In the spirit of taking a look back while continuing to move forward, we gathered together some highlights from the past year at EcoVelo. Let’s start by looking at the individual posts that received the most direct traffic:

Posts with the Most Views

1. Gallery: John’s Rohloff-Equipped Surly Cross-Check
2. Keen Commuter
3. Gallery: Alan’s Surly Long Haul Trucker
4. More Sam H. Pics
5. Jtek Alfine/Nexus Compatible Bar-End Shifter
6. First Look: Civia Bryant
7. Basil Kavan II Natural Panniers
8. Trek Belleville
9. Planet Bike Blaze 1W
10. Velo Orange Model 3 Saddle

Most of these posts had high numbers because they received incoming links from well-known, high-traffic cycling websites. Others were popular because pretty bikes and cool parts always get lots of attention.

Next, let’s look at the posts that generated the most comments:

Posts with the Most Comments

1. My Stance On Bicycle Helmets
2. Bike Cameras
3. Quiet Killers
4. Bicycle Helmet Pros & Cons
5. Bicycle Mirror Pros & Cons
6. The Decidedly Unfashionable Chartreuse Safety Vest
7. Hybrid Electric Bicycles
8. Foot Loose
9. A Friendly Debate
10. Cyclelicious: A United Front?

Most of these posts made the list because the topics were controversial enough to spark “lively” discussions. The big surprise was the popularity of the Bike Cameras post. Though we didn’t see that one coming, we’ve since learned that photographers are even more opinionated than bicyclists! ;-)

And finally, in no particular order, here are a few of our personal favorites for the year:

Some of Our Personal Favorites

• The Endless Summer Photo Contest — Because it was so much fun for us and everyone else seemed to enjoy it too.
• A New Bike and Some New Friends — Because the bike made Michael very happy, and because it was such a treat to meet the wonderful crew at Rivendell.
• Breezer Catalog and Website — Because shooting photos for the Breezer catalog and meeting the nice people at Breezer was incredibly awesome on so many levels.
• Sacramento Tweed Ride — Because it was a blast and we’re thankful for the new friends we’ve made.
• Happy Autumnal Equinox — Because we really like this photo.
• Four Bikes, Four Bars — Because it’s cool that this post inspired Marty Manley (former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor, founder of online bookseller Alibris, and “slightly obsessed” bicyclist) to post an essay to his blog titled, Wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow.
• Vintage Fun 2009 — Because this photo nicely captures how we feel about riding together as a couple.
• Got Lights on Bikes — Because it felt great to win a snazzy bike for the Kiddo.
• The Phoenix — Because we’re thankful that our old site was resurrected by our friends Rob and Penny Mackenzie.

We also want to take this opportunity to offer a heartfelt “thank you” to our readers, sponsors, friends, family, and fellow bloggers. It’s only with your support that we can do what we do. We have big plans for 2010, so stick around and enjoy the ride!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year! —Alan & Michael

That’s a nice looking bike. I like the overall balance, gently sloping top tube, clean drivetrain, and tasteful color scheme. This particular bike is a 58cm. The frame and fork are chromoly steel (of course). There’s no need for a chainguard with a Gates Carbon Drive.

This cool “lug” at the base of the headtube serves as a cable stop. The rest of the frame is TIG welded.

Boy howdy! Yep, that’s a kickstand plate you see there. Thank you, Civia.

That is one complex dropout. Things to notice: replaceable dropout slot; integrated fender mount (just below the rack); notched disc brake mounts; and three holes that mimic the Civia logo.

This is the dropout that makes the Gates Carbon Drive possible. Notice the slit for inserting the belt at the upper right of the tensioner.

Love this seatpost clamp. It takes an M6x20 socket head capscrew and matching nut, so there’s no possibility of stripping the frame. A nice detail.

Post mounted Avid BB5 disc brake on a straight blade fork.

As is typical for Civia, tasteful, understated graphics.

Versa “brifter”; the control end of the Alfine IGH and rear Avid BB5 disc brake.

The Gates Carbon Drive. I’ve said it before: the Gates/Alfine combo is the smoothest multi-gear drivetrain I’ve encountered.

