Bike Commuters

I just posted a short interview with Acorn Bags on Epicurean Cyclist. If you haven’t heard of Acorn Bags yet, you’re not alone. They’re a small company (two people) that make some great products. They have a small range of lovingly handmade saddle bags and handlebar bags with impeccable quality.

Their bags are great for touring, randonneurs and of course, bike commuting. Simple yet stylish, it will turn your bike from something that says “Fred” to “Fred Astaire” (well…almost).

If you want some bike gear that is not all nylon and techy, check out Acorn.

Click here to read the interview.

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Gordon A. Ridge is our winner for the recent contest we had for the BikeCommuters.com Jersey.

Gordon sent in the correct answer, “Sheldon Brown.” Though Jack’s Idol above SB would be Fausto Coppi, but SB was the answer I was looking for since it was mentioned in an old post that we did.

So pretty soon Gordon will be sporting a sweet jersey like Jack!

Congrats to Gordon!

Just to let you all know, we’re currently working on a 2009 style and a “women’s” jersey! More on that later.

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As some of you already know, Bike Commuting is really…

Due to my job…you guessed it, an IT Guy. I oversee 3 of our offices in Southern California. Each of them are about 40-50 miles away from each other and on any given day, I have to drive to either one of them. So that leaves me having to drive most of the time. But there are days when I can get a ride in and I have to tell you, I LOVE IT!

There’s just something about riding in traffic and being alert and having a sense of euphoria while zipping away from it all. I simply love having to bunny hop over each pot hole, or racing to make a light and even timing myself. I’m convinced that I can make it to my office in the same amount of time as I would if I drove.

I also have that feeling of satisfaction when I roll up to my office. It’s a great feeling that I know almost all commuters feel. Besides, bike commuting just feels soooooooooo good! I feel relaxed and happy!

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If you’re a fan or user of the social-networking “time vacuum” Facebook, you’ll be pleased to note that you can now join the official Bikecommuters.com group there.

Just search under groups for “bikecommuters.com” and we’ll pop up. Come join our small but growing bunch over there!

And, if you have any ideas for content or features you’d like to see on Facebook (topics to discuss, other features), please feel free to comment on the Wall. Hope to see some of you there!

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I updated Epicurean Cyclist with a little video I took from a trip I took to Oregon. Laura and I took the train from Los Angeles to Albany, OR and rode to Corvallis. I had a shoot lined up so I brought my camera gear in backpack. Unfortunately, when we got there it started to rain and my backpack wasn’t really waterproof.

What to do? We pulled into the nearest cafe and I asked for some trash bags to keep my gear dry. You’ll also see me assembling the bike at the train station. The webbing I’m wrapping around the front rack is marine safety net. Strong, yet light. It’s not the prettiest looking stuff but it can hold my gear and even adds a bit of suspension for it.

I guess I would classify this as an extreme commute. The train ride took 28 hours and involved boxing up the cargo bike. We were a little under-prepared weather-wise. No outer shells, just layers of wool.

However, everything turned out fine and in retrospect it was a fine mini-adventure.

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Many areas offer early voting to ease the crush of long lines and even longer traffic jams on Election Day. Last week, early voting began in Hillsborough County, so my wife and I decided to ride downtown to vote at the very best early voting site in the entire county, the Fred B. Karl County Center, home of the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections (among many other county agencies).

I used to work on the 18th floor in this building, and it has some of the best views of Tampa and the waterfront…huge windows all the way around the building mean there’s another spectacular view right around the corner. Voting is on the 16th floor, and while I waited for my wife to finish her ballot, I was able to look out at our neighborhood over 4 miles away…pretty stunning.

So, beat the rush on November 4th — take advantage of early voting if you can; use a bike to get there and you’ll send another message to our elected officials: a bicycle is a legitimate transportation choice for all manner of civic errands!

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With gas prices getting cheaper, it seems more and more people are not as reluctant to fill up their tanks and drive more. My concern would be is that the prices would drop so much, making bike commuting an unpopular alternative.

What’s interesting with what I’m reading on the news. Though prices may be lower, the demand for oil hasn’t risen. Perhaps that is the hope that people are taking to the bike or public transportation and possibly sticking with it.

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Talk about getting scooped — our “blinkie-lighted siblings” (to borrow a phrase from Bike Snob NYC) over at Commute By Bike posted a YouTube video of our own Russ Roca. Russ was featured on the Planet Green TV show “G Word”, and the show did a pretty good job of showcasing the day to day activities of Russ as he pedals around southern California for his photography business. I had caught the show when it broadcast (my wife and I are big fans of the show), but until CbB posted it, I was unaware that there was a Web-based version available.

Check it out:

A special tip of the ol’ “foam chapeau” to Fritz for turning us onto the YouTubed segment from the show.

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Here’s your chance to win your very own Official BikeCommuters.com jersey.

All you have to do is answer this question…

Who is Jack “Ghost Rider” Sweeney’s Bicycle Idol?

Please send in your entries…and you’re only allowed one per person. (Duplicate entries will void your chances.) HERE!

Contest Ends Oct 31st 5pm PST

Good luck!

The size that is available is a LARGE. Please don’t ask if I have any other sizes available for this contest…I can only give away the Large. Thank you.

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On the last installment of Flip that Bike, I showed you a gem of a find, a Puch road bike.

If you remember, this bike was pretty much ready to ride, it had new tires, cables/housing, and brake pads but it had some weird cut job on the handle bars that made it look goofy.

Luckily my only parts investment was to get a new handle bar at the cost of $20. I even reused the old bar tape, which saved me another $15. So here’s the final look of the bike with the new bars.

I just sold this bike last night for $300! My total investment was $95, total profit was $205! Not bad eh. So now I have set aside $100 from this sale, and will be on the look out for another bike I can flip.

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