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Showing posts from February 24, 2013

3-Foot Passing Petition [OBF]

Dear Fellow Ohio Cyclists,   Would you like Ohio motorists to leave us at least three feet of clearance when passing?  If so, please sign our Ohio Bicycle Federation petition at   http://www.change.org/petitions/ohio-legislature-enact-state-wide-three-foot-passing-law-for-bicycles We propose to amend the Ohio Revised Code to include the provision that when overtaking a bicycle, the safe passing distance shall be not less than three feet. The cities of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo have already adopted three-foot passing ordinances. Our second proposal would expand, simplify, and clarify the Ohio Revised Code definition of the bicycle to include human powered vehicles of two or more wheels. We also propose that the definition of a malfunctioning traffic signal include those which fail to detect a bicycle, so that a cyclist may cautiously and lawfully treat the signal as a stop sign. Please sign our petition  by clicking here.   Thanks! Chuck Smith Chair,

Betabrand WOMEN'S GRAY BIKE TO WORK PANTS

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Gray Cotton Pants with Tie-Cloth Waistband Liner HOW DO THEY FIT? These Bike to Work Pants sport a straight-leg trouser fit. HOW ARE THEY SIZED? See the sizing guide below. Note: regular inseam is 32", long is 34". (More sizes coming soon!) HOW DO I CARE FOR THEM? These pants are pre-washed. Machine wash cold, tumble dry low. VITAL STATISTICS Fabric: subtly stretchy cotton blend (76% cotton, 20% poly, 4% spandex) for better mobility. Reflective cuffs and rear V-flap pullout. Hook & bar front closure with interior button. Made in San Francisco. [Betabrands]

Urban Cyclocross [VIDEO]

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Family Bike Camping - PathLessPedaled.com

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Alabama student makes prosthetic leg from bicycle; will make more in Honduras [Alabama.com]

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Enlarge Mike Brantley | mbrantley@al.com Parker Owen, a student at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, demonstrates his "Cycle-Leg," a low-cast prosthetic leg he designed and built from bicycle parts, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at the school in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Brantley/mbrantley@al.com) Student creates prosthetic 'Cycle-Leg' from bike parts Feb. 27, 2013  gallery (9 photos) MOBILE, Alabama –  With prosthetic legs costing thousands of dollars, 19-year-old Parker Owen set out to see if he could make a durable, well-functioning one on the cheap. His goal: A prosthetic leg that he could take with him on a summer mission trip to Honduras to give children and adults the gift of mobility. Owen studied a diagram of a bicycle, and went to a local thrift store to buy a used one for just $25. “I was being lazy and bored on a Saturday night. I turned my computer on and started looking at a bicycle diagram, and I thought, ‘Why hasn’t any

Mountain Bikes: Who Needs Them?

I routinely dust every mountain biker I encounter on the trail. And I ride a road bike. Furthermore, I think, no, I know, the mountain bike is the most over-rated, most improperly used, most over-built, and most greedily promoted piece of hardware to hit the sport and fitness industry in modern history. Ninety-nine percent of the miles ridden by 99% of the mountain bikes could, and should, be ridden on the first and only real all terrain bike, the 'road bike.' More bluntly, a road bike is equal to or better than a mountain bike if ridden with skill like I have. Blasphemy, you say? Don't think you could possibly ride off pavement without monster knobbies, suspension, enough titanium for an ICBM, and enough gears for at least two whole bikes? Don't be a trained parrot by thinking this and don't let the greedy hawkers control your thoughts and your pocket-book! Simply put, invest in some skills, some style, some finesse, and some balls (girls included), not m

This Full-Sized Urban Bike Weighs A Mere 11 Pounds [FastCompany]

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It’s called the BlackBraid--what I imagine to be some long lost pirate, or maybe a pirate ship, or maybe a pirate ship named after its pirate captain. But it’s no treacherous, sea-oriented thing. The BlackBraid is actually a carbon-fiber bike  designed for urban travel. And it weighs a mere 11 pounds, making it one of the lightest bikes on the planet. Click to enlarge. The frame is of particular note. It’s what gives the bike its unbelievable lightness, and it’s also the BlackBraid’s namesake. Crafted from specially braided  carbon fiber developed by a partner in Munich, the tubes have incredible rigidity, despite being mostly air. Carbon components have been sourced through much of the rest of the bike as well, including the chainwheel, sprocket, and chain. And no doubt, seeing the final product--what might appear to be a casual collection of carbon-fiber components--overlooks all of the challenges that went into the build. Carbon fiber is notoriously finicky to engineer aroun

