Ford Motor Company Bike Rack Patent

Ford Motor Company has notably been in the bicycle news lately as the title sponsor of the San Francisco bike share program Ford GoBike. But a recent patent application by the company is geared towards those that own both cars and bikes with a Retractable Bicycle Carrier. Keep reading →

There, and back again…

…a cyclists tale.

Way back when, I started riding a bike as an easy way to make the monumental commute from Sacramento, CA to Palo Alto. It was a 7 mile bike ride, to the Amtrak Capitol Corridor train, to a bus, to another train. I did it 3 days a week on average. The bike was a very practical thing, and I had a very practical bike.

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Chicago balks at contra-flow bike lane, while SF rejects paint-only treatment

Some folks in Chicago are a little confused about why city engineers would actually want to make cyclists ride against traffic. In infrastructure terms this is known as a “contra-flow bike lane.” At first glance, it takes the norm of bikes riding the same direction of travel as cars and intentionally turns it on it’s head.

Polk Street Contra-flow bike lane
Photo by Dianne Yee. Used with permission. https://www.flickr.com/photos/23305535@N00/14611105810

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NAHBS won’t be coming back to Salt Lake City, Utah

Official press release from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS):

 

Portland, OR, 2/19/17 –  NAHBS (North American Handmade Bicycle Show) releases their official statement regarding the state of Utah and land policy that is affecting the outdoor and cycling industry.

http://www.2017.handmadebicycleshow.com

 

Aligning with the recent actions taken by other brands that exhibit at Outdoor Retailer as well as the conversations regarding the future of Interbike in the State of Utah, NAHBS will not be calling Utah home to the show in the future.

 

“When we were negotiating the show, Governor Herbert hadn’t begun his assault on public lands. His agenda for the state of Utah has the ability to curtail the recreation of our exhibitors and their customers. If not for signed contracts, booked airfares, hotels and the builders depending on the show taking place, we too would be relocating” said Don Walker, founder of NAHBS. “Our goal is to spotlight frame builders and the cycling industry partners that support them. NAHBS moves the location each year to accommodate the needs of builders across the country. Regardless of our schedule we would not chose to bring the show back to Utah unless serious changes are made by government officials.”

 

This news and the subsequent backlash from industry leaders occurred a month before the 13th edition of NAHBS is set to take place. Unfortunately moving the show this year is not an option. March 10th-12th NAHBS will take place in Salt Lake City and NAHBS look forward to spending time with all the small builders and craftsmen that the show was founded for. We hope that Utah will come support these businesses in light of recent events.

 

About NAHBS:

NAHBS Showcases the talents of individuals around the world whose art form is the bicycle. We are a meeting space for frame builders and consumers who are passionate about custom-made bikes.

The winter of my discontent

“Oh c’mon. Work can wait an hour. Ride across me! You’ll love it!” — Golden Gate Bridge Siren Song

It has been a tough month. Well, tough couple of months. Many of the readers can understand the impact a lack of bike riding can have on an avid cyclist. When I should have been basking in my new bike glory, I’ve instead struggled against a series of both planned and unplanned events that seem like a sinister conspiracy to keep me off the bike.

It all started when the office of my day job moved.

The old commute was 10 miles one way, across beautiful scenery that encouraged me to add even more miles – just for fun. Without even “training” I was on the bike over 100 miles every week just in my commute. It made doing even more rides not only easier but also more enjoyable. Cycling can be funny that way – the more you do it the more you want to.

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2017 North American Handmade Bicycle Show

2017 North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 North American Handmade Bicycle Show. The event is scheduled for the weekend of March 10-12, in Salt Lake City.

The event has a strong following, with 117 exhibitors currently listed on the NAHBS website.

Returning this year is the University of Iowa. You may recall all the attention generated by them in past years. In fact, we featured a bike from UoI builder Willy Tan from the 2016 NAHBS in Sacramento.

You can purchase tickets online from the NAHBS website. See http://www.2017.handmadebicycleshow.com/ for the most current exhibitor and event information.

JustAnotherCyclist will continue our coverage of this event as well – so stay tuned for that.

2016 Seattle To Portland Ride Report

While I’ve talked a lot about the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride in the past, I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it this year. Luckily David Bussey did – and completed it in one day. David is a long time friend of JustAnotherCyclist.com, and was also one of the core members of the VeloReviews online cycling community. I’m excited that David agreed to share his experiences from the 2016 STP.

STP where virtual meets reality

By David Bussey

The decision

I ride with a group of guys with an interactive online cycling “game” called Zwift, where you ride your bike in the game, and as you pedal faster thru ant+ speed or power meter and cadence your in game rider rides faster.  This game launched beta in late 2014, I got an invite approval in April 2015, still early in the process. This group of riders races together, does 62 mile weekly endurance rides, and we use an audio app that lets us in essence have “race radio”.  We have gotten to know each other but not IRL (in real life).  Well, late in 2015 we began talking about getting this group to meet up for a ride, maybe STP [Seattle to Portland]. Some had done it in prior years some (myself) had not. We decided to give it a go, and to do the 205 mile ride in one day. What? Keep reading →

Far End Gear XDU stereo earbud

Far End Gear XDU stereo earbud
Far End Gear XDU stereo earbud

I avoided riding with headphones for a long time. I simply wasn’t that comfortable with my ears covered – especially in busy San Francisco traffic. I had experimented a couple of times with riding with one earbud in. But this invariably lead to me either hearing only half of the music, or switching back and forth between stereo and mono settings on my iPhone. Neither of these options were particularly appealing.

However, after a little shopping on Amazon I came across the Far End Gear XDU stereo earbud. It plays both the left and right stereo channels it a single earbud.

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Salsa Vaya Claris Adventure Touring Bike

2017 Salsa Vaya Claris with Tubus Cosmo rear rack and Ortlieb Backpacker plus
2017 Salsa Vaya Claris with Tubus Cosmo rear rack and Ortlieb Backpacker plus

The 2017 Salsa Vaya has some updates over previous model years, and one of those is the introduction of a Claris 8 speed build. The bike is being sold as a “road adventure and light touring bike.” I started looking to build up my own touring bike out or Eloise – my vintage Motobecane. As the price point for the SRAM build I was looking at crossed $1000 I started to recall my long unfulfilled desire to own a Surly Long Haul Trucker. That lead me to my favorite local independent bike shop Huckleberry Bicycles. The staff there, continuing their long run of really good service and sound advise, turned me on to the Salsa Vaya.

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Coros LINX Smart Cycling Helmet safely delivers audio

Coros LINX smart cycling helmetRedmond, WA company Coros Wearables is launching a new helmet that comes with more than the usual bells and whistles. The product, launched on KickStarter, has been dubbed the Coros LINX Smart Cycling Helmet. In a nutshell, it is a bunch of useful technology stuck into a bicycle helmet. If you are going to wear a helmet, you might as well use one that comes with a smartphone app.

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