I owned a car from the time I was 15, in 1985, until December 2, 2006. On that day an SUV driver over-estimated the abilities of his vehicle on a downhill slope during the first snowfall of the year. He ran a stop sign and was headed right for me. I swerved to avoid being t-boned and possibly killed, and ran into a tree instead. The car was totaled. Had I not been on the way to an important doctor’s appointment, I would not have even been on the road. I’m glad to be alive and without serious injury. But so it came to be that I have been “car-free” for just about one year now.
To be fair, I’m really “car-lite” rather than “car-free.” I still rent or borrow cars for long distances or heavy loads, and I’m a member of Community Car. But for trips of less than 5 miles that do not involve moving a drum kit, I typically bike, walk, or take the bus now. more here
“Ghost bikes,” riderless and painted white, were placed at two busy intersections in Portland, Ore., last October, makeshift memorials to two bicyclists killed when they were hit by trucks in accidents that month. more here from the ny times
New Yorkers know there is no better way to ruin your critical mass ride than a Republican National Convention coming to town. We're still feeling the effects of a once largely attended worldwide event, reduced to 50 or so people brave enough to ride bikes in a group and challenge a childish police grudge from 4 years ago. An RNC is a golden opportunity for law enforcement to break out their shiny new 'non-lethal' weaponry they got for Christmas and put your hard earned tax dollars to work. Not to mention treat everyone like terrorists and turn up the Orange levels to maximum.
Since we've ignored the urgent calls for campaign reform, yet again...we've front loaded the primaries and have created such a rush in candidate selection that now only those with top dollars can stay afloat through super Tuesday in the first week of February.
The police activity is also front loaded and the cops in Minneapolis have wasted no time in preparing for the next Republican Convention in September of 2008.
The pattern repeats itself.
Back in August of 2007, Minneapolis' peaceful critical mass ride was...you guessed it...taken over by ANARCHISTS...or so the story goes by the police.
Minneapolis is hosting this years RNC, September 1-4th 2008, and people are already front loading the organizing to give these wealthy, war mongering, corporate welfare receiving, public service destroying delegates a proper HELLO (NOT WELCOME)
Not that any Republican has a chance this time around, but that won't stop Homeland Security form cracking down on our rights of free speech, free assembly and freedom to ride bikes.
Here's a little recap of what went on by Huffington Post writer Peter Smith.
Here's a little video:
Things seemed to have calmed down...since the ANARCHISTS left. Damn those ANARCHISTS, they hate our freedom. There like TERRORISTS only without a "T."
so in September the critical mass seemed to be more peaceful.
This is copied from Nolen. It should be a cool movie. This guy's handlebars are more aero than my bullhorns.
Stearn's Coffee has graciously agreed to show The Flying Scotsman (DVD) Thursday night, at 6:30ish pm. Stearn's Coffee is off Longwood & Whitesburg (southeast corner), more or less behind Steak Out & next door to Magnolia chocolate shop.
* FREE. (But please buy something so we can do this again. I love their Dirty Chai!) * Seating is limited. If you let me know you & yours are definitely coming, then I can cue them in, in advance, on seating & we'll do the best we can (even if we have to tell you to bring your own chair or pillow...). * Movie in the back room.
Here is the official link & a trailer: http://www.mgm.com/sites/theflyingscotsman/
Check out our new tool! A web application that will give you the laws that are applicable to bicycles for your state. You can find our new tool on top of our sidebar or on our Commuter Tools Page.
An important note to our readers: while we at Bikecommuters.com have made every effort to ensure the completeness and applicability of the bicycle-related laws for individual states, the information provided in this ‘State By State Bicycle Laws’ area may not reflect current legal developments or statutory changes in the various jurisdictions and therefore should not be relied upon or interpreted as legal advice. The information provided on this public web site is provided solely for the general reference of the visitors to this web site. We suggest that you seek proper legal counsel if you have additional questions about the material presented here.
47G648A red/maroon 90s Ford Explorer trailer hitch/ball/whatever
If you see this vehicle with that tag number of a similar one, please take note. I was harassed by 2 female occupants today, and I would like to file a police report, especially if they bother someone else. Or just go ahead and kill them if you want.
January 03, 2008 It appears last year's rash of bicycle bank robberies may have drawn to a close.
Roswell police announced Jan. 3 they had Carlos H. Arango-Mejia, 47, in custody at the Roswell Detention Center. He is being held without bond.
Arango-Mejia currently stands accused of two counts of bank robbery, both at the Bank of America on Alpharetta Highway in Roswell March 8 and July 25.
More charges are likely against the suspect accused of using costumes and bicycles to rob various banks from March until Dec. 26.
The FBI and various police agencies in Georgia and South Carolina believe Arango-Mejia is responsible for at least nine other robberies throughout North Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and Forsyth counties and Greer, S.C. more here
By David Lazenby The Cullman Times State Troopers say injuries sustained by a 6-year-old Cullman County boy were caused when he lost control of his bike during an attempt to avoid the vehicle that struck it.
Bicyclist Isaac Ludwig turned onto County Road 496 from County Road 498 when the accident occurred. He was transported to an area hospital Monday at the insistence of Cullman Police Capt. Hughel Sanford, the driver of the Chevrolet Blazer that ran over Isaac’s bike.
The extent of Isaac’s injuries were not known at press time. read more here
Food Not Bombs is getting started in Huntsville. There is a coordination meeting on January 5 at 4pm on the loading dock of Lowe Mill. Hopefully we can use bikes to get the food. www.myspace.com/fnbhuntsville
Obviously lots of bad ideas get floated publicly and go nowhere, so I'm not going to be turning pedals in anger on the trainer tonight. Not yet. But if either Seattle or Washington decides to start requiring bike licenses, on the phony premise that cyclists devour public resources and need taxing, my response won't be merely blogging aimlessly about it. I may have to get politically active.
