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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* 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?

Camper Bike

When cycling becomes art: Camper Bike.

Su Bike es Mi Bike

There is so much that I want to (and will) say about cycling infrastructure and how downtown Phoenix is perfectly poised to accept and integrate a vibrant cycling culture. But not today. Today I just want to ask if any of you have any experience with bike sharing programs.

The most well publicized is the Paris program, Velib, and has been imitated in other European cities, Canada and now in the U.S. as well in cities like D.C. and Boston. {Update: the first bicycle share program was in La Rochelle, France which implemented it in 1974. It is still a successful and well-used program today.}

Photo courtesy of LWY

Has anyone ever used a bike from one of these programs? Did you like it? Was it easy? Do you think it should be implemented in Phoenix?

It does appear that there is increased cycling safety in greater numbers. Could a program like this increase the numbers on our street and help create a critical mass of transportation cyclists in Phoenix?

Like a Fish Needs a Bicycle IV

Good morning!

Does anyone else get depressed after they get back from vacation? I had high hopes of posting something more profound today but it turns out that it's Monday which means you get some fish and bicycles.

Have a great day!

Photo courtesy of E. Bartholomew	Photo courtesy of E. Bartholomew

"Special" Cargo Bike

Those Dutch are clever. I've seen all sorts of cargo bikes in my (internet) travels but this is the first hearse bike I've seen.

Have a great weekend and be safe. I don't want to see any of you in one of these anytime soon.

Photo courtesy of Gonzalo Fernandez

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phoenix Cycle Chic is on vacation! Please enjoy these mini-posts until we return!