Advocate, Afghan, or Washing Atop Two Wheels.

Shannon Galpin taught women in Afghanistan to ride like the wind.  This was no small fete since women are forbidden to ride bicycles there.  #canyouimaginetheidiocy? Hear her speak about these amazing Afghan women and their incredible bravery on May 5, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. at National Geographic. You may think you take your life in your hands riding your bike everyday.  Try it in rural Afghanistan as a woman.  Then we can talk.  #afghanwomencyclists #shannongalpin
http://events.nationalgeographic.com/speakers/2015/05/05/biking-afghanistan/

Thinking about #cycling while pregnant?  Many women have done it.  Find out how they managed.  And it wasn't by simply being Dutch or Danish. #pregnantcycling
http://momentummag.com/what-i-learned-while-cycling-pregnant/

Need to wash your clothes while getting some exercise?  Who doesn't?  Well now you can do both with bicycle-powered washing machine invented in China.  Think of how convenient this would be during blackouts or power failures.  #bicyclewashingmachine
http://road.cc/content/news/149259-chinese-designers-come-exercise-bike-washes-your-clothes-you-pedal

Many families - I would argue smarter families - are using cargo bikes over vehicles, even for runs to big box stores.  This NY Times piece is a delight and references one of our own.  Safety in numbers.  Get out there with your whole brood.  #cargobikes
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/style/families-ditch-cars-for-cargo-bikes.html?smid=tw-share&_r=3

Columbia evokes images of Pablo Escobar, or militias.  But it also has big cities with plans for the future.  Bogota is working on its city planning, and much of its success will depend on thoughtful transit planning, including #cyclinginfrastructure.
http://thisbigcity.net/three-mobility-challenges-facing-bogota/

Want a job in cycling PR, but Bogota is not to your liking?  The London Cycling Campaign is hiring.  Who doesn't want to live in London and work in cycling?  Sounds a bit like paradise to me.
http://lcc.org.uk/pages/current-vacancies

kcrw image

Don Ward is a cycling advocate in Los Angeles who is using his marketing sense to help people think differently about cycling.  He thinks people can view cycling as sexy.  Okay, pause, it is Los Angeles after all.  As a victim of a hit-and-run, Ward is known for pushing for laws that would make it easier for cyclists to sue the drivers that injured them.  He set up a great network across social media, #ridazz, to help cyclists connect to identify fleeing drivers.  If you and your riding pals do not already have a network, you should try it.  It works.  #donward
http://www.bicycling.com/culture/meet-controversial-cyclist-fighting-safer-streets?adbid=592101910586359809&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130&cid=social_20150425_44636136&short_code=2visk
http://blogs.kcrw.com/whichwayla/2012/04/the-epidemic-of-cyclist-hit-and-runs

So, if I see you in the bike lanes, advocating, pregnant, or Afghan, or atop your cargo bike laden with offspring, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Bike Cages, Bikes for Mom, and Allergies! It's Spring Again.

www.prfashion.com

#MothersDay is fast approaching, leaving just two weeks for mom appreciators to buy a custom bike for their wives and/or mothers.  #serious #kindof Denmark's Kaspar Peek claims to have an affordable, adorable one for your maternal giver of warmth, love and common sense.  No, it is not tulips from the corner stand.  It is not an ashtray that will later be used for paperclips or rubber bands.  And it is not the French toast in bed, hopefully without the powdered sugar.  But it certainly says, "thanks for helping me not be a cave man," or alternatively, "thanks for not letting me marry the guy who lived in his van and played guitar for that band that used to open in that club that burned down." And it can cost less than $3,000.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3044657/wanted/get-a-custom-made-bike-without-breaking-the-bank

The #CherryBlossoms in Washington attracted thousands of visitors, many of whom came to look from idling buses, or capacious SUVs.  But in record numbers these flower lovers used #CapitolBikeshare.  This is likely evidence of the fact that some homosapiens continue to evolve, while others do not.  I can envision the abstract for this anthropological research project right about now.
http://dcist.com/2015/04/capitol_bikeshare_breaks_another_re.php

#Allergies making #cycling difficult this time of year?  Experts advise you get tested, avoid paths and trails that are covered with the very trees that make your histamines riot, and consider second generation antihistamines such as Claritin that won't make you drowsy.  But what if your problem is less in your nose and eyes, and more in your thighs and middle?  #Citibikes is now giving you a way to count your calories burned and miles while you ride on bikeshare.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/04/17/count-calories-map-miles-traveled-citi-bike-ceo-promises-smoother-ride-for-new/
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/dont-let-allergies-ruin-your-ride?cid=social_20150413_43626736&adbid=587405170243305472&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130

The #bicyclehelmet debate has now moved to Viet Nam, where the law requiring kids to wear a helmet is being completely ignored by a culture that has biked everywhere for over 70 years.  Gee, I wonder why.  Hmmm.  Thoughts?
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/27411/regulation-on-children-wearing-helmets-not-complied-on-effective-day

babel.com  Sinclair Commuter

On the topic of #bicyclecommuter safety, enter #Babel, the company that has introduced a safety cage to encircle those riding electric bicycles and protect them from injury.  Whacky, and yet intriguing. #possiblybrilliant
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/babel-bike-uses-a-roll-cage-to-keep-you-safe-could-change-urban-commuting-video-1-94583.html

So if I see you in the bike lane, sneezing perhaps, without a helmet but with a cage about you, let's be smug.
Elisa P/

