After a couple months of daily riding the Surly Big Dummy for everything possible (including a 42 mile, over night camping trip), I’m ready to give my thoughts on how the bike fairs in carrying big loads and whether this is truly a car replacement. If you haven’t read my first two installments of this…
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A few observations about Bike to Work Week and casual commuters
I’m a year-round bike commuter, usually riding four or five days per week, every week of the year. Every week but Bike to Work Week, that is. Year after year something happens, without fail, usually forcing me to drive the whole week, or a good chunk of it. This year, I drove twice. One day it was because of “white out” conditions on the interstate highway I ride into Flag. I didn’t miss a day this winter due to snow. That had to wait until May.
That said, I did get in three days of BTWW this year, and have a few observations to share.
Commute by horse
Jackie Hutton of Pleasanton, Texas south of San Antonio commutes the four miles to work on Tester, her horse. “What’s the good of making a living if you can’t live?” says Jackie. “Do what’s important.” Read and see more KSAT 12 News. The video shows Jackie taking the lane with her horse. Via Tomorrow Morning’s…
New New Hampshire bicycle laws
On May 7, 2008. the New Hampshire General Court (what they call the legislature in The Granite State) passed House Bill 1203, “An Act Relative to Bicycles” which generally improves conditions for cyclists in the state of New Hampshire. The new law will take effect on January 1, 2009. Among the provisions of this new…
Canada bike to work events
Most U.S. cities hold a bike to work event sometime during the National Bike To Work Month in May. Canadian cities tend to schedule Bike To Work events a little bit later, typically the beginning of the June. Here are a few bike to work events in Canadian cities. Toronto Bike to work week May…
A discussion on the rise of bike commuters (plus a MasiGuy update)
For those that don’t know, I’m a semi-regular on the audio podcast, The Spokesmen. We recorded episode #30 this morning and it’s now online for your listening pleasure. If you’d like to hear me do a bit of a rant on the state of the industry, then make sure you go download. CLICK HERE to…
Bike Trailer Bazaar
With National Bike-to-Work-Week kicking off, the Flagstaff Biking Organization kicked things off here with there Bike Bazaar in Downtown Flagstaff. It’s a great event for all the Bike Heads to come out and sell off all the miscellaneous bike parts that have been building up in their garage. We were cleaning house as well.
We used Jeff’s Bikes-At-Work trailer not only to get everything to the Bike Bazaar but also a perfect way to sort and arrange the used stuff we had for sale. With six bins we had the $1, $2, $3, $5, $10 and $15 bins. It made it nice and easy to sell stuff with very little bartering. If something wasn’t moving we just shifted it down to the next cheaper bin. By the end of the day the bins were empty and I had a nice wad of cash in my pocket. Not only is this trailer great for bargain bins it is also an excellent Earth Day Recycling Machine.
We had the bike trailer bin sale up front and on the table in back we had information about all of our trailers at the BikeTrailershop.com along with a sample Burley Nomad, BOB Ibex and Xtracycle to catch there attention.
US EPA asks: Why are you or aren't you biking to work?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has an official blog called “Greenversations.” Earlier this week they asked the question “Why are you or aren’t you biking to work?” To bike or not to bike – that is the question” It’s National Bike Week! Biking is healthy, it prevents air pollution, and it can even save…
Post your Bike to Work Day photos and stories
You rode your bike to work on Bike To Work Day, got the free schwag from the breakfast stations, and took photos of the pretty girls and cute guys on their bikes. Feel free to link to your photo albums and blog entries in the comments here, or post your Bike To Work Day stories…
Jeff's Trailer Reviews, Part 1: BOB Trailers
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Coming from the land of two-wheeled trailers, I’ve long held some reservations about the single-wheeled variety. Most two-wheeled models behave in, more or less, the same way. One wheel has always seemed, well, weird. I guess it’s time for me to slay a couple myths about BOB Trailers.
Myth number one: The Hitch
Two-wheeled trailers carry their load squarely on, well, their own two wheels, and only a small portion of the load is transferred to the hitch. Conversely, BOB trailers shift a good portion of their load-carrying capability forward, to the hitch. Not only that, the hitch must also resist the additional torsional force inherent in single-wheeled designs.