Nice curves. ;-)

Honjo-style alloy fenders.

The bike pictured here is a pre-production prototype. The production model will be available in April 2010. Please visit the Civia website for more information.

Civia →

Disclosure: Civia is a sponsor of this site and provided the bike for this review.

I know many of you have been anxiously waiting to learn more about this bike. Well, UPS dropped off a box today. I’ll have photos and details for you soon.

Funny stuff from Rene Bruemmer at The Gazette:

Read the full story at The Gazette →

We’re coming down to the last few days of voting in the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s People Powered Movement Photo Contest (the deadline is December 31st). If you haven’t done so already, take a peek at the photos, and if you happen to run across one of ours, we’d appreciate a vote. :-)

People Powered Movement Gallery →

Michael is selling her beloved Pashley Princess Sovereign. She’s asking $900 and the price includes the Basil bags shown in the photos. Local sale only, please (Northern California).

The recent arrival of a Civia Loring has once again reminded us that a Pletscher Double Kickstand mounted on an integrated kickstand plate is an immensely useful and practical bicycle accessory. Kudos to Civia for supplying a mounting plate between the chainstays on the Loring and speccing the Plestcher Double as standard equipment. We’d love to see more companies do the same!

Part 1:

Part 2:

We went out for a nice post-holiday bike ride today. It was overcast and cold, but we bundled up and stayed relatively warm and dry. Stops included Nana’s to feed her puppies (we’re pupsitting while she’s out of town), the coffee shop for pastries and hot cocoa, and the grocery store for lunch fixings. It was a fun time.

This was also the maiden voyage of our new Civia Loring. This one is our personal bike. We had a Loring on loan for review earlier this year and liked it so much we vowed to eventually add one to the stable as our primary cargo/grocery hauler. Besides being a capable workhorse, it’s also a fun and surprisingly nimble bike to ride unloaded. Many thanks to Rick at Gold Country Cyclery for getting us all set-up!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday! —Alan & Michael

According to the 2009 Women and Social Media Study by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, 22.7 million women read blogs, 12 million post to blogs, and 8 million publish blogs. We don’t know what percentage of those are members of the bike blogging community, but some of our favorite bike blogs are written by women, and the number of bike blogs written by women seems to be increasing at a rapid rate. Following are just a few of our favorite bike blogs written by women; please add your favorites in the comments below this post. (And, please accept our apologies if we missed your blog!)

• An Adventure Called Bicycling
• Bike Shop Girl
• BikeLoveJones
• Bikes and the City
• Change Your Life, Ride a Bike
• Chic Cyclists
• Commute by Bike
• Cycle and Style
• General Carlessness
• Let’s Go Ride a Bike
• London Cycle Chic
• Lovely Bicycle!
• Old Lady on a Bike
• Riding Pretty
• Righteous Velo-Metal Broad
• Sac Cycle Chic
• Tamia’s Outside Up North
• Trek Women

2009 Women and Social Media Study [PDF] →

The Actual Cafe in Oakland, CA offers indoor bike parking for its patrons; the back wall has a rack that accommodates 20 bicycles. They also provide free use of a tire pump and tools for quick repairs. From the Actual Cafe website:

Actual Cafe →

Click the image to see some porteur and city bike eye candy from Ira Ryan.

Ira Ryan Cycles →

A friend is traveling (not bike touring) in Nepal and sent me this photo of a rental bike he’s been using to get around town. Details include a single speed transmission and non-functioning brakes. The bell is identical to those that are supplied with modern-day Pashleys. The frame is lugged-steel (hi-ten, at best) and I see a wheel lock on the seat stays and a chainstay-mounted rear brake. He said, “Everyone has the same size bike so little kids ride these and they actually stand under the top tube so they can reach the pedals.” The rental fee? $1 a day.

From the Bamboo Bike Studio website:

Bamboo Bike Studio →
Related story on NPR →

We were fortunate enough to be asked to fly to Pennsylvania in August of this year to shoot the 2010 Breezer catalog. After delivering the photos in early September, we’ve been anxiously waiting to see the final printed catalog. I guess we’ve been nice because Santa delivered the package today, just in time for Christmas. The catalog designer did a wonderful job and we’re extremely pleased with how the photos were incorporated into the layout. The next time you’re at a Breezer dealer, be sure to take a gander at the new catalog between test rides!

