Bike Commuters

If you believe that “Commuter Bikes” should be multi-geared, have fenders, racks and a chainguard then click here. If you are looking for a simple to maintain, fair weather “singlespeed commuter bike” that has a little bit of flair, then read on.

KHS Bicycles have always offered a big selection when it comes to “Urban” bikes; the KHS Urban Uno is one of their three singlespeed/fixed gear offerings. The Urban Uno comes with decent specs such a 520 Reynolds DB CrMo Frame, a CrMo Fork, 44t Gold crankset and alloy fenders.

Here is the full spec sheet:

I’ve always been a fan of singlespeed bikes, since my commute is flat and I live in sunny SoCal, the Urban Uno is perfectly suited for my ride to work. Singlespeed bikes are also easy to maintain, lighter and there are no derailleurs to adjust.

You may love or hate the KHS Urban Uno’s style; I actually like it. It does not scream vanilla Singlespeed or hipster fixie bike. The geometry of the bike was comfortable, the cockpit didn’t feel tight nor too stretched out. I was pleasantly surprised that the saddle was very comfortable; some OEM saddles tend to be too hard and fall in the numb nuts category. The cowhorn bar is another love/hate affair; although stylish, they do lack more than two hand positions. I’m not a toe-clip type of rider, but I gave the Wellgo pedals a chance — unfortunately, they sucked so I swapped them for my Crank Bros Quattro pedals.

The fenders that come with the KHS Urban Uno do serve a purpose; they did a great job when I rode over little puddles of water, but I doubt that they would do very well in a downpour. My ride takes me across a couple of railroad tracks; the rims and tires always gave me a good sense of confidence and their durability was not an issue. The Kenda Kontenders are a great choice of tires for those of us who commute. I never got a puncture and they seemed to roll rather fast.

For those who would like to add a rear rack, the Urban Uno does come with eyelets, but you may have to get longer screws since the fenders will be sharing the same holes at the dropouts. The Urban Uno’s frame also has room for your hydration needs; it comes with two sets of threaded bosses for your water bottle holders. Another feature of the Urban Uno is that if you want to go fixie style, you can. Although the fixed gear cog is not provided, the rear hub is threaded for one. I did not get the chance to ride the bike as a fixed geared bike.

The MSRP of the bike is at $489.00, if you are looking for a singlespeed commuter, the Urban Uno is certainly worth a look

Popularity: 2% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The new flyers for the 2010 Bicycle Bash by the Bay appeared today…this year’s event is at Flatwoods Park in Hillsborough County (just NE of the University of South Florida campus). The Bash will be held November 7th from 10AM-4PM, and you can be sure I’ll be there to provide coverage of SW Florida’s premier bicycling event.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Well, Eurobike — Europe’s largest bicycle trade show — kicked off yesterday, and as many of you know the U.S. equivalent Interbike is coming up in a few short weeks.

A few of us are signed up and ready to go for our annual coverage of Interbike for Bikecommuters.com and our sister site Mtnbikeriders.com…this will be the first year that I get to join RL and Moe and the other folks from Mtnbikeriders.com. Now that we’re signed up to attend, we’ve been getting bombarded by dozens of previews, press releases and invitations to vendor meetings at their respective show booths. It’s a great “sneak peek” at what we can expect at the show.

Overwhelmingly, the press releases for both Eurobike and Interbike focus on so-called “urban commuting” bikes (less racy, more practical) and electric/electric-hybrid bikes. Supposedly, this is the big year when E-bikes reach a sizeable market penetration into the U.S. They’re already wildly popular in many Asian countries and there is a decent market in Europe, but currently they still hold a tiny percentage of the U.S. interest. That’s fixin’ to change, if the PR is accurate…

What do YOU think? Are E-bikes going to take off here in the U.S.? Are there still too many skeptics here? Rest assured, we’ll be taking a look at the offerings at Interbike and sharing our thoughts with you…and will hopefully get to report on some promising technologies. Stay tuned!