Hunqavideo #2 - Rivendell Bicycle Works

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Found bike in Hilliard OHIO (via @yaybikes)

Greetings, The Hilliard Division of Police, Hilliard Ohio, currently has a very expensive bicycle that was found near the Rails To Trails. I have been unable to locate an owner. I was hoping that you could send a mass email to your members with my contact information reference a Motobecane bicycle. I would of course need to speak with each person and have them provide proof of owner ship. If this is something that you could do I would greatly appreciate it. Thank You! Property Clerk Pam Cunningham Hilliard Division of Police 5171 Northwest Parkway Hilliard, OH 43026 OFC: 614-334-2336 FAX: 614-529-6013 EMAIL: pcunningham@hilliardohio.gov

Bikes Mean Business: Bike Friendly Business District (BFBD)

Bikes Mean Business: Bike Friendly Business District from Michael Lowe on Vimeo .

Underbiking

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Underbike  | ˈəndÉ™r-bÄ«k | verb 1. ride a traditional road bicycle on surfaces that typically warrant the use of knobbie tires, flat bars, and sometimes suspension  : its fun to see dual-suspension mountain bikers’ strange looks on the trails as we underbike. noun 1 . a bicycle with a light frame, drop bars, slick tires, multiple gears, suitable for ordinary roads, but instead ridden on fire roads, trails, singletrack, sand, and rocks  : let’s put some 35mm road tires on there, we’ll have ourselves an underbike. 2. a bicycle that facilitates mixed surface riding • Rivendell: a country bike DERIVATIVES un•der bik•ing  noun un•der bik•er  noun Thesaurus noun an underbike ready for the trails   COUNTRY BIKE , all-rounder, cyclocross bike, mixed-surface riding Underbiking  used to be called “bicycling,” long before the logic of marketing dictated design. Since then, the tried-and-true technology of bicycling has been replaced by gimmicky bells and whistles (although without the ac

Deer Attacks Cyclist

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'Helmet of Justice' uses seven cameras to make a black box for bicyclists

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Design studio Chaotic Moon is known for its work on the " Board of Awesomeness " and " Board of Imagination ," which push the humble skateboard into new territory with electric power and thought control. Its followup takes on a somewhat different problem: giving skaters and bicyclists an antidote to their vulnerable position on the road. The "Helmet of Justice,"   demoed on CNN last week , was developed in response to a hit-and-run that left Chaotic Moon employee John Poindexter injured with no idea what had happened. Its core feature is a network of seven cameras that provide a 360-degree view around the wearer's head. When the helmet detects impact via an accelerometer, it starts recording, theoretically capturing the accident — whether it's a simple fall or something more sin ister. The helmet can capture up to two hours of video after impact, and the resulting files can be recovered over USB, mimicking the operation of car "black bo

In praise of a reliable workout buddy [Washington Post]

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Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post -   The Capital Crescent Trail is an 11-mile arc of wooded refuge that runs through the heart of suburbia and deep into the city, from Silver Spring in the northeast to Georgetown in the southwest. By  Lenny Bernstein ,  Published: February 26 It’s easy to take your most reliable running buddy for granted, or to forget, over time, how lucky you are to have that one friend who’s truly there anytime you want to go for a bike ride. I’m referring, of course, to myself and the  Capital Crescent Trail,  an 11-mile arc of wooded refuge that runs through the heart of suburbia and deep into the city, from Silver Spring in the northeast to Georgetown in the southwest. If it’s weird for an adult to express affection for a sloping stretch of pavement, to admit a crush on crushed gravel, so be it. I’m certainly not the only one. “When you try to estimate . . . what a trail like this is worth,” says Jake Lynch, spokesman for the  Rails-to-Tr

Saris CycleGlide

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Specifications Free up floor space in your garage or basement. Gives individual access to each bike without having to remove adjacent bkes while offering compact storage. Wheel hooks adjust to the bicycle wheel base to accommodate a wide range of bicycle sizes. Allows access and compact storage of 4 bikes (50 lbs./bike). A 2-bike add-on is available to expand the capacity to 6 bikes. [Saris]