Also, the new Breezer website is now live and features our photos on the home page. And while you’re there, be sure to check out all the cool new models for 2010.

Breezer →

While discussing bicycles someone will occasionally make a statement to the effect of, “A frame is just something to hang parts on.” I’ve never quite understood this thinking. In my mind, a frame determines the character of a bike by having the greatest influence on fit, ride quality, appearance, and longevity. Modern materials and manufacturing techniques have done much to lower our expectations regarding craftsmanship and frame longevity, but a well-crafted frame has the potential to last decades. Over a span of 20 years or more, one can expect to replace every component on a bike multiple times. So while components (even wheels) are essentially consumables, I believe a well-designed, finely-crafted frame is the heart and soul of a bike.

What do you think? Is the essence of a bike its frame, or is a frame simply a collection of tubes that holds together the more important collection of parts?

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We’re always looking for new ways to carry stuff on our bikes. Panniers are great, as are porteur racks, messenger bags, and saddle bags, but we’ve found one of the most useful accessories for everyday hauling is a basket. Wood and wicker baskets like the Peterboro basket on Michael’s Betty Foy are functional and visually attractive, though they can be a bit fragile. Wire baskets, while not as aesthetically pleasing as wood baskets, are more utilitarian and resistant to damage than their wood counterparts. We tested the Wald Woody earlier this year and really liked it, so now we’re trying out the smaller Wald 137.

Wald baskets have been made in Maysville, Kentucky, USA since 1929 and are undoubtedly the best wire baskets available. They’re constructed from zinc-plated steel and nicely finished with no burrs or edges to catch on bags or clothing. The Wald 137 is a medium-sized basket, perfect for carrying a single bag of groceries, or a small commuter bag, laptop bag, or camera bag. The 137 normally comes from the factory with struts, but we ordered ours without struts for mounting on an existing rack. The basket can easily be attached to almost any front or rear rack using either small hose clamps or zip ties.

When used in conjunction with an elastic cargo net, reusable shopping bags work well for carrying groceries in a wire basket. Simply do your shopping, drop the bag in the basket, and lash it down with the net. This is a workable system, but Rivendell has taken the concept a step further with their good looking and heavy duty shopping/storage bag called the Sackville ShopSack.

The ShopSack is offered in two sizes. We tested the medium which is specifically designed to fit the 137 basket. The construction is typical high-end from Rivendell including the best Scottish cotton duck (it’s the same material used by Range Rover for their protective covers), military-spec webbing, melted and smeared thread-ends, and brass fittings. It’s a simple but lovely bag with just one main compartment. It’s nice enough to be used as a carry-all in a professional environment, while also being tough enough for hauling tools or camping supplies. We really like the size and construction; the capacity is about the same as that of a standard grocery sack, but because of its more robust construction and zippered top, the ShopSack is much less unwieldy than a reusable shopping bag filled to the brim.

At $40 the ShopSack is not cheap for such a simple bag, but the price is certainly justified by the fact that the quality is as good as it gets in bicycle bags. My guess is that it will last many years and end up being a great value over time, while also being stylish and functional in the process.

The Wald 137 and Rivendell Sackville ShopSack are nice products on their own, but their functionality increases exponentially when used together. The basket can easily be attached to any existing rack, and with the addition of the ShopSack, the carrying capacity is effectively doubled while the issue of carrying small items in a wire basket is eliminated. Add to this the convenience of carrying the bag with you into the grocery store, library, or office, and you have an extremely functional system that is welcome addition to almost any bicycle used for commuting, shopping, or errands.

Wald 137 Wire Basket →
Rivendell Sackville ShopSack →

Disclosure: Wald and Rivendell are sponsors of this site and provided some of the items used in this review.

These are the Regulatory Signs and Plaques for Bicycle Facilities recently published in the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. I like the “May Use Full Lane” and “No Parking – Bike Lane” signs. Have a favorite?

[via The Recumbent Blog]