The Community for Bikes

bikes for the win

2016-11-30T15:58:55Z

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/nov/30/cycling-revolution-bikes-outnumber-cars-first-time-copenhagen-denmark?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Twitter

"Two-wheel takeover: bikes outnumber cars for the first time in Copenhagen

Denmark’s capital has reached a milestone in its journey to become a cycling city – there are now more bikes than cars on the streets. Can other cities follow?"

Women in Nepal - "The bicycle changed my life."

2015-09-05T22:25:18Z

This is an interesting article. Too bad I forgot how to embed for LJ. I'm on the site right now, it's a legit news site and no threats detected.

https://undpnepal.exposure.co/ticket-to-ride

" The changes in their lifestyles, socio-political empowerment, and the local economy are manifold. Nanda Sunar, a Dalit woman, recounted the self-confidence and social prestige that comes with being able to ride a bicycle. “Coming from a poor Dalit family, I could not even think of owning a bicycle,” she said. “Being able to ride gives me immense confidence.” "

"Floating Bus Stops"

2015-08-05T20:46:06Z

http://trainboat.blogspot.ca/2015/08/floating-bus-stops-in-victoria.html

"Floating bus stops are bumped-out bulbs which have a bike lane running behind the bus stop amenities. This simple configuration allows transit vehicles to stay in their own lane without jumping in front of cyclists, and gives cyclists added protection from vehicular traffic at the bus stop. This design is truly a win-win for both transit operators and bike riders."

Años

2014-04-15T14:52:54Z

The Incendiary "SUV vs. Bikers" Video

2013-10-02T20:09:42Z

I want to let you all know that this community has always been a community for discussion about any "bikes", even things like kick-board "scooters" (skateboards with handlebars) and including motorcycles.

There is a pretty incendiary video making the rounds on the internet, recording interactions between an SUV driver and a group of motor bikers.

I just want to say that if you choose to discuss this video here in the community, please try to keep things courteous.

A lot of people have been saying things like "the driver should have run more of them over", and so on, and if that happens here, just let me know so I can ban that person from the community forever.

Video: "Junction Design the Dutch - cycle friendly - way"

2013-06-22T18:16:29Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA&feature=share

Rep. Orcutt's Bicycle Tax based on premise: "breathing produces more CO2"

2013-03-04T16:10:48Z

http://blog.cascade.org/2013/03/legislator-to-small-business-owner-bicycling-bad-for-the-environment/

"Also, you claim that it is environmentally friendly to ride a bike. But if I am not mistaken, a cyclists has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.

I know, you own a car and drive so are paying gas tax — but not while you are riding your bike. When you are driving your car and generating gas tax you are also driving on the roads so are only really paying for the roads when driving — not while biking."

-- (the Representative)

Traction may be a problem

2013-01-28T15:43:06Z

(x-posted to bikepirates)

Koizumi Madison Taipan

2012-10-31T13:32:04Z

Koizumi Madison Taipan — главной особенностью велосипеда является полное отсутствие подвески и наличие всего лишь одной передачи. Велосипед является одно-скоростным и очень прочным велосипедом для трюкового катания, либо специфических гонок. Он обладает сравнительно небольшим размером, оснащен очень крепкой рамой и прочными колесами, широким рулём с кроссбаром. Koizumi Madison Taipan — модный тренд и лучший выбор для городского «фристайла». Этот байк позволит постоянно совершенствовать технику катания.

Источник Вконтакте.

Driving w/o a license/insurance/registration legally

2012-10-30T03:16:19Z

My friend's license was suspended and she wants to buy a scooter in lieu of getting her license back. She thinks she will have to pay off all her tickets before she gets it back. Is that true? I can't find the answer anywhere.

Also, is there anything she can "drive" without a license? Like a scooter?

She lives in California.

Blue Bomber

2012-10-22T07:45:28Z

Велосипеды — один из самых простых и безопасных для окружающей среды видов транспорта, поэтому сотни дизайнеров работают над изобретением своих собственных вариаций на эту тему. Частенько дизайн бюджетных велосипедов прост и непритязателен, а иногда вообще отсутствует, но велик Blue Bomer не попадает под эту категорию. Дизайн велосипеда содержит всё те же классические линии, что и в начале ХХ века. Динамичный и изящный велосипед, великолепный дизайн и правильно подобранные комплектующие, легкий ход и комфортная езда — вот отличительные особенности этой модели.

