Urban legend: a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true [Wikipedia]. Urban legends permeate our lives. Many towns, groups, parents, teachers, spouses, you name it, have some kind of urban legend they use to make points, create feelings, or just entertain….
Former top pro mountain bike racer Dara Marks Marino now coaches cyclists and triathletes through TheMindfulAthlete.net. Most of her commuting these days is with a trail-a-bike. Picture it: the National Mountain Bike Pro Cross Country race in Aspen, CO, circa 2005. This was my course. Climb for an hour, descend fast and furious. Repeat. I…
Why Open Streets Are Great
First things first. Happy New Year all you Commute by Bike Readers! I’m not exactly one for making new year’s resolutions. Why not make resolve to do something differently any day of the year? Plus, most people don’t even make it to February with their resolutions. Maybe that’s because many resolutions are too big or…
The Bicycle – Short Film
This is a perspective you don’t see often. Riley attached a camera to the back of his bike to film his sturdy Burley Nomad cruising along the road near the seaside and on a dirt trail. The trailer itself is loaded with camera gear and it looks snug and tight inside the trailer. It looks…
Last month, following the rash of cycling fatalities in London over a two week period, I composed a post called Learning from London (Or Are We?) in which I reviewed and critiqued the reactions of the media, the mayor and a former Olympic cyclist. My point, that there isn’t a single type of road user…
Holiday Shopping by Cargo Bike
Ted recently shared with us his sturdy trailer build that looks like a party on wheels! Ted explains the origins:I built this bike trailer in the spring of 1987 in Calgary, Alberta. It was designed to supplement a backpack and front pannier bags, and to encourage a leisurely travel pace through exercise.Two main challenges by this…
I want to start this post by sharing a little secret of mine. Perhaps it’s not a secret so much as an admission, but I think it’s relevant to the content of this post nonetheless. Here goes – I have never used a bike sharing system. For starters, I’ve never lived in a city that…
The Copenhagen Wheel is Here
Hi, everyone. This is my latest product review for Commute by Bike (and this time, we wade into controversial waters!) All my friends and family know, often to their irritation and embarrassment, that I never shy away from controversy, even if paid to do so (which I havent been). My three favorite topics to bring…
Its that time of year again. That time of year for wallowing in the gift giving ambiguities of consumerism, generosity and self-interest. We are here to help you through this mess with some clear and concise holiday gift related strategies. #1: Consumerism: Attack this problem head on by tying consumerism to products that help…
Six cyclists have died in London in two weeks. This cant possibly be breaking news for anyone who is reading a cycling blog (or reading in general) as this rash of fatalities has been widely covered by major news outlets from every conceivable angle. BBC News alone has published pieces such as London Cycle Deaths:…
Biking & Walking to School in Portland
An interesting little tidbit arrived in my inbox this week. It was an email from Lund University in Sweden about a study on mobility, planning, and cycling. The study, officially titled “Velomobility – A critical analysis of planning and space”, was conducted by PhD student Till Koglin at Lund University. It’s a comparative analysis of…
This Vaude bag review comes from our very valued customer Rhonda:Just received the Vaude Cycle 22 combo bag today and tried it out immediately. It’s terrific. Hope you will continue to carry this bag as it is really wonderful for commuting or just for those of us who don’t like to carry things on our…
Rob, a fabricator by trade, has a pretty sweet build he shared with us after buying a spring for the project: I help put on a fundraiser for a non-profit called Kammys Kause (4p-supportgroup.org for more info). So along with making the event happen I make something to auction off. I was offered an old…
In many of my previous posts on Commute By Bike, I have focused on feel-good stories, such as the tale of a man who found both renewed health and a missing dog while on his bicycle, as well as made entertaining (I hope) references to pop icons such as Kermit the Frog to explain painted…
Full Circle: Carbon Fiber Penny Farthing Concept Bike
According to Jill, a news director in Cleveland: Ohio is a surprisingly good area for biking. And I absolutely love my Ortlieb Back Roller Classic with BSH logo. These panniers are incredibly versatile and hold tons of gear (or $200 worth of groceries). I use them for commuting to work, for pleasure rides and even…
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… It is a period of paper-based self-navigation. Cell phones are the size a spaghetti squash. GPS is a three-letter acronym (TLA) and not much more to the average human. Bicycles are inanimate objects that are neither smart nor social. Yes, it is 1993. Fast-forward twenty…
"I hate broken bikes." That was the straightforward way that CycloMend founder, Colin, began to explain why he started his Washington, DC-based company that pairs up mobile bike mechanics with cyclists in need. Benefiting both the owner of the busted bike as well as local mechanics looking for additional work (who are vetted by CycloMend…
Mark Falanga Revelate‘d the crap outta his bike: I ordered a bunch of Revelate bags from you for a five-day San Juan Mountain Hut bike ride. The system that you put together for me was incredible and because of the system, my bike performed so well on all terrain, going up mountains, down mountains and…
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