Cycling as Preventive Healthcare

It's that time of year again, when the masses come to look at the wondrous beauty of #CherryBlossoms in Washington, D.C.  And what better way to see such a natural wonder than from an idling car stuck in gridlocked traffic.  After all, it makes sense to sit in a car rather than get close to the trees on your #bicycle.  The parking is only $40 for a couple of hours, and there are at least 20 spots available for the 4,000 people a day who want to come.  So you should have no problem finding a spot.  Right?  Or you could just watch the whole thing live on the internet and clear the area normally used by cyclists.  #vehiclemadness  #rideyourbike
http://wtop.com/news/2014/04/a-guide-to-beating-cherry-blossom-traffic/
http://liveblog.wtop.com/Event/Cherry_Blossoms_2015/

Paris wants to be the #cyclingcapital of the world.  That means more infrastructure.  The Paris City government says it is ready to invest in cycling.  Tres bon.  It would be great if you could ride a bike along the Seine to buy a pair of Christian Leboutains, then stop at a boulangerie where locals could gaze judgmentally at you for being a size 2 instead of a size 00, even though you pay your income taxes and are not toxically xenaphobic.  I'm in.  Let's do it #Paris.
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/04/now-paris-wants-to-become-the-world-capital-of-cycling/389724/?utm_source=SFTwitter

Apparently it is time to study the effects of #electricmountainbikes on the environment and our psyches.  #really?

https://www.imba.com/news/electric-mountain-bike-study#.VSQ2bzNpGSs.twitter

#Bicycling is a form of preventive healthcare, says a great new piece in Momentum Mag.  Medical establishment (at least those of you not over-invested in the medicines you prescribe) step up!

http://momentummag.com/is-bicycling-a-form-of-preventive-health-care/

Drivers never want traffic calming because it slows them down.  But you cannot argue with the data that show it prevents death, especially to cyclists.  Bring on the bumps!

http://www.placemakers.com/2015/04/06/better-streets/

So if I see you in the bike lane, because you are on a bike, and not because you have veered into my path while you gape at the Cherry Blossoms from behind the wheel of a car, let's be smug.
Elisa P.

Get Ready to be a Real Bike Commuter.

affordablehousing.org

The reality is that living in an apartment with a #bicycle can present challenges.  There are the walls.  Almost always hospital white. While your tires tend to be soot black.  There are the walls, again.  You can lose your security deposit if you place a nail in the wall, or be fined a kidney if you mount a Cycloc.  And what if you have to clean your bike?  You cannot simply point a hose on it in the middle of your living room, unless you are insane, in which case you need no guidance.  So how do you do you live in small spaces with a bike?  Bicycling has these very sensible tips for you.
http://www.bicycling.com/maintenance/featured-stories/apartment-living-bicycles?cid=socNews_20150402_43100656&adbid=583449058179555328&adbpl=tw&adbpr=17900130

It can be difficult to get across U.S. cities on a bicycle using bike lanes.  There are loads of #bikelanes to nowhere.  Clusters of lanes that would seem to take you in circles but not to where you need to go.  Bike lanes on a map all look like viruses beneath a microscope: disjointed, disconnected, and poorly planned.  So how do you get anywhere on a bike?  With planning and a little flexibility.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/01/bleak-maps-of-how-cities-look-using-only-their-bike-lanes/

When the bike lane ends, as they mostly do, illogically, inexplicably, wouldn't it be great if you you could simply project one onto the ground in front of you using #Strype on your cell phone?  Think of how much less irritated you would be.  Strype's selling points:
Since Strype honors no government or traffic engineer, you don't have to ask permission. And since no one can see your private bicycle lane, there's no chance of resident outrage or tedious council meetings to relocate lost parking spaces. Just Strype and ride.
https://www.missionbicycle.com/strype

Bike to work month is just around the corner.  Which raises a question for some people.  How can I  become a #bikecommuter?  Mmmmmm.  Gear Prudence says you have the basics: a bike and a job.  (This is why I like #GearPrudence.)  Bicycling magazine says you need to stop stereotyping cyclists, forget spandex, carry deodorant, and generally be a little less dear with yourself.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2015/04/01/gear-prudence-how-can-i-become-a-consistent-bike-commuter/

As we look at spring -a great season for cycling, maybe even the best after fall- it's time to roll out the hall of shame to remind us that not everyone is as wonderful as cyclists would like them to be.

First, there is "Dreadful in Seattle."  She crassly told a cyclist who videotaped her parked in the bike lane that she does not give a f*** if she is parked in a bike lane.  I am going to guess that she was not the valedictorian of her charm school.
http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/03/26/21962202/seattle-driver-blocking-bicycle-lane-to-cyclist-i-literally-dont-give-a-fuck-about-anything-you-say

Second, there is the fashion designer knocked a cyclist off his bike and injured him on purpose.  Like most designers/stylists, her career will be short, after which she will fall out of favor, struggle for relevance,  and end up on a reality show.  Her shameful personality, however, will be permanent.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/stars-fashion-designer-knocked-cyclist-off-bike-after-he-kicked-her-audi-tt-10145932.html

Then there is #Uber, the web-based taxi service that features standard black sedans instead of the yellow or red taxis that are easy to spot and avoid.  If you thought the problem with Uber was its drive toward world domination, you would be wrong.  The real problem with Uber is that cyclists cannot spot their cars.  Especially not when they are white.  Last week an Uber passenger threw open a rear door hurting a cylist in Arlington, Virginia. http://www.arlnow.com/2015/03/24/bicyclist-doored-by-uber-passenger-in-rosslyn/


So, if I see you in the bike lane, riding, but not parked, wearing your business suit, and showing off your good attitude, let's be smug.
Elisa P.