На колёсах

2012-09-27T08:17:30Z

Появлением этого особенного транспорта мы обязаны курьерам Токио и Нью-Йорка. Их задача состяла в оперативной доставке особой корреспонденции, личных посылок и срочных писем по городу, в котором: пробки, проблемы с парковкой и бензин по цене золота. Здесь есть красота, скорость, традиции и исторические корни. В наше время фиксед-велосипеды снова на пике популярности, причем именно как городские велосипеды. Однако сегодня это не просто удобный и легкий байк — это настоящий способ выделиться из толпы. В целом, скорее всего некая свобода, ведь именно за свободу велосипеды и любят.

Muscular-driven city-scooter

2012-09-24T20:59:20Z

Abramtsevo, Russia, September 2012

This is already our fourth test-drive of muscular-driven extreme devices. See also:

Off-road light-duty foot-operated dacha-truck: http://youtu.be/N6m9P1nvO0E

Velo-Troika. Three-seater-independent-driving tricycle: http://youtu.be/KMMqI62iFQo

Passenger-Velo-Grasshopper http://youtu.be/7aR67TBAkUw

In the studio photos

Любовь велосипедная

2012-09-18T15:40:51Z

Vitor Machado — дизайнер, воплотивший мечту детства в реальность. Взяв за основу старый велосипед, вдохнул в него новую жизнь — отремонтировал, отреставрировал, покрасил и дополнил аксессуарами. Для ценителей ретро-стиля и любителей современных технологий с тонким вкусом создан велосипед, сочетающий в себе эти характеристики. Велосипеды давно стали обычным, ежедневным и удобным средством передвижения по городу. Поездка на таком классическом велосипеде не утомляет спину и приносит море удовольствия. Велосипед отлично сочетает в себе хорошее качество и привлекательный винтажный внешний вид.

Hoping to buy a scooter. Any tips?

2012-09-03T15:43:28Z

Hi group, how are you. Your absentee maintainer, here. Hope everything's been going smoothly, I haven't been logging in much since college started a couple of years ago.

Considering how expensive the housing market is around here, and considering that I'll barely be able to afford attending university when I start there, perhaps next year, I decided against getting an apartment. I'm just going to continue doing the homeless thing while I go on to pursue my Master's and Ph.D.

So, I decided to expand my horizons by getting some independent transportation. I settled on the idea of a motor scooter. Mainly for the high MPG, also because they're cheaper than motorcycles for the most part. Small motorcycles seem to be price, at the bottom end, just around the top end for small scooters. The prices look nice and low. I was thinking of spending between $1500 - 2000 on a decent scooter. I'll just rent a storage unit to keep it in when I retire to the homeless shelter at night. I'll probably get a weather cover for parking it at school (dunno where I'll keep it, though).

The problem with me is the definition of "Decent". I would like to take this scooter a couple of counties away to visit relatives, as a regular trip. I also need to use it most days of the week as regular transportation around-town, especially to school.

So one thing I'm looking for is reliability. And for me, that means Chinese assembly is completely out, with Chinese manufacture right behind it. I'd prefer never to buy anything that's made in China, period, actually. So I'm looking at Taiwanese scooters.

Another thing I'm looking for is top speed. If I want to take it on the highway, I'd like to. So I expect the top speed to be 65mph or over. However, I really prefer the MPG to be higher, and when you start getting up around 65mph, the average MPG claim seems to be around 80mpg or so. That of course refers to a perfectly-tuned vehicle operating inside of a space-age testing facility.

So I'm kind of looking at this, and that, and the other, trying to get a feel for a good purchase. I'm only interested in buying new, because I personally don't want to get into personal, at- "home" maintenance right now, maybe in a couple of years, so a 2-year warranty will go nicely.

Does anyone here have any recommendations? I know the community is primarily focused on bicycles at the moment. But I've wriggled out of that, and I've always wanted the community to be able to focus on any sort of non-car transportation (including push-scooters which are more like skateboards than bikes, aren't they?)

I'm also interested in your thoughts about the *legal* viability of riding a scooter on the highway. I know, I could always take backroads, and in Michigan, the entire state is criss-crossed with these old "survey" or "logging" (or whichever term you'd like to use) roads that divided the entire state up into "palettes" since way back when. Anywhere you'd like to go, there is a straight line east or west and a straight line north or south to get into the general vicinity of that area. The vast majority of those roads, however, are neither paved, nor do they pass through towns or even villages. So, while that's an option, it'll take me awhile to select the sort of path to take.

