Golden Cruises

The Golden Cruise is a massive biking event in Golden, Colorado. Every month or so dozens of bikers meet at Woody's Pizza in downtown Golden then ride together all around, eventually culminating in a liberating glide down Washington street. The routes vary from time to time and participants may ebb and flow, but the enjoyment experienced never wavers.

Janice Schlickman, a resident of Golden and a regular participant in this event iterates “It’s an absolute blast!” She further emphasizes how people dress up in full costume for these rides while some adorn their bikes with Christmas tree lights to light up the night. There are many who choose not to wear helmets during this event, however, it is strongly encouraged to do so. After all, it is possible to keep your head safe and look pretty snappy as Annie Oakley with a helmet hidden under a cowboy hat.

This month the cruise happens on August 30th. The theme will be “Bike In Movie Night.” So if you plan to attend, there will be a costume contest for people who decide to come as movie characters and plenty of food and drink to go around before heading out at 6:30 pm.

Here’s the facebook page for Golden Cruises so you can keep track of when the next one’s going to happen if you want to become either a casual or regular participant in this extravagant event. ^_^

AntiCycle Tour

"If constellations had been named in the 20th century, I suppose we would see bicycles." -- Carl Sagan

Pedaling through the refreshing mist of an Appalachian morning, I suddenly realize this is my last week on the tour. There is the excitement of finishing something huge. The sadness of beautiful endings - a preemptive nostalgia. I am determined to let this morning sink in. To focus on the ride and nothing else. No cameras, no photographs. Just my body, my mind, my bicycle, and the world. I look deeply at the lone tree on the hill, barely visible through the fog. I focus on the cemetery ahead of me and notice the weathered whitewash of the church next to it. I breathe fully, living and dying with each pedal stroke. I speak to my muscles as they flex and release, push and pull. I listen intently to the dense silence of clouds - the only sound is the gentle hiss of my tires on the pavement, rolling through mile after mile of this place, this idea, this thing we call America.

Cycling is a sport. Cycling is a hobby. An activity. It is for fun and for transportation. Cycling is and can be so many different things for so many different people, but sooner or later cycling becomes a lifestyle, a way of living. What began for me as a fun and exciting weekend of mountain biking as a kid in junior high school has finally grown into a full-fledged self-supported bicycle tour across the country. For this period of my life, I feel immensely fortunate to be able to literally exist on my bicycle, with no other occupation than living and traveling through this world on two wheels and a crankset. There is something almost magical about the bicycle, about moving on your own, fueled only by your legs and lungs, about being outside in the sun, the wind, the rain, and the bugs.

While on the tour I have learned that to bicycle is to sort through life. To leave behind that which should be left behind - broken fenders, headwinds, and loads of roadkill - and to focus only on what is important - moving forward, the road, and the machine that takes you there.

The more time I spend on the bicycle and the more time I spend around cyclists, the more convinced I become that the magical quality of the bicycle lifestyle is its constant positivity. In our world of overproduction, overconsumption, and consistent overstimulation, the bicycle - in its pure and self-sustaining simplicity - is always and inevitably something positive. This is why communities like Boulder, where cycling is a high priority, are so special.

Building on the inherent positivity of the bicycle, my cross-country tour is working to benefit SafeHouse Denver, a local women's and children's domestic violence shelter. It is my hope that cycling, as a worldwide community and a positive social force, can help benefit what I believe is one of the most widespread and vicious illnesses plaguing our society. Click here to learn more about the AntiCycle project and to find out how you can become a part of it.

Pedal well!

“Look! No Hands!”

During the ride home on my usual route today, I was struck with a pang of jealousy and shame. On this one stretch of bike path, there were at least a half-dozen bike riders not using the handlebars, most of whom were able to PASS me going downhill.

I don’t pretend to have a good sense of balance; I dance ballet and figure skate competitively. But whenever I try just lifting my hands a fraction of an inch above the handlebars, something along the lines of THIS epic mistake brought to you by Youtube happens.


What’s the DEAL!? I must have missed some invaluable lesson in my elementary bike riding lessons as a child.

