Cycling is Exciting

My husband and I got caught in a dust storm last night coming home from the gym on our bikes. For those of you who don't know what a dust storm looks like, here is an example:

Ok, so maybe it looked more like this:

Sometimes cycling is an adventure.

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Photos courtesy of bowers95713 and cobalt123

Bike Italy!

Is anyone else following the husband and wife team over at Path Less Pedaled? I found them about a month ago and have been living vicariously through them ever since. They are touring around the country on their bicycles, meeting interesting people and having adventures.

And it appears that cycle touring is becoming more mainstream. Lonely Planet is getting in on the action (again) with new guides for Britain, France and Italy. I can't wait to get my hands on one (or three).

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Bicycle photo courtesy of killermonkey

Used Wheels Available Now!

Is anyone in the market for a new bike? There are currently some great deals on craigslist. With a little TLC and a few things added to them, they could be fabulous!








Vintage Sears All-Sport 3 Speed: $75















Schwinn Suburban Bike: $95












Western Flyer Fairway 3 speed: $40

Save the Planet...

If you are in the mood for a biting, hilarious commentary on modern cycling*, click here. You won't be disappointed!

Photo courtesy of La Xtina

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*Thanks to Copenhagenize for the link.

Bike Literacy

I'm thinking about checking out one of these cycling related books. Has anyone read any of them? Or can anyone recommend one that they loved that discusses cycling infrastructure, history, etc?

I think I'm most interested in Pedal Power and Pedaling Revolution; we aren't even close to some European cities in the number of trips taken by bicycle but I am interested in how U.S. cycle commuting has evolved (and continues to evolve) over time.







Bicycle: The History











Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities













The Cyclist's Manifesto: The Case for Riding Two Wheels Instead of Four












The Practical Cyclist: Bicycling For Real People











Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life

Take the 1W2W Challenge!

Do you currently bike to work, the gym or to do errands? Are you planning on starting once it cools down? If so, then join the 1 World 2 Wheels community*!

This is a great resource; here are some stats from the site:

- "Just 3 hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%."

- "The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips."

- "60% of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively."

Check it out!

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* Thanks to Charles for the heads up on this community!

Tension

Photo courtesy of r.f.m ll

I started out writing this post as another reminder to follow the traffic rules when cycling. But what I found when I started digging around news articles from around the country is that there is a whole lot of animosity towards cyclists.

Part (all?) of this animosity comes from cyclists not obeying the law and riding responsibly. That is indeed one of my biggest pet peeves both as a cyclist and as a driver. But does it seem to be more than that to any of you? It seems like cyclists really piss people off. Why is that?

Anchor Manufacturing Building: Vintage Schwinn's!

One of the things I love about downtown Phoenix is all of the small locally owned businesses. And coming soon, there will be more. The husband and wife team who brought us R&R Surplus are planning to open a vintage Schwinn bicycle shop in the same warehouse.

Photo courtesy of sarah-ji

Steve and Andi, we're looking forward to it!

Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle II

Last Monday, I gave you a photo of a fish on a bicycle. This Monday, you get a photo of a bicycle that is a fish.

Photo courtesy of waiting line

Have a great week!

Check out the Path Less Pedaled!

Do you ever dream of escaping? Escaping your job, the heat, the predictable days? Following your dreams and taking the "road less traveled"?

Photo courtesy of pellaea

I just found this blog about a couple who are doing exactly that. They are taking the "Path Less Pedaled", and I am overwhelmed with jealousy and admiration.

Laura and Russ, best of luck and thank you for sharing your plans and journey with us!!

Dirty Thieves

Bad news this week: Tony the Light Rail Blogger had his bike stolen. In his first month of going carfree. Was that really necessary, Phoenix Bike Thief? I think not.

Unfortunately, far too many of us have had this terrible experience. Is it possible to avoid?

Well, unless you have a super crappy bike that no one wants to steal, I would say no.

Exhibit A: Super Crappy Bike
(but lovely photo)
Photo courtesy of thor.der

Bar loading your bike up with seventeen locks and chaining a bear* to it, if someone really wants to steal your bike, they are going to. So in the face of that depressing thought, what can we do? Well, we can make our bikes really annoying to steal.

There are two locks that seemed to rise to the top in my research as the most secure:

1. The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock:

Photo courtesy of Kryptonite

2. The Kryptonite Evolution Mini U-lock:

Despite the largeness of this picture, it is actually smaller than the Fahgettaboudit
Photo courtesy of Kryptonite

They are both warrantied and when added to a good cable lock or chain, should give the average bicycle thief pause. You can increase the irritation level of your thief even more by putting them on correctly (tips here and here) and parking your bike in visible, lighted, high traffic areas, avoiding those tempting dark alleys.

YES! Photo courtesy of Pete Reed	NO! Photo courtesy of The Doctr

So what else? Does anyone else out there have any great tips?

*I do not in any way advocate chaining up bears, to bicycles or anything else.

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*****Laura, a commenter over at the Light Rail Blog, left a link to an AWESOME video that rates different locking techniques. Check it out!! Thanks to Laura for the link!

Brring, Brring

I'm in the mood to post some pretty pictures so we're going to talk about bells today.

