The Archives
Commuting 101: Keeping footwear dry
In the wake of the tropical storms, we’ve had a lot of rain in the past week. My cycling shoes have gotten so wet that they don’t get a chance to dry out before it’s time to leave for work in the morning. Here are some tips for keeping your footwear dry in monsoon season.
Commuting 101: Be Seen!
September’s officially here, and many recreational cyclists are hanging their bikes up for the season as the evening daylight gets shorter and shorter. Those who commute by bike, however, still have quite a bit of good riding weather ahead. You just need to be seen, and be safe.
New Belgium Brewery Bike-In Movies
Last Thursday’s showing of The Goonies at New Belgium Brewing’s Bike-In Cinema drew complaints from the brewer’s neighbors. According to this article at the Coloradoan.com, Fort Collins city code compliance officers have been monitoring the movie night volumes, and last week’s showing exceeded the 50 decibel level permitted by city law several times. Wait a…
Bike riding journalist
Carrie Peterson reports on crime for the Democrat Herald newspaper in Albany, Oregon, which is south of Salem about halfway between Portland and Eugene. Carrie’s beat includes burglaries, thefts, homicides, fires, car crashes, scams, court cases, drug activity. And for the next three weeks, Carrie is doing this without a car. She’s been very honest…
10 Worst Car Commutes
“Traffic congestion costs the U.S. economy $78 billion a year, wasting 2.9 billion gallons of fuel and robbing commuters of 4.2 billion hours.” This article from Weather.com lists the top ten worst cities for commuting.
Ivan Basso rides a Raleigh One Way
We really like the Raleigh One Way bicycle, a sweet steel singlespeed bike with fenders and wide tires that’s great for city riding. Professional cyclist Ivan Basso apparently agrees… Read more at Raleigh Commuters blog, from where I stole this photo.
Manitoba Bike Commuter Rides 112 Miles a Day
Wow! Simply, wow. CBC News has a feature up about a guy riding 112 miles (round trip) twice a week. Doing the math, he averages a little over 22 MPH. Mike Caslor says “My office mates think I’m a little bit crazy. But in many ways, part of the reason I do this is to…
Abused commuter bikes
Yesterday we talked about hot road bikes for the commute. Lightweight road bikes, though, can be a little finicky, and many of us like to keep the sporting equipment in pristine condition. In a comment, Steve asked the question: “What constitutes ‘commuter bike abuse’?” A few things come to mind for me; I’m sure CBB…
Hot road bikes for the commute
Here at Commute By Bike we focus primarily on utility bikes designed more for practical transportation rather than fast sport recreation. I know many of you, however, like the fast road bikes. My good friend Ken Conley in Silicon Valley is a fast bike fanatic who rides his bike to work. He recently had an…
Chat LIVE: Join me right now (we're done, check the update)
UPDATE 2: It’s over and we had a great time. Look for the next announcement in the near future! UPDATE: We’ve got over 20 people talking and some great discussion on lights going. Join us… I’m trying something new today with Commute by Bike. I’ve setup a chat area so you can ask your commuter…
RideTheCity.com: Safe bike routes for NYC
Live in New York City? Ever wondered what the safest route is between where you are and where you want to go? Check out RideTheCity.com. It’s a mash-up application based on Google Maps that uses several different data points to help you safely find your way through the city by bike.
Quick Tip: Forgot your light? Use your iPhone!
Saw this tip pop up on Twitter from user rabbieburns (click here to follow him): Best alternative use of an iPhone so far? I forgot my front bike light tonight. Some sticky tape and iPhone later… That’s a very brave man… Click here to follow me on Twitter.
End of Summer BOB Trailer Sale
We’re having our End of Summer BOB Trailer Sale at the Bike Trailer Shop. The sale is running from August 23rd to September 7th. Its a great opportunity to get a BOB Trailer at 10% 0ff (BOB Yaks from $259 or BOB Ibex from $323) BOB Trailers are a great all purpose trailer. From bike…
The Tubus Cargo review
In my last post I weighed the ups and downs of using trailers versus racks and panniers. This time I wanted to set the partisanship aside and focus on one of my all-time favorite racks, the Tubus Cargo. What makes the Cargo my favorite rack, you ask. Its strength for one, its adjustability for another,…
Bianchi's city bikes for 2009
I’m looking at the preliminary 2009 Bianchi product line. I see some pretty interesting things in their road and mountain bike lineup, but this is a commuter site so I’ll keep my focus there. For the city and commuter bikes, I see mostly evolutionary changes and enhancements to Bianchi’s existing product line. For example, the…
In praise of YOU, the everyday Olympian
After bicycling for 152 miles in 6 hours and 23 minutes in Beijing’s smoggy air, the gold medal was determined by a fraction of a second. Spain’s Samuel Sanchez willed a supreme effort to out-sprint the world’s great riders like David Rebellin and Fabian Cancellara. Fifty-seven million U.S. citizens ride a bicycle, at least, on…
Gas prices are fueling higher bike sales
There’s things that are just “common sense” to a lot of us, but it’s always nice to see it backed up by real data. Bikes Belong did a survey recently that shows that gas prices are pushing bikes sales higher than ever.
2009 Masi Bikes Commuter Preview
Last year saw a lot of good things come out of the once road-only Masi Bikes. Last year saw the release of the Caffe Racer, Speciale Commuter and SoulVille. All three models are selling well with the Speciale and SoulVille selling out as quickly as they can be stocked. Masi 2009 shows more variations of…
Interbike is coming (plus, I need your help!)
Interbike, the yearly bike-gasm trade show held in Las Vegas, is quickly approaching. This is the event where cycling related companies all get under one roof and try to peddle their wares to bike shops and media folks. Last year saw a huge swell in commuter specific bike products and 2008 promises to be no…
Trek city and commuter bikes for 2009
Commuter bikes were front and center at last weekend’s Trek World 2008 dealer show in Madison, with the singlespeed District stealing the show. This flat bar urban screamer features the Gates carbon belt drive that shaves nearly 280 grams from the weight of the bike, according to Trek. No lubrication is required for belt drives,…
Fisher El Ranchero longtail bicycle
Trek World is Trek’s annual show where they show dealers what to expect over the coming year. I’ll have more about some exciting new bikes like the Trek District, a redesigned Soho (with belt drive) and others later, but first I want to mention Fisher’s El Ranchero cargo bicycle. The El Ranchero looks superficially like…
Panniers versus trailers, the battle royale
Your trip is going swimmingly. You’ve seen truly beautiful places, enjoyed great weather, no flats so far, and met some amazing people. In fact, you’re sharing tonight’s campsite with some fellow tourists, nice people from some far flung land. Dinner’s been eaten, the dishes washed, and you’re digging into the evening’s conversation. Then it happens….
Cargo bike co-op
Cargo bikes are handy for hauling large loads, but not everybody has the place to store one, and cost can be a factor. It doesn’t always make sense to a cargo bike or large trailer sitting around all those days that you don’t need one. A small group in Vancouver, BC have started a new…
Civia Cycles 2009 : New Model
Civia Cycles is releasing snippets of a new bike that is going to be released at Interbike ’09. The bike is geared for shorter distance commutes with the ability to carry more due to front and rear racks coming stock on the bikes. A gentler geometry than what is found on the Hyland. An internally…