tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30690310433959847492024-03-14T11:48:59.664-07:00BIKE DATEjhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-70228178915473782362010-06-10T06:05:00.000-07:002010-06-10T06:05:59.152-07:00Luck, and Un-luckI've been working in Beautiful Downtown Burbank this week so I haven't been getting my daily constitutionals on the bike. I miss that. But I know the rest of you early-adopters are out there, building up your quads, reducing your footprints, raising those LDLs, being closer to your community. And hopefully staying clear of the obstacles to a progressive approach to transportation that might do you harm.<br />
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Sometimes when I have a near-miss I think, "I was just really lucky...". And other times I think, "I was just really <i>unlucky</i>...". I'm never really sure which it is. I saw this video which takes that to an extreme - the luckiest cyclist in the world, or almost the <i>un</i>luckiest. Either way, someone was looking out for him on this day as he rode to work...<br />
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<object width="585" height="365"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gLfxzMI61wI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gLfxzMI61wI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="585" height="365"></embed></object>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-24254087548285580692010-05-31T10:37:00.000-07:002010-05-31T11:45:46.524-07:00A Bike Commuter's Wet DreamMy brother lives in downtown L.A. I've been <a href="http://featsdontfailme.blogspot.com/">visiting him a lot lately</a> and I was thinking today about riding from Santa Monica, where I live, to downtown L.A. where my brother lives. I thought I'd try Google Maps new bike route finder to see what it came up with.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4656907714/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="SMtoCHloft by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="SMtoCHloft" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4656907714_7444ea4c77_b.jpg" width="525" /></a></div><br />
The majority of the route it found across town was on Venice Blvd., which I know has some good bike lanes for at least part of it, so it seems like a good enough choice. It's about a 17-mile route each way which sounds like a nice ride - maybe next weekend or something I'll give it a go.<br />
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As I was thinking about navigating the mean streets of L.A. by bike a friend posted this vid on Facebook - kind of an L.A. cross-town cyclist's wet dream. Maybe I can play it on my iPhone as I ride, imagining a peaceful trip, ticking off the miles as I pedal from neighborhood to neighborhood...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="280" width="500"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11986171&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=11986171&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="280"></embed></object><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/11986171">Running on Empty</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/rossching">Ross Ching</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-40712680430775475092010-05-29T09:56:00.000-07:002010-05-29T12:02:30.704-07:00Step, Baby, StepIn thinking about sustainability and urban design, I'm not sure how change on a massive scale comes about. Catastrophe is certainly an attention-getter, but with the outcomes being pretty unpredictable it's not really the policy tactic of choice.<br />
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The oil spill in the Gulf is in that category, but with the "Drill, Baby, Drill" crowd somehow using that disaster to further their agenda we are clearly in up-is-down world. I hear them bleating, "We should drill everywhere so we can be independent of foreign oil but oil is an international commodity and the oil companies are driven by profit not national allegiance so another 2% in the international market doesn't make any difference at all but it's a cudgel to beat Obama with which is a feature not a bug and now that crude is loose in the Louisiana wetlands we can blame him since our followers have no intellectual honesty or memory or honor and it makes us look populist and even though the obvious conclusion of our hysteria about Obama not plugging that hole is regulation of the industry we'll fight that tooth and nail and ask rhetorically why Obama hates America and as soon as the oil-soaked birds are off the front pages we'll be yelling Drill, Baby, Drill again." At least that's the way it sounds to me. Spill, Rinse, Repeat.<br />
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So in the face of our society's logic on this front it's hard to see how small, local, good ideas can ever get a foothold and evolve and grow into any real change. Change that is literally essential to our success as a species, a success that is hardly assured. And <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/29/opinion/29herbert.html?ref=opinion">Bob Herbert accurately points out</a> that even Obama has some kind of corporate-funded, campaign-financed amnesia about the oil companies historical tendency to be shocked, shocked that something could go horribly wrong. As John Cole of <a href="http://www.balloon-juice.com/">Balloon Juice</a> often says, "<a href="http://www.balloon-juice.com/balloon-juice-lexicon-a-h/">Hoocoodanode</a>". (That Balloon Juice lexicon is some fine reading, "political humor" category.)<br />
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Who knows what this latest spill-catastrophe's effects are going to be? No one, that's who. As chemical dispersants are ladled generously over the muck an infinite number of toxic bits will find their way into the local environment - and by "local environment" I mean "the ocean and everything it touches". Eating high on the food-chain seems ill-advised these days - as those carcinogens begin working their way north who knows what fun they are going to have.<br />
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But I do see small changes out there, green shoots through the concrete, and they do give me hope. I saw this piece the other day that here in beautiful downtown Santa Monica they are instituting a "Bike@Work" program, that<a href="http://www.argonautnewspaper.com/articles/2010/05/27/news_-_features/santa_monica/sm1.txt"> The Argonaut describes thusly</a>:<br />
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<blockquote>"Bike@Work, provides city staff access to a fleet of branded city bicycles to ride to local meetings and between city facilities. Eight new and five retrofitted bicycles are available for employees to check out during the day for commutes between city facilities from the Santa Monica Airport to the Santa Monica Pier and other offices around town.<br />
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The collaborative effort of the Planning and Community Development Department and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment is intended to help fellow employees bicycle more and drive less, city officials note.<br />
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Having more staff ride locally supports the Land Use and Circulation Element’s transportation demand management goals, bicycle awareness and environmental stewardship as well as healthy habits among staff..."</blockquote><br />
That sounds great to me. <a href="http://www.moviewavs.com/Movies/Stripes.html">The little acorn that becomes the oak</a>. You know, baby steps. <br />
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Step, Baby, Step.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-45910063684177236072010-05-26T08:07:00.000-07:002010-05-26T08:10:11.891-07:00Distracted Drivers & Korean CardsI often profess my guy/policy/cabinet-member crush on Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. I just have never seen someone at his level so proactive in the interests of bike riders and other alternative transportation users. I love that guy.<br />
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Below is a vid of LaHood with U.N Sec'y General Ban Ki-Moon announcing the U.N.'s support of a worldwide focus on the dangers of distracted drivers. As cyclists we are well aware of, and vulnerable to, this problem. As mentioned in their announcement, in 2008 in the U.S. six-thousand people were killed in distracted driving crashes, and a half million were injured, many seriously. A distracted driver is 4 times as likely to be in a crash, the same as someone boozed up to the legal limit. <br />
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While this vid is not riveting, you will get to see what I think is the longest handshake of all time as LaHood and Ban meet at the beginning of the event (although the photo-op handshake category <i>is</i> extremely competitive). And you can also enjoy the U.N. Sec'y General's stand-up chops, as he drops lines like, "No SMS, is worth an S.O.S.", And, "Don't let using a mobile for a few seconds make you and others immobile for life." Who knew that the Koreans were such cards?<br />
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Enjoy...<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mGJBu2hx0AM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mGJBu2hx0AM&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-64349910061780311212010-05-21T10:34:00.000-07:002010-05-21T14:21:07.960-07:00Bike Week L.A.So it's Bike Week all across the land, and if you haven't noticed boy you must have your head under a rock! What with everyone leaving their cars at home and the transformation of our urban landscapes into a self-propelled utopia! <br />
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OK, so the transformation is not complete, but it's a start. And truth is maybe I'm just more aware of it, but there are shifts happening in terms of our country's evolving urban design. But it's slow, and is completely the result of the dedicated pressure from bike advocates at the local, state and national level. Mainly local, like the proto-movement to get the new Trader Joe's in Hollywood to <a href="http://soapboxla.blogspot.com/2010/05/trader-joes-celebrates-bike-to-work.html">include some freaking bike racks</a>. We just have to keep knocking at that door until people answer.<br />
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This week I was going to be downtown anyway so I went early for the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ptab=0&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100806052268222348233.0004854fa8a11e57bfe80&z=15">Bike Week L.A. downtown ride</a>, and while sparsely attended it was a blast for those of us that showed up.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4624196763/" title="P1040667 by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img ="" alt="P1040667" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4624196763_9d0c78704a_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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There were a <a href="http://www.ktla.com/videobeta/?watchId=4a4ea65a-2f98-4abd-ab14-3e7334ed7e43">bunch of media there</a>, and this family with their kid in the sweet little bike seat. After a bit of milling around the 50 or so of us set off - a motley crew of office workers, bed-headed urban bike advocates, tenured bike commuters and even a couple 20-something fixers.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4624197039/" title="P1040674 by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="P1040674" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4624197039_8cb491b284_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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I gotta say, the LAPD was awesome. Because of our meager numbers, we had about a 1:1 attendee-to-LAPD-bike-cop ratio. It was insane. They cleared the way, leap-frogging our group to provide complimentary corking, and generally giving us all a wonderful, if ephemeral, sense of acceptance and worth in the downtown L.A. commuter landscape. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4624197241/" title="P1040675 by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="P1040675" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/4624197241_820eb0af09_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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Getting to ride these wide-open streets is an amazing feeling. A sense of what a transformed, "complete streets" L.A. could be like, with more riders and more places safe to ride.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4624801278/" title="P1040688 by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="P1040688" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3393/4624801278_f672c77204_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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I had the good fortune to ride behind a young hipster with the skinny jeans and the U-lock in the back pocket, which of course pulled down the skinny jeans giving me an early morning serving of "hipster smile". I tried to grab a shoot-from-the-hip shot but clearly failed, so you'll just have to take my word for it. And dude, maybe try a belt.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4624197471/" title="P1040686 by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="P1040686" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4624197471_58b2f82fba_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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We got to ride past some downtown landmarks on our way back to Olvera Street, and our ride-of-joy was over, much too soon. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4624197927/" title="P1040697 by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="P1040697" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4624197927_b1af5e3e79_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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Since I still had a little time to kill I walked into Olvera Street to grab some breakfast. Another rider was headed there too so we shared a table and chatted over Huevos Rancheros and Machaca. Some small talk between two people from totally different walks of life about the basics - home, work, etc. Her name was Isabella, she does concrete finishing at some major L.A. landmarks all around the area, including at City of Hope, where my brother is <a href="http://featsdontfailme.blogspot.com/">currently being treated</a>. Small world, and one made smaller by being out on a bike and not sliding though our community in a car. I love that about bikes - you're available. Able to interact with the people that live around you. I liked this conversation, with this person. I liked the lack of sentimentality when I shared the difficulties my brother is facing. Sympathy without pathos. She seemed like a person who has lived with difficulty and knew that you press on without wallowing. That was what I saw anyway.<br />
