riding along and
A DOOR FLIES OPEN OH NO!
no door prize for me

The door prize zone is the area three feet to the left of cars parked on the right. When a car door opens, it opens into this space and it can kill you. I am not kidding. You might be thinking, oh, I can just swerve around it. If you do that, you are swerving into the traffic on your left. This is why I don’t ride in the door prize zone.

I do tend to call out “Door!” when I see one open.

You – can pass me – if you want to
You – can just go – around
I don’t – appreciate – being followed
So please, just safely go around

San Juan, Puerto Rico, is not exactly the sort of place you’d imagine to be in dire need of a facelift and urban renewal. Images of a gorgeous coastline and old colonial architecture come to mind, but guess what? The old part of the city, “the Isleta,” is rife with poor urban planning scars, such as inaccessible beaches due to ports and an excessive reliance on cars. The government has decided to infuse the city with $1.5 billion dollars to re-develop San Juan and, most of all, make it a walking city, with no cars allowed.

More here.

(Side note: you are not isolated or cut off from the rest of the human race when you are on a bicycle. You can talk to people, instead of trying to run them over. Let’s get back to humanity, eh?)

I was proud of myself for stopping the line of cars behind me to let two hardworking people cross the street. And then I rode on.

Later, on Hackett, I saw a car stopped at an intersection. Cars in this area often stop IN the crosswalk, blocking the whole thing. Pretty sure this is illegal but it isn’t enforced. I usually go around behind them and ring my bell. Well today, the car stopped in the crosswalk saw me coming, put his car in reverse, and backed out of the crosswalk before I got there. I was astounded by his act of humility and courtesy. He had his window down, and I called out “thank you” as I passed.

Have any similar stories?

As usual, I don’t understand these sort of exclamations. I am moving, and I don’t look anything like Pee Wee Herman. Whatever are you screaming about?

Through the intersection we go, him screaming at me the whole way. I do my best to remain calm. He passes me, roaring the engine of his big white SUV. As they go by he calls out “Let’s go Pee Wee Herman!” And the young boy in the back seat is also heckling me. I am saddened that young boys are no longer riding bikes, but mistreating people who riding bikes. It’s like an important part of childhood has been slain by the Great White SUV.

But I let them go. Because I do. But if you’re familiar with Second St over there, you know the red lights can back up traffic. So a block or two later, the offensive SUV is stopped. I do something I normally don’t do. I pass them on the right. I ring my bell as I zip by, and I pass everyone in front of them. I don’t see them again.

What weird things have people called out to you?

I was out walking, which I do on occasion. I saw a cyclist headed out on New Scotland, riding with traffic, and wearing a helmet. I don’t see that often, so I was a bit shocked. A moment later, another cyclist came up New Scotland in the opposite direction. He was also riding with traffic and wearing a helmet. A few blocks up I saw a cyclist headed West on New Scotland. He had a bright, blinking headlight and a helmet. He was on the left side of the lane, stopped, signaling to make a left turn. Cars in both directions had stopped to let him go. It was stunning. It was beautiful.

So I want to say thank you to all of the cyclists who do NOT ride like jackasses.

This afternoon, after a ride to Washington Park, I washed my bike. I don’t feel like my washing process is particularly sophisticated. I use dish soap and hot water, and a rag. I am always amazed at how filthy a bike can get in a few weeks. Not just the fenders, but spokes, brakes, and the rear quick release. Ew, gross.

While washing my bike I wondered if something like this would make a good fundraiser. You always see kids holding up signs that say “car wash” (usually in barely legible neon letters) trying to raise money for their sports teams. Would a “bike wash” make any money?

From today’s post:

[T]o some extent, the American interpretation of “chic” cycling is buying a whole bunch of stuff in order to ride a bike so that you can look like you don’t ride a bike.

“I simply want to celebrate the fact that right near your home, year in and year out, a community college is quietly — and with very little financial encouragement — saving lives and minds. I can’t think of a more efficient, hopeful or egalitarian machine, expect perhaps the bicycle.” Kay Ryan, U.S. Poet Laureate, quoted in Boneshaker, Issue 42-400.

The Practical Bicyclist’s Handbook, the Basic Field and Street Manual for Utilitarian Riding, features

• Farming By Bicycle
• Riding in Cleveland and Pittsburgh
• Bamboo Bicycles
• Bicycles, Women, & The Vintage Posters Bearing Them Both
• Two Gears Better Than One
• Bicycle Lights
• Shame & Guilt On The Commute
• and a bunch of other stuff worth reading.

Boneshaker is available from Wolverine Farm Publishing for $6.

Like most people in the U.S., I spent a good portion of my adult life thinking of bicycling as a sport. Even during a long period when I rode my bicycle to work everyday, I was concerned with things like personal bests, total miles logged, and target heart rates… Somewhere along the way, I went through a mental shift that resulted in my viewing the bicycle primarily as a tool for transportation.

Definitely good stuff.

STOP THE HATE.

Really. Of all the things you could be angry about, like our infantile politicians, you’re angry at people on bicycles?

Nice, huh? I like that it’s not some rich dude in his super hero kit on a carbon fiber bike. It’s not some young punk in cargo shorts on a mountain bike. It’s just fun.

Thank Cog.

I’m a new contributer, though I’ve been around for a while. I moved to Rochester about 18 months ago and have been riding full time for about a year. I have to say, I love Rochester, and I love seeing more folks out on their bikes again. Winter is a tough time for year-rounders, and I’m happy that spring is finally here.

This past week, I went to a fantastic Earth Day talk about Transition Towns at First Unitarian. Transition Town is a UK movement that has made its way to the US. With an emphasis on eliminating our oil dependency, the movement encourages communities to work together on innovative alternatives to non-reusable energy sources, as well as creating more connected relationships within those communities. The Transition focuses on several areas of sustainability, including food, water, and transport, to inspire communities to come together and create systems that are sustainable and conducive to a healthy environment. It really is an inspiring model, and one that I hope Rochestarians will soon adopt.

To say that this movement relates to cycling communities is a severe understatement. I think that the more we do to encourage bike-friendly community structures and discourage the use of motor vehicles, the better prepared we will be for this pending oil apocalypse. At the very least, eliminating your personal dependence on oil reduces your financial vulnerability to the waves of price hikes and, presumably, gas shortages and/or rationing. I’m very interested in learning more about this movement. And also, I was so happy to see so many groups congregated together to learn more and to share their work with one another. Coalition-building is an important step towards effective change.

I’m so glad to be a part of a small group of folks who believe in the future of bicycles. Whether you use it to commute to work, grab a bite to eat with your best friend, or run out to the grocery store, your bike is a revolutionary tool, and it is creating change each time you hop on. So thanks for riding. And thanks for writing…

First, let me say that the waterfront is beautiful. Lots of grass and open space. People having fun. I saw people barefoot in the grass. Would never see this in Albany, where there is broken glass and garbage everywhere, whether it’s paved or not. In Burlington there are things to do on the waterfront, places to eat, places to shop.

I saw every kind of bike on the path. Girls in sun dresses on beach cruisers. Young guys on racing bikes. Kids on mountain bikes. I saw tandems. I saw whole families biking together. People were nice. There was a skate park with skaters and kids on bmx bikes doing tricks. I saw a bike polo game getting started. The only thing I didn’t see was a tall bike.

The bike path is clean and well maintained. There are maps every few miles. I saw things painted on the trail that said “cycle the city.” I could not help but think, this is what biking in Albany could be like.

i rode through the park
/ morning sun on dew on grass
/ / things motorists miss

We’re looking at some wonderful weather this week. Be nice, ride your bike, ring your bell.

I think this picture pretty much sums it up.

This was taken a few weeks ago on Clinton Ave, headed up hill. This is one of the “new” bike lanes they put down in the fall of last year. The paint is pretty messed up and cars use it like a right turn lane.

The other “new” bike lane they put down, the sharrows on Washington Ave, was covered by snow most of the winter.

I appreciate the new riding spaces. I use them daily. I think Albany could do a lot to make the city more bike friendly by clearing/cleaning the WHOLE street, from curb to curb. If half of the sharrow paint is covered by snow, it’s not helping anyone to have put it there. If the bike lane is filled with broken glasses and potholes, it’s not helping anyone to have put it there. If the WHOLE street, curb to curb, was clean, you could actually ride in the street- whether there were marked lanes or not.

Word is they intend to make more bike lanes. Which is a great thing. But if they aren’t going to be kept clean and clear, this is going to be an ineffective gesture. If the lanes become invisible due to paint loss after a few months, this will be a complete waste of time. Please Albany, let’s do this right.

(via EcoVelo)

It goes on to be filled with lots of little short pieces. Interviews, poetry, book reviews, an advice column, thoughts one commuting by bike down south, and some excerpts from touring cyclists.

It’s a little book, it fits in your pocket so you can take it anyway. It’s rugged. It’s printed in elegant type. Highly enjoyable.

Before:
Waterproof. Lights. Don’t over-layer or you’ll sweat inside. Do not let drivers psyche you out.

During:
Go slow. Take it easy. This is not a race. Focus on keeping your bike straight and your breathing even.

Don’t be afraid to take the lane. In fact, take the lane. Trying to ride in the crap at the side of the street is often dangerous. You’re better off holding up the cars behind you.

Pull over every once in a while. This lets the cars get on their way (which, admittedly, it often not very much faster than you were going anyway). More importantly, it gives you a chance to catch your breath, shake the snow off yourself, and appreciate the winter.

Signal your turns. You do that anyway, right?

Be aware of (lazy) drivers who do not clear the snow from their cars. Many of them cannot see out their snow covered windows and will not see you. This applies to cars already on the road, but also cars pulling out of parking spaces. Refrain from yelling into their open windows as you pass by- you need to stay focused on the street ahead of you.

Side streets that don’t see a lot of traffic are nice because there are not a lot of cars on them. But they don’t get plowed as quickly, either.

After:
Get the snow off your bike. A rag is a good thing. Take a hot shower.

First, let me say that I did not have my studded tires on. I will blame the weather people for that. For weeks they’ve been saying “omg blizzard we’re all going to die” and I’ll put on my snow tires. And then it won’t snow. At all. And then I have to take the tires off again. Which means I’ve wasted two hours of my life because somebody on tv lied to me. Sigh. So this time I called their bluff and did not put my snow tires on. More on this later.

I did have waterproof clothes and a ton of lights.

So we start from the bottom of Orange Street, which wasn’t bad. It was less than an inch of snow, really. After a block I turn right and climb a steep but short hill that is all snow. My back tire is slipping but I keep it upright and make it to the top to wait for the light. Studded tires would’ve been nice here, but the hill was short so…

The light turns green and I go left up Clinton. The conditions here are slush-tacular. The bike lane is at least visible, if not clear, and I easily pedal my way up the hill. At one point I think to myself “all you haters can eat my slushy wake” and then remind myself to breathe and pay attention.

I take a left on Lake, which is pretty clear. I cross Central and then take a right on Brandon. Brandon is a little one way street with no traffic. I go two blocks in peace, slowly cruising through the coating of snow and trying to enjoy what winter there is.

Left on Ontario. I have to pull over to let a bunch of cars by. No biggie. The first part of Ontario is a mess, in my opinion. It looked like they plowed it, but all they had really done with turn snow and slush into a layer of ice. I wasn’t having any problem with it, taking it slow and steady, keeping my bike straight and moving forward without any sudden movements. Cars, on the other hand, were not having as good a time as I was. Tires spinning all over the place.

