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Showing posts from July 17, 2011

Homeport (@HomeportOH) And NOBO are sponsoring a BtCB route for 2011! Plus there is more...

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Homeport  and their  North of Broad  neighborhood are a Bike the C-Bus 2011 route sponsor. The registration and packet pickup will take place at the recently opened  Homeport Gallery  located in the Lincoln Theatre. In addition, the new  NOBO on Long Condominiums  will be the first stop on the route for riders to tour.  Al Waddell of Coldwell Banker King Thompson Realty  will be hosting the open house. [Homeport website]

PHILADELPHIA CYCLISTS FINALLY GET WHAT’S COMING TO ‘EM [Philly Mag]

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CARRIE DENNY More policing of maniacs on two wheels brings hope to city drivers Posted on 7/19/2011 at 10:18AM The Boyfriend says that bikers throughout the city of Philadelphia know well the hum of my 2000 Land Rover Discovery. You know what I say? I wish they did. Then maybe they’d get the hell out of the way. Normally, my temperament doesn’t really tend toward incidents of road rage. (Extreme Pedestrian Rage, maybe, but that’s a whole other story). Rather, I’m the type to send a grateful prayer up to baby Jesus when I have a close call on the road, rather than curse the jackass who caused it. But years of negotiating city roads with less than conscientious bikers pedaling haphazardly around my moving vehicle like spastic pinballs have more than provided an exception to this norm. When the city created the first significant batch of bike lanes back in late 2009, I enjoyed the glimmer of hope that  this would solve the animosity between drivers and bikers in Center City . A plac...

Awesomefest is July 30th in Columbus, Ohio

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Awesomefest is about all things Awesome. What is Awesome, you may ask? Tattoos are awesome. Riding bikes for long distances, I would argue, is pretty awesome. And movie marathons are also really great in my opinion. When you combine all three you get a triathlon of sorts. A triathlon of awesome. Awesomefest is an all day event that consists of cycling, a movie marathon and tattooing. Each year the theme changes. This year's theme is Star Wars. Come out and join us on July 30th in Columbus, Ohio. All proceeds from the silent auction and a portion of the registration fee supports the non-profit organization   Asia's Hope. Registration is now live  http://www.asiashope.org/awesomefest

Tuesday Night Ride Recap 07192011

Highlights 18 cyclists Blacklick Metro Park Yellow Brick Pizza 28 miles (I had 31, others may vary)

SNIKE training, not to be confused with SNIPE training

The SNIKE Trainer is a bike with a twist. It bends where no regular bike should ever bend: in the middle of the frame! In order to stabilize the bike, all parts of the body have to work together. That challenges balance, core strength and coordination all at the same time. Anybody can ride the SNIKE on our specialized stationary trainer, and advanced riders will want to try it free-form outside. No worries, there is no complicated exercise to remember! The Snike Trainer gives you feedback to help you use the correct movement sequence at all times. It is not only great fun, it has also been shown to have a multitude of beneficial effects including: •Improved activation of the deep low back muscles, the lack of activity of which is largely responsible for chronic low back pain. •Improved side-to-side back muscle balance, which is especially beneficial for people with scoliosis or a difference in leg length •Improved activation and coordination of core stabilizing muscles, especially the ...

10 Best U.S. Bike Cities of 2011 [The Street]

NEW YORK ( TheStreet ) -- You sometimes need to be a Tour de France cyclist to make it easier to get from here to there on a bicycle instead of in a car, but you don't need to climb the Pyrenees to realize it's cheaper on two wheels.  With the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. soaring to nearly $4 in May and still at $3.68, or a 35% hike from what drivers paid  at the same time last year , low-mileage alternatives are gaining traction and bolstering the ranks of bicycle owners. The National Bicycle Dealers Association says the U.S. adult cycle industry took in $6 billion in sales last year with 13.5 million adult bikes sold. That's a 15% increase from $5.6 billion in sales and 10.2 million bikes sold in 2009, but still down from the $6.1 billion and 14 million bikes in pre-recession 2005. [continue reading at The Street]

Beautiful Guerciotti Frame [Fyxo]

Bike the C-Bus 2011 Sponsor Update: Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark (@FortRapids) donates 10 passes to raffle!