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It was time for me to go, heading off to City of Hope, so I offered to pick up the tab. Times are rough in my family right now. Not financially, but physically, emotionally, so treating a friendly stranger to breakfast is something I can do. I figure any greasing of the wheels of karma can't hurt right now and you never know what door brings something good back to you. She handed me her card.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26913594@N07/4627331490/" title="ConcreteDiva by jayhay2336, on Flickr"><img alt="ConcreteDiva" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4627331490_5a7843e9e8_o.jpg" width="575" /></a><br />
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I paid up, and stood to go, off to the hospital, more procedures, more uncertainty. The Concrete Diva said, "Thank you. I'll never forget this." It was a small thing, just a few minutes in a day, and life goes on. But I won't forget either, about the little ways your life can change when you get out on the street, when you are part of the city we live in.<br />
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And who doesn't need a superhero on your side from time to time?jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-78334819822110800022010-05-16T00:02:00.000-07:002010-05-16T00:02:48.931-07:00Scrapers, Excuses and Reasons for HopeMan I have been gone a looong time. But I still see bike stuff I love and maybe I'll pull it together and get this going again. I started another blog recently out of, I don't know, desperation? My brother was diagnosed with cancer, and a blog seemed a good way to communicate with friends and family about what is going on. If you're interested you can find it <a href="http://featsdontfailme.blogspot.com/">here</a>. <br />
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There's so much in the bike world these days that's changing, showing signs of new life. Ray LaHood as Secretary of Transportation is really pushing in the right directions. Local communities making infrastructure investments. And the seeds of real change in urban planning - seeing that the old model of bedroom communities and private car-dependent lifestyles is not sustainable. That stuff gives me hope.<br />
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I also seem to be seeing a lot of stuff about urban kids and bikes. Black kids getting on bikes and bringing their style and energy to it. I think that's great, a breakdown of old boundaries. I saw this vid tonight that is up that alley. A beautifully produced piece done by <a href="http://californiaisaplace.com/cali/">California is a Place</a>, it's about a kid in Oakland that rides Scrapers - tricked out bikes that provide a diversion for kids who could be drawn to less promising pass-times. Really cool. They have other vids too that I imagine are worth a watch.<br />
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Take a look. I'll post more of this kind of stuff...<br />
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<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9702393&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ff0179&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9702393&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ff0179&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9702393">Scrapertown</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/caisaplace">California is a place.</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-1795446384195524232009-11-13T09:34:00.000-08:002009-11-13T14:04:40.896-08:00Angel Face, CM & a HorseJared Leto has a band. If I were a gorgeous movie star, screw it, I'd have a band too...<br /><br />OK, so I met Jared in passing on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0371307/">Fight Club and Panic Room</a> and when he was going to do this video it came my way. Wasn't able to do it but <a href="http://www.unioneditorial.com/">Nicholas Wayman-Harris</a> at our editing company <a href="http://www.unioneditorial.com/">Union Editorial</a> did a great job with it - tons of footage from random sources, but pulled it all together into a whole.<br /><br />While it may be accused of the usual music video transgressions (I've made them all so I know...) it has some great bike culture/Critical Mass/Mad Max-inspired fashion/nighttime streets-of-LA goodness. That alone makes it worthwhile<span style="font-size:100%;">. So i<span style="font-family:times new roman;">f you h</span>ave a f</span>ew minutes, sit back, take a look, listen for Colbert's eagle and revel in some 'Why a horse?' ruminations!<br /><br />Take it away Angel Face!<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;" ><br /><a style="" href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=100601596">Thirty Seconds To Mars - Kings + Queens - HD</a><br /><object width="425px" height="360px"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="movie" value="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=100601596,t=1,mt=video"><embed src="http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=100601596,t=1,mt=video" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="360"></embed></object><br /><a style="" href="http://www.myspace.com/thirtysecondstomars">30 Seconds to Mars</a> | <a style="" href="http://vids.myspace.com/">MySpace Video</a><br /><br /></span>Nice work, Jared. Next time, <span style="font-style: italic;">cyclocross</span>! No, <span style="font-style: italic;">bike commuting</span>! No, <span style="font-style: italic;">pennyfarthings</span>!<br /><br />Nah, I guess you got it right the first time...<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;" ><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ></span></span></span><br /></span>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-1404946090566537082009-11-04T20:58:00.000-08:002009-11-04T21:08:59.084-08:00Ciclovia, CicLAvia & BogotaI just read an <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-guidefeature5-2009nov05,0,7415001.story">article in the LA Times</a> on a movement here in LA to bring Bogota's "ciclovia" to our sunny streets. <br /><br />As the article says, "Ciclovia was born in the Colombian city of Bogota 30 years ago. Car-choked and polluted, Bogota's geography and sprawl very much mirrors that of Los Angeles. But every Sunday in Bogota, the city's major avenues are shut down to cars and hundreds of thousands of cyclists take to the streets. CicLAvia wants to replicate that success in Los Angeles - a city not exactly known for being bicycle-friendly."<br /><br />Good for the folks working to make this happen. They rock.<br /><br />I hear these stories and I think a) Look what is possible! and b) What the hell is taking us so long?! I mean New York closes down streets in the middle of Manhattan, Bogota closes down streets EVERY SUNDAY, and we have to scrape to get a freaking bike lane that doesn't even make to our downtown area. <br /><br />We have a long way to go, but you look at these other examples and it's clear that it can be done, and that given LA's natural features - good weather and relative flatness - we are wasting a terrific opportunity. <br /><br />If <span style="font-style: italic;">they</span> can do it, <span style="font-style: italic;">we</span> can do it.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-27034152811869003072009-11-04T17:49:00.000-08:002009-11-04T21:11:12.884-08:00Dicks, Jerks & ScofflawsKPCC spent some time on car/bike relations yesterday in response to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cyclist3-2009nov03,0,761131.story">the conviction of Dr. Dickwad</a> who pulled in front of some bike riders and then slammed on his brakes sending them to the ER as his way of saying, "Pardon me, would you mind fucking off and getting your own damn infrastructure?" Wouldn't it have been ironic if the injured riders got to the ER and Dr. Dickwad was their doctor? Man, that would have sucked. But not as much as picking your missing teeth up off his trunk. I hope the judge drops some science on the good doctor's ass come sentencing day.<br /><br />Anyway, Larry Mantle covered the car/bike dialog which usually goes something like this:<br /><br />Bike rider: "We'd like to have some space to ride our bikes to work, school, etc."<br /><br />Car driver: "GET OFF THE FUCKING ROAD AND P.S. EAT MY INTERNALLY COMBUSTED SHORTS..."<br /><br />I didn't hear the actual show, or the call in, but I'm guessing it started there and ended with both sides behaving badly and getting nowhere. <a href="http://www.scpr.org/blogs/larry-mantle/2009/11/03/sharing-road-brings-out-passion/">Larry blogged post-show</a> and while his post is basically reasonable he does have some behind-the-wheel bias, such as when he mentioned a rider taking the lane (which is recommended in some situations for safety) saying, "It might be legal, but it's sometimes unnecessary and, in my opinion, rude to needlessly hold up car traffic." Yeah, that's exactly what Dr. Dickwad was thinking too, only he expressed in a less socially acceptable way.<br /><br />I posted a comment on Larry's blog and since it might be read there by, oh, <span style="font-style: italic;">one person</span> I thought I'd post my comment here too so I could double that readership (Hi, Tom!).<br /><br />So here it is, my contribution to the comments section:<br /><br /><br />"One problem here is that many car drivers see a bike rider acting dickishly and then make the leap to 'all bike riders are dicks'. That's not true, by a mile. Clearly from the Mandeville case we see that poor behavior is not limited to bike riders, and when you get a jerk behind the wheel of a car, it's no longer an annoyance, it can be deadly. My feeling is that the guy who rides his bike like a jerk is probably a jerk when he gets in a car, too. So it's not the mode of transport, it's the jerk.<br /><br />"Cars are awarded the overwhelming majority of infrastructure dollars compared to bikes - it's not even close. You spend much time out there on a bike and you are quickly made to realize that you are second class. You piss people off if you use the sidewalk, and you piss them off if you use the street. (You piss SOME off - most car drivers are really respectful - in my experience) You are forced to go rogue out there - you're really left to fend for yourself. So the fact that bike riders improvise, for convenience or for safety, is to be expected. The roads aren't made for us, the laws aren't based on our impact or our threat to others. So we improvise. Car drivers may see it as lawlessness, but they should try it sometime, you learn to make do however you can.<br /><br />"That doesn't excuse rudeness. I live by Santa Monica College and I see some true retards out there on bikes, salmoning up the wrong side of the road and blowing through crowded intersections. Obviously Darwin has plans for these scofflaws.<br /><br />"I think that car drivers should spend a bit of time on a bike - for many reasons. Health, sense of community, and for a little understanding of what we face. We're out there literally 'pulling our own weight', and really don't deserve the intolerance some car drivers send our way. And hey, when they pull into that empty parking space, maybe they could send a little goodwill to those of us who left our car at home."<br /><br />There. World saved. Crisis averted.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-85216232915057071062009-10-24T09:38:00.000-07:002009-10-28T06:44:38.161-07:00El Porvenir, Clean Water and Bike CommutingOK, I’ll get right to the point. <a href="http://www.elporvenir.org/">El Porvenir</a> is a small, grassroots organization that helps local communities build clean water and sanitation facilities for themselves in the rural areas of Nicaragua. Here's how they get water before El Porvenir gets involved - the women carry it from wherever a source is...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SuhKY22a38I/AAAAAAAAAW8/nOxNyPew_eQ/s1600-h/DA2_0488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SuhKY22a38I/AAAAAAAAAW8/nOxNyPew_eQ/s400/DA2_0488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397645944304623554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo by Patrick Xavier Bresnan<br /></span></div><br />Clean water for people who deserve it - it’s a fundamentally important thing. (They also build washing/shower facilities, healthy cook-stoves and have begun reforestation projects - but it all starts with the water.)<br /><br />Here's a picture of my Mom and Step-dad about 15 years ago when we went on one of their work trips. My folks were on the board of El Porvenir for many years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SuMvE0_sZCI/AAAAAAAAAWA/Sh_uDyg0WxY/s1600-h/Mom%26DaleNicaragua.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SuMvE0_sZCI/AAAAAAAAAWA/Sh_uDyg0WxY/s400/Mom%26DaleNicaragua.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396208538511762466" border="0" /></a><br />(My folks also dabbled in helping kids over the border into the States to reunite them with their families trapped by INS laws, and protesting things like the School of the Americas - with the arrest record to show for it. They look so innocent, don't they?)<br /><br />Anyway, if you ever wanted to see your charitable (and tax-deductible) dollar have a direct, tangible, deeply satisfying effect on the lives of others - this is it. Bringing clean water and sanitation facilities to these communities has a life-saving effect on their health, and a profound effect on the lives of the women that are the core of family life. Clean, accessible water and sanitation is a BIG DEAL that we take for granted.<br /><br />I’ll provide more info below, but here's my brother-can-you-spare-a-dime/bike-related pitch...<br /><br />We’re having an event at our house on November 6th to provide information about what El Porvenir does (and of course eat and drink and tell stories and goof off). Doors will open at 7, and we'll have a speaker from Nicaragua at about 8:30. We want people who work late (like me) to be able to attend. So there’s that, you are invited to come on the 6th.<br /><br />If you can’t make it or if you just like additional reasons to part with a little cash, we will be doing our transportation bike riding in November as a fundraiser as well. We ride as a family about 10 miles a day to get to school and work. We are looking for pledges based on our commuting miles in November - probably about 200 miles - rain or shine! You can set a limit to your contribution or do it any way that works for you. Email me with your pledge and I’ll follow up with any more info you need. We’ll love you for it.