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) ^-^