Alan in Parked in Front of the Library: "@tdp Thanks for the link - good stuff. Regarding the tail lights: no,..."
tdp in Parked in Front of the Library: "We have a small library on our island but it is VERY popular among the..."
Perry in Parked in Front of the Library: "Huge library fans here. They have some great videos too. We sometimes go..."
Nanda in RANS Fusion ST: "Yup, read here: http://pub23.bravenet.com/foru m/1970022224/show/757105 I also have a..."
Nanda in RANS Fusion ST: "Yup, read hear: http://pub23.bravenet.com/foru m/1970022224/show/757105 I also have a..."
Alfine Shifter with Drop Bars (489 views): One of my readers worked out this creative way to mount an Alfine...
Good stuff: My top 5 picks (392 views): I've used a lot cycling stuff over the decades. Here are my all-time...
One Bike and One Rider (358 views): "There's only so much one person can do." I hear this all too often....
Deutsche Post Mail Bike (335 views): Photo © ProfDEH A Deutsche Post mail delivery bike on the job...
Cyclelicious: A United Front? (310 views): There's a lively discussion taking place over at Cyclelicious on the...
To attack the pedals may be strenuous over the short run, but is an expression of trust in one’s own powers, for with the bicycle everything depends on the self. Those who wish to control their own lives and move beyond existence as mere clients and consumers - those people ride a bike.
—
Here is our Bike E tandem recumbent with a B.O.B Yak trailer for your bike gallery. We use the bike for our vacations and have just completed a tour along the north shore of Lake Erie. Last year we crossed Prince Edward Island with it. We bought the bike used 8 years ago and we don’t know the actual age of it. It is heavy when it is loaded for touring but is very comfortable. —Dan
The Brompton World Championship (BWC) is a tongue-in-cheek event open to all Brompton owners. The competition can be fierce, but just as important is dressing in the proper attire:
Rules for the event are not overly onerous, but poor dress sense will not be tolerated: a suit jacket, collared shirt and tie are de rigueur for participants; sports attire is not permitted, and Lycra shorts/leggings are specifically named, shamed and excluded. Competitors will be expected to demonstrate their folding skills in a Le Mans style start
Something about ladies and gents in tweed suits racing a criterium on their folding bikes just makes me smile.
This year’s event, held on September 28th, was won by Alastair Kay of Great Britain. He snatched victory from three-time Tour of Spain winner Roberto Heras who was recruited by Spain in a bid to maintain their dominance of the event. I’m hoping the participation of a rider of his caliber doesn’t change the nature of the BWC from one of fun and camaraderie to something more serious.
As in years past, prizes were awarded to the fastest competitors in various categories as well as the all-important Best Dressed category.
A recent article on Wired’s Autopia blog cites high gas prices, the obesity epidemic, a failing economy, and environmental concerns as the drivers behind recent record sales in the bike industry. Industry insiders can hardly contain themselves over the amount of cash flowing into the industry right now. Here’s Tim Blumenthal of Bikes Belong at the Interbike trade show:
“You can feel the collective buzz,” a smiling Tim Blumenthal, executive director of the bicycle advocacy group Bikes Belong, says from the middle of the bustling show floor. “It’s a really, really heady time for us. This show feels very optimistic and that bucks the general economic trends. There doesn’t seem to be many businesses that are thriving, but the bike business is doing very well.”
Some manufacturers are even openly hoping for higher gas prices, with the idea they’ll further drive up bike sales:
“The gas prices are the best thing that ever happened to cycling,” says Kevin Menard, whose year-old bike business, Traitor Cycles, is thriving. “I hope they go up even more.”
This is a case of “be careful what you ask for.” Sure, high gas prices will continue to spur along bike sales for a time, but if the economy tanks badly enough, even high gas prices won’t ensure long-term bike sales.
The article states that “Electric bike manufacturers are particularly bullish…”, but despite what producers are saying, that’s a promise that has yet to be fulfilled here in the U.S. It will be interesting to see if electric-assist eventually catches on as it has in Europe.
I’m thrilled that the bicycle industry is doing so well, but I hope that we’re not looking at a flash in the pan that disappears as soon as the economy settles and people get accustomed to $4 per gallon gas. If it is, we’re going to see an awful lot of bikes hanging in the rafters come next year.
Read the full article at Wired →
Quite a few people have asked me about the handlebars on my Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT). Following are the answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions:
Waaay back in ‘05, my pal Perry over at The Velvet Foghorn wrote a wonderful piece about the Rivendell Albatross bar, also made by Nitto. The Albatross is a close cousin to the North Road, but it has a little less rise and slightly softer bends. If you like the North Road, you’ll probably like the Albatross as well. Check out Perry’s article here.