<br /><br />Please RSVP to me at bikedate(at)me(dot)com if you plan on coming so we can be ready, and we'll send you the specifics. Also, <span style="font-style: italic;">please</span> come even if you can’t give right now. We mean that, we want to see/meet you and share what El Porvenir does more than anything. You can even just stop by for a drink and then head off to that exclusive Hollywood party that you didn't invite us to!<br /><br />The bottom line is, this is a great organization. Very low overhead, and your hard-earned dollar will <span style="font-style: italic;">make life better</span> for men, women & kids. It’s that simple. (We set up Quicken to send a small monthly check - that works for us.)<br /><br />OK, here's a short video about El Porvenir:<br /><br /><object height="364" width="445"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9ioz3C0EAU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n9ioz3C0EAU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="364" width="445"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.elporvenir.org/">Here’s the link to El Porvenir's site</a>.<br /><br />Friend them <a href="http://apps.facebook.com/causes/202883?m=1b2abeb2">on Facebook here</a>!<br /><br />That's it. We hope to see you on the 6th! RSVP! RSVP! bikedate(at)me(dot)comjhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-88777299714154528422009-10-22T21:23:00.000-07:002009-10-22T21:29:08.658-07:00High Fives, Bad Bloggers & Lousy ExcusesOK, I'm the worst blogger ever. Too busy lately. But a friend just sent me <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQk8Uncl9k#watch-main-area">this vid</a> and it just makes me smile.<br /><br />Excellent...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMQk8Uncl9k#watch-main-area"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SuEwQJxKUZI/AAAAAAAAAV4/l4jaFjRH9Ek/s400/HighFiveNYC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395646882624721298" border="0" /></a>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-79656104490516027682009-09-12T22:15:00.000-07:002009-09-12T22:20:27.540-07:00You think YOU have problemsOn Craigslist today:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; ">Cannondale M300 Black - Great shape - $297 (Van Nuys)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><hr />Date: 2009-09-12, 5:02PM PDT<br />Reply to: <a href="mailto:sale-rd5em-1371621324@craigslist.org?subject=Cannondale%20M300%20Black%20-%20Great%20shape%20-%20%24297%20(Van%20Nuys)&body=%0A%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Flosangeles.craigslist.org%2Fsfv%2Fbik%2F1371621324.html%0A">sale-rd5em-1371621324@craigslist.org</a> <sup style="font-size: x-small; ">[<a href="http://www.craigslist.org/about/help/replying_to_posts" target="_blank">Errors when replying to ads?</a>]</sup><br /><hr /><br /><div id="userbody">Rarely used, bought this because I had a DUI, then got a DUI on this #$%& stupid bike - and I don't even drink.<br />Anyway - black beautiful, a little dirty but a kick ass bike.<br />Price is $297.62, firm. Cash only. Call Joann at (818) 455-1530<br /><br /><ul><li>Location: Van Nuys</li><li>it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests</li></ul><table summary="craigslist hosted images"><tbody><tr><td align="center"></td><td align="center"></td></tr><tr><td align="center"></td><td align="center"></td></tr></tbody></table></div>PostingID: 1371621324</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If anyone knows how to get two DUIs without drinking, well, they should call Joann.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">OK, that was my shortest post ever! </span></span></div>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-82676343654797809092009-09-06T10:42:00.001-07:002009-09-06T10:52:38.765-07:00Van Jones, bullies & Ocean Park BoulevardOK, I’ve been <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0371307/">working like a madam lately</a> and just haven’t been able to keep up with my invaluable blogging responsibilities. So I’m thinking I’ll start writing shorter, but maybe more frequent posts. I know, I made your day.<br /><br />Here goes. A speed round of sorts.<br /><br />First, local Santa Monica bike activist Michael Cahn pointed out a bit in the <a href="http://c.lps3.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=comm%2f2009%2f09%2f04&-token.story=61706.113116&-token.feedbackmsgstat=Success&-token.feedbackmsg=Your%20submission%20has%20been%20received.%20Your%20submission%20will%20be%20reviewed%20by%20our%20staff%20before%20appearing%20on%20the%20Web%20site.&-token.checkpermission=607478d8ac61797bdad6448dd185bea6e8326dd8aeca0461&-token.feedbackmsgstat=Success&-token.feedbackmsg=Your%20submission%20has%20been%20received.%20Your%20submission%20will%20be%20reviewed%20by%20our%20staff%20before%20appearing%20on%20the%20Web%20site.&-token.checkpermission=607478d8ac61797b51b3255f4c0967d4a134f874796e7237#feedback">Santa Monica Daily Press</a> - reactions to an experimental change to the traffic lanes on Ocean Park Boulevard. It went from four lanes (two lanes in each direction) with no left turn lane and parking along the side to the current set up which has two lanes (one lane in each direction) a designated center left turn lane, bike lanes on each side and parking. This area is both a small neighborhood business area, as well as a route for commuters to get from places south of Santa Monica to the freeways or other parts of LA.<br /><br />As most cyclists are aware, members of the car-driving community are consistently supportive of this kind of traffic calming, quality-of-life-for-neighborhoods change, even if it impacts their desire for unrestricted car-centric civil engineering. They are remarkable in their understanding and enlightened attitudes. It something I love about car drivers - when you ask for some road space for cyclists and pedestrians, they look like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SqP0nuScWrI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/11YpcfxeoAc/s1600-h/ApplePie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SqP0nuScWrI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/11YpcfxeoAc/s400/ApplePie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378411343287966386" border="0" /></a><br />Here are a few samples of the comments received by the paper on this issue!<br /><br />"They should put it back the way it was. All the idiots in charge of traffic in Santa Monica have done nothing but mess it up and make traffic worse than it used to go, because they're idiots and they should all be fired."<br /><br />And this:<br /><br />"The head of traffic planning should be sent on a broken tricycle back to New York City.”<br /><br />And this:<br /><br />"The people who changed the traffic pattern on Ocean Park Boulevard are idiots.”<br /><br />And this:<br /><br />“It should definitely be returned to four lanes. And while you are making changes, would you please get rid of the so-called 'traffic engineers' that have screwed up the already difficult traffic big time in this city. Let the pedestrians and bike riders move to Bermuda, or some other lovely, less populated place to do their thing."<br /><br />Oh wait, when you ask car drivers to share the road they look like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SqP0oGkOUgI/AAAAAAAAAVY/QRNH2bhl6bI/s1600-h/HappyCarDriver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SqP0oGkOUgI/AAAAAAAAAVY/QRNH2bhl6bI/s400/HappyCarDriver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378411349804995074" border="0" /></a><br />I don’t know exactly what the solutions are to these conflicts. Obviously we are stuck with getting cars from one place to the other for some time, and stuck with their arrogance and sense of entitlement. But adding lanes has been shown to not reduce traffic, it just raises the tipping point where congestion once again becomes unbearable.<br /><br />The solution definitely lies in support for alternatives to cars, changes in commute distance between homes and work, and a general shift from cars being the bull in our neighborhood china shops.<br /><br />But sometimes I have little hope. When good people like <a href="http://washingtonindependent.com/57950/van-jones-resigns">Van Jones get run out of town by despicable bullies like Glenn Beck</a>, when our health care debate revolves around the existence of death panels, well I wonder if I have the patience to endure the changes this country must make to become a sustainable enterprise.<br /><br />Sigh.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-84075951794628921272009-08-15T09:33:00.000-07:002011-01-06T14:41:02.573-08:00Tron, graft & the Big TimeSo to fund my bike expenditures and keep my kids in shoes and cereal I have a day job as a film editor, currently on Tron. So as with all things in life, worlds collide and synchronicity prevails.<br />
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To wit, friends have sent photos of a couple Tron-inspired bikes they've come across. They pay homage to varying degrees, and truth is if we fall short in our VFX budget maybe one of these babies could take up the slack. With the right sound effects it just might work.<br />
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<a href="http://gear.ign.com/articles/101/1012056p1.html">Here's one found at IGN:</a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SobqdsMlUTI/AAAAAAAAAU4/HjM9nWcLFEo/s1600-h/Tron_Bike.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370237401486938418" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SobqdsMlUTI/AAAAAAAAAU4/HjM9nWcLFEo/s400/Tron_Bike.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 283px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Quite respectable. Modern, minimal. Syd Mead would be proud.<br />
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<a href="http://www.momentumplanet.com/diy-project-tron-bike">Or this DIY version:</a><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SobqeaZ5bXI/AAAAAAAAAVA/Co7xTqcnvwQ/s1600-h/Tron_Bike2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370237413890813298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SobqeaZ5bXI/AAAAAAAAAVA/Co7xTqcnvwQ/s400/Tron_Bike2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 299px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>True to the spirit, with the enthusiasm of the hardcore fan.<br />
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But <a href="http://ridebikes.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/tart-shot-vs-h20-weapon-vehicle/">this next one</a> falls a little short:<br />
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(PHOTO DELETED OUT OF DEEP RESPECT FOR COPYRIGHT LAW...)<br />
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That one might also satisfy the hardcore fan (or even the softcore fan), but it seems to be about 5% loosely-connected Tronware and about 95% <a href="http://www.tronguy.net/">Tron Guy</a> wishful thinking. However, at least now I know what those stem pads are for.<br />
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Also, today is a major milestone for the Bike Date blog and the entire Bike Date corporate family. We received our very first offer of free bike product to review. Yes, Bike Date is now "Big Time", and obviously this vendor can surmise the soon-to-be-established promotional power of the "Bike Date Bump".<br />
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Our accountants are currently looking into the ethical and tax implications of accepting in-kind, quid-pro-quo, you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours "review items". Obviously Bike Date's attorneys assure the various interested <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act">RICO</a> investigators that <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">graft </span> promotional materials will be handled within the appropriate legal framework.<br />
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An honest review of these products will be posted once Bike Date R&D has conducted their thorough testing. Those guys are relentless. I know our readers expect nothing less.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-41154359267823867162009-08-12T06:40:00.000-07:002009-08-15T08:32:38.648-07:00Rumors, changeable gears & TrekworldI’ve been busy this week here at <a href="http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/">TrekWorld 2010</a> - amazing stuff. No doubt some memorable new designs and improvements. No doubt.<br /><br />But there were rumors. There was something else <a href="http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/">Trek</a> had to share, if only to a few.<br /><br />And I got lucky.<br /><br />Except for one blurry photo via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/huggerindustries/3812784139/">BikeHugger</a>, this most elusive protobike almost completely rolled under the radar. But Bike Date got a special viewing of this steampunk monster and I can say with confidence, there is nothing else like it out there in the realm of changeable-gear bicycles.<br /><br />Consider yourself scooped Main Stream (bike) Media - here it is:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqrLsjuxI/AAAAAAAAAUA/O0uw7eRaG_s/s1600-h/HCLogo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqrLsjuxI/AAAAAAAAAUA/O0uw7eRaG_s/s400/HCLogo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182102118185746" border="0" /></a>The Hill-Climber. A retro-tastic 3-speed shaft-drive screamer. Check out the solid steel foundation of the Hill-Climber, both breaking and making irrelevant every rule of modern frame design.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqqEamoiI/AAAAAAAAATw/nRNKvEe9OQ4/s1600-h/HCFrameset.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqqEamoiI/AAAAAAAAATw/nRNKvEe9OQ4/s400/HCFrameset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182082983961122" border="0" /></a><br />Sure the geometry is familiar, and the Shepard Fairey treatment breaks new ground as expected, but this bike’s glory is in the details. Let’s start with that <span style="font-style: italic;">insane</span> drivetrain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoLGe99TKUI/AAAAAAAAATg/_N65_Q7hM3M/s1600-h/gearsoutside.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoLGe99TKUI/AAAAAAAAATg/_N65_Q7hM3M/s400/gearsoutside.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369071941109098818" border="0" /></a>Trek’s work-in-progress promotional materials describe it like this: “a gear ratio of 86-51-36 that helps the rider up the hill, against the wind, and makes riding the bicycle a pleasure at all times.” Then this: “the only bicycle that gives the rider a variation of three gears.” You read that right. Three.<br /><br />And then they drop the real science: “You shift gears with a small shift lever at the head within easy reach of the rider, AND IT STAYS CHANGED!”