Columbus Rides Bikes!

Aloft Cleveland Downtown “Contemporary rooms with a tech-forward sensibility and a vibrant , social atmosphere. The $20 million development includes 1 50 rooms and 3 , 000 square feet of meeting space in the bustling Flats East Bank development . The Aloft is just minutes away from the Warehouse District, the Cleveland Convention Center , Playhouse Square, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and all of Cleveland ' s professional sports facilities.” Our home base was Aloft Cleveland Downtown. Located on the East Bank of the Flats, it is a very convenient and centrally located hotel. I was impressed with the modern decor and the thoughtful amenities. The layout of the rooms is efficient and well designed. Pet owners rejoice, "ARF" to the rescue! Their pet-friendly program for dogs features Aloft-branded bed and bowl and complimentary "woof-alicious" treats and toys. The arf program is free of charge. Like a king, in a luxurious...

Self-filling water bottle is a James Dyson Award finalist From the contest that brought you  the Packtasche  comes another potential new product for cyclists: a self-filling water bottle,  the Fontus , that attaches to your bike's top tube. Kristof Retezár, an industrial design student from Vienna, Austria, says his invention collects the moisture in the air and condensing it into drinkable water. The mechanism is solar-powered, and can collect up to a half-liter of water per hour. "My goal was to create a small, compact and self-sufficient device able to absorb humid air, separate water molecules from air molecules and store water in liquid form in a bottle,” he explains in his James Dyson Award application. "I simulated different climatic conditions in my bathroom." For a cyclist who likes to venture into parts unknown where water may be scarce, this could be a ride saver. Sure, it’s not the most aero of equipment, but if you’re out for a long bike trek—...

A portion of the Olentangy bikeway likely will be closed for 18 months when the interchange at Interstate 270 and state Route 315 is constructed. Worthington City Council learned of the plans during its Oct. 20 meeting, and some members were not pleased. Though it seems the city can do little to keep the path open, council members requested that the issue return for further discussion at a later meeting. The portion of bike path to be closed is just north of the Olentangy Parklands tennis courts and north of the pedestrian bridge across the Olentangy River. That path leads to Worthington Hills. [Keep reading at ThisWeek]

Positively Cleveland - thisiscleveland.com Columbus Rides Bikes received an email from Positively Cleveland asking if we wanted to attend a very small blogger/media trip that is focused around Cleveland’s urban outdoor scene. We said yes! On September 26 - 28th, a group of journalists and bloggers were taken around the town and given an up-close look at the new Cleveland. This trip included urban cycling, city kayaking, paddleboarding, craft beer and local food. The focal point of this trip for us was the new urban cycling festival calledNEOCycle, " An urban cycling festival consisting of competitive races and unique rides, connected by live entertainment and an interactive, action-filled festival at Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Park on the shores of Lake Erie." NEOCycle: neocycle.org/ We have all heard the Cleveland jokes and the jabs at the Cleveland sports teams. Yes, even the Cuyahoga River had caught fire at least a dozen times. Did anything...

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Sometimes it makes us hoard away concert ticket stubs or hold on to old t-shirts as if they were prized trophies. I am not a packrat, but I am admittedly sentimental. I often save stupid little mementos that represent banner experiences of times past (then I eventually I purge and throw it away). Over the weekend I swapped out the tires on my ECR and retired  the Knards that carried me through Africa . They actually still had a bit of life left in them, but the lure of foreign soil calls for a fresh pair of boots. I just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of both of those tires, after all, there is a long story etched in that rubber. So I decided to enjoy a beer and give one of them a second life. I coerced a sexy model to flaunt the final product. HOW TO MAKE A BELT FROM A BIKE TIRE Click to read more…

