Oregon will begin issuing "Share the Road" license plates beginning Jan. 2 for your other set of wheels. They're another reminder for other motorists that bicycles have a right to the road.
Proceeds from the sale of the special plates will be distributed to to cycling-related causes by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Cycle Oregon Fund. They cost an additional $10 at time of issuance and can be ordered through the DMV.
In other Oregon bicycling news, the Wall Street Journal wrote about US Rep. Earl Blumenauer in Saturday's edition. Here in the Northwest, we all know about Blumenauer and his many good efforts on behalf of bicyclists. It's good to see him get wider recognition in a national publication ... more»
On Sunday I published the "Ultimate top 10 list of Top 10 bicycling lists." Later I realized that I really didn't care for "No. 9, Top 10 Bicycle Websites."
That list of bicycle websites was assembled by lovetoknow.com. It might work for some people, but in retrospect I don't think these are the best websites for bicyclists who regularly read this blog. It had only one or two websites that I check regularly for information.
So here's the BikingBis list of Top 10 Bicycling websites. These are the websites that I visit most frequently and find the most useful. There are lots of good websites that aren't on this list, but these keep more to the theme of this blog. As always, the decision of the judges is final ... more»
Everybody likes Top 10 lists. It gets us thinking about a topic and wondering why some items were picked over others.
For instance, Seattle often lands on "best cities to bicycle" lists, but has yet to show up on the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Communities list.
Anyway, here is my Top 10 collection of "Top 10" bicycling lists over a range of topics -- best bicycling cities, best bicycle rides in cities, best bike stores, best ways to avoid being hit by a car, etc., etc. It's all very unscientific, but the decision of the judges is final.... more»
The man accused this week of killing a 13-year-old bicyclist in a hit-and-run collision in Massachusetts was typing a text message on his cellphone when he lost control of his SUV.
Prosecutors say the 31-year-old man thought he had struck a mailbox in the 12:30 a.m. collision. The boy, Earman Machado, was riding at the edge of the road while his friend walked on the soft shoulder.
The frequency of such accidents have prompted legislatures in New Jersey and Washington to prohibit text-messaginig while driving as of next year. It's amazing that people need laws to prohibit them from doing something so obviously distracting as text-messaging while behind the wheel. ... more»
The government of New Ireland should be nominated for becoming the most "bicycle friendly community" on Earth.
The province on an island northeast of Papua New Guinea has set aside the equivalent of $67,800 to pay half the cost of bicycles purchased from local stores.
Finally, some elected officials have finally heard the twofold message that bicycle advocates have been preaching for years: Bicycling makes people healthier, and bike use reduces the costs of maintaining roads ... more»
New Year's Day might be a good day to sleep off the hangover or vegetate on the couch and watch some football. For many of us, it's also a good day to get on the bicycle and start to achieve our 2008 mileage goals.
Many clubs feature rides on New Year's Day. The Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen, for instance, has offered the aptly named Icycle Bicycle Ride around downtown Pittsburgh for the past 30 some years regardless of the weather:
"It has gone no matter what the weather. In previous years, when we had deep snow on January 1st, it was not unusual to have to push bikes to McDonald's in the Strip for coffee and hot chocolate and then return to the start point."
Here are some other popular New Year's Day bicycle rides.... more»
The Seattle P-I tossed out a weird bicycling story that broached the idea of bicycle registration or licensing after "some" began talking about it when Seattle endorsed the $240 million, 10-year bicycle plan.
The story was followed up the next day by an editorial opposing such licensing.
It's an attention grabber, especially for cyclists, but where's the groundswell for the licensing move? Just one person is quoted in the P-I story, a letter-to-the-editor writer, so I guess this isn't something on anybody's short list.
The premise of the story is based on the widespread incorrect assumption that bicyclists don't pay their fare share for the roads they use... more»
"He gets on a bicycle, takes the bike, which is 30 years old, it has no leather, no special helmet. He left Florida on one ocean and rode to our ocean here. He rode 100 miles a day with no sponsors, no raising money, no one greeting him at corners, he just goes.
