Bicycle trailers are fast becoming a viable transportation option in the face of the changing energy scheme. With that, many calls are received at the Bike Trailer Shop headquarters about the basics of trailer design. One of the more frequent considerations when selecting a trailer is the wheel count. Are you better off with a…
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Top 5 Rules for Riding on the Sidewalk
The subject of riding bikes on the sidewalks continues to be a hotly debated topic. Despite your stance on the subject, the fact remains that it’s going to happen, so I want to share the top five rules that must be followed when choosing the sidewalk over the road. Fear is, by far, the biggest…
Le Tour! The Tour de France
Have you noticed anymore road bikes on your commute. This morning, I added two “roadies” to my mental catalogue of fellow commuters. Could it be because of the Tour de France. Quite possibly, according to the owner of my local bike shop. He says road bike sales generally go up during the last two weeks…
650 foot commute — by car
Lasse Jonsson Malmoe, Sweden won a “most ridiculous commute” contest. He drives his car less than 650 feet from home to work every day, and drives another several feet for lunch. His prize for winning the contest: a bicycle. Read more.
Burley Encore Trailer Review
We’d like to introduce our newest blog author and Bike Trailer Shop Sales Manager, Dave Herbold aka Gnome of OneSpeeder.com fame. Dave’s first post is kicking off our 4th of July Burley Child Trailer Sale with a review of the Burley Encore that he’s been testing out with his son. So here’s Dave:I’m both the…
Back on the Bike (plus, two new additions to two families)
Today was my first commute by bike in close to a month. Here’s the reason…
Product Recall: SunRingl Hollow Quick-Release
Hayes Bicycle Group has received four reports of the SunRingl Hollow Quick Release Device breaking. No injuries have been reported. According to the press release: “The quick release devices can unexpectedly fail or break when locked in position on the bicycle, causing the rider to lose control, which poses a serious fall hazard. This recall…
Italian bike lock
Italian bike lock Originally uploaded by turbofan. Photo by Ryan Richardson who saw this while visiting Venice. Via SFist in a rant about the new bike rack at Trader Joe’s.
Happy Canada Day!
It is July 1st, which means it is Canada Day! Since my company decided to switch our day off to Monday, so we get a 3 day weekend, I have to work on the birthday of my nation. So, I decided to share my commute with you. A. My ride and her parking spot. Affectionately…
Q&A: Can you really ride faster than you drive?
Rob asks: I’ve read different places that people can actually get to work quicker riding their bike than driving their car. This doesn’t seem feasible to me, especially since my commute is twice as long when I ride. So is it true that there are bike commuters out there that actually save time by riding…
Commuting 101: Weekend Check-up
If you don’t cover a lot of miles on your bike, I’d recommend at least doing the “thumb press” test on your tires each weekend, and squeezing both brakes to make sure they are adequately tight. I’m not usually a slacker, though. With nice weather, I ditch the bus and go to bike-only commuting mode…
On-air discussion about commuting by bike
I was invited to sit down as a participant on a panel of bicycle commuting “experts” in Kansas City today. I was joined by KCMO’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, a Bike Patrol police officer for one of the local suburbs and another man who’s been commuting by bike for over a decade. Between comments on the radio…
A Bike Trailer on a Scooter?
We get a lot of questions about bike trailers at the shop. “Can I carry an accordion in a dog trailer?”, for instance. Or, “Do you have a trailer I can pull behind my car, to carry an upright bass, so my bike can ride inside?” One we frequently get asked and that we would…
SealLine Urban Backpack : Long Term Review
For the past couple months the SealLine Urban Backpack has been my go-to bag for commuting and trekking in general. The bag has gone through rain, pouring rain, very hot 100 degree days and a couple off road crashes. Still, it looks close to new, no damages to the water protect material and I think…
Commuter Story: Taking Back What's Rightfully Ours!
Submitted by Kaz Kougar: Since my wife’s favorite bicycle was stolen from our garage on Mother’s Day, things haven’t been the same. As she scoured the web for a new cruiser nothing she found seemed to be exactly what she desired and I feared that she would have to settle on a bike that she…
Q&A: How should I deal with aggressive dogs?
Ed. – The following question was submitted by a reader. If you have some insight, please leave it in the comments. If you have a question you would like to appear here, email us at diggers@commutebybike.com Diane from Canada: I had two large dogs charge me from 50 yards away yesterday while off leash and…
Whack a pump
Thursday, June 19 (aka Juneteenth) is national Dump the Pump Day in the United States. The American National Public Transportation Association created this goofy “Whack a Pump” game. Enjoy! Click here for more on Dump the Pump Day.
Gas Savings Calculator: Put it on your site!
One of the more popular aspects of Commute by Bike is the Gas Savings Calculator you see over there on the right sidebar. We’ve had a few requests to make it available for readers to put on their own website or blog, so we’ve done just that.
Old bike stuff selling like hotcakes
First this: Obama meets with Bikes Belong board of directors and pledges funding for cycling Then this: 27″ tire sales up — those are the kinds of tires that go on old 10 speeds from the 70s. And this: are bike shops selling the bikes that new bikers want? And finally an anecdote: One of…
Driven to crime
Mike Luckovich cartoon from June 10 in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: Driven to crime…
Cycling and wrist discomfort
Matthew mentioned in a comment that his fingers go numb while cycling. There are a couple of things that can cause wrist, hand and finger discomfort while cycling. Wrist pronation. Stand up with your arms hanging down the sides of your body. Your hands are probably more or less flat against your thighs. Now bend…
Cycling is not just poor man's transportation
Carlton Reid has been a journalist for various British cycling publications (print and online) for 20 years now. Some of you are familiar with his Quick Release blog, and he’s a good friend to the Crooked Cog team. Carlton posted some commentary on how many news stories about the increase in bicycle commuting lead off…
Commuting 101: Make Them Hear You
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. Proverbs 17:27-28 (NIV) …Unless he or she is a cyclist… Children should be seen and not heard. …Unless they’re on a bike. Then they should be both… This is probably more applicable for those of you who ride…
When $5 in the tank doesn't cut it
Cars stranded on the side of the highway are starting to make waves in the media. People who are already trying hard to make ends meet by doing simple things like carpooling or stupid things like aggressive hypermiling (including intentional tailgating and failure to slow down adequately through cornering maneuvers) are still running out of…