Suck it Rob Anderson – SF Bike Plan approved after 3 years!

San Francisco Bike to Work Day May 14th 2009, originally uploaded by dustinj.

After three long years, the San Francisco Bicycle Master Plan was approved unanimously by SFMTA. In the plan, 34 miles of bike lane will be striped (to see where, check the map out).
Rob Anderson, outspoken anti cyclist fiend, stymied the process in 2006 by forcing the city to review the environmental impact of the plan. If you think that combing a bicycle plan for potential bicycle harm is completely asinine and a waste of time and tax payer dollars, you’re not the only one.
We can all happily say that the hiatus on bicycle projects in the city is finally coming to a close. Our friend Rob will no doubt appeal the decision but will be (hopefully) swiftly thwarted and the improvements will begin being laid out late summer, early fall.
Source: SFGate.com – Board OKs all but one item of bike plan
Referral: EcoVelo -  SF Bike Plan Gets Green Light

29.Jun.09 Advocacy Comments (0)

Beer + Wine + Bike = Handlebar Plug

Beer, wine, recycling and perhaps most of all, bikes; all things I hold dearly. Why not combine them all!!

Lost my plastic plugs on the last tour and this idea struck me after thinking about what to do with bottle caps (which unfortunately can’t be put in a recycling bin because of the impregnated pla

stic on the underside).

NBelgiumHbar-1

A dab of thick glue will affix the cork in place and luckily enough for us, most corks fit nice and snug in most bars (but do some testing to be sure). New Belgium cap isn’t necessary but highly recommended ;)

NBelgiumHbar-2

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18.Jun.09 Fun, Project bikes Comment (1)

Bruce Gordon Town Bike: a beauty!

XA7I3477

Nothing much to say here other than, damn, what a beauty!

Found over on Bruce’s new blog. Check out the anniversary sale also for a great deal on a Rock N’ Road touring framset

12.Jun.09 Uncategorized Comments (0)

Specialized braching "Globe" off into separate urban brand

Specialized Globe Product Intro – Meet the Bikes, originally uploaded by davidjschloss.

Via coverage from bikehugger.com

Specialized has had a "Globe" model in their lineup since ‘94: perhaps the forerunner of the entire urban/commuting mass market bike sector. I was always personally impressed to their dedication producing this model despite fluctuating demand. Spec throughout the years has always been sensible with actual commuting in mind (rear rack, fenders, gear hub, etc).

Specialized will apparently be spinning off the Globe name now into it’s own sub-brand pumping out "urban" bikes which sensible commuting bikes and now the hipster fixed gears as well. Which given the current fashion trend, I’m sure pushed this business idea into fruition; regardless of my obvious curmudgeoning, Specialized looks to be putting out some spectacular new bikes aimed at us city biking folks.

The designs (especially racks) seem to closely follow cues from ANT’s custom bikes, QBP’s relatively new offering of Civia Cycles and since last year, Gary Fisher’s Simple City. Trek Soho can also be mentioned but it lacks one of them nifty racks ;)

Anyway, kudos Specialized, I like where this is going

12.Jun.09 Uncategorized Comments (0)

Hey look, a new Thermarest: NeoAir

Just came on my radar, a new Thermarest under the name “NeoAir. Touted (of course) as the best damn thing ever to happen to sleeping outside it does actually appeal to me. Primarily, I’m impressed by it’s tiny compacted size.

image (Hopefully that’s not a giant pen)

Also shaves a few ounces off the previous ProLite and supposedly provides more warmth with diagnol cut blah blah marketing stuff etc. I’ve been using an REI Lite-Core 1.5, including on my SE Asia trip, and it’s comfortable but seems susceptible to valve failure (accounts online and my own failed but was replaced by REI in store, I love REI). May think about trading in for this sucker though.

Review: http://gearjunkie.com/the-gear-junkie-scoop-therm-a-rest-neoair

Product: http://cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/neoair/product

05.Jun.09 Touring Comments (0)

New cargo bike on the scene: Madsen

Madsen%20Cargo%20bike.jpg

Very likely I’m late to the party on this one one, but it’s new to me. A company called Madsen out of Salt Lake City has released a new cargo bike to enter the fray amongst the Surly Big Dummy, Xtracycle mods and bakfiets. The bike is going by the name “kg271”, a name obviously only a mother/engineer could love, and is specced out with a SRAM 8 speed drivetrain and front disc brake slapped on a custom hi-ten steel frame. MSRP $1099. Not stated but seems like a 26” wheel up front and a 20” out back, interesting. The frame takes a big ol’ tub (sold separately, $1299) that seems nicely utilitarian and even has seat belts for your kids (or very very tiny friends).

