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From American Cyclery.
Monthly Archive for October, 2010
Places I Wish I Were is a cool Tumblr blog of travel photos. Go on, take a little vicarious vacation.
From the New York Times:
Citing cases dating back as far as 1928, a judge has ruled that a young girl accused of running down an elderly woman while racing a bicycle with training wheels on a Manhattan sidewalk two years ago can be sued for negligence.
After visiting Italy many times, Brian Miller’s Italian in-laws suggested he check out a nearby factory. The Gemmati Velocipedi factory has been there making high performance bikes since 1919. Noticing he had found a virtually undiscovered Italian bicycle maker, he decided to import their bikes to the USA. They’re classic steel lugged frames, all Italian-made, with the appropriate Miche gruppo.
Visit www.irideusa.com for more info.
The low-profile Niterider Stinger has quickly become my go-to rear blinkie since it showed up for review a couple of months back. The silicone body and stretchy quick release strap make it easy to switch bike to bike, or remove when parked for anything more than a few minutes. It fits just about any size post including aero profile versions, though sits at a fixed angle so isn’t well suited for seatstay, helmet or other creative placements. The 1/2 watt LED is as bright as it gets, with a sturdy lens that functions as the on/off switch too. Click it to cycle through the simple three modes – off, steady and an eye catching blink.
I prefer lights like the Stinger that I can easily turn on/off while riding for those times I take off without thinking, but many times this comes at the expense of a blinkie that switches on in pockets and bags when off the bike and the Stinger suffer the same fate. While I’ve had stretchy light mounting o-rings just fall apart on me in the past, the band with the Stinger seems solid enough after some abuse and overstretching, and is easy replaceable (and potentially easily lost) as it isn’t attached to the light body on either side. Niterider has a history of supporting their products, so I’d expect such replacement to be available with a simple email. Expect about 80 hours of flashing out of the CR2032 battery, a bit less in the cold. Overall, I like it and keep moving it bike to bike as I run errands or ride home from polo. For $20 I’d say this is a solid choice for an easy-on, easy-off rear blinkie.
Our hearts go out to the friends and family of 11-year-old Allison Bowers, who was killed while riding her bicycle Tuesday night. The driver, a teenage male, attempted to pass a stopped vehicle who was letting the rest of the Bowers family cross the street safely. Police say the driver was not at fault.
Read more at www.azcentral.com.
As hardcourt bike polo continues to grow and mature, more and more frames are being spotted out there custom built for the court. One of the latest is the Rustbelt Welding Company’s Marco, shown here in it’s prototype unpainted glory. It is based on track bike handling but with smaller and stronger 26″ wheels and the larger volume tires that come with them. Short wheelbase, quick handling, and a high bottom bracket pretty well sum it up, and make it an agile, quick turning polo bike that doesn’t feature a gaping 5-hole like many repurposed mountain frames do. No word on pricing or availability, but expect a second Marco to be on the courts at the Midwest Opens in Lexington in just a few weeks.
See more frames from the Cleveland based Rustbelt Welding at their blog: rustbeltwelding.wordpress.com
This series of images was produced by artist Alain Delorme. They’re primarily a statement about the struggle of Chinese migrant workers.
According to a recent report from the New York Times:
The New York Police Department plans to step up enforcement of bicycle safety in parts of the city that have seen a disproportionately higher rate of collisions involving bicyclists, city officials said Thursday.
The initiative, which would be aimed at common cycling infractions like running red lights or riding on the sidewalk, comes after numerous complaints about two-wheeled scofflaws and recent protests against new bicycle lanes added to streets in Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan.
Urban Velo #22 is at the printer, and it’ll be available online before all the ghouls and goblins go home for the night. 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.
Contents Include: Holeshot, The Bastard Child of Cycle Speedway, Mountain Bike Philadelphia, Return of the Scorcher, E-Z Money, Beantown Builders, Gallery: Still Passing By, Residue, Winter Tire Considerations, Antique Tech: Crankset, Why Cable Locks Suck and No Exit.
Come trick or treat your way around Pittsburgh’s cemeteries and haunted places. This is a fun race with treats and prizes for fastest and most candy collected. Bring friends and your sweet tooth.
7pm Saturday, October 30th
$2 with costume, $4 without
Meet at Heinz Chapel on the Cathedral Side
Here’s a look at some of the I Love Riding in the City contributors for issue #22.
We want you to represent your city. Click here, and don’t forget to attach a high-res photo. A “high-res” photo, for those who don’t know, is typically 300dpi or greater at print size. If you’re not sure, try sending the unedited photo file that comes from a digital camera.
The recently announced Volume Generator comes with an 8-speed Alfine hub, disc brakes and clearance for big tires. Plus it’s handmade in the USA.
According to Volume, “The thing rides like a dream and can still jump off a curb and do a mean wheelie. We’ll be offering it as a complete and should be due out around April/ May.”
Via Prolly.
According to an article in The Villager, the recent bike lane protests in NYC’s East Village have been largely ineffective:
More supporters of bike lanes than critics of them turned up last Friday afternoon at an East Village rally intended to decry the new, protected pathways along First and Second Aves.
Leslie Sicklick, an unemployed teacher and lifelong Lower East Sider, and a couple of other bike-lane opponents were far outnumbered by about 15 cyclists and advocates at the demo, at the northeast corner of 14th St. and First Ave.
Sicklick claimed the bike lanes have made the streets more dangerous, and that pedestrians are being injured.
Via BikeBlogNYC.
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