RocBike.com | The RocBike Review » Jason Crane

Price Chopper supports … mass transit? That’s crazy!

Jason Crane — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:45:16 +0000

This isn’t strictly a bicycling story, but I think it’s a smart way to get more folks out of their cars and onto buses, and to make life a little easier for people who always ride the bus.

Price Chopper AdvantEdge now benefits those who take bus

ALBANY — Participants in Price Chopper’s AdvantEdge customer loyalty program will now find it costs less to take the bus.

Officials from Price Chopper’s owner, the Golub Corp., and from the Capital District Transportation Authority said this morning that the discounts offered on purchases of Sunoco gasoline will now be offered to purchasers of CDTA prepaid bus passes as well.

For every $50 spent on groceries, participants will get $2 off the price of a prepaid pass. The discount is offered on 10-ride, 31-day rolling, and STAR Swiper cards.

“We think it’s the first such arrangement in the country … where a regional supermarket partners with a regional transit authority” to promote taking the bus, said CDTA Executive Director Carm Basile. “Price Chopper has put riding buses on the same level playing field as driving your car.”

Read the rest of the article.

First bike commute of 2010!

Jason Crane — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:25:35 +0000

…and really for most of 2009, too, but who’s counting?

Making space for bicyclists at Route 7/I-87 crossing in Albany

Jason Crane — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:31:18 +0000

From today’s Times Union newspaper in Albany:

Q: Will there be any provision for bicyclists on the new Route 7 bridge crossing Interstate 87? Unfortunately, I already suspect that there will be none as in many of the recent upgrades. If not, then my next question is how would cyclists cross Interstate 87?

Finally, I understand that DOT holds a number of planning meetings and presentations to the public for upcoming projects. How would the general public and bicycle advocacy groups be aware of these meetings ahead of time?

– Rob Russell, Delmar

A: Good news. Bicyclists and pedestrians were indeed taken into account in preparing for the new bridge, said Peter Van Keuren, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

And you can learn more about it this very night. A public open house will be held at 6 p.m. today at Forts Ferry Elementary School, 95 Forts Ferry Road in Latham.

“As with most of our projects, we look closely at existing pedestrian and bicycle operations and accommodations to discern if improvements are needed,” Van Keuren said. The exception, of course, is on interstate roads where walking and biking are not allowed.

In designing the new Northway Exit 6, he said, accommodating walkers and bicyclists was a high priority.

Read the rest of the article.

Xtracycle evangelism

Jason Crane — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:19:24 +0000

A prospective Xtracycle buyer asked the following on the Roots Radicals group (an email list of Xtracycle owners & fellow travellers):

So I’ve got a bike and I’m thinking of getting the Free Radical extension. I’ve got a seven year old and other kid-carrying options aren’t working that great (outgrew the trailer, trail-a-bike is awfully shaky). This xtracycle thing seems like a pretty great solution. However, I only have the kid and/or cargo about half the time. Is it easy to take off the long tail and make it a regular bike and then back again when you need it? Do you just ride the long tail with nothing in it? Do you have two bikes? — Karen

The responses are great (read them here) — and all in favor of just riding the X all the time. I agree. Well, maybe I’ll do this year’s Livestrong Challenge on something else…

Elvis

Jason Crane — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:39:49 +0000

‘Nuff said.

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

Online sleuthing reunites stolen bike and owner

Jason Crane — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:22:10 +0000

The Albany Times Union newspaper ran this piece today:

Online sleuthing reunites stolen bike and owner

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
Last updated: 1:46 p.m., Friday, January 29, 2010

ALBANY — By rights, Wesley Leubner’s mountain bike should have been gone for good.

Stolen when his Hudson Avenue apartment was burglarized 18 months ago, the $1,200 Cannondale F600 could have been anywhere by now.

“For six months he was scouring all the want ads,” said Detective James Miller, a police spokesman. The 24-year-old former college student’s exhaustive search of local bike shops yielded only similar disappointment.

But then — in further testament to the ubiquitousness of Craigslist — there it was this week, in all its mango orange glory, for sale at the deeply discounted price of $250.

Read the rest of the story.

Albany getting more bike racks

Jason Crane — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:24:29 +0000

Today’s Times Union newspaper published this story:

CDTA bike plan racks up fans
Authority begins initiative to place bicycle racks throughout Capital Region

By ERIC ANDERSON BUSINESS EDITOR
First published in print: Friday, January 22, 2010

ALBANY — Downtown Albany has perhaps a dozen bicycle racks. But a new effort by the Capital District Transportation Authority could make parking your bicycle far easier.

The CDTA, in conjunction with the Capital District Transportation Committee, is seeking to place bike racks throughout the Capital Region. The racks would be free to public and nonprofit sectors, while private sector businesses and employers would be eligible for a 50 percent subsidy.

“The Capital Region Bike Rack Program works hand in hand with the goals of public transportation: improving our quality of life and reducing single occupancy vehicle commutes,” said CDTA Chairman David Stackrow. “Businesses have the opportunity to expand their client base and improve customer satisfaction by providing close and convenient bicycle parking.”

Read the rest of the story.

A bicycle built for two … lighter guys (Part 2)

Jason Crane — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:51:31 +0000

(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.

A bicycle built for two … lighter guys (Part 1)

Jason Crane — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:17:15 +0000

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

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.
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:
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

Bicycle clubs of old

Jason Crane — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:10:27 +0000

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.

Bike trail to link Schenectady parks

Jason Crane — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:07:16 +0000

The Times Union ran a story today about new trail markings that will link two parks in Schenectady:

Bike trail to link Schenectady parks
New 4.7-mile section will plug gap in biking path

SCHENECTADY — The county will soon embark on more than $2 million worth of new biking trail improvements that will plug a hole in the Mohawk Hudson Bike/Hike Trail and will link the city’s Vale and Central parks.

The state Canal Corporation is overseeing a $1.7 million new section of the Mohawk Hudson trail that will link the path’s end at the city’s Stockade section with another piece that ends at Balltown Road in Niskayuna.

The new 4.7 mile section will be marked on existing roadway with signage from North Jay Street to Union College, and then a narrower, off-road trail that runs parallel with the Mohawk River will be widened and provided with better drainage.

Read the rest of the story.

Q&A on the Albany Bicycle Master Plan

Jason Crane — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:36:34 +0000

Today’s edition of the Albany Times Union newspaper includes a Q&A about the adoption of the Albany Bicycle Master Plan.

You know what? They ride bikes in Copenhagen

Jason Crane — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:57:31 +0000

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%.

Xtracycle announces winning video

Jason Crane — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:29:12 +0000

The fine folks at Xtracycle just finished a video contest to find the best video about their new PeaPod LT child seat. Here’s the winning video:

not big enough b/w fixed from Kate Oshea on Vimeo.

More videos are available at the Xtracycle site.

Bicycle comedy

Jason Crane — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:06:37 +0000

Thanks to Utility Cycling for the link

A novel use for an Xtracycle: as a tow truck

Jason Crane — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:18:12 +0000

Tow Truckin’ from Xtracycle on Vimeo.

Leaf peeping by bicycle & a pedicab test

Jason Crane — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:08:02 +0000

From today’s New York Times:

It took a few miles to work the kinks out of my legs and churn up the first hill, but the payoff was spectacular. Lake Champlain sparkled blue in the distance, with the Adirondack Mountains rising stately in the background. Lush green hills were peppered with red silos, livestock and a white steeple far off. And then there were the trees, a patchwork of scarlet, orange and yellow that transformed a vista into something so perfect it almost didn’t look real.

Read the story: “Pedal Peepers In Vermont”

The NYT also published a piece today by a reporter who tried out a pedicab for a day:

Three Wheels Through the Park

Ouch.

Jason Crane — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:42:41 +0000

Via FAIL Blog

Walk, bike or bus?

Jason Crane — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:18:17 +0000

The folks over at BikeCommuters.com have a handy chart to help you figure it out.

