Those crafty kids in Oregon slipped the Bicycle Commuter Benefits Act into Bush’s awful awful $700 billion bad debt buy out. In short, your employer can give you $20/month, tax free, for biking to work.

More from Commute By Bike, among others.

Liberty On Bikes! has a nice little post about finding happiness on a bicycle by ditching the bicycle computer.

Via Sonadei

Via Dinosaurs and Robots.

The official Long Bike Back Blog was updated this morning. They made it to Boston. Because, you know, they are awesome. This write up talks about their trip through Eastern New York, with pictures of them riding through Albany (and I’m in one!). I’m glad to hear that they made it safely.

Still one of the best parts of my ride home.

This is one sweet looking ride.

Via cyclelicious, of course.

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?

Buncha fun rides this Saturday, September 27th.

On Saturday, September 27 at 9:30 AM, Save the Pine Bush is sponsoring a bicycle ride from the Civil War Monument in Washington Park to the Pine Bush Discovery Center on Route 155, north of Washington Avenue Extension. Once at the Discovery Center, we be given a short tour.

When riding, we will follow all traffic laws, and stay together as a group. I have a route picked out (but, I always welcome suggestions!).

I would really like to have one or two more ride leaders to come with me. Would anyone be interested?

And, if you don’t want to be a ride leader, please, be a ride participant! Its a lot of fun to ride to our beautiful Pine Bush!

I expect we will return to Albany sometime in the afternoon, around 3:00 PM, depending on how fast we go, how long we stay at the Discovery Center, and whether we stop for food.

For more information:
http://www.savethepinebush.org/Current/Ski.html

And then there’s this one, which I’m psyched about.

After two years of recovery from a hit-and-run accident, cyclist Pearson Constantino and his brother Pete are riding across America to make our roads safer and inspire more bicycling. A documentary film, THE LONG BIKE BACK, is being made about Pearson’s inspirational comeback and the brothers’ epic ride.

Pearson was one of 44,000 cyclists to be injured by a motor vehicle in the United States in 2006; an additional 68,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes.

On August 12th, brothers Pearson and Pete set out from Newport, Oregon, and will continue their cross-continental journey all the way to Cape Cod, Massachusetts along US Route 20, Main Street America.

Support NYBC’s Share the Road Campaign and join “The Long Bike Back” as they ride through NYS’s Capital.

Saturday, September 27th:
4:00pm: Pearson & Pete have invited cyclists, advocates and friends to accompany them the last 15 miles on their route to Washington Park, downtown Albany. Meet at the corner of Dunnesville Rd. & Route 20 (Western Ave), Dunnesville, NY, ready to ride (Please note: all riders must wear helmets–a rider will not be allowed on a ride if he/she does not have a helmet. Riders are expected and required to follow all traffic rules and regulations.)

5:00PM: arrival in Washington Park, downtown Albany.

5:30pm-6:30pm: “The Long Bike Back” Reception/Preview Screening at the Upstate Artists Guild Gallery, 247 Lark Street Albany NY 12210, co-sponsored by NYBC and the Upstate Artists Guild. Join us for a warm welcoming reception and early preview screening of a segment of “The Long Bike Back,” after which our featured guests will speak briefly about their journey, including Pearson’s recovery, and the need for motorists to be aware of vulnerable road-users. $10 donation ($5 student/low-income); proceeds for the event would benefit NYBC’s Share the Road campaign to increase bicycle safety awareness. For more information, please contact NYBC at nybc@nybc.net or (518) 436-0889. We hope you can join us for this event!

I have no idea where Dunnesville even is. As usual, anybody in the Helderberg neighborhood who wants to ride together, let me know.

The Bike to Work Guide: What You Need to Know to Save Gas, Go Green, Get Fit will ship in November, be in stores by December, and be on sale everywhere by January. It’s now available for “pre-order” on Amazon.com and elsewhere. Affordably priced at only $7.95, the Bike to Work Guide offers a lot of helpful information to those considering commuting by bicycle.

On my xmas list, fer sure. The Bike To Work Guide.

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

Today I was getting ready to leave an a co-worker said to me “Pretty soon it’ll be time to put the bike away.”

I replied, “pffft, no.”

She said, “what are you going to do when it snows?” As if you cannot get around in snow without some giant white SUV. Truth be told, I do not know what I’ll do when it snows. But I’ll find a way to bike through it, just to challenge myself, just to prove that I can.

So last night I biked out to the Sanctuary For Independent Media to hear Chris Carlsson’s talk. I met up with Lorenz at the boat launch. We split at 6:10, and made it there at 6:51. Important things to remember for the future. The valet bike parking was awesome.

Scott Kellogg’s brief talk was interesting, if a little too dogmatic. Carlsson’s talk was very thought-provoking. It’s good to hear someone else say what you’ve been thinking for months.

But, honestly, the best part was the ride home. A half dozen of us, lit up to varying degrees, cycling through mostly empty streets. Really a lot of fun. I met many people, and hopefully I’ll see them again.

