Columbus Rides Bikes!

PHOTO BY DAVID BUTOW Jorge Diaz turned his BMX bike (shown without cart) into a convenience store. This article first appeared in the July 2006 issue of Bicycling magazine. Francisco Orellano wakes  before sunrise. His mornings, sometimes for weeks on end, are nearly always the same. He carries his bike from his apartment to the street. Then he pedals into the dawn. He passes among other riders, who sit upright and silent, moving almost nothing but their legs, which revolve not in spinning cadences but in slow-motion circles. The riders roll forward, determined, toward some unseen destination. Francisco looks elegant on his bike. His grey hair and moustache are neat; his striped, button-down shirt is pressed. He is proud of his appearance. He travels the wide boulevards that lead to the shipping terminals at  Long Beach, California . He passes unopened supermarkets, unilluminated car lots. Occasionally he pedals through the glow from an all-night filling station. ...

Evidently the Internet is not ready for this jelly.  This Instagram post by Beyoncé, appearing in all her Foxxy Cleopatra glory astride a bicycle, made some tremors in the cycling community after  Momentum Mag  reposted the image with the simple comment “Guess who’s riding a city bike?” After a maelstrom of backlash, the magazine  defended its post  with the following statement. “Our main goal at Momentum is to get more people riding bikes, and a large part of that work is making bicycling seem practical, stylish, fun, and yes, sexy… There is nothing inherently objectifying about sexuality. Sexism tends to come into play when women are automatically perceived as victims or morally dubious just because they did something explicitly sexual. Beyoncé is a feminist, and as part of that has chosen to embrace her own sexuality. What she chooses to do with her body, her brand, her clothes or lack thereof are all her choices, and it isn’t up to us to decide how ...

Before you change everything all over again, consider this... By:  Vernon Felton I’m a hater. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I am quite good at hating. I see something new–something I haven’t tried, something that strikes me as useless or, simply, something I can’t possibly afford–and I hate it with a passion. True, I don’t go online and chat about it on forums with other haters, but it’s probably only because I have alternative opportunities, like this one, to showcase my loathing for that which is new. By now, you might be asking yourself what exactly it is that I hate. Bleepy-bloopy music completely lacking in electric guitars, a beginning and an end? Hate that shit. Skinny pants, neck beards, people typing or (worse yet)  saying  “lol”? My vision narrows and goes a shade of red every time I encounter these things.  [Keep reading at Bike Mag]

Dexter Avenue. For those of us watching, the last two years have revealed a very clear new superstar in the country's progress toward protected bike lane networks. It's the Emerald City: Seattle. In the last two years, Seattle has completed seven protected bike lane projects,  more than any other city in the country  in that period except New York. As we've written, Seattle  heaved through a significant "bikelash"  a few years ago. And (much like  NYC before it ) it's discovered an ocean of political support on the other side. [Keep reading at People for Bikes]

The Rise of Protected Bike Lanes in the U.S. from The PeopleForBikes GLP on Vimeo .

On Wednesday and Thursday the House of Representatives are going to voting on the transportation bill- including up to three  votes to cut eligibility for biking  projects. We need your help! Please  ask your Representative to vote NO on the Carter amendments 68 and 69 and Yoho amendments   158  that would end eligibility for biking and projects. Last week the Transportation Committee, led by Chairman Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member DeFazio (D-OR), passed the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act (STRRA).  This bill includes a carefully constructed agreement on bicycling and walking funding that we support  - and need to defend.  It maintains funding streams for biking infrastructure projects, and it maintains the local control aspects and competitive processes that have made the transportation alternatives program effective.  Rep. Carter and Yoho have introduced amendments that undermine that agreement.  Rep C...

