Cialis be damned—it's the cycling that does the trick!
[via Copenhagenize.com, twitterer]

Edinburgh 'Veledrome'

I suppose it's not everyone's idea of pretty, but Mike Bascombe's photos of the Edinburgh 'Veledrome' capture a certain charm. Furthermore

It is one of only a few outdoor velodromes left in the UK and contains within its teak boards, blackened by tire rubber over decades, a history that can never be relocated or replaced. It is however due to be demolished…I want it to survive because of it's beauty and by showing this to others is how I hope to help.

L-E-L

Speaking of Edinburgh, did you know that the 1400km London-Edinburgh-London ride is currently in progress? That's a south-to-north journey across England—then turn around and go right back.

Be aware

Be aware of lorries—the most informative instructional video I've seen for many a long day. Cyclists and heavy vehicles.

Grocery getters

DIY

Social media cops

Boston Police Using Twitter and Facebook to Track Down Bike Thieves:

Leveraging Twitter and Facebook, on top of traditional channels, is a great to way to get the community involved and active in city crime-fighting efforts. The immediate nature of status updates, and their mobile distribution, means that more and more people can have instant access to the bike theft reports, increasing the likelihood that more lost bikes will be recovered.

[twitterer]

Meanwhile, VictoriaPolice is using Twitter, most recently tweeting its Operation Ardent traffic blitz.

More than 900 penalties have been issued after a huge road and Twitter blitz by police in the city's southeast.

Nutters-R-Us (1)

Cyclist shot in argument over child's safety—well pulling out a gun and shootin' the guy sure settles it. Numbskull. [via Wend]

Nutters-R-Us (2)

Prolly implies the question, is this justice?

i saw this bike messenger and an old asian guy getting into a fight because they ran into each other at the intersection. the old guy just wouldn't leave the bike dude alone, so the bike dude totally let him have it, POW! KRYPTONITE LOCK TO THE FACE LIKE 3 OR 4 TIMES!

Of course it's not justice. It is assault—the sickening action of some sad arsehole with a massive chip on his shoulder. Just because the pedestrian wanted to argue the toss is no justification to smack him around the head with a U-lock. The simplest solution is also the most obvious: jump on your bike a ride away.

Naturally, the best commentary on the video belongs to [Bike Snob C][].

U-lock fail

And while that video demonstrates how effective a U-lock can be as a weapon, here's another that demonstates how ineffective they can be at locking-up stuff:

The full story is at Melbourne Cyclist. Bottom line: don't skimp on bike security and mix-up the type of locks that you use. (You do use two locks, don't you?)

Car as lifestyle

What message does this ad for the Audi Q5 send? Driving this car is as much fun as cycling? As one of the commenters says "Cars are most effectively marketed as lifestyle"—so the advertisers co-opt the cyclist lifestyle. [twitterer]

I wonder if it's no coincidence that bicycles seem to [feature in Q5 s][]? And I just love the old advertising cliché showing the Q5 car easily breezing through traffic, something that never happens in real life—unless you're riding a bike.

Jens, respect

As the RBR Newsletter points out, this ESPN article could so easily have been an obituary to Jens Voigt.

Tour de Junk

Just like the folks at RBR, I too have wondered what happens to all the junk that pro cyclists chuck away as they ride. Apparently, not much:

"I heard that some sort of clean-up squad follows the Tour, but I've never seen even pictures of it and it's hard to think it does any more than superficial cleaning of specific areas. The rest, I'm afraid, is left where it is. It costs communes a lot to clean up in popular areas, not just from riders but far more, of course, from the spectators.

"Professionals are there to inspire the rest of us. Sadly, some far lesser riders are inspired to copy their worse habits.

"We have one local guy -- just one -- who so much believes he has a mountain to ride at 20 kmh that he throws the slightest litter onto the road.

Not really news

It's not really news that fixies are becoming popular, is it? Surely by the time the mainstream media gets hold of something it's passé? [twitterer]

Charge!

Kenyans invent bike phone charger

Jumping on a bike, Mr Katana explained it takes an hour of pedalling to fully charge a phone, about the same time it would if it were plugged into the mains electricity.

Our reporter says after a short ride, the phone's battery display indicated that it was charging.

[twitterer]

Kidsbike

Kidsbike "developed by BMW which appears to be trustworthy kids' bikes producer".

Oops

Asda forced to pull 'dangerous' advert for flat-pack bicycle after viewers notice that one part was back-to-front:

The front fork of the £70 flat-pack men's mountain bike in the advert was facing the wrong way - which would mean it would not steer or brake properly, experts warn.

Oops, that's not safe. [twitterer]

Deptartment of Funny Signs

Buff it up

Check out Durx in the buff

Well, duh

Physically active children fall asleep faster:

Daytime physical activity is associated with faster sleep latency in children, and the more inactive children are, the harder it is for them to fall asleep at the end of the day, according to a study published online July 24 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Surprise, surprise—active kids also sleep longer.

Obesity: ecology, economy and swine flu

Forum for the Future reckons that:

Staying slim is as important for the planet's health as for our own, a new report reveals. Countries with normal rates of obesity (3.5%) consume almost 20% less food and produce up to one gigatonne fewer greenhouse gases than a population with a 40% obesity rate, concluded the article published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (IJE).

[twitterer]

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that

The cost of treating obesity doubled over a decade, signaling the rising prevalence of excess weight and the toll it is taking on the health-care system.

Furthermore, Reuters noted that

People who are obese but otherwise healthy may be at special risk of severe complications and death from the new H1N1 swine flu virus, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

Guardian goes bike crazy

Bloggage