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Showing posts from February 13, 2011

Ride to Xenia 02192011 Ride Report

Highlights Tim, Bill and myself 76 miles Averaged 14.7mph Wilson Rd trailhead to Xenia Headwinds for most of the ride Lunch at Super Subby in Xenia, not too bad. I think the really fresh buns were great but I think they could make their sandwiches better by toasting them. All the bathrooms and water fountains are closed until spring. Smashed livers and animal hearts on the trail was kinda gross. Really, is that a prank? Tim flatted a few miles from London. Pinch flat from a rock.

Bicycle tires – puncturing the myths [via Bike Radar]

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By James Huang, tech editor, in Boulder, USA Wheel Energy direct these test tips into tire crowns and sidewalls to test puncture resistance (James Huang) Previous Next View Thumbnail Gallery Tucked inside a small industrial complex in Nastola, Finland is the nondescript grey building that's the base of independent third-party tire testers Wheel Energy. Using a battery of purpose-built machines, founders Petri Hankiola, Veijo Pulkkanen and Marko Savolainen are addressing some of the common questions surrounding bicycle tires. They're coming up with some interesting answers that no longer have to rely on word of mouth, tradition or intuition for their veracity.  Take these conclusions for example: Puncture-resistant belts work but they're not created equal:  Nylon, aramid and other belts placed under the tread do help ward off flats but there are benefits and trade-offs to the various materials. Tougher ones like aramid are durable and highly cut- and punct

Beat the Train in Detroit Photo Contest Winner!

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Last fall Roger and I headed to Detroit to take on the Triple D, which entails riding the UDM Midnight Ride, Beat the Train and Tour de troit in 24 hours. We completed all three rides on 1.5 hours of sleep and made some great friends on the Beat the Train ride. As everyone is well aware I like to take pictures and when Andy posted a contest on the BTT website I jumped at the chance to enter. Well, I won. See winning photo below. And below that the entire photo library from BTT. Below that is the prize pack I won. Thanks Andy! [Beat the Train in Detroit] Climbing up! Beat the Train ride 09/25/2010 Beat the Train Prize Pack

Welcome to Armchair Bike Touring

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Armchair Bike Touring is a bike touring game that let's you take a bike tour while sitting at your computer! The game consists of three bike tours. The first one of 100 miles is followed by a 200 mile tour and then a 300 mile excursion. On each tour, you'll ride over different terrain past all kinds of scenery, deciding when to eat, where to stop for the night, fixing flat tires and broken spokes and occasionally meeting Road Angels offering free hospitality. At the beginning, you're an inexperienced Newbie. Completing your first tour, makes you a bike touring Novice ready to tackle a 200 mile tour. After that, you are a full-fledged Bike Tourist with everything it takes to ride 300 miles. While the tours get longer and harder, you get tougher, too. In addition to bike touring experience, you also earn points by eating before you are hungry, stopping for the night before you are exhausted, staying within your budget, and not having to hitchhike to the nearest bike store for

GOBA organizers looking for help for overnight in Marion (via Marion Star)

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Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure participants Marsha Carr, Lucy Lehner and David Carr, all of Marion, relax a little in GOBAville in Elmore in 2009. / PHOTO COURTESY DAN SHERIDAN Written by JAMES STEVEN Assistant Editor MARION -- Preparations are under way to show an anticipated 3,000 bicyclists a good time and put them up for the night. The 23rd Annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure will tour five Central Ohio cities this summer, June 18-25. Marion's stop will be on Father's Day, the second day of the event, for a one-night stay June 19. Cyclists will be hungry for food, searching for fun and then hitting the sack to rest up before heading out for their third day and a ride to Delaware. "If people have never experienced a GOBAville, it is a sight to see," Janine Williams said. Rider central will be the Marion County Fairgrounds for this stop. "It's an adventure in camping." Where residents of Marion can get involved is with any of the many volunteer jobs t

Pedal Pittsburgh - hitting the streets on Sunday May 22nd!

