Columbus Rides Bikes!

(Credit: Frankie Cropper ) Columbus appears to be over its handlebars for CoGo, the city’s newest bike share program. Another move in Columbus’s courtship of the growing cyclist population, CoGo is an obvious step towards supporting pedal-powered travel: a $2-million-dollar bike share program, with special bikes located at 28 (soon to be 30) special “docking” stations across the city, available for anyone’s use at any time of day. The program is enticing for citizens who value non CO2-emitting transportation and healthful living, or cities that generally try to stay hip to metropolitan trends. The first 300 CoGo bikes have the potential to change more than just the calves of Columbus’s public. They could be a profound step toward smoothing over tensions between classic archenemies in the world of transportation: People in Cars and People On Bikes. But first, the basics: Perks To operate a CoGo bike feels like riding a stripped-down motorcycle. Passengers sit upright in an

The first thing to know about bicycle touring,  or riding for days at a time across a landscape, is that you can do it on virtually any bike. Whatever claptrap contraption you have in the garage will probably work. Consider the guy I know who bought a Huffy in Japan and pedaled it through Kamchatka and then from Alaska to Mexico. I’m sure as hell not recommending that—the average Huffy is only designed to last the average homeless person six or so weeks of light pedaling—but the point is that if my friend can ride an absolute pile of crap bicycle for months at a time through wild and foreign lands then anyone can grab that old mountain bike or 10-speed and head for the sunset. But let’s say you want something designed specifically for multi-day adventure. Something tough and reliable that will get you to the beyond and back (unlike my friend, whose bike eventually disintegrated somewhere south of Tijuana). Though they’ve long existed on the outskirts of the race-obsessed bike indu

A Citi Bike would have made perfect sense in Cormac McCarthy's  The Road Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images There’s something post-apocalyptic about Citi Bike, the bike-sharing program that debuted a few months ago in parts of New York City. Or perhaps better terms would be "pre-post-apocalyptic" and "pre-dystopian." Because these bikes basically are designed for the end of the world. Bike-sharing  programs have arisen around the world—from Washington, D.C., to Hangzhou, China. The New York bikes are almost disturbingly durable: Human-powered, solar-charged, and with aluminum frames so sturdy that  during stress testing the bike broke the testing equipment . Sure, riding one through Midtown Manhattan is like entering a speedboat race on a manatee. And yes, they're geared so that it feels you're at a very goofy spinning class when riding up Second Avenue. But if you think post-apocalyptically, that gear ratio means a very efficient bike fo

To those who say that laws requiring motorists to give bicycles a 3-foot gap when passing are unenforceable, consider what police in Austin, Texas, are doing. Maryland bike advocate shows what 3 feet looks like. A few years ago, bicycle advocates in Texas convinced the legislature to pass a 3-foot law for passing bicycles. Gov. Rich Perry vetoed it, becoming the first governor to veto such a law (California’s Gov. Jerry Brown has since joined him). City councils all across the Lone Star State realized, however, that 3-foot passing laws are important safety measures. Many passed local ordinances that require motorists to give bicyclists, and pedestrians, a minimum 3 feet of clearance when passing. Austin was one of those cities.  [Keep reading at Biking Bis]

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Investigators from the Ohio State Highway Patrol say the vehicle believed to be involved in a fatal hit and run crash in Delaware County on Sunday has been located at a home in Delaware County. Troopers responded to a Delaware County home along Miller-Paul Road at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday. The vehicle matches the description of the vehicle that struck and killed 64-year-old Robert Lennon while he was riding his bike in the area of Miller-Paul and Robins roads. Troopers tell  NBC4  the damage to the vehicle is consistent with the crash investigation. The vehicle was seized and taken to the Delaware post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Troopers and investigators are interviewing one person in connection with the vehicle. No charges have been filed at this time. According to troopers, deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office responded to Miller-Paul on a report of a crash involving a deer and a vehicle. Responding deputies found the suspect veh

My theory about bicycle cleanliness is that if you have the time  to get the dirt off, you probably aren’t riding enough. Of course, that’s easy to say living in a place where it rains once each in January, February, and March, and dusting the bike every quarter would be a lot. But still, there are times, like after driving through a particular fecund spring hatch with your rig on the roof, when you might want to give ‘er shine, and that’s when it might be nice to the QBike washing station nearby. The  QBike from Novatec  is in operation at two locations at Lago di Garda, Italy, but didn’t gotten much attention until last week’s Eurobike trade show, where it was being offered to shops for about two grand. The station sprays a light water and detergent mix over the bike (“light” being the operative word, if you’re worried about water worming its way into the bike’s private parts) and…well, that’s it. No fluff and fold, no air dry. You still have to wipe down the bike and lube it.