Seriously, does anyone think my riding to work, instead of driving some smelly car that grinds away at the road surface and contributes to gridlock, actually costs the city money? And do people really think that painting little biker-guy stick-figure symbols on the road is what's blowing a hole in the state budget?
Also, if you're ignorant enough to believe such things, why stop at bikes? Why not go after those evil pedestrians? Sidewalks cost infinitely more than the bike lanes that don't even really exist. Worse, sidewalks have the gall to exclude cars, in turn narrowing the road! So pedestrians not only devour space that God reserved for His chosen motorized transportation method, but when you feel justifiably angered and moved to take matters into your own hands, you can't even splatter one of those selfish sidewalk-dwelling pedestrians without ruining a wheel or two. Is this fair?
OK, I broke my promise from back in the first sentence. But seriously, I feel like I understand car people pretty well, so why is it that they don't seem to know the first thing about bikes?
On the flip: Want some numbers? [If you dare...]
Car people are apparently angry about spending $240 million (proposed) on a network of bike lanes around Seattle. Here are a few other statistics, from the state and federal highway agencies' websites, to chew on when contemplating arguments about costs.
So far this year, there have been 432 deaths in Washington State caused by cars; recent annual averages are about 550 or so. Of those 432 people lost, 12 were on bikes, 315 were in a car, and the rest were bystanders of one kind or another. Roughly 10-15% of fatalities and accidents in Washington happen in King County. The most recent economic impact of car crashes was that, in 2000, motor vehicle accidents cost the state's economy $5.3 billion. A conservative estimate, then, is that in that year alone the cost to King County was $530 million. Some points about economic effects: 1. This is a single year, not 30 years or whatever the lifespan of the bike plan is. 2. These are 2000 dollars; that number is surely up in 2007. 3. Not sure how this estimate is made; does it include hidden costs? Such as increased insurance premiums? Did everyone who took out a guardrail pay the state back for the damage? etc. 4. These are just the costs of reported accidents; what are the costs of unreported accidents? of congestion? of parking lots? road repairs? road signs? man-hours devoted to maintaining the road network? environmental costs of the network being there? How much was spent cleaning up spills from leaky gas pumps and carelessness around the refineries in Anacortes? I could go on and on and on... 5. Conclusion: society pays madly unquantifiable amounts of money for the sake of cars. Way more than any number you can find on the books. And that's before the onset of global warming, which is predicted to upset the economy of the entire world. So cars are only a part of the problem, and King County is only a part of the car universe, and bikes are only a part of the solution in King County... but is that $240 million looking pretty small yet? Small enough to make people here consider being part of the solution for once?
Steve Buchtel knows you can't turn around a culture of car dependency overnight. That's particularly true in Chicago's ever-growing suburbs to the west and south where bus and train schedules are erratic and well-defined bicycle routes scarce.
So when Buchtel's hometown of Homewood recently landed a $114,000 federal grant to improve its bicycling amenities, there was no shortage of ideas on how to spend the money. The plan is to buy 100 parking racks, install signs along bike routes, paint new bike lanes on major roads and produce a villagewide map of connecting routes to show cyclists the best ways to get from here to there.
These might seem like small changes in the village of nearly 20,000 in southern Cook County. But for cycling enthusiasts such as Buchtel, they are steps toward solving a big problem in the suburbs: Residents are more likely to hop in their cars and not on their bikes for even the quickest errands.
The glut of traffic clogs roads through quaint downtown centers and jams parking spaces at the neighborhood supermarket. It creates long lines at the gas pump and in front of schools. While traffic hassles are not unique to the suburbs, they are exacerbated in sprawling bedroom communities that are not designed for pedestrians and have limited public transportation options.
"In Chicago, public transit can get you pretty much anywhere anytime. In the suburbs, it can take you some places some of the time," said Buchtel, a lifelong cyclist and project coordinator for the non-profit Chicagoland Bicycling Federation. "Bikes can help fill that void."
Slowly, small towns growing in the shadow of Chicago are getting the message. Like Homewood, communities such as Oak Park and Hinsdale have crafted comprehensive bicycling plans to improve safety, upgrade bike routes, establish new ones and drum up interest in two-wheel travel.
Blue Island held its first pro-am bike race in July to promote the sport and has since installed 30 parking racks downtown. Palos Heights held a Shop by Bike promotion last summer and invested in more parking racks downtown.
"There's kind of a perfect storm right now of traffic concerns, climate concerns and health concerns that has kind of rekindled interest in cycling," Buchtel said. "The suburbs largely grew up and developed without regard to these things and have fewer tools to combat them than the city does. So it's vital that communities that do change show others how it can be done."
In 2006, Chicago unveiled an ambitious plan to complete a sprawling network of 500 miles of bike routes on-road and off by 2015. Work is also under way on the $20 million Calumet-Sag Trail that will ultimately connect five regional trails and stretch for more than 150 miles through forest preserves and along the Calumet-Sag Channel.
Many see the suburbs as the next frontier.
"It's not about forcing people to change their behavior and give up their cars," said Tim Gustafson, a transportation planner with T.Y. Lin of Chicago, which has worked on bicycle projects in Hinsdale, Naperville and Evanston. "This is about giving people another choice."
