Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring

Global bicycle travelers embark on self-propelled ocean voyages

Gene Bisbee — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:28:06 -0800

What happens to global bicycle travelers when they've completed their journeys? In the case of two from the British Isles, they take to the sea.

Scotsman Mark Beaumont and Englishman Alistair Humphreys are separately embarking on trans-Atlantic rowboat journeys this month. Both are dyed in the wool adventurers and already have completed endurance expeditions off their bicycles.

The six-member Atlantic Odyssey rowing team, above, which includes Beaumont, embarked from Tarfaya, Morocco, Monday afternoon. They're seeking to set a world record for the 3,000-mile east-west crossing and become the first crew to break the 30-day barrier.

Their boat is the "Sara G", a 33-foot vessel with 3 sculling positions on the deck that allow 3 to row while 3 rest. They clocked 4.17 knot speeds on Monday ...

And now for something completely different -- transformer bicycle

Gene Bisbee — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:21:39 -0800

Browsing through the bicycle videos on YouTube this past weekend, I stumbled across this bike that reminds me of those low-riders outfitted with hydraulics.

The bike solves the problem for those who like the idea of a tall bike to see over traffic, but don't like the idea of mounting or dismounting it.

It looks like the front fork is ...

Where old-time cyclists used to find support

Gene Bisbee — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:38:49 -0700

A standard -- but usually unseen and unsung -- piece of athletic gear in many sports is the common jock strap.

Although I doubt that any cyclists wrapped up in lycra and chamois these days would consider using one, the jock strap was created to support bicycle riders.

While visiting a museum on Orcas Island this past week, I stumbled across this antique box for a Jockey Strap Suspensory. It was in a collection of early 20th Century items found in a home's private dispensary.

Notice "The Bike" logo and the guy riding his bicycle ....

Chilly weather doesn't stop naked painted bicyclists

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:52:22 -0700

www.flickr.com

Scores of painted bicyclists made the ultimate sacrifice for their art on Saturday when they bared their skin for the brush and spray-can at the Fremont Solstice Parade.

Although the parade celebrates the coming of summer, the temperatures hovered in the upper 50s and a windy drizzle swept off the Puget Sound.

In such conditions, even two coats of body paint won't keep a person warm.

More than a hundred cyclists participated in the parade this year, in spite of the chilly weather. The painted cyclists have been a fixture at the parade hosted by the Fremont Arts Council .....

(April Fools Day opus) April 1st recall: 200 million bicycles

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 04:00:00 -0700

Congress voted today to enforce a mandatory recall of 200 million bicycles, effective April 1st.

The action, which covers all bicycles sold within the U.S. for the past 10 years, is being taken in cooperation with the automobile industry, the petroleum industry, and the National Manufacturers Association.

The surprise vote came as the 182 members of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus, headed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, were out for a spin on the new bicycle lane down the center of Pennsylvania Avenue. They got the news during the dedication of the bike lane, christened the Tony Kornheiser Obstacle Course ....

Elephants -- like dogs -- also chase bicycles

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 07:00:00 -0800

When bicyclists are shooting the breeze about their bike touring exploits, each and every one will have a pretty good dog story.

Joe Kurmaskie won't stop there, though. He'll probably tell you about the time he was chased by an elephant.

Kurmaskie, aka The Metal Cowboy, is a Portland-based bike travel writer who recently posted a short video about being chased by an elephant while on a charity bike ride in Botswana.

The African elephant charged Kurmaskie and his companions briefly one afternoon....

Letters to editor: Sexual orientation and the Biking Bis blog

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:05:20 -0800

With my email address displayed in the upper right column of every page of the Biking Bis website, I get frequent mail from readers.

Usually people offer compliments and suggestions or ask for coverage of their bike tours or websites. But lately, I've received a couple of emails regarding the sexual orientation of the Biking Bis blog.

Over the Christmas holidays, someone wrote:

"I'm um not sure how to say this... but your web site name: "Biking Bis" is confusing! I got several hits for this site before finally checking it out. It is excellent. I did not look at it earlier because I thought it was for Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals, hence the title.

How about changing it to "Biking Biz" or even "Bike Business"? There are more bikers than gay people in the world, so hopefully your readership should go up. :)" .....

Man, 60, celebrates birthday with 60-mile bike ride

Gene Bisbee — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:00:00 -0800

As it could have been reported in my hometown newspaper:

A Bellevue resident celebrated his 60th birthday with a 60.5-mile bike ride on Sunday.

"It shows what you can do if you ride regularly and have a strong stubborn streak," said Gene Bisbee, who writes the Biking Bis blog.

An avid bicyclist, Gene said that he'd run into a streak of bad luck -- all his own fault -- with bicycling the past year and didn't know whether he would be able to achieve his goal of 60 on his 60th.

It all started with a fall in January 2009 caused by his improperly maintained bike. He stayed off the bike for several weeks and thought everything had cleared up until this autumn when he was again forced off the bike with severe knee pain. A physical therapist told him it was related to his hip injury ......

Twitter's list of best bike movies never made

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:57:17 -0800

We all know that Twitter is a great resource for social networking, and it's the one place where you'll always be able to find out what Lance Armstrong is up to on a daily, in not hourly, basis.

But I never have been so entertained -- and wasted so much time -- on Twitter as this morning with suggestions from the Twitteratis of the best bike movies never made.

Here's just a few of my favorites from this morning. They can be found at Twitter.com #bikemovies:

Citizen Chain
Astana Potter and the Prisoner of Kazakhstan
The Year of Spinning Dangerously ...

Big brass band on bicycles

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 10:50:37 -0700

Although bicycling is a major interest of mine, another is playing trumpet in a community concert band.

So you can probably understand my joy and amazement to see my two avocations combined in The Netherlands by the Trompetterkorps Bereden Wapens. It just makes me smile.

In addition to the fact that they're riding in formation as they play their instruments, they actually sound pretty good. And check out the snare drummer -- no hands on the handlebars. (Larger version on jump)....