Tivan Amour and Slava Menn are big fans of Kickstarter. Kickstarter S lava Menn  and  Tivan Amour , the founders behind  Fortified Bicycle Alliance , liked Kickstarter so well the first time that they're back once more, crowdfunding their latest generation of theft-proof bicycle lights. "I think it's a way to get in front of a huge audience and get immediate feedback," Menn told me. It's also been, for him and Amour, a pretty good way to get the money they need to manufacture bicycle lights geared to an urban audience. The first campaign, for their Defender lights, raised $84,000. This time the pair is looking to come out with Afterburner and Aviator, a higher end pair of brighter lights, and had raised $66,940 as of this morning, with 36 days to go. They've already beaten their $24,000 goal for the second campaign. Menn, a 2011 graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Business, says he and Amour had the idea for manufacturing rugged, theft-resista

This summer, I took my bike respite on the  TransAm , from my backdoor in Missoula, to Florence, Oregon. I rode with my husband (pictured above riding from Eugene to Florence) and for two weeks I shut myself off from email and immersed myself in life on the road. Overall, I was really impressed with the route through Oregon (with the exception of an 18-mile section heavy with truck and commercial traffic). Most of the time, there were good shoulders and to my delight, none of them were overtaken with rumble strips. Upon entering Florence and making our way over the last three miles to the hiker-biker site at  Honeyman State Park , my husband commented on the poor shoulders. There was debris and the paving was a mess — with a ridge down the center of the shoulder. But we only had three miles to ride and I thought it was probably an anomaly. We’d seen paving like this periodically during our ride so I didn’t dwell on it, figuring I’d talk to my contacts at  Oregon Department of Tra

Bicycling is on the rise in cities such as Washington DC-in part because of companies As more companies seek creative ways to retain talent,  improve productivity , keep employees engaged and  reduce health care costs , a robust bicycling program is one perk businesses should consider.  The statistics  should certainly encourage companies. Over 42 million Americans rode a bicycle in 2010, making it the  second most popular outdoor activity  in the country. Almost half of Americans in a recent survey indicated they wish for more bicycling amenities in their communities. Plus bicycling is not only a  healthy means of commuting , but is a cost-effective means of getting to work. The average American spends over $8,700 a year on car payments, insurance, fuel and other automobile costs. Contrast that figure with a 10-mile round trip completed on a bicycle, which can save that same commuter $10 when factoring car maintenance into the equation. And for employers located in pricey urban

Crash detection sensors. HD video. One month battery life. One touch operation. CNC machined. Fight back with RIDEYE. IMPORTANT: 2X RECORD TIME UPGRADE ANNOUNCEMENT! We are excited to report that all base model RIDEYE cameras will now feature twice the video history we had originally specified. All existing and future pledges are eligible. Check the update for more details! RIDEYE Sample Footage from Rideye on Vimeo . Raw video shot on pre-production Rideye cameras. www.rideye.com Location: Los Angeles, CA Music: Broke For Free- As Colorful As Always http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rideye/rideye-the-black-box-camera-for-your-bike?ref=live

If I lived anywhere in the U.S. and rode a bike that cost less than about $1,000, I’d pick up the ~$42  Kryptonite Series 2 package , which comes with a u-lock and four-foot-long cable. Experts, users and the bike thieves that we interviewed agree that the Series 2 u-lock is strong enough to foil all foilable thieves. This isn’t an exciting, novel pick for the best u-lock but it is savvy. Experts, users and the bike thieves that we interviewed agree that the Series 2 u-lock is strong enough to foil all foilable thieves. It’s also light and comes with a stable, easy-to-mount carrying bracket that fits on virtually all bikes. Kryptonite’s accompanying “insurance”—costing $20 for three years—is the easiest to purchase, thanks to their rare online form. And it pays OK, too. In the event that some jerk destroys the u-lock and makes off with a bike, then Kryptonite pays the homeowners’ or renter’s insurance deductible or the replacement cost of the bike. The cable is just o

