When I returned to bicycle commuting in 2008, my backup plan for handling problems out on the road was pretty simple: I carried a spare tube, a set of tire tools, a multi-tool and a cheap frame pump. If I encountered anything I couldn’t handle with that basic kit, I carried my cell phone to…
The other day, I stumbled across a tweet and reply that made me question the ubiquitous bicycle friendly term “Share the Road“. I decided to jump in on the fun by trying to come up with a new and improved version of this pithy but now under-mined slogan. Nothing of any real merit sprang to…
Bike Delivery: Mattresses
Hello from the www.CampfireCycling.com crew!We want to thank all of our readers for submitting amazing photos and stories of their experiences with their trailers, bags, racks, and other bike accessories. We love reading about all the ways you are getting out there on your bikes exploring the world. Please keep those photo and video submissions…
This absolute gem of a video found its way to my inbox yesterday. It’s titled “Terrifying Facts About Bicycling” and was created by BuzzFeed, the most prolific makers of lists on the Internet today. Please take the next 2 minutes to watch this video. Wow. May I be the first to say WTF just happened…
No doubt, I inherited my aversion to buying used vehicles from my parents. As Great Depression era kids, they were used to having possessions which were always secondhand, but I think the final straw came when my father returned from Europe and started looking around for a car in post-WWII Chicago. The automakers in Detroit…
Well, we could probably design a study to answer that question… This week, the National Institute of Transportation and Communities (NITC) at Portland State University released an enormous study looking at protected bike lanes in Washington D.C., Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, and Portland. The purpose of the study was to evaluate protected bike lanes to…
You see a bike rider riding where a bike shouldn’t be ridden, or in a manner contrary to your refined sense of cycling civility. What do you think? If you’re like me, you’re a judgmental rage turd before you catch yourself, and you calm yourself with the mantra, “They’re not in a car. That’s a…
Do You Lock Your Bike Properly?
What happens when two very good, well intentioned modes of transportation come together in a densely populated, busy urban corridor? Well, if it’s the Tucson Streetcar and the fleet of Tucson bike commuters, the results are starting to get ugly. The Sun Link Streetcar is now in the final testing phases in the bustling University…
Its 2014 and Tech Startup Culture/Silicone Valley/Ambitious Teenagers have been going strong with producing great consumer focused companies for over 10 years now. So what about bikes? When I look up bicycling Startups at Angel List, its not that they are non-existant. There are some interesting and meaningful efforts being made. But when I see…
I have traveled into the Safeway parking lots, among the glass filled shoulders, through the misery of forgetting my spare tube. I have lugged grocery bags on my handlebars and arrived to gatherings late and sweaty. I have cursed and sworn with befuddlement at being ill-prepared to make my way through the world on my…
Protected Bike Lanes
Here at Commute by Bike, we get a lot of emails from folks launching projects on Kickstarter asking us to help promote their campaigns. A number of the projects look awesome, inventive, and definitely worthy of some attention. While we can’t write individual articles about all of them, I decided to start a semi-regular feature…
The internet waves generated earlier this week over Strava’s user data heatmaps we’re both exciting and frustrating to those of us who have been waiting for the technology revolution to catch up with smart route mapping for cyclists. It was exciting because it is definitely a sign of momentum, but frustrating in that there is…
Bicycling in Cuba
Colin sent us these photos of how he’s been utilizing his bike for a pretty awesome array of activities. He packed up his MIG welder and gas tank onto his BOB Trailer, which makes for a pretty bad-ass looking commuting rig.Next, he loaded up a folding table, chairs, and all the necessary tabling supplies for…
3 Years ago today, we launched what I can audaciously describe as CommuteByBike.com’s version of a GoogleX moonshot. The project was christened J.O.Y.B.A.G.® (That’s, Jump On Your Bike And Go). Our mission was to figure out what it would take for a bicycle to be as convenient and user friendly as a car. Given that…
It’s more and more common to see electric bikes on the roads these days. I must admit, I sometimes get pangs of purist thought when it comes to electric bikes. I mean, I can pedal, so why would I cheat? But honestly, electric bikes are the way to go in so many cases. And an…
You know those guys who go a year without breaking a sweat? Youve seen them walking, bellies a swingin, from one boring meeting to the next in some sprawling city where people get lost in thoughts about whether there is more to life than this. Well, unfortunately, you can do that in these pants if…
The development of serious and dedicated bicycle infrastructure is a requirement for any car centric culture, such as the US, to be able to get people utilizing bicycles for transportation in any serious way. The Netherlands and Denmark are the best examples of this. As a US based bicycle advocate, this is a depressing reality. …
I don’t know what it is about cargo bikes, but they do have a funny way of getting into your heart. I’ve had a lot of bikes comes and go from my life over the years, but there is one I miss more than any of the others and that’s my old Xtracycle. The Xtracycle…
I’m sure that our loyal readers have noticed some decline in the regularity of our posting here at CommuteByBike.com after the departure of Ted Johnson, our ponderous and insightful editor and marketing expert here at www.CampfireCycling.com. In his wake we’ve been working to come up with a new strategy for maintaining and growing this blog. …
Our family has just celebrated one year living in Tucson, Arizona. There are a lot of great things about Tucson, but as a cycling family, one of the things we have enjoyed most is the nearly year-round cycling season. Granted, our first summer was a bit of a rough adjustment (toasted bums on blazing hot…
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