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq80knuFI/AAAAAAAAAUg/OaWxML4lXGQ/s1600-h/HCShifter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq80knuFI/AAAAAAAAAUg/OaWxML4lXGQ/s400/HCShifter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182405148522578" border="0" /></a><br />You hear that Dura-Ace? I thought you did.<br /><br />Bontrager has obviously stepped up their game for this outing with a from-square-one wheelset re-imagining. Fabricated from a top-secret wood-based alloy (no details were divulged, but it smelled like pine) they clearly had the <a href="http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/06/shot-in-dark-art-of-appropriating-blame.html">Mavic R-SYS</a> in their sights. Direct hit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq9etQxdI/AAAAAAAAAUo/-tC30IHCQZg/s1600-h/HCWheelset.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq9etQxdI/AAAAAAAAAUo/-tC30IHCQZg/s400/HCWheelset.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182416459056594" border="0" /></a><br />You can tell just by looking at it - pumping out the miles on this A-sym future-orb will be unforgettable. But this two-wheeler is not all “high-tech engineering” this and “exotic formulations” that. At its heart it's a work of art. And I can tell you, riding it makes <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> an <span style="font-style: italic;">artist</span>.<br /><br />From the head badge...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqquWYHsI/AAAAAAAAAT4/jWcNlb0P0A4/s1600-h/HCHeadBadge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqquWYHsI/AAAAAAAAAT4/jWcNlb0P0A4/s400/HCHeadBadge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182094240521922" border="0" /></a>...to the crank...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqoh8rjfI/AAAAAAAAATo/A-16FyOjl3E/s1600-h/HCCrank.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 388px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqoh8rjfI/AAAAAAAAATo/A-16FyOjl3E/s400/HCCrank.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182056551779826" border="0" /></a><br />...to the saddle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq8OnUR1I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/nbArRCLH9QI/s1600-h/HCSaddle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq8OnUR1I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/nbArRCLH9QI/s400/HCSaddle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182394959284050" border="0" /></a>Just when it seemed innovation was impossible, Trek simply says, “It’s possible.”<br /><br />The “Wheeler Extra” saddle comes standard on the H-C. (As an accommodation to the marketplace they included the leather and gel cover seen above with it’s form-fitting “<a href="http://bikedatesantamonica.blogspot.com/2009/07/who-says-bike-helmets-arent-cute.html">Spongy Wonder</a>” comfort layer. But purists will undoubtedly want to rock it old school with the “Wheeler P2” - the “Pride of the Perineum”):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq8udKqcI/AAAAAAAAAUY/hfHhzwQSZeg/s1600-h/HCSaddle2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMq8udKqcI/AAAAAAAAAUY/hfHhzwQSZeg/s400/HCSaddle2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182403506645442" border="0" /></a><br />That ass dais will leave a mark - on your soul...<br /><br />Much will be written as the Hill-Climber approaches rollout in 2010, but it will always remain an enigma - a nanotech reverberation out of the Industrial Age - the Keyser Söze of bikes. But for the lucky insiders invited to this preview one thing is for sure...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqrvmh3SI/AAAAAAAAAUI/dFjMx36KrBM/s1600-h/HCRiders.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 287px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoMqrvmh3SI/AAAAAAAAAUI/dFjMx36KrBM/s400/HCRiders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369182111756573986" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/">“It Must Be The Bike”™.</a><br /></div><br /><br />(For more dope on the Hill-Climber go <a href="http://www.fusionstudios.com/hill-climber">here</a> and buy his book <a href="https://www.createspace.com/3382245">here</a> )jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-67085864406497954562009-08-10T22:33:00.000-07:002009-08-11T08:03:10.347-07:00Idaho stops, vulnerable users & Scandinavian pornHey everybody! What could possibly be more interesting than a post about bike lanes?<br /><br />OK... now that it’s just the two of us, I could post a few shots of Scandinavian bike infrastructure porn and let nature take it’s course, but let’s keep that private. But I do dream of such things - actual dedicated roadspace for my two wheels as some kind of payback for the substantial yearly contributions I make to our federal, state and local coffers. I can dream, after all.<br /><br />Here in Santa Monica we have more bike space than other areas in LA. But it’s still half-baked, considering what a wonderful place this could be for more people to get around by bike.<br /><br />Here’s one of the issues. From <a href="http://www01.smgov.net/epd/scpr/Transportation/T4_BikeLanes.htm">the city’s website</a> there is this 2007 info: “There are 130 miles of arterial streets in Santa Monica. Bike lanes are designated on 13 total miles of roadway. Of these, 3.78 miles of designated bike lanes are on arterial streets. That means less than 3% of Santa Monica’s arterial streets have bike lanes, a figure which falls short of the city's 35% target for 2010.” They even had this graphic:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoEDWiWvwRI/AAAAAAAAATQ/4mvmEIEu_rw/s1600-h/SMBIkeLanes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoEDWiWvwRI/AAAAAAAAATQ/4mvmEIEu_rw/s400/SMBIkeLanes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368575916516557074" border="0" /></a><br />The good news is that we have some people in our local government that have recognized this state of affairs. The bad news is that even this info overstates the case. We ride 11th Street from our home in the southern part of the city to our kid’s school in the northern part of the city - about 2 1/2 miles each way. Here’s a photo of a representative section of 11th Street:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoEDhUACODI/AAAAAAAAATY/g5t_kDdxrWU/s1600-h/11thStSanta+Monica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 359px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SoEDhUACODI/AAAAAAAAATY/g5t_kDdxrWU/s400/11thStSanta+Monica.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368576101641762866" border="0" /></a><br />You can (hopefully) see the bike lane marked from the white car in the upper left and running down to the right. And as you can see the bike lane really only runs in the middle of the block - it ends about 100’ before and after each intersection. So while 11th street is shown by the city to have a bike lane, it really only covers about half that length. You are constantly being dumped back into traffic, and at the busiest parts of the road. So that 13 miles of bike lanes is not even accurate.<br /><br />We need so many things to change this. “<a href="http://www.bta4bikes.org/at_work/BTALegislature2007.php">Vulnerable users</a>” <a href="http://www.stc-law.com/bicyclecardoor.html">laws</a> to protect non-car users of our public space. Livable “Complete streets” to make our <a href="http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/0904/livable-streets.html">streets safe and attractive</a>. “<a href="http://www.cyclelicio.us/2009/04/idaho-stop-law-for-cyclists.html">Idaho stop</a>” laws to make regulation fit the reality of riding a bike, not glom us in with laws meant to protect teh public from cars and the people driving them.<br /><br />And most importantly we need to find a truce between car users, pedestrians and cyclists to make changes that really benefit us all. After all, we're paying for all those roads that treat us riders as an afterthought.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-75734454123368935542009-08-09T10:25:00.000-07:002009-08-10T11:23:10.538-07:00Twitter, Twitlegs & the TwitteratiMy bike riding lately has been a bit un-postworthy, just my cruise to work which hardly even raises my heart rate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sn8HDYKbnMI/AAAAAAAAATA/kf5whoc0mkI/s1600-h/twitter_device.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sn8HDYKbnMI/AAAAAAAAATA/kf5whoc0mkI/s400/twitter_device.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368017035456126146" border="0" /></a>Twitter followers of mine would already know that if I stepped up and built <a href="http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/06/twitter-device-tweets-your-heartbeat-to-your-followers/">this DIY device</a> that would automatically post my heartrate to Twitter. As the reviewer in that link says, “That way should you stop supporting the Iranian revolution, we will all know why.”<br /><br />And speaking of Twitter, I’ve gone from one-toe-in-the-water skeptic to the cannonball of the convert. I find myself wanting to defend her, like a girlfriend that dresses like a hooker, but I know has a heart of gold.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sn8Ml9t4V-I/AAAAAAAAATI/bFLEE0A8nIw/s1600-h/hookmanor_12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 244px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sn8Ml9t4V-I/AAAAAAAAATI/bFLEE0A8nIw/s400/hookmanor_12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368023127210612706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Painter <a href="http://www.vinylpulse.com/2007/11/natalia-fabia--.html">Natalia Fabia</a> clearly understands...<br /></span></div><br />The short version is, Twitter’s value isn’t in getting a running update on your friend’s heart-rates or what’s on their IPod (in fact I don’t know the people I "follow", except in about two cases). Twitter’s value is in following people far more connected to the outside world than myself, and who in turn connect me.<br /><br />It’s like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CliffsNotes">CliffsNotes</a> to the internets. Whether it’s political news from <a href="http://twitter.com/markosm">Markos Moulitsas</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/KagroX">KagroX</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/joshtpm">Josh Marshall</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/mattyglesias">Matt Yglesias</a>; bike related posts from <a href="http://twitter.com/bikejuju">Bikejuju</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/bikehugger">BikeHugger</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/BikeIntel">BikeIntel</a>; insights on photography in the media from <a href="http://twitter.com/BAGnewsNotes">BagNewsNotes</a>; random photos from the road from <a href="http://twitter.com/SSPU">Silversun Pickups</a>; the moving saga of families facing cancer from <a href="http://twitter.com/pablove">Pablove</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/fatcyclist">Fat Cyclist</a>; <a href="http://twitter.com/robcorddry">Rob Corddry</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/diablocody">Diablo Cody</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/dceiver">Jason Linkins</a> pleasingly blackened wit; or <a href="http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong">Lance Armstrong’s</a> steady stream of, well, what he’s listening to on his IPod.<br /><br />It really is limitless - like Facebook-friending with a far wider reach. <a href="http://tweetdeck.com/beta/"> Tweetdeck</a> (a Twitter web-browser of sorts) is now my first stop on the laptop. You need a guide to get started (I'll give you pointers if you're interested) but once you get your Twitlegs, it’s an indispensable tool...<br /><br />...even if many people still assume it’s too trashy for polite company.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-69341139382275961242009-07-23T10:10:00.000-07:002009-07-23T18:08:00.883-07:00Keywords, Action Wipes & BikejujuOK, so the purpose of this post started out simply - to win the free <a href="http://www.actionwipes.com/index.html">Action Wipes</a> in the <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/2009/action-wipes-giveaway/">Bikejuju </a>contest. Having just linked back to <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/">Bikejuju</a> I could stop right there and qualify per the rules of the contest, but who would link back to <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/2009/action-wipes-giveaway/">Bikejuju</a> for only selfish reasons? Why would someone so carelessly break with the long-standing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IzCyp-dwbs">Blogger's Code</a>?<br /><br />That would be wrong.<br /><br />So let me say this. I am already an Action Wipes user! Love them - a great product to address the aromatic embarrassment when you say, "Hey! I rode my bike into work today!" And your co-worker says dryly, "I know..." I have two packs sitting right over there on my shelf here at work - got them after <a href="http://bikeskirt.com/">Bike Skirt</a> gave them their seal of approval. Now I don't really need any more Action Wipes right now, so if I win I am going to donate them to charity (though I need to discuss the tax implications with my CPA).<br /><br />So <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/">Bikejuju</a>, you might as well start addressing those babies to me here at Bike Date HQ, 'cause there's a stinky armpit out here in CA just waiting to be neutralized by those sweet, sweet Tea Tree oils and other magical salves and poultices.<br /><br />But here's the thing - the thing that makes makes this post more than just a suck-up to <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/">Bikejuju</a>. This contest is what is called (in common parlance) "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN75im_us4k&e">a cry for help</a>". We bloggers are out here posting, often several times a month, in an act of pure self-sacrifice, expecting nothing in return. Well actually there seems to be one common thing we'd like, and that is some sense of who the hell <span style="font-style: italic;">reads</span> this stuff? This contest is that lonely blogger's cry for help - a quid pro quo: Let <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/">Bikejuju</a> know you are out there in a verifiable way, and you can wipe away his sense of isolation and leave a mild-but-tingly eucalyptus scent!<br /><br />And he is not alone in this. I am able to see how many hits I get a day (anywhere from 40 to 100 believe it or not) and other odd details about the traffic here at Bike Date. Because aside from the random commenter, I would otherwise have <span style="font-style: italic;">no idea</span>. And I learn interesting things. Things like putting the terms <a href="http://bikedatesantamonica.blogspot.com/2009/06/does-just-complaining-make-things.html">"dildo" and "bike"</a> in a post will pump up your blog's traffic.