Here are some pretty pictures of bells:

Photo courtesy of jek in the box	Photo courtesy of Tavallai	Photo courtesy of bearklektor

Bike bells are handy. It's good to be able to communicate your presence. Sure you can yell "On Your Left" every time you go by someone but isn't it so much nicer to alert them with a nice little chime from your pretty bell?

To see how this works in the real world, check out this awesome video at Copenhagenize.

Anatomy of a CB: Pannier Rack

Today's essential city bike feature is the pannier rack (PR). PR's are essential for carrying lots of stuff which you will eventually start doing if you have one. Using one is as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4:

Step 1: Approach your PR.

Photo courtesy of mindfrieze

Step 2: Attach a "pannier" to your PR - this can be a bag made specifically for this purpose or other items adjusted for use.

Photo courtesy of pjmorse	Photo courtesy of Steven Vance	Photo courtesy of owenstache

Step 3: Put stuff in your panniers and on your PR.

Photo courtesy of Thirteen of Clubs	Photo courtesy of skvidal	Photo courtesy of owenstache

Step 4: Get you and your stuff to where you're going!

Long Live The Pedicabs!

Photo courtesy of Hector Acuna

On game nights, weekends and special events, there is one type of bicycle that is ubiquitous on the downtown Phoenix city streets: pedicabs. They were the main form of alternative "public transport" downtown before the light rail opened. And now they are feeling the effects of the big silver competitors.

I hope that light rail and pedicabs can co-exist and flourish together. What do you think?

How Often Do You Experience TP?

Is the economy making you sweat? Are you just not finding as much money to frequent brothels as you used to? In Berlin, brothels are providing discounts to patrons arriving on bicycle.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix...not only do companies not provide incentives to cyclists, but there is a penalty in the form of Transportation Prejudice (TP).

My husband ran into TP this weekend after taking advantage of the new late weekend light rail hours. Exiting the train at 2:30am, he decided he wanted a snack before going home. But thanks to TP, it took him an hour and four establishments before this simple task was completed.

Here are the three establishments that did not serve him food in the drive-through (the main restaurant being closed) because he was on his bicycle.

Photo courtesy of whoohoo120	Photo courtesy of strangely	Photo courtesy of strangely

His treatment varied from polite explanation that it was against company policy to hiding, ignoring, staring and calling the police.


He ended up getting food at Filibertos whose main restaurant was open and who were happy to have his business and his bike in their establishment.

Photo courtesy of Rail Life	Photo courtesy of Jonathan Boeke

Do you have any recommendations on cycling friendly establishments? Have you ever experienced TP?

History of Cycling in Phoenix

We started out right as a city, giving away bikes in 1901 and seeing cyclists travel from Prescott to Mayer on a bicycle with a railroad attachment in 1902. By 1989, however, the Phoenix New Times was pleading for bike lanes and safe passage over busy streets. After 108 years, are we going to finally see the the development needed to support cycle commuting?

Photo courtesy of freeparking

Let's Meet in the Middle!

I'd start walking your way
You'd start walking mine
We'd meet in the middle
'neath that old Georgia pine
We'd gain a lot of ground
'cause we'd both give a little
And there ain't no road to long
When you meet in the middle

Diamond Rio
"Meet in the Middle"

I've been thinking a lot about the topic posed by the Light Rail Blogger and the discussion that has ensued. I would like to propose a compromise:

Folding Bikes!

I know, genius, right? With folding bikes, we could fit more people and more bikes on each train with less friction between cyclists and pedestrians. Problem solved!

Now I'm not proposing that everyone get rid of their bikes and go out and buy new ones or that this is the only acceptable option. I'm just suggesting that it enter our collective consciousness and simmer there for awhile. Perhaps when it's time for a new bike, you consider a folding option as one of your choices. Or perhaps you are in the market for a new bike right now. Consider a folding bike!

There are lots of options out there but these were the prettiest ones I found (this is a cycle chic blog after all...):





Ciao!P8 bicycle from Dahon
Weight: 31.7 lbs
Folded size: 13.3" x 28.9" x 25.7"
Folding time: 15 seconds
Sold at Landis Cyclery, Bicycle Haus and REI Tempe







GlideP8 bicycle from Dahon
Weight: 34.2 lbs
Folded size: 12.9" x 31.6" x 26.9"
Folding time: 15 seconds
Sold at Landis Cyclery, Bicycle Haus and REI Tempe

What's more, these babies are not only pretty but equipped with essential town bike features: pannier rack, chainguard, kickstand, mudguards and a dynamo powered front light.

That's what I call a sweet compromise.

One of These is Not Like the Other

I went to see "Malls R Us" last night at Modified Arts, hosted by the fabulous No Festival Required. It got me thinking about the types of experiences I have on a daily basis and crystallized for me one of the reasons I love "life cycling" (as opposed to "sport cycling"). See if you can tell what it is based on the photo comparisons below.

Photo courtesy of Joe Shlabotnik	Photo courtesy of JMP Photography LLC
Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks	Photo courtesy of Janice Sarver

Cycling is an authentic experience. Sometimes it is uncomfortable (right now, cycling involves sweating and a lot of water) but it is, in the end, satisfying. And not in the "I'm saving the earth by not producing harmful emissions" kind of way (although that is true) but in the "I waved to my neighbors and felt the breeze on my face and smelled the breakfast cooking at Matt's Big Breakfast" kind of way.

It's said that it's the little things in life that count. I'll take the breeze on my face any day.