Category — biking

Unofficial bicycle week is winding down here, but the Tour de France is swinging into full gear. We Tivoed today’s stage but I haven’t watched it yet, and so far I have been able to avoid the news other than it’s been the “best stage so far.” I am really looking forward to doing a quick ride up to Will Rogers State Beach this afternoon, then settling in tonight to catch up on the Tour de France action.  Hopefully the bike path won’t be too crowded.   There always seem to be a lot more cyclists on the road when the Tour de France is on, complete with Tour-inspired cycling jerseys, and it’s great to see everyone getting out and having fun.   Just remember to share the road and be safe!

This little number caught my eye on Gizmodo the other day, and since this is turning into “Bike Week” on my blog, I might as well stay with the theme.

I love this bike in theory. It solves the problem of having to put your bike on that crazy bike rack on the front of the bus, and also removes the need to leave your bike locked and unattended, because you can just take it with you when it is in backpack form. Those are both great things. But, as it has already been pointed out, the bike will be made of plastic. I can understand that this would allow for cheaper manufacturing and lighter weight bikes, but I’d prefer to spend a little more for a titanium frame that wouldn’t collapse or melt if exposed to too much sunlight.

However, the innovative thinking behind this design is definitely a move in the right direction. It would be great if more designers are inspired by this folding bike to create environmentally friendly modes of transportation.

After reading many blog and forum comments yesterday about last week’s bike accident on Mandeville Canyon Rd., it became apparent that there are many misconceptions about traffic laws regarding bicycling in California. Those misconceptions need to change, because there are more and more cyclists hitting the road every year.

Biking is better for the environment, better for health, more cost effective, and just plain fun, and Americans are way behind the rest of the world when it comes to realizing this. Paris has the Velib program, which is putting over 20,000 public bikes on the streets that can be rented for less than a bus fare. Copenhagen, Lyon, Barcelona, and Berlin all have similar programs, and London, Rome and Montreal are planning to follow suit. It’s time for Los Angeles to wake up and get bicycle-friendly!

So, here’s the rundown of bike laws, for everyone’s safety:

Taking the Lane

“Where a lane is too narrow for a following vehicle to overtake and pass a slower bicycle safely within the lane, the rule permits bicyclists to occupy the center of the lane. Although it may seem counterintuitive to noncyclists, this is the recommended practice, called “taking the lane.”[51] It does not present any increased hazard to the bicyclist, since by assumption the lane is too narrow to share even when the bicyclist is as far to the right as possible. Taking the lane enhances safety by making the cyclist more visible and discouraging attempts to pass within a lane that is too narrow to allow safe passing. On a multilane road, overtaking traffic can still pass by using the adjacent lane; on a two-lane road, overtaking traffic can pass by changing lanes if visibility and oncoming traffic permit.

Under some conditions, such as a winding or hilly two-lane country road where visibility is restricted, overtaking traffic may be temporarily unable to pass. Thus, these narrow roads are a significant source of friction between motorists and bicyclists. Broader understanding by motorists of bicyclists’ motivations and the legal rationale for their actions would help to reduce this friction.”

(Source: VCBike.org)

From the California Department of Motor Vehicles:

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The Tour de France: a great way to enjoy the thrill of cycling without the worry of psychotic motorists. Of course, you won’t get a great calorie burn by sitting on your couch all day watching Team Garmin-Chipotle roll by, but the vicarious thrill will get your heart racing from time to time.

I love the Tour but I am a little saddened about the lack of Team Discovery in this year’s tour, and a little confused by the genesis of Team Garmin-Chipotle. I cannot understand what on earth Garmin and Chipotle even have to do with each other. Garmin makes GPS systems and Chipotle is McDonald’s “healthy” counterpart…I guess you could use your Garmin to help you find the nearest Chipotle, but otherwise, I just don’t get this pairing at all. It is great to hear the British announcers on Versus try to pronounce “chipotle”, though.

I don’t really have a favorite to win the tour this year (I was pulling for Vinokourov last year ), but there are many fierce competitors to chose from over the next few weeks, so I am sure I will have a favorite soon. The Tour is on Versus pretty much all month, so check it out!