It's possible because there is more state and federal funding available for alternative transportation projects, Gustafson said. Homewood, which launched its bicycling project more than a year ago, will pay less than a quarter of the cost, or about $30,000, for its improvements, said Village Manager Mark Franz. The remainder of the bill will be covered by the $114,000 grant from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"We don't have grandiose plans that these will change overnight," Franz said. "These are baby steps on a long road to get people to understand you don't need to take your car everywhere. We'd like to think that attitude will be the wave of the future."
Buchtel knows this "bicycle movement," as he calls it, will take time. But as more people leave the comforts and convenience of the city for more space in the suburbs, he is hopeful a few will look to retain their independence from cars.
"As I look at the region, there are so many towns that are just a plan away from being bicycle-friendly," Buchtel said. "That's where we have to start."
Check out this awesome nighttime video of Dekochari — Japanese art bikes (Deko = decorated, chari = slang for bicycle). The bikes are ‘dressed up’ to resemble Dekotora, highly stylized trucks popular in Japan in the mid 1970s. Loaded down with flashing lights, boxes, mirrors, cup holders, hi-fi systems, everything — these bikes (and their bigger truckier cousins) are particularly impressive at night. There are several active dekochari fleets in Japan to this day.
This is another great example of bike culture evolving from established trends in the existing culture, promulgated by youth. (Yes, that’s a double word score if you’re keeping track).
Unable to drive the giant chrome-plated flashing trucks they coveted, children instead built plywood boxes around their bikes and attached chrome plating and lights. Almost all current Dekochari’s have elaborate light displays and many include hi-fi audio systems and cup-holders.
The Dekotora were popularized by the Torrakku Yaro (trucker) movies of Norifumi Suzuki starting in 1975. A great set of galleries from Japan here (most links are below “2006’N — explore a little, it’s worth it.). Night time galleries from Pink Tentacle are here.
The Dekochari are often difficult to recognize (big gallery at that link) as bikes in photos due to the huge amount of decoration. I can only imagine that these beasties are mostly popular in the flatter regions of the island nation.
A new world record in human powered computing has been set by MIT students who used bikes to power one of the institute’s supercomputers for 20 minutes. As part of the Innovate or Die pedal-powered machine contest a nuclear fusion reaction was modeled by the sweat of the students’ brows.
Two things happened to me over this weekend before Christmas that jarred me a little. One was when an old friend said I sounded crazy, and the second was when I read the galley proof of Dmitry Orlov's forthcoming book, Reinventing Collapse (New Society Press, Spring 2008). read more here
The administration crows that the economy grew—by some 16 percent—during its first six years, but the growth helped mainly people who had no need of any help, and failed to help those who need plenty. A rising tide lifted all yachts. Inequality is now widening in America, and at a rate not seen in three-quarters of a century. A young male in his 30s today has an income, adjusted for inflation, that is 12 percent less than what his father was making 30 years ago. Some 5.3 million more Americans are living in poverty now than were living in poverty when Bush became president. America’s class structure may not have arrived there yet, but it’s heading in the direction of Brazil’s and Mexico’s.
Yeah, you read that right. Mexico and Brazil. Read the whole article, it’s worth it. Some finer points are the author points out that Clinton didn’t do everything he could have due to being fixated on eliminating the national debt and how Bush was in the position to reenforce out infratstructure to help prevent the recession we are heading invariably towards. (New Orleans levees anyone? Bridges that need repair or replacement? Anyone???)
Today, my friends, is a big day it is the day the best DJ on the planet, our very own Ted, reveals his picks for the best songs of 2007. Yes, were talking the CMJ award winning Ted. Yes, were talking the best IndieRockNoisePop of 2007. Yes, I am home and able to tune in to the whole extravaganza!
The countdown from #50 starts at 10 a.m. Pacific time (do the math for Eastern etc.) and the #1 BAGeL approved song should be revealed around 1:45 p.m.. Afterwards starts the honorary mention hour, and then the Best Bay Area songs follow right after. My ears can't wait.
And, remember, if you miss anything Ted will be posting his "best of" lists tomorrow.
Enjoy and happy Friday, everyone.
Oh and Ted rides too.
Sing more, because if George Bush listened to BAGeL Radio the world would be a much better place.
BUFORD - The FBI believes a bank robber known as the "Bicycle Bandit" has struck again--this time in Buford.
Special Agent Stephen Emmett says the man robbed the BB&T Bank on Buford Drive Thursday morning and left behind a bicycle nearby.
"That indicates to us that this is most likely the 'Bicycle Bandit' known as an individual responsible for an upwards of nine bank robberies," said Emmett.
He described the man as a white male, in his late 30s to early 40s, wearing a gray sweatshirt that had “Carolina” printed across the front, and a blue baseball cap with a white logo on the front.
Emmett said the "Bicycle Bandit" has also robbed banks in Alpharetta, Roswell, and Cumming.
Okay marshmallows and sheepmolesters, There is a place on the parkway we need to play polo/hang out and be manly or girly with our bikes.
The old north end of the parkway has a 200' stretch of fairly decent pavement that is 2 lanes wide with ditches or barricades on either side. Lets seriously try to play polo before x-mas on this pavement.
So if you are interested post a comment and lets do it, if not go back to surfing the internet for advanced games of sudoku.
lets try to get together.please, i beg you. i will pay you to play. God i love the game. If polo was a body organ, I'd exchange it for my beating heart.
The FCC approved new rules that will lead to further media consolidation across America. As if Rupert Murdoch's empire isn't big and poisonous enough. The new rules will further consolidate local media markets -- taking away independent voices and programming in places already short on local news and investigative journalism.
