Beautiful People on Beautiful Bikes - A summary of this week's cycling news

In the news this week:

Brazilian former male models who make gorgeous hand-crafted bikes, events galore, and some planning tips for that spring break atop two wheels.

Events:

Want to have some warm blueberry soup and ride a bike from D.C. through Maryland?  Sounds kind of Swedish, like Volvo, H&M, clogs, or Abba.  The Washington Area Bicycle Association's Vasa ride from the House of Sweden is coming up March 22, 2014.  Before you register, understand that there is no guarantee it will be well-attended by attractive Scandinavian cyclists.  #legaldisclaimer
waba.org

Are you more realistic than a fantasizer of things Scandinavian?  You can take a bicycle maintenance class and a "fix a flat" class at Bicycle Space DC on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  If you can fix a flat, and you happen to encounter an attractive Swede who happens to have a flat, you can be indispensable at the Vasa ride.
http://www.bicyclespacedc.com/rides-events/

Do you like the idea of Baltimore, with its longshoremen, neighborhoods featured in "The Wire" and "Homicide: Life on the Streets," and its red-light district in the shadow of Police Headquarters?  Then Tour Dem Parks in Baltimore may not be for you.  However, it will give you a more positive view of Baltimore than you get if your car were to break down in Dundalk.  It will remind you more of the Fitzgerald/Mencken/Hopkins side of Baltimore.  It will be a delicious crab cake of a ride, filled with lump meat and few fillers.  The ride is in June but registration is open now.
http://tourdemparks.org

Would you prefer to ride in the Blue Ridge Mountains beneath blooming Dogwood trees in Lynchburg, Virginia?  Worried that some of that lingering Falwell vapor might get in your lungs if you are breathing too hard on a climb?  Worry not.  Virginia is for Lovers, cyclists, Cardinals (the actual bird), and Thomas Jefferson.  Storming the Blue Ridge Ride is also open for registration.  The ride will be on May 18, 2014.
http://www.bikeride.com/events/6498-storming-of-thunder-ridge

San Francisco Bike Coalition is holding a Women's bicycling event on March 9, 2014.  Hopefully they will tackle safety issues and offer solutions for the problem of women on bikes being vulnerable.  If I were in charge of the event, I would add the following to the agenda. (1) How to put on your helmet without messing up your hair.  (2) Waterproof mascara, the best friend you ever had.  (3)  How to ride in your most wonderful dress.  This is why I am not in charge of this event.
http://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/bikeabouttown/article/S-F-Bicycle-Coalition-plans-March-events-for-5249149.php

Frivolous but Delicious:

Winter is difficult for the fashionable cyclist.  Let's face it, every person you pass in the bike lanes looks vaguely like a swaddled hamster on an exercise wheel.  This is sad, because well-dressed cyclists make other people want to ride their bikes.  A dapper cyclist conveys ease, health, youth, and fitness.  A swaddled rodent squinting against the snow?  Not so much.  So this week, I thought I would remind everyone about the beautiful people of cycling, and urge you to prepare to be beautiful once again in a few short weeks.

So what would the perfect man be like?  I am no Leonardo Da Vinci, but the perfect man would look like the Vitruvian Man with a more contemporary hairstyle, ride a bike, be able to repair a bike, and maybe be able to detect computer intrusions through telepathy.  (Note the censorship for the sake of maintaining a family-friendly blog.)

