Jaimie Robinson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Chicago. Jaimie commutes by bike every possible day along Chicago’s Lake Shore bike path. She is a regular writer for Chicago Bridge, a blog for professionals working in the field of aging. Don't be fooled by the seemingly stuffy name, Eva’s Office Pannier. Not only is this…
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Biketopia, Buffalo, and Credit Where No Credit is Due (Roundup)
I don’t do roundup posts too often anymore. They’re hard. But in the last week, we’ve had a spate of exposure outside of Commute by Bike. Tom Bowden has a Dream In Tom Bowden‘s guest opinion in Richmond BizSense, he dreams of the ultimate cycling paradise city. A city that would make Portland, Boulder, Copenhagen,…
Capital Bikeshare Success Story
Capital Bikeshare Success Story
Hair: 'Tyranny over the mind of man'
I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. –Thomas Jefferson When someone starts an article with a Jefferson quote, you already know it’s going to be a rant, right? Clearly, Jefferson was talking about hair. The mind is in the brain; the brain…
A Slippered Urbana Test Ride and a New PPC Marketing Strategy
I’ve become inspired to try out a new Pay-Per-Click strategy. And I’m posting my notes and thoughts right here on our blog for all of you to read or more likely ignore right after thinking something like “there goes Josh rambling on again”. Actually, I’m posting them here because I was going to write these…
How to Blow $20 in Boulder
I managed to forge a cycling purpose into a non-cycling vacation in August, 2011, using the brute force of a big-ass 1996 GMC camper van. Here are the posts: Vapid Transit, Snap Judgements, How to Blow $20 in Boulder, Public Art You Can't See from a Car, and How does your town say "˜No Bicycles?'…
Twin Bees Buzzing Around
A customer from Japan sent in this great photo of his twins in their new Burley Bee. The Yellow Gary Fisher with yellow parts looks great with the Bee. The Burley Bee is a great value at only $249.
Hi Tech or Low Tech?
The opposite sides of the bicycle technology spectrum collided the other day in my camera frame. While our Inventory Manager, Matt Irvine, had his new fixed gear Surly Steamroller rolled out for his ride home, I had rolled the A2B Metro out from the display ride to power me along the way.We both laughed seeing…
Snap Judgements on Silverton, Montrose, and Salida
I managed to forge a cycling purpose into a non-cycling vacation in August, 2011, using the brute force of a big-ass 1996 GMC camper van. Here are the posts: Vapid Transit, Snap Judgements, How to Blow $20 in Boulder, Public Art You Can't See from a Car, and How does your town say "˜No Bicycles?'…
Bike Friday Tikit: A Great Solution to a Very Occasional Problem
While Ted has been delving deep into the psychology of the folding bike and the various marketing positions and ploys surrounding them, I’ve been tooling around on a few of them. The first one I got my hands on was this nice-looking Bike Friday Tikit that I first brought on my trip to the 2011…
Vapid Transit
I managed to forge a cycling purpose into a non-cycling vacation in August, 2011, using the brute force of a big-ass 1996 GMC camper van. Here are the posts: Vapid Transit, Snap Judgements, How to Blow $20 in Boulder, Public Art You Can't See from a Car, and How does your town say "˜No Bicycles?' This is not a biking vacation. My wife and I are driving a big-ass 1996 GMC van borrowed from…
Military Bicycles
We have covered a wide range of Emergency and Patrol Services by Bike here at Utility Cycling, but it recently became apparent that we were missing one major component of this topic: military bicycles. The use of bicycles by military groups has been around for nearly as long as the bicycle. Bicycles provide an effective…
Deconstructing Burley
I was on the Burley Website recently while poaching images to use in this newsletter. When I found this guy. And I thought, I am such a dumb ass. I’m always wondering how to convince more people to take bikes seriously as transportation. Is it the economic argument? Is it the quality of life argument?…
BOB Trailers at the Muscle Beach
What other kind of vacation would inspire a skinny guy like this to flex his muscles in the psuedo, macho revelry of the joy of freedom and accomplishment? Making it anywhere under your own power is always something to be satisfied by in my book. And from the look on our friends face, I’m guessing…
Ibera PakRak Commuter Bike Bag and Rack Review
Pete Prebus is the guy at Electric Bike Report, a website dedicated to getting the word out about electric bikes through e-bike news, reviews, guides, and general e-bike advocacy. Pete wants to encourage more people to ride bikes by providing good info about e-bikes and all the benefits (all the time) they have over driving…
Le Tour d'Indifférence: Peter Flax Interview
I was invited to interview Peter Flax, Editor-in-Chief of Bicycling Magazine. I said Sure! And I did. The interview was a few days ago. And today–literally today–I read the entire e-mail message that came with that initial invitation, and I saw there was a list of recommended questions. Sorry, Peter, I completely missed those questions….
Calculating the Leap to Driving Less
I’m projecting onto this calculator my wish that it will help make easier both the small leaps and the large ones.
GoreTex Bikewear Windstopper Beanie
John Coe has been an everyday, four-season bike commuter in a four-season town for almost 20 years. He blogs, when he blogs, mostly about bikes and skis and stuff at rockychrysler.blogspot.com. You’re a four-season bike commuter. Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail deters you. No matter what, you ride. You’re fully kitted-out for…
Crappy Fathers Day
Today was Fathers Day. I don’t have any children of my own, but I have two stepchildren, and neither of them are around today. They were with their real dad today. And these kids, since the time they’ve been a part of my life, have been the recipients of the best bikes we could afford….
Confusion, Sweet Confusion: The Commuter Relief Act
Two weeks ago, on June 1st, I wrote an article for Commute by Bike explaining the Commuter Relief Act. This proposed piece of legislation was introduced by longtime bicycle advocate U.S. House Representative Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore, and it seeks to incentivize "public transit benefits, vanpools, and other market-based solutions." One of the provisions that was…
Oscar Likes the Strider Balance Bike
Last year, we saw that Strider Balance Bikes were a big hit with the kids at the Hullabalo. So we decide to bring out 2 of them this year. Our friend Brent of Fratelli Pizza has been eying one for his son Oscar. Oscar is definitely sold. I’m not sure when his birthday is, but…
Factory and Parts Delivery by Bike
Even within much of utility cycling, the bicycle is mostly considered a tool for lightweight and personal tasks such as bicycle commuting or general bicycle transportation. However, we have also tried to highlight the ways in which the bicycle can also be an incredibly efficient tool for tasks with more gravity such as mail or…
The Best Excuse for Not Bike Commuting
We spend a lot of time overcoming the excuses people come up with not to bike commute, or to not even give it a try. Some people–adults–don’t know how to ride a bike. Never learned. Who hasn’t heard the statistics on adult literacy. Something like 21 percent of American adults could look at this majestic…
The Invisible Cyclists
The Invisible Cyclists