<br /><br />My inclusion of those terms was innocent enough - I had no idea there actually <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a "dildo bike", or how many individuals are out there telling their Google, "I would very much like to<span style="font-style: italic;"> see</span> videos of this unusual bike!" (I'm guessing about 40 to 100 a day). From my site's stats, I can see that these folks hail from many far-off places, like Kalamazoo, Michigan; Rapid City, South Dakota; Brisbane, Queensland; Manchester, Michigan; Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Ajax, Ontario; Corvalis, Oregon and even Efshahan, Iran! The dildo bike diaspora.<br /><br />From his search keywords I saw that an industrious chap in Minot, North Dakota was wondering how to <span style="font-style: italic;">make</span> a dildo bike, while Deseranto, Canada stood out for searching ‘free bike dildo videos’ - I guess up there in the land of universal health care they think <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span> should be free...<br /><br />Here is a graph of recent searches leading to the Bike Date site in order of volume:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Smijryf5CBI/AAAAAAAAAS4/wSqcC7dsLt0/s1600-h/KeywordSearch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 248px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Smijryf5CBI/AAAAAAAAAS4/wSqcC7dsLt0/s400/KeywordSearch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361715329069811730" border="0" /></a>So the <a href="http://bikedatesantamonica.blogspot.com/2009/03/giant-suede-coasting-dx-dutch-city-bike.html">Giant Suede</a> is currently edging out the others, but as always the various combinations of "bike" and "dildo" are holding steady. I see that "bike with dildo" just barely beat "cute bike seat", and I hope that doesn't mean they may have been sent to the same urls - I doubt that would have ended well.<br /><br />So here's the real point. Yes, you can cynically link back to <a href="http://www.bikejuju.com/">Bikejuju</a> to try to steal the Action Wipes from me (and as I said I'll donate them to charity, which I don't expect to be praised for unless you feel strongly about it). But what we really want is a sign, some small sign that you exist, that you <span style="font-style: italic;">care</span>. (No not you 74.168.135.101 <img src="http://tracker.icerocket.com/img/flags/gb.png" style="border: 0px solid gray;" height="11" width="16" />, I know what you're here for...)<br /><br />So if you made it this far, leave a comment. Even just one lone character from among the qwerty choices. <span style="font-style: italic;">Something</span>. Or do I need to offer a free dildo cozy to make it worth your while?<br /><br />Don't tempt me.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-60348175444373681872009-07-18T09:51:00.000-07:002009-07-19T06:39:28.408-07:00Gavels, assholes & #twitterrheaFirst off, I was watching the Tour de France this morning and saw this spot for AutoZone which should get some kind of Clio for it's disservice-to-mankind and backwards thinking. The storyline is a kid on a bike fixes up an old beater car (with parts from AutoZone, natch...) and ends with the line, "At least now when I go, it's not on my bike!"<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Zm4lwCxyjY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Zm4lwCxyjY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Nice going AutoZone and agency-of-record <a href="http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=145300">Sponge</a>! And the genius that bought time on the TdF really deserves something special...<br /><br />OK, just had to mention that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SmHvozLc0ZI/AAAAAAAAASo/ByWSCEVFlqQ/s1600-h/bakfietscrop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 350px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SmHvozLc0ZI/AAAAAAAAASo/ByWSCEVFlqQ/s400/bakfietscrop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359828515759640978" border="0" /></a><br />I've always loved these <a href="http://www.bakfiets.nl/eng/models.php">Bakfiets</a> (European cargo/kid hauling bikes) and not only because they are often shown with some comely Euro-Spokesmodel-Mom in the cockpit. But these bikes with their "<a href="http://www.kenswineguide.com/wine.php?word=97">kid-forward</a>" design always make me think of that Laurie Anderson song where she delivers this little spoken-word piece:<br /><br /><blockquote>"After doing these concerts in French, I usually had the temporary illusion that I could actually speak French, but as soon as I walked out on the street, and someone asked me simple directions, I realized I couldn't speak a single word.<br /><br />"As a result of this inadequacy, I found that the people I had the most rapport with were the babies. And one of the things I noticed about these babies was that they were apparently being used as some kind of traffic testers. Their mothers would be pushing them along in their strollers--and they would come to a busy street with lots of parked cars--and the mother can't see what the traffic is like because of all the parked cars--so she just sort of edges the stroller out into the street and cranes her head out afterwards.<br /><br />"And the most striking thing about this is the expression on these babies' faces as they sit there in the middle of traffic, stranded, banging those little gavels they've all got. And they can't even speak English."</blockquote>I think us bike riders can all relate to this feeling, like we are out there on the road as some kind of traffic testers to answer the question, "Just <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> dangerous <span style="font-style: italic;">is it</span> to ride bikes among the internal combusters?" Well, "quite" is many rider's answer. That and banging our little gavels.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.westsidebikeside.com/">Alex Thompson</a> is spearheading a drive to take back Santa Monica's <a href="http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-05-21-59472.113116_City_recognized_for_its_dealings_with_bicycles.html">Bronze award</a> for bike friendliness since he feels that many aspects of riding in Santa Monica aren't Bronze-worthy, and that local riders weren't consulted in the process. I asked him to describe the safety situation in Santa Monica in one to five words and his response was, "Not very safe." He also offered, "Just like Los Angeles" as a backup, which may be more to the point since Los Angeles was not awarded Bronze or Pewter or any other color. They barely got the "Los Angeles" award for bike friendliness, which not only doesn't exist, but it's nothing to brag about and should have been a gimme.<br /><br />Local officials feel Thompson's approach has a "cutting your nose to spite your face" quality, that local advocates in government should be encouraged for what they do, not reprimanded when they come up short. I'm not sure where I fall on this, but if there is in fact any laurels-resting-upon because of this bronzing, then I'd side with Alex. I know some city council members are fighting the good fight, and hopefully both sides will work to prove their point and we riders will be better off for their efforts.<br /><br />My experience of bike safety in Santa Monica has been that it depends where you ride. The most dangerous thing I face in my 2-mile commute is getting grease on my pants, while other journeys can be more touch & go. I rode down 23rd/Walgrove the other day (and there are only three crappy choices to ride north/south like that - Centinela, Walgrove or Lincoln) and man that was <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> a "Bronze" experience (and also only partially in Santa Monica proper). The color that came to mind was more of a crimson, hamburgery shade illuminated by the flashing lights of first responders. The League of American Bicyclists might consider adding a new award - the "Hamburger", though I'm quite aware there already is a Hamburger award, and it was won by <a href="http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v56/n5/full/4491130a.html">Barry M. Brenner</a> in 1999. He looks like he deserved it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SmJHasIFPZI/AAAAAAAAASw/w9uZCoTH2_k/s1600-h/BarryBrenner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SmJHasIFPZI/AAAAAAAAASw/w9uZCoTH2_k/s400/BarryBrenner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359925030371540370" border="0" /></a><br />Maybe our streets could be graded based on what you actually experience, like "Verbal abuse", "Close Call" and "Compound Fracture". Lincoln Boulevard has tantalizing "Bike Route" signage, obviously installed by someone with a mischievously dark sense of humor. Or maybe they just had extra signs. Anyway, Lincoln deserves a "Close Call" designation at best.<br /><br />The oft-heard biker's lament is that people get behind the wheel and become assholes. Or maybe they get in the car that way. But I've found that I've gotten very little grief from the drivers I share the road with. As <a href="http://kos.dailykos.com/">Markos Moulitsas</a> recently <a href="http://twitter.com/markosm">tweeted</a>, “Amazing how most car drivers are nice to cyclists out here, giving right of way when it's theirs, etc. So few assholes, but they do exist." That is actually my experience too, though I've not tweeted as such. But then Markos tweets about everything, to the point I think he may have #twitterrhea. Actual diagnosis is difficult since I just made up the disease. [UPDATE: <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Twitterrhea&defid=3230146">Apparently</a> this condition was previously identified... Dang, I could <span style="font-style: italic;">taste</span> that Nobel.]<br /><br />As Markos mentions, drivers often give the right of way even when it's theirs (which I actually find annoying - I like the order of a clear right-of-way etiquette). My feeling is they assume I'm going to ignore all rules of the road (since some highly visible cyclists do in fact ignore all rules of the road) and so they just wave me on. So, my main act of bike advocacy is the five-finger salute - I wave at drivers all the time. Usually as a thank you, or sometimes just to say, "Hey, here I am! Please don't send me to the ER!" Eye-contact is the bike rider's best defense.<br /><br />I think we riders that try to cooperate with cars on the road need to make our numbers known, highlight our good citizenship, otherwise all people remember is that guy flying through a four-way stop filled with cars, salmoning up the wrong side of the road, and acting like the inevitable near-miss is the car driver's fault. Smart money says those riders are probably dicks when they get behind the wheel, too.<br /><br />But since the rules and the infrastructure were not made with us in mind, we often are left to improvise. I understand how that need for improvisation combined with a youthful sense of immortality can go all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_jazz">Ornette Coleman</a> without much encouragement. It's wrong, but as Chris Rock said, <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Chris_Rock">"I <span style="font-style: italic;">understand</span>..."</a><br /><br />In one sense I feel complaining about biking conditions in Santa Monica is like complaining about the breeze and the chill in the air here every evening right when you want to sit out back with a Mojito (a complaint I've often made) - many people from colder/more bike-hostile environs would scoff (actually <span style="font-style: italic;">have scoffed</span>). Still, things could be so much better here.<br /><br />I believe that making things better for bikes and pedestrians makes for a much better local environment for everyone - commuters, residents and businesses. And here is where I think bike advocacy sometimes gets off track: When we push for things that make life better for bikes, it needs to clearly make life better for pedestrians and cars too - it can't be zero sum. As bike advocates we need something that seems even rarer than a well-spent infrastructure dollar<span style="font-style: italic;"> -</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> broad-based community support</span>.<br /><br />Yes, we need better infrastructure and more of it. But it's ultimately more about a broad culture that is embracing the <span style="font-style: italic;">need </span>for that infrastructure. We need to advocate by example, in growing groups, with increasing visibility, cooperation, practicality, innovation and humor. If the only force pushing for the changes we want is our ragtag band of believers (I love you, man!) we will continue to get what we're getting - the scraps left over after Big Car has taken the good stuff.<br /><br />What we need to do (while we petition and cajole and influence and demand and all that) is find ways to<span style="font-style: italic;"> grow</span> our group. We need a larger constituency. We need non-car transportation, complete streets and livable cities to go mainstream, at least far more mainstream than they currently are. We need a public impression of our movement that is compelling and appealing.<br /><br />We need more than just current riders - it simply isn't enough. We need to ally ourselves with other groups, some that may even seem like adversaries, and create a broader, positive coalition. It's like the <a href="http://www.bakfiets.nl/eng/models.php">Apollo Alliance</a> - the "environmental" group that has unified previous adversaries (enviros, labor and business, for example) and shown that sustainability is in <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone's</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">self-interest</span>. The Apollo Alliance sets a very good example for us, I think. A movement always has to play to people's self-interest.<br /><br />Looking at it this way, we need <span style="font-style: italic;">car drivers</span> pushing for our cause, we need <span style="font-style: italic;">pedestrians</span> backing us up, we need <span style="font-style: italic;">business</span> speaking up for our infrastructure requests. If our approach is to go toe-to-toe with these other groups, zero-summing each other, our progress will be... well, what it is now. <span style="font-style: italic;">Meager</span>.<br /><br />So we have to hold up examples like NYC's Commissioner of the DOT <a href="http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/transforming-nyc-streets-with-jsk/">Janette Sadik-Kahn</a> to our representatives and say, "If <span style="font-style: italic;">New York City</span> can do it, if they can turn <span style="font-style: italic;">Broadway</span> into a pedestrian mall, then <span style="font-style: italic;">we</span> have no excuse." Some encouragement, some shame. Some five-finger salutes, some Alex Thompson.