The second part of Ontario, which would be after Madison, had some nice wide patches of fresh snow, so I stuck to that. Downhill past the Playdium, slowly, letting the hurried drivers go do whatever it is they’re in such a hurry to do.

Right on New Scotland I pick up a set of tire tracks. This is like one cyclist unintentionally leaving a long greeting in the snow. New Scotland is pretty heavily trafficked so it was clear enough. I took a left near Sycamore, and so did the tire tracks I was following. Those were some skinny tires.

My neighbor said “doesn’t matter what the weather is, you’re on your bike.” I replied, “hell yeah. This is the most fun I’ve had in a week.” And then I banked up the driveway. Strangely enough, the driveway had 3 inches of fresh powder in it.

A really enjoyable ride. There were only two or three spots I thought my studded tires would’ve been nice, but I didn’t regret calling the Weather Channel’s bluff this time. It was also nice to have an excuse to ride slowly, and just enjoy riding my bike, and enjoy winter.

Why are these called “pandas?” Well, ya see, there’s this rad chick who goes by the name faster panda kill kill. She takes rad self-portraits while riding her bike. They are so rad, in fact, that a group was formed to record similar self-portraits cuz, really, just about anyone who has a camera and rides bikes also takes these self-portraits.

Here are some examples

Here are some, done by other people, that I really like

Check out the Flickr group, get out your camera, and have some fun!

9) It’s just as fun as when you were a kid. You go zoom! and whoosh! You’re a sky creature, not a miserable earth-crawler. And you get to the end of your commute feeling invigorated and intensely alive.

‘Nuff said.

I got this photo from here based on a link from here.

He’s from the cable company. I tell him we don’t watch much tv and he can understand that doubling what we pay for cable doesn’t make a lot of sense. Then he says, “one more question, where do I go to get a real man’s bike?”

To be honest, the first thing I thought of was something you’d see bombing around London in the 1920s. But I guess that’s just me. I must’ve looked confused, so he explained, “you know, you go to Toys R Us and they have ladies bikes and kids bikes. Where do I get a real man’s bike?”

Ah.

We had some conversation about getting what you pay for. I explained that I paid $500 for my bike when it was new, which may sound like a lot of money to someone who buys a bike at Toys R Us, but I’ve had it for almost a decade. It’s my winter commuter and I put it through hell. It’s worth buying a real bike.

I told him to go to Downtube, because that’s my local bike shop and I’m loyal. I also told him about Klarsfeld’s way up Central. He knew where they were, but it had never occurred to him to go there. I said, “yeah, if you go to a real bike shop, you’ll get a real bike.” He laughed and said thanks.

A week later, I still feel good about helping someone who wanted a good bike.

(Be sure to read Part 1 before you read this post. It may not help, but it probably won’t hurt.)

An elevation map of the completed portion of our ride.

It doesn’t look all that bad when you map out the elevation on the graph above. A few hundred feet of climbing, a couple 4% and 5% grades, but not too bad.

Oh wait, I forgot that there were 400+ pounds of Rotarians on one bike. That’s why it was so hard.

The plan was a simple one: Keep the gears low. Have the SAG wagon stop every couple miles and wait for us to pass. Take a break whenever necessary. Don’t fall of the bike, get crushed by a tractor trailer or keel over from the exertion. No problem, right?

We rode and climbed and rode and climbed. A few miles along, there was our SAG wagon. Pren gave us the mileage count (there was no computer on the bike) and we kept going. We had enough air in our lungs to chat most of the time, and we told each other about our careers, our families, and why we would never, ever, ever, ever, ever volunteer for anything at Rotary ever again. Ever. Really.

Bill and me, smiling through our tears.

You know how when you have a really nice bike seat that’s like a couch cushion and you’ve been riding it for years and then you switch to a hard bike seat with no cushy properties at all and your rear end really hurts? No? Well I do. The seat on the tandem was apparently an unpadded piece of steel, possibly studded with spikes. I neglected to wear padded cycling shorts under my clothes. I never do, because the seat on my Xtracycle is so comfortable that I could bike naked if I wasn’t afraid Marlin Perkins would be overhead in a helicopter with a dart gun.

This bike seat, though, would have been better suited to transporting prisoners during the Spanish Inquisition. A few miles on this thing and they’d be converting to Catholicism faster than you can say, “Fetch the comfy chair!” I could go only a couple miles at a time before I had to stand up and stretch my … um … whatever it is that stretches down there.

Bill, meanwhile, had seat issues of his own. His seat wasn’t actually screwed tightly onto the bike, and it was constantly shifting position, forcing Bill to hang on for dear life like a rodeo rider on a bucking bronco. To Bill’s credit, he never said a word about it. Hey wait a minute — he kept offering to switch seats. Biiiillllllll! (Picture me shaking my fist.)

Another few miles, more hills, Pren in the SAG wagon. Nine miles (halfway there), more hills, Pren in the SAG wagon. Twelve miles, more hills, no Pren, but he must be just up ahead. Thirteen miles, more hills … uh … where’s Pren, exactly? I’m sure we’ll see him over the next hill. Nope. Maybe the next one. Nope. Maybe–

What’s that noise?

At about 13 miles we heard a sharp metallic pinging sound, followed immediately by a rubbing sound. (Excuse all the technical language.) I don’t know about other physical activities, but those sounds usually don’t accompany successful cycling trips. We hopped off the bike to see what was what, but we didn’t spot anything. I thought it might be the rear brake, which I’d had to disconnect and then reconnect when we changed the tire at the gas station back in Part 1. Soon, though, Bill figured it out: We’d broken a spoke and the wheel was becoming less round than is ideal for a wheel. The rubbing sound was caused by the now elliptical wheel wobbling into the brake pads.

I don’t know how well you know Bill and I, but although we’re renowned for our looks, charm, virility and spring-fresh scents, we are not, apparently, known for our brains. “What the heck,” quoth we in beautiful harmony, “it’s only six more miles. And we’ve got no tools! And our SAG wagon is missing! Let’s do it!”

We were entering East Greenbush, which meant a long downhill into the town of Rensselaer before we crossed the Hudson River and reached Albany. Bill suggested we go slowly down the hill, using only the front brake and the gears to control our speed. I did my best. We made it gently down the first hill and up the next.

Well, we made it most of the way up the next hill. At about 14 miles into the trip, we heard, and I quote:

Hisssssssssssss…

I’m sure you’re way ahead of me here, but unless you’ve brought a snake on your bike ride, hissing ain’t great. The wheel, which had been rapidly deteriorating, finally got to the point where it pinched the tube, which popped, letting out the air in our rear tire.

We pulled into the first driveway we came to — a Burger King. We had no means of repairing the bike, and no SAG wagon. Even better, as I might have mentioned earlier, Bill didn’t have the cell phone number of the SAG wagon driver, so we had no way to contact him. Nor did we have any idea where he was. “Maybe he went on to the auction without us,” we thought.

We sat in a booth in the Burger King, where I put on a paper crown while we tried to figure out what to do next. I used Bill’s cell phone to call my wife, but she wasn’t home. While I was calling her, I noticed that the phone was nearly dead. Bill said he’d charged it fully before we left. We hadn’t reckoned on the cold, though, which must have sapped the battery. We probably had enough charge for one more phone call.

It was then that Bill remembered that he had the number for Wolfert’s Roost Country Club, where our fellow Rotarians were having lunch and the auction at that very moment. Also at the meeting was Greg, who had brought his pickup truck for the express purpose of delivering the tandem bike to the winning bidder after the auction. Bill called the Roost, the Roost found Greg, Greg found us, and all was well.

As we crammed into the cab of Greg’s truck, we inquired about the health and safety of our SAG wagon driver. “He’s in the buffet line at the Roost,” Greg said. Ah.

Within a few minutes we were at the club, where we entered to thundering applause. We auctioned off the bike (and many other items) to raise more than $5,000 for various international projects, including ShelterBox, clean water projects, and Rotary’s nearly complete effort to eradicate polio from the face of the planet.

In the days since our ride, Bill and I have received even more money than was pledged to us, which will enable the club to buy a third Shelter Box.

Richard, who won the bike, discovered that in addition to the broken spoke, we’d also bent the axle of the rear wheel. He had it repaired and all is well. He will now be tormenting his teenage daughter by making her ride tandem with him.

My rear end has recovered, and Bill and I are already planning our next adventure. It will probably involve bikes. And maybe weight loss. And definitely cushier seats.

First, some background points that will help make the story clearer:

1. I’m a member of Rotary, and specifically a member of the Rotary Club of Albany. I love Rotary, not least because being a Rotary exchange student in 1991-92 completely changed my life and led to most of what I’ve done since. I also appreciate the way my membership and activity in Rotary helps me have a positive impact in my own community and around the world.
2. Rotary is involved with an organization called ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide. It’s an incredible organization, and you should give them some money if you can, and maybe see if your workplace or school would be interested in sponsoring a box. Right now, they’re on the ground in Haiti providing immediate shelter:
   

3. This year, the Rotary Club of Albany gave approximately $2,400 to ShelterBox from the 2008 edition of our annual auction. That’s enough to buy 2.4 boxes.

And so, the story:

At a Rotary meeting several weeks ago, Charlotte, the president of our club, announced that she had a tandem bike to donate to the 2009 auction. The bike was used by two people during the Cycling The Erie Canal event. These two folks rode the tandem from Buffalo to Albany. When they got to Albany, Rotarians from my club were there to give all the riders rides to their hotels or to the train station. The tandem crew surprised the volunteers by donating their tandem bike for use at our auction. Cool, right?

So now this bike was at Charlotte’s house, and she didn’t have a way to get it the 16 miles to Albany. Either my fellow Rotarian Bill Corbett or I — I’m not sure who gets the blame — suggested that we should ride it. (You make recognize Bill’s name because he’s contributed to RocBike in the past.) I chimed in to say that we should be paid for doing so through charitable donations toward the auction proceeds. Everyone in the room agreed to pay us $16 each ($1/mile) if we rode the bike from Niverville to Albany. We agreed. It was on.

The auction was supposed to happen in December, but a blizzard ended up canceling our meeting, and we rescheduled for January 6. Bill and I met that morning at Wolfert’s Roost Country Club, where we hold our meetings. Another Rotarian gave us a ride to Niverville to get the bike. That person was also going to serve as our SAG wagon in case any problems occurred.

It’s at this point that I would like to make note of one difference between drivers and cyclists. Our club president, who drives from her house to the meeting, told us it was 16 miles. It’s actually 19.4 miles. That doesn’t mean much when you’re driving, but when you’re riding in 20-degree weather up big hills, those extra miles count. And no, 19.4 miles isn’t that far. Bill and I have both ridden farther than that on many occasions. (See here and here for the tale of my most recent long ride, which was also a fundraiser.) But it’s far enough, as you’ll see.

Our first mistake occurred in Charlotte’s kitchen. Pren, our SAG driver, got Bill’s phone number and put it in his cell phone. Then he asked Bill a question that would resonate later on: “Do you want my number?” Bill replied: “No, I’m not going to be calling you.” Foreshadowing, anyone?