Congress can overturn these rules, but only will do so if We The People demand it. If 100,000 people sign a petition saying no to further media consolidation, Congress will have to listen. Sign the open letter to Congress urging them to stop the FCC and stand with the public interest.
Here's how to make DC Bicycle pedal power generators from the folks as Science Shareware -
Here you can learn to create your own green power electricity using a pedal power bicycle generator. We setup the 24 bicycle power generators at the 2007 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, 60,000 people a day for 3 days in the desert - Indio California. The bike generators were used for charging cell phones. DC Bicycle pedal power generator - Link.
girls and boys there will be a winter solstice with a spot of good cheer. oh and love peace and all that crap. wow I feel like I ate a box of refined sugar and now I want to vomit.
forget all that hippie dippie crap and come out weds. am for shots of espresso @ sterns then once we reach caffeinated nirvana or the shakes, we RIDE.
Now here's a shot that really hammers home a Copenhagen Yule moment. Dad transporting the family tree in his Danish cargo bike - in this case a Christiania Bike - on a lovely, wide bike lane.
The Danish [and Swedish and Norwegian] word for Christmas is 'jul' which morphed into 'yule', etymologically speaking, in English. It's the name of the original winter solstice festival that had existed for centuries before the Catholic church moved Jesus' birthday to Decemeber in order to trump the celebrations of other cultures and faiths.
Ironically, the word for wheel is 'hjul', pronounced just like 'jul' - both of which are pronounced much like 'yule'. [Are you really still reading this?! :-)]
So it is only appropriate that we wish our readers 'Glædelig [H]jul'! - meaning all at once, Happy Christmas and Happy Wheel. :-)
The dad in the photo above was followed by his two kids and wife - a happy family heading home to decorate the tree:
If you shop at walmart which I can not understand why you would, think about this from adbusters.
Annie Wells / L.A. Times
Wal-Mart fired my mom because of her bad hip. At least, that’s what she believes. Originally hired for desk work, she was eventually asked to perform duties that involved walking the sales floor most of the day. Management did not appreciate her reluctance. Then, after several long weeks of recovery from hip-replacement surgery, she returned to the store only to be told that her position had evaporated.
So these days, my mom hates Wal-Mart. It wasn’t always this way. Years back, she fell in love with their prices, their smiling greeters, and their homey, family-friendly image. When she learned that a massive Wal-Mart was coming to town, she immediately rushed out to apply for a job; within a week of the store opening, the grandkids could already sing the company song.
Before long, however, her love affair showed signs of faltering. Brought up frugal, Mom watched with disgust as hundreds of mildly-damaged items were crushed to bits in the store’s industrial compactor. She bristled at the constant employee surveillance in the name of theft prevention. After several competent, agreeable co-workers were let go for insufficient smiling, even the daily team-building exercises that she initially enjoyed took on a threatening quality. She knew they were being strong-armed. She didn’t feel much like a valued associate, and certainly not part of any family.
Soon after her dismissal, I returned from a year living in the UK to find my hometown dramatically yet predictably gutted. My mom was left with one last bitter pill to swallow: although she had sworn off Wal-Mart, there was scarcely anywhere left for her to go. How many more ruined small businesses and barren Main Streets before the bloom comes off of Wal-Mart’s family-friendly rose? How much union busting and employee intimidation before repeating “Our People Make the Difference” is no longer enough? If the currently panicked pace of Wal-Mart’s corporate spin is any indication, we’re fast approaching that watershed.
The fact is, Wal-Mart has always had its opponents – activists who resent the ecological consequences of big-box retail, labor organizations critical of the company’s dubious manufacturing practices, and tight-knit (usually well-to-do) communities that fear for their small businesses. But these were never Wal-Mart’s people. My mom, on the other hand, definitely was, and she’s joined a growing constituency that has seen some very ugly guts through all of Wal-Mart’s folksy window dressing.
NUSA DUA, Indonesia — The world’s faltering effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions got a new lease on life on Saturday, as delegates from 187 countries agreed to negotiate a new accord over the next two years — pushing the crucial debates about United States participation into the administration of a new American president.
Leaving at 2:30 pm from the front entrance of Huntsville Middle School on Adams Street (near/behind the Woman's & Children's hospital). Lowe & Adams in the nearest cross street, school is south of intersection.
Cruise the downtown, historic areas & around the Thrasher Fountain at Big Springs Park for a hour or so, then off for malts or to a nearby coffee shop. Sometime we break-up there or sometimes continue onward-- it's a do as you like option.
An effort to give bike commuters the same tax benefits as transit users and car drivers — which was introduced to Congress by Earl Blumenauer last March and passed a House vote last week — has been stripped out of the Energy Bill by the Senate.
Along with removing Blumenauer’s effort to close the “Hummer tax loophole” (which sought to end the additional tax incentive for business purchases of luxury SUVs weighing over 6,000 lbs), the Senate removed the part of the bill that would have expanded the existing transportation fringe benefit to include bike commuters.
The bike commuter provision was based on The Bike Commuter Act and would have given a benefit of $20 per month to employees who biked to work “for the purchase, storage, or repair” of their bicycles.
Meeky Blizzard, who works in Blumenauer’s Portland office told me today that, “The House Leadership is committed to bringing the tax portions of the bill back in another form early next year, and I’m sure Earl will be working to make sure that the bike commute benefit is in there.”
The bill will now go back to the House for approval (Blizzard says it will pass as-is) and the White House is expected to sign the bill into law.
Here’s a little bonus audio from Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) taking a pot-shot at the bike commuter provision of the “Pork laden” Energy Bill. (I recorded this from a YouTube video of comments he made on the House Floor on December 6th.)
