I used my folding bike to get from South Bend to Argonne National Lab for the third time this past weekend. Getting to the lab on Friday was a breeze but, unfortunately, I got a flat like I did on similar trip to Pennsylvania last summer. I was unprepared (again.. sigh!) and had to run the bike for 3.5 miles in a cold rain to catch Metra.
Archive for the ‘Gear’ Category
New Tires for the Monkey Bike?
Posted by Henry Scott on April 24, 2009
Posted in Gear, Ride Reports | Tagged: Dahon, Dahon Boardwalk S1, intermodal transportation, Monkey bike chronicles, Multimodal transportation | 9 Comments »
MBA Swap Meet: Sat. March 28th
Posted by Henry Scott on March 23, 2009
The annual MBA swap meet will be held this coming Saturday, March 28th at the Pinhook Park Pavilion (see map below). According to the April MBA newsletter [PDF], members can begin setting up at noon, and the swap meet will officially be from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Posted in Events, Gear | Leave a Comment »
Historical Perspective and the future
Posted by Phil G-E on March 14, 2009
I wonder what stories you might hear if you asked your elders about their memories of bicycles and bicycling.
As I was talking with my mother yesterday, we explored some of her memories of pre-WW II Tokyo. She came from a well-to-do Japanese family and offered some interesting perspectives on cars, bicycles, and pedestrian traffic. She remembered how the streets of Tokyo were narrow and often choked with pedestrians, bicycles and, sometimes, cars. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Advocacy, Commentary, Gear, Maintenance | 2 Comments »
They’re Off!
Posted by Henry Scott on March 13, 2009
Although I haven’t seen a robin and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, I let sun-induced optimism move me to remove my studded tires this morning. I can no longer stand the energy-sapping buzz of carbide studs on bare pavement. I’ll wait for it to warm up a bit more before doing my annual spring tune up, but for now I’m happy to be back to my regular tires. Here’s hoping that winter is really over!
Posted in Gear | 2 Comments »
Pictures from NAHMBS
Posted by Henry Scott on March 8, 2009
I joined the Outpost Sports crew for a trip down to Indianapolis for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show last Saturday, February 28th. Special thanks to J.V. Peacock for the use of the Outpost van! As expected, the show was excellent. If interested, click the image at right to see a few photos.
Posted in Events, Gear | Tagged: NAHMBS, NAHMBS photos | 5 Comments »
Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt
Posted by Adam Bee on January 31, 2009
Although it’s not a book about cycling per se, if you’re interested in transportation issues in general, Tom Vanderbilt’s new book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What it Says About Us) is a great introduction to the topic.
I just finished reading it yesterday, and it’s so good I think I might have to buy my own copy (though I rarely buy books except as gifts). It’s one of the few books both crammed with legit research but also fun to read. One time my Sara and I were so engrossed reading it on the El in Chicago that we missed our stop!
I would write a much longer review, but one of my favorite economists Edward Glaeser has already written a superb one here: (LINK).
I highly recommend it for anyone even tangentially interested in driving, traffic safety, or congestion.
Posted in Gear | Leave a Comment »
Portable, Personal Bike Lane?
Posted by Henry Scott on January 29, 2009
The internet seems to be abuzz about a new bike lane concept called Light Lane, a trailing laser-projected image of a bicycle lane. From what I can tell, these are still in development, and I’m not aware of any imminent plans to bring them to market. In fact, so few details are available that I wonder if this is purely in the conceptual stage, and the image at right is a Photoshop markup rather than a working model.
In any event this is an interesting idea, and I look forward to seeing what comes of it. Thanks to Kyoko, Will and Jerry for bringing these to my attention!
Posted in Gear | 1 Comment »
New Helmet Information for 2009
Posted by Danny Graber on January 7, 2009
The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI) is an outstanding and pretty unimpeachable source for consumer and technical information on bicycle helmets. Every year Randy Swart of the BHSI compiles a review of new and improved helmets, helmets designs etc., and the 2009 edition is now available. If you want a completely biased recommendation for a helmet, we suggest a Trek or a Fuji; both companies donate $1 of the purchase price to the League’s programs. from Danny Graber as posted by League of American Bicyclists in their e-newsletter.
Posted in Advocacy, Gear | 1 Comment »
Don’t forget to tighten those QRs!
Posted by Adam Bee on January 7, 2009
Apparently photoshopped, but the point is real: not even helmets will save you from a loose quick-release lever, so make sure everyone you know understands how to tighten one correctly!
Posted in Gear, Maintenance | Leave a Comment »
Black Box for Bikes
Posted by Adam Bee on April 24, 2009
One of the things that sometimes keeps me up at night is the possibility that on any given day I could be run down in cold blood by a homicidal maniac, and nobody would be left alive to testify on my behalf. Folks would shrug and mumble, “Shoulda been on the sidewalk,” or, “Why wasn’t he driving his car?”
Then it occurred to me: Airplane pilots have an eerily similar problem, and they’ve solved in by carrying a “black box” to record any possible crash. Why not have the same thing for bikes?
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Commentary, Gear | Tagged: accelerometers, black box, cameras, cars, collisions, GPS, video | 1 Comment »