Knog is known for their lights and their colorful silicon housings that let you attach and remove them easily. The Frog has become a mainstay of city riders all over due to its minimalist size and the ability to fit just about anywhere (bar, post, helmet, frame…) including your pocket for when you don’t want the lights left out. The Beetle is similar in size and shape, but in terms of light output it is many times brighter than the Frog. I’ve always found the Frog lights to be woefully underpowered as they disappear in the darkness, but the two higher-output LEDs of the Beetle have no such problems. These are bright enough that I feel that people can actually see them, especially when paired with another on your bag or back. Great lights for the bike that you most likely won’t get caught out at night on, but just might. Good insurance tucked up by the seatpost clamp on that road bike for the next all-day ride that could turn into evening with a flat tire or three.
Along with their ability to attach to all sorts of points, the silicon body of the Beetle also houses a switch that pretty well covers the entire to of the light and has a tactile on/off feel. No slop here, the switch hasn’t exhibited any problems and the Beetle seems to handle the rain just fine. There are unfortunately more than on/steady/blink modes available, you have a few other blinking choices to cycle through every time you turn the thing off. The unique housing shape also requires use of two CR2032 button cells that according to Knog lend 25 hours of steady run time and 130 hours of blink per pair. The $19 beetle is available in a number of different housing colors, each with either red or white LEDs.
The epic Melburn Roobaix ride wrapped up it’s fourth running just days ago, put on by the prolific Andy White of fyxomatosis. Some 350+ riders did the pave laden ride this year, all receiving special edition jerseys, patch kits and a Brev Fyxomatosis Chainring (now available in 110/130/135/144mm BCD). Read the full ride report with tons of photos.
If you haven’t already be sure to check out Andy White’s Photo Gallery feature in Urban Velo #11 and his story in Urban Velo #12, Pain in the Neck.
BikeFriendly.com just launched last week as a new resource for cyclists to share images and videos of bicycle accommodations at the micro level, showing individual streets or storefronts for example. Users can then vote on given facilities, lending a rating of friendliness to each locale. I could see this site becoming a useful resource for bike advocates trading ideas and traffic solutions back and forth in one centralized place rather than the smattering of blogs and emails that currently make the rounds.
The Velo City Tour is back for 2009. After a successful run last year, veteran courier, event planner and bike-guy Squid Bolger of CycleHawk is doing it all over again. Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Houston, Atlanta, Portland – many of the major tracks in the United States. Posters and postcards are available with a simple email; just make life easy and include your mailing address the first time around.
I was referred to www.engrish.com by a friend and colleague from Japan. We at Urban Velo have total respect for Asian culture, but funny is funny. Much like the time when I accidentally made a pass (in Japanese) at a 60-year-old Japanese woman when I simply meant to compliment her artwork.
That said, there are some real gems among the Engrish blog posts. Among my personal favorites are this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this. Bicycle related ones are here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
If these aren’t funny enough, check out the Adult Engrish website.
Bicycle author Sam Tracy recently wrote to us from his current outpost in Africa working with the Peace Corps to bring a bicycle repair class to Mauritania. Taught through a local trade-school, this class is meant to show students basic repair techniques using proper tools, allowing them to walk away with the skills necessary to work as a bicycle mechanic and furthering the use of bicycles in this underdeveloped country. Park Tool is helping the project stock up on tools, but donations are needed to fully fund the discounted tools and ship them overseas. Donations are needed to meet the modest $1567 purchase a reality – read more about the project and lend a few dollars if you can at the Peace Corps official website.
Sam Tracy:
The class will be hosted at CFPP – Atar, a popular and well-established local trade school. It will run from October through June 2010, and it will strive to cover all aspects of bicycle repair that would be of use, locally. I will be developing the curriculum myself, over the next several months. I will teach in French; CFPP staff will translate to Hassaniya. Bike repair requires a number of specialized tools not commonly available in Mauritania, and Park Tool of Saint Paul, MN has come through with a very generous discount on all the equipment needed, which will be delivered via diplomatic pouch. This is the part where I ask you for money – $1,567 is needed to purchase the tools. This would cover 3 sets of everything needed to competently repair bicycles – repair stands, wheel truing stands and all manner of hand tools. One set of tools would stay with the school for future classes, and the others will be presented to class participants upon graduation.
