It's an interesting section of the paper to put it in, but here it is. New York bike courier Hugo Giron reviews several battery bike lights.
Of the lights he tried, Hugos favorites are the Blackburn Flea front and rear lights. These lights were the bee's knees," Mr. Giron said. "They were so small and ridiculously bright."
My favorite lights right now: Planet Bike SuperFlash on the rear and NiteRider MiNewt on the front. I'll write more about the MiNewt later, but for now I'll just say that they're inexpensive, bright, compact and the USB charging feature is more useful than I would have expected.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I need a model!
Update: Several people got in touch with me! THANK YOU SO MUCH! If I haven't contacted you yet I will. There will be other opportunities for those who are interested later.
I'm writing a review for Momentum Magazine for the Schwinn Tailwind bicycle with electric assist, and I'd like to submit a photo or five for Momentum's use. I need somebody who can spare an hour who can ride this bike while I take photos.
This is a men's "Large" model, so I need a woman who's at least 5'9" or a man who's at least 5'10 or so (it's actually too large for me). My deadline is Sunday, so I need somebody who can meet me late Friday afternoon in Menlo Park or Palo Alto, or Saturday in the South Bay or Santa Cruz County, though my strong preference is somebody in Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz.
You may appear in a nationally distributed bicycle magazine and you must sign a model release. Any photos I take will be posted to Flickr with a Creative Commons "Share Alike" license, though this is negotiable.
I'm not looking for supermodel quality models -- if you're comfortable with your appearance and don't mind thousands of people looking at you, I'm probably fine with that, though you should be well groomed. The model will wear 'normal' clothing -- please no lycra or workout clothes. Something akin to business casual is ideal. I'd like to avoid the bike commuter stereotype of crumpled, frayed clothing. Women should probably avoid skirts and dresses unless you're very tall: the standover height on this bike is 31 inches.
I'm also looking for somebody who can do this as a freebie or very cheaply -- I won't make a dime from this myself.
Time is short, so if you know somebody please help me spread the word and you'll have my gratitude.
If you're interested, please email me with your contact information.
I'm writing a review for Momentum Magazine for the Schwinn Tailwind bicycle with electric assist, and I'd like to submit a photo or five for Momentum's use. I need somebody who can spare an hour who can ride this bike while I take photos.
This is a men's "Large" model, so I need a woman who's at least 5'9" or a man who's at least 5'10 or so (it's actually too large for me). My deadline is Sunday, so I need somebody who can meet me late Friday afternoon in Menlo Park or Palo Alto, or Saturday in the South Bay or Santa Cruz County, though my strong preference is somebody in Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz.
You may appear in a nationally distributed bicycle magazine and you must sign a model release. Any photos I take will be posted to Flickr with a Creative Commons "Share Alike" license, though this is negotiable.
I'm not looking for supermodel quality models -- if you're comfortable with your appearance and don't mind thousands of people looking at you, I'm probably fine with that, though you should be well groomed. The model will wear 'normal' clothing -- please no lycra or workout clothes. Something akin to business casual is ideal. I'd like to avoid the bike commuter stereotype of crumpled, frayed clothing. Women should probably avoid skirts and dresses unless you're very tall: the standover height on this bike is 31 inches.
I'm also looking for somebody who can do this as a freebie or very cheaply -- I won't make a dime from this myself.
Time is short, so if you know somebody please help me spread the word and you'll have my gratitude.
If you're interested, please email me with your contact information.
cycling podcasts
What could be finer than to queue up a bunch of cycling podcasts, take out the tools, and tune up the bike? Well, maybe riding the bike would be better, but sooner or later you'll need to do some maintenance, and the time will fly by if you listen to a podcast while you're working. Here are my the ones I know about:
Bike to Work with Carlton Reid.
T-Chatter featuring Georgena Terry. Has a bit of an infomercial quality sometimes. Focused on women's cycling, though not exclusively. The interview last fall with Richard Schwinn about trends in bicycle fabrication was great.
Bikescape, a Bay Area podcast that is mostly about transportation cycling and policy. The audio quality is variable, but the content can be quite informative.
Bike Show from Resonance FM, a very entertaining British podcast with interviews and stories about curious events like the Stonehenge Solstice ride. The presenter's love of cycling is infectious.
The Fredcast is an encyclopedic podcast that covers all aspects from product recalls to racing to gear reviews. The Fredcast is well-produced and full of useful information.
The Spokesmen comes from David Bernstein, the fellow behind the Fredcast, but has a different focus. The Spokesmen is a roundtable with several commentators from the bicycle industry, sometimes including our own Fritz.
Bike to Work with Carlton Reid.
T-Chatter featuring Georgena Terry. Has a bit of an infomercial quality sometimes. Focused on women's cycling, though not exclusively. The interview last fall with Richard Schwinn about trends in bicycle fabrication was great.
Bikescape, a Bay Area podcast that is mostly about transportation cycling and policy. The audio quality is variable, but the content can be quite informative.
Bike Show from Resonance FM, a very entertaining British podcast with interviews and stories about curious events like the Stonehenge Solstice ride. The presenter's love of cycling is infectious.
The Fredcast is an encyclopedic podcast that covers all aspects from product recalls to racing to gear reviews. The Fredcast is well-produced and full of useful information.
The Spokesmen comes from David Bernstein, the fellow behind the Fredcast, but has a different focus. The Spokesmen is a roundtable with several commentators from the bicycle industry, sometimes including our own Fritz.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
not your usual bicycle tour
When we say "bicycle tour," you probably imagine slogging up mountain passes with bulging panniers, but these bicycle tours are more traditional tourism-tours where participants happen to travel by bicycle.
Sustainability Tours from Santa Cruz:
Bicycle History Tours in San Francisco:
And for completeness, eleven Bicycle Architecture Tours in London last summer (tip of the hat to The Bike Show from Resonance FM).
Sustainability Tours from Santa Cruz:
Bicycle the beautiful coast and mountains of Santa Cruz, California. Visit organic farms, sustainable vineyards, and ecological homes. Taste varieties of wines, herb teas, juices, tomatoes, honeycomb, and more.
Bicycle History Tours in San Francisco:
CounterPULSE and Shaping San Francisco director Chris Carlsson conducts ~4-hour historical tours of San Francisco by bicycle. Bring a snack and water, and reserve your spot now! Meet at CounterPULSE, at noon on the dates above.
And for completeness, eleven Bicycle Architecture Tours in London last summer (tip of the hat to The Bike Show from Resonance FM).
Bicycle News
As I type this up on Tuesday night for early Wednesday publication, the guy on the bus next to me is snoring loudly. With his mouth open. I hope he doesn't lean into me.
Thief steals bike, takes it to the shop where it was built. Story at Fix Memphis.
Interview with Gary Fisher at Bikescape.
Rivendell announces Quickbeams will be no more. "The continuing enfeebling of the US dollar against the Yen allows us to declare with no uncertainty that this will be the last of the Quickbeams," writes Grant. There aren't that many left, so put your deposit in now if you want a piece of this last batch.
Kansas City, Missouri: Bicyclists are encouraged to show up Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting. The first meeting was last night, but you can show up tonight. Click the link for details.
Oakland stolen bike alert: a blue Yuba Mundo cargo bike.
San Jose Cycling Classic takes place Saturday, February 14. Which is the same day the Tour of California starts in Sacramento. Jerks.
Portland cyclists ride through the snow and cold.
Trickle down bike tech.
Caltrain board meeting will discuss bikes on board February 5. Murph is organizing a San Francisco to San Mateo Bike Train. If you live in the city, they start at 4th & King at 7 AM.
Bicycle Community Center in Los Angeles.
My daughter featured in 15 uses for coffee filters.
Bicycle Jobs:
Thief steals bike, takes it to the shop where it was built. Story at Fix Memphis.
Interview with Gary Fisher at Bikescape.
Rivendell announces Quickbeams will be no more. "The continuing enfeebling of the US dollar against the Yen allows us to declare with no uncertainty that this will be the last of the Quickbeams," writes Grant. There aren't that many left, so put your deposit in now if you want a piece of this last batch.
Kansas City, Missouri: Bicyclists are encouraged to show up Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting. The first meeting was last night, but you can show up tonight. Click the link for details.
Oakland stolen bike alert: a blue Yuba Mundo cargo bike.
San Jose Cycling Classic takes place Saturday, February 14. Which is the same day the Tour of California starts in Sacramento. Jerks.
Portland cyclists ride through the snow and cold.
Trickle down bike tech.
Caltrain board meeting will discuss bikes on board February 5. Murph is organizing a San Francisco to San Mateo Bike Train. If you live in the city, they start at 4th & King at 7 AM.
Bicycle Community Center in Los Angeles.
My daughter featured in 15 uses for coffee filters.
Bicycle Jobs:
- Transportation Demand Management sales for Alternative Transportation Solutions (ALTRANS) in San Jose. ALTRANS creates alternative transportation programs for cities, schools, and businesses in the South Bay.
- Pestec in San Francisco still has openings for bicycling mosquito abatement workers.
2009 Tour of Missouri host cities announced
Jefferson, MO -- Event organizers announced yesterday the host cities and overall course for the 2009 Tour of Missouri yesterday.
The following cities will play host to a leg of the Tour: St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, Farmington, Rolla, St. James, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Chillicothe, St. Joseph, and Kansas City.
"We had a record amount of cities inquire about the Tour of Missouri," said Lt. Governor Kinder. "It is a testament to the success of the race. We faced a very difficult process of eliminating some great cities. Our commitment, however, is to continue to route the course to all areas of the state. This year, for the first time, we will visit the southeast part of Missouri while spending a longer time north of Interstate 70. In addition, we will be able to highlight some of the agricultural regions."
The overall course will take on a very different slant in 2009. For the first time, the race will route east to west, starting in St. Louis and finishing in Kansas City. The past two years, the race routed west to east starting in Kansas City to finish in St. Louis. Stage by stage courses will be announced at a later date.
"In keeping with tradition, we will change the course from year to year to keep it fresh," said Chris Aronhalt, the managing partner of event organizers Medalist Sports of the Atlanta area. "There will be new drama on the race route and we expect a few more hills. Overall, we have some great and very excited host cities."
The race will be contested over seven days and seven stages. There will be two circuit races (St. Louis, Kansas City), one individual time trial (Sedalia), and four point to point road races (Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau; Farmington to Rolla; St. James to Jefferson City; Chillicothe to St. Joseph).
"I like what they've done," said 2008 Tour of Missouri champion Christian Vande Velde, an American who also finished fourth overall at last years Tour de France. "Its a totally different race course and it looks like theyve added some challenging terrain. Last years race was very fast and tougher than it looked on paper. I look forward to coming back with my Garmin teammates to defend my title."
Added Team Columbias Mark Cavendish of Britain, who won three stages of the 2008 Tour of Missouri: "Last years race was very well organized and promoted. I really liked it. As a sprinter, I had several opportunities to win races, which is always good. With more hills expected, well see what happens."
Tour of Qatar
The 8th Tour of Qatar runs from Sunday February 1 to Friday February 6. Amazingly, race organizers added a professional women's race that begins February 8, with 90 riders from 14 countries reportedly participating. Even more amazing: "We hope to gradually develop women's sport in Qatar," said Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Abdulla al-Thani, head of the Qatari cycling federation. Read more.
The following cities will play host to a leg of the Tour: St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, Farmington, Rolla, St. James, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Chillicothe, St. Joseph, and Kansas City.
"We had a record amount of cities inquire about the Tour of Missouri," said Lt. Governor Kinder. "It is a testament to the success of the race. We faced a very difficult process of eliminating some great cities. Our commitment, however, is to continue to route the course to all areas of the state. This year, for the first time, we will visit the southeast part of Missouri while spending a longer time north of Interstate 70. In addition, we will be able to highlight some of the agricultural regions."
The overall course will take on a very different slant in 2009. For the first time, the race will route east to west, starting in St. Louis and finishing in Kansas City. The past two years, the race routed west to east starting in Kansas City to finish in St. Louis. Stage by stage courses will be announced at a later date.
