Posts

Showing posts from October 27, 2013

There’s Another Way @bicyclingmag

In the US and the Netherlands, two children on bikes are struck by cars—and the responses couldn’t be more different By Bob Mionske The driver who hit Burgess Hu never saw him. She was making a right turn, and the police assume she was  looking left . In other words, she wasn’t looking where she was going. As he biked into the driveway of Excelsior Middle School in Byron, California, 12-year-old Burgess was knocked down and dragged some 60 feet before the driver came to a stop. He never made it to school that day. Instead, as the school day began, Burgess lay dead under the wheels of the black GMC Yukon. In this country,  “I didn’t see the cyclist”  is the negligent driver’s universal get-out-of-jail free card. It shouldn’t be. If you say you were driving and didn’t see somebody, it’s almost always because you weren’t paying attention. Maybe you were reaching for something in the front seat, or maybe even the back seat. Maybe you were daydreaming. And then suddenly, there’s

The Road | Vimeo

The Road from Christopher Riley on Vimeo . Ever wanted to pedal from London to Bangkok in under 4 minutes? Before cyclists Francesca and Sam left on their odyssey, I proposed that they take photos of the road ahead as they peddled slowly east. Some 4,500 images later you can now 'odycycle' with them at a little over 73km per second from West to East, accompanied on their way by a spellbinding score from the great Philip Sheppard ( philipsheppard.com ). Thanks also to Stephanie Kern ( stefaniekern.com ) at Kern Productions ( kernproductions.net ) for sharing all the painstaking editing, and to  theatticroom.com  for their support. Odycycle is collecting money for the wonderful MacMillan Nurses at  justgiving.com/odycycle , so do contribute if you can. And you can read more about their adventure at  odycycle.wordpress.com . In making the film and living, for weeks, with all these images of the roads they'd cycled along it occurred to me how similar they all are - a

London's first truly super cycle highway comes to Stratford; a first look at the CS2 extension @markbikeslondon

Image
Cycle Superhighway 2 has rightly been receiving  harsh criticism  of late, following inquests in to the death of two cyclists on the route.  From Aldgate, along Whitechapel Road and across Bow roundabout, CS2 was always the worst of the cycle superhighways, made up mostly of just blue paint on top of existing traffic lanes.  But the route will very shortly be  significantly extended , from Bow to Stratford, and this new cycle route could not be more different.  London is about to get its first  truly   super  cycle highway. In a victory for campaigners who have been pushing for separated safe space for cycling since the last Mayoral election , the 3 kilometres of new cycle route are made up of largely segregated cycle tracks running either side of busy Stratford High Street.  Separated cycling infrastructure has often received a  lukewarm reception  in cycle advocacy circles in the UK, usually because what has been built previously has been dangerously   inadequate  or  dangerous .  Th

Linda Paluc | Up on the hill

Linda Paluc | Up on the hill from Matej Gostincar on Vimeo .

THE CUMBERLAND PASSAGE PERMANENT PITTSBURGH, PA TO WASHINGTON DC (OR AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET) | Yonder Journal

Image
Look, our failed attempt at the Cumberland Passage Permanent (CPP) was wet and cold and stupid.  Like seriously it was exceptionally stupid. And that, really, could be that. Like period, end of story. The thing is, some of what happened to us was not actually our fault. Some of it was patently our fault. And some of it was 'Other,' as in somewhere between  our  fault and  not our  fault. And some of it was straight-up beyond fault of any kind, like what's beyond an act of God?, whatever it is, it was that: e.g. the night before our start, our gracious crew-of-ten-hosting host in Pittsburgh poisoned all of us with a semi-mandatory  Last Supper  of violent diarrhea-inducing Vegan Stew. I mean, not in our wildest dreams did we see that coming and I live in the Alberta Arts District in Portland, Oregon. What I'm trying to say is this: do it (see Beta below), just don't do it like us. Before we get specific, we all know who the elephant in the room (EitR) is,

Commuting’s Hidden Cost | NY Times

Image
Lisa Haney FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE E-MAIL SHARE PRINT My twin grandsons, now 13, walk nearly a mile to and from school and play basketball in the schoolyard for an hour or more most afternoons, when weather and music lessons permit. The boys, like their father, are lean, strong and healthy. Their parents chose to live in New York, where their legs and public transit enable them to go from place to place efficiently, at low cost and with little stress (usually). They own a car but use it almost exclusively for vacations. “Green” commuting is a priority in my family. I use a bicycle for most shopping and errands in the neighborhood, and I just bought my grandsons new bicycles for their trips to and from soccer games, accompanied by their cycling father. My son used to work in New Jersey, which entailed a hated commute by car that took 50 to 90 minutes each way. He quit that job when his sons were born and, working part-time from home, cared for the boys. He no