Visit BikeCommuters.com for a larger version.

Video: Thoughts On My Bike

Jason Crane — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:58:05 +0000

(Thanks to Bike Commuters for the link.)

Sweet Yehuda

Jason Crane — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:21:39 +0000

The online cycling comic strip Yehuda Moon is hilarious, and I’m a huge fan of the humor. But I also love quiet moments like this one in today’s strip, titled “Autumn Rains.”

Visit the site for a larger version

Xtracycle on CNN’s iReport

Jason Crane — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:51:02 +0000

Cool!

Fight cancer! Win pink tires!

Jason Crane — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:24:38 +0000

Hey gang,

My friend and fellow Team Fattymate Jenni Laurita is auctioning some very cool pink tires to raise money for her second LIVESTRONG Challenge Ride of the year. She already did the Philly excursion, and this fall she’s off to Austin for more riding and raising of cash.

Please visit her Web site for details on how to win against cancer and win pink tires!

World Car-Free Day is tomorrow (9/22)

Jason Crane — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:46:11 +0000

Learn more about World Car-Free Day

Defying the no-bike policy in Saratoga

Jason Crane — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:43:54 +0000

Adam Marino locks up his bike at Maple Avenue Middle School last Wednesday, the first day of classes. Photo by CharlieSamuels.com

From The Saratogian newspaper:

Family defies no-bike policy at Maple Avenue Middle School
Published: Monday, September 14, 2009

By ANDREW J. BERNSTEIN
The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The first day of school, already a happy and trying event for any student, saw a little additional stress for Maple Avenue Middle School student Adam Marino.

Marino and his mother, Janette Kaddo Marino, left for school by bicycle on Wednesday morning, as they often do in good weather, despite a phone call placed to students’ homes by school officials, asking parents not to allow students to walk or ride bikes to school.

After a cold reception on Wednesday, local transportation advocates are rallying around the family, and plan to accompany the pair to school today in a bid to bolster calls for a policy change.

Read the rest of the article

Biking Tokyo’s Yamanote train line

Jason Crane — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:39:07 +0000

An evening scene in Asakusa, an area in the Shitamachi district of Tokyo. / Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times

The New York Times featured this cool story about taking a bike tour along Japan’s famed Yamanote (ya-ma-no-tay) train line. I used to ride this line as part of my commute the second time I lived in Japan. When I worked for Bloomberg TV and Radio in Tokyo, my office was right in the area on this map where it says “Marunouchi Business District.”

Here’s the story:

No Squishing: Biking a Tokyo Rail Line

Fatty and Me

Jason Crane — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:57:22 +0000

‘Nuff said:

Bicycles and civil disobedience

Jason Crane — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:59:20 +0000

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.

What the heck is an Xtracycle?

Jason Crane — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:56:58 +0000

Voici:

The Original Longtail | Xtracycle from Xtracycle on Vimeo.

What does it mean to “Fight Like Susan”?

Jason Crane — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:33:41 +0000

Watch this and Fatty will tell you:

2009 Philadelphia LiveStrong Challenge: Fatty’s Speech from Fat Cyclist on Vimeo.

If you can’t watch until later, this is how you Fight Like Susan:

Be focused
Be creative
Have outrageous endurance
Be kind

Video from Russ and Laura

Jason Crane — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:47:58 +0000

This is gorgeous.

Ride With Us! from Russ Roca on Vimeo.

More at The Path Less Pedaled.

Team Fatty Philly: Other people’s words and images

Jason Crane — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:46:49 +0000

NOTE: This is a “sticky” post, so it will stay at the top even as new content is added below it. Be sure to scroll down for new posts, OK? Thanks!

NOTE #2: If you scroll down the right side of this site, you’ll see a bold heading that reads “Team Fatty & Friends.” Below this heading are blogs by members of Team Fatty and folks who are fighting the same fight. If you’d like to be linked in the list, please send an email to jason at rocbike dot com. (Thanks to Albany Bob for the suggestion!)

Other folks are posting their ride reports from this weekend. I’ll share them in this post and just continue to update it. Most of these folks are from Team Fatty, but not all. If I can find a story about someone fighting cancer by walking, running or riding at the Philly event, I’ll link it here.

Ready to beat cancer. And yes, the knitted Rasta glove is mine. Photo by Albany Bob

“Albany” Bob Anderson

Andrea from the Evolve blog

Daniel Berlinger

“Team Fatty – Fighting Like Susan – Livestrong Challenge Philly 2009″

Rhonda Chattin

Jason Crane (me)

Ken Durbin

“Livestrong 2009 Reflections”

Clay Frost

“Philly Phase One … Century Eve”

Dave from “Game On, Cancer”

Rebecca from Girl On The Loose

Pictures

Creighton Higgins

“Livin’ Strong In Philadelphia With Team Fatty”

Kelly Kavanagh-O’Connell

“Livestrong Challenge 2009 Philly Ride Report, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Hills”

Kevin Kavanaugh

Pictures

Matthew Kayes

“Philly Livestrong Challenge 100″

Lana

Pictures

Jenni Laurita

Lizzylou

Elden “Fatty” Nelson

“Relaxing In Philly”
“Livestrong Philadelphia Report Day 1″ (Includes video of Fatty’s and Philly Jen’s speeches at the dinner)
“2009 Livestrong Philly Report Day 2″

Robert Orler

“Livestrong Philly”

Samantha from Ribbons For A Reason

“Our Livestrong Challenge”

Joe “CycleChef” Sheridan

“Team Fatty”

Angie Suttle

“Philly Livestrong Challenge”

Thad Suzenski

“Livestrong Century”

10NBC video from Philly

Windows Media Player video

KYW News Radio Philly

“Thousands Participate in ‘Livestrong Challenge’ in Montco”

Philadelphia Examiner

“Fat Cyclist Comes To Philadelphia For Livestrong Challenge”

Stay tuned.

My first triple century, or, How I learned to stop worrying and love my Xtracycle*

Jason Crane — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:20:25 +0000

When last we met (see the previous installment, “The (bald, chubby) eagle has landed,” I was in a Barnes & Noble in Somewhere, PA, figuring out where to park the Hotel Subaru for the night.

Albany Bob from Liberty On Bikes! had recommended a particular walled parking lot near the Livestrong Village, so I made my way over there and found a secluded spot near the wall. I jammed my sleeping bag into the back of the car, which is when I discovered that the car is a least a foot shorter than I am. With the Xtracycle also in the back, I had about an inch of clearance from the left pedal and maybe two inches from the handlebars. Sitting up quickly would mean certain death – or at least a badly bruised noggin.

It was 11:30 p.m. by this time. I set my phone alarm for 5 a.m. and eventually drifted off to sleep.

Seconds later, it was 5 a.m. I changed my shorts in the dark of the deserted parking lot, then did my best to brush my teeth and get my contacts in. I drove over to the Doubletree Hotel, where Team Fat Cyclist was gathering for a 6 a.m. group ride to the start line. There were about 30 of us at the hotel, including the man himself — Elden “Fatty” Nelson, whose blog about cycling and about his own family’s fight with cancer had inspired us all to be there in the first place. His appearance was met with a big cheer, and he hopped on his bike and led us away from the hotel. I rode in the back because it was still dark and I had my Down Low Glow blazing. I ended up riding with Fatty for about half the way, which was great. He’s got to be one of the most grounded human beings I’ve ever met. I don’t know how he does it.

A photo of the rollout taken by Jennie Laurita. The woman in the light-colored jersey is Lauren, and I’m just behind her.

Rolling out on The Packet Boat with Philly Jen. Note the Down Low Glow! (Photo by Creighton Higgins)

By the time we reached Livestrong Village and made our way to the start line, the sun had come out and it was looking to be a beautiful day. The rest of Team Fatty was waiting for us at the start line. I’m not sure how many of us there were, but it a big, big gang. Fatty addressed the crowd to many cheers, and then Philly Jen read from the donation page of the person who had won a set of Shimano wheels and pedals. As it turned out, it was Albany Bob, who told me after the fact that he never wins anything. (By the way, check out the very moving work Bob did to the back of his van.)