For women who love cycling, Brazilian former male model Telio, who makes Bespoke hand-made bikes, may be that perfect guy -visually and as craftsman that is.  I do not know if he can have a nuanced discussion about the irony of Jean Paul Sartre's relationship with Simon de Beauvoir while sipping a glass of viognier.   I am not sure that he has a mind that can develop an app to cure cancer.  (Although how cool would that be?)  But he can make lovely hand-made bikes, and he looks like . . . well, a Brazilian former male model.  His bikes are more beautiful than he is.  Sigh.  #startlinglyhunkybikeguys
http://www.stylenochaser.com/article/helio-ascari-bespoke-bicycles

If you cannot get enough of gorgeous people on gorgeous bikes, be sure to pick up a new book on the Chicest Bikes in NYC.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3026420/exposure/the-chicest-bicyclists-of-new-york-city


Bike Lane and Path Traffic Reports:

Cyclists stick together and help each other.  This played out during the snowstorms that hit the nation's Capital last week.  Local cyclists posted information on social media sites to alert one another about trail hazards caused by the snow.  They also suggested alternative routes when commuters'  normal routes were not passable.  Is it like crowd-funding life?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/after-a-snowstorm-bicycle-riders-have-to-wait-a-little-bit-longer-for-an-all-clear/2014/02/22/32217e8a-9a65-11e3-80ac-63a8ba7f7942_story.html

In Washington, another stretch of east/west roads are about to get new bike lanes.  This is brilliant news since Northeast, D.C. was a bit of a transit desert for years.  Striping will start soon.  Did you hear the sound of voices singing "Gloria?" (No not the Van Morrison version or the Gregorian Monk bit.)
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/21603/striping-will-start-soon-for-contraflow-bike-lanes-on-g-and-i-streets-ne/

A vexing bike lane problem for planners is how to structure the lanes at intersections for maximum safety and flow of car and bike traffic.  The Netherlands has come up with a configuration that just might work.  A conceptual drawing of the project looks like piece of modern art, and is beautiful, except to Prince Charles who does not like modern art.
http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/junction-design-in-the-netherlands/

Historic landmarks can create issues where they stand in the way of proposed bike lanes.  But what about not-terribly-old churches? (Compare Notre Dame or St. Paul's Cathedral.  #getserious)  What about churches whose mostly out-of-town congregants do not ride bikes much, or at all, and who do not like bike lanes taking away the parking that they are not paying for?  Churches do not pay taxes in D.C. so they do not contribute to the pool of funds used to pay for the installation of cycle tracks.  A bad decision was made to stop a cycle track for only a small distance to accommodate a supposedly historic church.  The bike lanes were never intended to touch the church or its grounds.  It was really a decision about parking.   Now every institution in mid-town that wants its constituents or customers to park nearby can petition to have the bike lanes stopped in front of their building.  It is a bad precedent to be sure. #gratuitouslawsuits
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/09/how-dc-set-3-bad-bike-lane-precedents-single-decision/6948/

The World of Bike Sharing Programs:

In Washington, Capital Bikeshare opened a large dock in front of the new Walmart  on "Eye" Street in Northwest D.C.  Since D.C. residents tend to live in smaller spaces than their suburban counterparts, they can probably take their Walmart purchases home on a bike.  The mere presence of the dock will attract people to that Walmart.  I have not yet seen anyone ride away with one of those 24-roll packages of toilet paper balanced on the steering wheel of a bikeshare bike, but eventually, I will.
https://twitter.com/bikeshare/status/435761677662183425

Distressed Canadian bike share company Bixi's troubles may be moving toward a solution.  There have been 14 bidders competing to buy Bixi.  Let's hope one of them can help Bixi get back on track.  Without the bike share program, Montreal is a lot less charming.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/touch/story.html?id=9522561

Elsewhere in the World:

Municipal cycle pumps are sprouting up around UK.  This is fantastic.  We could use those in Washington.  There is nothing like a low tire to tee-up a flat.  Pumps could serve a point of confluence, where cyclists gather to talk, like they do in coffee shops and places with micro-brewed beer.
http://road.cc/content/news/111717-feeling-low-get-some-air-one-bristol’s-five-new-municipal-bike-pumps

