The 2011 Raleigh Detour Deluxe looks good. Features include a Nexus 8-speed IGH, dynamo lighting system, roller brakes, fenders, wheel lock, and integrated pannier rack. Retail price will be $799.

Raleigh →

I can’t get enough of this fall light. As a bicyclist and photographer, there’s no better time of year. Right now I’m just trying to soak it all in and capture as much of it as I can before the gray light of winter takes over.

It’s over a month until the Winter Solstice arrives, but the winter bike commuting season is already on our doorstep. We’ve had some rain, and today was one of the coldest mornings we’ve had in many months. I don’t at all mind the cold, but I have to admit, I’ve developed a slight aversion to rain riding over the past decade or so.

I lived in Seattle for 10 years, and during that time I became what I’d now consider a hardcore rain rider. The fact is, if you’re a serious bike rider who lives in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll either develop a complete nonchalance toward soggy conditions, or you’ll quit riding altogether; there’s just too much rain to make a fuss about it and continue riding.

After moving back to California, I lost nearly all of my hard-earned tolerance for commuting in the rain. It’s my theory that NorCal’s blue skies and dry roads just bake the Northwest right out of you. The area where I currently live sees precipitation on approximately 60 days per year. I’d guess that on half of those days we only see a sprinkle or two, which leaves only 30 days with what an ex-Seattleite would classify as rain.

Because I split my work week between the home office and the real office, I only occasionally end up commuting in the rain. At this point, wet commutes are enough of a novelty that they’re sort of fun. Perhaps if I lived in a wet climate again I’d get my webbed feet back, but for now, I don’t miss the feeling of being water-logged for the entire winter. As for snow riding, I’ve never tried it. I can say this; I have a healthy respect for my fellow bike commuters who put on studded snow tires and plow on through!

How about you? Do you look forward to winter commuting or is it something you dread? Does the weather slow you down or do you ride straight through? Feel free to elaborate in the comments below.

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The full specs for Breezer’s new flagship commuter, the Uptown Infinity, are now posted on their website. Breezer has promised us first dibs on a review bike this fall; we’re very much looking forward to giving it a workout!

Breezer →

This week, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved moving forward with preparation of an ordinance that would make threats, harassment, or assaults on bicyclists a civil violation with fines of up to $1000 or actual damages, whichever is greater. The ordinance will be prepared by the City Attorney in conjunction with LADOT. This isn’t law quite yet, but if it’s approved, it will be one of the first bicyclists’ anti-harassment laws enacted.

More at BikingInLA →

Love your site and would like to humbly submit my beloved 1980′s Lotus Challenger. I bought this bike for $100.00 from a Craigslist ad to replace the Lotus Classique I purchased new in 1984 and that went by the wayside years ago. So glad to be back in the saddle again. I absolutely love this bike’s performance feel and steel lugged frame. I replaced the seat, bars, brake levers and moved the shifters to the bars. Then I added some Look carbon clip less pedals, a Blackburn rack, some Planet Bike fenders and blinkys and a Cateye cyclometer to turn this old gem into a sleek and sexy street machine. The beauty of this bike for me is that it reminds me of the passion I had for cycling 20 years ago yet draws virtually no interest from thieves! Thinking of some improvements in the future. Among them are: replacing the 27 inch wheels with 700c and performing a 1×9 conversion using track cranks. Cheers to all of the other riders on the site!

—Jim

Have a wonderful day. If you’re working today, I hope your commute was as beautiful as mine was.