"In keeping with tradition, we will change the course from year to year to keep it fresh," said Chris Aronhalt, the managing partner of event organizers Medalist Sports of the Atlanta area. "There will be new drama on the race route and we expect a few more hills. Overall, we have some great and very excited host cities."
The race will be contested over seven days and seven stages. There will be two circuit races (St. Louis, Kansas City), one individual time trial (Sedalia), and four point to point road races (Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau; Farmington to Rolla; St. James to Jefferson City; Chillicothe to St. Joseph).
"I like what they've done," said 2008 Tour of Missouri champion Christian Vande Velde, an American who also finished fourth overall at last years Tour de France. "Its a totally different race course and it looks like theyve added some challenging terrain. Last years race was very fast and tougher than it looked on paper. I look forward to coming back with my Garmin teammates to defend my title."
Added Team Columbias Mark Cavendish of Britain, who won three stages of the 2008 Tour of Missouri: "Last years race was very well organized and promoted. I really liked it. As a sprinter, I had several opportunities to win races, which is always good. With more hills expected, well see what happens."
Tour of Qatar
The 8th Tour of Qatar runs from Sunday February 1 to Friday February 6. Amazingly, race organizers added a professional women's race that begins February 8, with 90 riders from 14 countries reportedly participating. Even more amazing: "We hope to gradually develop women's sport in Qatar," said Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Abdulla al-Thani, head of the Qatari cycling federation. Read more.
Transit amendment passes Rules Committee, coming to House vote TODAY
Update: Nadler's amendment passed in a voice vote early this afternoon (Eastern Time). Next step: The Senate version of the bill needs help.
Thank you to everybody who called or emailed messages to Congressional representatives this week. Your support was noted and reportedly made all the difference!
Representative David Nadler's amendment to increase funding made it past the House Rules Committee on Tuesday afternoon and is ready to go to a floor vote TODAY.
The floor vote can happen early today, so call your Representative NOW using this web contact form. If you don't know your ZIP+4, use the USPS ZIP locator.
When you leave a message with your House representative, state your name, your city, and that you support Representative Nadler's amendment to increase transit funding in the economic stimulus bill. You might also mention your opposition to Arizona Rep Jeff Flake's amendment to strike all Amtrak funding. A backlog of over $5 billion in "shovel ready" transit projects have been identified that can start in the next 120 days and that will provide 178,000 jobs.
The White House opposes the Nadler Amendment, so your call is very important. Please lookup and call your representative as soon as possible. For additional information on Nadler's amendment, read here [PDF] and here.
Additionally, the Senate continues work on their version of the economic stimulus bill. Click here to contact your Senator and urge them to pass a better bill that provides better accountability and plans for the future.
Andy Singer's "No Exit" comic reprinted here with his kind permission.
Thank you to everybody who called or emailed messages to Congressional representatives this week. Your support was noted and reportedly made all the difference!
Representative David Nadler's amendment to increase funding made it past the House Rules Committee on Tuesday afternoon and is ready to go to a floor vote TODAY.
The floor vote can happen early today, so call your Representative NOW using this web contact form. If you don't know your ZIP+4, use the USPS ZIP locator.
When you leave a message with your House representative, state your name, your city, and that you support Representative Nadler's amendment to increase transit funding in the economic stimulus bill. You might also mention your opposition to Arizona Rep Jeff Flake's amendment to strike all Amtrak funding. A backlog of over $5 billion in "shovel ready" transit projects have been identified that can start in the next 120 days and that will provide 178,000 jobs.
The White House opposes the Nadler Amendment, so your call is very important. Please lookup and call your representative as soon as possible. For additional information on Nadler's amendment, read here [PDF] and here.
Additionally, the Senate continues work on their version of the economic stimulus bill. Click here to contact your Senator and urge them to pass a better bill that provides better accountability and plans for the future.
Andy Singer's "No Exit" comic reprinted here with his kind permission.
San Jose Cycling Classic
The city of San Jose is working to create a number of cycling events in the middle of February during the Amgen Tour of California. Key this year will be the inaugural San Jose Cycling Classic which they scheduled for Saturday February 14, which is the same day the Amgen Tour of California kicks off with a prologue race in Sacramento. Grrrr...
Join San Jose Mayor Jon Reed at 12:30 PM on Wednesday (today) as he talks about San Jose's part in the Amgen Tour of California, the inaugural San Jose Cycling Classic, and new San Jose cycling initiatives to promote San Jose Green Vision green mobility, which will hopefully improve integration of cycling into the transportation network.
Joining Mayor Reed will be Phil Yost, Vice President of Strategic Communications, Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Paul Krutko, San Jose Chief Development Officer; Jay Chun, Senior Director Mattson Technology; Sustainability Engineer Ted Huang of WEBCOR; and SunPower Community Relations Director Bobby Ram.
Stage 3 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will begin in San Jose, California on February 17, and city leaders hope to have a full week of cycling events in San Jose that revolve around the Tour of California.
Join San Jose Mayor Jon Reed at 12:30 PM on Wednesday (today) as he talks about San Jose's part in the Amgen Tour of California, the inaugural San Jose Cycling Classic, and new San Jose cycling initiatives to promote San Jose Green Vision green mobility, which will hopefully improve integration of cycling into the transportation network.
Joining Mayor Reed will be Phil Yost, Vice President of Strategic Communications, Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Paul Krutko, San Jose Chief Development Officer; Jay Chun, Senior Director Mattson Technology; Sustainability Engineer Ted Huang of WEBCOR; and SunPower Community Relations Director Bobby Ram.
Stage 3 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will begin in San Jose, California on February 17, and city leaders hope to have a full week of cycling events in San Jose that revolve around the Tour of California.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tweed run
A critical mass of well dressed cyclists
What happens when you gather 150 gentlemen on bicycle at Savile Row? You get the first ever Tweed Run as the cyclists dressed in merino, tweed, flat caps and ties.
Prizes included most dashing dame, most dapper chap and best mustache. All photos Some Rights Reserved by Matt S in London.
With apologies to MarkJ for more of this bicycle frivolity.
What happens when you gather 150 gentlemen on bicycle at Savile Row? You get the first ever Tweed Run as the cyclists dressed in merino, tweed, flat caps and ties.
Prizes included most dashing dame, most dapper chap and best mustache. All photos Some Rights Reserved by Matt S in London.
With apologies to MarkJ for more of this bicycle frivolity.
Tuesday Bicycle News
SRAM's recent $400,000 gift to the League of American Bicyclists and the Thunderhead Alliance brings SRAM's total cycling advocacy contributions to $1,000,000.
Price of rubber ingredient drops 90%, tire prices expected to go down.
An evening with Tom Ritchey.
Lance Armstrong on Barack Obama. Armstrong placed 29th in the Tour Down Under in Australia, where Aussie favorite sons Allan Davis and Stuart O'Grady podiumed with Spaniard Jose Rojas. Next stop for Armstrong: The Amgen Tour of California.
San Francisco Parks Bike Tours. Via.
Mountain Monk bike in a bag. Missing: pedals and a seat.
Wackos, crazies, and other extremists: Frosty cyclists in Columbus, Ohio. Via.
Junk pedalers and cargo bikes.
A $10,000 bicycle safety camp?
MAKE blog on Velib.
Bad idea: Bikers revenge.
Use a plastic peanut butter jar to craft a saddlebag.
Looks like a scam to me.
Freaky Skeleton Bicycle. Haven't I seen this before?
Recalls:
Price of rubber ingredient drops 90%, tire prices expected to go down.
An evening with Tom Ritchey.
Lance Armstrong on Barack Obama. Armstrong placed 29th in the Tour Down Under in Australia, where Aussie favorite sons Allan Davis and Stuart O'Grady podiumed with Spaniard Jose Rojas. Next stop for Armstrong: The Amgen Tour of California.
San Francisco Parks Bike Tours. Via.
Mountain Monk bike in a bag. Missing: pedals and a seat.
Wackos, crazies, and other extremists: Frosty cyclists in Columbus, Ohio. Via.
Junk pedalers and cargo bikes.
A $10,000 bicycle safety camp?
MAKE blog on Velib.
Bad idea: Bikers revenge.
Use a plastic peanut butter jar to craft a saddlebag.
Looks like a scam to me.
Freaky Skeleton Bicycle. Haven't I seen this before?
Recalls:
- Merida folding bicycles
- Saris CycleOps Pro Series Trainer.
- Potential recall of 100,000 eBikes in Europe because of power cable confusion?
Bike Glow lights product launch in Santa Cruz Tuesday night
Santa Cruz cyclists Chris Cobb, Ken Nowak, and Evrett Kramer came together to create Bike Glow Lights to enhance cyclist night visibility. They invite bike riders to the Steamer Lane Lighthouse on West Cliff Drive TONIGHT at 6 PM for their product launch, where they'll mount lights to your bike and shoot a promotional video.
The Bike Glow Light is a ten foot rope of light that you can wrap around your frame or handlebars.
The founders say the three cyclist fatalities in Santa Cruz last year prompted them to create this product, although all three fatalities were in daylight and visibility was not a factor in any of them.
I'll have a review unit soon and let you know how it stacks up against other "bike glow" products like the Down Low Glow, Hokey Spokes and Monkey Electric spoke lights. At $25, the Bike Glow light is by far the least expensive of these products.
More:
The Bike Glow Light is a ten foot rope of light that you can wrap around your frame or handlebars.
The founders say the three cyclist fatalities in Santa Cruz last year prompted them to create this product, although all three fatalities were in daylight and visibility was not a factor in any of them.
I'll have a review unit soon and let you know how it stacks up against other "bike glow" products like the Down Low Glow, Hokey Spokes and Monkey Electric spoke lights. At $25, the Bike Glow light is by far the least expensive of these products.
More:
- Bike Glow website. Purchase online or from select Santa Cruz bike shops.
- Santa Cruz Streets Smart blog: New bicycle light aims to set night riders aglow
Monday, January 26, 2009
Celebrities on bikes: Miley Cyrus, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Emile Hirsch
Although Miley Cyrus is now 16 and has her drivers license, it's good to see she still likes to ride her bicycle around.
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt ride full suspension Santa Cruz mountain bikes on the paved roads near their home in Los Angeles, California.
Emile Hirsch was spotted teaching his girlfriend, Brianna Domont, how to ride a folding bicycle.
For more photos of these celebrities on bikes, see:
See also more celebrities on bikes.
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt ride full suspension Santa Cruz mountain bikes on the paved roads near their home in Los Angeles, California.
Emile Hirsch was spotted teaching his girlfriend, Brianna Domont, how to ride a folding bicycle.
For more photos of these celebrities on bikes, see:
See also more celebrities on bikes.
Leather hairnet helmet
Rick Graves owns Clutch Couriers messenger service in Santa Cruz. I ran into Rick Friday night in Santa Cruz sporting a leather hairnet helmet.
He's as aware as you and I that these old style leather hairnets offer little to no protection, but I think they look pretty cool.
Racing cyclists began using padded leather strips to protect their noggins around the turn of the century (the last century, not this one!). With the advent of standards, helmets now provide some impact protection.
Leather hairnets show up every now and again on eBay and Craigslist, generally for somewhere around $100, or you can get a replica for about twenty bucks from La Bicicletta. I'll repeat the CYA warning from La Bicletta's website that the leather hairnet "is not safety certified and as such should not be used while riding your bicycle. La Bicicletta cannot be held liable for any injury related to the misuse of this product."
He's as aware as you and I that these old style leather hairnets offer little to no protection, but I think they look pretty cool.
Racing cyclists began using padded leather strips to protect their noggins around the turn of the century (the last century, not this one!). With the advent of standards, helmets now provide some impact protection.
Leather hairnets show up every now and again on eBay and Craigslist, generally for somewhere around $100, or you can get a replica for about twenty bucks from La Bicicletta. I'll repeat the CYA warning from La Bicletta's website that the leather hairnet "is not safety certified and as such should not be used while riding your bicycle. La Bicicletta cannot be held liable for any injury related to the misuse of this product."