Bill and me with the bike in the garage

We encountered the next problem as soon as we looked at the bike — the rear tire was flat. We already knew this, though, so Bill had brought a pump. As it turns out, this was the only useful item either of us had brought along. All of the other useful things that became necessary later on? Not so much.

Bill pumped up the tire, we said our goodbyes, handed over the life insurance paperwork, and prepared to ride to Albany. We got as far as the end of the driveway before the rear tire was flat again. Luckily, the donors of the bike had also donated two brand new tubes. So we got out our tire levers and–

Oh wait, we didn’t have any tire levers. Nor did we have a wrench to take the wheel off. As it turned out, neither did Charlotte or her husband Paul. Not to worry, though, down the road about a half-mile was a gas station. Off we went, pushing the bike. Surely, even in this day and age, a gas station would have a wrench or two, right?

Wrong. The gas station attendant had a screwdriver large enough for a sword fight, but no wrenches. As it turns out, though, the cycling gods were with us, because there in the gas station parking lot was a Snap-On Tools truck. Yes, a truck with every kind of wrench and useful implement known to man was parked at the out-of-the-way country gas station to which we happened to push the bike. Within a few minutes we had the tire changed and inflated and we were pedalling toward Albany.

It was cold that day. Very cold. And windy. Very windy. And I made what can only be classified as a rookie mistake. Having never ridden a tandem before, I told Bill that he could choose his seat — front or rear. He chose the back because, as it turns out, he’s not an idiot. He knew that it would be much nicer to have a very large guy blocking the wind for 20 miles than to be the windshield. (In his defense, he did offer to switch after several miles, but by that time I had warmed to the role and was enjoying being in front. That decision also saved me from the blame for … well, I’m getting ahead of the story.)

In the next installment: 400+ pounds is heavy … we climb and we climb … the SAG driver and the buffet line … axle me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies … we meet the Burger King and obtain his crown … and more!

READ PART 2

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2010/01/19/a-bicycle-built-for-two-lighter-guys-part-1/feed/ 4 http://www.rocbike.com/2010/01/19/bicycle-clubs-of-old/ http://www.rocbike.com/2010/01/19/bicycle-clubs-of-old/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:10:27 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=3343

The New York Times ran a piece today on bicycle clubs of yore. Here’s the intro:



The Bittersweet History of Bike Clubs
By J. DAVID GOODMAN

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor bone-chilling cold can keep the members of New York’s assorted recreational bicycle clubs from the swift — or, often, leisurely — completion of their appointed rides around and out of the city. The New York Cycle Club, the Five Borough Bicycle Club and Fast and Fab, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bike club, are some of those that lead outings and other events year round. And while none of these was around at the turn of the last century, each traces its lineage back to the ubiquitous clubs that dominated the earliest years of cycling.

In the 1880s and 1890s, growing middle-class participation in cycling lead to the formation of hundreds of clubs across the United States. The first to form was the Boston Bicycle Club, created on Feb. 11, 1878. The following February saw a club formed in Buffalo, and the first New York City club came in 1880, also in February (something about the cold seemed to drive riders to associate in those days, perhaps for the warmth of the pack).

Read the rest of the article.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2010/01/19/bicycle-clubs-of-old/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/12/28/why-i-get-off-the-couch/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/12/28/why-i-get-off-the-couch/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:10:48 +0000 Julie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=3318 It’s not specific to cycling, but some RocBike readers may be interested in my post today at HandCraftedLife on reasons to get out and be active despite the weather.
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/12/28/why-i-get-off-the-couch/feed/ 6 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/12/08/you-know-what-they-ride-bikes-in-copenhagen/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/12/08/you-know-what-they-ride-bikes-in-copenhagen/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:57:31 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=3297

Democracy Now! is covering every day of the climate summit in Copenhagen. The segment below features Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Damon Moglen, who works on global warming for Greenpeace. I’m posting it here because midway through, Hickenlooper talks about bicycling in Copenhagen. He mentions that 30+% of the population commutes by bike now, and the city’s target is 50%.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/12/08/you-know-what-they-ride-bikes-in-copenhagen/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/10/27/bicycle-comedy/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/10/27/bicycle-comedy/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:06:37 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=3246


Thanks to Utility Cycling for the link

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/10/27/bicycle-comedy/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/08/28/bicycles-and-civil-disobedience/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/08/28/bicycles-and-civil-disobedience/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:59:20 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=3133 The Guardian is featuring a story today by Peter Walker about the bicycle as the vehicle of civil disobedience. Here’s an excerpt:

So what is it that makes the bicycle and the demonstration such good companions? To me, there are two factors at play.

Firstly, if you’re in a group, there is something undeniably liberating about riding around a city surrounded by cyclists. I’ve never been on a Critical Mass ride, so going to Blackheath was a strange sensation – no longer a vulnerable solo rider lined up against the massed metal forces of the motorised traffic, I was part of an entity too big to ignore or shove unthinkingly into the kerb.

Second, if you’re a solo campaigner in an urban environment then the bike is the mode of transport most guaranteed to get you to your protest on time and – perhaps more important still – give you the best chance of slipping away from pursuing authorities. When I worked for another news organisation in Beijing I’d regularly pedal to meetings or protests, nipping down narrow lanes to shake off the unmarked police cars, which routinely trail foreign journalists in China.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/08/28/bicycles-and-civil-disobedience/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/06/21/on-the-benefits-of-being-nice/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/06/21/on-the-benefits-of-being-nice/#comments Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:05:08 +0000 Julie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2881 There seems to be a lot of hostility in bike blogs these days. Everyone has an opinion about wearing helmets (or not), vehicular cycling (or not), bike trails (or not), and so much more. Having an opinion is a great thing; forcing it down others’ throats with vitriol is not.

I just have 2 things to say about all this. First, cycling is not an individual act; it is inherently social, simply by the fact that other people are using the trails/roads/sidewalks. I am both a driver and a cyclist. When a cyclist is biking erratically or is not visible in the dark, it affects me as a driver, by increasing my stress level as I am driving and trying to be safe. Further, if I were to hit that cyclist, it’s not just the cyclist who would be affected. I would be emotionally devastated. Our health care system would take another hit. My loved ones as well as the cyclist’s would be impacted. Insurance costs would go up. So, yes, individuals have the freedom to make choices about how they want to bike. But that freedom does not exist in a vacuum.

Second, could we be a little nicer to each other and to those with whom we share the transportation infrastructure? There’s a great post at EcoVelo to this point.

Read the comments too, where you’ll find, among others, this gem from the post’s author:

“The idea that acting courteously as opposed to confrontationally is somehow going to put us on a slippery slope leading to “laws demanding that all cyclists get out of their way” is a fallacy that has been used all too frequently to justify rude, aggressive riding tactics. What’s going to get us kicked off the roads is disregarding traffic laws, riding irresponsibly, and treating other road users as if we bicyclists operate under our own set of rules (see it too often). You are right, the car is “almighty”, but fighting its supremacy with a head-on frontal assault is not the answer in my opinion. I believe we need to build good will with the general public and politicians to gain the political capital necessary to instigate the infrastructure and policy changes that would make our roads (and trails) more attractive to new bicyclists, thus growing bicycling to the extent we’re all hoping for. In my opinion, the “us versus them” mentality is counterproductive to this goal and has gotten us nowhere in the U.S.”

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/06/21/on-the-benefits-of-being-nice/feed/ 3 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/06/06/why-take-the-chance/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/06/06/why-take-the-chance/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:26:44 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2782  

This image of a helmeted girl with face-trauma makes me sad. This billboard is near my house so I have to ride past her every day, and I’m getting really sick of seeing it.

One of the sign’s sponsors, Injury Free Coalition for Kids, has some interesting statistics on their site:

Head injuries incurred while riding a bike result in two-thirds of hospital admissions and more than 60 percent of the bicycling deaths.

If two-thirds of hospital admissions were actually from bicycle head injuries, I’d stop riding a bike!

I was also reading this sad story about Bradford Berk, head of the URMC, who sustained a serious spinal cord injury after losing control of his bicycle. This news report transcript doesn’t mention why he lost control, or talk about how to prevent spinal cord injury. It does, however, launch into a bizarre helmet advocacy piece. Two paragraphs about the accident, and then 5 about why helmets are so important.

If I had 5 paragraphs worth of space (or that much time on TV), I’d include a whole bunch of useful tips on top of the helmet tip, such as: ride in the road in the direction of traffic; take it slow on bike paths; use a bell or horn, lights, and a mirror; and give yourself some space on either side to avoid running into things or off the road. We don’t know if that kind of advice could have helped Mr. Berk, since there is very little reporting on the actual accident, but the media should really clear up all the bicycle safety misconceptions.

By the way, The Bagel Bin in Brighton has set up a wishing well to support Mr. Berk and his family. Ride safe out there folks — no matter what you put on your head.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/06/06/why-take-the-chance/feed/ 9 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/20/ride-of-silence-albany/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/20/ride-of-silence-albany/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 14:03:43 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2724 A 10 year old boy was riding his bike without a helmet in my neighborhood. He ran a red light and hit a car. And died. Please stop running red lights. Please, please please.

Information about our aptly timed Ride of Silence is here.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/20/ride-of-silence-albany/feed/ 13 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/17/for-drivers/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/17/for-drivers/#comments Sun, 17 May 2009 14:37:49 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2698 I scanned this from the Spring 2009 magazine Geico sends it’s members.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/17/for-drivers/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/15/veer/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/15/veer/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 14:31:05 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2679 Many thanks to Bob for getting us an exclusive showing of Veer.

Veer is a documentary about the Portland, Oregon, bike scene. It is large and multifaceted. They follow a couple of groups around, from the DIY bike repair shops, to the lobbyists, to the synchronized mini-bike dancers, to the bike chariot racers. There’s a lot, so it’s worth seeing, whether you ride your bike or not.

I think people in Oregon are perhaps too interested in riding mini-bikes (kids bikes) and tall bikes. But at least they’re having fun. And that’s what I think is important. The majority of this documentary is about people having fun on bikes and changing what riding a bike means. They talk about how it’s not just about fitness or transportation anymore.

If Veer is meant to be inspirational and make you think about the bike community in your city, I think it sets the bar unreasonably high. Portland has been building their bicycle community for decades. I didn’t see anyone in that documentary whining about being passed too closely by a car, or crying about a lack of bike lanes. In fact, one guy got a ticket for breaking traffic laws and actually shook the officer’s hand. Cyclists in Portland are responsible riders. In Albany, we’re still struggling to get people (drivers and cyclists alike) to recognize that bikes belong in the streets.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/15/veer/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/01/welcome-to-bike-month/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/01/welcome-to-bike-month/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 14:38:16 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2604 Lately I’ve gotten a smidge more involved in things. At the very least I’ve started writing more helpful articles. Turns out, they are only helpful for starting heated debates. Which is really very disappointing. It makes one think that nobody really wants to change anything, they just want to get upset tell everyone how terribly they’ve been treated.

Gandhi said “be the change you want to see in the world.” I think about this every day. I’ll write an article about riding with traffic, and then I’ll go out and I’ll see somebody riding against traffic, and I hope they see me, riding with traffic, and I hope they get the hint. I’ll write an article about obeying red lights, and not riding like a jackass, and I hope that every time I stop at a red light and be courteous to the other people on the road (and I mean drivers, too), that they see that, and recognize that. I hope that for every drunk-in-the-afternoon college jock who sarcastically calls out “nice bike,” there’s some kid who sees a grown up riding a bike with his lunch in a basket on the back and thinks “that’s cool.” I hope that a driver sees me signaling my intention to turn, or waiting for a green light, or stopping for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and says “whoa, a cyclist who is not a self-righteous punk.”

