The Portland City Council unanimously approved the $600 million 2030 Portland Bicycle Plan yesterday. A major goal of the plan is to have 25% of all trips in the city be by bike by the year 2030. A highlight of the plan includes adding 700 miles to Portland’s already extensive bikeways network. Though overall funding for the plan has yet to be identified, Mayor Adams has made a $20 million committment to “kickstart” the plan.
[via OregonLive]
Our EcoVelo caps are now available. This is a trial run so supplies are limited for the time being (if sales go well, we’ll order larger quantities). The price is $25 plus $5 flat rate USPS Priority shipping in the continental U.S (no international orders at this time).
This is an interview with Mike Flanigan of A.N.T., filmed by Zachery Lee.
I just love Mike’s ethos. He really gets it and he’s remained true to his mission. Besides all of that, he makes gorgeous bikes. We’re proud to have him as a sponsor.
A.N.T. →
Bicycles with step-through frames, traditionally known in the U.S. as “women’s bikes”, are slowly gaining in popularity among people of both genders. They’re widely ridden by both men and women of all ages in Europe, and with the increasing number of gender-neutral step-throughs on the market, we’re seeing more on the roads in the U.S. The ease of mounting and dismounting step-throughs can be advantageous for a variety of reasons:
One of my main rides is a Civia Loring with a step-through frame. The Loring is what I think of as a semi-step-through; in other words, it’s half way between a sloping top tube frame and a full step-through frame. Even so, a few people have asked me if I feel self-conscious riding it, the assumption being that it’s a “woman’s bike” and that I might somehow feel threatened by riding it. I can unequivocally say no, I don’t at all feel self-conscious about riding a step-through.
I’m curious, do EcoVelo readers (men or women) feel funny about riding a step-through? Do you see them as less serious than diamond frame bicycles? Would you feel self-conscious riding one?
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Our EcoVelo caps arrived today from Walz. These are 4-panel, alternating gray/black wool caps, handmade in the U.S.A. and embroidered with the EcoVelo logo. Walz caps are much nicer than the cotton cycling caps you typically see at event rides and bike shops. We haven’t figured out a price yet, but we’ll have them for sale here soon.
The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute recently asked a “well-known, reputable U.S. test lab” to compare the performance of helmets from the upper and lower ends of the price range. The tests were conducted using standard ASTM/CPSC methods at both regular and low impacts. The testers found virtually no difference in performance between helmets purchased from Target and Wal-Mart priced at under $20, and those purchased from specialty retailers priced at $150 and up.
From the BHSI website:
The results are a testimony to the effectiveness of our legally-required CPSC helmet standard. Although our sample was small, the testing indicates that the consumer can shop for a bicycle helmet in the US market without undue concern about the impact performance of the various models on sale, whatever the price level. The most important advice is to find a helmet that fits you well so that it will be positioned correctly when you hit.
First Lady Michelle Obama officially kicked off the Let’s Move! program today. Let’s Move! has as its goal to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity in the U.S. within a generation.
I was pleased to see safe routes to walk and bike to school were specifically mentioned in the Let’s Move! literature:
Children need 60 minutes of active and vigorous play every day to grow up to a healthy weight. If this sounds like a lot, consider that 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 1/2 hours to using entertainment media including TV, computers, video games, cell phones and movies in a typical day, and only a third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity. To increase physical activity, today’s children need safe routes to walk and ride to school, parks, playgrounds and community centers where they can play and be active after school, and sports, dance or fitness programs that are exciting and challenging to keep them engaged.