While I’m here, I’ll post this bit:

How do the Open Source software movement, bicycle sub-culture, guerilla gardening, and the Burning Man Festival fit together?

Author and Critical Mass co-founder Chris Carlsson connects these dots as he profiles the social networks that are cooperating outside of economic regulation and laying the foundation for a genuine movement of liberation from market life.

NOWTOPIA is, I believe, Monday, September 15th, at 7pm. I’m thinking about biking there, so if anybody from Albany is going, bump me.

Over on Dinosaurs and Robots, they have a post about velocars.

The fuel rationing … is not a 1970’s fuel crisis, but the restrictions that were in place during the German occupation of France during World War II. As the aforementioned (and excellent) Microcar Museum notes, “It was the most sophisticated mode of transport available to a fuel-starved population, and owners were considered fortunate indeed.”

I think this little brown number is pretty nice looking.

I have this crazy idea to help the biking community. The more I think about, the more it develops. This is it’s current incarnation.

Business cards, probably bright orange, with helpful information on both sides. On one side, it will have tips about locking up your bike. On the other, it will have information about riding safely. The idea is that if you see a bike that isn’t locked up at all, or is poorly locked up, you can politely stuff one of these cards into the handlebars and maybe teach the owner something. The idea is that these cards can be handed out to people who ride against traffic, instead of with it. It seems like a simple way to HELP people without being obnoxious about it.

Now, I’m also thinking about making a PDF out of this stuff, so that anybody could download it, and print and make their own cards. That way it’s not just me handing out little orange cards. (Maybe other people will pick other colors.)

Do you think this idea is crazy good, or crazy bad?

There’s a pretty big, and rather well written, article about bicycling in the Capital Region in this week’s Metroland. Pick that up, or read it here.

Tips for bicycle commuting

Wear a helmet. A helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Obey all traffic laws and be predictable. Bicyclists have a right to the road, but they are also responsible for following the same rules as cars.

Decide your route ahead of time and ride it on a weekend before you commute into work. You can use this test run to judge the amount of time it will take, your level of fitness, and potential problems.

Have a bicycle shop tune up your bicycle. Learn basic maintenance, such as repairing flats and fixing chains.

Bring a change of clothes into work before riding in, or keep multiple sets of clothing in the office.

Bring a water bottle, or even two. In the summer, it is easy to become dehydrated.

If you are nervous about traffic, or will be cycling through a heavily trafficked area, take a beginner class with the League of American Bicyclists. Certified instructors can teach you the basics of navigating traffic and solving common commuting problems.

Wear appropriate clothing that is brightly colored or reflective. If you are wearing long pants, use ankle straps to prevent them from catching in the gears or bicycle chain. Bring rain gear in case of bad weather.

Invest in a quality lock and lock your bicycle to an immovable object in a visible area. If available, park your bicycle indoors.

Take the route at your own pace. “You don’t have to be Danica Patrick to drive to work,” says League of American Bicyclists president Andy Clarke, “so you don’t have to be Lance Armstrong to bike to work.”

Funny thing happened to me on the way home from work today. I got stuck behind a school bus. I thought, that’s unusual, that hasn’t happened all summer. It occurred to me that school must be back in session. So please be careful out there. Kids are crazy, and drivers stuck behind buses are impatient.

Cross posted from the Albany Bicycle Coalition mailing list…

On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 1:22 PM, Peter Herrig wrote:
> On a side note there are signs in the park about “Albany Bike Lock Program”
> “Visit any APD station for information” “Stop bicycle theft”. Are these
> just about registering your bike??

Alright, I have info!

I stopped a bicycle cop Downtown and he didn’t know anything, but he
told me to call Community Services. So I did.

It IS a bicycle registration program. It’s free.

You can pick up a trifold pamphlet with an index card at police
stations, City Hall, or community events where Community Services has
a tent. This gives you information about the program and allows you to
sign up.

What they do is take your personal info (name, address, phone) and
info about the bike, like serial number and make/model and any
distinguishing characteristics. They put this into their computer. You
get a little (1″) sticker that goes on your front fork. It’s blue and
reflective and has a picture of lock on it. It is supposed to be
nearly impossible to remove.

If your bike is stolen, the police know what your bike looks like,
know it has a sticker, and it will be easier to identify.

Any police officer can stop anyone on a bike with a sticker. The rider
is asked to verify that they own the bike, or that they have
permission to ride the bike.

Biking to the Troy Farmer’s Market has been one of those things I’ve been meaning to do all summer. Saturday we had really nice weather and I had nothing else to do, so impulsively I packed up my things and went. The trip was more about the journey than the destination.

I live near St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, so I had to bike down to the Mohawk Hudson bike path. I took that up to Watervliet, and took Broadway to 23rd. There’s a nice sign on the bridge into Troy that says “Share the Road.” The bridge is a little scary. I was glad there was not more traffic. The drainage grates will eat your tires if you are not careful.

The trip was 11 miles each way. I had a tailwind getting there so it took me less than an hour. I bought some apples and lunch. I talked to the guys at the Troy Bike Rescue for a few minutes. Pictures are available here.