<br /><br />But we need to dump old thinking that hasn't worked, old ideas about who is with us and who is against us, and replace it with a bigger idea. Something broader. More popular. A movement that <span style="font-style: italic;">attracts</span> people, not something they pre-judge and avoid.<br /><br />When that AutoZone spot doesn't get past the pitch stage, we'll know we're making progress.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-82964282193021900042009-07-03T15:05:00.000-07:002009-07-05T10:10:26.135-07:00Who says bike helmets aren't cute? (Warning: Linkholes will be followed...)OK, there have been many skirmishes in the helmet-or-no-helmet wars. It's not really a fair fight since the axis of helmet-wearers suffer fewer head injuries and as such live to fight another day, while the helmet-free need constant replacements at the front. You'd think this unfair advantage would be handicapped somehow but since there is no referee, no governing body adjudicating this debate, that attrition is simply the life-threatening head trauma the feel-the-wind-in-their-hair troops will have to bear.<br /><br />So the debate rages on.<br /><br />One of the complaints about helmets is their arguably off-the-charts dork factor. Even President Obama, who is generally seen as stylish, always appearing to inhabit a world of easy grace and elegance, can succumb to the fiercely equalizing dork-power that is the bike helmet.<br /><br />Exhibit A:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6HIK0vpMI/AAAAAAAAARA/JqoGHUJhgw0/s1600-h/obama_bike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6HIK0vpMI/AAAAAAAAARA/JqoGHUJhgw0/s400/obama_bike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354365581404382402" border="0" /></a>This image was received so poorly the NY Times even <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/obamas-helmet-moment/">pulled this out in comparison</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6Ib8cl6nI/AAAAAAAAARQ/GxJAKHqwnP0/s1600-h/dukakistank.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6Ib8cl6nI/AAAAAAAAARQ/GxJAKHqwnP0/s400/dukakistank.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354367020653996658" border="0" /></a>Obviously Obama was able to recover, but I have to wonder if that bike was hurting him image-wise too. Maybe he should have gone this route:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6HIYhE2EI/AAAAAAAAARI/9gn_RAb2E8s/s1600-h/obamathunderbike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6HIYhE2EI/AAAAAAAAARI/9gn_RAb2E8s/s400/obamathunderbike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354365585079982146" border="0" /></a><br />And going back to the original Obama/helmet/fail image, his bike has some attachment on the back - what <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> that?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6Q-Y_lA4I/AAAAAAAAARo/-NHJK9Oe3sw/s1600-h/obama_bikeCrop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 186px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6Q-Y_lA4I/AAAAAAAAARo/-NHJK9Oe3sw/s400/obama_bikeCrop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354376408525505410" border="0" /></a><br />I thought long and hard, and my best guess is it's something like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6JmwA2N5I/AAAAAAAAARY/yvR9OcE4BUA/s1600-h/elmo-tricycle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6JmwA2N5I/AAAAAAAAARY/yvR9OcE4BUA/s400/elmo-tricycle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354368305806587794" border="0" /></a>Maybe that's some Secret Service requirement? In an emergency they could swoop in and take control of the bike? Maybe it's a towbar with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_football">nuclear football</a> attached? (That could explain why it's cropped out in both photos I've seen - national security.)<br /><br />Or is it some sad mountain bike fender? But that hardtail Trek would have to suffer an epic bottoming out to need that kind of clearance. And anyway, in that event the problem wouldn't be rear wheel clearance, it would be how to remove the saddle from the President's colon. Simple physics.<br /><br />Anyway, that's all academic when the fail had already occured up top, though they really didn't have to drag Dukakis into it.<br /><br />But here's the deal. Where is it written that helmets need to be crafted from 100%, corn-fed dork? Well OK, fair enough - it's written everywhere. But I'm prepared to make a prediction - from this point forward the momentum will change. "Helmet" and "Someone should <span style="font-style: italic;">say </span>something" and "lame" and "<a href="http://bikedatesantamonica.blogspot.com/2009/02/bike-safety-tips-from-king-dorko.html">King Dorko</a>" and "No thanks, I don't think I'll even <span style="font-style: italic;">go</span> to the prom this year" will no longer be found in the same sentence.<br /><br />I present you with... Exhibit R (for "Rosemary"):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6PMtGUo4I/AAAAAAAAARg/PHLte8ii5Qk/s1600-h/RosieHelmetWin.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6PMtGUo4I/AAAAAAAAARg/PHLte8ii5Qk/s400/RosieHelmetWin.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354374455417414530" border="0" /></a>Game over. Admit it, that helmeted girl is pure win. Check, and Mate.<br /><br />Next topic.<br /><br />This brings me to the general issue of bike safety. Some take this issue head on, writing articles with titles <a href="http://bicyclesafe.com/">like this</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6UhN4fD8I/AAAAAAAAARw/eVcJbJzHEuY/s1600-h/HowNotTo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 68px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk6UhN4fD8I/AAAAAAAAARw/eVcJbJzHEuY/s400/HowNotTo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354380305373269954" border="0" /></a><br />Admirable. Direct. What could be more important? Well, <a href="http://stason.org/articles/wellbeing/health/Safe-Bike-Seats-For-Men-and-Women.html">this could be</a>:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Safe and Healthy Bike Seats for Men and Women</span><br /></div><br />They had me at “coccyx pain”:<br /><br />"We make kids wear helmets and knee pads," Dr. Goldstein said. "But no one thinks about protecting the crotch."<br /><br />It does seem obvious, but Dr. Goldstein is so right; that point cannot be stressed eoungh. They listed several bike saddles and their relative merits crotch-protecting-wise. But one stood out - "The Spongy Wonder":<br /><br />“As I finished the research I decided to try the Spongy Wonder. I haven't been biking much lately, so it's hard to tell whether I'll get used to it quickly. I don't suffer from numbness anymore, but I find it hard to signal turns, since I don't feel safe enough to let my hands go of the handle bars. My friend who uses this seat, said that I need a bike with a higher frame, so that I could use my hip to lean on the frame, while I take my hand off the handle bar. He says it works well for him. Time will show.”<br /><br />Indeed.<br /><br />OK. The lack of numbness seems to be a net positive. I have experienced near total numbness in my Spongy Wonder area at about mile 18 - figured it probably was saddle-related. So now I have that ironed out. But this part concerned me a bit - "I find it hard to signal turns, since I don't feel safe enough to let my hands go of the handle bars." I think this confirms that a safe seat, even one (purportedly) as safe as the S.W. can't provide a letting-go-of-the-handle-bars-to-signal level of safety. But really, what can?<br /><br />It makes me think the rider's saddle may not be the primary issue. But the writer got advice: "My friend who uses this seat, said that I need a bike with a higher frame, so that I could use my hip to lean on the frame, while I take my hand off the handle bar. He says it works well for him." I think their friend may have been as high as the frame they were recommending. About this high:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk7nG0krWhI/AAAAAAAAAR4/UiaqZNAziVg/s1600-h/TallBike.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk7nG0krWhI/AAAAAAAAAR4/UiaqZNAziVg/s400/TallBike.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354471111367809554" border="0" /></a><br />Seriously, I am having great difficulty imagining a riding position that includes hip-on-frame leaning. I mean, how do you <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> that? I strapped on my Google shoes and trust me, there's <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span>...<br /><br />But when you expose yourself to a post with the tags, "bike, seat, safety, saddle, erectile dysfunction, health, pain, numbness, chafing, prostate" you know you're on shaky ground. Best to saddle up and move on.<br /><br />So move on I did. And <a href="http://www.babycenter.com/406_is-it-safe-to-mountain-bike-during-pregnancy_1245281.bc">this question</a> caught my eye: "Is it safe to mountain-bike during pregnancy?"<br /><br />Well? Is it?<br /><br />One commenter had this sage advice: “I don't think it's the biking itself that is a problem it is the falling.” So true.<br /><br />Well someone should have told this very masculine looking young lady, who, reliable sources have told me, was most definitely with child:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk7sF_vsM5I/AAAAAAAAASA/mfy8ghW4oXc/s1600-h/GreatWallJumpFail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk7sF_vsM5I/AAAAAAAAASA/mfy8ghW4oXc/s400/GreatWallJumpFail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354476594745062290" border="0" /></a>I won't go into the details, but this experiment did not end well, helmet or no. So this bike safety thing ran far deeper than even I, a regular rider, would have ever thought. I continued to dive down these bottomless linkholes, and <a href="http://www.bumc.bu.edu/sexualmedicine/patienttips/achieving-a-safe-bike-fit/">here's what came next</a>:<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;">There is More to Bike Safety than a Helmet</h3>Do tell...<br /><br />"There are many aspects of bike fit that can affect your ability to ride safely. If the title of this article resonates to you, then chances are something has gone awry with your bike riding, or the safety of your current bike fit. Deciding that your health and sexual function are important enough to warrant an improved position on your bike is taking an active step to riding in comfort and peace of mind... When I sit on a standard saddle (a Selle Flite for ex), I can feel the pressure in all the wrong places and it is very uncomfortable for me because I know what is going on physiologically."<br /><br />OK, my peace of mind was just shot to hell. But after considering the impact of mountain biking on pregnancy and now the impact of my saddle on my very ability to <span style="font-style: italic;">bring about</span> the aforementioned pregnancy... well, I had to go right to the source. So I wrote the author:<br /><br />"Hello Mr. Kraus,<br /><br />"I was reading your article about bike seats and sexual issues tonight, with both concern and interest. If the problem is specifically erectile dysfunction, that is clearly not good. I love to ride, but not only the bike (ba-dum-bum - if you know what I mean).<br /><br />"But I was wondering if ill-fitting bike seats can cause other issues, making actual reproduction less likely? I was reading some other articles about the safety of mountain biking while pregnant, and while they recommended against it, they did not say it would <span style="font-style: italic;">guarantee</span> a child-free lifestyle. [What I neglected to mention in my letter is that I have found wearing a bike helmet to be an extremely reliable form of contraception, since it is then unlikely anyone will have sex with you in the first place.]<br /><br />"So, my question is, would you consider an ill-fitting bike seat an effective method of birth control? If the answer is yes, you mentioned the Selle Italia Flite, but are there other saddles that would be as effective?<br /><br />Thank you, Jim"<br /><br />I got this response:<br /><br />"Jim, anything that puts pressure on your nerves and arteries that run under your taint is considered a method of birth control. But its pre-birth control..more like booty control. If your stuff doesn't work, then you can't even play."<br /><br />Damn. Helmets were seeming more and more like a distraction. The issue is taint-trauma, for crissakes. Still, the public is obsessed with helmets. I saw <a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-16644667.html">this desperate post</a>:<br /><br />"Dear Dr. Cory: Are bike helmets safe? Should I wear one?<br />Stephanie Knock, Massapequa Park, New York"<br /><br />This whole thing was turning upside down. It started with the debate as to whether riding a bike <span style="font-style: italic;">without</span> a helmet was safe, and now I was finding that the question was actually whether it was <span>safe</span> to ride <span style="font-style: italic;">with</span> a helmet!<br /><br />Dr. Cory let it all out:<br /><br />"Dear Stephanie: Yes!"<br /><br />He went on, but I'll spare you his propaganda and the obvious fact that Dr. Cory is in the pocket of Big Helmet. So I went to the only location I felt I could place my trust - the content related ads in the side bar.<br /><br />There were three.<br /><br />This:<br /><br />"Zero Dork Factor Helmets<br />Coolest bicycle helmets on Earth from award-winning designer Yakkay<br />www.50cycles.com"<br /><br />And this:<br /><br />"Bell Helmets- Buy Direct<br />Free Shipping, All Styles & Colors Half Helmets, Moto 8's & More!<br />www.TheHelmetZone.com"<br /><br />And this:<br /><br />"Public Sex Offender List<br />Are Sex Offenders Living In Your Neighborhood? Find Out Now - Free!<br />www.FamilySafetyReport.com"<br /><br />Damn. Clearly there was a relationship between bike safety and sex that simply could not be denied. And it was moving into the criminal arena.<br /><br />So I have come to this conclusion. If a helmet is to be worn, it needs something of a "helmet-offset". The risks and downsides are just too great. It may be as simple as creating a diversion, a bike that has the firepower to take on the proven fashion-trampling mojo of the helmet. Maybe a ride like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk74_D0lGgI/AAAAAAAAASI/11Nfzky19eg/s1600-h/CrazyDIYBike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/Sk74_D0lGgI/AAAAAAAAASI/11Nfzky19eg/s400/CrazyDIYBike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354490769231387138" border="0" /></a><br />Anything less would just be foolhardy.jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-1370020510697750562009-07-02T09:43:00.001-07:002009-07-02T14:02:42.607-07:00R.I.P. PabloPablo has been laid to rest. A beautiful memorial Tuesday night, a heartbreaking funeral yesterday. R.I.P. Pablo, and blessings on the family...