"He amazes me. I am still shocked. Every surfer I talk to – and I hang around with some extreme people – they all say, ‘that’s so gnarly’ ... more»
Bicyclists are showing their love for Ed McLaughlin, a bicycling advocate and longtime cycling coordinator for the Chico Velo bicycle club in Chico, California.
McLaughlin was injured in a bicycling accident on Friday, Dec. 21, when he was riding with a group on a bike path and struck a small pole meant to restrict motor vehicles.
More than 200 supporters showed up Monday evening, Christmas Eve, for a "healing celebration" at the downtown plaza park. I think it's great that so many who benefited from his efforts came out to show their support ... more»
A few years after moving to California, we shot a video of our house and family at Christmastime for our friends back in Maryland.
One stop on the tour was the Men's Crisis Center, the shed in the back yard where a new dad could get in some afterhours cranking on an old bike set up on a trainer.
I was returning to the shed with the camera running when I realized I had left my inquisitive son in there alone. He had totally greased his hands on the oily bike chain. It was too funny to get angry.
I had totally forgotten about this until I ran across the other day. Now, it seems like it happened yesterday.
By the way, this kid went on to ride the Cycle Across Maryland and Ride Around Washington on a tandem, and two more Ride Across Washington week-long tours on his mountain bike.
I've noticed some heavy print and online advertising -- including at this blog -- for protein waters. They're generally touted for body builders who want to bulk up and endurance athletes like bicyclists who want to shorten recovery time.
In a recent article, the LA Times examines four brands -- Accelerade, Isopure, Kellogg's Special K 2 O, and Stacker 2 Protein Water.
Nancy Clark, the sports nutrionist, says it's easy to add extra protein to your diet, even for endurance athletes and body builders, without resorting to buying water with protein added ... more»
That much ballyhooed "landmark energy bill" that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush last week didn't include a component that was in earlier versions -- the bicycle commuter tax break.
Sorry bike commuters. A lump of coal in your stocking again this year.
The fringe benefit that would have enabled employers to give you a $20/month stipend for riding your bicycles to work was deflated by Senate Republicans. They threatened to filibuster at the last minute if the renewable energy and energy efficiency tax package made it into HR 6, the final energy bill.
That energy tax package included provisions that would have benefited bicycle commuters and wind and solar power producers. It also would have closed the so-called Hummer tax break loophole and reduced tax breaks for oil and gas companies. Small wonder it didn't make it ... more»
Film producer Frank Marshall says the Lance Armstrong biopic is still on the front burner and might proceed as early as next summer.
Marshall, who has produced and or directed such blockbusters as the Indiana Jones and Bourne series of movies, is currently working on sequels to Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, among some other projects.
He said there's no truth to rumors that the Armstrong film is on hold because of all the doping controversy in cycling ...... more»
The latest tour for Lance Armstrong is a USO tour of US military bases in seven countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe.
Armstrong is joined on the Road to Kabul by biking buddy Robin Williams, comedian Lewis Black, Kid Rock, Miss USA Rachel Smith, and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan.
They're all on a non-stop six-day 14-show tour that started in the heat of the desert but soon was flying into swirling snow in Afghanistan. Armstrong is posting blog entries from the trip at the Lance Armstrong Foundation website. On landing in Kabul... more»
Be aware that you're going to have a big ol' bare spot on your wall in a couple of weeks if you haven't bought a bicycling calendar to replace that 2007 model.
There are lots of bicycle calendars to choose from online. Some feature scenic road and mountain biking locales, while others feature professional and recreational women cyclists from around the world and across the Northwest.
As usual, the Cyclepassion 2008 wall calendar is undoubtedly the hottest one out there this year. Instead of relying on professional models, it features pro women cyclists. That's Norwegian mountain biker Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesja on the cover .... more»
What seemed like a brilliant idea last week landed with a resounding thud at eBay on Thursday when the 17 bicycles being auctioned off by Tailwind Sports received nary a bid.