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Pedal Pittsburgh 2011 will take place Sunday, May 22nd !                A ride as unique as the city, Pedal Pittsburgh annually attracts more than 2,000 participants ranging from families with children and recreational riders to fitness enthusiasts. Pedal Pittsburgh is a great way to experience Pittsburgh from a new perspective while visiting the various neighborhoods that make our city great. Participants can choose from six courses ranging from 6 to 60 miles, this year starting and finishing at  SouthSide Works . Pedal Pittsburgh will return for its 18th year in 2011 and will showcase our city's great architecture, urban design, and neighborhoods. A fun, active, and exciting way to explore our city, Pedal Pittsburgh has hosted over 22,000 cyclists since its inception in 1994. Come along for the ride.  To register for Pedal Pittsburgh 2011, please  click here .  For more information about the event,  click here . Interested in volunteering?  Click here  for roles and respon

EXPO bicycle city by martin de thurah

EXPO bicycle city from martin de thurah on Vimeo .

Cinelli ART TAPE Mike Giant Velvet Ribbon

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A new velvet-textured Cinelli tape has been used in the realization of this unique Mike Giant edition bar tape. The artwork, executed exclusively for our use in this product, is Mike Giant’s San Franciscan interpretation of vintage tattoo symbols. [cinelli.it website]

Packing List For Lightweight Bike Touring

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We were heavy packers for our world bicycle tour, managing to cram 8 panniers full of gear, plus an extra bag on the back of each bike for carrying things like our tent, sleeping mats and extra food. This heavy load adds up to about 30kg of luggage each. On more recent shorter trips around Europe, however, we’ve been actively working to lighten our bags. We’ve been inspired by tips on lightweight bike touring from Stijn, and by watching bike tourists like Keith and Steve go through the same process. The result? On our last two 3-week trips, we travelled without front panniers. http://travellingtwo.com/resources/lightweight-bike-touring-packing-list

World's Lightest Bike is? 6.28lbs

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The world’s lightest bike is a collaboration among many companies around the world, with each contributing one-of-a-kind custom pieces to the project, and all designed with a singular purpose — to be light.  This bicycle is one the most jovial bikes to have on the floor at Het Fairwheel Podium.  When discussing the Het Fairwheel Podium project, we wanted to bring bikes and components “off the internet.” When we talked about this we knew that there are only so many people who understand the true meaning of a 6.28 lb. bike when reading about it on a forum.  Putting bikes like this in peoples’ hands brings out many responses, all of them variations on shock and surprise.  This is why we opened Het Fairwheel Podium. World’s Lightest Complete Build List Frame: Custom Spin Fork:  Custom Handmade THM Wheel Set: Rims:  AX-Lightness Rear Hub:  Custom Dash Front Hub: Custom Dash Spokes:  Pillar xtra Skewers:  Tune U19 Tires:  Tufo S3 Lite Handle Bar:  Custom Schmolke Stem:  Custom

Tuesday Night Ride Recap - 02/15/11

Quick highlights 20 miles 11 riders Averaged 14mph Route went out east past the airport, south to Main. The taco truck we were looking for had moved and was closed for the night when we called. Headed east on Livingston to 4th for dinner at Dirty Franks. No photos taken

Land donation lets city reshape Far West Side ditch (Bike path additions approved too!) [via Dispatch]

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Quality of runoff flowing to Big Darby is concern TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011   02:53 AM BY  DOUG CARUSO THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH GOING GREEN Read more stories about conservation and the environment at Dispatch.com/green . DispatchPolitics DispatchPolitics.com Complete coverage of Ohio politics The Daily Briefing The Dispatch’s public affairs team sates the appetites of political junkies with bite-sized portions of the news and what's behind it. Buckeye Forum Veteran political reporters examine Ohio politics in this weekly podcast. Interactive feature: Try your hand at balancing the state budget Today's political news Kasich 'astounded' by state's racial and political partisanship State school board will redo election of officers Obama coming to Cleveland for small-business event Joe the Plumber against new job for flap figure Bipartisan panel backing Coda's battery plant DEA urged to step up 'pill mill' fight in Ohio U.S. will lay out its pol