Downtown Springfield is a great bicycling destination. And if you live downtown, or nearby, it’s not that difficult to replace your car with a bicycle for most of your transportation needs. That’s what I did. I live 2.25 miles from my office on the square. Bicycling downtown is easy because most of the roads are [...]
Yesterday I placed an order for one of these I have plans. Oh, yes. I have plans. More on that later. And I’ll have a full report when it arrives. Technorati Tags: bicycle, cycling
I installed my new Pyramid kickstand this morning. It was love at first park Now my Redline R530 stands upright and steady for loading. I’m thinking the Redline people ought to make this style kickstand standard equipment on this model. Other things I’ve added: Handlebar mirror Front basket mount Hobson seat BMX pedals Technorati Tags: [...]
Check out this examination of what makes a good “everyday bicycle” by David Hembrow. I like the context of this short essay: from the point of view of a person living in a country in which many people use bicycles as basic transportation. In other words, if you want to know what kind of a [...]
I had occasion in social situation to speak with a few people about bicycle commuting yesterday. There are some questions I can count on, so I have answers ready. 1. What if the weather is bad; what if it’s raining? Wear the right gear. It’s really not a big deal. But bicycle commuting is not [...]
Hoo-Yah! We Americans love our cars, baby! And we love to drive fast! Screw the freaking speed limits! This is the USA! USA! USA! You know what happens if you drive over the speed limit in Springfield, Missouri? — Gotta love real America! — The city will raise the speed limits to fit the speed [...]
Everyone. Who feels welcome on the road? That depends. The answer should be: Everyone. But it often isn’t. Following from my thoughts yesterday about being yelled at for NOT using a bicycle lane, here’s an interesting look at who belongs on the road from Commute Orlando. Our problem in the U.S. is that we suffer [...]
While wearing a helmet may not actually do any good at all (and may even have detrimental effects, e.g. signaling that cycling isn’t safe), I do wear one (mostly out of habit now). And when I get off my bicycle I’ll sometimes continue to wear it like a hat depending upon the situation. For example, [...]
Allow me to generalize a bit: To the average American, two miles might as well be 200 miles if one is asked to traverse that distance on foot or on a bicycle. That’s why companies such a Clif Bar can advertise bicycle commuting challenges without causing anyone to hoot with laughter (about the distance, that [...]
Wow, did my town-bike geekiness really show through yesterday? I really need to do some more cycling for fun. But because I ride everyday to haul my kiester from point A to point B, I just don’t feel like fun riding. Fun riding, however, would teach me something. For example: I mis-read this map. I’ve [...]
That’s right– I haven’t posted any pictures of me and my new bicycle yet. But here’s something better: Kid Carbon Trace on her new bicycle– a hot pink Hello Kitty cruiser by Nirve. She saw this in the bike shop window during the Taste of Springfield festival on Saturday. They were just closing up for [...]
My Redline R530 came today. I received the call a couple hours ago. I just got back from taking it home then walking back downtown to my office. Still have to get my Marin home. Nice ride. I’m going to be very happy with this bicycle. The 7-gear hub is smooth and has a nice [...]
Well… I wait. This is only big news for me I ordered a Redline R530 today. If everything goes as planned I’ll be riding it as early as Friday. Now, why the Redline? I had been thinking hard about the Breezer Uptown8. Nice bicycle. Lots of great features for the town commuter. But the price [...]
What economic crisis? WIRED reports from the recent Interbike 2008 trade show: The nation may be wracked by collapsing banks, foreclosed houses and a tanking economy, but there’s no sign anything’s amiss here at Interbike, the bike industry’s annual trade show. In fact, it’s party time as a perfect storm of eco-conscious consumerism, health-conscious lifestyles [...]
The Interbike 2008 trade show is this week in Las Vegas. I’ve read several reports (such as this one) saying that commuter bicycles and accessories are all the rage this year. Hmmmmmmm… What is a commuter bicycle? Easy answer: Whatever ever bicycle you like to ride to commute. Difficult answer (is actually a series of [...]
