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Showing posts from April 28, 2013

Photos: A Week on a Bike Tour with Randall and Natalia [Gear Junkie]

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Last fall, Minneapolis bike community fixtures  Randall Dietel  and Natalia Mendez set out from their home in the city with a plan to bike 400+ miles through Minnesota and Wisconsin to a finish line in Green Bay. Dietel, a former bike courier and winner of many local alleycat races, rode a Surly Troll bike loaded with panniers and gear for the road. Mendez, also on a Troll, had a hamburger-shape bell and cue cards on her handlebars to reveal preplanned turns in the route. Over six days they rolled country highways, rails-to-trails bike paths, slept on the ground in farm fields, and generally lived the wonderful nomadic existence of a bike tour. Here are a few of Dietel’s photos from the trip. Makes us want to jump on a bike and hit the road right now!  —Stephen Regenold [Keep reading at Gear Junkie]

Specialized Brings "Turbo" Electric Assisted Bicycle To The U.S.

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MORGAN HILL, Calif. ,  April 29, 2013  /PRNewswire/ -- Specialized Bicycle Components is now offering the Turbo electric-assist bicycle to its dealers in  the United States . The combination of pedal power and electric power gives the Turbo a top assisted speed of 27.9 mph. The  Turbo delivers superhuman power to anyone who rides it: it's you only faster. (Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130429/LA03094 ) The Turbo creates an entirely new category of eBikes that we've named "Performance Urban." Turbo is a speed-focused, high-tech urban bike that looks and performs like a fast bike should and it just happens to have a motor. With a top speed of 27.9 mph, the Turbo is unquestionably fast. It's even fast standing still as the battery recharges in just two and a half hours. Every aspect of the design exudes speed, efficiency and style. The incredibly burly yet sleek and racy alloy frame has been built with a performance geometry for high-speed ridin

A Bike Pump That Hides In Your Seat Post [FastCompany]

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WHEN IT’S NOT REFILLING YOUR TIRES ON THE GO, POSTPUMP 2.0 TUCKS AWAY CLEANLY OUT OF SIGHT. Flat bike tires are a massive bummer, but pinch-flats are almost extra frustrating; rather than running over a stray nail or something sharp in the street, these sneaky snakebite-like holes most often occur after rolling out on under-inflated tires. So, basically, it’s your own damn fault if you forget to check the pressure before you ride. D’oh! Sure, portable pumps and CO2 inflators offer decent on-the-go assistance if you’re super low, but the cycle-savvy experts at  BioLogic  created a clever, multi-functional tool that won’t take up any extra space in your bag (or get accidentally left behind at home). PostPump is a removable seatpost that doubles as a full-powered floor pump, transforming with a few simple steps; so, you know, James Bond might own one if he regularly pursued master villains on two wheels. Following the success of the  original , the brand introd

My Neighbor’s Keeper 2nd Fundraiser Bike Tour: Sunday, July 21, 2013, Athens OH

Please come to this fundraiser bicycle tour! July is a great month of food-source sustainability awareness in Athens County, Ohio. There are events throughout July (see the Athens County Visitor’s Bureau website at <athensohio.com> for more information) to educate as well as showcase local producers, and enjoy foods produced in Athens Co at area restaurants. The 30- Mile Meal Project is a sustainability movement to create meals from food grown and produced within 30 miles of Athens, Ohio. This bike tour is a fundraiser to benefit several emergency food-providers in Athens County. The bike tour proceeds will be donated as Athens Farmers’ Market gift certificates. This will enable these emergency providers to assist area residents in gaining greater access to locally produced fresh foodstuffs. At least $10 of each registration goes directly into the gift-certificates. This year’s tour has three lengths: a15-mile beginner/family ride, a 30-mil

Public Bikes R16

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After years of requests for an affordable classic road bike for the city, we designed our own: the PUBLIC R16.  It has been styled after the best vintage road bikes but with the benefits of modern components for easier shifting, stronger braking, and lighter weight. We designed the PUBLIC R16 to meet the demands of both urban and recreational riding. With its drop handlebars, road bike geometry, and sixteen speeds, the PUBLIC R16 delivers more performance than city bikes and is ideal for longer commutes. And there are no other new road bikes in the market that come with matching fenders and optional add-on matching rear racks - features more commonly found on retro-inspired handmade steel framed bikes. Lightweight and agile the PUBLIC R16 can tackle curbs and handle all forms of asphalt, concrete or bike paths. With aesthetic details such as brown tires, leather toe straps, a retro saddle with brass rivets, and matching rims and fenders, it rolls like a custom steel framed road b

Here's What Americans Don't Get About Cycling — And Why It's A Problem [businessinsider.com]

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Flickr/Beraldo Leal A cyclist on New York's Brooklyn Bridge. The 2013 Copenhagenize Index of   the world's most bike-friendly cities   is out, and not a single American metropolis made the top 20. That's a problem — and not just a health-related one, said Mikael Colville-Andersen, CEO of  Copenhagenize , the consulting and communications company that published the Index. By failing to embrace cycling culture, American cities are losing out on significant financial benefits, Colville-Andersen told  Business Insider . Studies show that every kilometer cycled in Denmark earns the country €.23 (partly because cyclists have been shown to spend more money in local stores), he said. And even with significant taxation of automobiles, every kilometer driven in Denmark costs the country €.16. The problem in the U.S. is all about perception, said Colville-Andersen.  Many commuters see cycling as a form of exercise, not convenient transport, and cities are still being bui