Now, UNFORTUNATELY, according to Colorado State Law, riding without using your hands is ILLEGAL.
Here's the actual law itself:

"7. A person operating a bicycle or electrical assisted bicycle shall keep at least one hand on the handlebars at all times." [See Official Website]

Who knew? Well, it seems there were even MORE people like me who had nasty accidents on their bikes that lead to this law being put in place.

Now, there is a loophole in this law that brings me to a slightly more befuddling issue:
Biking while using a cellphone.
TECHNICALLY, there are no laws (YET) that prohibit one from using a cellphone while biking (since you can still bike with at LEAST one hand).

You may be asking, "Why would they need to make one? Only complete idiots talk on cellphones while operating heavy machinery that could kill people in an instant."

You'd be surprised just how many of them there are.

Just a year ago I was walking by the Physics building on CU campus when I saw (you ready for this?) a guy talking excitedly on his cellphone, riding a bike with one hand and not wearing a helmet. Perhaps it was the spirit of the Physics building that gave me insight into the inevitable, but the scene that unfolded was exactly as I predicted it:


Rider + bike + cellphone - hand + TREE =


He went RIGHT over the handlebars and into the tree. Then, MIRACULOUSLY he rolls over and gets up, leaving his bike mangled against the tree, still yapping away on his cellphone like nothing happened at all.

Oh I'd give ANYTHING to tell you this story was completely made up just to prove a point. But no, the situation lent itself quite splendidly to the cause, and I was finally given the opportunity to tell it in an effective context.

Am I advocating for anti-cellphone biking laws? I would really prefer it to NOT come to that point where a law NEEDS to be made. I am merely stating some facts that I sincerely hope all of you intelligent people out there will take to heart and share with the world.

Seriously, riding a bike without hands (and without a helmet) is illegal and dangerous! Everyone stay safe out there!

^_^

Why Is My Bike So Hard To Pedal?

Oh how I have missed riding my bike. I just got it back this Monday and already I feel like a better person!

However, just this morning, I noticed something was terribly wrong…

I mean, biking in 80-degree weather without shade is hard enough, especially when you have a dark helmet absorbing and retaining all the heat. Well, I guess it is better to be overheated rather than lying on the ground with a fatal head injury. So I guess a little heat is a small price to pay for living…but anyway. The heat wasn’t the main problem.

Normally, when you’re riding your bike, typically you don’t feel like you’re biking up a mountain when you’re on a TINY incline? I know I usually don’t, unless I’ve got virtually my entire bookcase in my backpack while riding to my art history class. With only a water bottle and a few notebooks, clearly something wasn’t right.

I stopped on the bike path to take a look at my bike to see if any of the gears were grinding, or if the brake pads were rubbing. Nope, everything checked out fine. My tires felt firm too, so what was wrong with this bike?

It wasn’t until I looked down and saw that the chain was a gear higher than it should be… I had been riding in 24^th gear when my gauge told me it was in 16^th.

Oops…

AND I noticed there’s a lot of accumulated gunk in the hubs. It’s probably due to the INSANE monsoon-weather we’ve been having.

I intend to take my bike down to get it tuned up before I attempt that ride again.

My situation was a rare one. But there are a multitude of different factors that can make your bike feel like you’re pedaling through molasses, and all of which the people at the CU Bike Station can help you fix!

1) Tire deflation

2) A dirty or dry chain (which probably lead to my chain getting stuck on that gear)

3) Brakes rubbing

4) Wobbly/crooked wheel

5) If your wheels are straight AND the brake pads look okay, but your wheel still slows to a stop without them, you might have some gunk stuck in the bearings or the hubs (it’s GOOD to have grease though!)

Fatigued muscles are the ONLY things the bike shop can’t fix (which could also be an issue).

But if you make sure your bike is happy, you will be too!

^_^

Summertime.

It's summertime. That means classwork takes a back burner, and the glorious warm days of Boulder's summer are to be taken advantage of. That means piling on the inner tubes and hop in the swollen Boulder Creek.

Our blog writers are doing just this, so our posts are a little slim pickings these days. If you readers have something to share, drop us a line and we'll post a few guest posts this summer to add variety.