(To be honest, I always thought this was the point of Critical Manners. That as a group we would teach each other how to ride safely and responsibly, and we would show the rest of the world that not everybody on a bike is a jerk. And maybe we could get some new people to show up once in a while, and if we were nice to them, and made friends with them, maybe they’d stick around and learn something and pass it on.)

I don’t think we all have to go to Capital Hill with bikes and signs and protest. What we all have to do is be nice and ride our bikes. Be nice. Ride your bike. Ring your bell. Wave to other cyclists. Say “hi” to people raking their lawns. Be happy, smile, and enjoy riding your bike.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/05/01/welcome-to-bike-month/feed/ 3 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/24/thanks/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/24/thanks/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:59:05 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2559 Apparently there is some confusion. The state law is not to HONK AT pedestrians in a crosswalk, the law says you must YIELD TO pedestrians in a crosswalk.

That said, I would like to thank all the nice people who stopped to let me make a left turn. Your courtesy is a glorious beacon of hope. I know letting me turn in front of you cost you precious seconds, and I want you to know I appreciate your sacrifice. Which is why I waved and smiled.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/24/thanks/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/16/nice-day-for-a-bike-ride/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/16/nice-day-for-a-bike-ride/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:35:16 +0000 Julie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2541 Nice Day for a Bike Ride
(In 4 parts)

Ride to work
First day in the seat since my whiplash injury.
A few aches, but I’m feeling okay.

Ride home
Three teenage guys are blocking the path.
Two move, but one stays square in the middle and looks me right in the eyes.
I know a challenge when I see one,
and I’m not in the mood for it.
There’s room for me to pass, but barely.
As I pass, I sarcastically say, “thanks for moving.”
Not really smart.
But ignoring men who harass me gets old.
The guy mocks me, “thanks for moving.”
On a good day, I figure I can out-bike someone who’s bikeless.
But my first day in the seat, with an achy back, is not really my best day.
I’m a little concerned they’ll take chase.
I look in my rear view mirror. No sign of them.
I hear “Fuck you!” yelled at my back.
I want to flip them off, but I refrain.

I start to fume, reflecting on every rude act I’ve experienced or heard about over the past few weeks.
I’m pretty sure that the phrase, “Kids these days,” pops in my head.

As I near my home, I see a boy on his bike, meandering along the sidewalk.
He cheerfully yells out, “Hello!”
I say hello, though not so cheerfully.
Undaunted, he says, “Nice day for a bike ride!”
Smiling now, I say, “Yes, it is!”

Ride to yoga class
Feeling stronger now.
I come upon a couple of young boys on their bikes.
One says hello.
The other rides up alongside me.
I say, “are you gonna race me?”
He smiles and starts pedaling.
I shift my gears and start to pull ahead.
He says, “Oh, you’ve got gears, that’s why you’re faster.”
I smile and keep moving.

Ride home
Twilight.
Sounds of the neighborhood as I pass by.

Yep, nice day for a bike ride.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/16/nice-day-for-a-bike-ride/feed/ 10 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/16/rocking-the-tie/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/16/rocking-the-tie/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:58:58 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2539 This? Rocks.
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/16/rocking-the-tie/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/14/my-new-bike-and-a-vision/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/14/my-new-bike-and-a-vision/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:19:34 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2533
This is my new bike. It’s a Trek Allant. I got it from Downtube in Albany. I’ve been riding it to work and loving it. I sit upright, instead of all hunched over. It’s smooth and agile, nimble, unlike my beastly mountain bike. As you can see, it’s got fenders and a rack. I had mixed feelings about the grips. They look weird to me. But they’re really comfortable. They provide a lot of support, and cushion my hands when I hit a pothole. Which I try not to do, but I mean, it’s Albany, right? My only “complaint” with the bike is that if I have to stand up to pedal up some hill, the handle bars are not really angled for that and it’s hard to keep it in a straight line. Fortunately, it’s easier to just downshift and slide up the hill.

Here’s my “vision.” The ABC website puts some useful content up there. Things like “how to ride safely” and “how to keep your bike from being stolen” and “how to buy a new bike.” Then they make up little cards and tags bike, like this.

On the last Critical Mass, I rode a bit with Rohan, who runs the ABC website. He agreed that they really need some content up there and offered to sign me up. I agreed. I haven’t heard anything. But seriously people. You can’t spend all your time and energy bitching at the government because they won’t make you a dedicated bike lane. You have to help people have fun riding their bikes.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/04/14/my-new-bike-and-a-vision/feed/ 13 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/27/death-rides-on-my-left/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/27/death-rides-on-my-left/#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:16:06 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2508 This video is worth watching. I appreciate a cyclist admitting he does dangerous things. I also appreciate his calm explanations of why things are dangerous.
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/27/death-rides-on-my-left/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/24/why-i-love-yehuda-moon/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/24/why-i-love-yehuda-moon/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:14:46 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2504

It’s because of little moments like this one:


From Yehuda Moon & The Kickstand Cyclery

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/24/why-i-love-yehuda-moon/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/20/ramsey-on-two-wheels/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/20/ramsey-on-two-wheels/#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:52:48 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2493

Doug Ramsey, who writes very entertainingly about jazz at his site Rifftides, has this to say about getting back on the bike this year.

On a side note, I’ve interviewed Doug on my show, The Jazz Session. You can listen to the show, if you’d like.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/20/ramsey-on-two-wheels/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/16/dispatches-from-the-front-lines-of-the-off-roadon-road-war/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/16/dispatches-from-the-front-lines-of-the-off-roadon-road-war/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:42:24 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2479 Jack did a little bit of rabble rousing on Saturday when he came out against cycling! Check out his post to understand his reasoning. I myself prefer to walk on trails that are not all torn up by mountain bikers, so I understand where Jack is coming from.

Tryon Park is the central front in this war, as it’s one of the more popular parks for mountain bikers, but seems less utilized by foot traffic. I dropped by there last night on a scouting mission.


No obvious signage indicating lesser class status for bikers. 


The drier parts of the park seem to be holding up well, even with the bike use . . . 


. . . but the wetter parts of the park have uneven and torn-up paths. These tracks had pretty much hardened. 


What sort of jerk is tearing up the park with his shoes? Oh, that’s me. 

In the interest of a truce, I suggest letting the mountain bikers try to coexist with the foot traffic at Tryon Park first. Let’s take it slow.

P.S. While I was standing at the entrance to Tryon Park, I got to witness a pole-mounted transformer explode! I waited around until the fire trucks came:
 

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/16/dispatches-from-the-front-lines-of-the-off-roadon-road-war/feed/ 3 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/16/news-channel-8-promotes-thursdays-bike-event-also-helmets/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/16/news-channel-8-promotes-thursdays-bike-event-also-helmets/#comments Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:15:46 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2466 Don’t forget, this Thursday in Rochester: Let’s Talk Cycling.

News 8 ran a short interview with Jean Triest and Frank Regan about the event.

I liked what Frank had to say, though he could probably cut his soundbytes down a bit (the reporter had to kind of drag his point out of him).

Also, I’m glad Jean is talking about cycling as someone from the county government. And I know Traffic Safety is her job. So I mean the following criticism with full respect and appreciation.

But I do feel that her helmet lecture was too much. I know she means well. But if helmets prevent 89% of head trauma as Jean says, why not tell motorists to wear helmets? Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of head injuries in America. Head trauma in motor vehicle accidents kills many thousands of people a year, with head injuries occurring in 70% of severe crashes.

If you’re going to tell cyclists to wear helmets, you should probably add that with or without a helmet, safe cycling will raise your life expectancy while safe driving lowers it. And remember: the few studies that we’ve done on this topic show that the “weight of evidence is against the encouragement of cyclists to wear helmets.” I’d like to see more studies on this, and until then, I’ll wear my helmet in most contexts and stop telling other people that they should.

One way we could make Monroe County’s road really safe is to convince everyone to stop driving cars and to ride bikes instead. That may take a few millennia of advocacy (and some serious global warming), but it’s not going to come any quicker if people think that bike riding gets their heads smashed more than car driving does.

Anyway, Jean gets bonus points for saying that bikes have a right to be in the road, for giving some real practical advice on how to ride safely, and for spending time on the county dime covering bike safety issues. I’ll see you all on Thursday.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/16/news-channel-8-promotes-thursdays-bike-event-also-helmets/feed/ 12 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/12/forty-thousand-tragedies/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/12/forty-thousand-tragedies/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:49:41 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2453 On Saturday night, Henry Sun was out walking near his house in Brighton, a Rochester suburb, and was struck and killed by a motorist. He was 14.

We had our first thunderstorm of the season that night. The details are vague and contradictory on the various news web sites, but it appears that Henry was walking in the shoulder of the road, was struck at about 8 p.m., he then later passed away at the hospital, and police have not charged the motorist.

The police have stated that there are sidewalks in the area, but news sources have quoted some who say there are no sidewalks (and Google Street View backs up the lack-of-sidewalk claims). A story in the Democrat and Chronicle discusses neighbor complaints about speeding on that stretch of road, which is known as “The Elmwood Expressway.”

Henry’s death moves me more than most deaths I read about. I was riding just south of the neighborhood where Henry was walking that night, on my way to a dinner, where I complained about the walkability issues in that part of town. But I haven’t actually done anything constructive to make the area safer for pedestrians.

The mother of a six-year-old girl who was struck on the same stretch of road in 2007 shares her frustration in the comments of this story:

I went to the town of Brighton and asked them to help slow Elmwood down before someone else was hurt or killed . . . I want to start a petition of all Brighton residents to present to both the town and the county to get the road right with sidewalks on both sides and if needed, speed bumps.

These are good ideas, I fully support them. They help to mitigate a serious problem. I doubt you’ll see the county install speed bumps on a 35 mph road, but you might see them try other traffic-calming strategies. For example: a narrower street, with a reduced shoulder size (or bike lane!) and raised sidewalks with curbs, can help signal to drivers that this is a neighborhood and not a highway. This is a response, but it doesn’t eliminate the problem.

The statistics are a little old, but the late bike advocate Ken Kifer’s site has a long rundown of the various dangers cyclists (and pedestrians) face. Ken notes that in his calculations (based on 1997 data), one out of every 69 people will either be killed by or kill someone else with a motor vehicle. Sadly, Ken was one of those people – he was killed by a drunk driver in 2003.

We know that motor vehicles are the problem here, directly causing over forty thousand deaths each year in the US alone.

The convenience of owning and operating our own cars is no good reason why so many people have to die violent, tragic deaths.

Of course, there’s a lot of work to do.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/12/forty-thousand-tragedies/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/07/how-to-ride-your-bike-forever/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/07/how-to-ride-your-bike-forever/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:32:07 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2421

Want to know how? Head over to Albany Bob’s Liberty on Bikes! site.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/07/how-to-ride-your-bike-forever/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/06/the-potholes-emerge/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/06/the-potholes-emerge/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:51:27 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2419 The snow has thawed and spring is fast approaching. It’s that time of year when we have to decide between riding over potholes or riding closer to the center of the road than motorists prefer. I’m ready for another season of angry honks and middle fingers in the face!

