As anyone who has ever cycled in London at rush hour knows you can end up getting fraustrated. Enter the defence/retaliation kit:
"The Bicycle Defense Kit (BDK) offers options for dealing with aggressive motorists. Contained within an altoids tin, the 8 tools vary in detectability, potential to cause damage, and legality.
Specifically, cyclists can:
• Issue "citizen citations" with official-ish tickets.
• Label offending vehicles with an "I was a jerk to a cyclist" sticker.
• Introduce the risk of paint damage with a Jolly Rancher.
• Create certain coating cremation via DOT3 brake fluid.
• Make cars stink worse than their exhaust with a carefully-placed stink bomb.
• Throw a trusty bolt to dent offending traffic as it passes.
• Lock out loony drivers by filling their keyholes with super glue.
• Cut through tire valve stems with a utility blade."
If you like everything to do with bicycles or you just appreciate flashiness, then check out these Pimped-out bicycles...couldnt imagine riding any of these down the street, but that's just me....
EMBARQ - The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport takes a look into Washington, D.C.'s bike sharing program, SmartBike DC, the first of its kind in the United States.EMBARQ - The WRI Center for Sustainable Transport takes a look into Washington, D.C.'s... more
Tonight, the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will hold a public hearing on the proposed Portland Bicycle Plan 2030, which will guide the city's planning on bike projects over the next two decades.
And, if recent voice mails left on the Hard Drive commuting blogs voice mail are any indication, there's a chance that the gathering could in some ways resemble last summer's often unruly town halls on health care reform.
Only in Portland could motorists feel like they are the victims of discrimination.
Portland Mayor Sam Adams has declared that he wants Stumptown to be greenest big city in America. With that in mind, transportation officials say commuters of all modes deserve a thoughtful and civil discussion about the future of the city's transportation planning.Tonight, the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will hold a public hearing... more
Boston’s new bike sharing system is set to debut this spring and will provide 1,000 to 3,000 bicycles for public use throughout the city, and we’ll be chatting with Nicole about her hopes for this exciting new project and the challenges she’s faced. We’re also going to try to convince her to move to New York City and launch a similar program here! Bostonians, New Yorkers and anyone who cares about greening your city and improving the cycling landscape, this is going to be a CAN’T MISS DISCUSSION with a fascinating visionary, so join us for our latest webcast in our Green Talks series today at 3:30 pm EST!Boston’s new bike sharing system is set to debut this spring and will provide 1,000... more
Want to be visible when cycling at night? [Neon Dean] came up with this possible solution, which he cruised on at Nuit Blanche.Want to be visible when cycling at night? [Neon Dean] came up with this possible... more
The LEDs are super bright, and a built-in lithium polymer battery keeps them juiced for about 60 hours. At that point the Spooklight comes off the bike and charges via USB. And this is pretty cool: it will also charge your gadgets (like MP3 players and cellphones) while you're on the road.
£55 ($88) is on the pricey side, given you can still just wave your arm to change lanes, but if you ride about at night quite often, it could be a good investment in your own safety. Either way, points for the clever use of the three-axis accelerometer.Sure, you could wear a Safe... more
This 7-yr-old girl is now an orphan because a truck veered into the shoulder her parents were riding tandem and killed them both. The driver is out walking free and was never ticketed or charged.
This happened near my hometown of San Antonio and although it's breaking hearts amongst locals, I wanted this situation to be known on a larger scale because I know it's not just a San Antonio or Texas issue. Cyclists are being treated no better than deer even in cities with a bike-friendly attitude. If you are a Texan, please to go to biketexas.org and sign the BikeTexas Safe Passing petition. If you are not, please do all that you can within your own community to ensure the cyclists and pedestrians have rights out there on the road and have a better chance of getting home safely.This 7-yr-old girl is now an orphan because a truck veered into the shoulder her... more
The Cross-Country Bicycle Ride that's collecting different environmental perspective along the Southern Tier of the United States finds itself leaving Tempe, AZ heading for New Mexico.