SEIL Bag @Kickstarter

Image
SEIL bag is designed to show left and right signals. Simply, controlling the detachable wireless controller enables various signals. Our SEIL Bag is part of a revolution in "wearable IT". We want to bring the future of style and technology integration to the world! The SEIL Bag is designed in order to illustrate traffic signals such as the cruise signal, stop signal and emergency signal directly on the backpack. Since the SEIL bag debuted in public in 2010, we have been doing our best to bring this project to real production. Now we have streamlined manufacturing and finalized the mobile app, so it's time to go live and bring our revolutionary project exclusively to Kickstarter backers. [Kickstarter]

OLENTANGY TRAIL/ GOODALE STREET BRIDGE Update

Construction has started on the Olentangy Trail for the new Goodale Street Bridge and Trail Connector.  This new connection will be an important link to the Central Ohio Greenway system by increasing access to the Grandview Heights and Harrison West neighborhoods.  A new bike/ped bridge will be built between Olentangy River Road to near Michigan Avenue.  A new ramp will also connect Goodale Street to the Olentangy Trail.  During construction, the trail will remain open and caution signs will be posted marking areas of construction.  Please use extreme caution and slow down when passing through the construction zone---workers and equipment will be close to the edges of the path.  See rendering HERE. http://parks.columbus.gov/TrailAlerts.aspx

Morpher Helmet @morpherhelmet

Image
MORPHER: Folding Helmet Technology from Guillaume Borkhataria on Vimeo . Morpher® is an incredibly innovative new helmet which folds flat for easy portability! Morpher folds & unfolds quickly and simply so it's perfect for cyclists who want to carry a helmet more easily. Patented worldwide, Morpher has been designed to surpass all relevant safety standards. At Morpher we believe in a greener planet, so we've ensured that our helmets and their components are completely recyclable. Morpher is aimed at all cyclists. Eventually it will also be marketed to other users of sports safety helmets (skiers, skaters, snow boarders, hockey players, horse riders etc). Morpher's flat profile will allow innovative selling methods such as at vending machines placed by major bicycle hire points. [Morpher Helmet]

Flint’s Ingenious Plan to “Right-Size” Its Streets With Road Diets @StreetsblogDC

Image
Flint, Michigan, is probably best known as the poster child for population loss and de-industrialization, as captured in the Michael Moore movie, “ Roger and Me .” The Saginaw Street road diet and walkability improvements have made downtown Flint increasingly attractive to business. Image:  Detroit Free Press Though this town of about 100,000 has never fully recovered from the loss of 30,000 General Motors jobs that was the subject of that film, Flint is becoming known for its innovative strategies dealing with population loss. Flint’s  Genesee County Land Bank  is a model for other post-industrial cities throughout the country. Here’s one innovative new idea out of Flint that was a long-time coming and should be emulated in cities across the Rust Belt. Flint is planning to reduce excess vehicle capacity on its streets by implementing road diets that make room for walking and biking. Road diets “are central” to the city’s in-progress regional plan, known as Imagine Flint,

Cycles of Life

Image

How To Be A Mountain Biker @youtube

Spybike covert bicycle GPS tracker

Image
Spybike bicycle trackers are covert GPS devices that hide on your bike Arm them when you lock your bike and they will notify you if someone moves it You can then track your bike online or on your phone and find out where it has gone using our free realtime tracking service Dont let the thieves get away with your pride and joy! 1. Arm the tracker with your keyring Arm the tracker when you lock your bicycle 2. A thief steals your bicycle   SPYBIKE is disguised to look like a normal topcap so the thief is unaware of its presence 3. SPYBIKE sends you an SMS message   SPYBIKE contains a motion sensor. When it detects prolonged motion it will wake up and send you an SMS message so you know immediately your bicycle is moving 4. SPYBIKE begins tracking Your bicycle's journey will be tracked and stored in our database. You can follow along on your computer or mobile phone [Spybike]