Popularity: 3% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

You may have read about the following elsewhere, but it is worth sharing here, too. Our friend Frederick sent a link to an article on Wired’s site about a novel concept in city bike-sharing setups. This one is from a startup in New York City called Social Bicycles (SoBi) and operates without dedicated kiosks or other infrastructure, and at a fraction of the per-bike cost of other bike-sharing schemes like Velib or B-Cycle. And, it has some really cool features that make the setup eminently user-friendly.

From Wired’s article:

SoBi doesn’t use cycle stations; the bikes are parked throughout the city (starting in New York) at regular racks. Bikes could, in fact, be anywhere at any given time, not just at a designated station that could be blocks away. Users can grab any bike that isn’t already reserved and drop it off anywhere. No need to search for a drop-off station.

Like a Zipcar, each SoBi bike has its own “lockbox” (shown above) that communicates wirelessly with SoBi servers via GPS and a cellular receiver (an H-24 module from Motorola). When you make a reservation online or via smartphone, a map displays all the bikes in the area and gives you the option of unlocking a specific bike by clicking on it.

Read the full article by visiting Wired.

If this scheme is successful, such technology and the relative ease of the setup may encourage other cities to try their hand at bike-sharing.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Over the past year it’s been our goal over at UtilityCycling.org to catalog all of the means in which cyclists utilize bicycles for purposes beyond sport and recreation. Not surprisingly, all evidence points to bike commuting as the predominant form of utility cycling throughout the world.  Digging up information (mainly scouring the Internet and talking to our friends in the bike biz) bike commuting is always on the front of the spectrum of all the ways that people do something useful with their bicycles.  That said, when it comes to the variation in ways that cyclists have come up with for using their bikes, bike commuting just scratches the surface of the tip of the iceberg.

More so than any other common use of the bicycle, bike commuting has the magical effect of opening up the mind to the utility of the bicycle. While this mind opening experience certainly happens for some while training for a bike race or riding just for fun, the daily grind of making ones way back and forth to work contains some special inspiration which other forms of cycling may not conjure up.

Bike commuting is about getting something done.  If you can accomplish the task of getting yourself where you need to be, why can’t you accomplish other tasks with your bicycle as well?

Bike commuting has many side benefits.  You may have started bike commuting to save money, reduce your carbon footprint, to get exercise or just as a way to relax and have fun.  Soon enough though, you likely start appreciating the other benefits of bike commuting.  Appreciating these multiple benefits of the bicycle for bike commuting opens up the mind to appreciating the bicycle as a tool for many other purposes.

Bike commuting asks for some changes in lifestyle and planning.  This shift can be blamed on the way that the automobile lifestyle and its inherent costs are ingrained in most of us.  There are plenty of costs and difficulties built into the automobile lifestyle, but the predominance of the lifestyle make this just seem like life.  On the surface, when shifting over to bike commuting, it first appears that you are adding to your load of costs and difficulties in transportation.  It is difficult to appreciate that these challenges are leading down the path of partially or perhaps completely offsetting the costs of operating and maintaining an automobile.  Part of embracing bicycle commuting involves the embrace of a gradual shift in resources towards a more efficient and beneficial mode of transportation. Embracing bike commuting with this mindset, is a fundamental step towards embracing the bicycle for a multitude of other purposes.

With a plenitude of inspiration, bike commuters have their mind pumps primed for investigating multiple different ways to use their bicycles.  So what directions do bike commuters branch out into empowered by thier two wheeled utility machines? After bike commuting, I don’t think I would be to far off in guessing that bicycles used for general transportation and family cycling are the next most prevalent forms of utility cycling.

At UtilityCycling.org, we’ve looked at general bicycle transportation as all of those trips in between the gaps of bike commuting.  Our “general” list includes getting around, groceries & errands, bicycling while traveling and long distance travel.  Getting around along with taking care of groceries and errands with your bicycle are in many ways as significant uses of the bicycle for many people as is bike commuting.   Traveling with a bicycle and long distance travel with a bicycle is a much smaller subset of Utility Cycling but a quite interesting one at that.

