Thursday, October 29, 2009

Danes Ride Towards 2015

Copenhagen, Denmark boasts an impressive two wheel community, but they aren’t satisfied yet. In an effort to reduce carbon emissions by 80,000 tons, the cities promoting the bicycle as their catalyst for change. Like Boulder, Copenhagen encourages ridership by maintaining over 200 miles of existing trails and 45 more miles in development. The city now employs a “Bike Culture Ambassador” who met with the Mayor Sam Adams of Portland on Thursday, to discuss ways of encouraging the bicycle as a primary form of transportation. The city hopes to evolve to a 50% bicycle commuter rate by 2015, and modernize urban commuting. Wonder if we may see a day when roads designate more bike lanes than car lanes?

Check out the Article at:

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/10/29/by-2015-copenhagen-commuters-may-bike-50-of-the-time/

Bring Back The Rack

Imagine a world where cars parked against trees, telephone poles, and handicap railings. Seems absurd doesn’t it? So why then do bikes get the shaft when it comes to ample parking. In a recent Colorado Daily article, Boulder identifies inadequate rack space as a growing concern for the bike community. Bike theft remains Boulder’s number one crime, and without proper space, bikes become vulnerable.

Recently, Fort Collins, in collaboration with New Belgium Brewery, initiated a program which removes parking spaces and inserts bike racks. Fort Collins, like Boulder, maintains a healthy and growing bike community. Bicycle racks revolutionize the parking lot, promoting the two-wheel alternative to travel. A parking spot that once facilitated one car now houses a dozen bikes, Wahoo!!!!

New Belgium’s bright red, stainless steel racks, glisten in the clean Colorado air, encouraging drivers to hang up their keys and start cranking. Boulder needs to follow the Fort’s lead, and start busting out the racks.

Even on Campus bike racks fill to the brim, leaving students to lock their bikes to unlawful spaces like handicap rails or trees. Part of the problem is bike abandonment. Unfortunately, many students arrive on campus, lock their bikes to a rack, and forget their two wheels ever existed. When they return three month later, their bike has a rusty chain and is sitting on its side. Bike abandonment causes nightmares for the parking and transportation service, as well as those who have to watch beautiful new bikes rust through the winter.

The bicycle is not a second class vehicle; we riders pump hard, is it too much to ask for a nice clean rack to lock our frames around? Bicycles take up a tenth of the space as a truck or SUV, if just two parking spaces were removed on Pearl, twenty bikes could have a safe spot to rest their bottom brackets.

Check out what the Daily has to say
http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_13647252?IADID=Search-www.coloradodaily.com-www.coloradodaily.com

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Whose fault is it?


So you're riding across town with no helmet and you get struck by a car. You get seriously injured or worse, whose fault would it be. You weren't wearing a helmet, it was dark and you didn't have a light on either. Is it the drivers fault or is it yours? It could go either way because if you had worn a helmet you could have avoided injury. If you'd had a light the driver could have seen you. But the driver should have seen you anyways. What do you guys think?


http://www.dailycamera.com/archivesearch/ci_13105350?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Biking to Freedom


This is to the ladies. Yes life was unequal and rash in the olden days. But today is ripe and evolutionary. Back then, women had no means of getting around besides horses. Although horses were extremely useful they were hard to control. Heck, they were hard to control for anyone regardless of age or sex. Until one day, the day of birth to a new transportation vehicle arrived. It was a savior to all us us because of the ease and efficiency it provided us. So for all you guys out there, remember that biking was popularized by women...



http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/14985

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Flying Down Baseline

I always forget to post this, but baseline is one of the best fast rides in Boulder. Well of course the ride up is a little painful on the two pistons we call legs but it is undoubtedly worth it. Flying down that mountain never gets old. The speed limit is 30mph and I always go faster than the cars. It's more than a rush, it's like you weigh nothing gliding down with ease. There's one fear, and that is reaching speeds of 88 m.p.h. Because when that "flux capacitator" switches on and you'll be in a different age. Don't get the reference? Watch "Back to the Future" again, it'll bind all the missing links.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Sniper attack.

Ever ride joyfully down a nice paved road when something suddenly flies right in your eye? I was riding and a water drop from a tree hit me smack in the left eye. I was lucky I survived, it was like I got picked off by a sniper in WWII. Thankfully my contact didn't fall out or else it would have been a disastrous day. I would have been walking/riding around like a blind bat. It actually could have been a funny sight. Maybe I should start wearing swimming goggles...?  Ever ride joyfully down a nice paved road when something suddenly flies right in your eye? I was riding and a water drop from a tree hit me smack in the left eye. I was lucky I survived, it was like I got picked off by a sniper in WWII. Thankfully my contact didn't fall out or else it would have been a disastrous day. I would have been walking/riding around like a blind bat. It actually could have been a funny sight. Maybe I should start wearing swimming goggles...? 

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

We don't want this to happen in Boulder..

Check this out guys http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/manhattan/091005_Pedicab_Operator_Taxi_Driver_Brawl

This is what happens when there's a miscommunication when two people are on a road, or in our case on campus on a sidewalk. This happens all the time on campus when riders or boarders try to take the entire sidewalk, we call these people DIRCs. As of now nothing as serious as the video has happened, but you never know..More and more people are getting injured by DIRCs and we all need to be more aware.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Remember Pegs?

Oh yes the good old days. I recently saw some young cyclist carrying 4 people on his ride. Himself on the seat, his buddy on the back pegs, his other friend on the front pegs, and another lucky friend on the handle bars. Yes, those were the good ol' days when we did that; attempting to fit as many people on a bike as possible. It was like seeing how many clowns we can fit into the beetle vehicle. If you think 4 is amazing, check out this vid.