In London, plans are still going forward for a National Funeral for the Unknown Victim of Traffic Violence.  This provocative response to the huge numbers of vehicle-caused fatalities may stimulate debate about the dangers of motorized transportation.  The Funeral will be held within meters of the city's major shopping district just weeks before Boxing Day.  Ha!  Brilliant.  In Washington, this idea has gained some traction.  WABA in D.C. has created "Version Zero," an effort to eliminate car-on-bike deaths by having members submit questions about bike safety to mayoral candidates.  What?  I am doubtful this will have the same impact as thousands of people pretending to be dead and blocking streets to the banking district, but I suppose it's better than silence.
http://ragtag.tumblr.com/post/77107995244/national-funeral-for-the-unknown-victim-of-traffic

London Mayor Boris Johnson is in the market for a new bike after his came to grief in a pothole.  Bikeradar has some suggestions for Boris.  I do too.  Sir, buy a Helio-made Bespoke.  You need something to counter-balance that terrible hair.  You may not ever be able to look like Helio, but you can ride one of his creations.
http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/gear/article/finding-a-new-bike-for-boris-johnson-40083/

Elaine Curtain of Road cc has been named one of most influential people in the U.K.  Curtain has been working for bike publications forever, which means her access to heaven is guaranteed.  Jolly good show indeed.
http://road.cc/content/news/111600-roadccs-elaine-curtin-selected-one-50-most-influential-people-uk-cycling

Thousands of Scots will join the Pedal to Parliament ride on April 26, 2014 in Edinburgh to demand  better cycling conditions.  This is a big deal since Scots are prone to sunburn, like kidney pie, and wear pleated wool skirts without under garments.  None of these things pair well with cycling comfort.  May all the clans unite for this effort regardless of tartan.
http://road.cc/content/news/111602-pedal-parliament-returns-edinburgh-april-third-year

If you like to cycle in snow then read this fascinating New York Times story about how fat-tire cyclists are now booking bike vacations in Idaho in January.  That pesky climate change appears to have made fat-tire cycling more predictable than skiing in snow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/travel/in-idaho-thin-snow-means-fat-tires.html?src=dayp&_r=1

Tweets you don't want to see:

Share my pain at reading this terrible post by a cycling father.  "Cycling to bakery but cannot take kids because there is no safe route."  I picture children with tears streaming down their chubby cheeks because they feel so trapped.  Isn't this a bit like caging children a la Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang?
https://twitter.com/lucullus/status/437165230163263488

Gear:

Planning your summer holiday and want a new rack to put on your car?  Bicycling Magazine has a review of the best bike racks for cars.  And, featured below, there are "travelettes," little trailers you can drag along behind your bike.  #possiblyalittletooweird
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/best-bike-racks-cars?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Slideshow-_-racks

Do you need to transit precious cargo like sperm?  Yes, sperm.  CNN has this story about why such things are best carried on cargo bikes.  #oursnottoreasonwhy
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/12/sport/sperm-groceries-and-mail-bike/index.html?sr=sharebar_google

On your bike vacation you might "need" a beer cooler.  Many people feel they should not leave the house without one.  Those people are called sops.  Regardless, there may be sops/cyclists out there who won't get on a bike without a 12-pack.  This is for them.
http://www.bikerumor.com/2014/02/19/carry-a-case-fietsklik-locking-bike-rack-system-w-oversized-beverage-cooler-bags/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BikeRumor+%28Bike+Rumor+RSS%29

Schadenfreude and Civility:

This week a sink hole swallowed a car.   Cyclists laughed at this story, but I think this was a bad response.  Not everyone in a car is the enemy.  Drivers may have to live far from mass transit systems to have affordable homes.  They may have physical problems.  They may be lazy slobs, but one shouldn't assume.  To rejoice in the loss of a car is ill-considered.  If people abandon their cars voluntarily, great.  If they get on bikes, greater.  And there were some questionable posts in support of a female cyclist who assaulted a film crew with a permit to use and park in the bike lane.  Her behavior sounds a little crazy.  If the city issued the permit wrongfully, her beef was with the city.  Pouring water on a film crew makes cyclists look like barking, raging lunatics, and it casts a pall on cycling.  Cycling is already seen by many as the province of hobbyists.  Instead #normalizecycling.  Be nice.  Look good.  Obey the traffic rules.  Make people see that cyclists are wonderful people who help each other navigate snow.
http://www.suttonguardian.co.uk/news/11020583.Sinkhole_swallows_car_s_wheel_in_Wallington/?ref=ms