Wonder Wheels: Eileen Sheridan

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The 1956 autobiography of Eileen Sheridan, the fantastic time trialist and road record champion of her time. Like Beryl she could beat the men at their own game! This long out-of-print book is well worth looking out for. A great read about a truly amazing cyclist and a golden time in British cycling. The book has now been reprinted by Mercian Manuals, and a wonderful job they have done to it. I bought a copy myself for comparison. They have also reprinted Beryl Burton's 'Personal Best,' again another brilliant job. So if you want your own copy, it's out there. I've no connection with the company! I bought mine on Amazon. [More photos here]

Biking boom prompts a wave of non-pedaling adults to sign up for lessons [Washington Post] Check out Yay Bikes! for classes!

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View Photo Gallery —  A boom in adult learn-to-bike classes: Non-pedaling grown-ups are taking care of some unfinished kid business and signing up for lessons with groups including the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. The organization held one recent session in Alexandria. When they were kids, they could only watch as their friends pedaled off. In college, they saw other students go ten-speeding around campus. As grown-up Washingtonians, increasingly surrounded by bike lanes,  bike commuters  and bike-share stations, they have stood aside as a city zips by on two wheels. And so, a few decades later than most, 13 adults gathered last week in Alexandria to take care of some unfinished childhood business: learning to ride a bicycle. “D.C. has become such a bike town; it’s everywhere,” said Chris, a 29-year-old staffer at a child advocacy group in the District. He stills bears the scars of his disastrous first attempt to learn at age 7: a small one on his ankle a

CLIMB Works Mountain Biking

CLIMB Works Mountain Biking from CLIMB Works on Vimeo . CLIMB Works Mountain Biking in the Smoky Mountains is officially open. From now until May 18th, if you bring your own bike, you ride for FREE. For those that don't have a bike, we offer Trek full suspension bike rentals at our introductory price of $45 for a Half Day Rental (3-4 hrs). Sparked by IMBA dirt wizard Tony Boone and combined with our expertise in zip line and ropes course construction, CLIMB Works has developed an emerging trail construction crew. We've completed our first two-mile green flow trail, practice loop and pump track, with an extensive, purpose built trail system in sight. The trail is packed with rollers, logs, bridges, and berms, and features our flagship feature we affectionately call "The Curliest." All are rideable for beginners, and rippable for experts. Directed, shot, edited: Reid Bieber (@reidbieber)

How Bicycles Bring Business [Momentum Mag]

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Photos by Kevin Steele from his series "Portraits of Queen West" Pat Brown was just hoping to hang on in a tough economy. When she relocated her art gallery in 2008, it was the rock-bottom rent that drew her to a still struggling strip of downtown Memphis, TN. “We were just trying to survive,” she said. How Bicycles Bring Business RELATED How Bicycles Bring Business - The Infographic Brown was betting on a small core of community members determined to transform Broad Avenue from a fast-moving thoroughfare, where traffic whizzed past boarded-up storefronts at 50 mph (80 km/h), into a bustling arts district. Little did she know that they would hit the jackpot with bicycling. Shortly after Brown opened T Clifton Gallery, Sarah Newstok walked in. The local nonprofit Newstok led, Livable Memphis, had a vision for Broad Avenue, too. They wanted to build a protected bike lane that would pass right by Brown’s door, creating a vital connection

First 50 miler photos

I had the pleasure of riding with Joe Powell and Adam Proehl on their first 50 mile ride. We rode from Yellow Springs to Corwin and back.

Motorcycle Crashes into Bicycles

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Down by the River [Pink Bike]

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The town of Green River is no stranger to the mountain bike world. As the birthplace of many iconic freeride moves, the number of riders visiting this small town has increased over the years. Eric Porter came up with the idea to float down the Green River on rafts to access areas that you couldn't drive to. With his team mate Kelly McGarry, we ventured into the unknown where cell reception and civilization was non-existent.   Rafts loaded with bikes and camping gear, finding terrain to ride is an added bonus. [Keep reading at  Pink Bike]

8 Things You Can Carry by Bicycle (But Probably Think You Can’t) [Bicycling] by @ellyblue who will be in Columbus May 24th

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By Elly Blue I’m convinced that you can carry anything by bike. Skeptical? Listed below are a bunch of things either friends or I have successfully transported by pedal power, and how we did it. Chocolate Cake Mmm, cake! Delicious, but not the most stable substance when, say, stuffed into a melting cardboard box and bungeed to your rear rack. But there is a secret, imparted to me by friends who like to bake: Carry your cake in as tightly fitting a box as possible, and place the box, right side up, into a square-bottom tote bag that you allow to swing gently from one hand while you carefully steer and brake with the other. Your body absorbs all the bumps and shocks of the road, and you’ll still be able to read those frosting birthday wishes when you get to the party. Mattress and Bed Frame My bike trailer is large (it’s handmade out of bamboo by a Portlander and measures about 4×6 feet), but not large enough for a bed unless I add a bunch of boxes or milk crates to lift the be