We gather that in Denmark bike snobbery is sort of the mirror opposite of American bike snobbery. Fine bikes are looked down on as extravagant and unnecessary. Chainguards are celebrated with open admiration. Lycra and spandex are strictly reserved for Cirque du Soleil. Fixies are pretentious, unnecessary, dangerous, and an affront to the social order. And helmets are for the dim-witted and softheaded.
Yes, it's probably true that Americans are too concerned about our gear. Being a culture of conspicuous consumerism, it is our general MO to find the best tool for the job, buy it, and then occasionally use it the wrong way, and more than likely replace it as soon as a better and shinier one is dangled in front of our noses.
This is not something to be particularly proud of, but there it is.
My personal philosophy is ride whatever and however you like. Whatever bakes your brownie, as they say. I should buy a boatload of cheap, crappy Danish-tailored suits that I can ride in to work, so that when the ass is blown out of them after the first week, I can throw on a new one.
And the day they invent a chainguard that doesn't rattle until my fillings fall out of my head, hey, sign me up.
But lookit: nothing will ever get between me and my top-secret cycling-specific underpants -- not you, not my wife, and certainly not a self-righteous and oversexed Danish bike commuter.
Peace Transit Energy, War & Global Climate Change Baton Location: Duck River TN - mile marker 403 on the Natchez Trace Next stop: TN/AL line - you can join the team of cyclists taking the baton to Alabama (and beyond) http://www.bikedepot.org/PeaceTransit/
Seems like the people over at SCCCCCCCCC could learn a bit from this. If Nolen were allowed to speak:) Go get em Nolen!
Bike activists plan to rally on the steps of City Hall at 1 p.m. today to protest what they view as official foot-dragging in completing a court-ordered environmental review of the city's bicycle plan.
Until the review is done, the city cannot enact the plan. That means, for the time being, there will be no new bike lanes or new bike racks on public property. The long-planned pilot project to allow two-wheelers on the Muni streetcars also is on hold.
The projects were frozen in 2006, when a Superior Court judge, responding to a citizen's lawsuit, granted an injunction against implementation of the San Francisco Bicycle Plan until the effects of the proposed projects are more thoroughly scrutinized.
The study originally was anticipated to have been wrapped up next year, but now may not be done until 2009.
"The delay in action on the bicycle plan is unacceptable for a city that calls itself a green leader. ... We urge the mayor and city leaders to commit every available resource toward getting this bike plan on track," said Leah Shahum, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, who also serves as an appointee of Mayor Gavin Newsom on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors.
A spokesman for Newsom said the administration also is eager to see the environmental review wrapped up, but noted that the court-stipulated analysis takes time.
The FBI are reportedly on the trail of a serial bank robber who makes his getaway on a bicycle. They claim that the man, who changes his appearance, has so far robbed nine banks across Atlanta. The bicycle bandit never uses a gun but passes a note to tellers demanding cash before escaping on his bike. More
Bike polo is only the most awesome sport ever. This week we are going to play a real game, we just have to decide on a day.
The "hardcore awesome cyclists all-american elitist destroyers club" have convened over the matter and decided that bike polo is better than sex on shag carpeting, therefore it is law, sorta like circumcision.
So come play polo and receive the following:
Scars Broken ball sack and bleeding testes Swollen labia blisters on your hands gravel in your shoes broken toenails beer-sweat nipple pasties skid marks in your underpants
but most of all the boos of confidence that comes with playing the greatest sport all of creation and beyond (that means bike polo cannot be overruled by any future thought, idea or act of divine creation)
Bike polo is greater that the sun...in fact if the sun burnt up bike polo would replace to visible light spectrum.
So I think I (jim spagg) can do it Friday night, would be nice it that was the final destination of the ride! Besides I'm busy with work and school until then..oh yeah i'm also bust misspelling words and misusing the English language.
Until then, be nice to each other because we all need a little love.
CHUNK 666's very own Big Bear has been moonlighting on the Team Beer cyclocross squad for over a year now, always, 'course, on a muhfuggin CHUNK bike. He has built several cross-choppers in this time, the weekly races exerting an almost tidal pull on his creative faculties, like the urge to migrate in whales, or the super strength bestowed on oneself by PCP.
B. built the cross bike and aerodynamic helmet featured above from absolute scratch less than 24 hours before his race - it was oh so many small pieces at 3:00 pm on Saturday and the next thing you knew Big B. was riding to a house party later that night. It purportedly possessed the quietest, straightest drive chain ever to roll off the CHUNK 666 factory floor, in spite of its seat and chain stays which approached a mind-blowing 3 feet long.
And then the Bear RACED it. And then he raced it AGAIN! He was hauling! It was INSANE. Totally and utterly insane. But then again, Big Bear can ride anything, so he rides everything.
so some one had the bright idea of having a alley cat today. I guess it is at 3pm @ house of brews. unless you all want to postpone it till next weekend when we can plan it.
There is also going to be bike polo afterwards.
Leave it in the comments if this is going to happen or you all want to postpone it.
Also tonight is the Posey Peep Show @ Lowe Mill 7pm see you there.
Today will be filled with kisses blown to you by motorists.
Today will be filled with complemlemets on how sexy you are on your bike
Today will be overflowing with love from engineers who marvel at the spectacle that is your Bianchi
You will be personally visited by Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Krsna, Mother Teresa, Gandhi all at the same time, and Alla will bring the 10,000 virgins with him just as and added bonus, why, because they all love you Tyler, thats right, they came to your rescue that one balmy night as you lied on the concrete in front of habitat.