Biking in Japan Continued （続く）

Alright!

I managed to siphon through more of my pictures from Japan.

There are SO many of them it’s overwhelming. But I finally found the perfect pictures to explain a rather humorous story about getting abysmally lost in the suburbs of rural Nagahama.

The number one coolest thing about Japan is everything is local (within biking distance), which was good for us since bikes were our only modes of private transportation. The number one UNcool thing about Japan, however, is that there are NO street signs! This can make finding a new place next to impossible, unless you have an amazing sense of direction and a massive amount of luck.

One VERY sunny June afternoon last year, three fellow American college students and I set out find a ramen noodle store in downtown Nagahama. The first thing to note here is we were following directions from our dojo master (Master Abe), who spoke in an incredibly difficult dialect, even for us Japanese majors. So right off the bat, we knew we’d have to rely on instinct. With almost no idea of where we were going, we set off on our bikes in the general direction Master Abe pointed out.

We must have looped around the same freaking neighborhood at least five times before we finally found someone to ask for directions. Even with directions, we still had to turn around at a few dead ends and stop for a water break. At this point,

we had been biking in the hot sun, at high noon, for over an hour and a half with no food in sight; we were STARVING.

After some bickering amongst the group, we finally agreed to let the one and only guy in the group lead us, since he seemed to have a more confident grasp of where we were headed. At that point, anyone who had an inkling of where to go was better than nothing.

At long last, we finally reached the tiny restaurant and were greeted with a hearty “IrrasshAAAI!” as we walked through the doors. It was only until we sat down and I tried to take my bag off my shoulder did I realize how badly sunburned I was. As you can see from the image, it was pretty darn painful, BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT! The ramen was neither freeze-dried nor pre-processed; they were definitely the best noodles I’ve had in my entire life.

Well, I guess the moral of this story is: never take directions from a man with a Kansai accent … you won’t get very far, very quickly.

If anyone has any quirky biking stories they’d like to share, feel free to reply to this posting! ^_^

Yep, that's me on the far left ...ow...

Boulder Walk and Bike Month

(This logo was actually modified from last year’s. It seems they haven’t made a 2011 logo yet.)

In honor of Boulder Walk and Bike Month (which I JUST learned about), I thought I’d take a moment to talk about GoBikeBoulder.net and all the great opportunities they offer.

Firstly, Boulder Walk and Bike month runs annually throughout the month of June and the 22^nd is official Bike to Work Day!

What a great idea!

I mean, if you’re not separated by miles upon miles of highway, why not try biking to work in the morning? Especially if you live in Boulder, it’s such a glorious ride with the sun coming up and the air being the perfect temperature. I seriously recommend it to anyone who is able.

Secondly, I know there are others out there (like me) who get lost every time they try to map out a new bike path for the first time. Unfortunately, not everyone is a geographical genius with sense of direction like a compass. But luckily for us, there’s a great feature on GoBikeBoulder that works just like Google Maps, except it shows you ALL the bike paths, on AND OFF road, AND allows you to find the nearest bike shops. If you’re not sure of the exact address, just click on the map they provide!

Not only that, it includes a feature that graphs the elevation throughout your bike route. So whether you want to avoid impossibly steep hills, or you just enjoy the extra workout, this can be a great way to plan the intensity of your biking experience.

For anyone interested, here’s the link to the GoBikeBoulder main page, and here’s a link to the MAPPING TOOL, or you can just click on the button on the right of the main page. You’ll have to login as a guest OR create an account to use the mapping tool, which is free and easy too.

Have a safe and happy Walk and Bike Month!!! ^_^

Bikes for Everyone

I was walking on Pearl Street the other day and I noticed a group of red bicycles lined up next to each other. I have heard of many other cities, specifically in Europe, who have the implemented a public bike system. Little did I know that the city of Boulder has taken on the responsibility of the bicycle sharing system as well. I say responsibility because it is the duty of our citizens to make sure bikes are returned and not stolen. Is our city reliable enough to take on such a task? I certainly hope so.