If I see you in the bike lanes, and you look fabulous, and you are not a box truck or film crew, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Events:

The National Bike Summit is just days away in Washington, DC.  If you are a cycling advocate or urban planner, the agenda is written for you.  Experienced writers will provide tips to bloggers and aspiring bike journalists for free.  I wonder if they will have a tutorial for not-too-serious riders and bloggers.  If so, I am in.
http://bikeleague.org/summit

In London the handmade bike show is coming on April 11-13, 2014.  As opposed to the machine-made bike show, which arguably the London Bike Show was.  Several light-weight models were premiered there.  At what point is a bike too light for a dignified rider who is not competing in the Tour de France?  The problem with bike shows is that you leave wanting one of everything and are filled with a sudden, uncontrollable desire to convert your garage and/or basement into a bike storage facility, and to empty your bank account to pay for your new bikes and equipment.  I can smell a new reality show:  "Bike Hoarders." Perhaps London Mayor, Boris Johnson, whose bike was crushed by a pothole, can find a new bike at the Bespoke handmade bike show, and a new municipal approach to pothole repairs at the same time.
http://www.bespoked.cc
http://road.cc/content/news/111136-london-bike-show-2014-passoni-seven-kinesis-giant-saffron-salsa-canyon-stevens
http://road.cc/content/news/111282-boris-johnson’s-bike-destroyed-pothole

Looking for some coverage of the recent London Bike Show because you actually have to work for a living and missed it?  Reviews of all the new bikes are here, since you were holding the fabric of society together while others were having fun.
http://roadcyclinguk.com/tag/london-bike-show-2014

In Washington, "Extreme Realities," a documentary film about the national security implications of climate change premiers on March 23, 2014 at the Museum of Natural History.  The film is directed by Washington-based documentarians, Marilyn and Hal Weiner, and is narrated by Matt Damon.  If you want to feel especially smug and stupendous for riding a bike to work in lieu of motorized transit, watch this film at the DC Environmental Film Fest.
http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org

Updates on Cycling Infrastructure and Laws:

Delaware is ending the ill-conceived "Share the Road" campaign and doing away with the signs that often confuse drivers.  Instead they are going with "Bicycles May Use Full Lane."  As Bike Delaware, has figured out, drivers, especially the intellectually challenged ones, have tended to think that sharing the road signs meant that bikes were supposed to move as far to the right as possible in order to share the lane with cars.  Let's see if targeting the stupid will help improve cycling safety.
http://www.bikede.org/2013/08/19/end-share-the-road/

This is your last chance to reach out to your legislators in the Commonwealth of Virginia if you want new law passed that outlaw dooring and other atrocities.
http://bikeablerichmond.com/2014/02/17/last-push-contact-your-legislators/?utm_content=buffer14804&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Many universities in the United States are now helping to promote cycling on campus.  I don't mean to be cynical, but could this have something to do with parking issues?  My view is this:  If you can afford a car during college, how nice.  If you want to avoid college weight gain from eating starchy food and downing schooners of terrible beer, ride your bike instead.  Also, you will be less of a menace on the road after that all-night keg fest if you are on a bike than tooling along in your Dad's retired SUV.  Nothing can kill a future like a drunk driving or vehicular manslaughter charge, unless you are a wealthy heir or heiress, in which case no one can touch you.  Assuming you are a regular person, when you graduate, if you have student loans, chew on this.  Cars cost between $8,000 and $18,000 a year on average.  Add it up: insurance, car payments, maintenance, repairs and fuel.  If you have student loans, or want to intern at someplace cool, like the New York Times, that's a huge waste of money you need for other things.  Practice for life's realities now by riding your bike.  Bike share programs cost about $100 a year.  A cheap, ride-able bike, even less.  Easy math.  And you passed math once.
http://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/US_A_New_Course_scrn_0.pdf