Map shows transit cuts
The hardworking people at Transportation For America created this map illustrating service cuts, fare increases, and transit worker layoffs that have been proposed or have recently occurred in public transportation systems throughout the United States. Click on the balloons and dollars signs for details.
View Larger Map
How you can help. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is prepared to introduce an amendment to the economic recovery package to provide $2 billion in operating assistance funds for public transportation agencies. Consideration of this amendment must first pass the House Rules Committee, which will determine this Tuesday by 3:30 p.m. which amendments to include with the House recovery package.
Update Monday evening: According to the Transportation for America Coalition, DeFazio's amendment has already been denied on parliamentary grounds. Everybody who attended staff meetings on Capitol Hill today "was aware of the transit amendments because of all of our calls and outreach," but to no avail. There is another chance: Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) is working to add $3 billion additional funding to the transit portion of the economic stimulus bill. This amendment would be added to the Manager's Amendment working its way through the House Appropriations Committee.
If public transportation is important to you, please call the office of Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the Chair of the House Rules Committee, through a quick phone call before Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Transportation For America provides the details you need here.
Read more details at Transporation For America and please help get the word out by posting this information to your own blog or other social media site, email list, word of mouth and to your friends.
View Larger Map
How you can help. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is prepared to introduce an amendment to the economic recovery package to provide $2 billion in operating assistance funds for public transportation agencies. Consideration of this amendment must first pass the House Rules Committee, which will determine this Tuesday by 3:30 p.m. which amendments to include with the House recovery package.
Update Monday evening: According to the Transportation for America Coalition, DeFazio's amendment has already been denied on parliamentary grounds. Everybody who attended staff meetings on Capitol Hill today "was aware of the transit amendments because of all of our calls and outreach," but to no avail. There is another chance: Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) is working to add $3 billion additional funding to the transit portion of the economic stimulus bill. This amendment would be added to the Manager's Amendment working its way through the House Appropriations Committee.
Read more details at Transporation For America and please help get the word out by posting this information to your own blog or other social media site, email list, word of mouth and to your friends.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
California Highway 17 fatal wreck
Traffic was backed up all night through the Santa Cruz Mountains past my home along Highway 17. Even if you don't know the codes it's not too hard to figure out from the context. "TC" is "Traffic Collision"; "1125" is traffic hazard (i.e. crashed vehicles are still in the roadway); "1141" is ambulance requested; "1144" is fatality.
Maybe it's time to re-read The Flying King fairy tale.
6:25PM HIGH SPEED TC
6:26PM 1 VEH SUV & 2ND SD
6:26PM UNK IF 1125 OR NOT
6:26PM 1039 NETCOMM FOR FIRE/1141
6:26PM POSS 6 VEH S INV
6:27PM POSS 1 VEH SMOKING
6:32PM DEBRIS ALL OVER THE ROADWAY
6:35PM POSS 1144
6:37PM 17B 3 CRIT INJ//1 SUBJ 1144,NOT BREATHING,UNRESP
6:37PM REQ CORONER,1141
Maybe it's time to re-read The Flying King fairy tale.
Economic stimulus and transit funding
The process is moving quickly, so please act quickly!
An early draft of the economic stimulus bill made provision for funding transit operations in addition to spending on construction projects for a total of $20 billion for transit. In the horse trading that always occurs during the legislative process, the operations grant funding was eliminated altogether along with another $8 billion in transit construction (while highway spending wasn't decreased at all).
Transit systems nationwide struggle to finance their operations in spite of surging ridership. In the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas:
What good is an economic stimulus of workers can't get to their jobs, or can't afford the transportation to get there? John Kaehny writes this at Streetsblog:
Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) plans to offer an amendment to return the $2 billion for operating assistance to the economic stimulus bill, on top of the $10 billion already in the bill for transit capital projects. DeFazio needs the support of the House Rules Committee to ensure that the amendment is in order. The House Rules Committee meets Tuesday at 3:30 PM to discuss this amendment.
The Democratic Party House Rules Committee members are Chairwoman Louise M. Slaughter (NY), Alcee Hastings (FL), Doris Matsui (CA), Dennis Cardoza (CA), Peter Welch (VT), Kathy Castor (FL), Michael Arcuri (NY), and Betty Sutton (OH). The GOP members of the Rules Committee are David Dreier (CA), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), Doc Hastings (WA), and Pete Sessions (TX).
To learn what you can do, please visit Transportation for American Transit cutbacks information page for details and who to call.
Elsewhere:
An early draft of the economic stimulus bill made provision for funding transit operations in addition to spending on construction projects for a total of $20 billion for transit. In the horse trading that always occurs during the legislative process, the operations grant funding was eliminated altogether along with another $8 billion in transit construction (while highway spending wasn't decreased at all).
Transit systems nationwide struggle to finance their operations in spite of surging ridership. In the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas:
- San Benito County Express in Hollister and San Juan Bautista raised fares 33% earlier this year and will reduce service 35% effective on February 1, with some routes eliminated entirely.
- Monterey-Salinas Transit hiked fares 25% this month, though they were able to avoid service cuts.
- BART projects an $80 million budget deficit over the next 18 months. The BART board is contemplating fare increases, charging more for parking, and eliminating planned extensions in Fremont and east Contra Costa County.
- San Francisco Muni projects a $90 million budget shortfall over the next 18 months. SF MTA will discuss this at a special meeting on January 27.
- SamTrans in San Mateo County (the Peninsula) will hike fares 17% in February.
- Caltrain increased fares on January 1. Caltrain is the commuter rail service between San Francisco, San Jose, and Gilroy.
What good is an economic stimulus of workers can't get to their jobs, or can't afford the transportation to get there? John Kaehny writes this at Streetsblog:Congress is fiddling with a 1950s-era stimulus package while America's transit systems burn. You name the city, and its transit system is falling off a financial cliff.
So despite big increases in transit ridership, many transit providers are cutting service and even laying off drivers. Yet not one cent from the $825 billion stimulus package would protect America's bus and subway riders from massive service cuts and fare hikes.
The stimulus package is political cognitive dissonance on an epic scale. The proposed stimulus plan not only shortchanges public transit overall, it provides zero aid for day-to-day operations.
Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) plans to offer an amendment to return the $2 billion for operating assistance to the economic stimulus bill, on top of the $10 billion already in the bill for transit capital projects. DeFazio needs the support of the House Rules Committee to ensure that the amendment is in order. The House Rules Committee meets Tuesday at 3:30 PM to discuss this amendment.
The Democratic Party House Rules Committee members are Chairwoman Louise M. Slaughter (NY), Alcee Hastings (FL), Doris Matsui (CA), Dennis Cardoza (CA), Peter Welch (VT), Kathy Castor (FL), Michael Arcuri (NY), and Betty Sutton (OH). The GOP members of the Rules Committee are David Dreier (CA), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL), Doc Hastings (WA), and Pete Sessions (TX).
To learn what you can do, please visit Transportation for American Transit cutbacks information page for details and who to call.
Elsewhere:
- Watch for a map showing transit service cuts and fare increases at Transport for America this week.
- Minneapolis Star Tribune: Stimulus plan needs transit fixes.
- Chris Bowers: Senator Charles Schumer unhappy with public transit funding in the current stimulus bill.
- Rail took back seat to tax cuts.
- Talking Points Memo: Transit got the shaft.
- NY TImes: China spends tens of billions on intercity rail.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Santa Cruz bike bridge
About one hundred people showed up on a rainy Friday afternoon for the dedication of a new bike/pedestrian bridge that crosses the San Lorenzo River adjacent to Highway 1 in Santa Cruz, California.
Highway 1 becomes of limited access highway with no pedestrian or bicycling allowed just east (nominally north) of River Street. This new bridge provides an important connection allowing walkers and cyclists access across the San Lorenzo River without traveling down to Water Street. This is a bridge I'll certainly use, giving me quick and easy access to downtown Santa Cruz, the beach and the Boardwalk that allows me to avoid Ocean Street traffic.
The bridge is located where the San Lorenzo River Path ends just short of Highway 1. The plan is for this path to eventually extend underneath Highway 1 and connect to River Street / Highway 9 past The Tannery area.
Elsewhere in Santa Cruz, the city plans to raze Bicycle Trip Bike Park to make way for more beach parking. This popular BMX park located across from the Santa Cruz Wharf was always planned to be a temporary facility.
BMX riders and fans of the park would like a permanent home at Depot Park in Santa Cruz, but they need your support by showing up at these important meetings:
The bridge is located where the San Lorenzo River Path ends just short of Highway 1. The plan is for this path to eventually extend underneath Highway 1 and connect to River Street / Highway 9 past The Tannery area.
Elsewhere in Santa Cruz, the city plans to raze Bicycle Trip Bike Park to make way for more beach parking. This popular BMX park located across from the Santa Cruz Wharf was always planned to be a temporary facility.
BMX riders and fans of the park would like a permanent home at Depot Park in Santa Cruz, but they need your support by showing up at these important meetings:
- "Friends of the Bicycle Park" meeting, Wednesday January 28, 6 PM at the Civic Center.
- Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Monday February 2, 4 PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
- City Council meeting, Tuesday, February 24, 7 PM in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
Bike advocacy during times of declining budgets
Mark Stosberg lists some good, inexpensive ideas that have worked for him in Richmond, Indiana.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Velocouture blog
Patrick started the popular Velocouture group -- a collection of cyclists with their stylish clothing -- on Flickr a while back. To "make 2009 the year of VĆ©locouture," he started the Velocouture blog (style that moves you) to discuss riding bikes with your clothes on and highlighting some of the more interesting photos posted to the group.
My contributions to Velocouture include this one of Emily in Menlo Park with her pink cruiser bike.
Try it, you'll like it: Velocouture Blog
My contributions to Velocouture include this one of Emily in Menlo Park with her pink cruiser bike.
Try it, you'll like it: Velocouture Blog
Another Twitter cyclist giveaway
But it's not me, it's UltraRob. He'll pick a winner at random for everybody who enters the contest by 8 PM U.S. Mountain Time tonight.
Peak chicken?
What I Saw At the Inauguration:
Gwadzilla in Washington DC has lots of bike and rickshaw photos from the inauguration:
Peak chicken?
What I Saw At the Inauguration:
The traffic was so bad, and so chaotically handled, that everyone had a story. Mine: Stuck for more than an hour near the Mall one night and late for an appointment, I jumped out of a car and hailed an open-air bicycle with a backseat. The driver threw a blanket on me and began to pump the peddles. "What is this called?" I shouted as we raced around limos and town cars. I expected some politically correct name like Energy Saving Mobile Apparatus. He looked back at me quizzically. "A rickshaw!" We got there on time, 15 blocks in four minutes, and like a happy capitalist, the driver, gauging the moment, the need and the competition, opened bidding at $25. I was grateful to pay.
Gwadzilla in Washington DC has lots of bike and rickshaw photos from the inauguration:
- WABA bike valet. In spite of freezing conditions, an estimated 1.4% of inauguration attendees arrived by bicycle.
- These guys made some money.
- Bikes in DC.
- No other choices.
Bicycle Design winner
James and his team of celebrity judges have selected a winner for their bicycle design contest. Torkel Dohmer wins a Cannondale Bad Boy 700 bicycle for his efforts, which is a way better prize than the stickers and doodads I've been handing out!
The discussion on how the judges selected the winning entry is pretty fascinating, I think.
Have you seen this bicycle brake light?
Cabrillo College students will demonstrate their Energy Bike at the Swift Street Courtyard Bike Festival THIS SATURDAY in Santa Cruz, January 24th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The energy bike does a good job showing how much effort is required to power incandescent versus fluorescent light bulbs.
The all day Bicycle Festival features an organized family ride to Wilder Ranch, BBQ, bike contest, raffle and more.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
The discussion on how the judges selected the winning entry is pretty fascinating, I think.
Have you seen this bicycle brake light?