There are countless benefits that can come from community bicycle programs. The obesity factor in our country makes this concept extremely appealing to many cities. It would even contribute to Colorado's over weight problems, even though this is the only state with obesity at less than 20%. Greenhouse gas emissions need to be drastically reduced, and public bikes are another way to help our country's cause. Getting to your destination can be expensive, especially with gas prices consistently on the rise. An on-street bike rental program could be the transportation answer for those who are strapped for cash. Programs like this one are definitely capable of changing cities and the planet for the better, but what are the potential risks?

That very same day I was walking through the University Hill neighborhood, and I saw a lone red bike cast aside in the bushes. Could this be the unfortunate unavoidable result of a public bike system in Boulder? America's greenest campus could potentially be littered with these red bikes. Granted, worse things have happened, but the city's efforts to better itself could be thwarted by lazy cyclists. There is also the issue of theft. Boulder has spent thousands of dollars bringing these public bikes to our city, and there is a good chance that many of them will be stolen. We must take it upon ourselves to return these shared bikes to their rightful stations, and try not to be tempted into thinking that a rented bike means a free bike. That being said, I think this new system is a great step in making our city, state, and planet a better place for cyclists and everyone else. Until next time, keep those wheels turning.
Nick Wachs

Bicycle Wheels and a Film Lesson

A Zoetrope was an early animation method used during the mid 19th century. It consisted of a series of different pictures placed around a cylindrical column. When the column was spun fast enough the images appeared to meld together to create the ILLUSION of movement.

The average human eye can only perceive single images at speeds slower than 10 frames per second (fps). This is why a movie can stream single frames at speeds of 30 fps, but still appear to be motion picture. This is also why a bike’s spokes appear to blend together when they’re rotating quickly.

I was fortunate enough to come across an extremely cool demonstration of this principle, USING a bike wheel.

Check it out on Youtube here!

^_^

Summer Biking Withdrawal?!

I would never have thought it possible to have biking withdrawal during the SUMMER!
I know, crazy right?!

Leaving my bike tethered at my mom’s house was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. It just looked so lonely and sad, but I didn’t have a choice; imagine trying to drag my bike through airport security!

Now that I’m back in Massachusetts, with its abundance of lush green foliage and fresh, moist air, I am now forced to ride in, dare I say it, a CAR …the pure irony of the situation is unbearable.

Instead of riding my bike, I am now reduced to getting my boring finances planned out and completing tasks I had been putting off until now because I had much more productive things to do …like riding my bike and getting some much needed vitamin D.

Summer biking withdrawal (or SBW) is a serious condition that affects one’s mood, appetite and general well-being. In order to avoid this terrible condition, one must:

• Ride his or her bike at least once a day (when weather permits, and when it’s an especially glorious day).
• Spend no more than thirty minutes on the computer. The other 23.5 hours should be spent bike riding, eating or sleeping.
• If one cannot get access to some form of sustainable transportation, find a convertible and drive with the top down.
• Don’t go to college half a country away and always have a backup bike for when you come home.

Don't become a SBW victim like me. Take these steps to benefit your overall quality of life.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far! Get some extra biking in for me! (Please) ^-^

Mission: Beat That Bus!

Maymester at CU has been a true eye-opener for me. Normally I would say that being forced to get to school without the luxury of the bus system is just a huge pain. But I have to say, there are some MAJOR perks to having your own private mode of transportation that allows you to skip traffic lights and cut right through campus.

I never realized the true advantage of having a bike until I actually BEAT the Buff Bus to my destination by a good 5 minutes.

A few weeks back, I was still trying and failing miserably to find the fastest and most direct path to school from my apartment. I was almost late to three classes and nearly killed myself when I had to stop short at a ditch that followed a very shallow turn on the path near Kittredge. Now after all my wanderings I’ve finally found my route.

Well, technically it’s TWO separate routes; one for the ride to school, and one for the ride home. The route I take to school is a bit longer, but the hill climb is not very steep at all and takes me along Baseline then Broadway. It’s perfect for a groggy morning after an all-night study session.

This is the route I took that left the bus in the dust.

If you get enough speed at the start of Baseline, you can FLY up those hills, not to mention the fact that you don’t have to wait for those traffic lights!