Has your lockring ever come loose? Do you want to make sure it doesn't? Has it been a couple of weeks since you tightened it or you just want to make sure it's tight? I recently got some Hozan lockring pliers:
I had my lockring about as tight as it would get with the Park wrench, but the Hozan pliers offered about another 1/6 to 1/5 of a turn. I will hopefully bring it on the next Critical Mass. I will be in New Hope this weekend and hopefully in town after that if you want to borrow it.
As we previously reported, the Scottish man who was caught trying to have sex with his bicycle in a hotel room has been sentenced to three years on probation.
Robert Stewart, 51, admitted a "sexually aggravated breach of the peace" by doing the business with his bike.
Stewart is now on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
Mr Stewart was caught in the act with his bicycle by cleaners in his bedroom at the Aberley House Hostel in Ayr.
Gail Davidson, prosecuting, told Ayr Sheriff Court: "They knocked on the door several times and there was no reply.
"They used a master key to unlock the door and they then observed the accused wearing only a white t-shirt, naked from the waist down.
"The accused was holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex."
Both cleaners, who were "extremely shocked", told the hostel manager who called police.
Sheriff Colin Miller told Stewart: "In almost four decades in the law I thought I had come across every perversion known to mankind, but this is a new one on me. I have never heard of a 'cycle-sexualist'."
Here's the best one, it kinda gets us all in except the pedicab person and the guy with the kid on the tandem. just click on the strange white bar...im no compu-geek sorry.
So, this next alley cat is in Dustin and Tyler's hands so it was last said. Is this true?
Also Vic and I want to do bike polo afterward as well.
Sunday at 2 sound good...or at 3?
This Wednesday and Saturday are bike fixin' at the co-op FYI. Starts at 6 PM. Last week there were 6 people who showed up...2 kids, an engineer, Duane, and this amazing homeless guy Robbie, who fixed more bikes that anyone, using his own tools none the less. The guy loves bikes and rides a GT, so he aint foolin'.
The place is spotless and is getting cleaner, so for the tall bike builders and small bike builders, I'm giving away frames, my old parts bikes are going bye bye, so come Saturday to take some off my hands if you want.
I'm going to try to get some parade pictures and post them on here!
Big Thanks to Todd and Dustin for all the Help we like to call it a Schwek built from my old mountain bike and a bike sara left here when she moved out it will be there Friday night
Each year the bicyclists in town have formed a "float" of bikes in the annual Christmas Parade.
All bikes are invited!! Come show Huntsville THIS SATURDAY how great bikes are!
Dress up in red and green, bells and antlers, or whatever!
All: I've signed us up for the Channel 31 Parade happening this Saturday, (meet at 11 AM, at Lot K on Clinton avenue across from the Post Office downtown). I've been to the Safety meeting, and got that box checked.
Balloon Tire Society is a fun bike ride club for fat tire enthusiast, who like to ride for pleasure.People who want to rebuild and restore antique bikes.Ride them with friends and meet new people.Come show your bikes,join rides in your neighborhood.
If you were actually wanting to go on a recreational ride in this weather, nobody else was :-P The vintage/cruiser ride scheduled for this afternoon has been postponed.
BUY NOTHING DAY IS HERE – NO PURCHASE NECESSARY (November 23 in the USA and Canada, November 24 internationally)
STOP SHOPPING TO GO GREEN: This November, environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in as many as 65 countries will hit the streets for a 24-hour consumer fast in celebration of the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day, a global cultural phenomenon that originated in Vancouver, Canada.
Featured in recent years by the likes of CNN, MSNBC, Wired, the BBC, USA Today, The Age and the CBC, the international event has been gaining mainstream momentum as the climate crisis drives average people to seek out greener alternatives to unrestrained consumption.
Timed to coincide with one of the busiest shopping days on the US retail calendar, as well as the unofficial start of the international holiday-shopping season, Buy Nothing Day has taken many shapes, from relaxed family outings, to free, non-commercial street parties, to politically charged public protests. Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending.
In past years, street activists have proven particularly imaginative in their celebrations, bringing zombie marches, credit-card cut-ups, and shopaholic clinics to malls and public squares in an effort to expose the environmental and social consequences of First World over-consumption.
Kalle Lasn is the co-founder of the Adbusters Media Foundation, the organization responsible for launching Buy Nothing Day as a yearly, global event. He explains that while most participants used to see the day simply as an escape from the marketing mind games and frantic consumerism that have come to characterize modern life, the focus has since shifted in light of the new political mood surrounding climate change.
“So much emphasis,” he notes, “has been placed on buying carbon offsets and compact fluorescent lightbulbs and hybrid cars that we are losing sight of the core cause of our environmental problems: we consume far too much.”
“Buy Nothing Day isn't just about changing your routine for one day. It’s about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. With over six billion people on the planet, it is the responsibility of the most affluent – the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the world’s resources – to set out on a new path.”
For more information and media interviews contact:
MEDIA LIASON: Lauren Bercovitz TELEPHONE NUMBER: 604-736-9401 EMAIL: lauren@adbusters.org
Editor’s Notes:
[1] For more information on Adbusters and Buy Nothing Day, visit Adbusters.org.
[2] Buy Nothing Day facts: * The first BND was launched by Adbusters in Vancouver in September 1992, based on an idea by artist Ted Dave, as a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption. * In 1997, it was moved to the Friday after American Thanksgiving – “Black Friday” – which is the one of the nation’s busiest shopping days. Outside of North America, BND is usually celebrated on the following Saturday. * Despite controversies, Adbusters managed to advertise BND on CNN, but many other major TV networks have declined to air the commercials. * Though the decentralized nature of the event makes it difficult to pin down participation numbers, thousands of activists have held public events in over 65 nations, including most US states, Canada, the UK, Israel, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Norway and India.
