Columbus Rides Bikes!

Nov 14, 2014 —  Just another reminder to contact your representative to ask them to vote for HB145. https://www.votervoice.net/BikeLeague/campaigns/36268/respond Would you also ask others to sign this petition to show their support? Let's join the other 22 states with a 3' passing law! Please support HB 145 to make biking safer and more convenient in Ohio!   Ohio House Bill 145 was approved May 28 by the Ohio House Transportation Committee, and is now facing a possible vote  next month  on the floor of the Ohio House.  House Bill 145 is sponsored by State Representative Mike Henne, and supported by the Ohio Bicycle Federation.    House Bill 145 would do two good things for Ohio's cyclists:  Require that motorists leave a safe passing distance of at least three feet when passing Ohio cyclists.   Passage would make Ohio the 23 rd  state to have this safer passing requirement. Permit all Ohio vehicles to proceed after sto...

#CoffeeOutside - PathLessPedaled.com from Russ Roca on Vimeo .

There’s something special happening right now within the US framebuilding industry. Something that ought not to be overlooked, no matter how too good to be true it might seem. Before we go any further however, I must make one note: a production frame is not a custom frame. There’s a misconception that everything made by a framebuilder is custom. A production run is a series of sizes, made in an assembly-line process, which drastically reduces cost on both the builder’s end and the consumer’s end. With that come a few issues: one of which being fit and others include – often times – paint choice, or adding extras like braze-ons, pump pegs, chain holders, etc. The most important factor however is fit. Many people are driven to a framebuilder due to fit issues, but a majority of the population can be fit on a stock geometry with a series of tweaks. That said, the geometry for these stock sizes has to be able to accommodate. [Keep reading at The Radavist]

A campaign in Austin, Texas, wants to replace aggression on the road with a friendly wave. Car drivers  are from Mars and cyclists are from Venus, and sometimes they fail to communicate. Instead of appreciating of each other's rights, both groups have a tendency to get nasty on the road, which benefits no one. In the long term, the answer is probably full separation, with cyclists given their own infrastructure. But in the short term, we have to just get along better. To that end, a new  shared streets campaign  in Austin, Texas, has a simple solution: waving. "There's infrastructure stuff happening and there are laws passing. But meantime if everyone has a horrible attitude, it's still going to be adversarial," says  Adam Butler , creator of the  Wave campaign . "What's the software of all that stuff? It's the attitude of people, which doesn't cost anything." The campaign is so simple it sounds trite. It encour...

 Bryan Derballa/WIRED There are certain things guaranteed to set off an internet firestorm. Talk about climate change, mention Monsanto, or bring up the treatment of women in video games. And you can, especially in recent years, piss off a whole bunch of people simply by writing about bikes and cars. Nothing seems to bring out the angry caps lock and personal attacks faster than transportation issues. A recent  report showing more cyclists are dying on US streets  prompted a remarkable number of stories  about cyclist safety . And in the comments section of each, people rehashed the same tired arguments over and over. So, before the next big wave of internet arguing, I propose we retire a few overused and underwhelming opinions in the bikes vs. cars debate. Though I drive and bike, my allegiances skew toward cyclists (feel free to scroll straight the comments and yell at me). But beyond my personal judgments lie a great many studies and data showing most of ...

Tom Magliozzi (right) with his brother and cohost, Ray (Photo by Car Talk/Richard Howard) Tom Magliozzi had one of the most recognizable voices—and laughs—on public radio. As half of "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers,” Magliozzi hosted the popular NPR program “Car Talk” with his brother Ray for 37 years, mixing in helpful advice with a string of wisecracks and automotive banter. [Keep reading at Bicycling Mag]

We are doing another tweed ride! We are meeting at North Market at 9:00 AM for coffee and breakfast. We will roll out around 10:30 AM. It will be a "slow ride" with stops for photo ops, food, and drinks.  Two stops along the way...plus photo ops....Woodlands Backyard and The Land Grant Brewery. After the ride we are going to visit our good friends at the Elevator Tap Room. If you think tweed rides are silly and just want to ride and chat with the good people in the "Cycling Friends" group, that's fine too. Everyone is welcome regardless of your attire. The route is 10 gentle miles. See it here:  http://ridewithgps.com/ routes/6359776 We will be holding a few contests this year. Thanks to  Brian Meyers  for setting this up, and donating the prizes! Most Fetching Lady: A Basket of assorted English tea and a copy of Queens 1978 Album "Jazz". Most Dapper Gentleman: A copy of The Beatles Greatest Hits 1967-1970 and a six pack of New Castle Brown Ale Lad...