The bicycles, mostly Madone 6.9 road bikes or Equinox TTX time trial machines, carried Discovery Channel colors, the sponsor that ended its association with Tailwind this year. Tailwind gave up on finding a new sponsor and put these bikes out to bid.
Even though the individual Treks had pedigree papers identifying their authenticity and pro riders who used them, apparently no one thought that cache was worth plunking down up to the $12,200 starting bid -- not even for George Hincapie's time trial bike (above). ... more»
There's a more than 100-mile-long abandoned railway corridor on Washington's Olympic Peninsula that is being transformed into a first-rate bicycling trail named the Olympic Discovery Trail.
When completed it will stretch all the way from La Push on the Pacific Ocean, across the base of the northern slope of the Olympic Mountains, to bustling Port Townsend on Puget Sound.
More than a third of the trail is routed and paved (primarily the central portion connecting Port Angeles and Sequim on the Strait of Juan del Fuca), and volunteers are beginning work on another section east of Sequim that brings the trail closer to Port Townsend ...... more»
Stuck for a last-minute gift for a fellow bicycling enthusiast? Socks are always nice, but you can only have so many pairs of gloves, rear blinkers and water bottles.
My recommendation is that people give memberships to national bicycling associations or local bicycle clubs this year. These are the folks who do all the heavy lifting when it comes to creating bike routes, building trails or advocating on our part in the halls of Congress or down at City Hall.
And since most have a nonprofit status, a portion of those memberships are tax deductible; always a consideration at the end of the year.
Here are what I'd consider the four best memberships you could give ... more»
Police in Edmonton, Canada, aren't giving up on a bicycle fatality, even though the case is 22 years old.
The mother of the 16-year-old hit-and-run victim and police are making another plea for information in the death of Robert Phillips. At a police department press conference, the boy's mother, Donna Nelson, said:
"I'm hoping for a miracle. Maybe somebody's carrying some guilt around that would like to deal with that. That's the only thing that's going to motivate a reaction." ... more»
Specialized Bicycles is voluntarily recalling 3,000 Model-D helmets that failed tests required by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The helmets could fail on impact, causing serious head injury to cyclists. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.
The ultralight helmets retailed for $200 and were sold through Specialized authorized dealers and online stores between July and October 2007, when they were taken off the market. Apparently there was a chin strap buckle problem. ... more»
Every year during the holidays I take a look at some bicycle donation programs for underprivileged children. It's always easy to find some big-hearted bicycle enthusiasts who are sharing their love of bicycling and youth by donating new or refurbished bikes to kids.
Bike Build 2007 by TurningWheels for Kids in San Jose is one of the biggest I ran across this year (left). Hundreds of volunteers assembled and donated 1,800 bicycles this past weekend.
I stumbled across others in Akron, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Syracuse, New York; Cleburne, Texas; Fontana, California and my current hometown of Bellevue, Washington. Some were big, others were small. Some raised money for new bikes, while others collected old bikes to be refurbished into a decent set of wheels for kids. .... more»
When Tailwind Sports decided to pull the plug on its pro cycling team instead of finding a sponsor to replace Discovery Channel, the cyclists weren't the only ones left out in the cold.
Trek Bicycles had been the official bike for the Discovery team, and before that the US Postal Service team. The bike company that helped put Lance Armstrong in yellow seven times was suddenly left without a team.
So with Levi Leipheimer, Alberto Contador and other Disco teammates, as well as manager Johan Bruyneel, jumping over to Astana, I suppose it made sense for Trek to supply bicycles to the Kazahkstan-based team... more»
What better company to host a contest for new bicycle designs than Specialized, developer of the Stumpjumper in 1981, the first mass-produced mountain bike.
The contest was supposed to "inspire innovation and environmental change by highlighting the benefits of cycling in an unprecedented way." The result has been a creative tour de force, with inventors submitting everything from recumbent tricycles (above) to bike-powered blenders, tennis-ball launchers and water filtration systems.... more»
I'm always amazed at athletes who compete in endurance sports, especially those ultra events that involve sleep deprivation from hours and days in the activity.
