1200km on track bikes

"Flat Out" Teaser from Flat Out Productions on Vimeo.

Idiots. (In a good way.) [via trackosaurus rex]

Donald Norman, we need you!

Complex car controls equal confused drivers:

Too many automakers are making everyday activities excessively complex. The BMW iDrive had a controller for functions like the radio and air conditioning that was so baffling that it forced drivers to take their eyes off the road.

And there I was thinking good design made things simpler. Silly me.

Must. Ride. This. Road.

Passo San Gottardo. I think I'm in love.

Brrrr!

Just Chill. Heh

Helmeted for sound

Tunebug with SurfaceSound Technology.

Jersey does the talkin'

Share The Damn Road and other "cycling jerseys that make a statement".

You cannot be serious

Bike lock fail—"like tight jeans or a crop shirt, just because you can do something (or wear something), does not mean you should". It's gotta be a joke.

Fully-loaded man.

The Fully Loaded Touring Bike Photo Gallery.

While we're on the subject, here are some tips for long-distance cycling.

You toucha my bike…

I'm no real fan of vigilante justice but…

Some bike messengers last month took justice into their own hands when they caught two suspected thieves, teenage boys who attended a local Catholic high school. According to police, the messengers stripped down the teens to their boxer shorts before taking their cellphones, backpacks and clothes.

"They meted out street justice. We don't condone street justice. They never threatened them. But they made it clear: don't mess with another person's property," Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said. "This incident and the arrests are the tip of the iceberg when comes to people stealing bicycles."

[via Cyclelicious]

Sydney to share?

The Sydney Morning Herald reports on a push for "naked" streets in Sydney:

the City of Sydney wants to take control of several main arteries through the central business district, rip out the traffic lights, strip the streets of safety signs, impose a speed limit of 10 kmh and give pedestrians the right of way.

Top Ten

It's nice that Port Phillip made the top 10 bike rides of the world, but seriously just about any road within 50km of Bright is better than Port Phillip and has more "tortuous ascents".

DIY

Red Green Makes a Chopper didn't exactly have me in stitches, but mildly amusing.

What you missed this morning

Yehuda Moon wouldn't miss this.

Get good LBS

4 tips you can use to find a reputable and trustworthy bike shop. No real earth-shattering revelations here ("word of mouth"—who knew?), but it may be of some use.

Start up

How to set up and run a bicycle repair company.

Tales of the Road

Just stumbled across these Tales of the Road videos targetted at 6–11 year olds:

Research found that children in this age range need to understand the reasons for always using good road safety behaviour. The campaign therefore uses animated characters that are vulnerable to the real consequences of not following good road use. The key message is 'you need to use good road safety behaviour or you could come to real harm'. The campaign also demonstrates the correct road safety behaviours.

Counting on it

Cycling is a great way to boost your sperm count.

Don't know much about art

Bike sculpture (made from bike parts).

Don't understand

I really don't get why people would do this: Unauthorized bike trail damages "pristine habitat" in Forest Park.

Heartbroken (not)

Death of the Hummer?:

The Hummer, originally designed as a military off-road vehicle by AM General, was in the late 90s the off-road vehicle of choice for many a celebrity that cared not about good gas mileage…However, in these economic trying times and when the Hollywood elite prefer hybrids over former-military vehicles, the Hummer has seen sales fall.

What a shame.

G.M. to Close Hummer After Sale Collapses [via EcoVelo]

I've just got one thing to say about that.

Why not?

Why Cycle?

Hmm, tempting.

Seeing as I didn't make it to "Bounding up Baw Baw"—again—this might be worth a look: 2010 Baw Baw Challenge: 119k and 70k courses.

Hmm, no thanks.

As outlined on bicyclism blog, what is the point of the Shimano electronic gruppo? Apparently it won a design award, which should automatically mitigate against it.

As previously mentioned Wired magazine described is as a flappy paddle.

When it comes down to it, the vast majority of riders simply don't need this added level of complexity on their bikes.

Here boy!

What to do if you get chased by a dog.

Again?

This must never happen again:

According to the World Health Organisation, the coroner into the world's first road death, back in 1896, said "This must never happen again".

SMIDSY

And on the historical front, was this Britain's earliest SMIDSY? I just love the logic of it being impossible to doubt the word of a gentlemen. Those were the days.

Bloggage