Because Team Fatty Philly had raised a bazillion dollars, we got to start first. We all crowded up to the start line where the Livestrong photographers snapped a group shot. I rode with Dan, one of the event organizers, and Lauren, who was riding her first event — and who had only started riding seriously a couple months before. Lauren and I decided to stay together because it was her first ride and we were both doing the 45-mile course. As you’ll learn, she eventually dropped me like a bad habit and finished in about half my time.

Albany Bob, Dan, me at the start line (Photo by Lana)

The south end of a northbound Xtracycle (Photo by Lana)

Albany Bob and yours truly (Photo by Kevin Kavanaugh

We rode out on the long, balloon-covered road from the start line, with hundreds of spectators cheering us on. The organizers said more than 6,000 people were riding, running or walking in the event, which is incredible. I’d never ridden in a group that large, and it was a thrill to see hundreds and hundreds of cyclists take to the roads in the morning sunlight.

Later in the ride, I heard that Lance Armstrong has told the organizers every year to make the courses harder and harder. “It’s supposed to be a challenge,” he is reported to have said. I will go into that in great detail in the nasty note I’ll be sending Lance. (Kidding!) All I can say is: The first 20 or so miles were great, and the rest comprised the hardest ride I’ve ever done in my life.

First of all, I rode my Xtracycle**. If you’ve ever been to RocBike before, you’ve seen my bike. It’s a Giant Sedona hybrid with massive tires and a big cargo bike kit on the back. It weighs a lot. A lot a lot. Too much, some might say. To me, riding the Xtracycle was part of the challenge. That’s because I’m an idiot.

Second, I never really looked at the elevation charts provided by the fine sadists at Livestrong. Had I done that, I would have quickly realized that there was no way I could actually ride my bike for 45 miles on the course they’d laid out, no doubt late at night in a dimly lit room with chains and whips and an iron maiden in the corner. This course, you see, was Brutal with a capital “B.” In fact, I think it’s fair to say it was BRUTAL, with a capital-all-them-letters.

Like I said, it was fine in the beginning. Lauren and I stayed together and chatted while we rode, exchanging the little biographies that you trade in those situations. I was feeling fairly tired, and I hadn’t eaten (idiot), but I figured I could make it the 10 miles to the rest stop and load up on food there. That worked just fine. The first rest stop was incredible. Tons of food, water and Gatorade, and even free massages from the wonderful Tobi. I left feeling refreshed and ready to ride.

I think it was about mile 20 when the first big hill came. I live in Albany, and we have some big hills. But not like these hills. You see, here in Albany, the hills have tops. In Pennsylvania (which is Dutch for “granny gear”) the hills defy geography and just continue to go up. And up. And up some more. I’m not sure how it’s possible, but we climbed a hill that had everyone moaning and swearing, and at the top of the hill was a hill. Dan had rejoined us, and the three of us pulled off the road to rest and hydrate and eat for a minute. Lauren and Dan said they were ready to go, and I told them to go ahead and not wait for me.

It was then that I had my big crisis.

I was exhausted. A craptacular night of sleep in the Hotel Subaru, combined with a woeful lack of calories, had me shaking and feeling nauseous. I’ve never bonked, but I wondered if this was what it felt like. And I knew, for the first time ever on my bike, that I couldn’t make it.

That was when I thought about everything that had gotten me to this point. Cancer had hit my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, my cousin, my great-uncle, my friend Travis (who died last year from testicular cancer), my grandfather and childhood hero Bernie Flanders (who passed away earlier this summer) … and most recently my Aunt Linda, who is battling breast cancer right now. She’s been a huge inspiration in my life, because she’s never been afraid to walk her own path, regardless of others’ opinions. I’d also spent several years watching Fatty and Susan fight cancer and rally others to their cause. And I’d been inspired to launch my own jazz raffle by the efforts of Fatty’s sister, Jodi. Moreover, I’d raised more than $2,200 with help from family, friends, colleagues and complete strangers. My Rotary club had gathered around me, too, supporting me with the first grant from the revived charity committee.

And that was when I knew that there was no turning back. I got back on the Packet Boat (my Xtracycle) and rode as far up the hill as I could go. Then I got off and walked the bike up the hill. Have I mentioned that it weighs a lot? Pushing it up hills really stinks.

I reached the second aid station and looked around for Lauren and Dan. They weren’t there, although Lauren later said they’d waited for me for quite a while. Who knows how long I’d stood at the bottom of that hill weighing my options?

The rest of the ride was a mixture of pedaling and walking, punctuated with wonderful conversations with my fellow riders. I chatted with Rob from Long Island, a member of Team Fatty who told me he’d played in a charity golf tournament the week before to raise money for autism, inspired by a family member who was diagnosed with autism. And here he was on a hot summer day, riding through the hills of eastern Pennsylvania.

I met Rhonda from Virginia. She’d seen cancer rip through her own family, and decided it was time to change the odds.

I was passed by a cyclist who turned to me as he passed and said, “This is where I quit last year!” Then he let out a whoop and pedaled up the hill. I interviewed him later for the audio piece I’m working on, and he broke down as talked about his dad’s fight with cancer.

That’s what the Livestrong ride is like. Every time you think you can’t possibly make it up one more hill, you find another wonderful person with a story that puts strength in your legs and stamina in your heart. Like the Holland and Wilson families, who both live at the top of big hills and who decided to hand out water to the riders as they passed. Or like the hundreds of volunteers who cheer on the riders, make the food, give massages, and congratulate you every step of the way. or the doctor who works at the one of the aid stations and bring his interns to do the same.

By the end of the ride, I had nothing left. The last few miles were a climb to the finish line, and I was sagging on my bike with my head hanging to one side. I was determined to ride the last few miles, and it took everything I could muster. The amazing thing was that as I struggled up the hills, rider after rider passed me and said “Go Team Fatty!” These people didn’t know me, and most of them didn’t know Fatty either. But they believed in the cause and were inspired by Team Fatty’s efforts.

And I made it up the hill.

I rode past the balloons and cheering crowds and PA announcer, and came to two of the other great moments on my ride. Standing at the finish line was Fatty, who I would later learn waited for every member of Team Fatty to finish. And right behind him was Albany Bob, who’d waited a long time for me to get there. That was a great moment, and a great gift from two very good guys.

The ride was, by far, the hardest physical activity I’ve ever done in my life. I’ve ridden farther, but never over a course like that. But it was also one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given. To be a part of a larger movement, of people united by no thought other than doing good, of people drawn together by one family’s amazing story — that is truly something worth doing. Thanks, Fatty.

* As everyone knows, Xtracycle miles are like dog years. Thus, my 45 miles counted for 315 miles.

** Please note that I love, love, love my Xtracycle. It revolutionized my approach to cycling, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was hard to ride on this course because (1) I’m not in good shape; (2) The course was brutal; (3) My Xtracycle is built on a very heavy Giant bike, so it weighs much more than an Xtracycle built on a lighter bike (my wife’s, for example).

(I’ve been making an audio recording of the trip, too, so look for an episode of the RocBike Review after the ride.)

The (bald, chubby) eagle has landed

Jason Crane — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:41:10 +0000

So I’m in Philly. Well technically I’m in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, home of Montgomery County Community College and the temporary home of the 2009 LIVESTRONG Challenge Ride – Philly edition.

On my way out of town this morning, I stopped by Eastern Mountain Sports because they sell Sigg bottles and I needed two new ones for the ride. The guy at the counter said, “You’re heading to Philly, right?” Apparently he’d visited RocBike.com and recognized me.