It continues to amaze me that in Los Angeles, where people will live in one bedroom apartments and blow ridiculous sums of money on luxury cars in furtherance of image, the city is adding 180 miles of dedicated bike lanes.  This is truly progress.
http://lacbc.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/city-of-los-angeles-announces-180-mile-network-of-family-friendly-bikeways/
http://bikinginla.com/2014/02/17/your-decidedly-un-presidential-presidents-day-bike-news-roundup/

International Notes:

Colombia is arguably a developing nation.  Yet Colombia has developed beyond a number of mature and so-developed-they-are-bloated nations by having more than a car free day.  They had a car free week.  Impressive.
http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/bogota-changes-car-free-day-car-free-week.html

So apparently Scotland, like the United States, has an obesity problem.  Real surgeon,  Steve Bate, who blogs under the Cycling Surgeon nom de plume, has written regularly about cycling's role in ending the fat epidemic.  He is also nominated for Scottish Adventure Award based only in part on his ride across America with his daughter.  For goodness sake, vote for this wonderful man if you have any cycling decency whatsoever.  You can find him on Twitter @cyclingsurgeon.
http://www.scottishadventureawards.com/publicaward/

Innovations, Bike Business, and Gear:

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Records, Virgin-Atlantic Airlines, and dozens of other ventures, may have been a high school drop out, but apparently he instilled some great values in his children.  Sam and Holly Branson have funded some bike innovations you might want to check out, including a laser bike light that might help cyclists be seen in the daytime and night.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article4004993.ec

Would you ride an electric bike that looked like something out of Mad Max, or would you feel a bit odd?  If you are brave enough to be seen atop such a bike, you are in luck.  It's a concept now, but so was everything once.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3026229/this-crazy-electric-bicycle-looks-like-something-a-superhero-would-ride

https://twitter.com/FastCoExist/status/434663870226255872/photo/1

The snow is finally melting and we are headed into damp months, so you may want to get some rain gear to get through April showers.  Here is a review of some new gear for the cyclist in the rain forest:
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/chrome-bravo-night-backpack

BFF Bikes is a new bike shop in Chicago's Bucktown area that made its start through crowd-funding.  One of the owners quit her job working at the Chicago Metropolitan Planning office to start the business.  What distinguishes BFF Bikes already is the owners' pledge to teach bicycle maintenance to women.
http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140128/bucktown/bff-bikes-put-women-first-at-new-shop-on-armitage-avenue-bucktown
If you are headed there, you can prepare for you new bike purchase using this women's bike fitting guide.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/womens-bike-sizes-a-simple-guide-40015/?CPN=RSS&SOURCE=BRGENHOME


Cops and Robbers:

The thieves who stole 46 Bromptons around London were caught trying to ship them to Russia.  They were fined, which sounds like only part of the punishment they should have received.  Clearly the Karma Cops will have to issue some sort of additional torment since a mere fine seems too permissive.
http://road.cc/content/news/111270-three-men-fined-£10000-each-following-theft-46-brompton-bicycles-bound-russia

London's Met Police Department now has a bike safety and enforcement group.  I would point out that none of them looked to me like they have been sitting around in patrol cars eating donuts until they cannot not successfully pursue any suspect on foot.  Nor are they stodgy Bobbies that look frailer than the most wan of Dickens's characters.
https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk/status/433919378732908544

If I see you in the bike lanes, or at the Bike Summit, or at the premier of "Extreme Realities," let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Give Your Sweetie the Gift of Cycling and Don't Forget the Chocolate: A summary of this week's bicycling news.