[3] Shopping and consumption facts: * Per capita consumption in the U.S. has risen 45 per cent in the last 20 years. * Although people today are, on average, four-and-a-half times richer than our great-grandparents were at the turn of the century, Americans report feeling “significantly less well off” than in 1958. * A recent article in New Scientist featured research suggesting that the more consumer goods you have the more you think you need to make you happy. Happiness through consumption is always out of reach (New Scientist, 4th October 2003, Vol.180, Issue 2415, p44. Available online after registering at www.newscientist.co.uk).
Sunday, November 18, 2007 By BRIAN TOONE For The Times
Rising gas prices are pushing people to look for alternative means of transportation. I believe more people will consider running errands and commuting to work by bicycle as a means to offset rising fuel costs.
Combined with the continued popularity of recreational cycling, the influx of bicycle commuters will mean more and more people riding their bicycles on Alabama roadways. Because secondary roads in Alabama frequently lack shoulders and rarely have dedicated bike lanes, cyclists and motorists must share the same road.
The Huntsville Times should be applauded for noticing this situation and publishing articles that promote the discussion of the relationship between cyclists and motorists. However, the recent commentary by columnist Ricky Thomason "Free-wheeling cyclists must obey the rules of the road" conveys a different message.
Duane, who has a shop up at lowe mill generously helped me last night at LifeCycles. in the process we got a little crazy and tested the waters on how small of wheels we could get on a full size frame. This with a little work today is what we came up with. People loved it! Yes those are handlebars for a seat post. I'm getting my acetylene filled soon so i can weld on some "wings".
Liz from Minneapolis is going to be in town for xmas and wants to ride with us and needs a bike. can someone help her out? below is her bike from home.
Xerocracy (pronounced zee-ROK-ruh-see, in IPA [ziˈɹokɹɘsiː]) is the idea of "rule through photocopying". It is a form of anarchic organization.
The word was coined to describe the organizational principle of Critical Mass, and it is used almost exclusively within that context. The word is intended to combine the ideas of freedom from bureaucracy and freedom to photocopy. Unlike a hierarchical organization, nobody is in charge structurally because everyone is free to make photocopies of their ideas and pass them around.
In such a system, the power to rule defaults to those who have chosen to photocopy their ideas. This power is proportionate to the number of individuals who receive the originator's photocopy and choose it over any other photocopies that they may have received.
The goals of a xerocratic group are not set by a few individuals in charge but are broadly defined by its members. Each person in the group is free to invent his or her own reasons for participating and is free to share those reasons with others. The degree to which an individual's ideas are shared by the group as a whole is dependent on the number of copies of the idea that are distributed, the effectiveness of the distribution of the copies, and the adoption of the ideas contained therein - either over or in addition to other ideas being distributed within the group.
The lack of an identifiable leadership may be itself a desirable trait for an organization. The ability to make anonymous, clandestine photocopies also makes it difficult for law enforcement to identify and punish organizers, since the "leadership" may be hard to trace and may change over time.
How much space is dedicated to cars? Parking, highways, city streets, junk yards, garages. How many cars only have one person in them? What is more dangerous, a car or a bike? This video shows how Berkeley calmed traffic and made itself a bike friendly city. I have ridden in Berkeley and it is great. You can get everywhere you need to on a bike without feeling like you are in danger. Hopefully, other cities will learn from this video and start making themselves more bike friendly.
There used to be one way to get through the maniacal rash consumerism of the holiday season...Santacon. Now we may have another visual aid, no its not Fred Claus (possibly the worst Holiday movie ever)
Its, "what would Jesus buy", the new documentary by filmmaker Rob Van Alkemade and produced by Morgan Spurlock.
Its about Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping choir as they travel the country enlighting people of the empending "shopocalypse!" See the trailer here.
The movie talks about the environmental devastation from Holiday Waste. Did you know…
• From Thanksgiving to New Years Day, household waste increases by more than 25%.
• The amount of cards sold during the holiday season requires the harvesting of nearly 300,000 trees.
• 38,000 miles of ribbon is thrown out each year, enough to tie a bow around the Earth.
This Friday, the film opens in NYC at Cinema Village.
They purposely hold these meetings on the QT, with an itty bitty ad in the public notices section of the paper. Who ever looks at that?
They haven’t written the updated plan yet. They may take our input if enough people provide feedback.
PLEASE don’t give up now.
That’s what they’re counting on.
What we need is a few folks to go to the website and send comments into Mr. Doolin. Copy your state representatives, mayor, the local paper, county commissioner, and planners.
Look through the 2000 plan and suggest policy about non-motorized transportation to encourage, enable and make safer biking and walking as transportation.
come fix bikes with me this weekend! I will be hangin' at manna house from 3pm to 6pm fixing bikes for xmas. Join me, and assume the position. If anyone comes this time we will figure out food maybe...
knock on the back door or call me, jim, thats jim spagnola at 256-348-5189
With oil prices approaching the symbolic threshold of $100 a barrel, the world is headed toward its third energy shock in a generation. But today’s surge is fundamentally different from the previous oil crises, with broad and longer-lasting global implications.
Traders at the New York Mercantile Exchange Thursday, where the price for a barrel of crude oil settled at $95.46.
Just as in the energy crises of the 1970s and ’80s, today’s high prices are causing anxiety and pain for consumers, and igniting wider fears about the impact on the economy.
