Urban Velo #36 iPad Bonus
Urban Velo #36 has been out in print and as a digital download for a month now, and without much fanfare we added pages to our iPad version in the form of an extended 20 page NAHBS gallery section. Urban Velo has always been designed with a page size roughly the same as the iPad screen, and we are now able to take advantage of the iPad’s display and magazine browsing capabilities to deliver a high resolution digital version of the magazine This is as close to print as it gets, with a few added links and navigation and in the case of #36 over a dozen added pages of content exclusive to the iPad format.
iPad issues are available for $1.99 each through the free Urban Velo iPad App.
Building Bike-Friendly Cities of The Future
Our cities are changing. Slowly but surely they’re becoming better places to ride. It may not feel that way every time an impatient driver cuts you off or when a bike lane ends at an awkward intersection… But thirty US cities now have bike-share schemes, with more planned. The popularity of cycling has expanded from places like Portland, San Francisco and Minneapolis to become a part of mainstream culture across the country, as more and more people turn to cycling as the easiest way to get around. Thousands of miles of bike lanes, paths and trails that didn’t exist ten years ago are not only in place and well used, but have become an integral feature of the urban environment.
Alexander Montsenigos and the Unwinnable Argument
Any cyclist inclined to defend his right to the road is familiar with the following argument, which is offered in various formulations: Lawless behavior by any cyclist relieves all drivers of any legal or moral obligation to all cyclists. Drivers will honor cyclists’ legal rights only when all cyclists conform carefully to the rules of the road with a punctiliousness that most drivers could not achieve if they tried. Ironically, this argument uses the law as a sort of stalking horse to relieve drivers of their own legal obligations.
Ramps And Pins
Fast and precise shifts are a huge part of the bicycle economy. Since the first bicycle gears shifted, tinkerers have been theorizing and testing ways to improve the performance. Shifters and derailleurs have seen obvious changes and evolution over the years, but just as important are the teeth of both the cassette and chainrings. Ramps, pins and complex tooth profiles help shifts happen quickly and smoothly under load, and every major drivetrain company has their own method for making it work.
Track Of Ages
“Encino Velodrome is like Bad News Bears,” Kieron Menzies says of the outdoor track and its place in the world of Southern California track cycling. A recording engineer 70-plus hours a week, 31 year-old Menzies spends much of his few free hours at the velodrome, where he has recently inherited the seat of board president.