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Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark  is a new sponsor for 2011. They have donated (10) day passes for the raffle, and every registration bag will have discount coupons.  Have you registered yet? Register by August 15th to save $5 and guarantee your t-shirt. 

A 1955 British Cycling Film Shows the Joys of Countryside Touring

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TreeHugger does a lot of work to promote urban cycling, a major step towards developing sustainable cities. But lest we forget how great a day in the countryside on two wheels can be, this short film from 1955 is the perfect reminder. Produced by British Transport Films, "Cyclists Special" follows a group bicycle tour as members of the Cyclist Touring Club take the train out of London and spend what looks like the nicest day ever. And it's worth watching for the 1950s English slang alone. Check out the full film here . The train the tour uses to get out of the city is equipped with special comparments, outfitted with rubber covered hooks to hang the bikes safely: "the way to carry bicycles by train." They head to Rugby, split into groups (so no one gets "the hump" from being at the back of a large group) follow their tour guides through Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, and visit Kenilworth Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon and the site of t...

10 Questions: Cycling Along America’s C&O Canal Trail

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The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal is a 185-mile long bicycle path that traces the Potomac River, between Washington, DC and Cumberland, Maryland. It’s one of America’s most famous, best-established bicycle paths and in this edition of 10 Questions Eric & Elaine Henderson tell us about their experience riding the C&O Trail. Eric & Elaine live in a rural area of northern Maine and aren’t city people, so their bike tour along the C&O Trail was their first bicycle adventure in a heavily populated section of the United States... [Read more]

Boat, bike rentals along Scioto may enliven river Downtown [Dispatch]

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 11:59 PM BY JEFFREY SHEBAN The Columbus Dispatch For more on the prospect of boat rentals at the Scioto Mile riverfront park, watch Dispatch reporter Jeffrey Sheban on WBNS-10TV between 6:30 and 7 on Wednesday morning. The notion of rental boats plying the Scioto River Downtown is being floated by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. After soliciting proposals for a nonmotorized-boat concession in June, the department has heard back from two groups wanting to offer kayaks and canoes for rent by the hour at a riverfront location to be determined. The concession - which would likely be part of the newly renovated Scioto Mile riverfront park - could be operational as early as this summer, department spokeswoman Terri Leist said. "It's a way to bring additional activities to the riverfront," she said. One of the bidders, the for-profit California company Wheel Fun Rentals, would offer bike rentals along with watercraft. ...

A Prius-Inspired Bike Has Mind-Controlled Gear Shifting

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Hyperefficient design, an EEG-powered helmet -- what's not to like? What would a Prius look like if it were a bike instead of a car? That's what Toyota, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Deeplocal, and Parlee Cycles wanted to explore with their PXP project. The final design was just revealed on John Watson's cycling/design site, and it's a doozy: lean, mean, and mind-controlled. (Yes, you read that last part right.) Futuristic bike designs tend to look not much unlike "normal" bikes, and the PXP is no different. "The Prius was not the first car, it was the car optimized. The PXP is an homage to that optimization," Saatchi & Saatchi LA's Executive Creative Director Chris Adams tells Co.Design. "This led us to a hybrid design that blends the characteristics of a super-aerodynamic time trial bike with the comfort and efficiency of road bike. Add in some innovative technology and you end up with the PXP." [Read more]

City of Columbus app coming to your phone

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Tuesday, July 19, 2011 03:07 AM BY LAUREN HEPLER THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Looking for a local bike path? Want someone to fix that pothole on your route to work? Starting Monday, Columbus residents can simply whip out the nearest mobile device for help. Mayor Michael B. Coleman will launch the city's first mobile application, called My Columbus, at a City Council meeting Monday. "Constituents may not be well-versed in city services," said Stefphanie Harper, spokeswoman for Coleman. "This is a way to show them what's available." The free application will be available on iPhones, web-enabled iPods and iPads. An Android version is expected by the end of the year. The city invested an initial $19,900 from the capital improvements budget to develop the application. The City Council last week allotted $146,000 more from the same fund to add other features in coming months. "We wanted to be ahead of this curve," said Gary Cavin, the city's technology dir...