Cabrillo College students will demonstrate their Energy Bike at the Swift Street Courtyard Bike Festival THIS SATURDAY in Santa Cruz, January 24th from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The energy bike does a good job showing how much effort is required to power incandescent versus fluorescent light bulbs.
The all day Bicycle Festival features an organized family ride to Wilder Ranch, BBQ, bike contest, raffle and more.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
- 7:30 Stage Two Challenge Ride registration opens – pre-register at Active.com
8:30 Stage Two Challenge Ride
9:00 Bicycle Repair and Bicycle Safety Classes at Westend Studio Theater
10:30 Organized Family Ride to Wilder Ranch
12:00 Sausage Bar-B-Q in the tent between the Swift St Courtyard and the Bonny Doon building.
1:00 Bicycle Contest with prizes for Oldest Bike, Most Classic Bike, Goofiest Bike, Most Miles on the Odometer, Most Artistic Bike, Most Unusual Helmet
2:30 Raffle with amazing prizes
Rapha Continental tour of California
Rapha, the British manufacturer of especially stylish cycling clothing, sponsors a Continental team that runs promotional rides in the U.S. Last August I had the opportunity to ride with the Continentals on the Page Mill-Pescadero-Tunitas loop and to watch the epic film Road to Roubaix afterwards at Palo Alto Bicycles. (The "chatty woman" is me -- hard for those who know me, to believe, I'm sure.)
Now the Rapha team is pre-riding the stages of the Tour of California. Reports will be published in Bicycling magazine, but you can get an advance peek at Velodramatic along with some of Daniel Wakefield Pasley's always stunning photographs. Single straight women will want to visit the Rapha website frequently to study the cycling techniques demonstrated by the Continental team riders.
Now the Rapha team is pre-riding the stages of the Tour of California. Reports will be published in Bicycling magazine, but you can get an advance peek at Velodramatic along with some of Daniel Wakefield Pasley's always stunning photographs. Single straight women will want to visit the Rapha website frequently to study the cycling techniques demonstrated by the Continental team riders.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Does this look like me?
Carl in Longmont, Colorado says this looks like me.
This illustration is from the "winter" collection by artist Yuzuriha Satoshi in Tokyo, Japan. This illustration entitled "Koshu Kaido / Inume" shows a stop along the old "Koshu Highway."
Satoshi-san is probably a randonneur. Many of his prints illustrate what a long distance cyclist may see while riding.
In his cyclist gallery and his seen gallery, Satoshi follows the Haiku tradition of splitting his illustrations into seasons: Spring ę„, Summer å¤, Autumn ē§ and Winter å¬. Go take a look -- it's good stuff.
Chris @ Velo Orange just told me he posted about this also.
This illustration is from the "winter" collection by artist Yuzuriha Satoshi in Tokyo, Japan. This illustration entitled "Koshu Kaido / Inume" shows a stop along the old "Koshu Highway."
Satoshi-san is probably a randonneur. Many of his prints illustrate what a long distance cyclist may see while riding.
In his cyclist gallery and his seen gallery, Satoshi follows the Haiku tradition of splitting his illustrations into seasons: Spring ę„, Summer å¤, Autumn ē§ and Winter å¬. Go take a look -- it's good stuff.
Chris @ Velo Orange just told me he posted about this also.
2009 Amgen Tour of California final team list`
Rock Racing included in final list of 17 teams
LOS ANGELES, January 22, 2009 – Joining the previously announced eight ProTour teams, nine additional Pro Continental and Continental teams have been confirmed for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California by AEG, presenter of the professional cycling race. The nine-day stage race will feature 17 of the world’s top professional teams, including world-renowned riders Lance Armstrong, two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer, three-time World Champion Oscar Freire and 2008 Olympic gold medal winner and world champion Fabian Cancellara, racing more than 750-miles from the state’s capitol, Sacramento, to San Diego County.
The complete 2009 Amgen Tour of California roster will feature the following 17 professional cycling teams:
· Ag2r-La Mondiale (FRA)
· Astana (KAZ)
· Bissell Pro Cycling Team (USA)
· BMC Racing Team (USA)
· Cervelo Test Team (SUI)
· Colavita/Sutter Home Presented by Cooking Light (USA)
· Fly V Australia presented by Successful Living Foundation Team (AUS)
· Garmin-Chipotle (USA)
· Jelly Belly Cycling Team (USA)
· Liquigas (ITA)
· Ouch Presented by Maxxis (USA)
· Quick Step (BEL)
· Rabobank (Netherlands)
· Rock Racing (USA)
· Saxo Bank (DEN)
· Team Columbia (USA)
· Team Type 1 (USA)
"These 17 teams represent the strongest field we have had at the Amgen Tour of California. We are delighted to have some of the world’s best and most established teams and we welcome the new teams who will be racing with us for the first time,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “The level of competition and talent for the fourth-annual Amgen Tour of California rivals the top races in the world and demonstrates the importance of the United States to professional cycling.”
Along with the Pro Tour teams, the growing class of top domestic teams will be represented by return competitors Bissell Pro Cycling Team, BMC Racing Team, Colavita/Sutter Home Presented by Cooking Light, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis (formerly Team Health Net) and Rock Racing, and new competitors Cervelo Test Team, Fly V Australia presented by Successful Living Foundation Team and Team Type 1.
"The BMC Racing Team for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will possibly be the strongest roster that we've fielded in any race since the inception of the program,” said Gavin Chilcott, manager of the BMC Racing Team, which is based in Northern California. “New talent has joined the team, and our two-week training camp in Northern California will be ideal preparation for the race. We've investigated some of the courses, and overall I am very pleased with the prospects for our group this year."
Several of the 17 professional cycling teams will hold their pre-season training camps in California, which will give residents across the state an opportunity to watch these elite athletes prepare for one of the top professional cycling races in the United States.
For more information about the teams competing in the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, please visit AmgenTourOfCalifornia.com.
LOS ANGELES, January 22, 2009 – Joining the previously announced eight ProTour teams, nine additional Pro Continental and Continental teams have been confirmed for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California by AEG, presenter of the professional cycling race. The nine-day stage race will feature 17 of the world’s top professional teams, including world-renowned riders Lance Armstrong, two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer, three-time World Champion Oscar Freire and 2008 Olympic gold medal winner and world champion Fabian Cancellara, racing more than 750-miles from the state’s capitol, Sacramento, to San Diego County.
The complete 2009 Amgen Tour of California roster will feature the following 17 professional cycling teams:
· Ag2r-La Mondiale (FRA)
· Astana (KAZ)
· Bissell Pro Cycling Team (USA)
· BMC Racing Team (USA)
· Cervelo Test Team (SUI)
· Colavita/Sutter Home Presented by Cooking Light (USA)
· Fly V Australia presented by Successful Living Foundation Team (AUS)
· Garmin-Chipotle (USA)
· Jelly Belly Cycling Team (USA)
· Liquigas (ITA)
· Ouch Presented by Maxxis (USA)
· Quick Step (BEL)
· Rabobank (Netherlands)
· Rock Racing (USA)
· Saxo Bank (DEN)
· Team Columbia (USA)
· Team Type 1 (USA)
"These 17 teams represent the strongest field we have had at the Amgen Tour of California. We are delighted to have some of the world’s best and most established teams and we welcome the new teams who will be racing with us for the first time,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports. “The level of competition and talent for the fourth-annual Amgen Tour of California rivals the top races in the world and demonstrates the importance of the United States to professional cycling.”
Along with the Pro Tour teams, the growing class of top domestic teams will be represented by return competitors Bissell Pro Cycling Team, BMC Racing Team, Colavita/Sutter Home Presented by Cooking Light, Jelly Belly Cycling Team, OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis (formerly Team Health Net) and Rock Racing, and new competitors Cervelo Test Team, Fly V Australia presented by Successful Living Foundation Team and Team Type 1.
"The BMC Racing Team for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will possibly be the strongest roster that we've fielded in any race since the inception of the program,” said Gavin Chilcott, manager of the BMC Racing Team, which is based in Northern California. “New talent has joined the team, and our two-week training camp in Northern California will be ideal preparation for the race. We've investigated some of the courses, and overall I am very pleased with the prospects for our group this year."
Several of the 17 professional cycling teams will hold their pre-season training camps in California, which will give residents across the state an opportunity to watch these elite athletes prepare for one of the top professional cycling races in the United States.
For more information about the teams competing in the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, please visit AmgenTourOfCalifornia.com.
What is the carbon footprint of an Internet search?
What is the carbon cost of running a search on Google or any other search engine?
In 2007, Rolf Kersten of Sun Microsystems published that an Internet search generates seven grams of CO2. When the Sunday Times re-published this figure, Google published their own calculations of 0.2 grams of CO2 generated for each search.
The Numbers Guy at the Wall Street Journal believes the truth is out there, and there seems to be some consensus that the 0.2 gram figure is probably the more accurate one. I know some of the hardware designers at Google (Google designs their own servers these days) and they were hired partly for their expertise in designing high performance but low power "green" servers, so the 2007 figure is certainly outdated.
Searching via the Internet is certainly more efficient than driving to the library and using Inter Library Loan to have books and journals shipped around the country so we can do our research. But because Internet searches are so efficient and easy, we do so much more of them these days.
In the same vein, Internet publishing is as easy as the push of a virtual button on a computer screen. I tried my hand at paper publishing in my college days and shortly beyond, but there's certainly no way I'd generate as much content as I do now with a blog. How much carbon do I generate each time I push a post that is read by a few hundred people? The individual impact is tiny -- probably on the order of a gram of CO2 -- but I do it over and over and over and over again. I have somewhere around 3,000 posts on Cyclelicious now, and most of those posts link out to other websites, and each of those posts lives on to generate traffic and search engine results and are also stored at search engine cache farms.
This is the crux of Jevon's Paradox -- making resource use more efficient means we consume that much more quickly, because it's much more available. Jevon's Paradox also suggests efforts to improve fuel economy just doom the planet that much more quickly. The widespread availability of a 50 MPG Prius, for example, enables that many more people to live out in the boonies and buy more gasoline. The individual impact may be less, but the aggregate impact becomes multiplied.
A high technology society is a high energy society. What do you think? Can we afford to continue a high technology lifestyle?
In 2007, Rolf Kersten of Sun Microsystems published that an Internet search generates seven grams of CO2. When the Sunday Times re-published this figure, Google published their own calculations of 0.2 grams of CO2 generated for each search.
The Numbers Guy at the Wall Street Journal believes the truth is out there, and there seems to be some consensus that the 0.2 gram figure is probably the more accurate one. I know some of the hardware designers at Google (Google designs their own servers these days) and they were hired partly for their expertise in designing high performance but low power "green" servers, so the 2007 figure is certainly outdated.
Searching via the Internet is certainly more efficient than driving to the library and using Inter Library Loan to have books and journals shipped around the country so we can do our research. But because Internet searches are so efficient and easy, we do so much more of them these days.
In the same vein, Internet publishing is as easy as the push of a virtual button on a computer screen. I tried my hand at paper publishing in my college days and shortly beyond, but there's certainly no way I'd generate as much content as I do now with a blog. How much carbon do I generate each time I push a post that is read by a few hundred people? The individual impact is tiny -- probably on the order of a gram of CO2 -- but I do it over and over and over and over again. I have somewhere around 3,000 posts on Cyclelicious now, and most of those posts link out to other websites, and each of those posts lives on to generate traffic and search engine results and are also stored at search engine cache farms.
This is the crux of Jevon's Paradox -- making resource use more efficient means we consume that much more quickly, because it's much more available. Jevon's Paradox also suggests efforts to improve fuel economy just doom the planet that much more quickly. The widespread availability of a 50 MPG Prius, for example, enables that many more people to live out in the boonies and buy more gasoline. The individual impact may be less, but the aggregate impact becomes multiplied.
A high technology society is a high energy society. What do you think? Can we afford to continue a high technology lifestyle?