The route home is a LOT more simple and is almost ALL downhill (WEEEE!!!). I just cut straight through Kittredge and catch the tunnel under 36 that leads to the bike path.

I can’t wait until the regular school year again so I can try and beat my previous record! ^_^

Let the Path Take You

Greetings fellow Boulder cyclists! Summer has finally started to fight its way through the crisp spring. The spokes are beginning to turn with the seasons. The glorious days of sunshine are upon us!

It has been a long frigid winter. I can't even remember the last time I slipped on a pair of flip-flops. A sense of accomplishment and freedom lingers in the air with students finishing up another semester and a lucky few graduating. What better way to celebrate the start of summer than to cruise on through one of Boulder's many biking trails? Just the other day I was riding along the creek, and an uplifting feeling of joy put a nice bounce in my pedaling. The birds were chirping, the trees and flowers were blooming, and even the homeless seemed chipper. I decided to explore.

I've never gone out for a ride without an intended destination. The warm air and sunshine just inspired me to lose myself on the path. I found completely different parts of boulder. Secret niches and interesting geography littered the entire adventure. After wandering various paths for several hours I began to realize that I needed to eventually get home. Heading back the way I came seemed impossible because of my spontaneous route. Uneasiness began to takeover as darkness set in. I hadn't planned ahead for a night ride, so I started to worry about being seen by traffic. My eyes were peeled for anything that might be recognizable. I was about to give up hope and call a ride, until I saw the creek.

A rush of relief gave me an adrenaline boost that got me home just before dark. My seemingly unending adventure was finally over! Exploring uncharted territory was a lot of fun, but next time I think I'll use a map.

The long summer ahead will bring plenty of opportunities for more path charting. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the beautiful weather to come.

Until next time, keep those wheel's turning!
Nick Wachs

Laser Safety

I have always taken the streets of Boulder for granted. We have been lucky enough to have designated biking lanes for all our cyclists. I never really thought of what life would be like without these lanes until recently. I just got back from a trip to Chicago, another biking enthusiast city, and a rather creative invention was brought to my attention; Laser Light Lanes. I found this innovative idea on the top floor of the Chicago Art Institute, and apparently quite a few cities are catching on. The idea was first thought of in Massachusetts. The basic concept is to promote cycling safety at night in locations without designated bike lanes.
The inventor had witnessed one too many of his friends clipped by traffic, and decided to take action. He came up with a device that attaches to the back of virtually any bike seat. This device uses a laser pointing mechanism to paint a wide enough lane for bikers to safely cruse along the streets with traffic. The laser lane is also narrow enough for cars to pass by with ease. I can only imagine seeing a group of cyclists ride by with neon colors trailing close behind. At first glance it might seem a little ridiculous, but the idea actually makes a lot of sense. It would allow for anyone to ride at night on the streets of virtually any city without worrying about cars drifting into your vicinity. There are plenty of cities around the U.S. that aren't as favorable to bikers as Boulder is, and these Laser Lanes would allow biking enthusiasts around the country to enjoy their own personal lanes. Could this be the future of biking?
Investors of this product are excited to put it on the open market. They understand how expensive it can be for some cities to construct miles and miles bike lanes on pavement, and how dangerous it can be to ride on streets without them. Once it is made available the designers want it to be functional and affordable for everyone with a bike. The gadget would primarily be used for night riding, but it would be extremely useful for cities that don't experience much daylight throughout the year. Its beams are also bright enough for every passing car to see and understand that a cycler occupying that portion of the road.
We should consider ourselves fortunate to have lanes and trails all throughout Boulder. However; these Laser Lanes could prove beneficial in the near future for riders who need to traverse those dark dangerous roads.
Until next time, keep those wheels turning!
Nick Wachs

Good Intentions

Sometimes even the best of intentions can go amiss, and it is true, sometimes too many chefs really do spoil the soup. At the risk of sounding like an ungrateful, never satisfied, and always upset bicycle snob, I have to write about some good intentions out on the road that generally go wrong, and that need to be fixed.