London has the PEDALBUS! Thanks Bethia for the link! [London Evening Standard]

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Drive time: the open-air pedalbus, which holds eight seats, takes its group of partygoers (including Dolly Alderton, top left) through the streets of London - it's also become a big hit among corporate clients All aboard the Pedalbus Dolly Alderton 18 Jul 2011  You may have heard of a party bus but what about a pedalbus? Forget rickshaws, black cabs and bikes - the London pedalbus is the latest and most sociable way to travel. Made from a platform on four tyres, the open aluminium structure holds eight bike seats with pedals. Passengers power the vehicle by pushing the pedals while a driver stands at the front to steer and use the brakes. The fun bit is the way the seats are laid out - passengers sit around a bar while wine and beer is poured for them to enjoy as they travel. [London Evening Standard]

Bike the C-Bus 2011 Sponsor Update: Schwalbe Tires donates to the raffle!

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Schwalbe has donated another 4 sets of tires for the raffle! Two sets of 700x30c Speed Cruisers and two sets of 26 x 1.75 Silento II tires will be given away. Schwalbe Tires

Flipphandle - makes bike storage a snapp! [VIDEO]

Bike the C-Bus 2011 Sponsor Update: Knog

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We received a grab bag of lights, t-shirts, gloves, hats, patches and stickers from Knog for the raffle! Have you registered yet? Get registered by August 15 to save $5 and guarantee your t-shirt, plus get entered in the raffle.  Check out their website here...

"THE MILLION CAR CHALLENGE CAMPAIGN"

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The Challenge Everything has its begining. For me it was sitting in my car, in traffic, reflecting on the mornings ride. I had been yelled at to get off the road, a drink thrown at me and missed by inches by another driver trying to "teach me a lesson". "Get off the road" they said. Quite a lot to think about as I'm stuck in traffic reading window stickers and bumper stickers advertising everything from our president to Billy Bobs favorite motor oil. Can you relate? I don't care about Billy Bobs favorite motor oil but I still remember it. What I care about is letting everyone who drives a vehicle know that bicycles are allowed to use the full lane in many circumstances and if a cyclist is in the lane for their own safety then the driver must change lanes to pass.  So I did some research and come to find out, window and bumper stickers are one of the most effective forms of advertisements that reach DRIVERS. People behind the wheel while they are driving. ...

Community Ties Ride 2011 is Saturday, July 23

The 9th Annual Community Ties Ride promises to build on the break-out success of the 2010 ride, with well-marked routes through scenic Delaware County, multiple snack stops featuring homemade cookies, and another delicious and healthful, locally grown and made lunch provided by Graumlich Family Farm under a large outdoor tent. More than 250 riders participated in the 2010 ride, making it the largest turnout ever with all proceeds going to support multi-purpose trail development in Delaware County connecting with the statewide Ohio to Erie Trail. The ride features options of 31, 62 and 100 miles as well as an 8-mile Family Ride, and includes scenic areas, rare bird habitats, parks, new sections of the Ohio to Erie Trail, well-marked route maps and SAG vehicle. Registration is from 7 - 9 a.m. The ride will start/end at Northside Community Church, northeast corner of S.R., 3 and Freeman Road in Westerville, site of the homemade lunch. Pre-registration cost is $20 per rider, or $20 per fam...

Dodridge Street Bridge Replacement Notice - UPDATE

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The barriers are being moved into place for the bridge project so the trail will be closed soon. Project to require the closure of  Dodridge Street and the Olentangy Trail beneath the bridge early this summer Dear Neighbor, Replacement of the Dodridge Street Bridge, spanning the  Olentangy River, will require the roadway and the Olentangy Trail, which passes beneath the bridge, to be closed early this  summer until September 2012, weather permitting. The project involves the demolition of the current bridge, built in  1967, and the construction of a new triple-span, arched, concrete  girder structure. Architectural enhancements include decorative  railing and street lighting, and a pier-free river span.  The Olentangy Trail and embankment retaining wall adjacent to  the bridge will also be rebuilt.  Detours routes will be posted for motorists and trail-users (see  maps). Please watch for electronic message signs that will  an...

Ashtabula OH 50 Mile Ride Recap 07162011

Highlights 7 cyclists 51 miles (others mileage varied based on starting point) Temps in 80's to start, mid 90's end Geneva on the Lake Ashtabula Ashtabula Harbor Lift Bridge State Road Bridge Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge

Cellar Rat Ride Recap 07152011

Highlights 4 cyclists, 1 roller blader 11 miles Debonne Winery/Cellar Rat Brewery - Madison, OH One way trip