Columbus Rides Bikes!

Cardboard never ceases to amaze. Having been deployed in  gramophones ,  stereos  and even  digital cameras , one inventor now believes it can be used to make the ideal bicycle. Izhar Gafni, from Israel, spent 18 months just folding the material every-which-way in order to discover a strong enough design, and now he claims his technique is almost ready for mass production. His maintenance-free bike uses a "secret" mix of organic materials to make it waterproof and fireproof, and is then lacquered to give it a friendlier appearance. It's expected to cost a mere $20 and weigh about 20 lbs (9 kg) -- that's 65 percent lighter than an average metal ride. In fact, this bicycle doesn't use any metal parts at all -- the solid tires are made of reconstituted rubber and a car timing belt is used instead of a chain. It lacks the swank of a Faraday Porteur , perhaps, but then you could buy 175 of these for the same money. Want proof that it actually works? The bike's ...

Teaching young children how to ride a bike safely and testing them on road rules can make them better drivers later in life, according to a visiting transport consultant. International cycling guru Johan Diepens, who has been involved in the development of bike networks and bike safety plans in Europe for more than a decade, said all 11-year-olds in the Netherlands were taught bike safety at school, followed by written and practical examinations. This gave them a basic understanding of road rules. "This is considered an important part of the school curriculum," Mr Diepens said. "Before the practical test, schools are visited by police officers who inspect each of the bikes to make sure they are safe." [Keep reading at Yahoo]

AP PHOTO/JEFF CHIU Stan Ades and his wife CC Sofronas wait for traffic to to cross as they ride bicycles to Sunset Elementary School with their children in San Francisco on Oct. 11. When California’s gas prices hit record highs over the past week, the millions of dollars spent in recent years on commuter bike lanes and public transportation projects in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major cities were seen in a new light by many drivers. SAN FRANCISCO — With an autumn chill in the air on a gray San Francisco morning, the five-member Ades family rubbed the sleep from their eyes, strapped on their bike helmets and rode right past their two cars to the kids' elementary school about a mile away. "It's good exercise, and there's an environmental aspect to it as well," said Stan Ades, of his decision to start his kids — ages 6, 8 and 10 — bike commuting to school. Statewide, Californians are increasingly pumping air into the flat tires on their dus...

RICCARDO S. SAVI/GETTY IMAGES Evidence suggests Nike may have had hand in what U.S. Anti-Doping Agency calls Lance Armstrong’s sophisticated doping program. Nike raised eyebrows from the French Alps to Oregon’s Cascade Range last week when it announced that it was standing by  Lance Armstrong , despite the avalanche of evidence presented in the United States Anti-Doping Agency report that details why the cyclist was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. The giant sports apparel company has a history of publicly supporting embattled athletes – it issued statements backing Kobe Bryant after the Lakers guard was charged with sexual assault in 2003 and Tiger Woods after his extramarital sexploits became public in 2009. But Nike’s support of Armstrong may be different: There is evidence that suggests Nike is not simply a sponsor that chose to remain visibly loyal to a scandal-stained athlete, but an active participant in what the USADA report described as the most...

THONET, WHICH MAKES ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CHAIRS IN THE WORLD, COMMISSIONS A HIGH-END BIKE TO SHOW OFF ITS WOOD-BENDING PROCESS. The  Thonet Chair Company  must have been astonishing to see at the 1851 World’s Fair. In presenting simple seats made of gracefully curved, steam-bent wood, they bucked centuries of convention, countless generations of heavy, formal, carved furniture. But it was in 1859 when the company introduced their most famous model that you’ll undoubtedly recognize today, the  No. 14  chair. It became the quintessential cafe seat. So by 1930, 50 million No. 14s had been sold and the aesthetic of furniture had been changed forever. Martin  is a London architect who was tapped to reimagine Thonet’s steam-bent heritage in a new light. His studio designed the Thonet Bike, an absurdly beautiful beechwood bicycle produced in much the same way as Thonet’s chairs were over a century ago. “Initially we designed something along the lines...