Ritchey Multi-Torqkey 5Nm (with 4 bits)

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Properly install your Ritchey bars and stem without fear of over-tightened bolts. The torque key is calibrated to 5Nm with an indication you both feel and hear. Now available with interchangeable bits in popular sizes 5mm, 4mm and 3mm hex keys and T-20 Torx Magnetic bit retention [Ritchey]

Detroit Bike City is March 16th, 2013 @detroitbikecity #letsride

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[Detroit Bike City]

BITCHY TUTORIAL VOL.3 "SADDLE UP"

BITCHY TUTORIAL VOL.3 "SADDLE UP" from GASH-ROUGE on Vimeo .

Seeing the sights in Copenhagen by bike is a wonderful, wonderful adventure [NY Daily News]

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Copenhagen is a city of bicyclists: 84% of the population owns bikes and 50% use them daily to get to work or school. And they always obey traffic rules. An impossible series of events has just taken place. On a densely populated bicycle route, along a main artery in central Copenhagen, a woman extended her left hand before moving her bike from the lane closest to pedestrians to the one next to the cars. Thirty seconds later, a man moved his upper right arm out from his shoulder, letting the lower part swing limp to indicate he wanted to make a stop. Less than a minute later, a dense thicket of bikes arrived at a red light, at which point the riders all squeezed their breaks softly to create a pause so sure and graceful, it could have been choreographed. For the length of that light, no one became impatient and bolted. No rider tried to angle ahead of another to plan a faster getaway. Every soul waited until they saw green, at which point the symphony of signaling began al

BioLogic FreeDrive

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Sleek, low-friction chain protection Reduces chain vibration and noise Keeps clothing (and other passengers, if you commute) free from grease The looks and cleanliness of a belt drive with the efficiency of a chain drive The BioLogic FreeDrive chain cover encloses the bicycle chain to keep the rider’s clothing protected from grease and dirty spray. Due to its ingenious design, the FreeDrive moves with the chain – unlike some other fixed chain protection methods that add friction. It also reduces chain vibration and noise. With a FreeDrive, you can say goodbye to bulky chainguards. Compatible only with single speed and multi-speed internal hub gear bikes Requires 17-tooth rear cog or more [BioLogic FreeDrive]

The impact of fat bikes [Adventure Cycling]

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Last week, via  Twitter  we received the following question from @IslandPathways  of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, regarding our #fatbikefeb campaign: “Do you have any info on the environmental impact of fat bikes in the backcountry?" Now, I’ve been mountain biking for about as long as the activity has existed under that name. I organized Adventure Cycling’s (then Bikecentennial's) first group mountain bike trip in the 1980s, in the North Fork of the Flathead in Montana; I mapped the  Great Divide Mountain Bike Route  in the ’90s. Yet I’ve been on a fat bike a grand total of one time — at the  Fat Bike Summit  last month in Island Park, Idaho, and that ride was over a groomed snowmobile trail. So, I don’t exactly consider myself a fat bike expert, nor all that qualified to comment on the impacts they might make on snowless terrain. But from what I’ve gleaned by reading and talking to avid fat bikers, along with the application of a little common sense, it appea

Cycle track vs. parking spaces battle continues in Somerville [Boston.com]

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By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent During peak commuting times, over 300 bicycles travel Somerville's Beacon Street an hour, making it Greater Boston's  busiest cycling corridor . It's also considered to be the most dangerous in the state, with 154 bicycle accidents in the Inman Square area between 2002 and 2010, according to a  state Department of Transportation report .  The street is riddled with potholes, and in certain areas cyclists are frequently exposed to the danger of being "doored:" struck by an opening door of a parked vehicle. But despite the dangers, it has become increasingly popular as a direct bicycle route from Porter Square to Kendall Square.   Using a combination of federal and state grants, Somerville and state transportation planners have devised a  $5.5 million project  aimed at addressing safety issues and making the street more bike-oriented. It will reconstruct 1.1 miles of Beacon — from Oxford Street to the Cambridge c

Minneapolis ponders 'Greenway' street conversion (no cars allowed) [Gear Junkie]