(A small aside: A woman named Paula in Albany has a Surly Big Dummy! My son Bernie and I were at the Downtube and saw it. She came out and noticed my Packet Boat and we chatted. She also knew who I was from reading this site. Paula agreed to become a contributor, too. Which, with the RocBike Curse, means she’ll soon stop writing about cycling completely. Sorry, Paula!)

Anway…

I arrived here in PA about 4 p.m. and headed straight for LIVESTRONG Village, the assemblage of vendors and nonprofits who surround the registration area. Recent rains had turned the ground into what Team Fatty Philly Captain “Philly Jen” described as a “mosh pit.” But everyone was in good spirits, and I saw several other members of Team Fatty while I was registering. The registration process was very efficient. According to one person at the site, there are more than 800 volunteers signed up for today and tomorrow to make the whole event run.

I got a nice bag o’ swag — hat, t-shirt, messenger bag, water bottle, and maybe a few other things that I have yet to dig out of the yellow LIVESTRONG bag. By the way, if you don’t like yellow, I recommend avoiding these rides. Everything is yellow.

The Team Fatty event at the Doubletree Hotel was running until 5 p.m. I made it with minutes to spare, just in time to meet Philly Jen (who saw me walk in and yelled “Jason!” — I guess there’s a shortage of chubby bald guys on our team) and another guy from Albany who wasn’t either Bob or me. Nor was he anyone I’d seen before. Small world. Apparently the Doubletree had booted out half of Team Fatty citing “water damage” on two floors. Rumor has it that the damage was more likely caused by overbooking, given that Team Fatty was booted out of another hotel owned by the same company at another recent Challenge ride. Sounds like the airline industry.

In search of some way to kill the hours between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., when we all meet for breakfast, I drove around a bit. I found a park advertising a free concert at 6 p.m., so I followed the winding road back to the park … where a small sign said, “Concert Canceled.” I decided instead to eat dinner. I tried hard to avoid a chain restaurant, driving around until I spotted a big sign for Bombay High Indian Cuisine. I pulled in to the plaza to find that the highway sign and plaza sign had been installed, but the seats, tables, lights, kitchen and staff had yet to arrive. Sigh.

I ended up eating sushi at Benihana. I can’t believe I just typed that, and if you ever tell anyone, I’ll deny it. After three years in Japaan, I’m a real snob about Japanese food, and Benihana to me is like the Taco Bell of Japanese food. But I ate it and was grateful for some air conditioning and green tea.

The author at Barnes & Noble, delaying his date with the Hotel Subaru

I’m typing this in a Barnes and Noble because I’m staying tonight in the Hotel Subaru, and it doesn’t have wi-fi. In fact, it no longer has XM radio either, because some damned squirrels chewed through the antenna cable. I must say, the Hotel Subaru seemed much more inviting when I was tossing my sleeping bag in the back of the car this morning than it does now. Not least because my Xtracycle is also in the hotel’s one room, and it’s a very big bike. There’s a lovely thunderstorm now, too, so if this is my last blog entry, you’ll know why.

(I’ve been making an audio recording of the trip, too, so look for an episode of the RocBike Review after the ride.

Off to Philly!

Jason Crane — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:56:21 +0000

Xtracycle-riding mom turns to Twitter after drive-through denial

Jason Crane — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:26:41 +0000

Photo by USA Today

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

Sarah Gilbert stepped off her bicycle long enough to send one angry tweet via Twitter— and it’s changed the way one fast-growing burger chain treats bike riders.

The 35-year-old blogger, freelance writer and mother of three doesn’t own a car. She gets around usually bike-friendly Portland, Ore., on a custom-made stretch bike that fits all three of her boys, ages 2, 4 and 7. A bumper sticker boasts: “One less minivan.”

But after biking last week into the drive-through of the local Burgerville— an eco-conscious burger chain that even recycles its used cooking oil into biodiesel — she tried to order four cheeseburgers.

No go. She was refused service at the drive-through for, of all things, ordering from a bike. Never mind that the environmentally friendly restaurant chain spent $185,000 on wind energy credits in 2008 to compensate for the electricity used in its 39 stores and at its corporate headquarters.

When Gilbert got home, she sent out a huffy tweet followed by a pointed letter to the chain, which she posted on her blog, cafemama.com. By the next day, the company apologized. In short order, the Vancouver, Wash.-based chain, with locations in Oregon and Washington, revamped its policy and will announce a new bicycle-friendly drive-through program on Sept. 8.

Read the rest of the story.

LIVESTRONG update

Jason Crane — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:43:48 +0000

I made my second goal ($1,926) a couple days ago. Today, the Rotary Club of Albany, of which I’m a member, gave me a check for $250. With some additional donations, my total for this ride is now at $2,216! Here’s a photo from the Rotary meeting. That’s Bob Stone presenting the award certificate:

There’s still time to donate and get in on the big jazz raffle, but you have to act NOW: http://philly09.livestrong.org/jasoncrane. A full list of prizes is on the donation page.

Thanks so much for your support. RocBike’s own Bob Anderson will have photos, and I’ll have audio from the ride, so look for a post-race story soon. Fatty will be there, too, so maybe I’ll get to meet him in person. Huzzah!

The time, she is running out!

Jason Crane — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:13:09 +0000

As you know, my goal is to raise $1,926 dollars for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in the LIVESTRONG Challenge Ride. The ride takes place in Philadelphia on August 23. With 9 days to go, I’ve raised $1,646. If my math is correct, that means I need $280 to make my goal.

I’ve got tons of cool prizes to give away, all jazz-related, including:

A meet-and-greet package with the Strickland brothers (E.J. and Marcus) as they each release their new CDs. The package includes:
- Two tickets to the double-CD release party at the famed Joe’s Pub in Manhattan on August 21
- Autographed copies of both CDs
- A meet-and-greet with Marcus and E.J. at the show
Tickets to see Kenny Barron & Mulgrew Miller, vocalist Steven Santoro, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra at beautiful Tanglewood in Lenox, MA, on Labor Day weekend
Tickets to see Dave Brubeck in western Massachusetts on Oct. 17
Autographed CDs from Patti Wicks, Jo Lawry, Mike Melito, and many more!
LP reissues of classic jazz recordings!
A Big Box o’ Jazz CDs from the fine folks at Braithwaite and Katz!
And more!

How do you get in on the action? For every $5 you donate at my LIVESTRONG page, you’ll get a raffle ticket. The more you fight cancer, the better your chances of winning.

I’ll draw the winner of the Strickland package on Tuesday, August 18 (and the deadline for donations for that prize is 10 p.m. ET on Monday, August 17).

I’ll draw the rest of the prizes on August 30, and the winners will be announced on the August 31 episode of The Jazz Session.

So please help! DONATE NOW!

Bottoms up, pedals turning

Jason Crane — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:00:07 +0000

International Win For Susan Day, August 23

Jason Crane — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:00:33 +0000

This is a great idea.

The difficulties of unicycle jumping

Jason Crane — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:29:27 +0000

Via FAIL Blog

This looks lovely

Jason Crane — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:56:23 +0000

I think these two are on to something…

Via http://pathlesspedaled.com/?p=492

Follow their adventures at pathlesspedaled.com.

Fatty’s obituary for Susan

Jason Crane — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:47:17 +0000

Fatty has posted a remembrance of his wife, Susan. Like everything connected with this story, it’s moving, heartbreaking and inspiring. The Nelson family has certainly created a lot of love in the world.

Read the remembrance.

And if you want to join the fight, please DONATE.

Image from Twin Six

Susan Nelson

Jason Crane — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:33:26 +0000

Elden “Fat Cyclist” Nelson posted the following on his site:

Susan died tonight (August 5) at 7:25pm. It was a hard, long day, and Susan fought right to the end, for much longer than anyone would have thought she could.

My mom, my sisters Kellene and Jodi, and my Brother-in-Law Rocky were all here to support my family as Susan passed away.