Giant Bicycles to set up bike share in Taiwan
The Taipei city government said Wednesday that it has invited Giant Manufacturing to set up bicycle rental outlets in the city's upmarket business district.Read more.
According to officials at the city government's Department of Transportation, Giant will be allowed to set up 11 rental points within the district in March to offer a total of 500 bicycles for people to get around in the area or to connect with bus services.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tour Down Under 2009 coverage
I meant to do this earlier and it totally skipped my mind! Visit Steephill.TV for Steve's excellent collection of links to news, commentary, video and audio from the Tour Down Under in Australia.
The race is almost over with just a couple of stages to go. As of the end of Stage 3, Lance Armstrong places in the middle of the pack at 39th in the GC. Australians Allan Davis (Quick Step) Graeme Brown of Rabobank and Stuart O'Grady of Saxo Bank lead.
As expected, Lance Armstrong's presence has generated a huge amount of media coverage in Australia. The photographers I've talked with all expect a madhouse during the Tour of California with huge crowds at all of the stage starts and finishes next month.
The race is almost over with just a couple of stages to go. As of the end of Stage 3, Lance Armstrong places in the middle of the pack at 39th in the GC. Australians Allan Davis (Quick Step) Graeme Brown of Rabobank and Stuart O'Grady of Saxo Bank lead.
As expected, Lance Armstrong's presence has generated a huge amount of media coverage in Australia. The photographers I've talked with all expect a madhouse during the Tour of California with huge crowds at all of the stage starts and finishes next month.
Santa Cruz bike bridge to open this Friday
On Friday, January 23rd, at 4PM, there will be a ribbon-cutting and opening ceremony for the new bicycle/pedestrian bridge across the San Lorenzo River near Highway 1. The bridge serves as a connection to the two north ends of the river path next to Highway 1 and will create many excellent options for using the river levee system.
This photo I took last week has had nearly 700 views on Flickr in just five days. Say hello to Anna and her newly built fixed gear bicycle. Can we push it over a thousand in the next day?
Watch for a giveaway coming soon: A chance to meet mountain bike LEGENDS Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly down in San Diego!
Meet Tom Ritchey at Palo Alto Bicycles Friday night. Ritchey will speak on January 22 about his past, the present regarding his products and the industry and where he sees the industry going in the future, as well as his philanthropic ventures including NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League and Project Rwanda. Space is limited so RSVP here. Props to Chris for the heads up to me on this.
& cetera...
The lil' hipster singlespeed bike with " brightly-colored hand grips, top-tube pad with clashing color scheme, five-blade aero spoke wheels, single hand brake" seen at a University of Manitoba Bike Rack.
Environmentally Neutral Design?
Bike Jobs
Environmental outreach and education specialist in Boulder City, Nevada.
Inside sales for a sock company in Westminster, Colorado.
San Francisco, California is once again hiring for a "mosquito abatement courier." Check it out -- you get paid to ride your bike all day around San Francisco:
This photo I took last week has had nearly 700 views on Flickr in just five days. Say hello to Anna and her newly built fixed gear bicycle. Can we push it over a thousand in the next day?
Watch for a giveaway coming soon: A chance to meet mountain bike LEGENDS Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly down in San Diego!
Meet Tom Ritchey at Palo Alto Bicycles Friday night. Ritchey will speak on January 22 about his past, the present regarding his products and the industry and where he sees the industry going in the future, as well as his philanthropic ventures including NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League and Project Rwanda. Space is limited so RSVP here. Props to Chris for the heads up to me on this.
& cetera...
The lil' hipster singlespeed bike with " brightly-colored hand grips, top-tube pad with clashing color scheme, five-blade aero spoke wheels, single hand brake" seen at a University of Manitoba Bike Rack.
Environmentally Neutral Design?
Bike Jobs
Environmental outreach and education specialist in Boulder City, Nevada.
Inside sales for a sock company in Westminster, Colorado.
San Francisco, California is once again hiring for a "mosquito abatement courier." Check it out -- you get paid to ride your bike all day around San Francisco:
Pestec IPM providers, an Environmentally Sensitive pest management firm is recruiting new team members for our Mosquito Abatement Courier (MAC) team.
Job Summary:
The MAC is responsible for thoroughly inspecting a portion of the City by bicycle for standing water and making reduced-risk larvicide treatments. The MAC team member must exhibit and maintain a high level of efficiency, dependability, while working independently in this casual and cooperative environment. This position is seasonal and will end in the late fall.
Responsibilities:
• Prepare supplies and route for the day
• Ride 10-20 miles, eventually covering every corner of the City
• Inspect sources of mosquito breeding and treat for the prevention of mosquito emergence
• Report activities by GPS
Requirements:
• Must be able to ride carrying a 10 lb pack
• Must be able to bend down 250-350 times
• Must have a bicycle in good working order & keep maintained prior to work hrs.
• Must be punctual and reliable. Work is 5 days/week
• Must be a resident of San Francisco
• A background check will be carried out prior to starting
• Must be drug free and healthy
Note:
• Bicycle MUST have gears, no single speed or fixed gear bikes
• Rack and panniers are highly recommended
• Basic bicycle repair knowledge is a must
• Ability to perform repetitive actions on a daily basis (i.e. bending over
hundreds of times a day)
*This position is full time and we prefer those that can commit to returning the next year for the entire season (if they love it, as most do).
*Approximately 1/3 of our MAC team transitioned to year round roles last year and we are hoping for the same trend. These roles have varied from administrative, to dog handling, to our very first IPM practitioner operating from a bike.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Odd, rare and random
Which is why it makes the news!
Boulder, Colorado -- A woman was riding her bicycle along the South Boulder Creek Trail on Monday when she encountered the cow and stopped to let the animal cross. Instead, the cow knocked the woman over and stepped on her legs.More here. No word on if the cyclist was wearing a helmet or not, which is weird given that research shows leg injuries are reduced as much as 72% when you wear a helmet. Watch out for those deadly cows, cyclists!
Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance vice president Jason Vogel called the incident "odd, rare and random."
California cycling photography enthusiasts, take note
From VeloNews:
Last year at the Amgen Tour of California, I was a course marshall at the intersection of Piedmont and Sierra, where I was tremendously outnumbered by an unruly crowd. I had to ask the same few spectators over and over again to please step off the road, and I felt sick to my stomach when a small child threw a toy out into the street just before the racers arrived.
I love cycling photography too, but please consider if you will be watching the Amgen Tour that unwise spectator behavior can injure racers, can injure fans, and can change the course of the race. Please, please follow the instructions of course marshalls! We are fans too.
It was a manic finish that saw fourth-placed Robbie McEwen’s right arm slashed by a spectator’s camera . . . . McEwen indicated he will start Wednesday’s second stage; however, Katusha team physiotherapist Victor Popov said that due to the trauma suffered, it’s uncertain how hard he’ll be able to grip the handlebars.
Last year at the Amgen Tour of California, I was a course marshall at the intersection of Piedmont and Sierra, where I was tremendously outnumbered by an unruly crowd. I had to ask the same few spectators over and over again to please step off the road, and I felt sick to my stomach when a small child threw a toy out into the street just before the racers arrived.
I love cycling photography too, but please consider if you will be watching the Amgen Tour that unwise spectator behavior can injure racers, can injure fans, and can change the course of the race. Please, please follow the instructions of course marshalls! We are fans too.
Mr Monk... solves a bike theft!
MasiGuy was excited about the appearance of a Masi Soulville on Monk this last week.
In "Mr. Monk On Wheels," art imitates real life when San Francisco police not only ignore the theft of a bicycle, the police officers mock Natalie Teager for reporting the theft by saying they'll have their "bike squad" right on the case by fanning out to look for the missing bike. Natalie feels bad because she unknowingly helped the thief, so she talks Mr. Monk into solving the crime.
Watch free streaming video of this episode, or pay to download for later viewing
.
In "Mr. Monk On Wheels," art imitates real life when San Francisco police not only ignore the theft of a bicycle, the police officers mock Natalie Teager for reporting the theft by saying they'll have their "bike squad" right on the case by fanning out to look for the missing bike. Natalie feels bad because she unknowingly helped the thief, so she talks Mr. Monk into solving the crime.Watch free streaming video of this episode, or pay to download for later viewing
.
Crashing on fast downhills
I cycled up and down Mountain Charlie Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains Saturday afternoon. Mountain Charlie is a very narrow single lane road that is steep, curvy, and poorly maintained. It's a nice, lightly trafficked road that takes me to the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Mountain Charlie Road is a little more challenging than your normal hill climb road -- the pavement is poorly maintained and the curves are unusually sharp, meaning you really need to watch your speed. If you lose control on some corners, there's no rail or wall to stop you. I don't recommend Mountain Charlie unless you know the road and you know your bike. You need good brakes, good tires, and good bike handling skills.
Like any hill climb, the real fun is the ride down. Saturday, though, I was thinking of Rachel Atherton. Immediately prior to my ride I was at the bike shop and heard about Rachel's head one collision with a pickup truck not far from where I live. She was flying downhill on Amesti Road in Corralitos, crossed the centerline coming around a curve and hit a truck, flying over the hood and into the windshield.
Later on, I learned of Liz Hatch's crash during a fast downhill in Napa County when she hit a patch of pine needles coming around a curve, lost control and went over a guard rail at nearly 30 mph.
A couple of years ago, local cyclist Bob Hebeler was riding down Empire Grade Road at about 40 mph in the Santa Cruz Mountains when he reportedly crossed the centerline going around a curve and hit a pickup truck going the other direction. Unlike Atherton, Hebeler passed away from massive head injuries from his collision.
I've known of a couple of other amateur cyclists who've perished after losing control and crashing on steep and fast downhill runs. I also have motorcycling friends who've taken risks biking on winding, curving roads, and lost control around those corners.
One of my more spectacular crashes was in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Coming down Trail Ridge Road I attempted a left turn onto Fall River Road to get to the Fall River park entrance. I had descended from 12,000 feet elevation to 9,000 feet in 15 miles and 20 minutes. I took that turn at probably 30 mph when I hit sand and slid through the intersection on my side.
Many of us take risks when cycling, but what about you on those hills? Are you a thrill seeker? Do you stay on your side of the road? Or have you lost control momentarily and either gone off the road or drifted into the oncoming lane?
Mountain Charlie Road is a little more challenging than your normal hill climb road -- the pavement is poorly maintained and the curves are unusually sharp, meaning you really need to watch your speed. If you lose control on some corners, there's no rail or wall to stop you. I don't recommend Mountain Charlie unless you know the road and you know your bike. You need good brakes, good tires, and good bike handling skills.
Like any hill climb, the real fun is the ride down. Saturday, though, I was thinking of Rachel Atherton. Immediately prior to my ride I was at the bike shop and heard about Rachel's head one collision with a pickup truck not far from where I live. She was flying downhill on Amesti Road in Corralitos, crossed the centerline coming around a curve and hit a truck, flying over the hood and into the windshield.
Later on, I learned of Liz Hatch's crash during a fast downhill in Napa County when she hit a patch of pine needles coming around a curve, lost control and went over a guard rail at nearly 30 mph.
A couple of years ago, local cyclist Bob Hebeler was riding down Empire Grade Road at about 40 mph in the Santa Cruz Mountains when he reportedly crossed the centerline going around a curve and hit a pickup truck going the other direction. Unlike Atherton, Hebeler passed away from massive head injuries from his collision.
I've known of a couple of other amateur cyclists who've perished after losing control and crashing on steep and fast downhill runs. I also have motorcycling friends who've taken risks biking on winding, curving roads, and lost control around those corners.
One of my more spectacular crashes was in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Coming down Trail Ridge Road I attempted a left turn onto Fall River Road to get to the Fall River park entrance. I had descended from 12,000 feet elevation to 9,000 feet in 15 miles and 20 minutes. I took that turn at probably 30 mph when I hit sand and slid through the intersection on my side.
Many of us take risks when cycling, but what about you on those hills? Are you a thrill seeker? Do you stay on your side of the road? Or have you lost control momentarily and either gone off the road or drifted into the oncoming lane?