This is absolutely frightening: a motorist got annoyed by some cyclists on Mandeville Canyon Road this 4th of July and decided to teach them a little lesson by slamming on his brakes and letting them crash into the back of his car. One of the cyclists went through the rear window. Then this exquisite example of humanity got out of his car, still on a cell phone, and announced to the cyclists that he was a doctor but didn’t actually offer to help them. In light of the fact that he caused their injuries, this announcement seems to me as his way of saying, “I am a doctor, and you aren’t hurt that badly, so I am going to continue my call and not help you like I swore in my Hippocratic oath to do. Oh wait, I actually swore to “DO NO HARM” as well, so I guess we can just forget this Hippocratic oath thing all together. I’m mostly in it for the ego trip anyway, although the money isn’t too bad. Anyway, can you move your freaking bike? I’m already running late for the pool party.”

Thank god this jerk is being charged with felony criminal assault, but frankly, I was a little disturbed by the interviews with his Mandeville Canyon neighbors on KCAL. One man said that it’s such a narrow road and there are so many cyclists, it was only a matter of time before there was an accident. ACCIDENT?????????

I hope that this neighbor is simply intimidated by the psychopathic doctor on his street and and is trying to avoid saying anything to further enrage that man. If that’s not the case, then someone needs to buy this poor neighbor a dictionary so that he can familiarize himself with the meaning of the word “Accident.” That was not an accident, nor was it an inevitability. It was a deliberate act by someone who feels entitled to hurt people who annoy or slightly inconvenience him.

This emergency room doctor should lose his license immediately. He’s obviously not capable of caring for living things.

I also hope the cyclists make a swift and full recovery and can get back to riding again soon. From all reports that I have seen, though, that’s unlikely to happen for months.

Source: laist

I have been meaning to put up some pictures for a while but have been so busy that I haven’t really had a chance to sort through them. However, I just went through a few folders this morning and dug up some cool pics of my bike that I want that I want to share. These were take at the single track in Sullivan Canyon about a month and a half ago. Enjoy!

Woo-hoo! Check out this stylin’ bike!

Here’s a close-up of my new bicycle seat. I love it because it looks so sleek and is surprisingly comfortable.

That blur is me flying down the single track!

Stayed tuned for more pics in the next few days!

It’s now official: you won’t get a ticket for riding your bike on a sidewalk in West Hollywood. While this is great for bicyclist who fear getting struck by road-raging drivers, it is a little worrisome for pedestrians and sidewalk cafe dwellers.

I have mixed feelings about the news. On one hand, I totally understand how scary it is to ride a bike in Los Angeles traffic. Plus, hardly anyone walks in LA, so the sidewalks aren’t really be used anyway. But, it is a bit more dangerous because drivers pulling out of driveways or making right turns aren’t always expecting bikers to be on the sidewalk. And since West Hollywood is one of the few areas around LA that is actually really pedestrian-friendly, I wouldn’t want walkers to get annoyed or even injured by bikers. I guess I am cautiously optimistic that the WeHo sidewalk law will work out well for everyone, but perhaps they should require all bikers to have bike horns as well.

CNN reports about a man in the UK who has developed an inexpensive, fully recyclable cardboard bike. They can withstand rains and parts are easily replaceable, which makes it a great choice for people who are looking for a good bike for commuting and aren’t interested in a lot of expensive bike gear. And according to the creator, there is less chance of the bike being stolen because it’s so cheap. No word on if or when these will hit mass market, but I will be keeping my eyes opened.

The Teva Mountain Games were held this past weekend in Vail, Colorado. I have been a big fan of Teva sandals ever since my first pair, and I especially love the company’s community activities. Sadly, I did not get to attend the Games, but luckily there was plenty of blogging to keep me up-to-date on the action. It’s one of my goals to get to the Teva Mountain Games in the next few years because it seems like a really great gathering of cool people who are all into the same thing: enjoying the great outdoors, having some fun and getting some exercise. Maybe if I step up my training now, I’ll actually be able to participate in some of the events. They have cycling, trail running, climbing, kayaking, bouldering and even fly fishing, so there are activities to appeal to every personality. They have events for dogs too, but I am pretty sure Big Old Dog is more content to be a spectator.

Here are some more links about the Teva Mountain Games:

• Active.com: 2008 Teva Mountain Games
• IFSC Bouldering World Cup Coming to the 2008 Teva Mountain Games

We are planning to head out of town on a little bike trip this weekend in spite of the ridiculous gas prices, and I am really looking forward to the trip. My new bike seat is working out great, and my brakes and lower bracket were just replaced so I am feeling adventurous and ready to investigate some trails a little further from home.

I found a really cool site called Bikely that has great information and bike route maps, but I think PIC has a route in mind he wants to try. PIC also told me that he’s going to teach me to change my own bicycle tires in case of a flat. I wonder if that means I will also have to start carrying my own bicycle pump. Oh well, at least I will be learning a new skill!