UltraRob's Adventures blog tells about two cyclists -- John "Blue Dog" Jurczynski and Mike "Mad Dog" Gallagher -- who each set an indoor spinning record of 113 hours at a sports club in Laconia, New Hampshire, last night.
If confirmed officially, the effort will put the two in the pages of the next Guinness Book of World Records, barring the unlikely prospect that someone can beat 112 hours. Actually, the previous record of 111 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds had been set by George Hood last summer ... more»
It's snowing like crazy in the Northeast, ice covers the Midwest, and of course it's raining in the Northwest. So what better time to update what's happening with the 2008 Amgen Tour of California bike race.
Pro cyclists will be rolling down the ramp for the prologue in a little more that two months, but I see that Versus already has scheduled at least 15 hours of cable TV coverage for the race, which runs from Feb. 17-24.
That's great news for cycling fans, although some of the time slots aren't exactly prime time. It looks like the weekend schedule features live coverage, but the rest is late night rebroadcasts of the days events... more»
While one penny farthing rider has a hard time riding around his hometown of Palo Alto without getting stopped by police, another was invited by friendly police in Tibet to be their guest at a police station.
Martin Krieg says police in Palo Alto keep pulling him over for questioning because he doesn't make a foot-down stop at intersections. It's happened three times in the past few months.
Meanwhile, Joff Sommerfield is pedaling through Southeast Asia on his around the world venture aboard his penny farthing. It's his third attempt ... more»
Thanks to everyone who took up my link challenge to raise money for the flood victims along the route of the 200-mile Seattle-to-Portland bike ride.
I pledged to donate $5 for every blog that linked to a story I did about the Cascade Bicycle Club's flood relief drive for residents of Chehalis, Centralia and surrounding Lewis County. With 11 links, the grand total was $55. With a surprise matching grant from Ms. BikingBis, that's $110. (Overall, the flood relief drive has raised $23,500 as of Thursday morning.)
The first link came from UltraRob's Adventures. Rob Lucas is an ultracyclist, whose accomplishments include competing in the RAAM.
That was quickly followed by the omnipresent Cyclelicious, who has posted, among other things, a cool widget that computes how much the US spent this year on imported fossil fuels.
Another favorite, The Cycling Dude, also posted a link with some nice sentiments. Check for this Southern California-based blogger's upcoming ride report on a 90-mile bike route.
James at Bicycle Design usually writes insightful posts about innovations in bicycle form and function, but he took time to link to my fund-raising efforts for flood victims on the opposite coast.
TheTwin Rivers Cyclists blog/website linked to the story. Based in Lewiston, Idaho, the website is a good place to stop for maps or local cycling events when you visit the Lewiston, Clarkston, Moscow (University of Idaho) and Pullman (Washington State University) area.
Howard at the Why Howard Laughed bicycling/architecture blog also filed a link. If you want to see Howard in action on his ice bike, including an amusing pratfall, check out this 3-minute video at Ice Bike, the Sequel (the fall comes about halfway through).
And, although it's not technically a blog, I'm counting the link from BikeForums about the STP fund-raiser. I'm also counting prominent mention among "Top Blog Posts on Cycling" at the Biking Circle social ranking website.
Just to make it hurt a little more, I also included links from some sources that probably didn't realize they had links. Websites that carry my feeds, therefore posted links, include BlogNetNews/Cycling, Mobius Cycle - a full service bike shop in Seattle, and the Harrisburg (PA) Bicycle Club.
A downtown correspondent filed these pictures from the Taming the S.L.U.T. bicycle protest in Seattle earlier Wednesday evening.
An estimated 40 to 60 bicyclists showed up for the ride, with plenty of police on hand. The bicyclists say the city hasn't done enough, in fact has done very little, to ensure that the tracks for the new South Lake Union Trolley (SLUT) are safe for cyclists.
The tracks for the SLUT, which began operation earlier Wednesday, run along the curb lanes where bicyclists are supposed to ride under city regulation (as far right as possible). The gaps in the track catch bicycle tires, causing cyclists to fall to the ground or into traffic or parked cars. ... more»
Tailwind Sports is auctioning off 17 "slightly used" team bikes ridden by the likes of George Hincapie, Egoi Martinez, Jani Brajkovic and other Discovery Channel team members in the past year.