Gas wasting tips
We’ve seen tips on how to save gas all over the place. I like Matt’s stories on wasting gas at his blog. I see stuff like Matt reports all the time, where people leave their engines running for now discernible reason. How about you?
Commuting 101: Dealing with Road Rash
I had a rainy commute a few mornings ago. It was the light rain that’s heavier than mist but not quite a shower. Temperatures were pleasantly in the high 50’s. I’m usually careful of slick spots when it’s raining. Particularly, metal surfaces (manhole covers, steel plates and railroad crossings) and painted road stripes are quite…
Noah's 15 minutes
Commute By Bike’s own Noah D is momentarily famous. He made the news in Kansas City, Missouri. For Noah Dunker, it started last year when a car part broke down. The Lenexa resident tried to order a replacement, but discovered there was a backlog that would delay its arrival for several months. “I live three…
Bike to Work Week: Invite a Friend or Coworker
Fear is the biggest deterrent I see to people not commuting by bike. Being out of shape, getting cleaned up at work, not having the “right” bike, etc etc… these all come second to the fear of sharing the same pavement as those enormous, fast, internal combustion vehicles. When I first began riding my bike…
Motorist Involved in 50 (!) Bicycle Crash
I subscribe to a feed on Google News with the search term bicycle. It tends to be a rather depressing feed, with news stories of bicycles hit by cars on a daily basis. This one stood out among the rest: “Furious driver takes out 50-strong cycle pack” from the Sydney Morning Herald. Witnesses to the…
Little Things get you Noticed
A couple months ago my daughter drove past me as I was pedaling home in the dark. When I walked into the house she told me that she had seen me, so I took the opportunity to do a little research. Me: “Could you see me fairly well?” Miss T: “Yeah.” Me: “How far away…
Journalist seeks new bike commuter in New York / New Jersey area
Brooke is working on a commuting-by-bike story for CNBC.com. Are there any new bike commuters in the NY-NJ area who wouldn’t mind being interviewed? Please email Brooke at brooke dot sopelsa at nbcuni dot com.
Join a bicycle convoy
Several individuals and groups have started bike commute convoys around the nation. These group rides provide social interaction and help encourage new riders. Because bike commute convoys generally have a fixed route with time points to allow others to join the convoy, they’re also called bicycle buses or bike trains. Kansas City. Noah (who writes…
The Wacky World of Bike Trailer Tents Part 2
I’ve been discussing the fusion between bike trailers and tents. In a past post, I looked at the tent shelter bike trailer by Tony of Tony’s Trailers.
This next trailer, the SpeedLobster, seems like it may have been a German Engineering student’s thesis project. It is very impressive in its design and application, but seems to miss the boat a little bit when it comes to real world application.
Puma Urban Motility: The Glow Rider
We talk a lot around here about staying seen and safe while riding at night. You can use lights and reflective material, but what if your bike glowed in the dark? Puma has a bike in their Urban Motility line called the Glow Rider. It comes in two colors (cream and orange), both of which…
Commuter Story: Score one for the cyclist!
From the Surly Blog: I play this little game while riding to and from work where I memorize the license plate of a passing car. When the next car drives by I memorize that one, and so on and so on. If there is an altercation, I’ve trained myself to look at the license plates…
Tim Jackson (the MasiGuy) in the hospital
One of the frequent commenters here at Commute by Bike and a good friend of mine, Tim Jackson (the MasiGuy), was involved in a wreck during a track race a couple nights ago. He hit the boards at close to 40mph and has plenty of injuries to show for it. concussion (he was out for…
Happy USA National Bike Month
May is National Bike Month in the United States, and with gasoline approaching $4 per gallon in the United States now is as good a time as any to ride your bike to work, to the store, to school, to the park or just for fun. The League of American Bicyclists suggest 50 ways to…
Last day to enter to win the Raleigh One Way
Update: The contest is over and I’m contacting the winner. That doesn’t mean you still can’t browse and get involved with the Commuter Bikes Database. Thanks for playing everyone! If you haven’t entered already, today’s your last chance to enter to win the 2008 Raleigh One Way. All you have to do is visit our…