The cyclist's usual and greatest frustrations when it comes to dealing with automobiles are obviously those situations when the cyclist is nearly smashed and run over. These scenarios include cars making crazy left hand turns, drivers who are texting and unknowingly driving in the bike lane, and the infamous and terrifying blind right hand turn. While these are the typical cyclist gripes (and with good reason), there is another automobile action that is just as annoying, uncomfortable, and potentially as dangerous.

The situation I'm talking about is when drivers, attempting to be conscious of and helpful to the approaching cyclist, just stop in the middle of the road to let the cyclist complete his or her left hand turn. While I fully believe this is done with the best of intentions, and the hopes of somehow protecting the cyclist or of providing the cyclist with a high priority on the road, it is one of the most awkward and potentially dangerous situations for a cyclist to be placed into.

First of all, it's extremely uncomfortable because the cyclist, waiting for a gap in traffic in which to make the turn is suddenly and unknowingly thrown into the position of literally holding up traffic, as everyone must now wait behind this hyper-sensitive, awkward, stopped driver. Beyond this, however, it can be very dangerous if the cyclist is trying to turn across two lanes of traffic. With that one car stopped in the middle of the road, the cyclist feels pressure to hurry and make the turn then and there, but often, the cars coming in the other lane, or those stuck behind the suddenly stopping driver, speed past them. If the cyclist is pressured into making a turn at the same time that other cars are speeding around the traffic jam in the other lane, this could lead to a potentially bad collision. Finally, it's never a good idea for cars to just stop in the middle of traffic -- when drivers do this, they are putting themselves at risk of being rear-ended and causing a pileup. In short, when automobilists try to help bikers by suddenly stopping in the middle of traffic, they actually put everyone at risk: cyclists must uncomfortably make turns, cyclists risk being struck by traffic in other lanes, and the cars themselves risk an accident.

Throughout my daily commutes, I make several left hand turns, waiting for holes in the traffic to cut across the road, into the turn lane, and finally making the turn. In doing this, I've experienced the above scenario quite often lately, and while I'm sure the car drivers are doing this with nothing but the best and nicest of intentions, things work better and safer all around if we all just stick to the agreement: bikes are treated as real vehicles on the roads with rights and responsibilities, riding in the designated bike lanes, using hand signals to turn and enter traffic, etc. If everyone involved acts in accordance with this, the roads will be safer and more efficient -- automobilists can get to wherever they need to and so can the cyclists.

Biking in Japan (日本に自転車を乗っていること)

Last summer I finally went to Japan.
It was my absolute dream for most of my life I still can’t believe it actually happened! I frequently look at the thousands of photos I took from my tiny 2 megapixel camera phone to remind myself it wasn't all some vivid and wonderful dream.

I have to say, bike riding in Japan is quite the different experience, especially compared to Colorado. I stayed in a small village named Nagahama in the Shiga prefecture. Kyoto’s about an hour by train.


My purpose there was to learn Japanese puppetry (人形浄瑠璃―Ningyou Joururi) and improve on my language skills before my last semester of Japanese classes.
Every morning I rode this bike (RIGHT) to the Tonda Puppet house. It had three gears, a self-powered light, a conveniently large basket in the front and of course a bell (that I overused quite a lot).
It was a bit scary not wearing a helmet, but biking in Japan is a lot safer than in the US. There are almost no cars and everyone is just so wonderfully courteous!
And of course, every morning: THIS is what I got to ride past:



It was like being in a movie and SO unreal! There were just rice fields, distant mountains and clear blue skies (except when it rained).
Something interesting I noticed about Japanese bike riders is that you'll almost never see someone just riding a bike for the heck of it. People mostly just use bikes for getting place to place.
Also, most Japanese people are Buddhists, Shintoists or both, so there's a general fixation on the sanctification of nature, which of course means,
NO MOUNTAIN BIKING! (GASP!)

Here’s another picture of the main shopping center in Nagahama. The streets are really made more for pedestrians than cars or bikes. They're so narrow you can BARELY fit two cars side by side (and that's two JAPANESE cars that are considerably smaller).

There are so many of these pictures to sort through! But I'll be sure to post some more pictures of my biking adventures in Japan soon!
^_^