The Archives
Bike paths and Dear Abby
DEAR ABBY: I am neither a biker nor a walker on a path. A cyclist ringing his bell signaling me to move would do no good, so I guess I’d be one of those ending up with “great bodily harm,” as you put it. You see, I’m hard-of-hearing and could not hear that dinging bell…
BikeTrailerBlog Photo Issues
The photos in my posts have not been showing up on the Blog. This may be a problem with Blogger. We attempted to redirect our host for the Blog and lost the photos in the process. We will be moving the Blog and reloading the photos in the next month. Thanks for your patience.
Hiring for BikeTrailerShop.com
Edit: This position has been filled, thanks for your interest. The Bike Trailer Shop of Flagstaff, AZ has a full-time position available for a Webstore Sales Manager. Responsibilities include shipping, customer service, accounting & internet product listing. Candidates should possess a strong knowledge & passion for cycling. Business and computer experience preferred. If you’re interested,…
Preparations for Bike To Work Week
Earlier this week, a number of local bicycling, environment and pedestrian advocates joined up to start planning Bike To Work Week 2008. Several local bloggers were among them, myself included. The month of May is Bike Month, and The League of American Bicyclists recommends for 2008 that the week of May 12-16 be set aside…
Commuting By Bike on Austin's Tollways
The Austin American-Statesman had an interesting article by Ben Wear yesterday that is making the bike blog rounds. I thought it worth mentioning here. “Man braves cars, bureaucrats to bike on tollways” features Chuck Thomas’ quest to make his daily bicycle commute on the Texas 45 North tollway legit by getting a TxTag. Favorite quote:…
REI, Bikes Belong give for Bicycle Friendly Communities
Happy Monday. I hope you all are enjoying the cold rain in California, the warmer temperatures in the northern United States, and cycling wherever you’re at. REI provided the cash and the bike industry Bikes Belong organization directed that cash toward the Chicagoland Bike Federation and New York City’s Transportation Alternatives to help their respective…
Help Wanted
EDIT: This position has been filled. Thanks for your interest. I’m getting settled into the new shop nicely. The sign-cutting, CELLO bike trailer, shipping case-carving CNC machine, the shopbot, has been relocated to the new shop. I’ve been putting up some large pallet racks and I’m now shopping for shelves, bins, and racks for getting…
Commuting 101: Intersection Safety
Now that we all agree on whether or not to obey traffic laws… I thought I’d bring up a lesson I try to drum into the minds of my children when they are learning to drive: Just because your light turned green doesn’t mean it is now safe to GO. I don’t know about your…
Commuter profile: Nina in Santa Cruz
Nina and her husband live simply and off grid in the Santa Cruz mountains in California. She bikes a few miles into Scotts Valley, where she catches a bus to her job at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation, where she designs exhibits. Although we sometimes ride the bus together, I only knew her…
Photo: Cyclist in skirt
All of you readers were clamoring for photos of a cyclist in a skirt. Never let it be said that we don’t listen to our readers requests. This is Don Walker, the bike builder behind Don Walker Cycles in Indiana. (When did he move to Indiana??) Don Walker is also the organizer of the North…
Bike Stand with Pump
Just came across this great bike stand concept from the Netherlands on the Make site. …a bikestand with airpump(Heklucht), type Ypenburg The product has been conceived for an art project in Ypenburg (a newly build neighbourhood in the Netherlands). Eight products will be placed in front of eight houses. The goal of the project is…
The SIPDE Process: A Five-Step Checklist to keep you safe on the road
Years ago, I occasionally commuted by motorcycle. In some ways it was a lot like bicycle commuting. I was the little guy, and very vulnerable without the protection of a steel cage, air bags, or seat belts. At times I felt like nobody even saw me! This vulnerability was accompanied by high speeds on the…
Commute by Water Bike
This is Bob Barrett. He works for Pierce Transit and he commutes two miles on the water across Puget Sound using his water bike. His ride takes 25 to 30 minutes. This Seattle Times story featuring water bike commuters also talks about Nat Hong, who rides a bike one half mile to the water, hops…
Coffee By Bike
I enjoy a nice, French Pressed coffee. For the un-initiated, a French Press (pictured left above) is a container in which coffee grounds and near-boiling water are stirred together and allowed to steep for a few minutes. When the brewing process is complete, the plunger is pressed down. This strains all of the coffee grounds…
Bike commute humor and news
I hope you all are having a good Martin Luther King, Jr Day. If you haven’t had a chance yet to see the video interview Tim posted before the weekend, take a couple of minutes and watch it. John Burke’s keynote yesterday at the Bicycle Leadership Conference in San Diego ties into this topic, as…
Pogies
Last week I wrote about some inexpensive pogies over on Blue Collar Mountain Biking. Pogies, sometimes called Moose Mitts or Bullwinkles, are weatherproof handlebar covers made of materials like Cordura and fleece. As cold weather cyclists know, bulky winter gloves can make it difficult to do simple things like brake and shift, adjust zippers, or…
Starting a commuter convoy
During the 2007 Bike To Work Week, I ran across two other bike commuters en-route that I wouldn’t have necessarily become friends with otherwise. After Bike To Work Week was over, I did a few more full commutes with them. In June, I moved 9 miles closer to work, giving me about 30 miles round…
GQ — bike commuters are "cool, chic"
Scott Schuman aka The Sartorialist has a monthly column in GQ magazine in which he features men’s fashion in the streets. For the March issue, Scott will feature “cool, chic guys I know that ride their bikes to work almost every day.” Scott often features men and women riding their bikes at his street fashion…
Too cold to ride!
That excuse will no longer work. According the this NY Times article exercising in the cold is not bad for you. Contrary to conventional wisdom your lungs are fine in the cold. …lungs are not damaged by cold, said Kenneth W. Rundell, the director of respiratory research and the human physiology laboratory at Marywood University…
How-To: Ensure consistent shifting all winter long
One word: Friction! I just posted an article about friction shifting over on Blue Collar Mountain Biking, another Crooked Cog Network site. If you are commuting through snowy, slushy, or just plain cold weather, it might help you out. You can check it out here.
Nissan exec: "Car culture is fading"
Here’s an interesting article from CNN. Thomas Lane is in charge of strategy and product planning for Nissan Motors in Japan. While car ads continue to push the idea that driving is pure pleasure that’s often done on open roads in pristine wilderness, commuters around the world and in America are finding that car ownership…
Rain/snow Lesson
Yesterday evening I had an epic commute. Okay, maybe it wasn’t epic but is was definitely memorable. When I left in the morning the local tv weather people were saying that there would be a chance of snow in the evening about commute time. Usually here in Seattle when the weather people say it is…
Soma Munch Box
Ok, maybe not as exciting as the new Mac in the previous post, but this little accessory has been pretty handy. This bag is called the Munch Box, and is made by Soma Fabrications. Designed as a feed bag, it’s designed to carry gels or energy bars. It can mount to either the stem and…
Bicycle Advocacy
Since I started bicycle commuting, I have become more interested in bicycle advocacy. I attended a local bicycle advocacy group’s meeting last year to get a feel for what the group was about. By the end of the meeting, I had nominated myself for a position on the board! This weekend I attended the first…