I’ll have more to say soon, but consider this. Susan inspired me to expand the focus of my blog from nothing but bike-related jokes to a serious and pitched fight against cancer.

Then she inspired 500+ of you to join Team Fatty, the largest LiveStrong Challenge Team there has ever been.

And Team Fatty has raised more than $500,000 — a record amount.

Susan’s part in the battle is over, but she didn’t lose. She led the charge. She showed the rest of us how to fight: with determination, focus, creativity, and outrageous endurance.

Now it’s up to the rest of us to Fight Like Susan.

The coordinator of Team Fatty Philly sent this message this morning:

My dear teammates,

It is with deep and profound sadness that I write to inform you the Susan Nelson passed away earlier this evening.

As each of you has shared Susan’s story with your friends and family, and as you have put your heartfelt efforts into Team Fatty, you all have been instrumental in bringing Susan’s fight to the eyes, ears, and hearts of the world.

Susan was unwavering in her battle; she held steady and true. Let us honor her memory by showing the same spirit and determination.

Give like Fatty. Fight like Susan.

Donations in Susan’s memory may be made at Elden’s (Fatty’s) Livestrong page: http://philly09.livestrong.org/fatty

Donations in Susan’s memory may also be made on your own Livestrong page: http://philly09.livestrong.org/jasoncrane

The day before THE DAY

Jason Crane — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:27:03 +0000

Russ Roca is a man of many bike blogs, including this one and this one and this one, too, all of which have made multiple appearances here at RocBike in our old Links of the Day posts. Now Russ is heading out with his partner Laura on a bike trip.

Not just any bike trip, mind you. Russ and Laura sold or stored all their stuff except what would fit on two bicycles, and they’re going to travel the world by bike for some indeterminate period of time. Cool, huh?

They started a (wait for it) blog to chronicle their travels: The Path Less Pedaled. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Today is the day before they leave, and they recorded a little video from their nearly bare apartment:

Good luck and safe travels, Russ and Laura!

A message from Fatty and Susan

Jason Crane — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:28:57 +0000

Fatty and Susan recorded this video a couple weeks ago before the Livestrong Challenge ride in San Jose. Watch it, and then go here to donate to fight cancer. Thank you.

Featherhead slings acid

Jason Crane — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:04:44 +0000

…and other tales from a bike messenger turned drug dealer.

Best title of an Xtracycle article

Jason Crane — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:06:03 +0000

The Xtracycle Life: How to Make Your Bike a Purse

He’s a jazzhead, too!

Jason Crane — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:17:22 +0000

I already loved Bike Snob NYC, and now I have one more reason: he digs Coltrane.

Dammit

Jason Crane — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:56:46 +0000

Fat Cyclist: 7 Grapes, 4 Spoonsful of Ice Cream, 5 Bites of Rice

Fuck cancer.

A great rider, a better writer

Jason Crane — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:50:09 +0000

Jill Homer is chronicling her recently completed Great Divide ride on her blog. Today’s story is particularly moving. She is one hell of a writer.

Viewing colleges by bike

Jason Crane — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:28:17 +0000

The New York Times has the story.

Charlie the Bikemonger and his Big Dummy

Jason Crane — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:18:57 +0000

This video is oddly compelling. I found it at Everyday Adventures, the official blog of Xtracycle.

Charlie The Bikemonger tours Dorset, Somerset and Devon on a Surly Big Dummy Xtracycle bike. More at www.charliethebikemonger.com.

Saxo Bank has developed an invisible bike!

Jason Crane — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:05:07 +0000

…and you can see it here.

LIVESTRONG fundraising update!

Jason Crane — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:26:11 +0000

Me in my snazzy new Team Fat Cyclist jersey from Twin Six

As you may know by now, I’m riding in the LIVESTRONG Challenge Ride in Philadelphia on August 23, along with fellow Team RocBike member Bob Anderson. I’m riding as part of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting For Susan, about which more here.

My initial fundraising goal was $1,000, and I reached that on Friday. As you can see from the photo above, I kept my promise to shave my head. I was assisted in that promise by my lovely wife, who gritted her teeth and took off my hair, 10 years after she shaved my head on stage during a gig on Hilton Head Island. (About which more … uh … some other time.)

My new goal, suggested by Team Fatty Philly head poobah Jen Yuan, is $1,926. That’s the year of John Coltrane’s birthday, and he’s got a big Philly connection, and all my prizes are jazz related.

What prizes, you ask? Well, for every $5 you donate to my ride, you’ll get a raffle ticket. At the end of August, I’ll be giving away autographed CDs, LPs, and more, all quite jazzalicious.

So you can help fight cancer and win cool stuff. Neat, huh?

To donate, please visit my donation page.

Thanks to all of you who’ve donated so far!

Country road, take me … to work and back

Jason Crane — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:56:29 +0000

I’ve started riding my bike again to get ready for my Livestrong Challenge ride in Philly this August. (Please donate if you can.) This week, after many months, I also resumed commuting by bike again.

I began working for Capital Region BOCES earlier this year, and those offices are farther away than my union shops were. It’s about 8 miles from my house to BOCES HQ, where I work two days a week, and about 12 miles from my house to the school district office where I work the other three days.

Today I rode from home to the school district in Selkirk, NY, and back for the first time, about 24 miles. I took some photos on the way home.

This is my favorite sign in Selkirk:

From 144 Commute

I don’t know who came up with the idea of putting golf balls and rhubarb together, but it’s a classic.

Most of my commute is on Route 144, a primarily rural route through some tiny places such as Cedar Hill. A couple miles into the ride home, I came upon these lions, liberated from either “Guy Park” or “Cuy Park.”

From 144 Commute

As you can see, the structure they now protect is not particularly imposing:

From 144 Commute

Further on up the road is the somewhat secluded site of the Glenmont Job Corps Academy:

From 144 Commute

I don’t know much about the Job Corps, but this comes from the Web site:

Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible youth at least 16 years of age, Job Corps provides the all-around skills needed to succeed in a career and in life.

You can find out more by visiting jobcorps.gov.

Most of the commute looks like this, plus a hill here and there:

From 144 Commute

And here’s a gratuitous picture of the Packet Boat, ready for action:

From 144 Commute

Sprinkled along 144 are forgotten houses like this one:

From 144 Commute

And here’s another wonderful sign. I like the idea of a wrathful Mother Nature:

From 144 Commute

A relic from a bygone error … I mean era:

From 144 Commute

I didn’t even know what this was at first, but it turned out to be a vintage electric car:

From 144 Commute

This is the bottom of the hill at Second Ave and Pearl. This is the start of 3/4 of a mile of climbing, much of it at a 7% grade. The picture doesn’t do it justice:

From 144 Commute

My legs were jelly at the end, but I made it the whole way.

It sure does feel good to be back on the bike.

The rest of the pictures from today’s ride are here.

Help annoy my mom! (Oh yeah, and fight cancer, too!)

Jason Crane — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:33:13 +0000

DONATE NOW!

My mom, Sally

As I mentioned recently, I’ve joined Team Fatty for the Livestrong Challenge Ride in Philly on August 23. I’m trying to raise $1,000 for the ride. If I make it, I’ll shave my head. That will greatly annoy my mother, which, while not the main reason for the fundraising, is certainly an excellent fringe benefit.

Last week, my grandfather, Bernie Flanders, died at age 96. He was my childhood hero, and he is a huge reason that I became the person I am. He had cancer, as have so many members of my family. I miss him a lot, but his memory makes me that much more committed to the ride.

All through August, I’ll be raffling off cool jazz prizes — LPs, autographed CDs and more. Every $5 donated toward my ride gets you a ticket (including all donations up to this point). So please DONATE NOW!

Jill made it!

Jason Crane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:12:28 +0000

Jill Homer just finished the Tour Divide! What an incredible accomplishment.

Jill agreed in the past to be a guest on the RocBike Review, but we never quite made it happen. I’ll ask her again, so we can get a first-person account of her amazing ride.