Cha-ching!  It's almost Valentine's Day.  And now a news summary for the non-doping, slow-riding cyclist, who resents having to wear less fashionable clothes to bike in a polar vortex:

Bikes and Money:

Cities are growing, and the people living in them like to ride bikes.  The Guardian reports that there are four reasons why businesses are suddenly taking an interest in Copenhagen-style cycling infrastructure for cities.  Bike lanes allow for increase density of persons, and cyclists can stop and shop as they ride, whereas cars go whizzing by.  Bike lanes increase the value of real estate too, since people will pay more to live near them.  Bike lanes help local companies attract a talented work force (smart people ride bikes).  Cycling makes workers more productive and healthier (lower healthcare costs).  They don't take as many sick days.  They are thinner than their counterparts behind the wheel.  Cha-chings (two).  That's money.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/reasons-business-leaders-danish-style-cycling
http://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2014/feb/05/how-do-you-get-city-lose-weight

Bikes and Fear-Mongering:

Cyclists should not expect everyone to act reasonably in response to bike lane advocates.  Bike lanes change the social order of things, and some people are rattled when the same-ness they understood appears to be ending.  A vocal minority of anti-bike hysterics are pushing back against bike lanes in Northern Virginia.  You have seen these alarmists before.  They swore the earth was flat, and they claimed cigarettes could not hurt you.  They believe the loss of a few parking spaces signals the end of mankind.  Wait them out.  They always lose their footing.  They will fight Maryland's new master plan for pedestrians and cyclists.  If you live in Virginia, you can comment in favor of more cycling lanes using the link below.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/21638/putting-pedestrians-and-cyclists-first-upsets-the-social-order-of-the-roads/
http://cyclemoco.com/2014/02/marylands-new-bicycle-and-pedestrian-master-plan/
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/21637/va-legislative-update-bike-bills-advance-but-attempts-to-limit-northern-virginia-continue/

Bike Legislation:

In Congress, there is a bill pending that is intended to require states to create plans for transportation that include "complete street" principles.  (Safe Streets Act of 2013, H.R. 2468.)  These principles ensure the safety and convenience of all users of transportation systems, including bicyclists.  You can track this bill and check to see how your member has voted using this link:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr2468#summary/libraryofcongress

UK:

In London, the bike show starts on February 13.  There will be a lot of BMX acrobatics and fast riding, but there will also be great demos and reps from every bike manufacturer whom you can heckle with annoying, rhetorical questions.
http://road.cc/content/news/110693-london-bike-show-returns-week

In November, Stop Killing Cyclists will hold a public funeral on Oxford Street to remember victims of traffic violence.  Given how many people die in traffic accidents, it is real healthcare crisis.  If you can, you should show up.  Organizers plan to hold the event on Oxford Street - London's shopping corridor - a month and half before Christmas.  Brilliant.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/107507544137155878903/posts

A Stolen Bike Recovery Army:

Did you ever want to send a gang to recover your stolen bike?  Well, you can.  The Sith Lord Vader Squadron specializes in recovering stolen bikes.  They are, as far as I can tell, acting as private citizens.  The Squadron has a Facebook page, of course.  Who doesn't?  As you can tell from the photo below, they don't look menacing in their Chuck Taylors and colorful shorts, but I warn you, do not cross them.  They may be able to complete the Times crossword puzzle after Wednesday, but that will not prevent them from yanking your bike away from a thief.  Thinking of forming your own squadron?  May the force be with you.  May your own empire strike back.  Perhaps the good fellas at Sith can give you some pointers on vigilante bicycle justice.  In the meantime, you can probably fund your start up Squadron the same way a bike theft prevention website recently did.  As Yoda might have said, "If recovered, good is the bike."
http://austinist.com/2014/02/06/the_sith_lord_vader_squadron_want_t.php
http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/news/article/start-up-bike-theft-prevention-site-wins-40000-for-development-39901/?CPN=RSS&SOURCE=BRROADNEWS

Goods and gear:

Looking for a new bike that costs less than $1,000?  See Bicycle Magazine's review of the best bikes under a grand.  I have recently decided to invest in a less expensive bike than my beloved Pashley Princess Sovereign.  If my new bike gets stolen, I won't go berserk or call a vigilante squad to recover my bike and exact some extra-judicial punishment.
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/how-buy-bike-1000-or-less?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Story-_-grandorless

Valentine's Day:

Support your local bike shop this love day.  A good Brooks saddle beats a dozen over-priced roses any day.   Whimsical reflectors, a Basil Milk basket, a Yakkay or Nutcase helmet, anything by PoCampo, some Bar Mitts, or a great U-lock and some truffles are great gifts for the love of your life.  If none of that works, a great reclaimed wooden crate is tres chic, not pricey, and looks very cool on the back of a city bike.

If you are in Washington, I recommend you check out The Daily Commuter DC on H Street, NE, Bicycle Space near the convention center on 7th  Street, NW, or any of City Bikes' locations.  If you are in New York, it's hard to beat Adeline Adeline in the Village, or, of course, Detroit-based Shinola, which opened a store in The City in 2013.  In Portland, there is a new cargo bike store, Splendid Cycles.  A cargo bike would be an amazing gift, and certainly better than diamond earrings that could get knocked off while you are riding.
http://inhabitat.com/splendid-cycles-opens-up-a-new-cargo-bike-shop-in-portland-oregon/

If I see you in the bike lanes, or at a local bike shop showing your generous and romantic side, or recovering a stolen bike wearing a black plastic head piece and breathing like an asthmatic with his head in a cardboard tube, let's be smug.

Elisa P.




Stay tuned for monthly bicycle book reviews beginning in March.  Have you written a cycling book you want reviewed?  Send me a note.  I'll take a look

Snowy Owl Cycling, Tube Strikes - Oh Dear! Your Slow Cycling News Summary

The cycling news was a bit cold this week.  I do not refer to the hands of the tenacious, spandex-clad, long-distance riders who braved the frigid air. (While I have approached the United Nations about a possible resolution banning spandex, I do not judge those who ride more than four miles and feel compelled to wear it.)  For those of us who ride for transportation, and not to work out, the cycling news is chilling.

The Cold in Canada:

In Toronto they held the coldest day of the year ride on Monday.  What will they call the ride if the temperatures next week are even lower?  The Specter of Another Ice Age Ride?

nowtoronto.com

And the body was not even cold yet:

8D Technologies, Bixi's old supplier, signed a deal with the company that operates Capital Bikeshare in Washington, DC.  Bixi is now bankrupt and shedding employees and CEOs.  8D is jumping into the vacuum.  Nice to know Capital Bikeshare will do what it has to do to keep things moving, but it does smell of sleeping with your best friend's lover while your best friend has a really bad flu.  Unseemly.
http://www.thewashcycle.com/2014/02/alta-inks-new-deal-with-original-technology-provider-for-bixi.html

Legislative Cold:

Bills intended to protect cyclists in Maryland were met with a chilly reception by legislators despite how non-controversial they were.  If enacted these laws would increase the distance cars must keep from cyclists to four feet, and would not require bikes to get out of the way of bigger, faster cars.  The current law gives cyclists all the same rights and responsibilities as a motorist.  As Shane Farthing of the the Washington Area Bicycling Association noted, the current rule requires bikes to follow the law of barges and ski slopes: smaller things (a.k.a. bikes) have to get out of the way of the bigger things (SUV's large enough to haul a seasonal grain harvest).  If you're a tiny tugboat tooling along near an aircraft carrier this makes sense.  In the world of bike/car relations, it makes no sense.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/bike-safety-advocates-push-2-bills-get-frosty-reception-in-maryland-general-assembly/2014/01/28/81fc1c3c-8861-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html

achildgrows.com

In Virginia there has been little progress on the proposed laws I have blogged about over the last two weeks.  Want to know how your rep voted on bike protection legislation?  Are you a single issue voter like most of America?  Not guns, abortion or taxes, but bike lanes?  The voting records are here:
http://www.waba.org/blog/2014/02/delegate-and-senator-voting-records-on-bike-bills-in-the-2014-virginia-legislative-session/