No. Nothing from Alberto Contador or Levi Leipheimer.
Most of the bicycles are Trek Madone 6.9's, although there are a few Trek Equinox TTX bikes, including one sized "large" for Hincapie. Bidding starts as low as $6,200, but most bikes are between $8,200 and $12,200 ... more»
President Bush is known for his love of mountain biking, so it's no surprise that many world leaders gave him gifts with a bicycling theme.
In the cycling apparel line, Bush received cycling jerseys from Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Verhofstadt also gave him cycling tights.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, one of Bush's closest friends on the world scene, gave the president an electric-power assisted bicycle... more»
The mother and best friend of bicyclist Bryce Lewis, killed in a collision with a dump truck in Seattle, are suing the driver and truck owner.
Lewis, 19, died instantly when a dump truck made a right turn in front of him and his friend, Caleb Hall, 20, as they headed north on Eastlake Avenue East in September. They were dragged for 25 feet before bystanders freed them.
While the fatality sparked condemnation of motorists who make right turns without checking for cyclists in bike lanes, it also highlighted the poor traffic design that enables traffic to turn right in front of bicycle lanes that are carrying through-traffic... more»
Oregon will begin issuing "Share the Road" license plates beginning Jan. 2 for your other set of wheels. They're another reminder for other motorists that bicycles have a right to the road.
On Sunday I published the "Ultimate top 10 list of Top 10 bicycling lists." Later I realized that I really didn't care for "No. 9, Top 10 Bicycle Websites."
Everybody likes Top 10 lists. It gets us thinking about a topic and wondering why some items were picked over others.
The government of New Ireland should be nominated for becoming the most "bicycle friendly community" on Earth. 
New Year's Day might be a good day to sleep off the hangover or vegetate on the couch and watch some football. For many of us, it's also a good day to get on the bicycle and start to achieve our 2008 mileage goals.
The Seattle P-I tossed out a weird bicycling story that broached the idea of bicycle registration or licensing after "some" began talking about it when Seattle endorsed the $240 million, 10-year bicycle plan.
Bicyclists are showing their love for Ed McLaughlin, a bicycling advocate and longtime cycling coordinator for the Chico Velo bicycle club in Chico, California.
I've noticed some heavy print and online advertising -- including at this blog -- for protein waters. They're generally touted for body builders who want to bulk up and endurance athletes like bicyclists who want to shorten recovery time.
That much ballyhooed "landmark energy bill" that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush last week didn't include a component that was in earlier versions -- the bicycle commuter tax break.
The latest tour for Lance Armstrong is a USO tour of US military bases in seven countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe.
What seemed like a brilliant idea last week landed with a resounding thud at eBay on Thursday when the 17 bicycles being auctioned off by Tailwind Sports received nary a bid.
There's a more than 100-mile-long abandoned railway corridor on Washington's Olympic Peninsula that is being transformed into a first-rate bicycling trail named the Olympic Discovery Trail.
Stuck for a last-minute gift for a fellow bicycling enthusiast? Socks are always nice, but you can only have so many pairs of gloves, rear blinkers and water bottles.
Specialized Bicycles is voluntarily recalling 3,000 Model-D helmets that failed tests required by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
When Tailwind Sports decided to pull the plug on its pro cycling team instead of finding a sponsor to replace Discovery Channel, the cyclists weren't the only ones left out in the cold.
It's snowing like crazy in the Northeast, ice covers the Midwest, and of course it's raining in the Northwest. So what better time to update what's happening with the 2008 Amgen Tour of California bike race.
While one penny farthing rider has a hard time riding around his hometown of Palo Alto without getting stopped by police, another was invited by friendly police in Tibet to be their guest at a police station.
A downtown correspondent filed these pictures from the Taming the S.L.U.T. bicycle protest in Seattle earlier Wednesday evening.