Bike Fixtation High Security Vending Machine

Image
At the core of a Bike Fixtation self service bicycle repair kiosk is our High Security Vending Machine that has been designed and tested to reliably vend bicycle products as large as a U-lock! A common candy bar machine simply cannot withstand the vigors of the urban environment or outdoor weather. You can now expand your bike shop's reach without the expense of a new store location, offer a necessary resource to your local cycling community, or start a small business and support bicycle infrastructure at the same time. The Bike Fixtation High Security Vending Machine is extremely rugged, built to withstand inside and outside conditions, and has internal cooling and optional heating for cold climates. It has unique features that make it extremely resistant to vandalism and is the most rugged transparent-front vending machine available. It can be configured to accept all major payment methods including coins, bills, and credit and stored value cards. You can eve

Fitness-focused 'ciclovia' turns Esplanade Avenue into bike-friendly event | nola.com

Image
Travis Lewis, 6, rides his bike on Esplanade Avenue during Saturday's Play Streets Ciclovia event. Wearing a small cape, 6-year-old Travis Lewis raced his bike down Bayou Road, veered onto North Tonti Street and roared back down Esplanade Avenue, circling Gayarre Place park where his sisters Bre'ianna, 10, and Bre'ale, 6, constructed a small city using large blue blocks provided by the nonprofit Play Build. All along Esplanade Avenue, from North Claiborne Avenue to North Broad Street, hundreds of people came out Saturday to enjoy the fall weather and take part in a number of activities such as hula hooping and yoga as part of Play Streets Ciclovia, an all-day event presented by the city's Fit NOLA partnership and Bike Easy. But the focus of the day was bicycling as the city closed off one lane of Esplanade Avenue and transformed it into a giant ciclovia, the Spanish word for bike path, as part of  Mayor Mitch Landrieu's  continued efforts to become one o

Wolf Tooth chainrings

Image
Drop-Stop 1x10 1x11 Chainring The unique wide/narrow tooth profile of Wolf Tooth chainrings helps prevent chain-drop when running a 1x10 or 1x11 gear setup. No front chain-guide is required provided you have a clutch-type rear derailleur. Our chainrings have been thoroughly tested with SRAM XX1, X0, X9 Type 2 as well as Shimano Shadow Plus rear derailleurs. Wolf Tooth chainrings are machined from 7075-T651 billet aluminum on precision CNC equipment and anodized black. Our tooth profile requires much more machining time and tighter tolerances than a standard chainring but the results are worth it. Say goodbye to bent and misaligned chain-guides and say hello to easy drivetrain setup and maintenance. Best of all, you are not locked into just one drivetrain brand or a specific crankset -- we make chainrings to fit almost everything.  All Wolf Tooth Components products are proudly made in the USA.

I am the indicator species — A female cyclist’s manifesto | Her Green Life

Image
Biking to lunch at 37 weeks Posted on   October 24, 2013 by   Melissa @ HerGreenLife In biology,  indicator species  are used to determine the health of a given ecological region, with their presence (or absence) indicating either good or poor conditions. In the world of bicycle advocacy and planning, women are often considered the indicator species, as described in  this Scientific American article  about getting more cyclists on the roads: Women are considered an “indicator species” for bike-friendly cities for several reasons. First, studies across disciplines as disparate as criminology and child ­rearing have shown that women are more averse to risk than men. In the cycling arena, that risk aversion translates into increased demand for safe bike infrastructure as a prerequisite for riding. Women also do most of the child care and household shopping, which means these bike routes need to be organized around practical urban destinations to make a difference. At prese

bird's-eye view Hovenring Eindhoven (the Netherlands) designed by ipv Delft

bird's-eye view Hovenring Eindhoven (the Netherlands) designed by ipv Delft from ipv Delft on Vimeo .

Nike Basketball & LeBron James | Training Day

The Best Bike Headlights in 2013

Image
Last year I wrote a  review of bike taillights   that turned out to be quite popular. I’ve been asked when I’m going to do a similar review for headlights, and I’m pleased to announce that the results are now in! Over the past few months I’ve been testing about a dozen different headlights. So far I’ve mostly been using them in my daily biking travels, getting a sense for their real-world pros and cons. In addition to my personal impressions, I’ve compiled information about battery life, brightness, and other features. Later on I’ll be adding in more quantitative brightness measurements and taking beam comparison pictures. In case you missed it, I’ve also been trying out some new taillights, which you can read all about in the   2013 Taillights Review . Table of contents: Data table The Headlights  (For direct links to each light’s full review, click the light name in the summary table) Beamshot photos Recommendations What’s next Continue reading at  http://bicycles.bl