A bit too serious about bike parking

Jason Crane — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:32:42 +0000

I found this funny note over at the Web site for Found Magazine. Sometimes people take bike parking just a tad too seriously.

I’ve joined Team Fat Cyclist Philly. Please help me raise money to fight cancer!

Jason Crane — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:48:20 +0000

Hello friends,

Cancer has impacted:

My mother, Sally (skin)
My grandmother Dorothy (colon)
My grandfather Bernie (bladder)
My great-grandmother Louise (lung)
My cousin Denise (breast)
My great-uncle, Bill (colon)
My friend Travis, who died last year from testicular cancer

So it’s no surprise that I’d want to fight cancer. And I love riding my bike. That’s why I signed up for the Livestrong Challenge ride in Philly on August 23 as part of Team Fat Cyclist.

Now I need YOUR help. Please visit my fundraising page and donate whatever you can to help me in the fight against cancer. And if you can make it to Philly on August 23, you should also consider signing up for the race yourself.

DONATE NOW!

Team Fat Cyclist at the Livestrong Challenge ride in Seattle

Jason Crane — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:55:21 +0000

Elden “Fatty” Nelsen has posted some great photos, videos and stories from this weekend’s Livestrong ride in Seattle. Please visit his blog to read about the weekend. And make sure to donate to the cause, OK?

WIN SUSAN!

War on drugs + war on mountain bikers

Jason Crane — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:45:47 +0000

Pot bust nabs bike star
Major marijuana probe results in arrests in Saratoga area

By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
First published in print: Friday, June 19, 2009

ALBANY — The major drug bust of a thriving marijuana operation in Wilton this week nabbed two colorful characters: A one-time champion mountain biker and a budding filmmaker on a spiritual journey.

A federal judge set bail for the pair Thursday afternoon.

Police set up a sale between a confidential informant and former star mountain biker Melissa Giove.

Read the rest of the article.

Warm-weather commuter’s checklist

Jason Crane — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:24:55 +0000

I learned about the fun blog Bike Skirt from an issue of Urban Velo magazine. On Monday, Elisa (pictured above) posted a good checklist of items every summer bike commuter needs. Check it out, and tell ‘em RocBike sent ya.

Cyclist runs in to the back of a bus in Schenectady

Jason Crane — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:57:50 +0000

From today’s Albany Times Union:

SCHENECTADY — A 62-year-old bicyclist suffered minor injuries after accidentally running into the back of a CDTA bus on State Street this afternoon, city police said. The man was pedaling behind the bus near Clinton Street and rear-ended the vehicle when it pulled over around 1:25 p.m., Sgt. Eric Clifford said.

The crash tied up downtown traffic for about 20 minutes, Clifford said. He said the man was taken to Ellis Hospital for observation.

– Paul Nelson

Why don’t more New Yorkers ride bikes? Nowhere to park!

Jason Crane — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:05:51 +0000

According to an article in today’s New York Times, a recent survey of New York City residents found that lack of storage is one of the biggest things keeping New Yorkers off bicycles.

In a city of tight living quarters and unaccommodating corporate towers, the biggest cycling challenge can be finding a good place store one’s ride when it is not in use.

For James Rather, an urban planner whose Riverdale walk-up does not have a storage option, lugging his bike up three flights to his apartment every time he rides is a “constant hassle” and a sometime danger.

You can read the article at the Times site.

The Tour Divide — it’s fun to listen to!

Jason Crane — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:00:17 +0000

I’ve already mentioned that Jill Homer is riding the Tour Divide this year. The Tour Divide is a 2,745-mile self-supported mountain bike race from Banff, Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

MTBCast posts a daily digest of the riders’ call-ins from the trail. It makes for some fun and fascinating listening. You can listen at MTBCast or subscribe using iTunes or your favorite RSS reader using this link.

She’s off!

Jason Crane — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:28:53 +0000

The wonderful Jill Homer is ready to begin the Great Divide ride — 2,700 miles along the Great Divide. Her post from yesterday lists several way to follow her along her route. She’ll also be blogging whenever possible.

From all of us at RocBike.com: Good luck, Jill!

Saratoga cycling accident — the reporter’s response

Jason Crane — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:20:24 +0000

As I wrote here and here, there was a recent cycling accident in Saratoga Springs, north of Albany, that was featured in the Times Union newspaper. You can read my note to the reporter in the previous post.

Here’s the response I received from the reporter, Dennis Yusko:

Hi Jason: Thank you for writing. You make a valid point about the placement of the helmet reference. I guess it was in this particular story because he suffered a head injury, and because police made a point of it when discussing the case. Anyway, I’ll think about it more next time I write because of your note. In the meantime, feel free to go to our Saratoga Seen blog and post what you feel under the story there. It might generate some discussion.
Dennis.

If you’d like to take Dennis up on his suggestion, visit the Saratoga Seen blog.

Jill on the range

Jason Crane — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:53:21 +0000

The deliciously insane Jill Homer is about to ride the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race. North to south along the Rockies. No, that is not a typographical error.

Follow her exploits — if you dare — here.

UPDATE: Saratoga cycling accident

Jason Crane — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:27:17 +0000

This story of course notes that the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet. Which I’m sure is what caused the motorist to fail to yield the right of way.

Vehicle charges likely in bicycle accident
Bicyclist hospitalized after Saratoga Springs accident

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer
First published: Tuesday, June 9, 2009

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A 30-year-old man was taken to the hospital with head injuries on Sunday after he struck a car while riding his bicycle on Broadway, police say.

The man, who police did not identify, was riding north at 1:22 p.m., when he hit the rear passenger door of a vehicle turning left into the parking lot of Lillian’s restaurant, Lt. Matthew Veitch said.

The bicyclist was not wearing a helmet and was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Veitch said.

The operator of the vehicle, who police would only say is from Vermont, will likely face charges of failing to yield the right of way, police said.

“The investigation is ongoing and charges are anticipated,” Veitch said.

This article is available at the Times Union site.

I sent a follow-up email message to the author of the piece, Dennis Yusko (dyusko@timesunion.com):

Hi Dennis,

As a local cyclist, let me begin by saying thanks for covering any bicycle stories at all, even when they’re accidents.

A quick question: Why is it that the cyclist’s lack of a helmet is mentioned before the motorist’s failure to yield the right of way? (I might go further and ask why the helmet is in the story at all.) Surely the cyclist’s lack of a helmet is not what caused the driver to hit the cyclist. Shouldn’t the charges against the driver come first?

Helmets are great, but every cycling accident story tells the reader whether or not the cyclist had one, as if this had anything to do with the cause of the accident.

Thanks again for your time and for paying attention to cyclists.

All the best,

Jason

Another bicycle accident in the Capital Region

Jason Crane — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:02:13 +0000

Does the Times Union have a new bicycle accident beat?

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A 30-year-old man was taken to the hospital with head injuries on Sunday after he struck a car while riding his bicycle on Broadway, police say.

The man, whom police did not identify, was riding north at 1:22 p.m., when he hit the rear passenger door of a vehicle turning left into the parking lot of Lillian’s restaurant, Lt. Matthew Veitch said.

Read the rest of the article.

Cyclist hurt in Schenectady

Jason Crane — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:35:30 +0000

The Times Union just posted a story about a collision between a cyclist and dumptruck:

Cyclist seriously hurt after collision with dump truck in Schenectady

RocBike in the top 50 at LondonCyclist

Jason Crane — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:46:15 +0000

I received this message this week:

Hey guys,

I don’t know if you have heard already through the grape vine but you are in the top 50 bike blogs as rated through looking at things such as number of comments, alexa rank, etc. Congratulations!

I look forward to hearing more from you in future.
Andreas
(londoncyclist)

Ain’t that cool? Thanks for everyone’s support!

News from Fatty

Jason Crane — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:34:30 +0000

Be sure to read this post from the Fat Cyclist all the way to the end.