Unlike past oil shocks, which were caused by sudden interruptions in exports from the Middle East, this time prices have been rising steadily as demand for gasoline grows in developed countries, as hundreds of millions of Chinese and Indians climb out of poverty and as other developing economies grow at a sizzling pace.
“This is the world’s first demand-led energy shock,” said Lawrence Goldstein, an economist at the Energy Policy Research Foundation of Washington.
Keep hearing how "HIGH TECH" it is here and there are more engineers than blah... blah... blah... wouldn't it be nice if they took a day off from making bombs and made something useful?
This November, environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in as many as 65 countries will hit the streets for a 24-hour consumer fast in celebration of the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day, a global cultural phenomenon that originated in Vancouver, Canada.
You can celebrate this “you weren’t born to shop” event in Seattle, on bikes of all types, by joining the Cargo BIke Ride on the 23rd at noon.
Rachel Williams Monday November 5, 2007 The Guardian
Bike polo in Brick Lane.
Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi
The pre-polo social scene on Brick Lane is not one the regulars at Cowdray Park would recognise. There are no designer frocks or upturned Ralph Lauren collars, and the scruffily hip spectators choose cans of lager over champagne and Pimms. Yet urban bike polo, which has sprung up in cities around the UK, has an unexpected heritage to rival that of its equestrian cousin.
Inspired by street players in New York, the new breed of enthusiasts are reinventing a sport that - despite its inclusion at the London Olympics in 1908 and the hundreds of teams that existed in its heyday in the 1930s - is largely forgotten in Britain. Six months after four friends got together at a basketball court in east London, dozens of would-be players frequently now turn up on Sunday afternoons.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Susan Peithman did not have a job lined up when she moved here in September to pursue a career in “nonmotorized transportation.” No worries, she figured; the market here is strong.
“In so many ways, it’s the center,” Ms. Peithman, 26, explained. “Bike City, U.S.A.”
Cyclists have long revered Portland for its bicycle-friendly culture and infrastructure, including the network of bike lanes that the city began planning in the early 1970s. Now, riders are helping the city build a cycling economy.
From BikeHugger Mark built up the Modal in Single Speed Mode this week. There are lots of bike geek details to share and I’ll cover what I can and add a travel report from Texas this weekend.
One of Davidson’s specialities is S&S Coupling travel bikes and Mark has traveled with them more than 30 times, all over the world, in various configurations. From Mark’s experience, Davidson’s direction, and creative input from me, we began working the Modal Concept in May of this year. The Modal is a travel bike that folds and toggles between single, fixed, and geared modes.
The concept isn’t presenting anything particularly new, but gathers various parts and ideas into a unique bike that I can travel with and ride in a city or a long tour. The bike switches modes with Paragon dropouts, a second set of bars, and cable split-stops. Hinge v. Couplings
As our readers know, we’re into folding bikes and Dahons. The Modal is a different bike for a different purpose. I’m using it for longer rides and trips when I want a full road bike. For business trips and urban mobility, the Dahons are outstanding.
There are tradeoffs. Where the Dahon is heavier than the Modal, the Modal case is heavier and travel weight is about the same at around 45 pounds. I’ve also traveled with Sci-Con cases and the drawback to those is TSA and airline reliability. It’s very liberating (both in time and money) to check a bike as luggage and not have to wait for oversize to come out, hope that it wasn’t crushed, and that TSA didn’t unpack and repack it for you. Single Mode Details
For the Modal to work, it’s built as a road bike with two sets of bars: one has shifters and other just brakes. I’m simply removing the derailleur, releasing the chain master link, swapping out the Paragon, changing the bar, and connecting the cable stops. After a few adjustments, the bike is ready to ride. The beauty of a single speed when traveling is fast rear wheel in and out. There’s also very little to break in transit.
* 39 x 16 gearing with a chain-ring protector replacing the 53 chain ring * Ksyrium wheels with adaptor spacers * One position derailleur hanger * Carbon fork starnut adaptor thingy — don’t know the actual name, but this part replaces the expanding bolt method on some carbon forks with a star-nut style. If I need to drop the fork and for swapping bars, it’s way easier.
Due Props
The modal was designed by Mark V with help and advice from Bill Davidson. Building the bike was a group effort from the crew at
Bike Kill V, the annual chaotic bicycle Olympics event organized by Black Label Bicycle Club, took place in Bed-Stuy, Booklyn last Saturday. There are a bunch of great photos of it from Ana Coppola (above photos) and Konstantin Sergeyev.
"Bike Commuting Encouraged October 31st, 2007 @ 9:42am by Jayme West/KTAR ` `Carpool Wednesday' in the Valley. But if you're in a car full of people stuck in traffic, you might look with envy at commuters on two-wheelers.
One of those is Jeff Zimmerman, who traded four wheels for two a long time ago and now bikes the 17 miles from his Tempe home to his Scottsdale office.
`Ninety percent of the trip is on the greenbelt, on the Indian Bend Wash and McCormick Ranch greenbelt,' said Zimmerman. ``It's just heavenly, the greatest ride you could possibly imagine.'
Zimmerman said he was inspired by a near-death experience -- ``having cancer that had about a two percent survival rate.'
Not only is Zimmerman riding a bike for his health, but also to save money and help the environment -- `one less car on the road.'
He has a group of guys who bike with him. ``
It's a great time for talking, and we race a little bit,' he said. If you think it would take too long to bike to work, Zimmerman said think again. ``You could actually probably get on your bike and get to work in less time, or at least the same time, as it would to drive your car.' He sees a lot of people biking, on all types of bikes. ``It's great to be on the trail and see people of all shapes, all sizes, all abilities. If I can do"