Downtown is gaining approximately 325 new bike parking spaces Downtown as the installation of six bike shelters, bike lockers, indoor bike parking rooms and 70 bike racks is completed. The project was made possible through a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant awarded to the city of Columbus through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The project is being executed through a partnership between the City of Columbus and Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District. “Federal recovery funding has helped our city emerge from the recession and is now assisting our efforts to become one of the best bike cities in the nation,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman. “These bike shelters and other bike parking encourage more people to ride bikes and make us a greener and healthier city.” [Keep reading at ColumbusUnderground]

Andrew Holleran / Photo editor A bicyclist rides along the sidewalk on Lane Avenue Tuesday evening. There have been seven bicycle-related traffic accidents on or near Ohio State’s campus this school year, a problem some students think could be solved by adding bike lanes and more racks on campus. Lindsay  Komlanc , spokeswoman for OSU Administration and Planning, said the seven accidents occurred prior to September, and six of those accidents were collisions between bicyclists and vehicles, while one was between a bicyclist and a pedestrian. However,  The Lantern  has documented at least seven pedestrian or bicycle related accidents since Aug. 20 on and off campus, at least three of which sent students to the hospital with serious injuries. OSU President E. Gordon Gee and others think the semester switch, large freshman class of almost 7,200 new students and campus construction contributed to the spike in accidents at the start of the semester. “I think it i...

by JONATHAN BETZ Posted on October 11, 2012 at 10:40 AM Gallery SEE ALL 8 PHOTOS » DALLAS — As Dallas stamps miles of its streets with new bike lanes, some people — apparently frustrated that city workers aren’t moving faster — have been doing the work themselves. Fake bike lanes have started appearing on Dallas streets, and they're so convincing that drivers are being fooled and City Council members are confused. Cyclist Scott Yockel pedals over the fake lanes daily on his commute to work at a local university. "It was amusing," he said. "I think it proves a point that people are not going to sit around and let the city drag its feet." [Keep reading at KENS5]

JOE MARINO FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Bicyclist Daniel Greer, 24, was fined over $1,500 on a traffic stop for crossing three red lights on September 7, 2012. An avid cyclist says he’s the one being taken for a ride after getting slapped with a whopping $1,555 in fines for a single traffic stop in Brooklyn last month. Bushwick artist Daniel Greer, 24, who admittedly went through three red lights while wearing headphones, said he did not at first realize he was being pulled over near Lorimer and Grand Sts. on his bike ride home from his photography assistant gig on Sept. 7. Read more:  http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-bicyclist-fined-1-555-single-ride-article-1.1182364#ixzz29HT5Hbg3

Highlights 24 miles Sandbridge start Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge False Cape State Park - found two large shells on the pristine beach Lunch in what used to be a settlement with a church and cemetery Wildlife sightings Frogs - en masse and single Turtles Swallows Owl vs Snake fight to the death - Bill and I rode into a campground and saw a bird attacking something. We parked the bikes and headed over to where we thought the animal was located. All of a sudden an owl about one and a half foot tall popped up out of the weeds with a snake wrapped around its body from talons to  mouth. It immediately fell over in a struggle. We headed to the end of the trail and when we passed back through the owl was still struggling. We left toward the end of False Cape and on the way back though we stopped and the owl was gone. Owl WIN! We did not see and pigs except for where they root around in the weeds.

The 84 million bright yellow wristbands distributed by Lance Armstrong's cancer charity have become a well-known symbol of strength and perseverance against adversity. "LIVESTRONG," they urge. In the wake of  Wednesday's release of hundreds of pages of evidence  supporting persistent allegations of doping against the legendary cyclist, there's another take on the wristband. Critics have struck out the "V" to make it read what they accuse Armstrong of doing for more than a decade: "LIE STRONG." Still, the flood of less-than-flattering details doesn't seem to be shaking the resolve of fans accustomed to accusations that have swirled for more than a decade, accusations the seven-time winner of cycling's most prestigious event -- the Tour de France -- has resolutely denied. The information released Wednesday by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is part of a report to international cycling officials supporting the organization'...

