Columbus Rides Bikes!

The Plug II The Plug  is the world's first electric power supply, which is fully integrated and can be operated and serviced on devices such as GPS devices, mobile phones or MP3 players. The electricity is generated from the existing dynamo hub and converted to the nominal voltage of a USB port. This USB port also serves as a connection to external devices that can be mounted on the handlebars or transported in handlebar bags. After last year's successful product launch the Plug was continuously developed further. One of these evolutions is the extended functionality of the TopCap, which now allows charging Apple´s iPhone® without using a special cable. The option to now connect the Plug II directly to an E-Bike battery is also worth to be mentioned. The biggest revolution is the complete integration of the entire electronics, which has been in the head tube cartridge so far, into the TopCap. The electronics are encapsulated with a sealing liquid in a housing complet...

This is a short documentary on the bicycle community in Burlington, VT and three of the cyclists who support it. These cyclists are: Chris Norris - A bike mechanic and college student who works at the Old Spokes Home. He along with friend and co-worker, Brian Kleiber, recently launched a blog chronicling the bike scene in Burlington and beyond: culturecycles.com/ Hubert d'Autremont - A small business owner who has just recently setup shop in an artist collective warehouse building hand-built bicycle frames. Glenn Eames - The owner and founder of The Old Spokes Home in Burlington, VT. The Old Spokes home is a unique shop that prides itself on honoring the history of cycling and on creating an environment that is welcoming to all. oldspokeshome.com/ Their passion and commitment to cycling as a life style is what fueled this documentary. Thank you. This documentary was created for the 2010 Champlain College Documentary class led by Professor Gordon Glover. Directed by W...

Now AAA members are eligible to have their bicycle transported by AAA in WA, OR, ID and BC BELLEVUE, Wash. (June 26, 2012) – On July 1, AAA Washington will begin providing its more than one million members in Washington and northern Idaho emergency bicycle service. AAA members now have membership benefits that cover them on their bicycle in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. AAA Washington’s new bicycle service works exactly like its emergency road service for vehicles. A member with a disabled bicycle due to mechanical failure calls the AAA hotline (800-­‐AAA-­‐HELP) and AAA will dispatch service. The member and their bicycle will be transported to a safe location within the distance their membership level allows: Classic – 5 miles, Plus – 100 miles, or Premier – 200 miles. “We are excited to extend our legendary emergency road service to bicycles,” said John Milbrath, vice president of Member Services for AAA Washington. “People who live in the Northwest are avid ...

SIZES 53cm SM, 55cm SM/MD, 57cm MD/LG , 59cm LG  FRAME Lugged Reynolds 520 Butted Chromoly   FORK Flat Crown Lugged 4130 Chromoly Road  CRANKS Shimano 105 Double Crankset, Hollowtech 39/52t   BB Shimano Outboard Bearing  F.DERAIL Shimano 105   R.DERAIL Shimano 105   SHIFTER Shimano Ultegra 10spd STI  BR.LEVERS Shimano 105 STI   BRAKES Shimano 105  GEAR Shimano 105 (11-25t)   RIMS Weinmann DP18 Double Wall   TIRES Vittoria Rubino Pro 700x23c  PEDALS Steel Clips w/Leather Straps  HANDLEBAR Polished 31.8 Short Drop   STEM 3D Forged, 31.8   SEATPOST Avenir 200 Series 27.2x350mm  SEAT Avenir Classic Road   HEADSET Ahead 1-1/8" w/Alloy Cup   COLORS Red/Black   CHAIN Shimano 105   HUBSET (F) Formula Alloy QR 28h (R) Formula Alloy Cartridge QR 28h   SPOKES 14g Stainless MAC w/Alloy Nipples  GRIPS Gel Tape  EXTRAS Water Bottl...

Yelp on Two Wheels: A Food Truck Bike Rally Saturday, June 30, 2012, 11AM Join us for a bicycle tour of Clintonville to sample food trucks.  The ride will start from Goodale Park in the open air shelter inside the park.  A $10 donation will get you a Yelp goodie bag and a Yay Bikes! pint glass donated by Hal & Al's. Riders can pickup their bag at  our last stop, Brothers Drake Meadery. We will hold a raffle for TWO passes to a Columbus Food Adventures Taco Truck Food Tour at Brother's Drake once all the riders return. Sponsored By: Food Fort/ECDI, Yelp, Hal&Al's, Brothers Drake Meadery, Columbus Food Adventures. Big thanks to Food Fort for organizing the trucks. Ray Ray’s Tatoheads Per Zoot El Manantial Latino Pitabilities at Brothers Drake  [Facebook event] On Sunday July 1 the fun continues. If a rider brings their Yay Bikes! pint glass to the Monthly Food Truck and Cart event at Hal & Al's there will be special drink discounts (TBA). A...

