From AZcentral.com:
A 26-year-old Phoenix man was shot and killed Nov. 21 while riding his bicycle to work, police officials said. About 9 p.m., two Phoenix officers were in the area of 2400 South 107th Avenue when they saw a man fall off his bicycle. As they approached him, they discovered he had been shot. The victim, Michael Harty, told officers that a Hispanic male in his early 20s approached him and shot him, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Harty was taken to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.
Read more.
Deadly Chairs, Bikes Are Banned from Liberty Plaza from ANIMALnewyork.com on Vimeo.
Don’t lie. A number of you have fantasized about throwing your bike at a dangerously distracted driver who just cut you off at the turn and then gave YOU the finger, so maybe it’s not such a stretch when private security and the NYPD banned bikes (and chairs) from Zucotti park in fear that they could be used as weapons. Of course, in the right context they certainly can become weapons, but it’s still amusing to hear the fumbling justifications from these officers when they know how absurd it sounds. Maybe they are on to something though. With all the deaths from tazers, maybe a folded up Brompton is a more effective form of non-lethal weaponry.
Via Animal
So you’re tired of off the shelf eye wear? Feast your eyes on these goggles from Necropolis. The goggles are imported from Germany and then customized with epoxy resin (hand sculpted and hand painted). Prices range from $45 to $60.
Visit necropolis.dreamsindirt.com.
At what point does a bike have so much technology and assist features that it becomes no longer a bike? I don’t know, but the 2012 line of commuter models by Silverback bikes pushes us ever close to that debate. Their Starke models boast integrated motor assist technologies and, get this, a Dynamo front hub that generates power for the Supernova lighting system and a USB port to charge your ipad, smartphone, GPS device…uhh, toaster, coffee maker, electric car…and anything else with a USB outlet.
Silverback is defined as a “global” company, but have yet to establish representation in the U.S. They feature a full line of bikes from road, mountain and 29ers to city, kids, etc. You can watch their 2009 company launch video here, but you might want to turn the volume down because as well thought out as their bikes might be, the corresponding tune is a touch off the mark.
So maybe you are the type of commuter that likes as many bells and whistles as possible, or live in an incredibly hilly locale, or go for incredibly long rides into the wilderness where electronic charging stations have yet to be installed. If so, then it might be worth your while to give a little more consideration to these offerings. And hey, if you already have one of these models, I’m kind of hungry…can you make me some toast?
As much as we at Urban Velo are focused on city riding, each of us have a certain love of the woods as well. In my case I’m quite into bike camping trips, the more primitive the overnight camping situation the better. After much research on my end about stoves, including just using other people’s for a couple of years, I decided on the simplicity of alcohol burners as my cooking solution. Pictured is my ultra-light Trangia Spirit Burner setup, showing the burner itself, the simmer ring, the screw cap, Liberty Westwind slide together windscreen and fuel bottle. Altogether it is about a $40, nearly indestructible stove system.
Since there are so many different windscreen designs and preferred ways to carry fuel, I’ll concentrate on the stove itself. A scant 115 g without fuel, the Trangia is for all intents and purposes a high-quality “beer can stove” or open jet alcohol stove. The advantages of such stoves are their simplicity and easily obtainable alcohol fuel—even in the most remote towns denatured or rubbing alcohol isn’t far away. No pumping, no small parts to break, and no proprietary fuel only available at outdoors stores. The main downside is fuel efficiency, compared to other camp stoves the Trangia uses far more fuel per meal necessitating either carrying a fair amount of it to begin with or planning on finding some along the way. Alcohol burners like this won’t win any speed contests boiling pots of water, but I’ve never complained about the cook time of rice or coffee in the morning. Stove use is simple, just fill it up with alcohol, light the surface of the alcohol with a match and let it go. As the stove and fuel heat up and vaporize in the hollow outer wall the jets eventually light and give it a Bunsen-burner effect. People who’ve not seen one are usually impressed. The simmer ring, and pliers to hold it, allow you to adjust the size of the flame to prevent burning or the pot boiling over.
In the field there are a few things worth noting. I’ve never found the screw top lid to hold fuel securely enough for me to trust it—no matter what, new o-ring or not, it has a tendency to leak so I always make sure the stove is empty before stowing. While alcohol fuel is safe as far as flammable liquids go, the flame can be very hard to see in daylight and you need to be cautious when first lighting the stove. When I buy fuel at home I always use denatured alcohol for the clean burning flame, but often on multi-day trips I end up refueling with common rubbing alcohol which burns just fine but leaves behind a nasty black residue on the outside of the pots, and then your hands. The only problem I’ve had in use is that the alcohol fuel can be hard to light in cold weather—storing the fuel bottle and stove in your jacket for a bit or otherwise warming up the kit solves the problem easily enough though. After a couple of years of use and quite a few days camping the Trangia stove system has never let me down. One of my favorite camping gadgets honestly. Highly recommended for the minimalist kit.
If you support the Occupy movement across the country Minneapolis now has a way to participate on two wheels. On December 1st ride 99 laps around a one mile downtown loop past the local Occupation site. Some may do all the laps, some may plug in for just a few in the afternoon. Organizers have allowed 9 hours, for the event, but not telling how long it may take.