Usually, when the back roads are being used by loads of people for long enough, some township or other local government takes it on themselves to pave a certain trip (including specific turns) and to leave the rest dirt. Maybe I'll locate one of those commuter trips. Not the greatest idea, in Michigan, considering how people drive around here, but if my bike is loud like a giant mosquito maybe they'll be looking before they take the turn.

Meanwhile, there's the whole cop consideration. Even if my bike is legal to ride on the highway, with all the correct equipment attached, the right size engine (I'm looking into 200cc or so) and going the right speed limit, that doesn't mean a cop isn't going to stop me, say "what the hell are you doing" and write me a ticket, which means I'll probably have to miss some school to go to court to argue that I was within the law and get the ticket dropped, only to go through it all again some time later. Is there a way around that? Can I get a signed paper from the secretary of state stating explicitly that my vehicle has been approved for freeway use?

If anyone has any advice, please comment. Also, please comment on any other subject that you'd like to bring up to the maintainer.

Olympic Bump !

2012-08-17T13:41:51Z

Hello Bikers.

Sorry if you have already known it but, I just found out today that IOC has uploaded entire coverages of their events (all the games from pre to final, opening, closing ceremony...etc) on their Youtube account. This means you can enjoy entire MTB, BMX, Triathlon, or any kind of bike related games from this year's Olympic again ! Great ! Isn't it ?
I'm especially looking forward to see entire MTB games (Gunn-Rita Dahle joined the game again...and I'm kinda fan for her). Hope you like it too ^_^

bikes @ 2012-07-29T13:10:00

2012-07-29T20:10:17Z

Thought I'd share some video of riding a bicycle along Coast Highway in one of the more congested parts of the San Diego coast is like...it is not for those who are not aware and alert, but is typical of what would be a bicycle tour down the coast.

bikes @ 2012-07-07T16:37:00

2012-07-07T13:37:06Z

В Бресте мы сняли десяток велороликов и выложили их на ютуб.
Видюхи призывают обычных людей пересаживаться на велосипеды.

Custom Framebuilder Needs YOUR Help

2012-07-06T00:35:40Z

Pallas Athena Custom Bicycles, a small local custom framebuilder, is working toward a $250K small business grant. The first phase is a social engagement phase in which they need to gather 250 votes by 11pm CST on 6/30/12 -- and right now they're stuck at 115.

If you'd like to help, please visit https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/, search for "Pallas Athena" and cast your vote!

Derailleur Problem

2012-05-27T21:35:09Z

Hi! I'm having some trouble with my bike and hoping you may have some suggestions. Sorry if my question turns into an essay.

I recently had my front derailleur replaced. Afterward, the shifting seemed off, and many of the gears that I was accustomed to using all the time were basically un-usable because they would cause the chain to rub noisily against the derailleur. Also, the chain was frequently jumping right off the chain ring when I tried to shift down (previously this had happened perhaps 3 times in almost 5000 miles).

I figured no big deal: maybe the new derailleur just needed some fine-tuning. I took it back to the shop, but they told me everything was fine, and that I was basically just using the wrong gears. They explained about "redundant gear combinations," which I understand, but here's the thing: I've put thousands of miles on this bike, and I know when something's off. It feels like a completely different bike now, and it's not just a few gears that grind--it's most of them.

I've taken it to three different shops now to try to get it fixed, but they all act like I'm crazy when I try to explain how this is no longer the same bike I've been riding for the past four years.

Since three different shops have all given me the same answer, though, maybe they're right. But I also know for sure that something's still wrong with my bike. Based on that, is it possible that my bike just doesn't like the particular brand of derailleur they put on it? Could that actually make a difference? I'm thinking maybe if I have them put on the same brand of derailleur that I had before, maybe it will go back to normal again. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

my rides

2012-03-15T03:07:39Z

As pancom asked, here are my rides (or at least the bikes that are getting the most use right now)...

First is my 'urban explorer', a recycled mountain bike, that I still on occassion use as a mountain bike (I have a second set of wheels). It is light, has good front suspension, 27 speeds (3X9) and hydraulic disk brakes. Wheels are Formula disc hubs with 7 inch disc on front and a 6 inch disk on back. Tires are 26 x 1.125 slicks at 85 psi.