Housatonic man prepares for 200-mile race

Jason Crane — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:24:16 +0000

This story is from The Berkshire Eagle, the local paper in my hometown area:

By Dick Lindsay, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Thursday, May 21

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Until a few weeks ago, Charles Spirydowski’s longest bicycle ride was about three miles — a jaunt he took with his daughter.

This week, the 37-year-old Housatonic man will attempt a 200-mile ride over the course of three days to raise money and awareness for emergency medical services personnel who’ve died in the line of duty or from a job-related illness or injury.

You can read the rest of the article at the Eagle’s Web site.

Welcome to new Team RocBike member Bob Anderson!

Jason Crane — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:40:02 +0000

Jason sez: Bob Anderson is a one-man hurricane on the Albany cycling scene. He’s doing great work with the Albany Bicycle Coalition, and also taking amazing photos of cycling culture for local galleries, and for his blog, Liberty on Bikes! Bob’s inclusion on the Team RocBike roster is long overdue, and I’m glad he’s here. Under the photo is Bob’s sketch of his own biography.

married almost 11 years, 3 kids from 3-8, commute everyday by bike, born in Seattle, lived in golden, colorado & salt lake city, utah, here for 11 years, manager by profession, also a photographer, artist, decorator, manipulator of color/pattern/texture, punk, instigator, prankster, tattoo collector, 80’s trivia master, student of taoism, and agent of chaos.

Yehuda Moon is coming back!

Jason Crane — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:46:34 +0000

Yehuda Moon and the whole gang from the Kickstand Cyclery are coming back on June 17. Huzzah!

If you haven’t experienced this wonderful cycling comic strip, now might be a good time to catch up.

Jill Homer is insane

Jason Crane — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:04:32 +0000

Well, maybe not technically insane. But she sure does take pleasure in things that would kill the average person. And in this case, almost killed her.

Read about Jill’s latest amazing adventure.

A second view of Veer

Jason Crane — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:47:15 +0000

Like Ethan, I went to see the movie Veer at the Madison Theater last night. I went to the late show, and was impressed at the size of the crowd coming out of the early show – particularly on a rainy Thursday night. I recognized most of the folks, but there were also some new faces, which was cool.

Also impressive was the organized presence of the Albany Bicycle Coalition (ABC) at the event. I was greeted by a volunteer named Rohan when I arrived. He had stickers, copies of magazines from one of the sponsors, Urban Velo, and sign-up sheets to collect data about the attendees for future recruitment by the ABC.

I thought the movie itself was fun and often inspiring. I’m not sure it’s a great recruiting tool for people looking to attract “just plain bike riders,” given that it focuses on the cycling counterculture of Portland, Oregon, much more than on everyday commuting cyclists. That’s not really a negative, though, because I don’t think the film’s focus is on recruiting. To me, it was a snapshot of the cycling scene in one place at one time. As such a snapshot, I think the filmmakers did a fine job capturing the freewheeling, adventurous and confident spirit of Portland cyclists.

The film also spends some time on the process of lobbying for passage of a new bike law increasing the penalties for reckless drivers who injure or kill vulnerable road users. This footage is split up throughout the film. It’s great to see an organized, professional approach to bike lobbying, even though there’s not much substance to the lobbying segments. For example, there’s no detail on the crafting of the legislation or on exactly how the lobbying occurs. Once again, though, I think that’s probably beyond the scope of the film.

One part of Veer that I wondered about was the amount of time spent on ZooBombing, in which cyclists ride mini-bikes downhill as fast as they can, starting at the top of a hill near the Portland Zoo. Some of the ZooBombing footage is interspersed with an interview with a local police officer. He’s made to look fairly ridiculous as he describes the ZooBombers’ violations of traffic laws in their downhill races. I don’t know, though. From what I could see in the movie (and that’s the sum total of my knowledge about ZooBombing), it looked like the cyclists were flagrantly and dangerously violating the law – riding with few if any lights at night through stop signs in residential neighborhoods. In most debates between law enforcement and cyclists, my experience has been that law enforcement tends to be ill-informed or unconcerned about cyclists’ rights. In this case, though, it’s hard to fault a cop who thinks ZooBombing is dangerous. And it’s odd that the cycling advocates in the film never acknowledge that. (I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section.)

On the whole, I enjoyed Veer. I found parts of it inspiring, such as the various bike advocacy and training programs for kids and adults. It was also fun to watch people just enjoying a cycling lifestyle. And above all, kudos to Bob from Liberty On Bikes! for bringing it to us, and for everything he’s doing to make Albany a better place for cyclists.

A bicycle wins Albany’s commuter contest for 6th straight year

Jason Crane — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:39:37 +0000

Once again, a bicyclist beat a car and a bus commuter in the Albany commuter contest. The story and photos are at All Over Albany.

(Thanks for Claire Nolan for the link!)

Welcome to new Team RocBike member Jody Benedict!

Jason Crane — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:59:00 +0000

JASON SEZ: I’m sure many RocBike readers are familiar with That Which Rolls, the wonderful blog written by Jody Benedict. Recently, Team RocBike member Julie White asked Jody whether she’d like to become a RocBike contributor. Happily for us, Jody agreed. Here’s a little bit more about Jody:

Jody Benedict works as a “web person” at a small college but she’s also a “print person.” A few years ago she might have called herself a graphic designer but the boundaries of her trade have become fuzzy and unfocused.

Very early in life, Jody decided she hated bikes as the result of a few unfortunate accidents (one nasty one involved an electrified barbed wire fence) and left her bike to rust under a bush somewhere. As she grew older she realized that she hated cars more than she hated bikes and she’d rather leave her car to rust in the driveway. She started bike commuting on her rusty bike. (Back then she only lived two miles from work.) She still didn’t LOVE biking until she discovered that all bikes are not created equal and a tune up and properly inflated tires can make a world of difference.

She eventually got a new bike and fell in love with it. She realized how far she could go on her own power and discovered a feeling of freedom, a feeling of self reliance, and a feeling of connection to the world around her that she never felt when she was moving through the world in her car-bubble.

Currently, Jody is a multi-modal commuter (bike+bus). Her commute is a minimum of 7 miles round trip but she usually rides between 14 and 22 because she doesn’t like standing and waiting around for things (like
buses). She could skip the bus part entirely but that would mean a round trip commute of almost 60 miles and she’s not in that kind of shape or doesn’t have that kind of bike, she’s not sure which. She still has a lot to learn about cycling but the process of learning keeps her interested.

She also has other interests which include camping, hiking, insects, mushrooms, observing and understanding the natural world in general, board and video games, reading, preparing for the zombie-pocalypse, and probably some other stuff she can’t think of right now. She spends way too much time
writing boring entries on her personal blog, That Which Rolls, named in honor of Alfred Jarry’s bike.

Shopping the curbs with two Xtracycles

Jason Crane — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:13:59 +0000

I enjoyed this post on Xtracycle’s Everyday Adventures blog about using cargo bikes to do some curbside “shopping.”

Fun with spell checking

Jason Crane — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:17:32 +0000

My e-mail client (Thunderbird) just tried to replace the word “Xtracycle” with the word “tetracycline.”

14-year-old cyclist hit in Albany

Jason Crane — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:12:57 +0000

The Times Union published a story today about a 14-year-old cyclist hit in Albany.

COLONIE – A 14-year-old is in stable condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital after being hit by an SUV Monday as he crossed Central Avenue.

Police said the incident occurred at 5:47 p.m. between Colonie Center and Northway Mall when Carlos Perez of Albany rode into the path of a Honda CRV driven by Colleen Williams of Albany.

Perez was thrown from the bike and landed on the hood of the SUV before rolling to the ground, police said. He suffered a concussion, broken bones and cuts on his head and neck, police said.

No tickets were issued. Witnesses said Perez was not crossing in a designated area and also said Williams had a green light.