By family cycling, we mean all forms of utility cycling where the kids are coming along for the ride.  This could be bike commuting or grocery shopping with the kids in a bike child trailer or going to the movies with kids and parents all riding their own bikes.  Beyond utility family cycling, recreational family cycling is foundational in developing a culture that respects and utilizes bicycles.  Families having fun with bicycles together is incredibly important to cycling advocacy as it teaches children the importance and fun of cycling and is encouraging and sometimes enticing for non-cycling enthusiasts to see.  It also is a healthy, fun and economical alternative to many car-bound family recreational activities.

From the most obvious forms of utility cycling, inspiration flows for more creative and entrepreneurial purposes.  Bicycle messengers are heart and soul when it comes to combining the entrepreneurial ethic with cycling.  Small package delivery is a task that without a doubt can be performed better with a bicycle

In the age of the specialist, the bicycle has sometimes been turned to as the most efficient tool for achieving specific purposes.  My favorite recent example of an adoption of the bicycle for a specialty task is the Google Mapping Bike.  Other examples I’ve enjoyed learning about are a variety of emergency service bikes.  We’ve written about Fire Service Bikes, EMS Bikes, Police Bikes and Search and Rescue Bikes.

While I’ve touted some of the interesting methods for using a bike that we’ve been investigating over at UtilityCycling.org, bike commuting is by far the most useful, influential and critical method for using a bicycle.  Because of this, bike commuting is and should remain a primary focal point for cycling advocacy.

The myriad forms of utility cycling might be considered icing on the cake of utility cycling.  Or they may be considered as a growing spectrum of gateways into cycling in all its forms, opening up new opportunities to people and their transportation.  Bike commuting will likely always remain the most important form of utility cycling, though if the many other means of utility cycling are embraced, their overall importance could rival that of bike commuting.  What is important is that bike commuting, utility cycling, riding your bike, and getting things done efficiently, continues to grow and thrive and that the tools and infrastructure that allow this to happen are fostered and grown.

Josh Lipton is the editor of UtilityCycling.org as well as founder and President of BikeShopHub.com a network of online specialty cycling shops.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Next up in our periodic commuter profiles is none other than Gene Butcher, author of the excellent “100 Pounds Ago” blog. I’ve been a reader of his for over a year, and he’s got good things to say there AND here. Welcome to Internet stardom, Gene — you deserve it!

Name: Gene Butcher (recovering fat ass)

How long have you been a bike commuter?

I have been commuting on and off since March of 2009 but in the last 6 weeks I have converted to commuting and errand running 100% by bike where as before I was probably riding 60% of the time.

Why did you start riding your bike to work and how long is your commute?

In reality I started riding my bike as a way to get into shape and lose a lot of weight. In the last year I have lost over 100 pounds by changing my diet and cycling. It was really by accident that I started riding to work and around town. For a lot of years I just sat around the house and was content being fat and unhealthy. A doctor cursed me out for the shape I was in so I started riding. I had no idea that people actually commuted by bike on purpose; I thought that was something people had to do when they didn’t have a car. It was well after I stated riding that I found out through a host of websites that’s it’s a legit practice and you do it by choice. I looked at my situation and it just made sense. I only live about 6 miles away from work and I have the best commuter setup known to man. I work for a fire department and I have access every day to clean showers, my own locker, washers and dryers, secure bike parking, and even a dedicated space inside that I can work on my bikes if I need to. I commute in, shower up, throw my riding clothes into the washer and the next morning I have clean clothes for the ride home. You should understand though that even though I live close to where I work my morning commute is anywhere from 25 to 40 miles. Very rarely do I ever just ride the 6 miles in and park the bike. I have my own private cache of tools and equipment in my locker for working on my bikes when I have to. I am able to wash all of my work uniforms at work so that severely cuts down on stuff I have to commute in with.

How does Bike Commuting help you with your lifestyle (economics, health, relationships)?

