Jonathan Maus of BikePortland dropped a bombshell in the the latest episode of the Spokesman podcast: In partnership with Trek, Nike produces and sells cycling gear!
Apparently, Nike, which supported Lance Armstrong with sponsorship and cycling gear, also sold cycling gear to consumers wiht the 10/2 brand through its online shopping portal and dealers.
Possibly because of lack of consumer response, Nike has decided to end its relationship with Trek and reevaluate its cycling line of products. Nike Cycling products will be available through 2008.
(Yes, I know Nike has sold cycling gear for some time. I even own some. I'm being snarky.)
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Monday, April 02, 2007
DIY Xtracycle
Instructables has an article about a DIY project to build your own "Xtracycle" type bike with an extended wheelbase for more cargo-carrying capacity. Though you need to sacrifice one full-suspension mountain bike frame and drill a couple of holes, no welding is required and the project seems fairly simple if you have the right parts. It involves connecting parts of a "donor" frame into the rear triangle of your bike to create your extended wheelbase bike. The main part of the bike can easily revert to its original identity, too. An actual platform to make use of the extra room is To Be Done in a future episode.
Found via MAKEzine.
Found via MAKEzine.
Mexico City officials ordered to ride bikes to work
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard ordered city workers to commute by bike on the first Monday of each month. He reiterated his order last week, meeting with administration secretaries, sub-secretaries, and general directors and told them not to take his cycling program lightly.
The city will collapse if measures are not taken soon to make the roads more bike-friendly, Ebrard said. Ebrard said a primary goal is to demonstrate the viability of bicycles as a means of transportation in the city. He also said the city will soon build a bike station on the Eje Central specifically for city employees.
Regarding statements made by the city attorney general and public security secretary that they are reluctant to participate, Ebrard said everyone had to comply with the order.
"If they are opposed for reasons of security, then I´d suggest they don´t publicize the route they plan to take," Ebrard said. "Anyway, a big SUV is more visible than a bicycle."
Read more.
The city will collapse if measures are not taken soon to make the roads more bike-friendly, Ebrard said. Ebrard said a primary goal is to demonstrate the viability of bicycles as a means of transportation in the city. He also said the city will soon build a bike station on the Eje Central specifically for city employees.
Regarding statements made by the city attorney general and public security secretary that they are reluctant to participate, Ebrard said everyone had to comply with the order.
"If they are opposed for reasons of security, then I´d suggest they don´t publicize the route they plan to take," Ebrard said. "Anyway, a big SUV is more visible than a bicycle."
Read more.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Trek Lime bicycle blog
Trek Lime has a blog. Comments and trackbacks allowed. Found via Bicycle Design.
The Trek Lime is a pretty sweet looking bicycle.
Photo by Jonathan Maus.
The Trek Lime is a pretty sweet looking bicycle.
Photo by Jonathan Maus.
NYC to drill for oil in Central Park
NYC Parks employees discovered oil seeping to surface through the grass at Sheep Meadow in Central Park. Upon the discovery, Mayor Bloomberg and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe quickly approved some exploratory drilling and geological analysis. The results appear to be very encouraging for anyone worried about gas prices.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn quickly embraced the continued drilling and exploitation of this new megafield, citing the many programs around the city that this could help fund, like eliminating tolls on all bridges & tunnels, abolishing parking meters and reducing other fees that city drivers face. "It's time to give something back to the city's oppressed automobile drivers and this new oil field will help us reduce the burden on these hard working New Yorkers who fight traffic everyday". Quinn added "it's time to rethink the City as a place that welcomes automobiles, instead of discourages them. People want more cars on our streets and we should support them by making it as easy as possible instead of pandering to pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit rider who only complain about poor safety conditions and are never satisfied."
While for many this was seen as a great new source of revenue for the city, many in the area complained that it would ruin a historic park. "Drilling for oil in Central Park will ruin the neighborhood and destroy the vision of an urban oasis set forth by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux," a resident of Fifth Avenue protested as she drove through the park in her Ford Expedition.
Read more at the Oil Drum.
More good news on global warming comes to us from RealClimate, which reports on new research from the New Zealand Institute of Veterinary Climatology that shows a statistical inverse relationship between the sheep population in New Zealand and global temperatures. The statistical analysis shows that as the numbers of sheep have dropped in New Zealand, world temperatures have increased. Researchers hypothesize that the increased albedo of land that is no longer covered in sheep results in less solar energy radiating back out to space.
There is in fact an important destabilizing feedback in the system: as climate gets warmer, there is less demand for wool sweaters and wooly underwear. Hence the sheep population tends to drop, leading to even more warming. In an extreme form, this can lead to a "runaway sheep-albedo feedback," which is believed to have led to the present torrid climate of Venus. Read more at RealClimate.org.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn quickly embraced the continued drilling and exploitation of this new megafield, citing the many programs around the city that this could help fund, like eliminating tolls on all bridges & tunnels, abolishing parking meters and reducing other fees that city drivers face. "It's time to give something back to the city's oppressed automobile drivers and this new oil field will help us reduce the burden on these hard working New Yorkers who fight traffic everyday". Quinn added "it's time to rethink the City as a place that welcomes automobiles, instead of discourages them. People want more cars on our streets and we should support them by making it as easy as possible instead of pandering to pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit rider who only complain about poor safety conditions and are never satisfied."
While for many this was seen as a great new source of revenue for the city, many in the area complained that it would ruin a historic park. "Drilling for oil in Central Park will ruin the neighborhood and destroy the vision of an urban oasis set forth by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux," a resident of Fifth Avenue protested as she drove through the park in her Ford Expedition.
Read more at the Oil Drum.
More good news on global warming comes to us from RealClimate, which reports on new research from the New Zealand Institute of Veterinary Climatology that shows a statistical inverse relationship between the sheep population in New Zealand and global temperatures. The statistical analysis shows that as the numbers of sheep have dropped in New Zealand, world temperatures have increased. Researchers hypothesize that the increased albedo of land that is no longer covered in sheep results in less solar energy radiating back out to space.
There is in fact an important destabilizing feedback in the system: as climate gets warmer, there is less demand for wool sweaters and wooly underwear. Hence the sheep population tends to drop, leading to even more warming. In an extreme form, this can lead to a "runaway sheep-albedo feedback," which is believed to have led to the present torrid climate of Venus. Read more at RealClimate.org.
New chain cleaning system
ShelBroCo has a new Chain Cleaning System that is the most complete chain cleaning system on the market today. Seen first at CycleDog.
In other new product news, Shimano has announced their new BioWheel rear wheel set for fixed gear use. This wheelset includes an computer designed patented point-symmetric egg curve form factor rim to offer the cyclist more efficient pedaling. Read the Shimano press release.
In other new product news, Shimano has announced their new BioWheel rear wheel set for fixed gear use. This wheelset includes an computer designed patented point-symmetric egg curve form factor rim to offer the cyclist more efficient pedaling. Read the Shimano press release.
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