One of the worst-planned roads in the city has to be Norris Drive, at the base of Cobbs Hill. I wrote a bit about it back in January when it got flooded out. After all that flooding and freezing, it’s no surprise that the road is a wasteland at its edges:


C’mon Obama, stimulate this road back into good shape! 

Luckily, it’s not too hard to avoid the potholes if there’s not a lot of traffic.

Know of any rough streets in your neighborhood?

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/03/06/the-potholes-emerge/feed/ 5 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/25/contrail/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/25/contrail/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:00:45 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2391
This? Looks awesome. Via BikeHacks.
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/25/contrail/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/24/charles-olsons-bicycle/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/24/charles-olsons-bicycle/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:38:04 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2389 I found this essay by Albany cyclist Nathaniel Ward via Ron Silliman’s blog:

In many ways I feel like I didn’t really know the area in which I live until I started riding bikes seriously. Things are both much nearer and much farther than I had imagined them to be, more accessible and less, too. The immediacy of the Self to art, to politics, to society at large, as experience by the pedestrian is what de Certeau is getting at. From the perspective of the cyclist, though, it is different yet again in that the physiological transformation that equates to greater fitness allows spatial relationships between geographic points to become diminished. So my world is larger as a competitive cyclist in that I can ride my bike from Albany, NY to visit my brother in Northampton, MA, for instance–a ride of roughly 85 miles–and at the same time it is smaller. Smaller in the sense that an average day’s training ride has the potential to bridge a social and emotional distance, and larger because what this amounts to is a choice. And choice amounts to social mobility.

Read the rest of the article.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/24/charles-olsons-bicycle/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/20/watch-this/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/20/watch-this/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:05:02 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2384 And smile: Around The Block
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/02/20/watch-this/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/09/commuting-gear/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/09/commuting-gear/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:05:50 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2304

From the always delightful Yehuda Moon & The Kickstand Cyclery:

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/09/commuting-gear/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/08/a-pundits-view-on-winter-biking/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/08/a-pundits-view-on-winter-biking/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:28:00 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2298 Matt Yglesias is a political blogger who takes an interest in the politics of transportation. He makes an interesting point about biking in winter:

The top bike commuting city is Copenhagen, not San Diego. If people can bike to work in Denmark’s winter (I even saw plenty of people biking around Helsinki in December) then it can be done wherever you might be in the USA as well. Unfortunately, American mindspace about bicyling tends to be dominated by the insidious recreational bikers, who’ve gotten it into people’s heads that even on a lovely day for a bike ride the act of pedaling requires intricate performance gear including funny biking outfits. But bike commuting is a whole different ballgame — you’re just trying to get to work, so you should wear what you would wear.

Gosh, he makes it sound so easy! Check out his post for the rest of his thoughts, and some debate in his comment section.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/08/a-pundits-view-on-winter-biking/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/07/a-vehicle-for-all-road-conditions/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/07/a-vehicle-for-all-road-conditions/#comments Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:54:04 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2295 A couple weeks ago, when we were in the first major melting phase of this muddled winter, I found myself on a partially submerged road near Cobbs Hill. Apparently all of Cobbs’ snow was melting and pooling on the street. I stopped for a couple minutes to take pictures of motorists as they pondered whether to spend two minutes on a detour or risk severe damage to their cars.


Maybe if I go slowly the water won’t notice that I’m here 

Winters bring the most difficult conditions for motorists to get through, be they giant puddles of indeterminate depth, deep snow to get stuck in, or icy hills that send climbing cars backwards. I haven’t had those problems yet this winter on bike. And if I do, I make the point in my Ten Reasons Why Bikes Are Better for Winter Commuting that when the going gets tough on a bike, you can walk or carry it until you’re in the clear.


I can carry 12 lifejackets in my Freeloader bags 

It’s OK to feel a little bit of smug self-satisfaction as a winter bike commuter. People think it’s so rough. Oh, you must be really dedicated. I could never do that.

The secret is that, sometimes, it’s much easier on bike.

 

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/07/a-vehicle-for-all-road-conditions/feed/ 5 http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/05/i-love-studs-in-the-wintertime/ http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/05/i-love-studs-in-the-wintertime/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:53:43 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2263 I picked up some studded tires from Towners about a month ago, and have been tearing up the roads with them since. I’ve experienced and seen my fair share of wipe-outs in past winter seasons, and after reading about Ethan’s experience this morning, figured that I’d share some thoughts on the studded life.


My tires, basking in the ice-cold neon power of the Chicken Avenger 

The Right Tire for You 

My particular Nokian tires seem comparatively low-end, as Nokians go. They have just 160 studs per tire compared to the meatier Nokian Extremes that our own Jack Spula uses. Plus, it seems that the $65.00-per-tire asking price at Towners is a bit high compared to what other people are paying around the country for this particular model. So if you can spare the time to research the best value you can find, I suggest you do.

But even lower-end overpriced studded tire models receive praise from their users. I’ve spent time on icy roads with road tires, mountain bike tires, fat balloon cruiser tires, and of course these Nokians, and this winter season (with the studs) is really the first time I’ve felt comfortable in all road conditions. I’ve gotten away in the past with “knobby” mountain bike tires, but they’re only good when there’s snow on the road. Those knobs do nothing to grip onto the ice.

How Far Will Studs Take One? 

I still ride with extra caution on nights like tonight when it gets cold after a bit of a thaw. That’s my sensible nature.

Yet studs really speed up my winter commutes. I used to get off my bike and walk it on side streets when there was a lot of sludge build-up. Poorly plowed back roads are still not my preferred route to take in winter, but they’re navigable with the Nokians.

White and black ice usually isn’t much of a problem, either, though I make sure to slow down a bit when the street looks shiny. Turns are easy to take, which is a huge relief at intersections. I was riding with Joey Mac last winter, and we went to take a left at an icy intersection, but Joey’s bike kept going straight. A busy intersection is the worst place to fall off your bike, and avoiding that situation just once is worth the price of at least one studded tire.

The brown frozen sludge that cars deposit next to their path, which Jack affectionately calls “car snot,” is probably the most difficult surface to ride on with studded tires. It builds up the most on roads with moderate use, where there is enough traffic to push the sludge next to the motorists’ path but not enough to help melt it all away. When possible I just ride closer to the center of the road, in the right tire track, and let motorists try to figure out how to pass me safely. But when I have to ride in the snot, I drop the bike down to a low gear and take my time. I’ve even ridden uphill through the snot (on Empire Boulevard, by the bay) and that’s something that can’t be done with standard road tires.

Incidentally, the studs handle fine on clear roads. There’s a bit of a humming noise, and a hardly detectable increase in rolling resistance, but nothing that makes me look forward to the end of the season when the road tires go back on. These tires are welcome to stay on my bike for as long as the weather demands.


Cuts through the snow like a hot knife through Earth Balance. 

Now, To Find Studded Boots! 

One hilarious drawback of these studded tires is that they’ll take you to places where you can’t walk. I’ll stop my bike and get off, only to stumble around on the icy surface. I’m happy that my studded tires have made me stop cursing my decision to live in a northern climate while I’m on my bike. Now, for some boots that will do the same while I’m walking.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2009/01/05/i-love-studs-in-the-wintertime/feed/ 4 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/12/18/observations-on-bikes-in-new-orleans/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/12/18/observations-on-bikes-in-new-orleans/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:14:54 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2218 In early December, I spent a few days in New Orleans. I saw a lot of bikes, which was surprising to me. They have a different mentality about their bikes down there- it was eye-opening.

I saw a lot of trikes with rear baskets. Bright, fun colors. Most of the bikes I saw were cruiser types. People don’t ride around all kitted up. I saw no spandex, no bike jerseys. I didn’t see many helmets and almost no day glo. At night, the streets are so well lit, and wide, that you don’t have to disguise yourself as a Christmas tree to ride around. I was shocked. I kept thinking “that is NOT safe” and my brain threw red flags all over the place. But then I started to realize that all of the defensive measures are not really necessary in The Big Easy. It didn’t seem to me that anybody was going to be hit by a car there.

I saw a lot of really nice bikes locked up in less than perfect ways, but at least reasonable ways, which meant to me that people know how to lock their bikes and are not worried about having their nice bike stolen. This is a far cry from our little town, where people break into your house to steal your beat up piece of crap bike.

A neat thing was the Canal Streetcar. It goes up and down the center of Canal Street. Reasonable public transportation, for sure, but I saw a lot of bikes riding up and down the streetcar lane. I don’t know if it was “legal” but the cops didn’t mind. I thought it was a really clever use of public transportation space.

(Oh, yeah, yay RocBike is back up!)

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/12/18/observations-on-bikes-in-new-orleans/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/26/sweat-hypothermia-century/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/26/sweat-hypothermia-century/#comments Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:07:19 +0000 Jenn Clunie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2195 “Men invented war so they could be among themselves. In peacetime, they have bike racing.” Gabriele Rolin

But what does it mean when we insist on waging war upon ourselves, flagrantly dismissing dubious weather forecasts, common sense, and good advice from friends in some perverse determination to ride 100 miles in bitter cold temperatures at the end of November—just because we could? Nearly 72 hours have passed since I completed the coldest century ride of my life and I’m still trying to figure that one out while I de-thaw.

Background: over the past eight years, Heather Rizzi’s (in)famous Sweat & Ice Century has become an annual tradition cyclists from around the region (and those willing to travel) look forward to and swap tall tales about. Starting in Clifton Park, you traverse mostly rural and low-traffic roads through Saratoga County, into Corinth, up and over West Mountain, around part of Sacandaga Lake, over the Bachelorville Bridge and then hit a series of (perpetually-upwards) rolling hills in Edinburgh and Fayetteville before shooting through Charlton and back to the starting line. Designed to test a cyclist’s strength, hill-climbing capabilities, pace and endurance levels, many return to the Sweat course through the Adirondack Park year after year as a means of testing and benchmarking their fitness.



Three years prior, having purchased my first road bike that August and only completing one century in my life two months beforehand, Heather duped me into signing up that fateful day in November 2005 by promising: “You’ve only done one ride before this distance? And you haven’t ridden much at all the last 4 wks. b/c of rain? And you’re still riding in sneakers with toe clips & basket pedals? No problem! It’s a flat course. I tell people it’s a flat course—only one small hill.” Ummm, yeah…she failed to mention that her definition of “flat” included almost 5,000 ft. of total elevation gain, and “one small hill” was named WEST MOUNTAIN. During my first introduction to that beast I had to stop 4 separate times to bring my asthma under control. I ended up finishing in the dark that year…But from that experience, a biker chick addicted to long-distance rides that push one’s boundaries of endurance all definitions of “reasonable” was born.

Flash forward to this past Sunday: 7 cyclists assemble in a frozen parking lot and assess the situation. Thermometer is currently reading 21 degrees (and that’s not factoring the fierce winds blowing upon us). Wool? Check! Winter gloves and booties? Check! Craziness? Double Check! Let’s get moving before we change our minds.