The new All City line of shoes from Chrome is a progression into a slightly more upscale street style. The Riverton and Southside models both feature full-grain leather uppers.
Construction-wise, they are nearly identical to previous Chrome shoes, which is to say they’re well built. The only other major differences are a different colored sole and more subdued logo treatments. Like the rest of Chrome’s non-SPD shoes, the Southside’s soles are comfortable right out of the box. However, like most quality leather shoes, the uppers do take a little while to break in. I experienced a little initial discomfort around my ankles, but the shoes broke in nicely and I’ve been happy ever since.
Style wise, the tan shoes are love-em or hate-em. I personally love them, and so do most of the people I encounter. In fact, my 84 year old Italian barber asked me where he can get a pair. At the same time, the inner city teenagers I work with also compliment me on these kicks. The leather is intended to become distressed with age, and I have a feeling these shoes are still going to look cool in a year or two.
The Southside shoes are available in black, grey and tan (pictured) and retail for $120. Check out www.chromebagsstore.com.
Admittedly, I’m a little loathe to post this because we all know Brooks saddles are made of leather, and as a long time vegan I feel a bit uneasy promoting such wares, but I’m also a designer infatuated with a seemingly dying medium…newsprint, and Brooks is holding onto Ye Olde World ways by releasing a yearly newsprint publication called The Brooks Bugle. Granted, Brooks allows you to view the PDF’s on their website, but nothing beats the tactile experience of reading the articles against a blindingly white stock, examining the meticulously chosen typfaces, looking into the full color photographs and holding, yes HOLDING, the sturdy paper stock between your fingers. I think I came across The Bugle at my local bike shop, but I do remember the excitement I felt when I saw the beautiful publication and recognized the deliberate design of the entire piece.
The Brooks Bugle, however, isn’t appealing only to designers, of course. With a mix of Brooks history and modern events, articles and travel logs submitted by devout Brooks users, the paper serves as a semi-permanent chronicle of bike culture that you won’t find elsewhere. I’ve delicately filed my three issues away for reference material, restricted from lending purposes and dirty toddler fingers, but if you can get your own copies (quickly, I hear previous issues are almost gone!) they would make amazing coffee table material.
Via 88bikes.org:
Asha Promotes Equality, Healing, Happiness For Girls
“The bicycle helps me feel equal to men,” said several girls living at a remote ashram in Bihar, India. These girls are survivors of sexual slavery. They are sheltered by our partner NGO, Free the Slaves for several months before reintegrating back into their communities. One girl, “Asha”, was sold into slavery by a neighbor in her village, escaped after a week, then found her way to the Bihar Ashram to recover. After six months in the ashram she reintegrated back into the same community from which she was sold, a striking example of courage and resiliency.
In 2010, 88bikes volunteers endowed bicycles to every girl at the ashram–including Asha (her name has been changed to honor her privacy)–and led each in painting the most beautiful mural. Bright and optimistic, the mural reflects the girls’ resilience, courage and indomitable spirit. Asha means “hope” in Sanskrit.
Continue reading ‘Announcing 88bikes Project Asha’
Dirty Dozen Race 2011-Canton Ave from Matt Dayak on Vimeo.
Congratulations to regular Urban Velo contributor Steevo for winning The Dirty Dozen for the 8th consecutive time. Congratulations also go to our friend “Stick”, featured on the cover of Urban Velo #1, for winning the single speed category.
You can read more about the history of the Dirty Dozen in our feature story in Urban Velo #5, and more about Danny Chew in our feature story The Million Mile Man in Urban Velo #10.
The VeloCity Bicycle Cooperative is being forced to relocate at the beginning of 2012 and is throwing a party to help raise funds. $5 admission get your gold sprints, music, refreshments, live music and all the other things that come along with a fund raising event.
From DailyMail.co.uk:
A Paralympic cyclist may represent her country in the Olympics after a bike crash miraculously gave her back the use of her legs. Monique van der Vorst, 27, was paralysed from the waist down and had been confined to a wheelchair for 13 years. Powering a bike with her hands, she had represented the Netherlands at the Paralympic Games and won two silver medals. But last year, after being knocked off her bike, her feet started to tingle, and within months, she was able to walk again.
Read more.
Reader Andreas Kleiberg sent us a heads up about this video he created in and around Oslo.
I know, the concept of SHARING in New York? The stereotype of the everday citizen would lead us to think otherwise, but The Big Apple is prepared to prove the naysayers wrong by implementing the biggest bike sharing program in the country once they secure approximately $50 million dollars through corporate sponsorship, which negates the need to utilize transportation tax dollars. The plans call for implentation of the program next summer, which is being spearheaded by an Oregon company, Alta Planning and Design.
I remember the days when “bike sharing programs” consisted of grassroots organizations painting bikes yellow and sending them out into the streets….to ultimately get stolen, trashed and rendered useless. The intentions were great, but the “sharing” concept was lost upon implementation. These new sharing programs are more akin to video rentals than a communal free-for-all, which have proven to be much more sustainable. The bikes are supposed to be highly theft proof and I’m sure New York will put them to the test. Regardless, this program gives cyclists (and tourists) one more reason to heart NY.
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