About Fix It Sticks In my experience most of the problems I encounter on a ride could be fixed with just a few tools. However, the tools are left behind either because they are heavy, not working or just too bulky for your jersey or seatbag.   The real value of Fix It Sticks is the ability to buy 1 set of tools to use at home and the same set excels for use on the road. No more compromising! Fix It Sticks are able to get into very tight spaces by using a single stick to start a bolt, once in place, torque is applied with our unique T-handle design. Traditional multi tools lack proper engagement mainly because there are too many pivot points which leads to stripped out bolts and frustrating roadside repairs. Fix It Sticks bicycle multi tools are designed to be modular and customizable. Carrying sockets, wrenches, a magnifying glass, knives, etc can be a waste, just carry what you need. In the near future we will have many combinations of sticks to choose from. Allowing our

Photo:   Dan Barham RELATED CONTENT FEATURE:   2013 Guide to Riding Everywhere BLOG:   BikeSnobNYC's Best Cycling Cities It was a lovely spring day and my friend and I were  riding abreast  on a quiet street, spinning and chatting easily. Somewhere, Edvard Grieg's "Morning Mood" should have been playing.  Then from behind us came an urgent honking. Before we could rearrange ourselves in single file, the driver accelerated alongside us, leaned across her passenger seat, and shouted: "What you're doing is very dangerous!"  Dangerous? We were hardly juggling knives here. As far as I could tell the only threat to anybody was the two tons of Swedish steel, driven by an angry woman looking 90 degrees away from the road.  Whether you're piloting your car, your bicycle, your Segway, or just your ­flip-flops, the paramount rule is: Be ­considerate of your fellow travelers.  But what to do when that mu

As New York City redesigns its streets to be more bike and pedestrian friendly, the people who are still driving are getting a bonus: they're going faster. There’s few surer ways of stirring controversy in a city or neighborhood than to bring up the topic of new bike lanes. Cyclists love them obviously, but drivers will get all riled up about the road space or parking space they are giving up. Dare to peek at comments on a listserv, and it can be all out warfare between two- and four-wheeled partisans. New data from New York City’s Department of Transportation, however, could help calm tensions. Bike lanes and pedestrian improvements are actually good for drivers too: They ease congestion and speed up traffic,  the agency's analysis  of GPS data from taxi cabs shows. Cars moved faster through midtown since the city added protected bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly zones Streetsblog looked  in detail at the data from the city’s annual “Sustainable Streets Index,” w

The Atom is specifically designed to output a high quality, USB compatible 5V @ up to 500mA. In English, that means that if your device can be charged with a USB connection (iPhones, and iPods, Galaxy phones, GPS trackers, etc.), then it will take a charge from the Atom. The 500mA charge rate is the same as the USB output from your computer, which means your device will go from fully flat to fully charged, just as fast on the bike as it would sitting on your desk. We worked hard to keep the Atom low profile. Weighing in at only 300 grams, it is 7.5” tall, 3.0” wide, and 1.2” deep, including all component parts. We like to think of it as a beefy iPhone. Integrated seamlessly into the body is a 1300mAh battery pack (compare vs. iPhone 5’s 1440mAh) that charges wherever you go. This means a 75% charge on your iPhone 5 from dead flat, anywhere you need it. Your bike just got powerful…and so did your pocket.  [Siva Atom]

By Cyril Jay-Rayon As an endurance MTB cyclist and adventure athlete, I know how proper nutrition can help you reach your performance goals. However, if you don’t stay active and on the move, especially during the long winter months, don’t count on any food to keep you healthy and fit. That’s why my secret “superfood” is not a supplement or food at all. It’s commuting to work on my bike. And, here’s why. Commuting to work on your bike is the best way to find time you thought you didn’t have to stay active on a regular basis. I live in Los Angeles, one of the least bike friendly cities in the US, but I found a good route to ride to work. My car commute is a minimum of 35 minutes to work. When I ride, it’s 1 hour and more reliable so I know exactly how long it will take me to get to and from work. So, for less than 1 hour more of commute, I get 2 hours of exercise per day. An obvious side benefit to all this bike commuting is that the car stays in the driveway saving me on gas, c

Say more with less You want the information you need in a clear and distilled manner. We designed Hammerhead to show you everything you need while not distracting you with text, small graphics or the need for headphones. We developed cues and signals; much like those used by racecar drivers or fighter pilots. It works well in all light and weather conditions. You can even customize the light array within our app to suit your preferences. Discover Pull out our app. Discover a great ride based on your preferences: hills, distance, scenery or difficulty. Hammerhead will guide you through the route seamlessly with safe, simple, and intuitive turn-by-turn instructions. Share Know an awesome ride? Or a better way to get through a city? Share your favorite rides with friends and the community. Our app makes it dead simple to send routes to others. Instead of just talking about it, share that ride that you know so well and get rewarded in the app for your contributions.