Bike advocacy is a key element in the improvement of cycling in all its forms: sport, recreation, and utility. Recently, in the United States, bike advocacy issues have taken center stage, especially as cycling has become a heated issue on Capitol Hill and beyond. There have been many proposals to cut funding for bicycling and…
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Thomas' BOB Modified for his Scooter – Against Our Advice
Even though we don’t recommend, support or condone the use of BOB trailers, or any other bike cargo trailers, on any motorized vehicles other than electric bicycles that are regulated the same as standard bicycles, I have to say that this setup sure does look sweet. Given the number of questions that we’ve gotten about…
Tom & Ted’s Advocacy Adventure
Tom Bowden: Months of detailed planning and analysis are about to come to fruition. Ted Johnson, fearless and philosophical editor of Commute by Bike is flying eastbound for Richmond, Virginia, from whence he and I will depart, on our lugged framed steeds of steel, on Monday morning for Washington DC to attend the League of…
Rethinking the Automobile
Rethinking the Automobile
Outspoken About Handmade Bikes: Diane Lees at NAHBS
Diane Lees is a 38 year veteran of the bicycle industry. She is a professional bicycle fitter and co-owns and operates HubBub Custom Bicycles in NE Ohio. She is also a registered yoga teacher, a journalist, and the host/producer of The Outspoken Cyclist, a weekly radio show about bicycling on WJCU-88.7FM broadcasting locally and podcasting…
The 12 People Who Block the Bike Path
Samuel Hagler is a returned Peace Corps volunteer and founder of the Ride for Good Foundation. He is a master’s candidate studying Bicycle Activism in the M.A. Sustainable Communities program at Northern Arizona University, and enjoys mountain biking, commuting, and traveling the world by bicycle. Most university towns, including Flagstaff, Arizona, have a bike route…
Portapedal: A Bike Shop, not a Sitcom
A couple of weeks ago, I went looking for Portapedal, a new-ish bike shop in Tempe, Arizona specializing in portable bikes. When I found the correct address, this is what I saw: And this is what I imagined would be inside: And I was partially right. Inside that suburban ranch house was an architect…
Bicycle Travel
Bicycle Travel
Marital Aids
I have stopped trying to turn my wife into a cyclist — a bike commuter; more than just the occasional recreational ride. But I haven’t given up on getting her to drive less. All her driving still drives me bonkers. She drives to work, she chauffeurs the kids around, she does the shopping. Not necessarily…
Tom Bowden on 'The Outspoken Cyclist'
The Outspoken Cyclist’s interview with Tom Bowden, one of our frequent contributors, was broadcast on WJCU recently and can now be heard online. Tom talks about his transition from being a RAAM racer in the 1990s to becoming the tweedy mild-mannered bike commuter and advocate he is today. You’ll get a heads-up on America’s next…
Lessons from the Netherlands
Lessons from the Netherlands
Ten Weeks (and Counting) with an A2B Metro Electric Bike
BluesCat is a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, who originally returned to bicycling in 2002 in order to help his son get the Boy Scout Cycling merit badge. His bikes sat idle until the summer of 2008 when gas prices spiked at over $4.00 per gallon. Since then, he has become active cycling, day-touring, commuting by…
Safe Yakking with the UCLEAR HBC 130 Bike Helmet Communicator
A few months ago, when the people were screaming a little louder than usual about distracted driving and even distracted cycling, I received an offer from UCLEAR to review their HBC 130 Bike Helmet Communicator. Unfortunate timing. But I took it on because I know that some Commute by Bike readers have longer commutes than…
The HubBub Helmet Mirror: Get used to it
The main reason I wear a helmet is because I really like having a rear-view mirror. I’ve used several mirrors over the years, and I definitely prefer the kind that mount in the vicinity of my left eye over models that mount on the handlebars. I’ve been using a HubBub Helmet Mirror for about three…
Cycle Anti-Chic: The Bike Helmet as an Accessory Platform
To paraphrase Jesus: The tasteless you will always have with you, but you will not always have Mikael. I wear a helmet almost every time I bike. I also enjoy provoking the anti-helmet trolls. These are people who believe that bike helmets promote and perpetuate an exaggerated perception of the dangers of cycling, which only…
Self-Inflicted Pain at the Pump
I had a 170-mile commute by car this morning — from the southern ‘burbs of Phoenix all the way to Flagstaff, Arizona. I was about 35 miles along when I realized I needed to fill up the car with gas. And while filling up I also realized that I probably haven’t personally purchased gasoline in…
Green Transportation at Google
Green Transportation at Google
No Confirmed Cycling Arrivals to The Oscars
I’ll be heading down to Phoenix to worship at the alter of Celebrity. The alter is my mother’s big-screen television. The temple is her living room. The occasion is the Academy Awards ceremony. And, like most or all of the guests, presenters, and nominees who will arrive at the event on Los Angeles in person,…
LA Bike Lanes Muddle Matters for Movie Moguls
Tom Bowden is a bike commuter from Richmond VA, a "suit" – a corporate lawyer with an MBA, and a conservative "“ You betcha! He is also a board member of BikeWalk Virginia, a pro cycling and pedestrian group in Virginia that raises money to promote cycling, walking and active lifestyles. Tom’s lawyerly blogging can…
Mike's Full Featured BOB Ibex
There are quite a few ways to outfit a BOB Trailer. Mike took it to an extreme by decking his BOB Ibex out with a Wandertec SAX Liner, a Greenspeed Rack and Delta Water Bottlecages. The real topper is the wooden fender that makes this one of the coolest looking BOB setups I’ve seen. If…
Hey Oscar, What was Rosebud? (Hint: Not a Sled)
Dallas Adams is the founder of Citizen Chain Cyclery, a bicycle shop located in the North Beach section of San Francisco, California. Born and raised in the Silicon Valley, his past experiences include work with the YMCA, U.S. Department of Labor and Defense, Lockheed Martin, Arrow Electronics and the American Red Cross as a disaster…
Calling The Loser Alpha Male… Zach Galifianakis: Bike to the Oscars
In my quest to get an Academy Awards nominee, presenter, or guest to bike to the Oscars, I was pointed in the direction of Zach Galifianakis. He’s the guy who just might do it, I was told. So what do we know about this Galifianakis guy, other than he’s a cyclist and he invented a…
The Mounty: A Rubber Smart Phone Mount That Makes You Flexible
I get a lot of e-mail from people who make or sell smartphone mounts for bikes. They’d like to have their mounts reviewed. The first problem is, I don’t have a smartphone. I don’t want one. I’m insufferable enough without the ability to fact check any conversation, or to find that video of the man…
Fyxation Session 700 Tires vs. A Mild NYC Winter
Vanessa Marie Robinson is a Brooklyn-based industrial designer who’s blog For The Love Of Bikes covers her multifaceted interests in all things cycling. She is typically found either riding in the city on a single-speed or training upstate on her road bike — year-round! Last November I began bracing myself for some harsh winter weather…