Dream come true
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Monday, January 19, 2009
World downhill champion Rachel Atherton injured in Santa Cruz crash
VeloNews:
World downhill champion Rachel Atherton of Great Britain dislocated her shoulder after colliding with a car in Santa Cruz, California, on Sunday.
Let this occurrence be a reminder to anyone less skilled in bike-handling than the reigning world downhill champion to be careful out there!
I had a dream
Did you know you can plant wire clothes hangers and they grow up to become bicycles?
I had a pretty odd dream last night.
My wife and I traveled by river boat to a snow ski resort. A Caltrain conductors who's a jerk to bicyclists cameoed in my dream as the boat captain.
We arrived at the ski area, but the snow was melted (just like in real life in California). I slipped my skis on -- and I mean this literally because instead of ski boots and bindings, my skis had rubber boots like water skis do -- and sushed around on slush and wet grass for a while, but I soon tired of that and rode my bicycle on the ski runs as I dodged out of control snowboarders.
The boat carried loaner bikes that were folded into a storage closet. When I helped my wife with a loaner, I discovered these bikes were made completely with the wire clothes hangers you get from the dry cleaner. Frame, handlebars, wheels, cranks, even the chain were made with hanger wire, and they weren't folded so much as bent for storage. To ride the bike, you had to unbend the frame into shape. In my dream, when you lifted one of these wire bikes it weighed about has much as a hanger.
I expressed some concern about the safety of this flimsy bike, but Mrs Fritz rode around on it with no problems at all.
When I awoke, I didn't find any wire hanger bicycles on the Internet, but I did find:
I had a pretty odd dream last night.
My wife and I traveled by river boat to a snow ski resort. A Caltrain conductors who's a jerk to bicyclists cameoed in my dream as the boat captain.
We arrived at the ski area, but the snow was melted (just like in real life in California). I slipped my skis on -- and I mean this literally because instead of ski boots and bindings, my skis had rubber boots like water skis do -- and sushed around on slush and wet grass for a while, but I soon tired of that and rode my bicycle on the ski runs as I dodged out of control snowboarders.
The boat carried loaner bikes that were folded into a storage closet. When I helped my wife with a loaner, I discovered these bikes were made completely with the wire clothes hangers you get from the dry cleaner. Frame, handlebars, wheels, cranks, even the chain were made with hanger wire, and they weren't folded so much as bent for storage. To ride the bike, you had to unbend the frame into shape. In my dream, when you lifted one of these wire bikes it weighed about has much as a hanger.
I expressed some concern about the safety of this flimsy bike, but Mrs Fritz rode around on it with no problems at all.
When I awoke, I didn't find any wire hanger bicycles on the Internet, but I did find:
- This bicycle map holder constructed from clothes hangers.
- Clothes hangers constructed from bicycle wheels for only *ahem* $24.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
National Day of Service bicycle projects
The U.S. Congress proclaimed that Martin Luther King Junior Day should be a national Day of Service, and President Elect Barack Obama and General Colin Powell renew the call to service to make the Monday holiday "a day on" instead of a day off.Visit USA Service to find a service event near you. In my area are a number of projects to clean up beaches, rivers and trails. Elsewhere around the nation I see food drives, blood drives, recycling events, even a barn raising!
Bike service projects listed nationwide
In Esko, Minnesota there's a bicycle awareness program; Conway, Arkansas bike share organizers need help with repairs; AZ Bikes in Flagstaff, Arizona will offer free bike tune ups.
The Boise Bicycle Project in Idaho will fix up bikes for needy children; in Maryland, the Mount Rainier Bike Co-op plan a trail and shop cleanup day; the Community Cycling Project at the Tulsa [Oklahoma] Hub invites donations of new or used bikes, protective gear, office supplies, manpower and bike repair tools.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Cyclists to ride in budget protest
From the Mountain View Voice:
. . . local leaders are planning a community bike ride to protest any slashes that would affect children.
The ride will start at the El Camino YMCA on Grant Road on Sunday, May 3, and cover 27 miles through Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Los Altos — all in an effort to bring light to children's rights, including the need for health and educational initiatives.
Tragic loss of gasoline in White Plains, NY
Residents of White Plains, NY mourn the horrific loss of a precious resource in their city. Learn more in this news video.
Survivors Of Gas Station Explosion Mourn Tragic Loss Of Gasoline
Survivors Of Gas Station Explosion Mourn Tragic Loss Of Gasoline
Friday, January 16, 2009
Stimulus spending, transportation and bicycling
The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has been working on "The American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act" stimulus spending package. In spite of fears that the stimulus bill would contain no policy changes with regard to current federal transportation spending -- in which only 3% of federal transportation spending goes to transit -- the proposed $275 billion spending bill contains $30 billion for highways and $10 billion for public transit. Greater Greater Washington has a very good breakdown of where spending would go in the proposed bill.
Local to me in California, the city of San Jose and the Valley Transportation Authority has lobbied for stimulus funding to pay for several 'shovel ready' projects consisting mostly of backlogged road maintenance projects but including significant transit projects such as the Eastridge Light Rail extension and the BART extension to San Jose. I'm told that bike projects -- including some of the bike parking and access projects described in the Caltrain Bike Access report -- are also in San Jose's funding requests, though I don't have the numbers right now.
New highways often come at the expense of poorer families as their homes are condemned then razed to make way for new right of way. In a guest editorial, Angela Glover Blackwell opines that public transit in the recovery package builds a foundation for the new economy and lifts up low-income families.
At a much smaller and local level, Andy proposes his own stimulus plan. Barack Obama's proposed $1000 tax cut equates to about $60 per paycheck. He created Stimulus Bike as a resource for us to pledge to use this money towards bikes, which is a great way to improve the health of our economy, ourselves, our environment, and our wallets. Use your tax cut to buy, fix, repair or upgrade a bike.
Local to me in California, the city of San Jose and the Valley Transportation Authority has lobbied for stimulus funding to pay for several 'shovel ready' projects consisting mostly of backlogged road maintenance projects but including significant transit projects such as the Eastridge Light Rail extension and the BART extension to San Jose. I'm told that bike projects -- including some of the bike parking and access projects described in the Caltrain Bike Access report -- are also in San Jose's funding requests, though I don't have the numbers right now.
New highways often come at the expense of poorer families as their homes are condemned then razed to make way for new right of way. In a guest editorial, Angela Glover Blackwell opines that public transit in the recovery package builds a foundation for the new economy and lifts up low-income families.
At a much smaller and local level, Andy proposes his own stimulus plan. Barack Obama's proposed $1000 tax cut equates to about $60 per paycheck. He created Stimulus Bike as a resource for us to pledge to use this money towards bikes, which is a great way to improve the health of our economy, ourselves, our environment, and our wallets. Use your tax cut to buy, fix, repair or upgrade a bike.
Haiku is Cyclelicious link bait
I just linked to Bike Skirt yesterday, and then they have to go and post a haiku this morning. Remember, a good bike haiku is automatic link bait for Cyclelicious. Just ensure I can find the haiku by shooting an email to me or thumping me on the head.
I saw Anna's eye-catching pink and yellow bike last night in Palo Alto. It's so bright and happy!
What do you all think of this traveling bike lane? A laser is used to create a virtual, illuminated bike box behind the cyclist, perhaps giving the cyclist the confidence he needs to take the lane where necessary. It's just an idea and it appears it would only work in the dark.
Humorous letter to the editor in Modesto, California, where the 2009 Amgen Tour of California Stage 3 will finish. You know we cyclists have tons of political clout.
What a dramatic rescue on the Hudson River, eh?
For those of you with a three day weekend, have a good one!
I saw Anna's eye-catching pink and yellow bike last night in Palo Alto. It's so bright and happy!
What do you all think of this traveling bike lane? A laser is used to create a virtual, illuminated bike box behind the cyclist, perhaps giving the cyclist the confidence he needs to take the lane where necessary. It's just an idea and it appears it would only work in the dark.
Humorous letter to the editor in Modesto, California, where the 2009 Amgen Tour of California Stage 3 will finish. You know we cyclists have tons of political clout.
I find it amazing that the city of Modesto can find the money to pave Kansas Avenue for a bicycle race that's coming to town. I have traveled that street for more than 30 years and seen potholes as big as a Volkswagen. Nobody seemed to care. Maybe next year they will pick a new route and we can get another street fixed in Modesto.
What a dramatic rescue on the Hudson River, eh?
For those of you with a three day weekend, have a good one!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bike Skirt
A nice new blog is Bike Skirt by Anna and Elisa of Birmingham, Alabama. Here's Anna with her bike "'Geot" -- pronounced "Joe", because it's a Peugeot, get it?
Elisa started riding a bicycle to get fit, but before long she found she liked bicycling so much committed to making bicycling her primary form of transportation.
Anna just started commuting to work on her bike a month ago, says her primary goal is "to have really nice legs."
Oh, and get this: In Birmingham, the city's commute alternatives program pays bike commuters $2 for each day they commute to work by bike, with a $120 cap over a three month period. Is that cool or what?
Drop by for a visit and say 'hello' to these bicycling young women.
Thursday bicycle news
Tooting my own horn: I was the Good Samaritan. Do a good turn daily.
"Waiting" by Pieter Musterd, CC license.
30 speeds on a bike are confusing to the neophyte, so Taiwanese researchers created a computer optimized gear change notifier for derailleur equipped bicycles. The device tells the cyclist how to shift for their speed and conditions.
San Francisco MTA plans to remove bike lanes on Market Street at Octavia. This is the infamous intersection where cyclists are commonly right hooked, although right turns are illegal here. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will hold a rally at this intersection Friday morning from 7:30 AM to 10 AM to protest the planned bike lane removal.
Trick cyclist Ines Brun will appear in Palo Alto on April 4 as part of the Bus Cycle going away party.
Bicycle rentals in Sausalito, CA at Tour de Sausalito.
In Idaho, cyclists may legally treat stop signs as yield signs. Oregon considers a similar law.
I'm told that traffic is horrible in the Dominican Republic and cyclists are the few and the brave. Ciclo Ciudad [in Spanish] in Santo Domingo, D.R. is working to change that. They seek to encourage the use of cycling as transportation to make the cities cleaner and more livable. Props to Kathleen for this.
Seattle Spokespeople seek encourage casual cyclists to ride more. Here's a neat news article about them.
Jim Langley on wax chain lubes. (I've used White Lightning before, but it seems to build up and get "gunky" on the chain after a while. Maybe I use too much).
Early Bird Crits: Let's avoid the crashes and ambulance rides, okay?
Take care of your old bicycle.
Brent Thomson surgery update.
Gear Review 2009 LED Bike Light Shootout. Via.
Lug Love and Velo Vogue.
30 speeds on a bike are confusing to the neophyte, so Taiwanese researchers created a computer optimized gear change notifier for derailleur equipped bicycles. The device tells the cyclist how to shift for their speed and conditions.
San Francisco MTA plans to remove bike lanes on Market Street at Octavia. This is the infamous intersection where cyclists are commonly right hooked, although right turns are illegal here. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will hold a rally at this intersection Friday morning from 7:30 AM to 10 AM to protest the planned bike lane removal.
Trick cyclist Ines Brun will appear in Palo Alto on April 4 as part of the Bus Cycle going away party.
Bicycle rentals in Sausalito, CA at Tour de Sausalito.
In Idaho, cyclists may legally treat stop signs as yield signs. Oregon considers a similar law.
I'm told that traffic is horrible in the Dominican Republic and cyclists are the few and the brave. Ciclo Ciudad [in Spanish] in Santo Domingo, D.R. is working to change that. They seek to encourage the use of cycling as transportation to make the cities cleaner and more livable. Props to Kathleen for this.
Seattle Spokespeople seek encourage casual cyclists to ride more. Here's a neat news article about them.
Jim Langley on wax chain lubes. (I've used White Lightning before, but it seems to build up and get "gunky" on the chain after a while. Maybe I use too much).