The Best Bicycle Taillights of 2013

Image
I covered a  large number of taillights last year , but some new products have come out since then, so I’ve been taking them out for some rides to get a sense for how they stack up. Almost all of the new lights in the past year have been rechargeable – AA(A) powered lights are declining in popularity, and for good reason. It’s easy to spend $15-20 per year on batteries (if not more), so paying a little bit more for a rechargeable makes sense. The  winner of the 2012 tail light review  was the Cygolite Hotshot. At the time, it stood out for its brightness, versatility, and for being the only reasonably priced rechargeable on the market. Cygolite hasn’t released a new taillight in the past year, but there’s a lot more competition in this category now – bright, rechargeable lights in the $30-50 range. Why choose a rechargeable light over a standard light + a set of standard NiMH rechargeable batteries? (If you do go this route, get Sanyo Eneloops  – everybody says they’re the

Groovy Cycleworks LUV Handles [Wooster OH]

Image
From the Groovy Cycleworks site I'd been searching for just the right bar to decrease the pain in my wrist and elbows after an intense ride. The current crop of alternative bars just did not seem to do it for me...too much sweep, not enought rise, too weak...   Let me introduce to you the Luv Handle...built of 4130 aircraft steel or 3/2.5 Haynes Titanium. The bar sports a gentle 4 degree rise and a 21.5 degree back sweep, meeting the natural anatomic position of your wrist and hands to allow for reduced stress on the supportive structures resulting in all day comfort and control. The design allows you to use your current stem and the grip section is long enough to mate with any combination of shifters and brake levers...just slide them on and hit the dirt.    (From bottom to top: Ti, Ceramic, Steel clear powder, Black Powder, Custom paint x 2)     The steel bars offer a super stable platform that is perfect for those desiring a strong bar and flex free ride. Mate

How Safe Is Cycling? It’s Hard to Say | NY Times

Image
Kim Ludbrook/European Pressphoto Agency Until his bike slid out of control while he was going 35 miles an hour downhill around a sharp turn, Dr. Harold Schwartz thought cycling accidents were something that happened to other people. Now, after recovering from a fractured pelvis, Dr. Schwartz, 65, the vice president for behavioral health at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, has changed his mind. “No one is immune,” he said in an interview. Like many avid cyclists, he is convinced that it is not  if  you crash. It’s when. But Rob Coppolillo, 43, who was an elite level amateur bicycle racer for 10 years, led cycling tours in Italy and regularly rides in his town, Boulder, Colo., begs to differ. He’s never had an injury more serious than a little road rash, he says. “For the vast majority of us, it’s a pretty safe sport,” he said. Who is right? Although many cyclists have strong opinions on the safety of their sport, the answer is that no one really knows how safe it is, or whet

Retroshift CX Shifters

Image
Quickshift from Retroshift on Vimeo . CX 2 For bikes with double or triple chainrings. Compatible with Caliper, cantilever, mini-v and road disc brakes. Black or silver brake levers and a choice of Red or Grey shift mount. [Retroshift]

Hal Grades Your Bike Locking @Streetfilms

Hal Grades Your Bike Locking from Streetfilms on Vimeo .

Bicycle Anecdotes from Amsterdam | Vimeo

Bicycle Anecdotes from Amsterdam from Streetfilms on Vimeo .

GoPro: Backflip Over 72ft Canyon - Kelly McGarry Red Bull Rampage 2013 | @YouTube

Alderman proposes $25 bike registration tax | Chicago Tribune

Image
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's vision of Chicago as a bike-friendly metropolis found itself in the cross hairs of an alderman's proposal for a $25 bike tax Wednesday. South Side Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, floated a plan to charge bike owners an annual $25 registration fee as a way to raise millions of dollars next year and provide an alternative to the mayor's proposal to hike cable television taxes to bring in about $9 million. Dowell also said she wants to require bikers to take a "rules of the road" safety class. Emanuel, who this month led a bicycle tour of the Logan Square neighborhood as part of Chicago Ideas Week, said he would look at Dowell's plan. But he then linked his pro-cyclist agenda with recent success in drawing technology firms to the city, and essentially laid out why he almost certainly won't support the idea. [Keep reading at Chicago Tribune]