Anyone who witnessed the crash can call Sgt. Robert Donnelly at 783-2744.

Meeting about the Genesee Riverway Trail

Jason Crane — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:30:25 +0000

RocBike.com reader Stephen Byrne send this today:

There is an upcoming public meeting about the scope of improvements for the Genesee Riverway Trail downtown, from Court St. to Middle Falls. It is on Tuesday, April 28th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at St.
Michael’s Church Hall at the corner of Clinton and Clifford.

For more on the trail, visit the City of Rochester site and then listen to Episode 1 of The RocBike Review, in which Adam, Jack and I ride the trail.

Adirondack Line saved for another year

Jason Crane — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:58:55 +0000

We have the occasional train story here on RocBike, given that several of us are regular or semi-regular (irregular?) train riders. In fact, I rode Amtrak today to get home after contracting the stomach flu in Rochester over the weekend. Jen and the boys drove home yesterday, and I rode the train today.

Here’s some good news:

Budget saves Amtrak’s Adirondack line

By ERIC ANDERSON, Deputy business editor
Last updated: 1:03 p.m., Monday, March 30, 2009

Full state operating support was restored for Amtrak’s Adirondack service from the Capital Region to Montreal, ensuring the train operates for another year, the president of the Empire State Passengers Association said this morning.

Read the rest of the story.

UPDATE: Here’s a link for the Empire State Passengers Association.

Why I love Yehuda Moon

Jason Crane — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:14:46 +0000

It’s because of little moments like this one:

From Yehuda Moon & The Kickstand Cyclery

Pedicabs in New York City

Jason Crane — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:05:16 +0000

The Cranes took our first family trip to NYC yesterday. While we strolled through Central Park, I took some photos of pedicabs. Enjoy:

From Cranes In Manhattan

The rest of my photos from our trip are here:

Cranes In Manhattan

Ramsey on two wheels

Jason Crane — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:52:48 +0000

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.

The Wild Bunch

Jason Crane — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:10:01 +0000

From today’s NYT:

A cyclist speeds through the crosswalk at 34th Street and Broadway. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)

By ROBERT SULLIVAN
Published: March 6, 2009

SOMETIMES, when I am biking, I remember the ’80s, and I shudder. I remember, in other words, when biking was an extreme sport, when, if you were a biker, you had a lot of locks and a lot more nerve.

Just the other day, when I was enjoying the bike lane down Clinton Street in my neighborhood, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, I stopped at a red light. And after the crossing guard smiled and chatted with me, after the cars pulled up alongside me and did not honk, I experienced a flashback from 1987: my regular trip from West 113th Street to Central Park, navigating honks and taunts, the mayhem that was then on Cathedral Parkway.

Read the rest of the article.

Times Union article on Albany’s cycling plan

Jason Crane — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:20:28 +0000

This two-wheeled journey begins with a single pedal
By Casey Seiler

If you’re an urban cyclist, you haven’t lived until you’ve been to Portland, Ore. The city’s elaborate bike lanes are broad and logically arranged, its bike racks are plentiful and sturdy, and downtown commuters on two human-powered wheels are accepted as a regular part of the traffic flow, not as potential suicides.

It was with Portland in mind that I arrived at the main branch of the Albany Public Library on Wednesday night for the first public meeting to discuss the city’s Bicycle Master Plan. Almost 200 people turned out — but you would have been able to predict that even before entering the building: Every available sign and stachion on the sidewalk had a bike locked to it.

Read the rest of the article.

Bike classes in Albany

Jason Crane — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:09:39 +0000

This came from the Albany Bicycle Coalition mailing list:

League of American Bicyclist Traffic Skills 101

March 27,28, 2009 TBD Saratoga Springs NY
May 1 and 2, 2009 SUNY Albany (May 1 Friday evening 6:00-9:00PM / May 2 Sat. 10:00-4:00PM)

League of American Bicyclist LC1 Seminar (I believe for those who have passed the traffic Skills 101)

May 29, 30 and 31, 2009 (Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday at Draper Hall, SUNY Albany Downtown Campus)

For any of these dates or for more information please contact Claire Nolan or Bert Schou.

Charles Olson’s bicycle

Jason Crane — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:38:04 +0000

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.

Nikki Giovanni talks bicycles

Jason Crane — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:43:39 +0000

Poet Nikki Giovanni was on Bill Moyers’ Journal last week talking about her new book of poetry, Bicycles. She also talks about bicycles as a metaphor for life and reads her poem, “Bicycles.”

Watch the show.

Slogging in Afghanistan

Jason Crane — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:02:57 +0000

This image was featured today at one of my favorite blogs, BAGnewsNotes. Head over there for details and discussion.

Velooting

Jason Crane — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:16:27 +0000

(Nick Kurczewski for The New York Times)

PARIS — The Velib bike rental system has been hailed by Parisians and tourists alike for its convenience, as well as being a “green” alternative to getting around the French capital via taxicab, bus or metro. But the high cost of fixing, maintaining and, in many cases, replacing the fleet of about 20,000 bikes is proving too much for JCDecaux, the company that runs the program.

Vandalism Vexes Paris Bike-Rental System – Wheels Blog – NYTimes.com

I’m confessin’ that I love you — but I ain’t ridin’ you

Jason Crane — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:36:11 +0000

So.

Last night I rode my bike to Tess’s Lark Tavern for the monthly Poets Speak Loud event. It was an open mic followed by a walk to the Robert Burns statue in Washington Park, upon which a daring poet placed a beret. I’ll talk more about the event over at jasoncrane.org, but I wanted to mention a tangential fact about it here on RocBike.

Last night’s bike ride was my first time on a bike since … maybe September.

There, I said it. The founder of RocBike, former board member of the New York Bicycling Coalition and blogger about car-free living no longer rides a bike.

When I was transferred to the Albany area in November 2007, I lived in Saratoga Springs for the first few months. Most of my job duties, though, were in Albany and Schenectady, so I was on the road all the time and needed to be in my car. My family were still back in Rochester, so my eating habits suffered, too. Less good food, more fast food and food eaten in the car.

In the late winter or early spring of 2008, I moved into the city of Albany and started riding again. It was around that time that I started blogging again in earnest and joined the board of the New York Bicycling Coalition. I was also attending meetings of the Albany Bicycle Coalition, and blogging about the challenges of car-free or car-light living in my capacity as a Parent Panelist for the Albany Times Union newspaper.

When Jen and the boys moved back, I was still biking a fair amount. Jen got an Xtracycle like mine, and we biked a lot as a family. But then things started to change. I had already gained a fair amount of weight because of the changes in my lifestyle. I started driving most places and left the bike locked away. By the fall, I wasn’t riding at all. I was 35 pounds heavier than when I moved here. And my poor Packet Boat was dry-docked in the back shed.

Well, it’s time to get back on the horse. Look for updates from me about returning to the bike and making some much needed changes.

I’ve got nothing to lose but my chains! (And 35 or 40 pounds.)

BBC World Service launches “Bicycle Diaries”

Jason Crane — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:28:03 +0000

A new BBC World Service documentary called the Bicycle Diaries starts this
Friday, Jan. 16. The synopsis reads:

“A journey to 3 different places around the world to discover communities and people for whom two wheels are better than four.”

You can listen online or on XM radio or shortwave. Airdates are listed here:

Bicyle Diaries

Bicycles and bow ties

Jason Crane — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:46:32 +0000

I’ve combined my love of bicycles with many things, but who’d have thought I could combine it with my 95-year-old-man fashion sense? But now my dream has come true:

That’s right, kids. It’s a bicycle bow tie from the fine folks at Beau Ties Ltd of Vermont. Perfect for that special someone who is … well … just me, I guess. And yes, you can also get it as a necktie, if you’re a wimp.

Helmet reviews

Jason Crane — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:20:38 +0000

Howdy. Check out this extensive look at Bicycle Helmets for the 2009 Season. And thanks to Randal Putnam for the link.