 From  Lee Kreider, Host   www.ohioraamshow.com www.kreider.us I host the OhioRAAM Show– an online show sponsored by Race Across AMerica (aka RAAM) Time Stations at Oxford and Blanchester Ohio.   My assistant and I plan to be in Columbus this coming Saturday, October 25 between 12:30 and 2:30pm to record video for a show about the Bike 4 All People shop and program. I'm contacting you because: I saw in the shop's website photos which included some of your club wearing those stylish jersey's. I rode with your club on TOSRV many years ago.  I see you formed in 1979.  I'm not sure if you rode TOSRV that year, but I saw you for a number of years. I had the San Diego Club on the show last Spring.   You can see that show #28 here: I would just like to get some video of you and let you tell about your club and Major Taylor. I think you would add something to a show about the shop we want to highlight. I realize it may be one of tho...

Riding a bike in Pittsburgh is like drinking heavily. More on that in a minute. As I casually train for the Dirty Dozen race this fall, I have been trying to put a minimum of 1800 feet of climbing in every ride. That’s easier said than done. Even on a shallow climb I am banging as big a gear as I can manage. The utmost pain, the utmost gain. The DD is the annual victory lap of the road-racing season in the ‘Burgh. It is a baker’s dozen of the steepest climbs in the area connected by a 50-mile loop through the Steel City. [Keep reading at TribLive]

As Alex Zanardi struggled to propel his wheelchair up a steep road Saturday near Kona, Hawaii, during the Ironman triathlon, he noticed fans on the roadside encouraging him. "I was all sweaty and my gloves were sliding," Zanardi told USA TODAY Sports by telephone Sunday from Hawaii. "I was only going about 2 or 3 mph, really struggling. I could see in people's eyes what they were thinking -- somebody wants to go ahead strongly against all odds. Ladies were crying and saying, 'You are such an inspiration.' But I wasn't thinking of that. All I could think was that my gloves were sweaty and I was losing my grip." Zanardi, whose professional auto racing career continued after a crash in 2001 took his legs, added another accomplishment to his inspirational resume Saturday in Kona, finishing the famous Ironman World Championship in 9 hours, 47 minutes, 14 seconds. [Keep reading at USA Today]

The long-vacant Oregon City Amtrak station will become a bistro for bicyclists next year as well as an indoor waiting area for train passengers.  (Steve Mayes/The Oregonian) Blane Meier sees Oregon City's Amtrak station as a destination for bicyclists from far and wide. Meier plans to convert the unused depot into a jumping-off point for cyclists who want to explore Oregon City and Clackamas County. Meier, owner of First City Cycles, envisions a laid-back lounge where cyclists can relax, sip a microbrew or espresso, check out maps or talk to a bike expert. "It will be a great place for people to plan trips and grab a beer and a sandwich," Meier said. [Keep reading at Oregon Live]

Little Smokies Gravel Rally 2014 Big thanks to  Bill Ferriot ,  Eric Tippett  and  Doug Armstrong  for joining me on a great adventure. We rode 58 miles through Shawnee State Forest and climbed 6750 ft. Thanks to  Sarah Lytle Swallow  and Tom for organizing this awesome event. We saw  Matt Rumora  out on the route and got to ride with  Liz Samuelson , Wes,  Nick Tepe  and Cindy for a while. [Swallow Bicycle Works]

This sucks, for sure—but it shouldn't turn into a matter of life or death. (Photo by Rex Roof ) “Death to Bike Thieves” reads the sticker that you can buy when registering your bike at a certain national website that shall not be named here. No thanks. I shudder every time I see one of those decals. I’m not much of a fan of either vigilante justice or the death penalty, particularly not for misdemeanor property crimes. But even among the more progressive circles of the bikeverse, this casual advocacy of violence exists. Actually, it’s not entirely unheard of for it to be carried out. A quick Internet search turns up recent stories from around the world, including graphic photographs and videos, of people being beaten, sometimes killed, occasionally with their bodies mutilated after the killing, on the suspicion of having stolen a bicycle. A guy in Bolivia is murdered. A man in Sao Paolo’s neck is U-locked to a post. A homeless guy in Florida is beaten to a pulp, and hi...