Kolelinia
Martin Angelov’s “Kolelinia” flying bike concept is far-fetched but fun and interesting. His design was a winner in the Line of Site international architectural competition. Though it’s not likely to ever become reality, I’d give it a try if it was proven safe. How about you?
[via Bike Portland]
Yuba Mundo
In March, Yuba is sending us a 2010 Mundo V3 to play with. The Mundo is a dedicated cargo bike with a 440 lb. load capacity (!), 21-speed drivetrain, 48-spoke rear wheel, and utility deck made of recycled milk jugs. It’s known for being the stiffest/strongest among the current crop of “longbikes” (VeloVision described it as, “…a heavy-duty hauler which can carry loads and people in a way that was previously simply beyond a normal bike…”) We’re looking forward to giving the Mundo a workout this Spring and sharing our experience with you.
Yuba →
EcoVelo @ Zenfolio
We have a site hosted at Zenfolio specifically for showcasing some of our favorite images from the blog. If you haven’t been there before, you might consider taking a few minutes to peruse the galleries. And if you’ve visited the site in the past, you’ll notice we recently re-designed the template and simplified the layout to make for a more pleasant user experience. In either case, we hope you take a peek and enjoy your visit!
Hand-Built Wheels
Hand-built wheels can be a wise investment for full-time transportational bicyclists. The craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into a set of wheels built by a skilled professional wheel builder results in a product that is far superior to its machine-built counterpart.
I purchased a new set of wheels today. These were hand-built for me by Rick Steele. Specs include Shimano XT 770 36h hubs, Velocity Dyad 36h rims, and DT Competition double butted 2.0/1.8 spokes. Rick has built thousands of wheels and I’m 100% confident that these new wheels will handle anything and everything I can throw at them (up to and including curb hopping and dirt road riding with loads).
If you roll on relatively smooth roads and carry average to light loads, stock machine-made wheels may hold up perfectly well for you. But if you ride on rough roads and carry heavier than average loads (both of which are hard on wheels), a well-designed set of hand-built wheels may be a good investment in the long run.
Unexpected Rewards
This Morning’s Reward
I commuted by car for 10 years and was never treated to anything like this. The crazy thing is that I had no idea what I was missing. It’s the inverse of the old saying, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” For the sad souls stuck in traffic on the freeway every morning, I suspect it’s more like, “You don’t know what you’ve been missing until you have it.” Seriously folks, if you haven’t tried bike commuting, and there’s nothing other than indecision keeping you from it, give it a go; you can’t even fathom the rewards you’ll get from it. And the kicker is that beautiful sunrises are only the tip of the iceberg!
Velo Orange, Rivendell, Minnehaha Support Haiti Relief
Velo Orange, Rivendell, and Minnehaha Bags have joined forces to support the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. From the V/O Blog:
Velo Orange and VO Imports will donate 10% of our gross sales over the next 48 hours to the Doctors Without Borders Hatian relief effort. As you must know, Haiti is by far the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and they just suffered a devastating earthquake. Hospitals, schools, parliament, and many government buildings, as well as thousands of homes, have been utterly destroyed. Death tolls can only be estimated, but figures of 50,000 to 100,000 have been reported in the media.
And:
I just recieved the following from Mike Vanderscheuren at Minnehaha:
“Chris — we’d like to partner and we’d step up with 10% donation on any Minnehaha gear sold through VO Imports and through the VO direct to consumer store.”
Thanks Mike!
So a total of 20% of any sales of Minnehaha bags will go to Doctors Without Borders.
From Rivendell:
Ten percent of receipts on Thurs and Fri will be donated to Haiti relief. You can read about this on the Velo Orange site, too. Chris there proposed it to me–VO’s doing it, too, and it’s a good idea. If you don’t know Velo-Orange, you should. On the surface they may appear to be competitors, and at the most basic level, at a business-discussion level, I guess there’s no denying that they are. But they’re also friends, and they’re pointed in the same general direction we are, and let me tell you, folks– it’s good to have more companies, more people, going in that direction. It’s not like the racing world isn’t ten times huger as it is; it’s not like this movement, or whatever you might call it, has a full head of steam. More really is merrier, so go to Velo-Orange.com and whip out your credit card.