The second bike is my Kona Ute. This is my cargo bike, the bike when I want to go to the bech and want to haul all the 'stuff' needed to make it a day. The bike is very sturdy, rides nice, has 16 speeds (2x8) gearing. It was built to haul and built to last, not for speed.

Besides those bikes I have a few more.. a Scattante R330 road bike (2010), a K2 Zed 3.0 mountain bike (2001), a couple of smaller bikes (Specialized HardRock Sport 13.5" frame and a Scattante Roma 7 speed with a 15" frame) that were for someone else to use (she couldn't ride so now I'm selling them), another 1991 Specialized RockHopper Comp (commuter bike) and a 1959 Schwinn Cruiser w/ springer front fork, 3 speed hub, and a lot of rust.

bikes @ 2012-03-14T21:39:00

2012-03-15T01:39:23Z

Here are some baby pictures for pancom:

This is a 1986-ish Diamondback Fleetstreak, from back when they called MTBs "all-terrain bikes". I got it for $35 off Craigslist.

A rattlecan paintjob, some reflective engineering tape, and some Michelin City tires. I really need to get some of those fenders you mentioned pancom! I made the panniers from some $12 musette bags I found on Amazon.

Here's what the tape and the reflective sidewalls on those tires look like.

It's not sexy at all, but I'm coming up on 2000 miles for it!

New (to me) commuter

2012-03-14T19:24:27Z

It's been dead around here, so let's see if we can get some baby pictures going. Whatcha got in your stable these days? This is my new-to-me commuter, yet another twenty-something-year-old steel frame, dragged out of my boss' shed where it had been languishing and put back into service.

It's a '91-ish Specialized Hard Rock Cruz, which was all-stock with the original tractor tires when it came into my hands. I've added a set of Michelin City tires with the reflective sidewalls, a new pair of Planet Bike fenders in please-don't-hit-me yellow (which I had to order directly from PB because no one carries them in the stores around here), and the saddle, rack, panniers and bottle cages from my old commuter. By coincidence, the navy-and-yellow makes it the school colors of the campus where I work. Lighting is a Cat Eye Uno on the front and a Bontrager Flare 3 on the back of the rack. It ain't nothing to brag about, but it'll do for the beating of the commute.

It's replacing my old commuter, which broke its hip (left seat stay snapped just below the weld).

I'm kind of sad about losing that bike, because it served me well for thousands of miles. Lots and lots of training rides, my first couple of centuries, and a 500-mile ride across NC four autumns ago (all before getting pressed into service as a commuter). When I took the frame to a local bike shop for them to strip for brake and drive-train parts, I took off the neat old Raleigh head badge for a keepsake.

And yes, both of those bikes are technically too big for me. My boss is a tall fellow, and the Raleigh was bought on consignment for cheap.

I'm now back to two bikes in the stable. The Specialized and my "little red roadster," a Trek 1500-SLR. Also nothing to brag about, but it's fun to take out into the country for some tuck-in-and-go.

And last but not least, though only obliquely related, the commuter for when it's just too damned hot to ride, or when I'm just feeling fat and lazy, my eGo Cycle-2.

So…what are you folks riding around on these days?

*(cross-posted to cycling; sorry if I spammed ya!)

Shit Cyclists Say

2012-01-28T18:44:34Z

Shit Cyclists Say

Schwinn Hollywood - Restored

2012-01-15T18:32:44Z

Well, it was cloudy and crappy out, so I'll have to wait for another day to bring the bike outside. I just hope it doesn't snow or I'm not going to get it out till spring. Ack. (I live in Minnesota)

Anyway, I'll just post these photos :)

I looked up the serial number: FF003360. According to this website the bike was made in June of 1970.

According to the date on the tires on the bike, my mom bought the bike used in 1977 (I used to ride on the back in a child seat when I was little!)

2 more behind the cut:

Thanks to everyone who gave me lock advice in my last post! I'm thinking I'd be so completely crushed if this bike were stolen that I might want to get a second bike if I'm going to leave my bike anywhere for long periods of time. I would be crushed if anyone took it. This one might just be for cruising around the neighborhood or on a bike path. :)

Now to decide... what do I want for a second bike? My friend has a French blue Mixte from the 70s he's going to let me try out :D