B1 Bicycles is celebrating its fifth year in business. The shop, at 124 E. Long St., opened its doors May 5, 2007. “We started out primarily as a single-speed, fixed-gear, urban-focused cycle shop that also offered full service repairs,” said Casey Karnes, owner of B1 Bicycles. “I made sure to have every tool for every job from the beginning. As the business matured, we were able to use other companies’ lines of credit to stock merchandise and not pay cash for everything, which limited our selection.” As time went on, B1 began carrying higher end road, mountain and cyclocross bikes, and trimming its selection of fixed-gear bikes as the trend shifted toward super low end products. “We have focused more on the fitness side of cycling, as well as staying true to our urban/commuter roots,” Karnes said. [Keep reading at Columbus Underground]

The Federal Transportation Bill finally presented to Congress today takes a step back from key reforms of recent decades, says Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) Vice President of Policy and Trail Development Kevin Mills. "It shrinks from the challenge of meeting America's need for forward-looking 21st century policy that provides balanced transportation choices and improves public health and safety, the quality of our environment and the livability of our communities," Mills says. "From a broad transportation reform perspective, there are many reasons for concern, including misguided transportation priorities and gutting of provisions that ensure public input and consideration of the environment in transportation decisions." "The core programs that support trails, bicycling and walking are seriously compromised, but not undone," he says. Much as in the Senate bill, the most significant changes include: Merging t...

Daniel Menges is a 23-year-old photographer, artist, and recent college graduate who just moved to Pittsburgh from NY. He was just starting to get his footing when a bike accident left him with three fractured vertebrae. Fortunately, because of the Affordable Care Act, his medical care is covered under his mother's health insurance plan. This compelling short film comes at just the right time - as the Affordable Care Act faces the threat of repeal in the coming weeks of June 2012. Send this video along, get impassioned, and speak out about your right to affordable, quality health care. See more videos and get involved at: www.healthyartists.org Video produced, directed, and edited by Julie Sokolow Starring: Daniel Menges, Alison Tan, and Margaret K. Reed Featured Artists: Eanna Holton, Robert Isenberg, Teresa Martuccio, Sigh MeltingStar, Mary Tremonte, Davon Magwood, Ken Bolden, and Jude Vachon Music by: Boca Chica, Dan Koshute, and Dazzletine Special Thanks to: Scott Tyson Video ...

New Albany Links residents can anticipate slower traffic coming through their neighborhood on New Albany Road East after three medians are installed west of the commercial business campus. New Albany City Council voted 6-0 on June 19 to authorize the city manager to advertise for bids for the street project. The work includes repaving 15 miles of city streets and installing ramps to the Americans with Disabilities Act specifications as needed. It also includes sealing cracks on 17 other roads and repairing curbs in the project area. Councilman Glyde Marsh, who said he does not support "traffic calming" devices because they are difficult to navigate around, tried to amend the bid authorization to remove the traffic calming project. Council voted 5-1 against the amendment Marsh voted in favor of the bids after he could not remove the traffic calming project. City Service Director Mark Nemec said the entire street project will cost $1.47 million, which will be drawn fr...

On Friday, Congress will vote on a new transportation bill that reverses years of progress on biking and walking policy and cuts by 60 to 70 percent funding for local safety projects such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes. For the past 20 years, a modest portion of federal transportation investments — less than 2 percent of all transportation funding — has been dedicated to biking and walking projects that make streets more accessible for everybody, reduce preventable traffic fatalities, help boost local economic development, and create construction jobs. But, despite an outpouring of support from mayors, county executives, and the American public, the deal negotiated by a small number of Congress members behind closed doors eliminates much of this popular funding. “This new transportation bill is bad news for biking and walking,” said Caron Whitaker, campaign director of  America Bikes . “Across the country, people are biking and walking more, and vehicle miles tr...

During the past several years, few cities in the country have been more aggressive than Columbus in moving towards a first class biking and walking friendly city. With a highly supported downtown vision plan, a robust commitment to investing in bike infrastructure, the second largest university population in the country, a heavily used regional trail network, favorable terrain, and a dense downtown surrounded by unique neighborhoods, the city is capable of providing an ideal support structure for bike sharing. Columbus is seeking to put in place a dynamic piece in how residents, employees, and visitors experience the city. By creating a bike transit system to compliment the expanding network of bike infrastructure, more people will have access to short trip cycling, replacing vehicle use, cycling for fitness and recreation, and exploring the city.  Key Points of the Proposal Keen understanding of Columbus and its unique charact...