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkzkWKM4epI/AAAAAAAAAQw/HAnBh2jIgK0/s1600-h/15156569.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkzkWKM4epI/AAAAAAAAAQw/HAnBh2jIgK0/s400/15156569.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353905126383319698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">This print was presented to the family by Shepard Fairey.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">And again, any and all donations to the <a href="http://www.pablove.org/whoweare.html">Pablove Foundation</a> will go to the powerful work being done for children and their familes fighting cancer at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkztDVTbldI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/IjaoKZg1OwE/s1600-h/pabloveTshirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkztDVTbldI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/IjaoKZg1OwE/s400/pabloveTshirt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353914698550711762" border="0" /></a><br />Pablove T-shirts available there too. These shirts were sold at a benefit concert a while back - just found they are available at the <a href="http://www.pablove.org/merch.html">Pablove site</a>.<br /></div></div>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-57358128001175257072009-06-28T08:42:00.000-07:002009-06-28T11:45:46.481-07:00A place for PabloThis blog is usually a place for my love of bikes, and to have a few laughs. Today it's for Pablo and his family.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkeWG-fRFZI/AAAAAAAAAQo/IGKXvkVR4tI/s1600-h/bm-image-795170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkeWG-fRFZI/AAAAAAAAAQo/IGKXvkVR4tI/s400/bm-image-795170.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352411728750646674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Grady, Joann, Jeff & Pablo<br /></span></div><br />Pablo is the 6 year- and 6 day-old son of a friend who ended his battle with cancer yesterday. His father Jeff is a committed road rider - this past year he has ridden as a way to focus everything it took to accompany Pablo in that fight. He has shared the deepest parts of that battle in <a href="http://getwellpablo.blogspot.com/">his blog</a>, which has moved and inspired people around the world who have followed the ups and downs of their heroic fight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkeWGx7zdYI/AAAAAAAAAQg/RnTP63twaGg/s1600-h/20090307_0277_X1_Master_4x6_PR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkeWGx7zdYI/AAAAAAAAAQg/RnTP63twaGg/s400/20090307_0277_X1_Master_4x6_PR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352411725380679042" border="0" /></a><br />But that part is over now, and I wish them all peace.<br /><br />Yesterday, after Pablo was gone, they took a ride around Silverlake Reservoir - something Pablo loved to do. They did it in his memory, something they'll continue to do as they work through this, bringing Pablo along with them in spirit, with his Elijah-like saddle empty. Not awaiting Pablo's return, but symbolizing how they will continue to carry him with them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkeRx3EMJSI/AAAAAAAAAQY/pfXoYe04-40/s1600-h/0627091926.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkeRx3EMJSI/AAAAAAAAAQY/pfXoYe04-40/s400/0627091926.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352406967934264610" border="0" /></a>Good-bye Pablo, and blessings on this inspiring family that loves him so.<br /><br />(If you have a little something to spare you can donate to the <a href="http://www.pablove.org/donate.html">Pablove Foundation</a>...)<br /><br />[UPDATE: <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/video/reconandpablo-mp4/7e5baebd-3903-4905-b19c-38cc7628daea/">Lance's shout out</a> to Pablo and his family...]jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-15314976534370682192009-06-25T07:17:00.000-07:002009-09-06T11:30:29.795-07:00What do bike lanes and cozies have in common?So I went over to The Atlantic for a dose of <a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/">Sullivan</a> and up popped a promo for another story at their site with the tantalizing title <a href="http://ideas.theatlantic.com/2009/06/create_bike-only_roads.php">"Bike-Only Roads"</a>. Whether it's just an example of "The internets know you better than your mother" targeted marketing or another sign of the coming Cycopalypse I can't say, but they had me at "Bike-Only Roads". (And P.S. I am <span style="font-style: italic;">totally</span> trademarking "Cycopalypse". ™. There, I did it.)<br /><br />The whole area of bike infrastructure and progressive urban planning can be a daunting and disheartening place, and that's just from my outsider POV - God bless the hardy souls that commit their time and energy in the bowels of city planning. Seriously. Bless them. They are the lonely ones reminding our representatives that riding a bicycle to work shouldn't feel like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPzJsBauWI/AAAAAAAAAOw/xgIpmQJRwvI/s1600-h/Pg-28-Pamplona-AP_48538t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 391px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPzJsBauWI/AAAAAAAAAOw/xgIpmQJRwvI/s400/Pg-28-Pamplona-AP_48538t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351388130007759202" border="0" /></a><br />Sometimes I can have positive, helpful ideas, and sometimes I think as riders we should just claim our right to the road with a more aggressive, neanderthal grip. Imagine if we all rode these through our own Mad Maxian sub/urban jungles?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkORN5f7fHI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/QJId4NhwhdA/s1600-h/Sogreni+Mountain+Goat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkORN5f7fHI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/QJId4NhwhdA/s400/Sogreni+Mountain+Goat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351280450205351026" border="0" /></a>Now, <a href="http://www.sogreni.dk/Images/the_mountaingoat_stor.jpg"><span style="font-style: italic;">that</span></a> would command respect! Nothing screams street-cred like a raging two-wheeled steer-cycle covered with matte-black loufa. Truly an <a href="http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/06/epic-curious-riding-long-and-hard.html">epic</a> ride - a testosterone-fueled cross between this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPX6oS3NcI/AAAAAAAAAOo/9l0zqMShF64/s1600-h/cowboy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPX6oS3NcI/AAAAAAAAAOo/9l0zqMShF64/s400/cowboy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351358184495199682" border="0" /></a><br />and this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPWvoYkGsI/AAAAAAAAAOg/AUVIf1f7uYM/s1600-h/woolywilly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPWvoYkGsI/AAAAAAAAAOg/AUVIf1f7uYM/s400/woolywilly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351356896028924610" border="0" /></a><br />And yes,<a href="http://download.cnet.com/Wooly-Willy/3000-2099_4-200593.html"> there's an app for that</a>...<br /><br />And wow, there's even <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_430xN.116153.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.etsy.com/view_item.php%3Flisting_id%3D45008&usg=___dqqIlquVuMkT-Iy_antWvMDikI=&h=662&w=430&sz=53&hl=en&start=75&sig2=iH4oEZIXBOtw-mxgL_E46w&um=1&tbnid=1dJBpa7GDbw2DM:&tbnh=138&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwooly%2Bwilly%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3Djda%26sa%3DN%26start%3D60%26um%3D1&ei=f9RDSvX0FJHstgP4y_X4DQ">this</a>, the Wooly Willy Dildo Cozy...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPVTxuFe6I/AAAAAAAAAOY/t9OLpDHD8y0/s1600-h/WoolyWillyDildoCozy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkPVTxuFe6I/AAAAAAAAAOY/t9OLpDHD8y0/s400/WoolyWillyDildoCozy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351355317987146658" border="0" /></a><br />Google can really take you places you don't want to go. [UPDATE: Reader Adrienne saw the above item and tipped me off to a whole world I didn't know existed, including the alarming <a href="http://twokitties.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/mummified-barbies-of-ev-day-and-yves-saint-laurent.html">Yves Saint Laurent Full-Body Knitted Bride-Condom</a>. You think you just happened on a random nugget, only to realize you've stumbled on a Mother Lode:]<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkaFrILrn-I/AAAAAAAAAPA/fFe25x83xhw/s1600-h/YSLKnittedBrideCondom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkaFrILrn-I/AAAAAAAAAPA/fFe25x83xhw/s400/YSLKnittedBrideCondom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352112183153762274" border="0" /></a><br />Apathy isn't the only reason I haven't fully joined the ranks of the bike advocates (though there are days I could go toe-to-toe with anyone in a bare-knuckles apathy-off). Sometimes I feel that debates about a bike's place in the urban landscape are a perfect storm of zero-sum intractability, it's-always-been-like-this inertia, and well-intentioned promotion of ineffectual ideas. I know, I should be more positive. And then there's my resistance to enthusiastically joining groups that don't precisely mimic my own personality, which I reserve the right to alter at will. So, I've yet to be much of a contribution to the cause.<br /></div><br />In my defense, I <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> have a blog<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKuAl1QvuI8&feature=related"></a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKuAl1QvuI8&feature=related">so I'm not sweating it</a>.<br /><br />Now clearly some people aren't waiting for stimulus dollars to <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/10/04/notes-on-bicycling-in-copenhagen/">Copenhagenize</a> their personal Pamplona. Here's a concept for a personal <a href="http://www.lightlanebike.com/design_01.html">bike lane projector</a>...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkP0Qqhi3jI/AAAAAAAAAO4/p1lqAdh5JlE/s1600-h/FinalConcept.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SkP0Qqhi3jI/AAAAAAAAAO4/p1lqAdh5JlE/s400/FinalConcept.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351389349376351794" border="0" /></a><br />Bringing the idea of "wherever you go, there you are" to new illuminated heights. My 2¢ - I think the little bike-rider icon's arm should animate appropriately when the traveling bike lane is not respected. Maybe in LightLane 2.0.<br /><br />I do have a few ideas knocking around that I hope to develop, allow to evolve and ultimately take out for a public spin - some I've mentioned here before. Such as:<br /><br />"Ride the Last Mile", or "Dude, Where's Your Car?" - Encouraging commuters to drive the bulk of their normal commute, park a mile or two short of their destination, and ride the last mile. Point being, there has to be a way to get past the perceived (and legitimate) road blocks of distance, dangerous routes and ineffective public transportation (to name a few) that keeps people in their cars, particularly in a sprawling metropolis like L.A. With some promotion of the idea I think we could get a decent number of cars out of dense commercial areas and more bikes taking their place. A little infrastructure - like parking out on the periphery of commercial areas geared to bikers - would help.<br /><br />My own commute is totally rideable, but I'd love to get someone to try this out and tell me what works, and what doesn't. Any guinea pigs out there? Maybe as a trial balloon we work with the private sector - have people park on the outskirts of town and then ride to Trader Joe's, because it's a well-known fact <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB7GDZY3Pk">you'll never find parking at the actual store</a>...<br /><br />"Make Love, Not War", or "Taking the Road Less Traveled" - Often the thinking seems to be, "Bikes should be part of our transportation mix, so let's cram bike lanes into busy auto-arteries. Problem solved!" Yeah, if the problem is, "How do we make driver's hate bikers with a more blinding, white-hot rage?" I understand the complications, but to me the solution lies somewhere in the next street over - that one that has (almost) <span style="font-style: italic;">zero</span> cars on it!<br /><br />I know the reason it's car-free is because there aren't lights to traverse major cross streets, or ways of making it past other obstacles like freeways or waterways or whateverways, but clearly <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> is where the <span style="font-style: italic;">bikes</span> should be. So I say we shouldn't advocate for the running of the bikes amongst the automotive beasts - forcing us riders all up in some <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/23/da-files-charge-against-cyclist-attacked-by-suv-driver-in-9th-ave-bike-lane/">Escalade's grille</a> (which is one of <span style="font-style: italic;">the </span>least desirable places for a bike to be...). Let's turn The Road Less Traveled into Where The Bikes Are.<br /><br />My other half-baked, hair-brained idea is "The Sepulveda Shuttle". A small fleet of ten-person vans towing ten-bike trailers, shuffling back and forth over the Sepulveda Pass from the Valley to the Westside of L.A. and back again, carrying bike commuters who do a bike-shuttle-bike routine, cutting out the daunting ride over the pass, and getting a few more cars off the road. Like I said, half-baked, but I think it's not completely crazy.<br /><br />Well that's a start. And once I finish implementing all these programs I'll move on to the Holy Grail of cycling...<br /><br />The No-Pinch Kid's Bike Helmet Buckle...<br /><br />If you have kids, you know <span style="font-style: italic;">exactly </span>what I'm talking about...jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-15118752727649628042009-05-31T13:01:00.000-07:002009-06-13T14:32:58.026-07:00The Chariot Corsaire XL - Big enough for my kids, but how about an adult size?A very big part of our transformation into a bikes-as-transportation family has been the bike trailer. We have 2 kids that we tow across town to school every day -- about a 5-mile round trip. I know... what did they ever do for us?<br /><br />Plus, the trailer is great for hauling all the groceries and other crap that would be awkward on a bike without the extra square footage, as this gentleman demonstrates:<br /><br /><a href="http://failblog.org/2009/01/14/hunting-fail-3/"> </a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://failblog.org/2009/01/14/hunting-fail-3/"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10988" title="fail-owned-hunter-fail" src="http://failblog.wordpress.com/files/2009/01/fail-owned-hunter-fail.jpg" alt="fail owned pwned pictures" a="" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">More at <a href="http://failblog.org/2009/01/14/hunting-fail-3/">Fail Blog</a></span><br /></div><br />Not that it would have helped <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/03/23/2009-03-23_today_host_matt_lauer_injured_in_bike_ac.html">Matt Lauer</a>...