Decked in my finest layers of winter cycling attire, I came prepared for the cold. Weather.com predicted a high of 37 degrees for the day; I figured as long as we kept moving, we’d be fine. After all, I rode last year’s Sweat & Ice Century in 28 degree temps, enjoyed myself thoroughly, and rocked it with a 5:48:33 course time (a new personal record). What I was NOT prepared for were the galling headwinds that plagued us for nearly 90 miles: factoring wind chill, 21 degrees become FIVE. Any body heat generated on the hills or climb up West Mountain was rapidly whisked away by the ferocious winds blowing off Sacandaga Lake: pedaling along the naked shore with trees stripped to their bark, you could see large waves being blown toward you churning in a dark and angry maelstrom. In desperation, I put my head down and cranked those pedals as hard as I could in hopes of escaping that wind.


When I arrived at the Edinburgh General Store, our 58 rest stop, I was dismayed to learn our warm-up oasis was closed and a bunch of cold and tired cyclists were forlornly huddled on its front stoop. Jon Stillman, along with Terry and Bryna, had ridden out to say hello and join folks for part of the course: it was nice to see them, at least for the first 5 minutes until I got dropped. :) No hard feelings, guys: Sunday’s ride was all about SURVIVAL.

Words cannot begin to describe how damned cold I was the entire ride, or how much extra force had to be exerted to battle the wind, simultaneously draining you of your energy and will to live. My lips and fingertips were quite literally turning blue and it was difficult to form words or sentences—not that I was in a coherent state of mind, regardless. LUNA bars and bananas, frozen solid, became difficult to chew and swallow. Good luck washing it down or replenishing liquids lost during your hard efforts: water literally froze in our bottles, preventing you from drinking unless you stopped to pick a few slushy ice chips out of desperation—the consumption of which only cooled you down further. According to the sag vehicle’s thermometer, the maximum temperature of the day was 24 degrees, which quickly plummeted after the sun disappeared behind the clouds ~1:30pm or so. True to the ride’s namesake, it was eerie to feel sweat trickling down your back while at the same time shivering so hard I had difficulty maintaining a straight line. When it started snowing on us around mile 75 and I spotted solid ice formations within the longitudinal cracks and potholes in the roads around Charlton, it was a surreal experience.

Never had I been so thrilled to roll back into the parking lot and peel off those cold and sweaty cycling clothes so I could ensconce myself in all the layers of the thickest wool clothing I own. Sunday’s ride was more difficult than the Riedlbauer`s Round Top Rally MTB Race in the Catskills, or the ADK 200K and 300K Brevets back in March and April…and it had very little to do with the course.

So, if you’ve read this far, you might be asking: why put yourself through such an endeavor? Are you trying to prove something? Have deep masochistic tendencies that need to be fulfilled? Or just plain nuts?

My answer: perhaps D) all of the above? But I’d like to share a quote from A Cherokee Feast Of Days that’s served as my mantra on more than one occasion: “The effort put forth to move gives strength to do it-and moves us to more effort. But like the tide, the effort to move is followed by a rest, and then movement again. Each effort makes the next time a little easier until there is maximum strength or full growth. Some things challenge our very existence. It is the nature of things. But every effort we make weakens the challenge. If we will not give up, but we move and rest, move and rest, the breakthrough will come.”

I have put forth great effort…and now I look forward to reaping the benefits of a great rest. (Well, at least until Friday. :) )

Read Paul Lambrie’s ride report: http://web.mac.com/paullabrie/Paul_Labrie_photos/Winter_Nutz_Blog/Entries/2008/11/24_Sweat_%26_Ice_Century.html

For the number-crunchers and data geeks: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7194998

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/26/sweat-hypothermia-century/feed/ 8 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/04/t-shirt-idea/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/04/t-shirt-idea/#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:52:52 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2159 (or maybe a sticker, or patch to be worn on one’s messenger bag)

You’re just jealous because you’re a wuss.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/04/t-shirt-idea/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/03/bicycles-rock/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/03/bicycles-rock/#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:03:45 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2157 I received a link recently from lonerider, who directs us to the blog Rock’N'Bike, which looks at the history of bicycles in music:



Enjoy!

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/11/03/bicycles-rock/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/31/why-we-love-him/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/31/why-we-love-him/#comments Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:13:56 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2129

This is from today’s entry by Bike Snob NYC:

The New York Times also points out that in particular the number of cyclists crossing the Williamsburg Bridge has quadrupled from 2000 to 2008. This particular statistic is an excellent example of how important semantics are when it comes to interpreting data. While at first glance you’d take this to mean that more people are cycling, it’s also possible that the same number of people are cycling but that they’ve only been able to successfully cross the bridge since the city finished renovating the bike path in 2002. Before that, crossing the Williamsburg Bridge was like crossing a rope bridge in the Himalayas. So it wouldn’t suprise me if just as many people set out on their bikes to cross it before 2000, only to either give up and choose another bridge or plummet into the East River below.

How can you top that? Answer: You can’t.

Now head over there and read the rest.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/31/why-we-love-him/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/30/cool-things-i-saw-on-my-morning-commute/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/30/cool-things-i-saw-on-my-morning-commute/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:47:32 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2119 Ice around the edge of a puddle. First time I’ve seen that this season.
Horizontal sunlight hitting a tree on the Sage campus, lighting it up like brass.
My steaming breath, looking into the sunlight at the intersection of Myrtle and Delaware.
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/30/cool-things-i-saw-on-my-morning-commute/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/19/was-robert-frost-a-cyclist/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/19/was-robert-frost-a-cyclist/#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:28:36 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2096

I drove to Shaftsbury, VT, today to visit one of the houses in which poet Robert Frost lived. It was in this house — known as the Stone House — that he wrote “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Just as most of the classic Xmas albums were recorded in the summer, this quintessential poem about winter was written in July.

After touring the house, I took a stroll over to the barn, where I found this:

From Robert Frost's Stone House

Was Frost a cyclist?

Here are my other pics from the trip:

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/19/was-robert-frost-a-cyclist/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/17/quote/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/17/quote/#comments Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:08:06 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2094 “WORK TO EAT, EAT TO LIVE, LIVE TO BIKE, BIKE TO WORK”
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/17/quote/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/15/rant-more-power/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/15/rant-more-power/#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:56:04 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2089 I am upset about how someone passed me while I was riding my bike, and since it seems like all anybody in the Albany Bicycle Community does is complain about how unfairly they are treated, I’ll chime in today.

I’m biking home from work and a guy on a road bike passes me. I’ve never seen him before. We say hi. I’m feeling good about this. A lot of people on bikes, you wave or say hi and they don’t even acknowledge you.

Then he says, “you know, you’d get more power if you lower your seat.” He does not say “nice day, huh?” He does not ask where I’m headed. We are not building a friendly relationship. We are not comrades. He is telling me what I’m doing wrong.

Later, I see him passing stopped cars on the left side.

Again, I say, why would anybody want to ride a bike if they’re going to be harassed by everybody else on a bike. “Wear a helmet. Lock your bike. Ride with traffic. Lower your seat. Smile.” Stop telling me what to do.

I’ve got a great idea: shut up and ride.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/15/rant-more-power/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/03/ditch-the-meter/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/03/ditch-the-meter/#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:45:58 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2078 Liberty On Bikes! has a nice little post about finding happiness on a bicycle by ditching the bicycle computer.
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/03/ditch-the-meter/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/03/want-i-like-today/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/03/want-i-like-today/#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:35:38 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2072
Via Sonadei
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/10/03/want-i-like-today/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/29/doom-and-gloom/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/29/doom-and-gloom/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:01:37 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2042 Saturday I biked waaay out to meet the Constantino brothers as they rode in to Albany. Then I listened to their speech and sat through the questions. And I want to make an almost desperately frustrated plea.

Please, for the love of Cog, stop whining.

I understand that it’s dangerous out there. I understand that people (in cars) don’t like us out there. I understand that people (on bikes) are getting hurt and killed out there. But is this all we’re going to talk about?

They didn’t make a new bike lane. They won’t stop bike thieves. They don’t give you three feet of space when they pass you. So what? Does anybody ever have fun on their bikes anymore?

Given all the doom and gloom, why would anybody want to start riding a bike?

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/29/doom-and-gloom/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/19/pirate-bicyclists/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/19/pirate-bicyclists/#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:54:23 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=2018
I had wanted to do something like this for Talk Like A Pirate Day. And then I forgot when that was. Turns out it’s today, and I missed it. Bummer.

Via Cyclelicious

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/19/pirate-bicyclists/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/15/success/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/15/success/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:28:51 +0000 Julie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1983
As I had hoped, for the first time since her scary but fortunately quickly-recovered-from accident, my daughter Brianne got out on a bike this weekend!

She said she felt like a 7-year old, but she quickly got right back into it.

I’ m very proud of her!

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/15/success/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/02/bike-spotting-in-the-big-apple/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/02/bike-spotting-in-the-big-apple/#comments Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:16:54 +0000 Julie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1883 Back in April, I visited New York City to see my son’s orchestra perform at Lincoln Center. I took some photos of real live New York city cyclists, and here’s a sampling of what I saw.

Get that person an Xtracycle (or at least some panniers!).

The first beautiful day of Spring in Central Park.

Lots of pedicabs.

It cracks me up that this woman is on her cell phone.

And in this election season, here’s the one political pedicab that I saw.

If you’re interested in more pictures (not all cycling related), you can find them at my Flick page.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/09/02/bike-spotting-in-the-big-apple/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/08/19/cycling-in-the-wrong-direction/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/08/19/cycling-in-the-wrong-direction/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:13:50 +0000 Ethan http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1745 Paul Dorn writes:

Bicycling against traffic is extremely dangerous to the miscreant rider, as motorists don’t expect bicyclists coming the wrong way and make turns into the bike rider’s path. But wrong way riding is also hazardous to other bicyclists.

Amen to that. Every day I encounter people riding in the wrong direction. We have to figure out who is going on which side, which is not something you want to do in traffic. I’ve started to take the lane, slowing all of traffic, and calling out “please ride WITH traffic” as I pass. It’s not very effective. Sometimes there’s too much traffic and I can’t take the lane, and it’s a scary couple of seconds.

(And don’t get me started on these kids who weave back and forth from one side of the street to the other, in between cars, for “fun.”)

This (ie: riding safely) is, in my opinion, THE issue bicycle advocacy groups need to be tackling right now. How do we educate these people?

Read Dorn’s article here.

PS- Jason, we have no “Safety” category?

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/08/19/cycling-in-the-wrong-direction/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/31/from-new-england-to-la-nouvelle-france/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/31/from-new-england-to-la-nouvelle-france/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:26:54 +0000 Jack http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1541 I owe RocBike a follow-up post about my biking in Italy – but for now I want to write about a follow-up bike trip I took with Ian, my son, in New England and Québec.

Ian’s living in Providence, so we arranged to meet in Boston and head north from there. I chose to, or made the mistake of, going from Rochester to Beantown by plane, mostly because I had a leftover credit from AirTran. The credit reduced my fare to a staggering 10 bucks! But… the airline charged me $69 to take my boxed bike along. (I could have taken my folder in a large suitcase for nothing, but I wanted to ride my hybridized Kona, which has a gear range more suitable for the kind of “mountaineering” the route entailed.) Lemme tell ya: there’s nothing pleasant about standing outside the busy terminal at Logan Int’l and reassembling a full-sized bike, especially in the dark, and most especially when your bike-mechanical skills are as basic as mine. But this prefatory transpo-adventure had a happy ending. I got the bike together, made my way to a subway station a mile or so from the airport, and got to downtown Boston without entirely losing my sense of direction or my cool, such as it is.

