better start training!

[Ohio Randonneurs Website]

Date	Event	Route #	Tentative Start/End Location	Route
Mar 26	OH 200k ACP Brevet	445	Springfield, OH	Springfield-Urbana-Springfield-Waynesville-Springfield
Apr 9	OH 300k ACP Brevet	446	Springfield, OH	Springfield-Oxford-Springfield
Apr 23	OH Fleche		Columbus, OH	End in Columbus, OH
May 14	OH 400k ACP Brevet	467	Blueash, OH	Blueash-West Union-Blueash-Lebanon-Blueash
Jun 4	OH 600k ACP Brevet	468	Blueash, OH	Blueash-West Union-Blueash-Urbana-Blueash
Jul 16	OH 300k ACP Brevet	259	Lancaster, OH	Lancaster-Chillicothe-Nelsonville-New Lexington-Lancaster
Jul 30	OH 400k ACP Brevet	260	Lancaster, OH	Lancaster-Chillicothe-Nelsonville-Beverly-New Lexington-Lancaster
Aug 13	OH 200k ACP Brevet	New	Logan, OH	Logan-Hocking Hills-Tar Hollow-Logan
Sep 3	150k RUSA Populaire	New	Columbus, OH	Westgate,Columbus - ?? - Westgate, Columbus
Sep 3	200k ACP Brevet	957	Columbus, OH	Westgate,Columbus-Chillicothe-New Holland-Columbus
Sep 3	Annual Cookout		Columbus, OH
Oct 15	OH 200k RUSA Brevet	771	Thornville, OH	Thornville-Caldwell-Thornville

The Slow Bicycle Movement

From the Slow Bicycle website:


First there was Slow Food and then Slow Travel, Slow Companies, Slow Planet, etc.

The time is ripe for Slow Bicycle.

We figure the Slow Bicycle Movement is all about the journey, not the destination. The destination is, invariably, a fixed geographical point which isn't going anywhere... [okay, sure, the tectonic plates are in constant movement but they are thankfully even slower than us]... so you're going to get there eventually and anyway.

It's about riding your bicycle. To work, to play. Casually, in a relaxed manner. With time to enjoy the self-propelled movement that you and you alone generate. And, of course, to look around and see the landscape - urban or not - that you pass by at your leisurely pace.

It's time to take cycling back and place it firmly in the category "normal way to get to work, to the shops, to the cinema". Indeed, "normal things to do". This is for those who enjoy the ride. There are a kabillion websites/forums/blogs out there for those who enjoying riding fast/competetively [couldn't be bothered spelling that right]/in lycra and gear/what have you. THIS is OUR place.

The Slow Bicycle Movement is a celebration of the bicycle. Not as a speed machine or a tool for tribal membership but merely as an enjoyable way to get around.

Only decades ago the bicycle was considered a normal way to get around. It still is in Denmark, Holland, Japan and many European cities but returning the bicycle to its rightful place as a feasible transport option in the rest of the world is a noble goal.

Of all the cyclists on the planet, the vast majority are, per definition, slow cyclists. So that's a great start.

The Slow Bicycle Movement. Founded 2008


[The Slow Bicycle Movement]

Cycle Chic Copenhagen - The Original Cycle Chic

The thaw is setting in and the snow is slowly melting. But winter ain't over yet.


Welcome to Cycle Chic. This is where it all started.

Cycle Chic began its bloglife back in June 2007 when journalist, film director and photographer Mikael Colville-Andersen decided to put a growing number of his photos about Copenhagen's bicycle culture into one place on the internet.

A series of social documentary photos about Copenhagen started to include a number of shots of life in the World's Cycling Capital, including fashionable Copenhageners on their bicycles. The feedback about these photos was positive and there was clearly a growing interest abroad in seeing how the bicycle was an integral part of life in the Danish capital. Specifically about how Copenhageners have demystified the bicycle and use it without any form of bicycle 'gear'. Just as the bicycle was meant to be ridden when invented.

What happened after Cycle Chic was launched took everyone by surprise. There wasn't any content on the internet relating to "girls on bikes" or combining style and fashion with the humble bicycle. Colville-Andersen coined the phrase "Cycle Chic" to describe the art of riding bicycles in regular, preferably fashionable, clothes and things started to accelerate.

The very first photo has been referred to as The Photo That Launched A Million Bicycles.

This Cycle Chic blog launched a global movement, a fashion trend and the imminent return of the bicycle as transport to the urban landscape.

The blog took on a streetstyle form as it grew in popularity and the readership includes people interested in fashion as well as bicycles and bicycle culture.

Colville-Andersen has teamed up with various co-bloggers to bring different angles and perspectives to the blog and he welcomes the inclusion of guest photos sent in from around the world.

The number of blogs and websites inspired by Cycle Chic has grown explosively. Most adhere to the Cycle Chic concept, others less so. A list of "Copycats and Collaborators" is on the right column of the blog.

The bicycle has served to liberate the working classes and, in particular, women back in the tail-end of the 19th century. In the post-war years, the bicycle was relegated to being merely a toy or piece of sports equipment. Cycle Chic aims to take back the bike culture by showing how the bicycle once again can be an integral, respectable and feasible transport form, free of sports clothes and gear, and how it can play a vital role in increasing the life quality in cities.

On Copenhagenize.com Colville-Andersen highlights how Copenhagen's bicycle culture was established and inspires other cities in their pursuit of bicycle-friendly infrastructure and culture.

On Cycle Chic readers can view daily the rewards of established bicycle culture.


Colville-Andersen also founded The Slow Bicycle Movement.


[Cycle Chic Copenhagen - The Original Cycle Chic]