Enlarge Courtesy of Ernest Gagnon Ernest Gagnon weighed 570 pounds before he decided to lose weight by taking up cyclocross racing. Forgoing surgery, Gagnon lost more than 200 pounds and recently competed in his first cyclocross race. October 9, 2012   from  NHPR A lot of Americans are struggling to lose a whole lot of weight, and they try all kinds of crazy things. Ernest Gagnon  — a man from Billerica, Mass. — decided to shed pounds by getting into the often intense, high-adrenaline sport of cyclocross: racing road bikes on obstacle courses. Two years ago, Gagnon tipped the scales at 570 pounds. He was depressed and embarrassed to leave the house. "Being as big as I was, I really felt like I didn't belong anywhere," Gagnon says. "I was stuck in my house for almost 10 years, just going to my work and back." Back then, Gagnon's diabetes was getting more serious. He was losing the circulation to his legs, and his doctors were talking abo...

ERIK JACOBS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE Globe critic Ty Burr takes the risk to bicycle the city’s streets because the rewards are worth it. It’s still one of the best parts of my day. I’ve been commuting to work by bicycle for 10 years now — not every day and less so as the kids get older and need to be shuttled around more — but as regularly as I can manage. I live in Newton near the Brighton line and work at the Globe offices in Dorchester; my various routes, each around 10 miles, take me along the Charles, or through Allston and downtown, or through Roxbury from Longwood to Savin Hill. It’s hardcore urban bicycling, and I love it. This gets me expressions of both concern and occasionally scorn. And when tragedy occurs, as it did recently to two bicyclists in the Boston area, one killed in a collision with a car, another with a tractor-trailer, people start looking at me like I’m crazy. Why take the risk? How is that fun? Let me tell you. First off, it’s my direct experie...

Highlights 5 riders (Bill, Tim, Roger, Doug, Ray) Danville, OH start Lunch in Loudonville at West Main Cafe 46 miles 3661 feet of climbing Route I walked my first hill in a long time. : ( 20+% grade gravel. - Ray Photos from the ride.

The word "alleged" should now be dropped from any description of the way doping permeated and enabled Lance Armstrong's cycling career. For most of the past 15 years, no discussion or story about Armstrong was complete without that loaded yet qualified term. Doping allegations dogged him, came to naught, were declared specious and dismissed by him. Yet they continued to multiply, rattling behind him like tin cans tied to the bumper of a luxury car. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's  release of its "reasoned decision"  and staggeringly voluminous supporting documents that resulted in its move to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and ban him from elite competition for life -- charges he opted not to contest -- changes all that, and rewrites Armstrong's sporting epitaph from alleged to proven user of performance-enhancing drugs and techniques. There is no other logical conclusion. After today, anyone who remains unconvinced simply doesn...

                                          Today is not an easy day for George Hincapie.                                                              Photo: Bettini     American cyclist George Hincapie admitted to taking banned performance enhancing substances on Wednesday and apologized to teammates and fans while claiming he has ridden clean since 2006. Hincapie's confession came as the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) revealed all of its evidence in the investigation of Lance Armstrong, including testimony from Hincapie and 10 other former Armstrong teammates.    Hinc...

A new study from Illinois Neurological Institute and Bradley University found what most cyclists probably already knew — bicycle  helmets  are effective to prevent or minimize injury in a crash. Scientists found that helmets can reduce acceleration of the skull in a crash by as much as 87 percent. This study also follows a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that noted that head injuries were the leading cause of death and disability related to bicycle accidents. However, researchers in the INI/BU study also found that children are less likely to wear helmets than adults, with just 15 to 25 percent of youth cyclists donning a helmet in the US. So why aren’t kids wearing helmets? [Keep reading at BikeRadar]