Early Bird Crits: Let's avoid the crashes and ambulance rides, okay?
Take care of your old bicycle.
Brent Thomson surgery update.
Gear Review 2009 LED Bike Light Shootout. Via.
Lug Love and Velo Vogue.
We have a winner!
Keenan Parker of Clearwater, FL is the winner of The Bike To Work Guide by Roni Sarig and Paul Dorn. Thank you to the 50 of you who posted a tweet to enter this giveaway.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Giveaway: Bike to Work Guide
Today's giveaway is the Bike To Work Guide: Save Gas, Go Green, Get Fit by cyclists Roni Sarig and Paul Dorn. The copy I'm awarding is my slightly dog-eared and marked up review copy of the book.
You might recognize Paul Dorn as the author of the popular Bike Commute Tips blog and his excellent Bike Commuting Tips web resource. Paul is a long time transportational cyclist and a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor who was involved in the early days of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition as a board member. Later, he served as executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition. Today, Paul bikes to work in the Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community of Davis, California. Paul and I exchange emails frequently as we argue about the importance of vehicular cycling education, but I consider him a friend and a great ally in promoting cyclist rights on the road.
The Bike To Work Guide began as a revision of Roni Sarig's The Everything Bicycle Book. In this edition for the bike commuter, Paul contributes his expertise gained from his years of experience commuting by bike. The book is targeted for the beginner with little cycling experience as it steps him or her through the process of selecting a bike (avoid the local discount mart, he says), choosing the right gear, route finding, riding safely in traffic, parking your bike at the office, and cleaning up once you get there.
The prose is spare and to the point. Sure, you could read all of this stuff on the web, but this printed little handbook is convenient and easy to carry around. It's not quite pocket sized, but it fits well in a purse or manpurse. If you have a friend who would like to start commuting to work by bike, this guide makes a good gift.
Keenan in Crestview, Florida is the winner! 50 people entered the drawing via Twitter. I used the random number generator at random.org, which spit out the magic number "8."
To win: I'm doing this giveaway a little differently from my previous giveaways. I'll select a winner at random from everybody who enters between the time I post this and noon Pacific Time on Thursday, January 15.
To enter: Send a tweet by clicking this link with the text "Bike To Work Guide Giveaway http://www.cyclelicio.us/ #bikebook" to Twitter. I won't check super carefully, but if I notice more than one entry from a single person I'll disqualify that entry. The usual contest rules and limitations apply. Remember: this is a used copy of the book, so no complaints about the condition!
You might recognize Paul Dorn as the author of the popular Bike Commute Tips blog and his excellent Bike Commuting Tips web resource. Paul is a long time transportational cyclist and a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor who was involved in the early days of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition as a board member. Later, he served as executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition. Today, Paul bikes to work in the Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Community of Davis, California. Paul and I exchange emails frequently as we argue about the importance of vehicular cycling education, but I consider him a friend and a great ally in promoting cyclist rights on the road.
The Bike To Work Guide began as a revision of Roni Sarig's The Everything Bicycle Book. In this edition for the bike commuter, Paul contributes his expertise gained from his years of experience commuting by bike. The book is targeted for the beginner with little cycling experience as it steps him or her through the process of selecting a bike (avoid the local discount mart, he says), choosing the right gear, route finding, riding safely in traffic, parking your bike at the office, and cleaning up once you get there.
The prose is spare and to the point. Sure, you could read all of this stuff on the web, but this printed little handbook is convenient and easy to carry around. It's not quite pocket sized, but it fits well in a purse or manpurse. If you have a friend who would like to start commuting to work by bike, this guide makes a good gift.
Keenan in Crestview, Florida is the winner! 50 people entered the drawing via Twitter. I used the random number generator at random.org, which spit out the magic number "8."
To enter: Send a tweet by clicking this link with the text "Bike To Work Guide Giveaway http://www.cyclelicio.us/ #bikebook" to Twitter. I won't check super carefully, but if I notice more than one entry from a single person I'll disqualify that entry. The usual contest rules and limitations apply. Remember: this is a used copy of the book, so no complaints about the condition!
San Jose, CA bike plan public workshops
The city of San Jose Bicycle Pedestrian Program is hosting two more public workshops on the citywide bike plan update. Tonight's workshop (Wednesday, January 14, 2009) takes place 6:30pm-8:00pm at the Alum Rock Youth Center Community Room 137 N. White Road, San Jose, CA. The final workshop is at Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 6:00pm-7.30pm
Southside Community Center Rooms 8-9, 5585 Cottle Road, San Jose, CA.
Attend either public workshops to learn about the Bike Plan update and have an opportunity to provide input. These meetings are the first step in updating the city's eight year old bike plan. See documents related to the bike plan at the City of San Jose Department of Transportation website.
Southside Community Center Rooms 8-9, 5585 Cottle Road, San Jose, CA.
Attend either public workshops to learn about the Bike Plan update and have an opportunity to provide input. These meetings are the first step in updating the city's eight year old bike plan. See documents related to the bike plan at the City of San Jose Department of Transportation website.
Denver bike share coming
Some 500 bikes will be available this summer at 30 to 40 stations around Denver. The Denver B-Cycle program got initial funding from a $1 million donation from the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee. "We are confident Denver B-Cycle will prove equally popular while improving our fitness levels and our environment," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. "Our 358 miles of bike routes and trails combined with our 300 days of sunshine make Denver the perfect city in which to launch this citywide bike sharing system."Read more in the Denver Post.
See also Bike Denver B-Cycle launch event invitation.
See also -- Denver transportation to focus on people, not cars: "A fundamental premise of the STP is that Denver must continue its growing trend towards relying on many modes of transportation, including walking, biking and using public transit in order to meet the transportation demands of the future."
While I'm focusing on bicycling in Colorado:
- Go Boulder is the city of Boulder transportation department resource site, where they proudly say, "In some places, people talk about the importance of using transportation options. Here, we walk the talk. Or bike it. Or bus it."
- Colorado Springs Cycling Club.
- Bicycle Colorado is Colorado's statewide bike advocacy group. They're doing wonderful work with Safe Routes to School programs throughout the state. Bicycle Colorado reminds cyclists that you can dial *CSP from your cell phone to report road rage to the Colorado State Police.
- Bike Fort Collins is the bike advocacy group in Fort Collins. The city of Fort Collins is pushing to go Platinum as a Bicycle Friendly Community.
- I cut my teeth on bicycle advocacy with Bicycle Longmont. Good people there!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Amgen Tour of California: Tips for Santa Cruz Businesses
TODAY January 13 at 11:45 AM! Sorry for the late notice on this
As part of it's Small Business Survival Series, the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce presents "Maximizing the AMGEN Tour - Tips to boost sales for downtown merchants"
When: January 13, 2009, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Where: Bring your own bag lunch to the Central Library Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz
No reservation needed for this event.
As part of it's Small Business Survival Series, the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce presents "Maximizing the AMGEN Tour - Tips to boost sales for downtown merchants"
When: January 13, 2009, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Where: Bring your own bag lunch to the Central Library Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz
No reservation needed for this event.
Tour Down Under begins next week
The 2009 Tour Down Under in Australia begins next week on Tuesday, January 20. Hmmm, there's something else important about that day, but I can't think what it is at the moment....
The Tour Down Under marks Lance Armstrong's return to professional racing. Team Astana are camped out at the Hilton in Adelaide, from where Lance and his team do their training rides.
Other teams participating in the Tour Down Under are Team Columbia (USA), Ag2R La Mondiale (France), Silence-Lotto (Belgium), Team Katusha (Russia), Team Saxo Bank (Denmark), BBox Bouyges Telecom (France), Cofidis (France), Francais des Jeux (France), Caisse D'Epargne (Spain), Quick Step (Belgium), Euskatel-Euskadi (Spain), Milram (Germany), Lambre-NGC (Italy), Rabobank (Netherland), Liquigas (Italy), Garmin-Slipstream (USA), Fuji-Servetto (Spain), Unisa-Australia (Australia).
The Tour Down Under marks Lance Armstrong's return to professional racing. Team Astana are camped out at the Hilton in Adelaide, from where Lance and his team do their training rides.
Other teams participating in the Tour Down Under are Team Columbia (USA), Ag2R La Mondiale (France), Silence-Lotto (Belgium), Team Katusha (Russia), Team Saxo Bank (Denmark), BBox Bouyges Telecom (France), Cofidis (France), Francais des Jeux (France), Caisse D'Epargne (Spain), Quick Step (Belgium), Euskatel-Euskadi (Spain), Milram (Germany), Lambre-NGC (Italy), Rabobank (Netherland), Liquigas (Italy), Garmin-Slipstream (USA), Fuji-Servetto (Spain), Unisa-Australia (Australia).
N.Y. Times on Earl Blumenauer
A Bicycle Evangelist With the Wind Now at His Back
With an eye on the potential stimulus package, cycling advocates “have compiled a list of $2 billion of projects that can be under construction in 90 days,” Mr. Oberstar said, adding that prospects are “bright.”
Monday, January 12, 2009
Giveaways: Like or disklike?
I still have a couple more items of bike schwag to give away this week, but before I continue:
1. What do you think of the giveaways? I like doing these giveaways because (a) It gives me a chance to mention this stuff I've been collecting (b) It gives you a chance to try some of this stuff risk free and (c) It drives traffic to Cyclelicious. Do you like the opportunity to win stuff, or is it too random and distracting?
2. I've posted winners by tweeting them and modifying the "giveaway" post by noting the winner. Is this adequate notification for you?
3. First to 'tweet' has been the winner, which works out very well for me personally. What about for you? Would you prefer a random drawing of entrants? Any other suggestions?
1. What do you think of the giveaways? I like doing these giveaways because (a) It gives me a chance to mention this stuff I've been collecting (b) It gives you a chance to try some of this stuff risk free and (c) It drives traffic to Cyclelicious. Do you like the opportunity to win stuff, or is it too random and distracting?
2. I've posted winners by tweeting them and modifying the "giveaway" post by noting the winner. Is this adequate notification for you?
3. First to 'tweet' has been the winner, which works out very well for me personally. What about for you? Would you prefer a random drawing of entrants? Any other suggestions?
Monday bike news
The Bike Commuter Benefits that began January hit the mainstream media over the weekend and became kind of big news.
Kadisco on sports websites redesigns. See also this interesting bit about cycling team sponsorship budgets: while global sports team sponsorships rose 425% between 1989 and 2007, cycling sponsorship increased only 74% between 1989 and 2008.
Boehner says no bike paths in stimulus; EcoVelo writes "it’s downright patriotic to invest in infrastructure that would help ease our dependence on foreign oil."
Juror doodles collection includes this nice bicycle doodle.
Bah! Choke cough.
Better late than never: Battery powered Christmas lights HOWTO. Via.
Gadget: Neuro Active Bike.
Silicon Valley: Tamien Train Station bike access improvements.
This is a good book to have
Nerds take a look at Strida folding bike at CES.
For those of you who hate to shave your legs, maybe this robotic hair remover will do the trick. I'd love to see a video of this in action. (yeah yeah, I know it's not really supposed to remove hair...)
Kadisco on sports websites redesigns. See also this interesting bit about cycling team sponsorship budgets: while global sports team sponsorships rose 425% between 1989 and 2007, cycling sponsorship increased only 74% between 1989 and 2008.
Boehner says no bike paths in stimulus; EcoVelo writes "it’s downright patriotic to invest in infrastructure that would help ease our dependence on foreign oil."
Juror doodles collection includes this nice bicycle doodle.
Bah! Choke cough.
Better late than never: Battery powered Christmas lights HOWTO. Via.
Gadget: Neuro Active Bike.
Silicon Valley: Tamien Train Station bike access improvements.
This is a good book to have
Nerds take a look at Strida folding bike at CES.
For those of you who hate to shave your legs, maybe this robotic hair remover will do the trick. I'd love to see a video of this in action. (yeah yeah, I know it's not really supposed to remove hair...)