After following my physical therapy routine for a week I felt good enough to go for a short ride today. We always like to work in an errand when we get on the bikes, so we dropped off a few movie rentals before taking a detour through a local wetland preserve to enjoy the scenery and look for wildlife. Right away, we saw what we think was a female turkey and her chicks in the brush along a creek (even these little outings have memorable moments if we slow down and look for them). At a grand total of around 4-5 miles, the ride was anything but epic, but after being off the bike for weeks, it felt grand to be rolling again.
1999 Rivendell LongLow custom, frame/fork handbuilt by Joe Starck. This frameset replaced a Centurion Super LeMans that had been totalled in a 1997 accident. The settlement paid for the new frame and the parts to build it up. Frame arrived in 1999 and has been ridden thousands of miles since. It is my “go-to” upright commuter. With chipped/touched-up paint, slightly dented top tube and downtube, it’s clear that this was never intended to be a showroom bike. I bought it when I knew less about bikes and chose to eschew the standard cantis in favor of long-reach calipers, because I thought they’d be easier to adjust on the fly. They work great but if I were to order this frame today I would’ve probably stuck with the cantis. It was also designed from the start to be an upright-bar bike, but Rivendell wisely advised me to go with a custom short top-tube so that my short torso wouldn’t keep me from trying drops on it. I rode it for about two years with drops and while the bike fine, I never liked the feel as much. When I got another bike that took the drops better, back this went to uprights.
Notable parts:
Pictures include a manual cyclometer, a bell I found at a bike non-profit, and a saddlebag made by Acorn Bags out cloth repurposed from a canvas golf bag cover. This has been a perfect daily bike for me and when it turns ten next year I MAY just throw it a little party. —Beth
[This is such a lovely bike! Visit Beth's blog here. —ed.]
A few snapshots of the ‘09 Civia line-up:
Thanks to Rick Steele of Gold Country Cyclery for the photos. Gold Country is now a Civia Dealer and they’ll be stocking the ‘09 models once they’re available.
Visit the Civia website →
A little eye-candy for you. I’m not sure about the viability of a titanium commuting bike that retails for $8750, but who am I to say? I guess if you have the money…
Cordarounds, maker of the somewhat famous (and quirky) horizontal corduroy pants, launched their Bike to Work Pants today. From the outside, Bike to Work Pants look like any garden variety khaki, but inside they’re trimmed with Illuminite Teflon and 3M Scotchlite reflective material. By rolling up the cuffs and turning the pockets inside out, this common khaki is turned into a highly reflective safety pant.
From the Cordarounds website:
Bike pants make for silly work pants, and vice versa. So we set out to design a product for commuters that functioned equally well at both. Using fabrics like Illuminite Teflon and 3M Scotchlite we’ve bought reflectivity to regular trousers. They line the inner pantcuffs and rear pockets, allowing you to deploy added protection and reflection as you pedal off. The pant cuffs and mudflap pockets can be worn in 4 known ways. There are likely more, and we invite you to invent them.
Visit the Cordarounds website →
Many commercial buildings maintain a “no bicycles allowed” policy. Bike commuters who work in these buildings are faced with a dilemma: violate company policy by sneaking in your bike, or lock it on the street and hope it’s there at the end of the day. In many cases, a no-bicycles-allowed policy is written into the lease and the employer is at risk if they allow their employees to bring bikes into the building. Consequently, employees may be at risk of being reprimanded or even terminated if they violate the policy.
For the past six months, my employer has been working with our landlord to come up with a bike parking solution in our building. We were technically in violation of our lease by bringing bikes into the building, but our landlord was overlooking the infractions as we worked on a solution. An in-building parking solution was never found, so even though there were no documented cases of damage due to bicycles, our landlord recently started enforcing the no-bikes-allowed policy. Fortunately, my employer was able to work a deal with the City to provide a bicycle parking “bullpen” (basically a fenced area with access granted only to bike commuters) in an adjacent parking garage. It’s not a perfect solution, but it beats on-street parking.
Often, landlords cite “building damage” and “liability” as reasons for restricting bicycle access; in my opinion these are groundless arguments. In large buildings, trash cans, dumpsters, cleaning carts, catering carts, hand trucks, and a whole host of other rolling objects are allowed in on a daily basis; all of these are more likely to damage a building than a bicycle. I believe the liability/damage argument is a red herring used to obfuscate the feeling held by some landlords that bicycles look unprofessional and are not proper decorum within modern office buildings.
Advocates in New York City are attacking the problem head on with the “Bikes in Buildings” bill. The bill would force commercial landlords to allow their tenants to bring bikes into their buildings. At a time when encouraging alternate modes of transportation is paramount, the bill makes great sense. Thirty members of the City Council have already signed on to the measure and advocates are pushing the Council to consider the bill this fall; it’ll be interesting to see if it passes.