<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL03GwK23I/AAAAAAAAAMk/LxJ7KzvV5OA/s1600-h/P1020461.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL03GwK23I/AAAAAAAAAMk/LxJ7KzvV5OA/s400/P1020461.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101335557462898" border="0" /></a><br />It's hard to explain to someone who <span style="font-style: italic;">drives</span> the same route to school that it is not some big sacrifice for us to tow the kids on bikes. We like it. It's less stressful. We don't have to get all up in some Escalade's grille over the last parking space (obviously an Escalade's grille is one place bike riders particularly avoid). We're in better shape than we've ever been, and we don't need to darken the door of a gym. I know, sad -- just think of all the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iee3-3fspR0">swell times</a> we are missing out on.<br /><br />But enough of that. On to our new trailer - the Chariot Corsaire XL. (The XL is for eXtra Lovely! I mean, check it <span style="font-style: italic;">out!</span>)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL11fFqy0I/AAAAAAAAAN0/1fthbTZNQEc/s1600-h/P1020480.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL11fFqy0I/AAAAAAAAAN0/1fthbTZNQEc/s400/P1020480.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342102407241976642" border="0" /></a><br />The issue we had in choosing a trailer was the fact that our kids, at 4 and 6, are getting bigger. The thinking in the bike trailer industry seems to be that once kids can <span style="font-style: italic;">ride</span> a bike, there is no more need to <span style="font-style: italic;">tow</span> them (I guess 'Big Trailer' has decided trailers are for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY">entertaining toddlers</a> as opposed to family transportation). But, even though our kids can ride, they aren't ready for a 5-mile trek through the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJSe9dBjtf0">mean streets</a> of Santa Monica. Given our kids' sizes (the older one is about 44" tall), legroom and headroom mattered most.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1XW7623I/AAAAAAAAANU/D57y3inBJyU/s1600-h/P1020472.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1XW7623I/AAAAAAAAANU/D57y3inBJyU/s400/P1020472.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101889657527154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A bike trailer can haul many moods from A to B.</span><br /></div><br />We actually bought a <a href="http://bikedatesantamonica.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-famous-burley.html">Burley D'Lite first</a>, but it didn't have the legroom we needed. As I recall, the D'Lite had about 17" of legroom while the Corsaire has about 21" -- a substantial difference.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL10xAXTGI/AAAAAAAAANs/W3SavelFoNI/s1600-h/P1020478.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL10xAXTGI/AAAAAAAAANs/W3SavelFoNI/s400/P1020478.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342102394871696482" border="0" /></a><br />There are plenty of pockets where you need them, and little ventilation windows the kids can open from inside. We added an extension for our lock that loops around a bar in the trailer, so we can feed our bike lock through it when we need to lock up. This keeps our bike and trailer <span style="font-style: italic;">our</span> bike and trailer, and keeps us from being memorialized on the pages of <a href="http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/">bikesnobnyc</a> for bike lock fail - unlike the bike owner below:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiNubNoDscI/AAAAAAAAAOE/kbb00GUWioM/s1600-h/LockFail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiNubNoDscI/AAAAAAAAAOE/kbb00GUWioM/s400/LockFail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342234996784738754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">As bikesnob <a href="http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/05/smoked-salmon-lock-your-bike-dont-lox.html">commented</a>, "Oh yeah. That's not going anywhere."<br />Seriously if you aren't reading <a href="http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/">bikesnobnyc</a>, you're missing out on<br />the discrete charms of bike related sarcasm/snobbery.</span><br /></div><br />The Corsaire tows and rides great. It attaches to the bike with this ball and socket deal. The trailer's movement is totally independent of the bike's, and it's very easy to take on and off. We bought an extra hanger (10 or 15 bucks) that attaches to the quick-release on the rear wheel so we have one on my wife's bike too. (They supply a longer quick-release skewer that you may or may not need.)<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL03ucwnTI/AAAAAAAAAMs/jKjIOyUQ4Ng/s1600-h/P1020463.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL03ucwnTI/AAAAAAAAAMs/jKjIOyUQ4Ng/s400/P1020463.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101346213469490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The attachment mounts right next to the scars left by<br />our old trailer's bloodthirsty attaching claw...</span><br /></div><br />The ball slips into the metal cup attached to the bike, then the metal pin slips through the holes to hold the ball in place, and the rubber strap locks the whole package down. There is also a nylon strap that loops around the seat stay to satisfy the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python%27s_Flying_Circus">Department of Redundancy Department</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL0394X-oI/AAAAAAAAAM0/t1AfUT73XIk/s1600-h/P1020464.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL0394X-oI/AAAAAAAAAM0/t1AfUT73XIk/s400/P1020464.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101350355827330" border="0" /></a><br />It literally takes about 20 seconds to switch from one bike to the other.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1WzAQloI/AAAAAAAAANE/PdPLH8jK9pw/s1600-h/P1020467.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1WzAQloI/AAAAAAAAANE/PdPLH8jK9pw/s400/P1020467.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101880012052098" border="0" /></a>The rear wheel suspension on the Corsaire really works - I was surprised how much difference it made. The ride for the kids goes from smooth to bouncy (road-surface depending), but they seem to get a kick out of that. After all, they aren't <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/2323/saturday-night-live-royal-deluxe-ii#s-p15-sr-i2">performing a bris</a> back there...<br /><br />The suspension can be easily adjusted with the black knob (pictured above) for different weights on each side. There is also a parking brake that attaches to the rear of the trailer, but we left it off to reduce the overall weight a bit. The brake didn't pass the weight-to-usefulness challenge.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL11i9JOWI/AAAAAAAAAN8/EYOeQhY6kuk/s1600-h/P1020482.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL11i9JOWI/AAAAAAAAAN8/EYOeQhY6kuk/s400/P1020482.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342102408279964002" border="0" /></a><br />There is storage in the back, enough for a couple small kid's backpacks and a few other items. It's a bit of a tight squeeze fitting things in through the opening, but it's roomier inside. The storage area is covered by a flap, and it's pretty rainproof. There's also a pocket in there to stow a bike lock or whatever you don't want smashed.<br /><br />The cover on the front is also pretty rainproof, though not <span style="font-style: italic;">totally</span> water-tight. But we've ridden across town in a torrential downpour and not much rain made it in - the kids got wet climbing <span style="font-style: italic;">out</span> of it far more than rinding <span style="font-style: italic;">in</span> it. I think there is an actual rain cover available that we might get for next winter if we feel our kids deserve such pampering.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL0222K6_I/AAAAAAAAAMc/GqKjhAzBNWk/s1600-h/P1020460.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL0222K6_I/AAAAAAAAAMc/GqKjhAzBNWk/s400/P1020460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101331287665650" border="0" /></a><br />The front cover can either be this plastic cover or it unzips and rolls back to reveal a mesh screen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1X53ihmI/AAAAAAAAANc/vQvvd2LdqQM/s1600-h/P1020475.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1X53ihmI/AAAAAAAAANc/vQvvd2LdqQM/s400/P1020475.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101899034396258" border="0" /></a>The rear flap that covers the storage area can be flipped forward as a sun shade, but we've never actually used it that way. I think the department at Chariot that came up with this had the highest incidence of drug use on the job. Just a guess.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1XEsQkKI/AAAAAAAAANM/HfWzBSmOdsA/s1600-h/P1020469.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1XEsQkKI/AAAAAAAAANM/HfWzBSmOdsA/s400/P1020469.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101884760002722" border="0" /></a><br />When you roll the rain cover out of the way it gets secured at the top with these stretchy loops - they don't really grab that well (because they can't slip under the rolled-up cover itself) and could be handled better with a Velcro strap or something. A nit-pick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1WtBJkpI/AAAAAAAAAM8/zinULi1Sf14/s1600-h/P1020466.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL1WtBJkpI/AAAAAAAAAM8/zinULi1Sf14/s400/P1020466.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342101878405173906" border="0" /></a>One other small gripe is the snap buckle that holds the cover down when you close it -- it takes two hands to attach it, so it's a bit of a pain when you're loading kids and getting ready to go. The Burley has a nice D-shaped ring at the end of the strap that hooks over a metal tab on the frame, so it only takes one hand. I've been trying to come up with a DIY version of that, but I haven't yet. Hey Chariot, how about comping me a retrofit when you sort this one out?<br /><br />I think it can do the usual conversions to joggers and such, but I really don't know. This will be the only mention of "jogging" on these pages. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsGjJ4SFmbc&feature=related">We don't run</a>.<br /><br />Oh, one other thing: My bike has 26" wheels and it tilts the trailer ever so slightly down in front. My wife's bike has 700s and it's level with those. Any trailer would be the same in this regard.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL10txGI4I/AAAAAAAAANk/-qmzYfJZbIs/s1600-h/P1020477.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/SiL10txGI4I/AAAAAAAAANk/-qmzYfJZbIs/s400/P1020477.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342102394002350978" border="0" /></a><br />But all in all, we're really happy with the Corsaire -- we love it and get tons of use out of it, and the kids love it, too. It's built really well - both materials and craftsmanship - this will definitely last for many years out there on the road. One thing, it's love except for the price -- almost $800 taxed and shipped! You read that right. [UPDATE: Just saw an ad for a <a href="http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/chariot-child-carriers-c-91.html">sale price of $697</a>...] The upside is there were no options that had to be bought separately (like the arm that attaches it to the bike, which with some brands is additional). We wanted something that would fit, and it was seriously the best fit we could find. Maybe they don't sell too many of this model, so they come at a premium? But dang... Eight bills...<br /><br />So come on, jump on into the <a href="http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-05-21-59472.113116_City_recognized_for_its_dealings_with_bicycles.html">Bronze Age</a>. Your cardiologist will hate you for it!jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3069031043395984749.post-41890755132654693252009-05-20T10:32:00.000-07:002009-05-21T07:11:07.927-07:00No-body walks-in LABut we <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> riding more and more. Here's a ride coming up that looks cool - family friendly and a way to see some sights between Pasadena and downtown that we miss out there on the freeway. (I'm taking their word that there <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> sights to see there beyond cryptic gang tags and the fallen day-trader or two...)<br /><br />Join us if you can! <a href="http://bike.arroyoseco.org/">http://bike.arroyoseco.org/</a><br /><br />And this kind of thing reminds me (loosely) of the great events they have in NYC called <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/home/home.shtml">"Summer Streets"</a>, where they shut down <span class="bodytext">Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park on 3 days in August. No auto traffic, just open to bikes, rollerblades, <a href="http://www.pridemobility.com/jazzy/whyjazzy.asp">Jazzys</a>, whatever. It <a href="http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/summer-streets-2008-nyc/">looks like an amazing event</a>, and an idea we should definitely steal here in LA.<br /><br />In terms of bike-friendly local government we're getting our asses kicked by the Big Apple...<br /><br />My dream? Create an event where we shut down a route from downtown LA to the beach on some summer Sunday - a mad dash of conflicting demographics all with their eyes on the prize: to be first in line at Hot Dog Stick!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/ShRFKL9kxqI/AAAAAAAAAMU/bbUufl2-5uQ/s1600-h/1862793382_033878ca6f_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0cKRC6y9_4/ShRFKL9kxqI/AAAAAAAAAMU/bbUufl2-5uQ/s400/1862793382_033878ca6f_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337967499652941474" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvjantzen/1862793382/"><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo via Flickr by M.V. Jantzen</span></a><br /><br /></div><span class="bodytext">I'm going to work on this. I <span style="font-style: italic;">think</span> I can I <span style="font-style: italic;">think</span> I can I <span style="font-style: italic;">think</span> I can...</span>jhaygoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14782917843376115416noreply@blogger.com4