I could go on for days about how cycling has helped me health wise; essentially cycling has saved my life or at least aided me in saving my own life. I have resigned myself to the fact that if I want to stay in the shape I am in and not revert to the old couch potato-chain smoking-fast food devouring-slovenly-morbidly obese-drunk version of me I HAVE to exercise every day and not just for 20 minutes. A very good way to exercise daily is ride my bike. I can kill two birds with one stone, I save money by not buying gas and I exercise! Economically it makes perfect sense, I have a car and I have no use for it which equals not fueling it which in turn means more money in my pocket to spend on lavish expenditures like cycling shorts, new wheels, snappy jerseys, and chamois balm. Seriously though, I am really militant on where I spend my money, if it’s made in the USA I am all about it, more so if it’s union made and if it’s Michigan made I am hooked all day long. Another aspect to my stance on spending is I like to spend my money in my city. I think it’s a responsibility to support the community and those who live and work in the city which I reside. I am anti “big-box” stores and chains. Commuting and errand running on a bike keeps you a little closer to home I think. Relationship wise I have met some really cool people who also commute and 2 guys I work with have started commuting as well which is just plain rad. Cycling in general has opened many doors for some really good friendships that I would not have had the opportunity to have if it were not for my bike.

What do you do for a living and in what city do you bike commute?

I am a Professional Firefighter and my commute takes me to all of the deep seedy nooks and crannies of Waterford, Michigan. My typical morning ride/commute takes me through Auburn Hills and Pontiac, Michigan though.

What kind(s) of bike do you have?

I have a Specialized Tri-Cross, a KHS Solo-One single speed and an ancient Specialized Rockhopper. I am currently using the Specialized Tri-Cross as my commuter bike but I am working on restoring the Rockhopper to use as my commuter bike. I would like to change out all of the components and add racks and panniers. I have my work cut out for me because my plan is to do a complete re-build. It’s kind of hard to shove my groceries into a North Face Backpack and ride home….hard but not impossible. Several times a week I jump on the KHS and commute places but it’s not with any regularity.

Any funny or interesting commuting story that you may want to share?

Outside of the nearly daily wild animal attack…no….I have a pretty boring ride. Just about everything that can happen to you on a bike has happened to me in the past year. I have been hit by a car, crashed on some ice and knocked myself unconscious, crashed after hitting a possum in the dark, been bitten by geese (on numerous occasions) and my standard weekly flat tire. I think there is a pro team out there somewhere that could benefit from my mad tube changing skills, I have it down to a science now.

What do people (coworkers, friends) say when you tell them that you are a bike commuter?

Perhaps I am different since I started riding disgusting amounts daily when I was trying to get into shape. People would see me on the roads all over the place all the time riding. It became very “Forest Gump” like seeing me out on the road somewhere at all hours of the day and night. It does not really surprise anyone when I tell them I have gone weeks without starting up my car. They mostly give me that look that says “You really are a nut-job aren’t you?” When you have been getting that “you’re crazy” look your entire life though it’s really nothing out of the ordinary, you really get used to it. I do get a lot of questions from people that are interested in starting to commute by bike though which is a good thing. They see what kind of results I got from cycling and commuting and it adds validity to my claims that cycling is really good for you. Like I said two guys I work with commute a lot right now and love it.

How about bicycling advocacy? Are you active in any local or regional advocacy groups?

I am as a matter of fact and recommend all cyclists get active in one. I am a member of the League of Michigan Bicyclists, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and recently I have discovered the Michigan Safe Routes to School Program. Those are the groups that I let speak for me on occasion however I generally make a nuisance of myself to the local elected officials I firmly believe that you have the best opportunity to change the world by starting in your own town. Lately I have been on a letter writing campaign inquiring why the money budgeted for a trail network in my city was never used for a trail network. … and just what in the world happened to that money? I find the conditions of the roads and paths in South-East Michigan completely appalling. I sit and laugh at the struggles that the riders have on the Paris-Roubaix Race….you think cobbles are bad? Try riding 40 miles on Michigan roads homeboy! We have such a huge car culture in Michigan that it is going to take serious hard work to get anywhere with cycling. We do not have bike lanes, our paths and sidewalks blow, and it’s a dangerous proposition to attempt to ride on the road. When I buy tubes I usually buy them by the dozen because of all of the flats I get. Things need to change and they needed to change decades ago. There is such an overwhelming attitude here of “We build the cars and we are going to drive the cars!” We are slowly getting there with the rails to trails program but we are very behind.