Ian had an easier time: he took his bike aboard the commuter train from Providence and met up with me in the heart of Boston. Then, after a stop at an excellent Back Bay bikeshop for some last-minute adjustments, we boarded Amtrak bound for Portland, ME.

On this route, Amtrak accommodates bikes the right and proper way: for a $10 surcharge, you can roll your bike aboard (loaded with panniers or not) and stow it in the oversized luggage area. I can’t see why this service couldn’t be added to every Amtrak run, but as a rail enthusiast and member of the Empire State Passengers Association, I understand the train folks have got bigger fish to fry.

Portland, which I hadn’t visited in 35+ years, is a fine city indeed. Ian and I enjoyed the waterfront and restaurants, and frankly, I could have been persuaded to stay seaside for a few more days. But the Open Road beckoned… at least till it became clear that the road we’d chosen, largely because in this region there are practically no viable alternative routes that actually get you where you’re going without unreasonable “detours,” was not beckoning but in effect hollering, “Watch out, stupid.” In short, Route 302 north from Portland is not a cyclist’s dream: it’s got incessant heavy truck traffic, plus in the summer, an endless stream of moto-vacationers seeking fresh air even as they foul it.

The part of our route that took us through central and northern New Hampshire was much better in terms of road conditions – but of course we were hauling loaded bikes over some serious hills and mountains, too. I do love riding in hill country – the flats can get pretty boring, and besides, steady headwinds in the lowlands or plains can be mighty discouraging, much more so than even demanding ups-and-downs. Overall, I think NH is prime biking territory. Especially prime is the Dixville Notch area. Ian and I went through this high pass during a series of thunderstorms; we kept ourselves safely away from lightning (which should be one of the bike traveler’s biggest concerns) but we couldn’t dodge the raindrops.

After an exciting but wet descent, we holed up at The Balsams, a historic hotel complex, set on a mere 15,000 acres, that “donated” us a gazebo for shelter. When the storm cleared, we pushed on through a wetland plateau that gave us the best wildlife sighting of the trip: a moose that was browsing at roadside jumped and ran through the spruce thickets as we zipped by. We hadn’t noticed this fine specimen of the natural SUV of the North (maybe the label does a disservice to a noble animal) until it moved – and luckily the movement was not in our direction. You’ve got to take “moose crossing” signs seriously in this neighborhood, even if you’re nonmotorized.

When we left NH, via a seriously short trespass into the extreme NE tip of Vermont, we thought we’d conquered our quota of hills. Not so. This past of southern Québec, which despite many Anglo names on the map is a solidly Francophone region, is similar to the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes in the quality and quantity of long, long inclines. And even the major roads, which are wondrously free of heavy traffic, can be challenging when you’re packing lots of gear.

We went through towns like East Hereford, a sawmill town that’s surrounded by forests (duh!), lots of Xmas tree plantations (destined for, among other places, Long Island and Westchester, one local farmer told us when we stopped in St. Malo for lunch) and a dwindling supply of dairy farms. We also stopped for libations in the college city of Sherbrooke, from which we accessed La Route Verte, the newish Québec system of bike trails and designated roadways. (Check it out online – maps, etc.)

You notice how different the ambience is in Québec from that of NH and even VT, even though both the latter are heavily populated by descendants and relatives of Québécois/Québécoises. Ian posits that Québec Francophones are more European in their vehicle choices: smaller, more efficient and cheaper cars and trucks overall. What we saw on the roads, and what we didn’t see, tended to confirm the theory. I do hope that this and other aspects of what various commentators see as the province’s ongoing “Europeanization” drift down our way against the prevailing winds, both meteorological and political…

To be continued… with short notes about cycling in Québec City, hearing Paul McCartney almost by accident, tenting among the Vanbagos in a surprisingly (amazingly) quiet and pleasant private mega-campsite (again, that Québec ambience), and other stuff.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/31/from-new-england-to-la-nouvelle-france/feed/ 3 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/28/nostalgia/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/28/nostalgia/#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:01:00 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1467

Remember these days, kids?


The original Team RocBike: Jason Crane, Julie White, honorary member Liz Henderson, Jack Spula, Adam Durand

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/28/nostalgia/feed/ 5 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/24/viva-epo/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/24/viva-epo/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:57:08 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1419 Context: EPO is the drug of choice for pro cyclists. Nuff said…

Thanks to Bike Snob NYC for the link!
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/24/viva-epo/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/24/from-stockbridge-to-boston/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/24/from-stockbridge-to-boston/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:17:57 +0000 Julie http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1416

That supremely well-lit bike welcomed me and my partner to the Sugar Maple Trailside Inn in Florence, Massachusetts on our luxuriously long summer vacation (well, not as long as those who summer on Nantucket, another one of our stops, but long for us). The inn is filled with bicycle decor and bike and rail-trail related reading materials, is right next to a rail trail, and has two cruisers available for guests to borrow. Not only that, one of the hosts is an experienced advocate for rail trails.

Jason recently wrote about plans for expanded trails in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and rail trails do indeed abound in the parts of the state I’ve visited, which include the Berkshires, Pioneer Valley, Cape Cod, and Nantucket.

So if you’re looking for a good cycling destination, check out Massachusetts, and I recommend a stop at the Sugar Maple Inn!

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/24/from-stockbridge-to-boston/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/15/five-reasons-to-take-the-sidewalk/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/15/five-reasons-to-take-the-sidewalk/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:46:12 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1368 As any good bicycle safety resource will tell you, bicycles belong on the road. That’s where cars are going to see you, and it’s where pedestrians are going to hop out in front of you a little less. And although if you’re just getting into cycling you may find that riding street-level with cars may be a little unnerving, you’ll be much safer if you do.

That said, there are a few exceptions to riding on the road. I’m going to go over some of them here. Remember, if you choose to ride on the sidewalk for any length, be extra cautious. Anytime you cross a street from the sidewalk you should assume motorists aren’t looking for you. Be nice to pedestrians when you encounter them and don’t ride much faster than the speed they’re walking (here are some more tips for you sidewalk-using renegades).

OK, on with the list:

1. Momentary motorist distrust 

It’s best to assume, as a cyclist, that every motorist could go veering in any direction at any moment. In practice, this would make cycling on city streets prohibitively slow and paranoid. But it’s still good to have a handle on which cars are approaching you when. If a motorist seems unusually prone to veering, or if they are driving towards you in a way that indicates they have no idea you’re there, hopping up to the curb until they pass is the best idea.

You can, in part, rely on the sounds cars make (and perhaps the occasional head twist) to monitor traffic behind you. However, mirrors, invented 8,000 years ago, make a wonderful accessory to your bike and clue you in to approaching trouble you may not otherwise notice. They also allow you to do double-takes at other bikes out on the road without being so obvious about it. And they cost about $10.


Spot suspicious cars driving backwards towards you with a trusty mirror. 

2. Inclement weather 

You’re in an ice storm in the middle of winter, but no matter how big the metal studs on your tires are, you can be sure the motorist next to you is knuckling it on bald all-seasons. The best you can do when a 2-ton metal brick starts sliding around next to you is to put a curb between you and the brick.

Downpours can pose a different problem – potholes and poorly designed storm drains have their way of hiding underneath vast puddles. And as visibility drops, not only will motorists have a hard time seeing you, but vice-versa. Although you may be anxious to get out of the rain, playing it safer and slower up on the sidewalk may be the most prudent option.

3. Awesome shortcuts 

Part of being a safe city cyclist is using side streets when possible. Riding down the nearly-abandoned side streets in smaller cities like Rochester can be calmer, smoother, and often more picturesque.

The calmest of sides streets are that way because they aren’t open to “thru traffic,” but cyclists don’t always have to heed these traffic rules. Sometimes a pathway, a park, a footbridge, or a sidewalk connects dead ends to other roads and allows the street-smart cyclist to take these alternate routes.

Spend some time riding around side streets you otherwise may think you can’t get through, and you may be surprised at the options little footpaths give you.


My favorite shortcut in Rochester, which takes you from S Goodman and 490 to Oxford and Monroe. The numerous bike tire tracks in the snow indicate this shortcut’s popularity. 

4. Construction 

Construction often provides motorists with the terrible combination of sensory overload with confined shoulder-free lane space. Unless you’re prepared to take a lane and infuriate a motorist in standstill traffic because they need to wait 8 feet farther from their destination, it’s often a good idea to avoid construction traffic altogether.

Remember to be even more extra cautious if you choose to take the sidewalk. Motorists stuck waiting are prone to quickly turn off the main road and right into your path.


Henrietta + nighttime + construction = jump on the canal path as quickly as possible! 

5. Mixed use paths 

The long mixed use paths that may intersect your city like they do Rochester provide a great alternative to vehicular cycling. You’ll have to be aware of pedestrians, rollerbladers, unleashed dogs, woodchucks, etc. but oftentimes these paths are underutilized anyway. Unlike most sidewalks, mixed use paths are often specifically designated for bicycle use, but that doesn’t make them any more safe when you cross paths with motor traffic.

And in conclusion 

So those are my top five reasons for getting out of the way of cars and into the way of pedestrians. Like many things in the world of cycling, common sense and caution will go a long way. Do you have any good reasons for breaking the cardinal rule of vehicular cycling? Object to any of mine? Let me know in the comments.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/07/15/five-reasons-to-take-the-sidewalk/feed/ 2 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/06/28/back-from-italy-but-not-completely/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/06/28/back-from-italy-but-not-completely/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:52:24 +0000 Jack http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1322 It seems like I’ve been away from RocBike for a long time – and yes, it’s been a couple weeks since I even checked in. But my absence was for a good cause: a trip to Italy, with lots of biking there (I brought my Dahon folder, which fits easily into a couple suitcases for air travel) and now some impressions to pass along.

My trip took me to several northern Italian cities: first to Modena, home of fabled tenor Luciano Pavarotti, almost equally fabled soprano Mirella Freni, and oddly fabled, expensive, gas-guzzling Maserati, whose headquarters are not far from downtown. Modena’s population is about 177,000, and I’ll bet the figure includes about 40,000 regular cyclists. As in many European communities, regular Modenites in huge numbers get around by bike, doing the shopping, dropping around to the caffe/café, going on dates (two per bike, and not on tandems), and otherwise getting through the day. If you wander the deliciously narrow and pedestrian-friendly streets and alleyways of the old parts of town, you see hundreds of bikes locked up everywhere. The bikes tend to be utilitarian, affordable models, some of them decades old and well-worn. (It’s only out in countryside, on the beautiful but narrow ancient roadways, that you see helmeted, bright-jerseyed riders on fancy road bikes.) Partly for economic reasons, and helped along by a human-scaled urbanscape and bike-friendly traditions, Italians depend heavily on appropriate transport technology.

The principle held true for two other communities I visited: the small city of Vignola, mid-sized Parma, and sizable Bologna (ca. 400,000 people in the urban core). I recommend all three to bikers and walkers – again, it’s the traditional urbanscape that makes the difference. Bologna, with plenty of piazzas and 38 km of “arcades,” i.e. Gothic-arched covered walkways, is especially attractive to pedestrians. I think this town’s Renaissance and Baroque architects could teach our RenSquare planners a thing or three. (And isn’t it odd that not long ago, Rochester was courting Parma interests for a deal to redevelop Midtown Plaza – without so much as considering the physical features that makes the city of Parma a resounding success?)