An inspiring epilogue to the Swallow’s 87 day, 4,970 mile, off-road ride on the Trans America Trail. Plus, tips for riding the TAT, a final QA, and their favorite gear… From Morehead City, North Carolina into the Great Smoky Mountains, across Southern Tennessee, we dropped into Northwest Mississippi, pedaled across Arkansas, over the Ozarks, and dead straight across Northern Oklahoma and the Panhandle. We rode into the gulches of Northeast New Mexico, climbed up into Colorado, up and over the Rocky Mountains, before we dropped down to ride across Utah, and from basin to range northwest across Nevada and the high desert. We tapped California before riding northwest again, across Oregon, where we came to the end of our western route in Port Orford, Oregon on Sunday, October 26, 2015. The final tally of miles came in right around 4,970, which we completed in 87 days (81 days pedaling with 6 days off). [Keep reading at BikePacking.com]

Photo by   Todd Mecklem Despite vast improvements in cycling infrastructure in many cities across the continent, the majority of North Americans still don’t bike to work. While the benefits of cycling to work are nearly innumerable, we managed to round them down to just ten so we wouldn’t run out of space on the Internet. From the  Momentum Mag  staff, here are our top 10 reasons to bike to work: 1. Fun! Biking to work is fun, plain and simple. Many people look back wistfully on fond childhood memories of riding their bike around their neighborhood, wishing they could still be so carefree amid the rigors of working life. Biking to work allows you integrate that simple feeling of exhilaration into your daily grind. Observe your surroundings, listen to the birds and wave at passing cyclists as you ride. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself wishing your commute were longer. 2. Fitness Biking to work is good for you . Whi...

Ben Weaver: Surrounding Water from Salsa Cycles on Vimeo .

[Support the project at Kickstarter]

The traditional bottle cage is the stuff of legend. It works well but does not cover the needs of all cyclists. Perhaps you would like to carry a vacuum flask safely and conveniently for those  HOT  or really  COLD  drinks? Or maybe you feel the need to carry a large container up to  2 LITRES  capacity? Cycle campers are often at a loss as to where to keep their stove fuel bottle when traveling from site to site. Back in 1986 we thought about these requirements. The result was  BIKEBUDDY  the unique ADJUSTABLE bottle cage system. BIKEBUDDY  comes in three versions:  MK1  for cycles without bottle cage fittings, and the  MK2  and  MK3  for cycles, which do. They are all manufactured entirely from stainless steel, so there is no fear of corrosion. The  MK1  is designed to fit the most popular tube size i.e. one and one eight inches (28.5mm) diameter. The  MK2  screws directly to the frames b...

Brunswick to Washington DC. 57 miles. Cold in the morning. Mid-morning breakfast at White's Ferry. Stopped and talked to a cyclist who was at the end of his cross country trip. Visited the Great Falls Park to see the whitewater. Made it to the end of the C&O trail and saw the elusive marker. Rode across town to the Amtrak station. Rolled bikes onto the train with only a few minutes to spare. Relaxed on the Amtrak train back to Pittsburgh. Ate late dinner at Primanti Brothers. 

Hancock to Brunswick. Longest day in the saddle with 72+ miles. 30 degrees in the morning. Started on the Western Maryland Rail Trail and picked up the C&O outside of town. Stopped at a picnic area and had lunch. Saw and explored a number of caves along the way. Passed by Harpers Ferry and stayed in Brunswick at Brunswick Family campground. Since it was end of season there were very few campers around. Hot showers and clean facilities. Small bonfire in the evening.

Cumberland to Hancock. 60 miles. We said goodbye to Doug in the morning in Cumberland. He headed back to Rockwood. Headed through the Paw Paw Tunnel. I broke a spoke somewhere along the way and we decided to ride the Western Mayland Rail Trail into Hancock to limit any more damage. Stayed at C&O Bicycle Bunkhouse where they repaired my wheel. BBQ dinner in town. Big bonfire in the evening. 

Rockwood PA to Cumberland MD. 45 miles. Our friend Doug joined us for the Friday camping and Saturday ride. Lots of train noise at this campsite, otherwise it was decent for the cost. Crossed Salisbury Viaduct and stopped at the Meyersdale train depot museum. Crossed the Eastern Continental Divide and passed through the Savage Mountain Tunnel. Rode up to the depot at Frostburg and watched the train get turned. We stayed at the Ramada in Cumberland and had dinner at Baltimore Street Grille. Toured some architecture and history across the river. Stopped at Curtis Famous Hotdogs for second dinner.