The Archives
The Art of Advocacy: 'The Return of the Speedwells'
Mike Rubbo, filmmaker, painter and cycling advocate, raises some very interesting questions in his short film, "The Return of the Speedwells." Focusing specifically on Australia, Rubbo faults the media for its depiction of cycling as a competitive and aggressive sport, to the exclusion of images of the friendlier, utilitarian benefits of cycling. [T]he sport cycling…
I Feel Your Rage
Somebody yelled at me from a car this week. I’m pretty sure he was yelling at me. It happened so quickly. I was heading down a hill, preparing for a left turn. I checked the traffic behind me with my rear-view mirror. I moved out of the bike lane, into the main lane, and toward…
Chinese Utility Bikes
Editor’s Note: We are very pleased to be able to feature the photography of Paul Jeurissen in this guest post here at Utility Cycling. Paul & his partner Grace Johnson are bicycling around the world in search of beautiful images of bicycles. The following text and images were contributed by Paul & Grace, and we…
John Denver, Death Metal, and a Jam-Pac Premium Handlebar Bag
Keith is a Flagstaff resident, an all-time, all-weather, all-conference/all-state bicycle commuter. If you want to get him a present he would love a Park Tool TM-1 spoke tension meter. He writes a filthy, NSFA (Not Safe For Anything) blog at www.spacedriftin.blogspot.com. He aspires to own a pair of Bar-Mitts one day. Before trying out this…
Rudi's Techno-BOB Trailer Wonder
We were really impressed to see these photos of Rudi’s very impressive bike touring setup. This is a very interesting example of utilizing the products together that we represent through 3 of our 4 specialty shops, BikeTrailerShop.com, BikeBagShop.com and BikeTechShop.com. Greetings from Berlin, Germany. I have mounted a solar panel on my B.O.B. Ibex. Since…
Knife Sharpening Bike
Knife Sharpening Bike
Fear and Usury in Moab
There’s a 100-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between Grand Junction, Colorado, and Green River, Utah. If you enter that stretch of highway and haven’t gassed up, this is where you might find yourself at the mercy of Papa Joe. Papa Joe’s Stop & Go is a gas station in Crescent Junction, Utah. It’s the point…
San Francisco Bike To Work Week Video
San Francisco Bike To Work Week Video
The Fixit Public Bike Repair Stand: There When You Need It (Maybe)
Since 1995, Dero Bike Rack Co. has been positively contributing to the world of bike commuting. The company produces a host of bike parking solutions, including commercial racks and storage lockers as well as home storage products. However, I have mixed emotions about the new Fixit Public Bike Repair Stand that Dero has recently introduced….
Life After Messenger vs. 'Career Courier'
I’ve had a DVD copy of Career Courier for months and months. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to watch this documentary about the lives of bike messengers with someone who had lived that life. The problem is, I live in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is not a bike messenger town. So when I went to…
Disaster Response Bikes
Bike Portland recently had an interesting article on cargo bikes for disaster response. The notion of using cargo bikes – and bikes in general – for disaster response is a great example of a bike service. I did a series of posts a while back on different Emergency & Patrol Services by Bike, which included…
Marital Aids (Part 2)
Previously, I wrote about my attempts to do more by bike so that my wife wouldn’t always pick up my slack using our car. She’s no lard-ass chronic cager. (She would like you to know that.) It’s just that “Save the world with bikes” is just one of the things on our to-do list every…
A Damn Fine Review of Bike Tail Lights
The community blog for Bicycles Stack Exchange has this excellent review of 16 bike tail lights, and boy am I pissed off. I’ve been building up to publishing my own version of the best bike tail light review the world has ever seen, and the author, “nhinkle,” has outdone even my grand ambitions — with…
25 Ways to Cross a Major Road by Bike
25 Ways to Cross a Major Road by Bike
The Snoozer Sporty Pet Bicycle Basket: Cute Little Dog Not Included
Karen Voyer-Caravona is an admitted bicycle dilettante in Flagstaff, Arizona, who blogs about her adventures on two wheels, vélo envy, her husband’s cooking, and cross country skiing at www.sheridesabike.com. Visit her Website for her endless opinions on the most stylish shoes for pedaling, critiques of bike parking, and the best bike date dining destinations. I…
Resurrect Your Bike Commute
Today is Easter — for those among us who observe the holiday. You want to debate the true meaning and origins of Easter? Christian, Pagan, Wiccan… For God’s sake, find another site where you can do it. Let’s all agree that it’s Spring! Yes, the first official day of Spring was a couple of weeks…
2012 Bicycle Film Festival
2012 Bicycle Film Festival
Seamus's Suspicion of Ortlieb's Motives
We generally prefer the Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Classic and Plus handlebar bags in the medium sizes. The large just seems a little too large. But it seems that our customer has figured out the main reason why Ortlieb developed the slightly larger version of this bag. I love to ride my bicycle. I also like…
Signal Pod rhymes with Hot Rod (sort of)
BluesCat is a resident of Phoenix, Arizona, who originally returned to bicycling in 2002 in order to help his son get the Boy Scout Cycling merit badge. His bikes sat idle until the summer of 2008 when gas prices spiked at over $4.00 per gallon. Since then, he has become active cycling, day-touring, commuting by…
Youth Summer Bike Camp
Youth Summer Bike Camp
Portland Design Works Loading Dock Rear Rack (and Parquet Floor Flashbacks)
Back when I was single… back when I still owned a car… back before the housing bubble… (Yes, this was a long time ago in Internet years.) I bought a condo. It was the first piece of real estate I’d ever owned. I was very proud and began gleefully nesting like a little girl with…
Congress Fixes Typos and Passes Five-Year Transportation Bill
UPDATE: If you are discovering this article after April Fools Day 2012, now you know what’s going on here. After approving a three-month extension to the multi-year surface transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, Congress met in a special session on Friday to revisit — and ultimately approve — the Senate version of the Transportation Bill. The House…
Tom Bowden's 230-Mile Round-Trip Commute to The National Bike Summit
Tom Bowden is a bike commuter from Richmond VA, a "suit" – a corporate lawyer with an MBA, and a conservative "“ You betcha! He is also a board member of Bike Virginia, a pro cycling and pedestrian group in Virginia that raises money to promote cycling, walking and active lifestyles. Tom’s lawyerly blogging can…
Doug's Big Load Bike Trailer
Thanks for the great pics and write up Doug! “Hey just saw your post about the lack of pictures you’ve received and decided to send this in. The is the trailer I built over the summer. It was made with steel tubing from an old grill and a benchpress bench. I cut and welded it…