Anything else that you want to share with us?

Yes, two things, in my line of work I have had the misfortune of witnessing the effects of some really serious car-vs-bicycle accidents. Please wear your helmets and make yourself as visible as possible even in broad daylight. Secondly, if I (the former 300 pound chain smoker) can commute by bike wherever I go so can you; get out there and do it, it will make you feel really good. Thanks for listening to my ranting!

Thanks for submitting your profile, Gene! Check out Gene’s blog at: http://100poundsago.wordpress.com/, and stay tuned for our next profile in a few days…we’ve got a lot in the hopper.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I’ve been flogging the Wabi Special for just a little over a month now. This sleek, light fixed-gear bike is designed right here in the US. Fixed gear bikes are quite popular among urban commuters due to their utilitarian form, efficiency and reliability. Here’s another look at the Wabi Special right after I took my first ride on it in early July:

Note that I had mounted some cheap resin platform pedals to it. They were the only loose pedals I had laying around at the time. I rode it like this for about a week. This was my first time riding fixed gear. Says the late, awesome and infinitely wise Sheldon Brown of this:

Sometimes, novice fixed-gear riders will try to use plain pedals with no form of retention system. I strongly advise against this. Riding fixed with plain pedals is an advanced fixed gear skill, only recommended for experienced fixed-gear riders.

Frankly, this never really gave me any problems. Still, after a while, I swapped my SPD pedals over from my road bike. I was able to maintain a much higher cadence and keep better control of the bike’s speed down hills. I thought that uphills would be slow going or that fixed gear would otherwise slow me down quite a bit, but the truth is that fixed gear offers a different riding experience. You really have to try it to know what I’m talking about. I highly recommend it. This isn’t about riding fixed gear, though. It’s a review about the 2010 Wabi Special.

Visually, the Wabi Special’s frame is stunning in its simplicity. It has gorgeous crafted lugs and svelte tubing. The Burnt Red color has a brilliant metallic finish. Of all the builds and colors Wabi Offers, this has to be my favorite.

Wabi Special offers a parts combination that at first glance is somewhat run-of-the-mill. FSA Headset. Visually Unremarkable rims, cranks, and brakes. Inexpensive Kenda Tires. In a way, the build really keeps the focus on the frame, but complements it well and brings a complete bicycle (sans pedals) that’s very simple and elegant.

Functionally, this build is very solid and never misses a beat. With pedals, my review bike weighed in at just a smidge over 19 pounds. While that’s not an ultra-light bike, it’s the lightest bike I’ve ever ridden. I’m used to riding aluminum road bikes, and the Wabi’s thin-walled Reynolds 725 steel tubing brought a very mellow road feel that I quickly came to enjoy. Once it gets moving, it feels like a cannonball barreling down the road. The geometry is great for a commuter bike. It’s not at all aggressive, but it’s still easy and comfortable to get into the drops and hammer away. I found the brake levers a bit of a stretch for my smaller hands, but I managed to find a hand position over the hoods that worked just fine for braking.

I thought that the 23mm tires would be a bit of a problem on my route, which is through a blighted industrial area that runs along the railroad with 6 different crossings on each direction of my commute. The only problem I had was during the rain, when railroad crossings are treacherous for everyone on two wheels. Even then, I was able to keep the shiny side up. It’s easier to keep traction on a fixed gear bike. The tires held up to all kinds of abuse, and the steel frame made the torn-up pavement quite tolerable.

