MapQuest is incrementally adding more and more cycling directions to their mapping services. Antony Pegg, Principal Product Manager for MapQuest’s Open Data Initiative, answered our burning questions about open source data, comparisons to Google Maps’ “Bike There,” and more.
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Holiday Zinger #3 RackTime ShoulderIt $49
The Racktime ShoulderIt is third up for our week of Zinger specials. They are marked down to $49 thru Dec. 26th. This pannier makes a perfect holiday gift for your cycling honey!
'Best of all you won’t feel guilty when you reach for seconds from the holiday dessert tray' (Roundup)
A Christmas tree made out of bikes. Zip ties for snow traction. Winter cycling infographic. More holiday gift ideas.
Holiday Zinger #2 Tubus Cargo $99
For our 2nd Zinger for Zinger week, we are offering up the Tubus Cargo rack in both 26″ and 700c sizes for $99 through December 26th! The Tubus Cargo is a great rack for bike touring or bike commuting and makes a great gift for the cyclist in your family who is interested in outfitting…
'What are you driving, a bicycle, you little punk?' (Roundup)
I walked into work this morning singing a tune by Todd Snider. Then it occurred to me how perfectly the song employs the attitudes of car culture; the lyrics would be completely ineffective on someone who didn’t understand these values. You oughta hear the **** that I get from my daughter She says that she…
Holiday Zinger Week Kick's Off with the Racktime TravelIt
We’re kicking off a week of holiday zingers today. We’ll have a new zinger sale everyday through Friday on a selection of our bike bags, bike racks and maybe even a special bike trailer. All of our holiday zingers that we will be launching this week will be running through December 26th. To get things…
Dayworks Inc. Little Red Trailer Review
Bikes and things-wooden are, at best, an uneasy and uncommon mixture. Not so for the Little Red Trailer, a handy and inexpensive (MSRP: $86.00) little bicycle utility trailer made almost entirely out of recycled wood by Dayworks, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
How to Talk About Cycling to a Conservative
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 BikeWalk Virginia, a pro cycling and pedestrian group in Virginia that raises raises money to promote cycling, walking and active lifestyles. Tom’s lawyerly blogging…
De-Evolution of a Commuter Bike
I’m very close to admitting that my mountain bike isn’t really a mountain bike anymore.
Repeat After Me: Winter Commuters Aren't Heroes
If we want our winter commute to be seen as a heroic, we are also saying, “You mere mortals couldn’t handle it.†And if they internalize this message, they won’t ever try.
Wheels4Life
Wheels4Life
What to Do in a Bicycle Collision
No bicyclist wants to think about getting into a collision with a car. However, the experienced cyclist crashes an average of once every 8,000 miles of riding. While the actual number of accidents involving injuries is much lower, it pays to be prepared and to know what to do should you end up in an unfortunate situation.
'Parking is kind of like dark matter in the universe' (Roundup)
Do you think that because you commute by bike, that you don’t have to worry about parking? Well now you do.
Carbon Credits for Bike Sharing
Carbon Credits for Bike Sharing
Bike Share in the Big Apple
The City That Never Sleeps has officially requested proposals from private companies with the expectation of implementing a twenty-four hour, 365 day-a-year bike share program by the spring of 2012. The RFP calls for approximately 600 stations with 10,000 bikes in the initial phase of the program.
The Way Forward for Bicycling Advocates – Back to Basics
As you may have heard, our nation had some elections on November 2th. And they resulted in dramatic changes in Congress. There’s been a lot of talk about what this will mean for bicycling. It’s too early to know for sure, but we know what we are going to do.
'You better be pimpin' with that helmet on tight' (Roundup)
I would really hate for anyone to ever think that a PSA this contrived and cheesy would have convinced me to wear a helmet. Still, it’s not a good enough reason for me not to wear one. One YouTube commenter wrote, “I’m 99% sure this was made in some community service plea bargain agreement with…
New York City Bike Wars
New York City Bike Wars
Neil on the Hunt with a Wandertec BONGO
Neil sent us this intriguing photo from his recent elk hunting trip in Montana. Here is what Neil had to say about the experience:
How Workplaces Are Incentivizing the Ride
At the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., commuting by bike to work is second nature for many of the employees. In fact, CEO of National Geographic Society, John Fahey, encourages it. National Public Radio’s Morning Edition recently featured Fahey and his crew on their daily lunchtime ride in the story Switching Gears: More Commuters…
'A bunch of lycra-wearing, leg-shaving, Critical Massing, pedal-pushing hippies'
We’ve been wondering what the new Congress will do for Federal cycling projects–or do to cycling projects. So has Rick Vosper over at Bike 2.0, and he’s not feeling optimistic at all. [I]t's a pretty good bet the new Congress isn't going to be very sympathetic to renewing billions of dollars of Federal, State, and/or…
Four Myths About Helmets and Safety
Josh King lives in Seattle, where he commutes by bike every day, rain or shine. Earlier this year he switched to full-time single speed commuting; you can read his thoughts on going gearless at www.singlespeedseattle.com If I was surprised about one reaction to my "10 Rules" post, it was the number of comments taking issue…
Vaude Eva's Office and Eva's Shopper Panniers
I was introduced to Vaude when I was looking for a rack-top bag that I could use for my mountain bike as well as my folding bike. Vaude bags are German-made, with many well-thought-out details for commuting or touring. Eva’s Office and Eva’s Shopper are commuter rear panniers made from recycled materials. Each comes with a rain…
Phoenix' Pre-Columbian Bike Paths
Here we go again. The framing of new cycling policies and infrastructure in New York as a “war.” This time it’s cycling advocates regurgitating this unhelpful construct. It’s in the form of a slickly produced video from EcoMobility. The cycling advocates in this video are attractive and well-spoken. In the other corner, representing the anti-cyclist…