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Imagine if your city street was stripped of its pavement and turned into a bike/pedestrian-friendly “greenway.” Trees, grass, and paths replace pavement and cars whizzing by. That scenario is being considered in Minneapolis, where the city is working to develop plans to convert a low-traffic street in north Minneapolis to a no-cars-allowed “linear park.” Image reveals imaginary street converted into a “greenway” with no motorized traffic No small plan, the  North Minneapolis Greenway  would run more than 30 blocks north to south. Current home owners would lose access to the street, with parking in alleyways or small lots constructed near the green space. The proposed route runs through North Minneapolis, the poorest and most run-down part of the town. It would link a huge swath of the city neighborhoods to downtown and connecting trails that stream through the rest of the city (including right past our office here at GearJunkie). What do you think? Utopian community p

NAHBS 2013 - Adventure touring bikes [Bicycle Times]

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By Adam Newman Riders are always looking for new challenges and new places to ride their bikes. Adventure touring and bike-packing are two of the fastest-growing segments of the industry, and like every year, the North American Handmade Bike Show is setting trends that the rest of the industry is likely to soon follow. Though adventures can be had on any bike, more and more riders are designing, building, and riding bikes specifically designed around touring or racing on unpaved roads or rough terrain. Not quite mountain bikes, they often incorporate aspects of cyclocross and traditional touring bikes to make them more versatile. Rigid forks, disc brakes, 29-inch wheels, and soft-sided luggage are common sights. Here are some of the adventure touring bikes we saw at NAHBS 2013 here in Denver, Colorado. Moots Moots  designed and built this bike for a customer who plans on racing the Colorado Trail Race and then continuing on for even more adventures. Based on a

OHIO THREE FOOT LAW UPDATE - How YOU can help NOW! #letsride

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From  Steve Magas OK, folks - we have a window of opportunity here to get our Three Foot Law passed quickly. Pending right now in the House is  HB 35  - a big transportation  bill .  RIGHT NOW.  Dems and R's are getting their amendments together RIGHT NOW.   On Saturday I had a meeting with one of our local state reps [a D] about submitting our 3 proposals [- 3' Law - Broaden "bicycle" definition - Modify "malfunctioning signal" law].  She is going to present our package to Dem leadership on the transportation bill. If YOU want to get involved, take the attached document to YOUR state Rep and state Senator and tell them YOU WANT A THREE FOOT LAW.  Tell them these are easy-squeezy, non-controversial changes which would benefit cyclists and give us a real educational opportunity.   This opportunity needs to be taken advantage of very quickly if we want to get these amendments into the pending bill.  We suspect the bill will be voted on soon

kunye

kunye from Sinamatella Productions on Vimeo . Was it a dream? Was it a folk-tale? Did these protagonists come here to fight on old battlegrounds or did they come in celebration? Perhaps they just looking for a journey, a chance to travel back to the start, to rediscover their love for the bike. Inspired by TS Eliot’s Little Gidding, this short film tells the story of the 2012 Single Speed World Champs held in Africa for the first time. http://www.sinamatella.com/makingfilm/kunye/ Director: James Walsh Editor: Katherine Millar Cinematography: Dale Hunt, James Walsh Sound Mixer: Gareth Wharton Voice Over: Gareth Murphy Aerial Footage: Steve Bolt Onboard Bike Cam: Cammou Dave Archive Photos: KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo Producer: James Walsh Thank You: Amy and Burry, for being the first Africans to win the title. Grant and Co. for making it happen. Burry, for reminding us to chase our passions and love what we do. Hamba gahle. Film Festival & any media inquiries: k

Danville Adventure Ride 02232013 recap

Highlights Danville to Loudonville loop Lunch at Mohican Tavern 12 cyclists 42 miles 3600+ ft climbing One stubborn tubeless tire that puked

Scioto Trails Presidents Day Ride 02182013 recap

Highlights Scioto Trail State Park 8 cyclists 32 miles 2500+ ft climbing

Bremen Lower Loop 02172013 recap

Highlights 6 cyclists 23 miles 1800+ ft climbing Temps in mid 20's and windy 2 flats (John C) One loose front wheel (me) One loose fender (Roger)

Yay Bikes! Year of Yay 13.2 recap

Highlights 34 cyclists Tai Chi at CMAC Tibetan Meditation Center Happy Dragon