So bad it's good… [via The Bike Show]
Utility cycling
A quiet revolution in bicycles: [Recapturing a role as utilitarian -movers (part I)][] and (part II).
Pimped
- 14 Pimped Bikes. [twitterer]
- FAIYATORIKKUBOBU - Jet Power Bike—makes me wonder why anyone would want to put a jet between their thighs, but each to their own. [thanks tom]
- Shocker a chopper that "rocks and will for sure be an eye-catcher. Pure, simple and plain without much ado." I kinda like it… [thanks tom]
- Bike/Eat/Sleep Decals—cute idea. [via Nine Mile Skid]
Danger!
The Dangers of Cycling, from The Lancet, 11 July 1896. [PDF]
Perspective
Do not, simply do not talk to me about supposedly "dangerous" or "scofflaw" cyclists while this sort of crap is going on: [Dicing with at dangerous railway level crossings][]. Watch the video—very scary. Darwin Award nominees abound.
Vocal bike shop
A few things from the bike shop—packed full of wonderfully grumpy quotes, for example:
So you want a bike that you can ride to work, goes really fast, is good for that triathlon you're doing this summer (snicker), is good on trails and mud, and costs less than 00. Yeah. Listen, I want a car that can go 200 miles an hour, tow a boat, has room for five adults, is easy to parallel park but can carry plywood, gets 60mpg, and only costs ,000. I also want a unicorn to blow me. What are we even talking about here? Oh yeah. Listen, bikes can be fast, light, cheap and comfortable. Pick two, and we're all good.
[via About the bike]
Of course, there are always more sides to the story: Not knowing a Schraeder from a Presta shouldn't make you feel like a bike tool. [via Melbourne Cyclist]
Car as oven
Car-baked chocolate chip cookies—remind me again why cars are so good… [via Lifehacker]
Bike-on-bike action for foldaway perverts
Will Self waxes lyrical on the Brompton bike. Dammit, now I'm lusting for a Brompton (well, even more than I did before…)
Nic says
Nic Dow on episode 42 of the YarraBUG Radio Show—around the 8-minute mark for intelligent comments on planning and implementing bike infrastructure.
Bikes beat golf carts
Zoo ditches golf carts for bicycles:
The idea came when Zoo Director David Tetzlaff brought his bike in to get around a little more quickly. The staff dug it, and before long they had made bicycles available and custom made trailers to haul animal food, supplies and tools around.
More in the Zoo's press release
[via Mountain Biking]
And their rationale is…?
A county in the USA wants the authority to [ban bicycles from its s][]. I do not understand why they would want to do this. Even this report in the Columbine Courier doesn't provide a compelling reason for such action. twitterer
What the…?
Swedish man attacked by tattooed girl gang! [twitterer]
Reflecting on rear view mirrors
Mirrors never really get pushed for cycling, but, they could be more useful than bell or even helmet. Of course, you could learn the art of looking over your shoulder. But, as I said, even for experienced riders this is not always so easy.
And while we're on the subject, try [the pocket-sized, clip-on, -view mirror][] [twitterer]
Third and final warning
Hal grades your bike locking 3: The final warning!
Just let it slide
When it comes to aggro on the road, it's probably best to [let it e][]. Note the video linked at the end: [True Confession: Bike e][].
Will need a lot of bikes
Hybrid Squared: Ingenious energy-generating bike rental system:
Designer Chiyu Chen has conceived of an ingenious transit system that encourages the use of sustainable transportation by crediting people for renting and riding bicycles. His Hybrid2 system consists of a fleet of rentable bicycles that are capable of generating and storing kinetic energy, which is then used to power the city's [hybrid > electric buses][]. Simply rent a bike, charge it up with kinetic energy from pedal power, and then return it to a kiosk - the station feeds energy into the city's smart grid, and you receive a credit towards your next bus pass!
See also Chiyu Chen's video demonstration of Hybrid2.
Editorial comment from tom: "it will never work".
You can diagnose a stroke
Three simple tests anyone can administer can [help diagnose the of a stroke][]. Important note: these signs are sufficient but not necessary—someone can still be having a stroke [even if they these three simple tests][].
For the detail-oriented, here's an article on Stroke at MedicineNet.com.
Tour de France
- Bicycle Radio collect some TdF highlights from Phil and Paul [MP3]. [via Audax-Oz and A Woman and a Fixed Wheel]
- Twitter takes the Tour de France on new course.
Grinding gears
The nerds' nerds at The Age Education supplement reckon the TdF is ["the time to discuss gear ratios"][]. Simple article and I think I get it but I'm still not ready for Sheldon Brown's Gain Ratio. I've promised myself that one day I'll understand it.
Put down that phone
Drivers and legislators dismiss cellphone risks
Pump up that phone
Five iPhone apps that replace bike hardware
Now they're thinking
Billed as "the thinking cyclist's ACE", the Semaine Fédérale program is offering a two-day variation on Audax Australia's new 250km Alpine Classic Extreme: the Alpine Raid. That's 111km Bright to Omeo via Mt Hotham on the first day, then 139km Omeo to Bright via Falls Creek on the second.
Art lane
how can you satisfy your cravings for impressionist art? The answer . . . is probably right beneath your bike's wheels, in the shape of the amazing variety of impressionist drawings of bikes that councils all over the world use to mark bike lanes.
Slow bikes win
Fixed-gear rider or granny-bike dawdler: who will win the race?.
On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with [using the daily commute training][].
Blog
More blogs with irresitible names:
- Girls gone riding
- Candy Cranks—chicks that spin around the globe
- Nine Mile Skid
Comments
As a daily train rider, I see this type of behavior all the time.
Does this count as pimped? http://thereifixedit.com/2009/07/27/epic-kludge-photo-not-legal-to-take-those-off-the-lot/