Bike thefts linked to Strava

Strava_Feed_iphone6A recent news story from Albuquerque, NM ends with a dire sounding warning about using GPS tracking apps:

Authorities also say a big tip to prevent having your bike stolen out of your home is to avoid using any GPS tracking apps to map and share your routes. That can lead thieves straight to where you store your expensive ride.

“High-end bike owners, retailers believe theft ring taking stolen cycles to Juarez”

The implication here is that bike thieves are monitoring ride-sharing sites like Strava and Map My Ride, figuring out where routes start or end and targeting those houses for theft. How much of a threat is this really, though? Keep reading →

Touring bikes at NAHBS

Touring bikes at NAHBS

I absolutely love the classic looks of a touring bike. Especially when punctuated by leather accents and accessories. I honestly am not sure what it is about the touring style that draws my attention so much (even though I can’t seem to get the stuff together to get my own touring bike project off the ground.) And the 2016 edition of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show provided plenty of beautiful examples to fulfill that interest. Keep reading →

Fixed gear style, disc brake safety

I sure wouldn’t have thought of it. But putting a disc  on the crank of a fixed gear bike is, for the most part, just as good as putting it on the back wheel. At least, that was the idea that SyCip Designs bikes had on display at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

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While the astute among you will note that this setup will do nothing if your chain breaks, that is no different than the forces at play on bikes with only a track hub.

According to quotes, “The crank will never turn fast enough under braking to heat the rotor…” This makes sense if you think about the gear ratios involved, and addressed one of my early concerns about this setup.

If nothing else, it is creative thinking. And that is innovation.

 

Koala. Cyclist. Thirst.

California DUI law and bikes

20150711_152006The vast majority of people I talk to either think that DUI laws apply equally to bikes, or not at all. But both of those groups are wrong.

Up until recently, I myself was in the first group. The group that believe that the same penalties and fines for driving a car while intoxicated apply to bikes. I imagine this line of thinking has to do with the “bikes follow the same laws as cars” mantra. You know, the phrase that is constantly used against cycling when someone rolls a stop sign, but completely ignored when we’re told to get out of the lane.

On first glance the law would actually seem to support this notion as well. While many states have DUI laws that refer only to “motor vehicles,” California does not: Keep reading →

Lugged Frames

There is, at least for me, something about lugged frames that evokes all of the classical beauty of the bicycle as art. I don’t mean to diminish from the absolute skill and craftsmanship that goes into non-lugged frames. But every time I see carefully accentuated lugs on a handmade bicycle, it just seems to underscore the attention to detail that is the very embodiment of “handmade.”

This year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show didn’t disappoint in the area of beautifully detailed lugged frames. Keep reading →

Oddity Cycles with a fat bike for the kids

Fat bikes have been a common theme at the North American Hand Made Bike Show. And this year continued that tradition, including a fair number of small framed youth models.

Among those showing up with a fat bike for the kids was the Fort Collins, CO builder Oddity Cycles. While their adult bikes were noteworthy, I’ll have to admit that this single speed fat bike for the kids pretty much dominated my attention at their booth.

Oddity Cycles Youth Fat Bike Keep reading →

Bikes: As American as baseball and apple pie

IMG_0859The city of Sacramento, CA has a long and rich baseball history. And a big part of that history has traditionally been embodied by a dark yet friendly little corner of the world known as Joe Marty’s bar. The walls of the bar were lined with historic portraits of baseball players and pictures of the old baseball diamond that used to sit right around the corner where the Target is today.

Unfortunately the landmark establishment was hit with a kitchen fire in 2005 and sat vacant for a decade. Then two local businessmen decided to resurrect the name at the same location. And that brings us to why I’m talking about this on a cycling blog… Keep reading →

NAHBS Headtube Badges

A collection of some of the badges and artwork I found on the headtubes at the 2016 North American Hand Made Bicycle Show.

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Working the show

IMG_0828One of the great things about doing all this cycling media stuff as a “hobby job” is that it seems like a vacation when I take time to attend an event. The glamor of cheap hotels. Living life with one pannier full of camera gear, and the other full of clothes. Ahh…. it just doesn’t get much better than this, right?

Truth be told I love doing this stuff, and hopefully you get the benefit of seeing things from our perspective – the perspective of Just Another Cyclist. So stay tuned for pictures and stories for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Want instant gratification? Keep your eye on @JAnoherCyclist on twitter, and of course pictures on the Instagram account.