Meanwhile the U.S. Park Service is not in any hurry to pave the bike trail in Rock Creek Park, that 1100 acre natural wonder in the middle of Washington, D.C.  The bike path is currently falling into the creek, which was frozen last week.  Sign a petition to restore the trail, or become a human popsicle, pop-cycle, whatever.
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/451/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14979

In the middle of this literal and figurative freeze, a Snowy Owl, not indigenous to Washington, appeared on the ledge of the Washington Post building in downtown, hovering lost above the bike lanes.  Acting like a raptor, she espied a rat, or something, and flew toward her prey, only to be hit by a bus.  And Washington gasped.  It seemed like a literary symbol.  She was taken to the National Zoo for treatment, and she was in shock.  She must have wondered what the heck hit her while she was cruising along right where she thought she was supposed to be.

washingtonpost.com

In warmer climes:

In California, bike advocates are taking to Twitter to gain support for a great idea.  The tweets ask Caltrain to use the Metrolink cars Caltrain just acquired for bikes.  The cars have no seats and plenty of room for bikes.  If you live in the area, you should probably join this movement.  Turn back the tide, stop plate tectonics, and help these guys spread the word.
https://twitter.com/pedalingcuong/status/430505801187606528

India:
Did you know that Delhi has 100 km of cycle tracks?  Not what you expected, I'll wager.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article5635934.ece

arnaudphotoblog.blogspot.com

In London:

In London, Underground workers are apparently on a strike.  Unless you have lived in this city, you cannot imagine the implications for the everyday bloke who uses the Tube to get around.  Cyclists are mounting a counter-strike, a "bike strike" to get as many people as possible to ride their bikes during the Tube strike.  The psychological impact of this could be massive.  I wish I were there today to witness this.  When people realize the ease of cycling compared with the crush of the Tube, they may permanently choose cycling.  This show of force could help cyclists who want more infrastructure in London, which has been plagued with a rash of cycling deaths in recent years.  Reading this now?  Too late?  Get your bike out right away.  If not, join the next one.  The Tube will strike again.  Check out posts by +Karl Roche on this subject.  Could this help #normalizecycling?
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BikeTheStrike&src=hash

Film notes:

Salt Lake City's bike share program is memorialized in a short, delicious little film that will make you smile.
http://vimeo.com/67539565

Inventions and Launches:

A chiropractor has invented something called the "infinity saddle" that does not put pressure on the lower spine.  It can allow you to comfortably ride for infinity, or at least until your interpersonal relationships have ended, your dehydration has become acute, and your employer has sent a posse to locate you.
http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/chiropractor-launches-unique-infinity-saddle-39783/

Remember David Byrne, the lead singer of the Talking Heads, who made it cool to be a tall nerdy Scot in a boxy suit?  Just keep loving him.  He is now also a designer of things, and a brilliant one at that.  See his bike rack with a flexible rubber attachment that won't damage your bike's frame.  It is not "same as it ever was."  It's better.  He owns no car and is a cycling advocate.  Let's face it.  He now smokes Dylan, who just appeared in a car commercial during the Superbowl.
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3025678/reinventing-the-bike-rack-with-flexible-rubber

greenupmusic.com

The top Dutch e-bike with a bottom bracket motor is out.  Great for city cycling, and, well, it's Dutch (without all the gratuitous drugs, prostitution, and canal-caused mildew)!
http://road.cc/content/news/110066-just-koga-e-nova-rt

Bike giant Shimano has introduced a waterproof camera you can use to photograph yourself suffering as you bike in the snow.  Fortunately it is waterproof.  You will need that feature.  Oh, and it has CM 1000 HD, Wi-fi and ANT+.
http://road.cc/content/news/110090-shimano-launch-cm-1000-hd-video-camera

So if I see you in the bike lanes, let's be smug.
Elisa P.