I purchased my Dahon Speed Pro TT (2008) when my easy bike commute within DC changed into a 90-minute odyssey that involved a train, subway, and car. I decided that the first thing I had to do was ditch the car, and then look for a way to shorten my trek from suburbia into DC each day. Upon learning that folding bikes were allowed on the commuter train and Metro at all times, I immediately decided to get one.Â
I purchased this Dahon after carefully considering several makes and models of folders. I decided on the Speed Pro TT because of its speed (I can reach speeds comparable to what I do on my high-end road bike), easy folding (less than 30 seconds to fold/unfold), and relatively light weight (a mere 21 lbs).  Even though I am only five feet tall, the bike easily adjusts to fit me.Â
I’ve had this bike for four months.  It made my commute far more flexible, as I am no longer held hostage to returning to wherever I left my car.  Now, my ”car” is always with me! The folder can easily be brought on the train, subway, or bus at any time. I can ride to the Metro station in the morning and take the subway into the city, and a commuter train home in the evenings. Or vice versa. This is very useful given the high degree of unreliability with commuter trains and Metro in the DC area. I no longer use my car during the week (saving a considerable amount of gas money), and get plenty of exercise, riding anywhere from 10 to 25 miles daily. Most importantly, I love every minute of it! I never sit in traffic and my commute actually takes less time with my folder - 60 minutes each way total, from the steps of my front door to the chair in my office! And don’t let those little wheels deceive you - this bike is FAST and nimble. —Andrea
The Civia Loring was just introduced at Interbike. What a cool looking city bike! I love the “sustainable” bamboo fenders and rack slats, and it comes stock with a Brooks B-67 saddle and Pasela tires… WOW. Plus, I’ve heard nothing but good things about SRAM I-Motion internal gear hubs. I’m looking forward to riding one.
From the Civia website:
Whether tooling around town, cruising campus or pedaling to the grocer, the Civia Loring offers supreme comfort, safety and utility. From its gently sloping top tube to its bamboo fenders and matching trim, the Loring is a study in elegance, simplicity and fun. Designed for short runs of five miles or less, the Loring carries up to 50 pounds of cargo while delivering an exceptionally balanced ride. The Loring features disc brakes and a three or nine-speed internally geared hub.
I-Motion 9-Speed Build
I-Motion 3-Speed Build
Visit the Civia website →
Interbike, the bicycle industry’s largest trade show, kicks off tomorrow. Unfortunately I’m unable to make the show this year, so my coverage is going to be a bit spotty, but I’ll do my best to keep you abreast of interesting developments within the transportational cycling niche (I have friends at the show reporting for me). Besides keeping a general eye out for anything related to utility cycling, I’ll be looking specifically for developments in commuting bikes, cargo bikes, folding bikes, e-bikes, internal gear hubs, lighting systems, wet weather gear, and commuting-related accessories.
Breezer, maker of specialized commuter bikes, has been purchased by ASI. Founder and guru Joe Breeze will remain involved as a consultant. The agreement will enable him to keep a hand in the business while spending more time on new projects, design, and bike advocacy.
Via BRAIN:
PHILADELPHIA, PA (BRAIN)—Advanced Sports, Inc. (ASI) has purchased Breezer bikes. The purchase includes all assets and trademarks of the Breezer bicycle brand as well as an agreement with Joe Breeze for consulting services on new projects and designs.
Advanced Sports, Inc. is a marketing and distribution company that also owns the Fuji, SE, and Kestrel bicycle brands.
Read the full article →
About Joe Breeze →
Civia, makers of high-end commuting bikes, is launching their “Greenlight” trip tracker and fantasy bike league application tomorrow:
Welcome to Greenlight, your portal to a world of cycling, competition and community. Part online game, part real-world sport, Greenlight transforms your ordinary commute into a high-stakes scramble to rack miles and leave your rivals grinding their granny gears. Whether you want to set new personal goals or team up with others to conquer the world, Greenlight helps you do it—one ride at a time.
Greenlight allows people to track their rides, compete against others in fantasy football-style leagues, and discuss the league and other cycling-related topics in a forum. Looks like fun!
Greenlight →
Civia →
Mike Hessey has just posted an excellent review of the Mezzo D9 folding bike over at The Folding Society website/blog.
From the review:
We first saw the Mezzo at the Bike Show in London towards the end of 2004, when a number of production prototypes were on display. The bike created immediate interest, as it was a completely new design for a compact folder, owing little to the design of any other folder, and in its folded form it was very compact. At that time there were two models planned, the i4, with a 4-speed Shimano hub gear, and the d9, with a 9-speed derailleur system. It took a few months for the first full production models to reach the market, and initially only the i4 was available, to be followed later in 2005 by the d9.