First stop is at the San Carlos Apache tribe reservation, home of the 10th largest Indian reservation in the United States. There is something about a Native American perspective that will be crucial to a documentary series collecting environmental perspective. Meet the Tribal Chairman on the Apache Rez and hear what he thinks and where we are headed environmentally.
After 1 month on the road the bike ride that left from Newport Beach arrives at the New Mexico State Border. Jeff and Mike meet up with an old friend for a day of riding. Luckily their friend Zain is a Doctor of Pain Management and he came prepared to heal the aching bodies that are pulling 75 pounds of weight on a trailer attached to a bicycle across the country.
After crossing an 8000 foot peak in freezing conditions the bicyclists meet up with two people who show them 2 different approaches to building an environmentally friendly home.
Nestled in the hills of the Gila National Forrest is the Black Range Lodge a cozy bed and breakfast where aside from the beautiful setting guests come hear to learn about building a house out of Straw Bales. Catherine Wanek, the owner of the Black Range Lodge shows us how people can build with straw bales and tells us why this approach could be so beneficial to people, communities and the planet.The Cross-Country Bicycle Ride that's collecting different environmental perspective... more
I posted last year about the 'Unite Bike 2008 - Twin Cities' –Now is time for San Francisco!!
Clark Patrick Photography & Bikes and The City present:
UNITE BIKE - SAN FRANCISCO
"This years Unite Bike photo will happen in 3 different cities, in Minneapolis-St. Paul – it’s origin, in San Francisco, and in Austin, Texas. The Unite Bike idea is traveling to new places this year because from the beginning it was envisioned to be more of a new kind of solidarity then just a group photo of people with bicycles.
Unite Bike is a test of whether our generation really believes in one another and the world we are struggling to create. This fall, during a very tumultuous time in our world, we can show the best of ourselves, and in the process help create the kind of society we all aspire to, even if only for the brief moment of time it takes to create a photograph.
Do not wait for leaders. Ride alone. And they will see we ride together." – Unite Bike 2009
You have to love this concept idea from Yinnon Lehrer, it involves a column of rods, showers and bicycle users who dare to try something new. this concept design takes a look at an alternative way to park-up your bicycle, without the fear of getting it stolen.
The Shower station allows cyclists to park their bicycles in a vertical position off of the ground. Bikes are attached to one of the 34 rods at the station, where there is also a maintanence unit (see image).
Users can head up the stairs of the Shower station and proceed to bathe, using hot water powered by solar power, all the while having the luxury of knowing that their bicycle is safe and secure above the ground. The design also makes way for a rest area, just beneath the showers.
The concept is designed to minimise the risk of bicycle theft in large urban areas.
**For more images hit the linkYou have to love this concept idea from Yinnon Lehrer, it involves a column of rods,... more
Ok...so this takes the "L" out of lazy. There is a new trend to move houses...via bike. I'm inspired. But really? Would you do it?
"The point made is that in places like Boulder, where people rent smallish apartments and semi-frequently move short distances to other apartments (lookin’ at you, New York, Portland, Austin and other compact renting cities), if you get enough folks together, you can skip the truck. And we all hate renting moving trucks. Especially in New York."
My million dollar idea: I start a new business that connects people who want to get in shape with people who want to move by bike...who's in? :)Ok...so this takes the "L" out of lazy. There is a new trend to move houses...via... more
For 30 years, artist and musician -- and, oh yes, former Talking Head -- David Byrne has been getting around New York, his hometown, mainly on a bicycle. Nothing fancy, mind you. Just a sturdy, upright hybrid with handlebar-moustache handlebars and a firm saddle, which is actually less tiring than the cushy kind.
When he travels, Byrne packs a folding bike in a case, and from this two-wheel perch he has investigated cities the world over, jotting down in a journal the peculiarly Byrnesian musings and observations as he pedals through bombed-out Detroit, stately and orderly Berlin or, in an especially daring foray, car-choked Istanbul.