Giveaway: CycleAware ViewPoint lens mirror
Today's giveaway is the CycleAware ViewPoint adjustable mini spy mirror.
The ViewPoint mirror is a tiny 3/8 inch mirror that you stick inside of your cycling glasses. If you put them inside your reflective lenses, this little mirror is almost invisible, allowing you to spy people behind you without their knowledge. These mini mirrors are way less dorky than other cycling mirrors that stick out like weird appendages from the side of your forehead. The mini mirror attached near the bottom of the lens interferes only minimally with your vision and works quite well.
The winner is Thomas Brock in North Carolina. Congratulations.To win: Be the first person to click this link with the text "CycleAware Mirror Giveaway http://www.cyclelicio.us/ #cycleaware" to Twitter.
The ViewPoint mirror is a tiny 3/8 inch mirror that you stick inside of your cycling glasses. If you put them inside your reflective lenses, this little mirror is almost invisible, allowing you to spy people behind you without their knowledge. These mini mirrors are way less dorky than other cycling mirrors that stick out like weird appendages from the side of your forehead. The mini mirror attached near the bottom of the lens interferes only minimally with your vision and works quite well.
The winner is Thomas Brock in North Carolina. Congratulations.
Friday, January 09, 2009
SF Streetsblog now live and online
After several weeks of work and planning, the San Francisco Streetsblog site quietly went live last Wednesday.
SF Streetsblog editor Bryan Goebel is an experienced journalist and active member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Reporter Matthew Roth is a recent transplant to the Bay Area from New York City, where he directed the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign for Transportation Alternatives.
Fritz welcomes Streetsblog's new presence in The City where Tony left his heart (as Randy the Caltrain conductor likes to say every day).
SF Streetsblog editor Bryan Goebel is an experienced journalist and active member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Reporter Matthew Roth is a recent transplant to the Bay Area from New York City, where he directed the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign for Transportation Alternatives.
Fritz welcomes Streetsblog's new presence in The City where Tony left his heart (as Randy the Caltrain conductor likes to say every day).
Bike meets doom
What does it look like when a nice Cinelli flies from the roof rack of a car at highway speeds? Look if you really want to know, though I warn you it's ugly and may be inappropriate for children and those with weak constitutions.
Cyclists like politicians.
Encouraging bicycling not with facts and admonitions, but with the idea that Cycling is fun! [6 MB PDF] This is a good document.
Bicycle Design Bike Design Contest finalists have been posted. I especially like Rick Marland's folding bike with a built in lock, and Torkel Dohmers' "This Way" velomobile.
Active Transportation for America makes the case and quantifies the national benefits that increased federal funding in bicycling and walking infrastructure would provide tens of billions of dollars in benefits to all Americans.
Miss Sansen's list of Peloton Pretties, Specials, and Uglies.
I'm very familiar with the Old Stage Fire area in Boulder County, Colorado -- when I lived in Boulder County I did plenty of riding down Nelson Road, St. Vrain Road and up US 36 to Lyons and beyond, and up Lefthand Canyon Road to Ward and up to Brainard Lake. Closer to Boulder there's Niwot Road, and the gut busting hill climbs of Old Stage Road and Lee Hill Road. I've approached 60 mph on my bicycle on some of these roads. Gary Koenig in Denver writes about these prime cycling roads.
Soma never got those brass fenders from Honjo, but found another supplier. Maybe not quite as nice, but they're available for purchase now.
The weak Japanese Yen makes business more expensive for Rivendell.
Bike Jobs
Oakland: Youth program assistant manager to help run after school bike promotion programs.
Oakland: Program Paid Intern [PDF] at Norcal High School Cycling League.
Cyclists like politicians.
Encouraging bicycling not with facts and admonitions, but with the idea that Cycling is fun! [6 MB PDF] This is a good document.
Bicycle Design Bike Design Contest finalists have been posted. I especially like Rick Marland's folding bike with a built in lock, and Torkel Dohmers' "This Way" velomobile.
Active Transportation for America makes the case and quantifies the national benefits that increased federal funding in bicycling and walking infrastructure would provide tens of billions of dollars in benefits to all Americans.
Miss Sansen's list of Peloton Pretties, Specials, and Uglies.
I'm very familiar with the Old Stage Fire area in Boulder County, Colorado -- when I lived in Boulder County I did plenty of riding down Nelson Road, St. Vrain Road and up US 36 to Lyons and beyond, and up Lefthand Canyon Road to Ward and up to Brainard Lake. Closer to Boulder there's Niwot Road, and the gut busting hill climbs of Old Stage Road and Lee Hill Road. I've approached 60 mph on my bicycle on some of these roads. Gary Koenig in Denver writes about these prime cycling roads.
Soma never got those brass fenders from Honjo, but found another supplier. Maybe not quite as nice, but they're available for purchase now.
The weak Japanese Yen makes business more expensive for Rivendell.
Bike Jobs
Oakland: Youth program assistant manager to help run after school bike promotion programs.
Oakland: Program Paid Intern [PDF] at Norcal High School Cycling League.
Giveaway: Zero Per Gallon stickers
Today's giveaway is an assortment of five bicycle theme stickers from Zero Per Gallon in San Francisco.
Zero Per Gallon makes a set of fun stickers proclaiming your independence from foreign oil. They're a great attention getter, and they're always fun to hand out at any gathering of cyclists. I started handing a few out on the Caltrain bike car this evening and I was mobbed by dozens of attractive, female cyclists who all wanted a piece of that action. With these fun stickers, you will make new friends and influence people.
Jamie of Columbus, Ohio is our winner! Thank you to all who played!To win: Be the first person to click this link with the text "ZeroPerGallon Sticker Giveaway http://www.cyclelicio.us/ #zpg" to Twitter.
Good luck! This entry is posted Fridy morning at 7:30 AM U.S. Pacific Time. See contest rules for limitations and other details.
Zero Per Gallon makes a set of fun stickers proclaiming your independence from foreign oil. They're a great attention getter, and they're always fun to hand out at any gathering of cyclists. I started handing a few out on the Caltrain bike car this evening and I was mobbed by dozens of attractive, female cyclists who all wanted a piece of that action. With these fun stickers, you will make new friends and influence people.
Jamie of Columbus, Ohio is our winner! Thank you to all who played!
Good luck! This entry is posted Fridy morning at 7:30 AM U.S. Pacific Time. See contest rules for limitations and other details.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
BBC wants to interview senior cyclists in San Francisco
The BBC will film and interview cyclists who are over 50 in San Francisco this Sunday, in preparation for the upcoming Senior Games. Any and all who might participate should think about coming if you can. If you'd like your 15 minutes of fame, please meet at the far (eastern) end of the Marina parking lot closest to Fort Mason at 12:45pm.
The 2009 Senior Games for athletes 50 and over takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cycling takes place in and around CaƱada Rd in San Mateo County August 8 - 10 with time trials and road races.
The 2009 Senior Games for athletes 50 and over takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cycling takes place in and around CaƱada Rd in San Mateo County August 8 - 10 with time trials and road races.
Bicycle advocacy training at NAHBS Indianapolis
Cycling advocates will find something in addition to beautiful bicycles in Indianapolis during the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS), Feb 27 - Mar 1, 2009, when the Indiana Bicycle Coalition hosts a Winning Campaigns Training by the Thunderhead Alliance For Bicycling and Walking.
This addition to NAHBS activities reflects a commitment by the show to promote and develop cycling opportunities for everybody, focusing not only on the high-end handmade sector.
Show founder and director Don Walker says this training workshop reflects a commitment by the show to promote cycling opportunities for everybody, instead of focusing only on the high-end handmade sector. "The NAHBS has always been about growing the market," says Walker. "We know that creating safer, more efficient cycling routes has proved every time to encourage more cyclists, so I am delighted that we are able to partner with the Thunderhead Alliance and Indiana Bicycle Coalition to provide what we believe will be a very significant weekend for cycling in the Midwest."
Jeff Miller, president of the Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking, said, “The Winning Campaigns Training will help equip local and statewide bike advocates with the skills and tools to help make Indiana a better place to bicycle. We look forward to working with the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and are very excited about this unique and fun venue with the North American Handmade Bicycle Show to work with many bicycle advocates and community leaders.”
Nancy Tibbett of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition said, "The workshop offers a great opportunity for both bicycle and pedestrian advocates to gain momentum, excitement, and training on programs and plans for 2009. The Indiana Bicycle Coalition is excited to partner with both the North American Handmade Bicycle Show and Thunderhead Alliance to bring this world-class training event to Indianapolis."
The times and dates of the three-day training are:
* Friday 27th February, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
* Saturday 28th, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
* Sunday 1st March, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Thanks to sponsorship by Bikes Belong and Cannondale Sports Group, admission to the training is only $50.00. On Friday evening, all participants in the Thunderhead Alliance training are invited to a social function with the frame builders at 7 p.m. The training's schedule is designed to permit out-of-workshop activities, and participants are encouraged to take advantage of a complimentary entry offer to the NAHBS show hall.
The Winning Campaigns Training uses a curriculum designed, tested and proven through the years by the Thunderhead Alliance. Advocates attending will be taught by expert coaches and by each other about choosing, directing and winning campaigns to promote complete streets, where walking and bicycling are both safe and commonplace.
According to Thunderhead Alliance, the three day workshop will empower attendees with greater knowledge on how to choose the right issue, set realistic goals and strategies, work with community leaders, use public relations techniques, raise money to finance their efforts, and reach and measure the success of the campaign.
Online registration is now open at Thunderhead Alliance website.
This addition to NAHBS activities reflects a commitment by the show to promote and develop cycling opportunities for everybody, focusing not only on the high-end handmade sector.
Show founder and director Don Walker says this training workshop reflects a commitment by the show to promote cycling opportunities for everybody, instead of focusing only on the high-end handmade sector. "The NAHBS has always been about growing the market," says Walker. "We know that creating safer, more efficient cycling routes has proved every time to encourage more cyclists, so I am delighted that we are able to partner with the Thunderhead Alliance and Indiana Bicycle Coalition to provide what we believe will be a very significant weekend for cycling in the Midwest."
Jeff Miller, president of the Thunderhead Alliance for Biking and Walking, said, “The Winning Campaigns Training will help equip local and statewide bike advocates with the skills and tools to help make Indiana a better place to bicycle. We look forward to working with the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and are very excited about this unique and fun venue with the North American Handmade Bicycle Show to work with many bicycle advocates and community leaders.”
Nancy Tibbett of the Indiana Bicycle Coalition said, "The workshop offers a great opportunity for both bicycle and pedestrian advocates to gain momentum, excitement, and training on programs and plans for 2009. The Indiana Bicycle Coalition is excited to partner with both the North American Handmade Bicycle Show and Thunderhead Alliance to bring this world-class training event to Indianapolis."
The times and dates of the three-day training are:
* Friday 27th February, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
* Saturday 28th, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
* Sunday 1st March, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Thanks to sponsorship by Bikes Belong and Cannondale Sports Group, admission to the training is only $50.00. On Friday evening, all participants in the Thunderhead Alliance training are invited to a social function with the frame builders at 7 p.m. The training's schedule is designed to permit out-of-workshop activities, and participants are encouraged to take advantage of a complimentary entry offer to the NAHBS show hall.
The Winning Campaigns Training uses a curriculum designed, tested and proven through the years by the Thunderhead Alliance. Advocates attending will be taught by expert coaches and by each other about choosing, directing and winning campaigns to promote complete streets, where walking and bicycling are both safe and commonplace.
According to Thunderhead Alliance, the three day workshop will empower attendees with greater knowledge on how to choose the right issue, set realistic goals and strategies, work with community leaders, use public relations techniques, raise money to finance their efforts, and reach and measure the success of the campaign.
Online registration is now open at Thunderhead Alliance website.
The Love Bike
The January/February issue of Momentum Magazine is now online. Enjoy the "Love Issue" number 37 at Momentum Planet. Included in this issue are my reviews of the Strida 5.0 and Abio Penza folding bicycles.
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