I really like the looks of this bike, though as far as I know it’s not readily available outside the U.K. (please correct me if I’m wrong).
Read the full review →
Visit the Mezzo website →
From WorkCycles:
Hi colleagues, friends, family, workcycles fans, it’s already time for the fifth annual, world-famous WorkCycles Oktoberfietsfeest (”october bike + beer party”). The tasty food, plentiful drink, balloon animal making, generous lottery/raffle, child friendliness, and general relaxed/no-pressure atmosphere will all be present as usual. This time, however, we’ll enjoy the comfort of our huge new Lijnbaansgracht shop in the cozy Jordaan neighborhood and some exciting new “activities”. Consider this the shop’s “official opening” as well.
FAQ…
Groeten,
Henry & the WorkCycles crew
Sounds like a blast - anybody have a line on cheap airfare to the Netherlands? ;-)
Visit the www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl blog →
Here are two of the ways I get around Baltimore. On the left is a second hand 1994 Giant ATX770 that I bought for $100 from a friend of a friend who used to race it. It still has the stock naff early 90’s black/mottled pink fade paint job which I believe was thought to be totally rad at the time but I now consider an anti-theft measure.
I swapped the floppy suspension forks with an NOS Girvin fork off of eBay and later, when the Deore XT derailleurs started having a mind of their own, replaced them with a NuVinci CVT. Despite being really heavy, it works well except that I couldn’t make the aftermarket chain tensioner that mounts near the axle work since the NuVinci control box takes up that space. This results in the occasional dropped chain. Recently though, I saw a tensioner that mounts to the chainstay so there’s still hope. It has lights front and back as this is the bike I use to get around town. I ride with a backpack so I haven’t looked at putting panniers or a rack on it yet.
The bike I use for the 7-8 mile commute to work is a 1996 Bianchi Campione d’Italia I bought way back when I was in college. A friend and I aimlessly wandered into a bike shop near the University of Delaware campus one day and this bike immediately jumped out at me. The beautiful blue paint and clean lines made possible by the Ergopower component set, in-tube cable routing and teardrop section wheels made it look like it was going a million miles an hour standing still. I took it for a ride and I’d never experienced a bike that could turn so quickly yet felt completely stable. The derailleurs swapped cogs instantly with a click of the hood-mounted levers and it surged forward with even the slightest pressure on the pedals. I wanted to buy it right then, problem was it costed $575 even with the end of the year close-out discount. Technically I had the money in my bank account, but that was meant for pedestrian things like food, clothing, shelter and other things one forgets about shortly after buying.
It took me a week to rationalize that yes, this bike was a necessity of life but when I went back a week later it had gone back up to the regular price of close to $700. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I told the salesperson that I could buy it if they could give me last week’s sale price. Amazingly, it worked. As I wrote out the check they screwed on some reflectors and I rode it home with a grin on my face. My mom called about a week later wondering why my balance got so low and I told her about the really cool bike I got. She was not pleased; I’ve never regretted it.
In contrast to the Giant, it’s virtually the same as it left the factory except for the tires and pedals. It’s a lot faster and in better shape than the Giant so it earns commuting honors. —Suhas
[Visit Suhas' blog to see his sustainable transportation design projects. —ed.]
Paul Dorn’s Bike Commuting Tips website was launched in 1997 as a class project and it has evolved and endured for over ten years to become the best beginner’s guide to bike commuting on the web. I’m a big fan of Paul’s website and blog, so I was excited to learn that his book on bike commuting, co-authored with Roni Sarig, is due out in November. Amazon is currently taking pre-orders, and more information on the book release can be found at Paul’s Bike Commute Tips blog.
These bikes were acquired for use as guest bikes. Whenever we had company over, people always wanted to try our cruisers and then didn’t want to get off. It was very cool to see people getting excited about riding bikes, but we wanted to ride too!
These bikes help get us all out there. We are kind of famous around here for our bike double dates - no one ever comes over without wanting to hit the streets with us. They are too much fun to only be used with company so they get pulled into regular rotations for grocery runs, hot dates, and the occasional longboarder tow. —Derek
Extras as shown:
Xtracycle attachment (both bikes)
Neversummer Eclipse Pintail Longboard (ratrod)
Gravity Hypercarve Longboard (red betty)
[Derek is a professional photographer living and working in the Pacific Northwest. You can see his tricked-out, Xtracycled cruisers and other cool bikes at his gorgeous blog, BikeRubbish.com. —ed.]