But don't let the faux-naif persona Byrne has so ably cultivated in his work fool you. The rock star who sang about burning buildings, highways and life during wartime turns out to be an acute observer of the urban condition, a veritable rolling philosopher. The evidence is in Bicycle Diaries (Viking, $25.95), his seventh book, a breezy, loosely threaded compendium of accounts of the places he sees and the people he meets in his urban bike-wanderings.
Byrne delivers pithy indictments of the damage wrought on cities by the onslaught of the automobile and planners' blind obedience to it, even as the artist in him can't resist admiring the strange grandeur of urban ruins like Buffalo and Detroit. And he extols cities like New York that have managed to nurture neighborhoods and find space for people on bicycles.
No proselytizer by nature, Byrne has found himself increasingly taking a public role as bicycle advocate, organizing a forum in New York that surrounded talks by planners with music, video and performance art. He spoke to The Miami Herald from New York on the eve of his departure for a mostly West Coast book tour, some of the stops on which will be public forums on cycling.
``I realized that a lot of towns and a lot of people are at the point where they're just about willing to accept this idea of the bicycle as a way of getting around,'' he says. ``It doesn't seem out of the question, where a few years ago that might just have seemed like a really strange or geeky idea to a lot of people.''
Read the article at the link for some questions and answers with Byrne.For 30 years, artist and musician -- and, oh yes, former Talking Head -- David Byrne... more
People are pedaling back into the cycling scene, cruising down bike paths and bicycle lanes to stay fit, be hip, or go green. Singlespeeds, track bikes, and fat-tired cruisers are fast becoming the choice of transport for city-dwellers, both for commuting and recreation.
But there's a point at which most of us grab for our car keys: the lack of room on bikes to carry lots of stuff. A shoulder bag is great for personal gear, a DIY bike basket is handy for carrying a bit more, and panniers will hold groceries, but what about when you want to haul big bulky stuff? You need a trailer.People are pedaling back into the cycling scene, cruising down bike paths and bicycle... more
A FL anti-abortion group wants to make the pill illegal, police in TX and ID are taking blood on the side of the road from DWI suspects, the Downsizer Dispatch, Maine outlaws all forms of distracted driving, Americans don't trust the news, and Scotland thinking about taxing bicycles for use of the road.
Lately, it seems, bikes are fashion, but purists worry that their beloved bikes are being turned into a showy status symbol.Lately, it seems, bikes are fashion, but purists worry that their beloved bikes are... more
The E-Werk is a 100% clean and renewable universal power supply/recharger that can recharge devices at the same rate they would charge when plugged into an electrical outlet. All you need is a bike and a willingness to move your legs.The E-Werk is a 100% clean and renewable universal power supply/recharger that can... more
...but there has to be some kind of economic incentive; companies would have to incorporate it into their practice somehow. Let's say a company has 500 people, and every day 400 of them spend at least 30 minutes on the hypothetical power generating machines (machines which, when combined, generate even more electricity, the way a supercomputer brings together smaller components to do big tasks). that would create how much electricity? companies who give back substantial power to the grid would be rewarded with tax breaks. Individuals with both mental and physical skills would be favored over those with only physical or only mental attributes. Natural Selection restored. Health would be all encompassing and self-bolstering, from individual to company to grid......but there has to be some kind of economic incentive; companies would have to... more
The latest in women’s cycling clothing isn’t lycra cycling shorts, or sports bras, or even bicycle jerseys. It’s more like two pasties and some body makeup.
Riders in the World Naked Bike Ride go “as bare as you dare”, raising awareness of the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and protesting against our modern-day car culture.The latest in women’s cycling clothing isn’t lycra cycling shorts, or sports bras,... more
Here is a bicycle design that takes the collapsing bike process to a whole other level.
With numerous pivots and joints the Compactable Urban Bicycle, created by Victor Aleman, consists of two different systems: The Wheel folding system and the Bike Structure system.
For more info and pics check out the link.Here is a bicycle design that takes the collapsing bike process to a whole other... more