The OEM Saddle was a bit uncomfortable for me, especially since I was sporting some extra weight in a backpack. Saddles are definitely a personal preference kind of thing, though. Half-way through my review, I swapped the saddle from my commuter bike over, and it was a world of difference. My clydesdale butt doesn’t seem to do too well with narrower ass-hatchets, but it wasn’t any fault of the bike. Many people change saddles when they get a bike.

I can’t get over how smooth and silent the Wabi Special is. There was not a single noise from the drive train at all. One day, I averaged 18.6 MPH for my homeward trip, which is pretty good when I’m my road bike. Under my normal cycling effort, my average commute time didn’t drop at all with fixed gear, and it was a genuine pleasure to ride. I don’t know that I would choose to commute on a fixed gear every day, but I can say I certainly “get it” now more than ever. What a blast!

I already discussed Wabi Cycles’ competitive pricing and different models back in July. After spending a month with this beauty, I can truly say it’s a quality ride if you’re in the market for a new fixie. Alas, I’ve packed her back up and she’s headed back home to Los Angeles. She’ll be missed, for certain!

Spec and order your own Wabi Special | Other Wabi Cycles | Wabi Cycles Home

Please click here to read our review disclaimer as required by the Federal Trade Commission.

P.S. No-Hands Danger Panda!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Despite some weather setbacks on the first “Independence From Oil” ride here in Tampa, the event was pretty successful in getting the word out. Here’s some coverage from one of the local news outlets.

Now, other cities in the Tampa Bay area are joining in. Check out the (rather lengthy) press release for four other rides scheduled for Sunday, August 15th:

TAMPA, FL (Aug. 9, 2010) — Last week BP finally succeeded in plugging its blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Sealing the well, however, won’t repair the massive environmental damage that has been done to the Gulf, and it won’t solve the other problems related to America’s addiction to oil. To emphasize that fact, and the fact that bicycle commuting has never led — and never will lead — to oil spills that foul our oceans and beaches, local cycling advocates, joined by Tampa BayCycle and SWFBUD (South West Florida Bicycle United Dealers), have declared Sunday, August 15, 2010, “Independence from Oil Day 2.”

Like the first Independence from Oil Day this past 4th of July, the goal is to promote the environmental (and other) benefits of using bicycles for transportation. This one, however, will be much larger, a true Tampa Bay area event, featuring simultaneous rides starting from Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa, USF’s Tampa campus, Coachman Park in Clearwater, and the Pier in St. Petersburg.

All the rides will start at 8 a.m., but participants* should arrive at the starting points no later than 7:45 a.m. Since the theme of the event is “independence from oil,” participants are encouraged to ride their bicycles from home to the starting points. To find more bike-friendly routes, people can use the bicycle directions feature on Google Maps. (See below for specific ride information and links to route maps.)

While the organizers of this event believe strongly in the benefits of bicycle commuting, the recent tragic death of retired admiral LeRoy Collins Jr. is a stark reminder of the risks. Therefore, we have also declared August 15th “Bicyclist Safety Day,” and we call on both local and state governments to make Florida’s roads safer by adding more bike-friendly infrastructure, such as bike lanes, multi-use paths and trails, sharrows, and “share the road” signs.

We also call on the media to help keep pressure on government officials to make our roads safer. And we ask them to help raise public awareness by doing more reporting on the issue of bicyclist safety, rather than just reporting the latest traffic fatality or injury. For instance, they could remind their viewers and readers of the 3-foot passing law and that motorists need to watch out for cyclists and pedestrians before making turns.

Finally, since knowledge is a cyclist’s best protection, the organizers will offer some printed copies of bike safety literature to the participants of each ride. (The supply is limited, however.) We also urge cyclists to make use of bike safety resources on the internet. One of the best is the Florida DOT’s online version of Florida Bicycling Street Smarts. Tampa BayCycle has links to many other resources.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to make the roads totally safe for bicyclists and pedestrians — or for motorists. Accidents will always happen. Our hope, however, is that by working together, government, media, and advocates can help prevent some needless injuries and deaths in the future.

