As far as I’m aware, schools in Boulder County, Colorado have been the most effective in encouraging children to walk and bike to school through programs funded by State and Federal Safe Routes to School Funding. Some elementary schools in Longmont, Colorado, for example, boast participation rates over 90% on the designated “Walk and Roll”…
Blog
2008 Fast Forwarded
So it’s been a long time since I’ve posted to my “business journal” blog. Business at Wandertec has boomed this year not leaving much time to reflect. And much of my blogging energy has gone into the Bike Trailer Blog instead. But, I do like to write and reflect so now that things have slowed…
Bike Tour Preparation: P2 – Training
The complete blog series on this tour: Bike Tour Preperation: Part 1 Destination, Part 2 Training, Part 3 Pack Up! PCH Tour: There, Biking Back with Burley, The Good, The Bad and The Burley So you’ve picked your destination, and are counting down the days until take off. Whether you made last minute plans or…
No Grimy Derailleurs
The same day that Noah wrote about those grimy derailleurs last weekend, I received a shiny new Abio Penza shaft drive folding bike with a 3 speed Shimano Nexus hub. This bike has some interesting features that I’ll write about another time, but this is the first internal hub gearing (IGH) bike in a long…
Christmas Bike Trailer (Custom Bike Trailer)
Once again our friend Ryan Cooper has contacted us about another one of his bike trailer creations. This one is perfect for the Christmas Special Bike Trailer Season. As you may remember Ryan is the mastermind behind the Billy the Boombox box bike trailer that we posted about back in August. This time around Ryan…
Those grimy derailleurs
Winter brings harsh conditions. Road grime, salt, sand, and slush can wreak havoc on your drivetrain. My winter commuter was abused over the summer and fall months. Getting my stubborn, grimy derailleurs to shift smoothly again was a time-consuming adventure. Considering the fact that I was about to buy a new pair of derailleurs, though,…
Grand Opening Sale! www.BikeBagShop.com
The Bike Bag Shop is proud to announce its Grand Opening. To celebrate, get 10% off on all Ortlieb items (+ an additional 10% of with our Bike Gear Combo Discounts) through December 14th. Ortlieb panniers and bags make great bike gifts for bike enthusiasts. The Bike Bag Shop is our partner shop to our…
Cycling gear from the hardware store
“P” at Nippleworks reveals that he uses safety glasses from the hardware store for cyclocross racing. Eye protection is helpful for commuting, too: I know a handful of people who’ve had to recover from a bug flying into their eyes. For riding at dusk or in cloudy conditions, amber lenses improve contrast. Clear glasses are…
Bike to Work Book free chapters
Happy Friday, everybody! Carlton Reid has posted a sampler of free chapters from the Bike To Work Book for your online viewing pleasure. Carlton is doing this in collaboration with Commute By Bike. Let us know what you think of the book.
Bike Tour Preparation: P1 – Destination
The complete blog series on this tour: Bike Tour Preperation: Part 1 Destination, Part 2 Training, Part 3 Pack Up! PCH Tour: There, Biking Back with Burley, The Good, The Bad and The Burley Preparing for a bicycle tour is a lot of work. There are many factors to take into consideration from planning the…
BrightKiters Bike to Work in Denver
Brightkite is a relatively new start-up in the social networking space. They’re tired of social networks that tie you to your cubicle or your desk at home. They wanted something mobile. Something that fostered real-life interaction with people near you. I suppose it’s not surprising that they like their bicycles.
DiNotte lighting recall notice
I know there are a lot of DiNotte fans here so I thought I’d pass along this note that DiNotte is recalling some of their older Li-Ion batteries because they don’t match the quality and safety of their current product line. For more info, see DiNotte’s recall information page. Speaking of lighting up, you might…
DIY bike tire chains
This is cool: Homebrew tire chains for your mountain bike involves less than $20 in chain, cabling, and ferrules, not counting the tools you might need to get if you don’t already own them. Via. That reminds me of this tip in which you can use zip ties to improve traction a little. Both the…
Xtracycle Build Up : Parts Bag
Arleigh is building, documenting and writing out her build up of a Salsa Ala Carte mountain bike with 650b wheels and a Xtracycle Free Radical Kit. This is an on going series so stay tuned for more installments. One thing that is a bit daunting if you aren’t mechanically inclined is the huge parts bag…
Bike Trailer Videos Part 5
Bike Trailer Videos 1 Bike Trailer Videos 2 Bike Trailer Videos 3 Bike Trailer Videos 4 This post is a continuation of Josh’s Video blog series. This week we will be looking at Bike Child Trailers including consumer demos, reviews and a Burley Crash Test video. Enjoy! The first video is a quick demo of…
Salsa Fargo, 29er Touring
We’ve decided to start a new section of the Bike Trailer Blog to feature bikes we like. These will generally be bikes for touring, commuting and carrying cargo. To kick this this off, I thought I’d post up this new touring machine from Salsa. The Salsa Fargo looks like a great touring bike for mixed…
YOU can be in the Bike to Work book
Update: Carlton says he has several fantatic response — enough for the book, so please don’t send any more. Carlton Reid and Tim Grahl have been working on a Bike To Work book. Carlton is looking for real life stories from newbies and oldies alike. See QuickRelease.TV for details.
Strida 5.0 on the bus and train
Strida’s publicity material brag about their folding bike’s “umbrella like folding.” While folding this bike is amazingly fast and easy, it does not fold to the size of an umbrella, unless you have a 20 pound umbrella with wheels. While the Strida doesn’t fold exceptionally small, it can have a smaller footprint because you can…
Fenders and flaps
Just a quickie post for the weekend: Plans for Coroplast election sign fenders have been floating around on the Internet for years. You take those leftover election signs, cut them to fender size and shape, then zip tie them to your bike. You should be able to figure it out by looking at the photos…
Biking in the rain safely
I covered equipment and rain the other day and several people provided very helpful comments on biking safety in the rain. Here’s my contribution to the discussion. Visibility is paramount! I’m not normally a safety ninny, but consider what you can and can’t see when you’re in a car with the windows fogged up and…
"Extreme Security" from Kryptonite`
Introducing the New York Legend bike lock…. Kryptonite had this monstrous chain lock on display at Interbike last September. I nearly herniated myself when I lifted this beast from the display. Kryptonite says the 3T tempered steel 15 mm rounded links and its provided Kryptonite New York Padlock provides “extreme security for high crime areas.”…
Commuter Story: Witnessing Karma
From Bicycle Soup: I approached a red light, started slowing and took my rightful place in the center of the right lane (on the four-lane section of West Main Street) where I settled into my normal track-stand. Behind me I could hear the approaching rumble of a big ol’ something-or-another. […] I slowed slightly, then…
Your bike in the rain
I’ve heard people express concern about their bikes in the rain. As long as you keep up with some simple, basic maintenance, your bike should be just fine. Here are the simple things to keep your bike running well through wet weather. Fenders and mudflaps not only keep wet and dirt off of your body,…
SpokeAndWord.com – Weekly Update
We’re starting up a weekly update of good blog posts that we’re submitted and we enjoyed reading over at Spoke And Word. Some of the most best posts: Snow’s right around the corner. Get out your Pedal Powered SnowPlows Using Lemon Pledge to Clean Up Your Bike A Recipe for a Giant Do-It-YoSelf Bike Trailer