Emily Finch and her seven-person family vehicle. (Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland) Biking with kids is all the rage in Portland these days, but biking with six kids between the ages of 2 and 11? That's something I never would have thought possible before I met southeast Portland resident Emily Finch. Finch, 34, is a powerhouse. Watching her pedal her bakfiets cargo bike with four kids in the front, another one in a child seat behind her, and  another  one on a bike attached to hers via the rear rack, is a sight that not only inspires — it forces you to re-think what's possible. The Finch family train. Note: One of the children in the cargo bin is a family friend and Emily's 11-year old son (in photo below) is riding just behind. A few days ago, I rolled over to the Finch house in Ladd's Addition to join Emily and the kids on a trip to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). I pulled up to a scene of five kids (and one doll) already strapped int...

Leave a bicycle locked up on the street, and a pro with the right tool can spring it faster than you can buy a Slurpee. We're not bike thieves—not even close—and we were able to slice through cheap locks with $20 bolt cutters and a hacksaw, on our first try. So we wanted to see how much a quality U-lock increases the odds that your ride will still be there when you get back. We put four popular brands of locks against those hand tools, and the bike thieves' weapon of choice—a cordless angle grinder. In the end, we found some locks that can buy you a few extra seconds of security. But the results conclusively proved one thing: Your bike is never really safe outside. Testing Methodology These four mid-range locks (~$50 street price) are large enough to fit around a bicycle frame, a wheel and a parking meter. All of these manufacturers make locks that are more expensive and heavier, but we chose these for their affordability, convenience, and for the fact that these are...

It’s no secret that mountain bikes have been relegated to second-class status when it comes to recreation trails. They’re not allowed in designated wilderness areas, and even with the  special set-asides for mountain bikes called out in the recent Mount Hood Wilderness additions, the trail options around the mountain are limited. It’s also true that bikes and hikers don’t always mix well. Since I’m both a hiker and cyclist, I’m probably more comfortable than most hikers when it comes to shared trails. I love to hike and bike the Surveyor’s Ridge Trail, for example, but most hikers shy away because of its popularity among mountain bikers. The view toward Mount Hood from Blowdown Mountain This article is a proposal for something a little different for mountain bikers: the concept is to convert fading logging roads in a scenic area directly adjacent to the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness to become a dedicated bicycle backcountry. In addition to providing an exciting set of mo...

Further to yesterday's post, a reader left the following comment: Anonymous said... Mandatory helmet laws weed out the people who don't LOVE riding their bikes. Fight it, but ride not matter what! June 27, 2012 8:56 PM This is exactly the problem.  I don't want to "weed out the people who don't LOVE riding their bikes." People who love riding bikes are obsessive-compulsive freaks, and I say this as one of those people.  For the most part, America is a crappy place to ride a bike, which is why the people who actually ride bikes anyway are such weirdos.  I don't  want to be surrounded by other weirdos like me.  American cycling badly need an infusion of people who aren't especially excited about riding bikes but do it anyway.  This is the only way we can water down our extreme dorkitude.  Otherwise, cycling in America is going to continue to look like this: Before you complain that this image is not safe for work, please explain to your boss and colle...

The Low Down Spinlister is a marketplace that lets you find the best bikes to rent online, whether from individuals or existing bike rental shops. Just type where you'd like to ride and Spinlister gives you the best bike rental options for that location. We connect you with awesome people and great bikes from around the world. If you'd like to list your bike, just snap a few pictures and share your sweet chariot with awesome people like you. We help you meet up, exchange the bike, and have a great experience, whether you're the renter or the lister. We're currently live in New York and San Francisco with plans to expand to other cities soon. We're accepting listings from all over the world. [Spinlister]

Philip Pank   Transport Correspondent Last updated at 2:56PM, June 21 2012 Mark Cavendish, the cycle road race world champion who is tipped to win Britain’s first gold medal at the London Olympics, today calls on ministers to consider European laws to protect cyclists. The fastest man on two wheels says that if drivers knew that they would face harsh penalties if they knocked down a cyclist they would pay more attention and safety would improve. He cited the example of the Netherlands and Belgium, where there is a presumption of liability against drivers involved in crashes with cyclists. In most European countries the onus is on drivers to prove their innocence in collisions resulting in civil law suits for damages. The reverse is true in Britain, where cyclists or their families have to prove that the driver was at fault if they are to win a civil action. Change would be opposed by many motorists, but Cavendish said that in return cyclists would have to r...