——————————————————————————–
SPECIFIC RIDE INFORMATION

Downtown Tampa Rides. Starting place: Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 600 N. Ashley Dr., 33602. Pace: 12-14 mph.

The shorter ride (route map) will be about 11 miles long and will go down scenic Bayshore Blvd. to Ballast Point Park, then head back to downtown. Contact: Karen Kress, 813-221-3686, KKress@tampasdowntown.com

The longer ride (route map) will be about 24.5 miles long and will also go to Ballast Point Park, then west on Gandy Blvd. and across the Gandy Bridge, turning back after reaching the Pinellas side. Contact: Margaret Shepherd, 813-254-8882, shema711@verizon.net

(Thanks to City Bike Tampa, 212 E. Cass Street, for its generous support in offering to provide some refreshments for the participants of the downtown Tampa rides.)

USF Ride. Starting place: Near the Botanical Gardens, 12210 USF Pine Dr., Tampa, 33620. Pace: 12-14 mph. This ride (route map), led by the USF Bicycle Club, will be about 21.5 miles long and will go to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa, then head back to USF. Contact: Jessica Brenner, jlbrenne@mail.usf.edu

Clearwater Ride. Starting place: Coachman Park, 301 Drew St., 33759. Pace: 10-12 mph. This ride (route map) will be about 18.6 miles long and will go to the Pinellas Trail, head north on the trail to the Honeymoon Island spur trail, west on the spur trail across St. Joseph Sound to the entrance of Honeymoon Island State Park, then head back. Contact: Chip Haynes, 727-464-8200, chaynes@pinellascounty.org

St. Petersburg Ride. Starting place: The Pier, 800 Second Ave. NE, 33701. This ride (route map) will be about 28 miles long and will go up to Gandy Blvd. and head east across the Gandy Bridge, turning back after reaching the Hillsborough side. Contact: Jose Menendez, 813-598-1031, linksmaster@netzero.net

In case of rain in the area on the morning of the 15th, the rides will be rescheduled for a later date.
——————————————————————————–
*All participants in this event assume responsibility for their own actions and safety. By participating, they agree to absolve all organizers and sponsors of the event of all blame and liability for any harm, injury, or loss that may result from participating in the event. All bicyclists must wear a bicycle helmet and ride a bicycle in good operating condition. They are also encouraged to bring spare inner tubes, snacks, and plenty of water.

We’re looking forward to hearing how each of these rides turns out…and I’m praying for better weather than the last time.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Um…remember this bike?

Well, after many delays, some horrible weather and a variety of other half-baked excuses, the review of this cargo-hauling machine is coming very soon…probably early next week. Stay tuned!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of downright wacky stories in the news…a backlash against the growing bicycle “culture” in the U.S.

First, the casino town of Black Hawk, Colorado has banned bicycles from most of its streets despite an outcry from national news organizations and a number of cycling advocacy groups. Next, the town of St. Charles, Missouri proposed a similar ban on its roads. Currently, the St. Charles City Council has tabled the proposal, but will revisit it next week. Not to be outdone, the city of Charleston, South Carolina proposed to ban bicycle parking within its downtown…luckily, this proposal was crushed by a vocal opposition.

And now today I got a number of emailed article links (thanks to Jim and Phil and the five or six others who alerted me to this) concerning some knucklehead named Dan Maes in Colorado who claims that Denver’s mayor is pushing a vast UN-backed bicycle conspiracy upon the city there.

I’m left scratching my head and wondering what the heck is going on? I mean, it’s fairly common knowledge that transportational cycling and pedestrian-friendly streets do wonders for the liveability of an area — helping to reduce traffic congestion, improving the health of residents and eliminating a lot of greenhouse gases from the environment. And I’m the first to admit that bicycle/pedestrian advocates aren’t always that subtle when pitching the benefits…many of us approach the subject with an almost religious fervor that can be off-putting to others. But why do you suppose there is this backlash going on? Any thoughts? We’d love to hear your insights on these developments in the comments area below.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites