Find -The Mountain Bike Film on Vimeo.
No longer acceptable
Streetsblog San Francisco asks Why are we building bikes lanes that are hurting people?
It is no longer acceptable to lure people onto bicycles with a network of bicycle lanes that look inviting, but in reality can cause injury or death when used as directed. Our bicycle infrastructure design and our bicycle safety curricula should complement, not contradict, one other.
Indeed. [twitterer]
Time to get seriously scientific
Sara Phillips on the ABC Environment Blog:
Cycling advocates want more bike lanes. They want more people riding more often. They tell us that life is better on a bike; that we'll be fitter, we'll emit less carbon dioxide and our cities' air will be cleaner.
But unless they gather hard data to present their case to government for funding, they are going to struggle to make their point.
Furthermore:
Currently, Australia's biggest cycling advocacy group, Bicycle Victoria, doesn't sponsor any research into the health or environmental benefits of cycling. Spokesman for the organisation, Garry Brennan says they try to remain focussed in their approach and target activities to encourage more cycling.
Ride, kid, ride
Carlton Reid reckons kids have an insatiable appetite for cycling, and I reckon he might be right. [twitterer]
On that subject, teach your child to ride, an extract from Carlton's Family Cycling. We think it works.
Ride first, then drive
And here's an idea: learner drivers should cycle first. [twitterer]
Off the presses
Treadlie magazine is on sale 17 December.
Witnessing a bike theft
In the Guardian, James Walsh asks what would you do if you saw a bike being stolen?
My advice: it ain't worth having the shit kicked out of you for a bike.
Sucking and loving it
Letter of the Week in Surfing Magazine on converting from surf snobbery to bike snobbery:
I'm filled with pride at the top of a modest incline, or when my cleats clip in successfully at a stoplight, or while admiring a nascent thigh tan naked in the bathroom mirror. Sucking at something, it turns out, is great fun.
Doin' the eagle rock
Swooped by a magpie? Pfft! Try a bloody great big wedge-tailed eagle! Seems possible, but there's a faint whiff of bullshit about that story. [via Audax Australia Google Group]
Design
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The Seoul Cycle Design Competition 2010 produced the 'horsey' bike, guaranteed to squish your goolies if you brake heavily or have a crash. Design fail, IMHO.
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The Mutandem: Whoa! [thanks woowoowoo]
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Cool bike hands…until you need to ditch quickly. [thanks tom]
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A bike rack that sucks—in a good way [thanks tom]
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Bicycle lock climbs lamp post to escape thieves. Cute idea but the cyclist can't fit anything else in his bag… [thanks tom]
Repair
iFixit's Self-Repair Manifesto [via monkeyphoto]
Liability
According to the New York Times, a 4-year-old can be sued for negligence following a bike collision. You know, sometimes accidents do just happen.
Schadenfreude
Wend Magazine brings you a cyclocross crash collection. (Yes, inevitably, Yakety Sax…)
How to…
…fall from a bicycle. Ouch. [twitterer, via treadlie]
Nice shots
Utility
Recreational and/or transportational
We need real bike paths for real bike transportation—shared paths are problematic, dangerous and occasionally deadly.
I've certainly noticed that shared paths in Melbourne are rarely engineered with transportation in mind.
Fashion
Safe and shiny, the way to combine fashion and safety. [via LikeCool.com, thanks tom]
Buy space, make space
Shepparton riders buy space for awareness in local paper, and the message they shared.
Register here. Or not.
Grist on why an additional road tax for bicyclists would be unfair.
Pothole? There's an app for that
In the UK, FillThatHole.org.uk has released a pothole-spotting app, which is pretty cool.
And, thanks to nikdow for the tip-off, in Australia there is Neat Streets:
What Issues Can Be Reported?
Anything important to you - road obstructions, vandalism, potholes, fallen trees, abandoned trolleys, litter, and graffiti.
Mistakes, I've made a fwe
Endurance Cycling: Five mistakes to avoid.
DIY
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Specialized RC turbine jet powered rocket mountain bike hack—I have never, ever understood why anyone would want to put a rocket anywhere near their genitals… [twitterer, thanks tom]
Bike lane appears
According to the Cycling Embassy of Denmark, when riding in Copenhagen, "The trip continues through a high street, and a cycle track appears".
Tour by share bike
Melbourne bike share tours with MELTours.