Fun—and pretty scary

Just on the off chance that you haven't already seen it… Do you have change blindness? Do the test.

Why this matters for cyclists:

…only a tiny fraction of all the information going into your brain enters your consciousness. People often fail to see a change in their surroundings because their attention is elsewhere.

Even stranger, if you are concentrating on something, you can become blind to other events that you would normally notice. This "inattention blindness" is possibly the reason why motorists collide with cyclists.

[Thanks Charlie, and via just about every bike blogger including Velorution, kimbofo, Dave Moulton, [Adrian h][], The City Fix, UrbanVelo and Momentum. Nothing like being the last to publish…]

I love the java jive and it loves me

So cyclists like coffee—who knew? "Coffee calls to all kinds of cyclists: mountain bikers who live for adrenaline rushes, commuters who matter-of-factly pedal to work or to the grocery store, and "roadies" whose perfect weekend involves a 30- to 60-mile ride on paved roads." [via Metafilter]

Thanks for the feedback

wurple.net got some good feedback on bike lights.

Swoop!

Watch out—magpies aren't the only swooping birds out there!

5 bakfiets!

BT Humble has knocked together a cargo trike for about 5. It's hard to beat that kind of price!

This doesn't sound right

It appears that some local councils in the UK want to turn a [popular trail][] into a high-speed bus lane.

What happened here?

"There is no part of the world where cycling is in greater favor than in Southern California, and nowhere on the American continent are conditions so favorable the year round for wheeling"—so [what the hell since 1897][]?

Making space for bikes

World's Narrowest Bike Path. Heh. [thanks Tom]

Comments

Warren T

"Caffeine is one of those elements that cyclists want to put into their bodies." - Agreed.

Treadly and Me

Indeed. Therefore it's good to know that "caffeine is one of the last legal drugs"…

Tri Boy

I love the dancing bear. Maybe its too much coffee.

Crowlie

ROTFLMFAO a moonwalking bear! Yes it is scary though. Guess I won't be wearing a bear suit for any bike rides any time soon.

Treadly and Me

As I'm sure I saw someone remark on this topic, how much more noticeable would the dancing bear be if it had been wearing hi-viz gear? It cuts both ways: watch for cyclists and be easily seen.