Planet Bike recently sent us a little love in the form of this Blaze 1w & SuperFlash set. We reviewed the Blaze 1w in the past, and we’re generally no stranger to Planet Bike’s products. These latest offerings feature stealthier color schemes, but offer the same features as in the past. Keep an eye peeled for an official review of the SuperFlash Stealth tail light.
The set retails for $70. Visit www.planetbike.com for more info.
Here’s a look at some of the I Love Riding in the City contributors from issue #13.
We want you to represent your city. Click here, and don’t forget to attach a high-res photo.
Real Ultimate Power Alleycat, the first Raleigh alleycat of 2009 coming up this weekend on May 2nd.
Urban Velo #13 is at the printer, and the new issue will be available online by May 1st. This represents the beginning of our third year of publishing, and we’re pretty stoked to start it off with our biggest issue ever. Visit www.urbanvelostore.com to subscribe to the print edition and we’ll mail your copy as soon as they’re available. And remember, you can subscribe to the Podcast version and iTunes will download the new PDF automatically.
Twin Six has been offering limited edition (100 men’s, 100 women’s) shirts, and this has to be the coolest one to date. The On the Third Day He Rode t-shirt features Jesus on a track bike.
Printed in heavenly cream and Ash Wednesday black on blood red super-soft cotton t-shirts, the design elicited praise from everyone I showed it to. Unfortunately, Twin Six had already sold out of their stock by the time we received ours.
Twin Six, why hast thou forsaken me?
I’m praying the design will be resurrected. Visit www.twinsix.com and tell them to bring the Jesus shirt back!
We got some good news from Chicago’s West Town Bikes, and thought we would pass it on:
We are happy to announce the Grand Opening of West Town’s New Learning and Retail Shop this May Day! West Town is moving from our North Ave alley location to a storefront on Paseo Boricua. West Town Bikes will continue to offer a variety of mechanic classes and events for adults and children in the new location in addition to opening Ciclo Urbano, a full service community bike shop! All sales from the shop will support West Town Bikes’ larger mission of providing bicycle education for Chicago youth.
Come celebrate the new community and bike education center May 1st with a parade, block party, music, food, drink and dancing!
Visit www.westtownbikes.org for more info.
Grand Theft Velo III, Elm City is on May 16 in New Haven, CT. As a third annual event I’d suspect it is organized fairly well, that’s how it usually goes. Meet at Wooster Square, race promptly at 5pm. More info at www.scorchers.tk
Here’s a sort of guest post from Todd Lyons of SE Bikes:
Remember the Flick Trix finger bikes from about 10 years ago? Well they’re back! But this time they have a lot more style and design, specific to each brand. Check out the PK Ripper Looptail frame design and Landing Gear forks! And you’ll be happy to know that they’re launching both current and retro models. SE Bikes will have two colorways of the PK Ripper Looptail that will drop this summer in Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart, Target and toy stores nationwide. They’ll be available in the USA, Canada, France, Australia and the UK.
Flick Trix plans to run full page ads in magazines and run TV commercials. The marketing behind this round of Flick Trix bikes will be huge. Pricing will be under $10 for the bike & about $15 for the Bike Shop. It won’t be surprising if the old-school BMX collectors clean the shelves of every PK Ripper in stores city wide. So when they become available, you better act fast.
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Knog is known for their lights and their colorful silicon housings that let you attach and remove them easily. The Frog has become a mainstay of city riders all over due to its minimalist size and the ability to fit just about anywhere (bar, post, helmet, frame…) including your pocket for when you don’t want the lights left out. The Beetle is similar in size and shape, but in terms of light output it is many times brighter than the Frog. I’ve always found the Frog lights to be woefully underpowered as they disappear in the darkness, but the two higher-output LEDs of the Beetle have no such problems. These are bright enough that I feel that people can actually see them, especially when paired with another on your bag or back. Great lights for the bike that you most likely won’t get caught out at night on, but just might. Good insurance tucked up by the seatpost clamp on that road bike for the next all-day ride that could turn into evening with a flat tire or three. 
Along with their ability to attach to all sorts of points, the silicon body of the Beetle also houses a switch that pretty well covers the entire to of the light and has a tactile on/off feel. No slop here, the switch hasn’t exhibited any problems and the Beetle seems to handle the rain just fine. There are unfortunately more than on/steady/blink modes available, you have a few other blinking choices to cycle through every time you turn the thing off. The unique housing shape also requires use of two CR2032 button cells that according to Knog lend 25 hours of steady run time and 130 hours of blink per pair. The $19 beetle is available in a number of different housing colors, each with either red or white LEDs. 
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