Not that Italy is a total biking Paradiso. At least in the Emilia Romagna region that I toured, the secondary highways are miserably clogged with trucks and cars moving at excessive speed, and there’s precious little space for bikers or pedestrians. And in the suburban zones, you see many working-class cyclists pushed to the margins, same as you see around home. But in Italian town centers, everything’s rosy: ample bike paths and lanes, urban traffic that’s respectful of cyclists, and an official commitment to alternative transportation. Modena also has begun a bike-borrowing/rental program. You just put down a deposit and get a key, then access publicly-owned bikes at any number of parking stations around town. There’s no fee for the first three days – perfect for travelers, though I must say the bikes themselves are a little stodgy in design, solid and serviceable but not suitable for long rides.

Well, I’m now coping with transpo-culture shock. I went to the Rochester Public Market this morning and did a few errands. Amazing how few bikes you see around the market (I counted about a dozen), considering the huge turnout (thousands on- or just off-site) on a Saturday morning. Part of this is the durability of the Auto Craze, part is the result of the Rochester’s failure to create the infrastructure that would seduce people into going to the market by bike. Why, the city only recently added another parking lot, this one on Railroad St. And still – as any competent traffic planner should have foreseen – the cars and “light trucks” jam the access roads and turn the market grounds into ground zero for air pollution and conflicts with mere persons who make such daring, self-indulgent moves as trying to cross a street! Maybe RocBikers, joined by Critical Massers and others, should target the market for some kind of actions. City Hall shouldn’t be allowed to ignore or downplay bike issues any longer. (I note with pleasure the departure of Dumbass Supremo Steve Minarik, the Republican boss who did something to offend everyone – and did everything to maintain the status quo that barely acknowledges alternative transport. Not that I expect M’s replacement will be much better.)

One last note: Italian towns also are home to vast numbers of motorbikes and scooters. This was especially evident in Bologna. But the odd thing is, I didn’t hear any straight-pipe monstrosities like those that take over Rochester-area roads every summer. Interpret that as you will.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/06/28/back-from-italy-but-not-completely/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/06/02/still-ridin/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/06/02/still-ridin/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:35:51 +0000 Adam http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1317

Caitlin and I started bikepooling together last summer, back when we both had jobs on the other side of the city. Now that I work out of my home, I ride with Caitlin for the pleasure of her company.

Bikepooling rocks.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/06/02/still-ridin/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 21:33:16 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/

I’m typing this in Blue Smoke, the barbeque joint above the Jazz Standard on E 27th St in Manhattan. I’m in town to interview saxophonist John Ellis for my show The Jazz Session.

This is the first time I’ve been in the city since becoming a regular bicycle rider, and thus the first time I’ve really looked at the city with cyclist’s eyes. Let me tell you, you’ve really gotta want it to ride here.

I’m amazed at the bike handling skills of the messengers I see, and amused at the lack of skills of the pseudo-messengers. Yes, it’s cool to have more folks on bikes, but some of these riders are asking to be killed.

I also got a good laugh out of several of the bike lanes, which are little more than additional parking spaces for cars and delivery vans. Not a new observation, to be sure. In fact, BSNYC has written about it several times.

All that said, I’d love to try riding a bike here. I almost brought my bike today, but decided not to add one more complication to the joy of driving here and navigating to the club. (Tip: OnStar is useless in Manhattan. At least mine was.)

I did spot one thing I’ve never seen mentioned — a cycling map of New York City. It was outside the Barnes and Noble in Union Square, on one wall of a covered bike rack. The map shows various “bicycle-friendly” routes through the city, and it also shows the location of quite a few bike shops. I forgot that I had my camera with me, or I would have taken a picture.

Anyway, my hat’s off to all the folks who make riding a bike here part of their regular day. Huzzah!

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/14/nyc-aint-no-joke/feed/ 3 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/13/modeling-yehuda-moon/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/13/modeling-yehuda-moon/#comments Tue, 13 May 2008 22:19:56 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/13/modeling-yehuda-moon/

[singlepic=787,450,450]

So here’s me, modeling my new Yehuda Moon t-shirt. And by “modeling” I mean “wearing” as opposed to “causing to look attractive and therefore enticing you into buying.” That said, the shirts are cool, the comic strip is cooler, and I recommend outfitting your cycling wardrobe with one or two of these.

When the “model” isn’t tubby and hunched over, the shirt looks rather more like this:



Here’s the link to the swag at CafePress.com, and here’s the official Yehuda Moon site.

I would also like to point out that I took this shot in front of my 1957 Raleigh Sprite, thus enhancing my Yehudaness.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/13/modeling-yehuda-moon/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/10/why-i-love-bike-snob-nyc/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/10/why-i-love-bike-snob-nyc/#comments Sat, 10 May 2008 18:47:00 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=1289

I love Bike Snob NYC for many reasons, one of which is writing this good:

But as cruel a fate as that may be, he knew perfectly well when he swung a Docker-clad leg over that gel saddle, flipped up the kickstand with the heel of his Rockport, and set out on his way to the comic book store that he risked feeling the cruel sting of Anserine ire.

(Read the rest of this post.)

And lest you think I’m making fun of other cyclists, I will come clean and admit that while I don’t wear Dockers, I have flipped up my kickstand with my Rockport on the way to the comic book shop.

If you’d like even more BSNYC, give a listen to his appearance on our podcast, The RocBike Review.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/05/10/why-i-love-bike-snob-nyc/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/12/joining-the-new-york-bicycling-coalition/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/12/joining-the-new-york-bicycling-coalition/#comments Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:04:21 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/12/joining-the-new-york-bicycling-coalition/



Today I went to the annual meeting of the New York Bicycling Coalition to do a presentation on bike blogging … and I ended up on the board. More on that later, but you can see pictures from the event over at Fort Orange Cycling.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/12/joining-the-new-york-bicycling-coalition/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/cool-bike-rack/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/cool-bike-rack/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:50:04 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/cool-bike-rack/ Thanks to Bruce at Scenic Route for the tip!









]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/cool-bike-rack/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/bicycle-cooking/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/bicycle-cooking/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:38:11 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/bicycle-cooking/

No, not cooking a bicycle. Let’s let Darren explain:


I run the website at www.bicycletouringpro.com … and this week I am doing an interview with a German cookbook author about cooking while traveling by bike. We’re going to be talking about the different types of stoves and fuels… and a bunch of other cooking related issues.

I thought that you might be interested in hearing the interview … and maybe your blog’s readers would be interested in hearing the interview as well? It’s free … and it should be good!

So if this sounds like something your readers might be interested in, please direct them to this page.

All the details can be found there.

It’s going to be a good interview, so I hope you’ll check it out!

Thanks for your time… and keep up the good work!

Darren Alff

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/bicycle-cooking/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/nice-used-bikes/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/nice-used-bikes/#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:34:26 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/nice-used-bikes/ I received this message from Ryan Tucker:


Over the past few years, I’ve had a rather cyclic bicycle operation:

1. Spent $300-$500 on a nice shiny new bike.
2. Enjoy the bike greatly.
3. Find bike missing one day.
4. Have bike no more.

   This spring, I’ve decided that trying to fix step #3 is impossible so I might as well make step #1 more affordable by getting one or two used bicycles.

   Would you know of a good source for good used bicycles in the Rochester area? I’m not looking for a competition-grade multi-thousand dollar luxury bike, but I don’t want a rusted-out Huffy either.

   Any pointers would be appreciated :-) Thanks! -rt

The local Craigslist bicycle section is the first place I’d try. Anybody else got any ideas? You can leave a comment or contact Ryan directly at rtucker (at) gmail (dot) com.

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/10/nice-used-bikes/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/01/cycling-toward-the-future/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/01/cycling-toward-the-future/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:23:18 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/?p=749
Photo by Joey Mac

So.

Over the next weeks and months, I’m probably going to write here about my wife’s and my attempt to get back to the values we started with as a married couple. Ever since we had our two lovely boys, I think we’ve been sliding away from the course we had charted as we are being slowly but surely co-opted by modern cultural “norms.”

For months now, I’ve had this really positive, hard-to-pin-down feeling that something good is coming. I told Jen then other day that I feel like I’m simultaneously riding many tributaries on the way toward a great river, and that once I hit the main body of water things will be clearer and brighter and better. I think the way to get there — the way to find the river — is to take intentional action, not just to be swept along by the current.

One intentional action we’re going to take is to severely limit our car usage on the way to eliminating it entirely. I have a car that’s provided by my work (as I’ve written about here and here) and we also own a 2001 Subaru Forester that’s a year from being paid off. I think we’re going to get rid of our car and park my work car except when I need it for work, which is very seldom. In addition to the workers I represent in downtown Albany, I also represent two hotels in Schenectady. I discovered that it’s a fairly easy bike trip to Schenectady if you go straight there, so that cuts out another need for the car. And I can take my weekly trip to Saratoga Springs by train and then walk a mile to the office.

Anyway, I don’t have this all fleshed out in my mind yet. But good things are afoot. Positive change is happening. Life is starting to come into focus in a way it hasn’t before. And bicycling is part of this new world.

Whenever I want to remind myself about the beauty of the bicycling lifestyle, I ride my bike. And I watch this:

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/01/cycling-toward-the-future/feed/ 4 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/01/cycling-toward-the-future-2/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/01/cycling-toward-the-future-2/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:19:53 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.fortorangecycling.com/?p=159
Photo by Joey Mac

So.

Over the next weeks and months, I’m probably going to write here about my wife’s and my attempt to get back to the values we started with as a married couple. Ever since we had our two lovely boys, I think we’ve been sliding away from the course we had charted as we are being slowly but surely co-opted by modern cultural “norms.”

For months now, I’ve had this really positive, hard-to-pin-down feeling that something good is coming. I told Jen then other day that I feel like I’m simultaneously riding many tributaries on the way toward a great river, and that once I hit the main body of water things will be clearer and brighter and better. I think the way to get there — the way to find the river — is to take intentional action, not just to be swept along by the current.

One intentional action we’re going to take is to severely limit our car usage on the way to eliminating it entirely. I have a car that’s provided by my work (as I’ve written about here and here) and we also own a 2001 Subaru Forester that’s a year from being paid off. I think we’re going to get rid of our car and park my work car except when I need it for work, which is very seldom. In addition to the workers I represent in downtown Albany, I also represent two hotels in Schenectady. I discovered that it’s a fairly easy bike trip to Schenectady if you go straight there, so that cuts out another need for the car. And I can take my weekly trip to Saratoga Springs by train and then walk a mile to the office.

Anyway, I don’t have this all fleshed out in my mind yet. But good things are afoot. Positive change is happening. Life is starting to come into focus in a way it hasn’t before. And bicycling is part of this new world.

Whenever I want to remind myself about the beauty of the bicycling lifestyle, I ride my bike. And I watch this:

]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/04/01/cycling-toward-the-future-2/feed/ 1 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man/#comments Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:14:18 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man/ From Monty Python, via the fine folks at Urban Velo:
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man/feed/ 0 http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man-2/ http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man-2/#comments Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:16:18 +0000 Jason Crane http://www.fortorangecycling.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man/ From Monty Python, via the fine folks at Urban Velo:
]]> http://www.rocbike.com/2008/03/27/bicycle-repair-man-2/feed/ 0