The basket/tub reminds me a lot of bakfiets but obviously other way around. But which configuration is superior? My gut tells me the bakfiets front loader as you can keep an eye on your load, especially if that load means your children. It also seems like the extra long chain suffers from poor tension, especially without a mid-way tensioner like some designs. But that’s my opinion, what do you think?

Link: Madsen Cycles

04.Jun.09 Car-free Comments (0)

Pizza delivery by bike

It was always a thought, “why not deliver pizza by bike?”, but I guess finally someone got around to trying it out :D The Naperville, FL pizza joint is saying it’s just a “promotion” for Bike Month but with the $3 delivery charge they’re waiving for bike deliveries, seems like their customers would want to see the concept stick around! Intrepid bike pizza delivery guy has a Surly Big Dummy to do the job, a bike I love but admittedly the article seems to allude that to haul the enormous load of a pizza or two you need a $2000 XtraCycle equipped cargo bike, hmm.

Article: Pizza’s here – by bicycle delivery and found via CICLE

02.Jun.09 Advocacy, Car-free Comments (0)

Use your bike…or the birds will

Hey, another reason to get on your bike and ride!

birde5

(Not my bike, I ride mine. Posted on a forum)

Source: Something Awful Forums – My mountain bike is now a home for animals

31.May.09 Fun, Pictures Comments (0)

My tips for traveling Southeast Asia

Hello adoring internet public (…I can pretend at least)

Throughout the trip, I jotted down little notes here and there of tips, tricks and advice that I thought would be beneficial to bestow upon future travelers.

The recommendations I’ve tried to make are out of the ordinary and as you’ll read, obviously do not include common sense basics. Some tips are universal to all budget traveling, some unique to being on a bike. Without further ado, here they are:

  • Mandatory items:
    • Have a phrasebook on you; bought home or away. Additionally, try to learn some of the local tongue: I guarantee a richer more memorable experience.
    • Earplugs, quality ones. Not easy to find abroad, bring a big bag from home
    • A cheap 3.5mm audio splitter to share tunes with a fellow traveler (especially on buses) . Can be easily found while traveling
    • Tape: most useful for covering holes in shabby guesthouse screens
    • Domestic knick-knacks and family photos to entertain locals with
    • Universal sink stopper: Doing your own laundry? Don’t expect a drain stopper!
  • Cyclist items
    • Sugar and salt packets for makeshift energy drinks (keep your salt up!)
    • Dog repellant might be useful for Thailand’s vicious dogs
    • Punctures are easy to locate with a cotton ball; just run it along the tire’s inside and look for any cotton left behind on the protruding offender
    • Tent and sleeping pad, a contentious issue. I say, take them. They won’t be necessary, but they will give peace of mind when you can’t find a place to stay. The sleeping pad also offers relief against terrible guesthouse mattresses. Just make sure to not be stupid like me and bring the ten’s rainfly

  • Decide between toting a laptop and using cafe PCs: there are pros and cons of each
    • Cafe PCs
      • Have a USB flash drive with all your apps on it (ie picture editing). Having Picasa and Windows Live Writer on mine made blog posting a cinch
      • You WILL get viruses though, it’s out of control there. Do the best you can to make sure the machine is clean or find one that is.
      • Computers will be generally slow and cumbersome to use
    • Laptop
      • A several hundred dollar breakable and weighty liability
      • Privacy, all your apps in one place, no virus worries, properly calibrated screen, watch movies, learn languages with Rosetta Stone
  • Beware:
    • Guesthouse rooms without windows. Cheap, yes, but also impossibly hot.
    • Constipation: I prepared for the opposite, surprise! Eating lots of fruit helped
    • Money issues. Call your credit card company and debit card issuing bank before leaving and alert them you are travelling and request a cash advance PIN from your CC company. Generally no one takes credit cards but if they do, pass, fraud is a big problem. Have a backup and a backup to that backup.
  • Cyclists, beware:
    • All transportation beside the bike. Bus drivers and ticketers will refuse your bike outright. Airlines will refuse your bike if not packaged to their specifications. Trains only take your bike when there is a special luggage car (which can be random!). For buses, never mention you have a bike: when you arrive to board, have your bike ready in it’s smallest form (handlebars turned, front wheel off, seatpost lowered, pedals off) and with some ninja stealth open the luggage door and slide it in (it will fit despite what they tell you).
    • Being a weight weenie. Few weeks on the road and you’ll forget about weight. Being space conscious is much more important than weight.
    • Rust: The coastal routes I traveled wreaked havoc on my steel. Apply a light oil to all steel parts at regular intervals and keep that chain in check!

 

Please let me know what you think of the list and if anything was helpful on your trip! :)

27.May.09 South East Asia 2009 Comments (0)

Post trip – 20 days

20 days home already. The progression of time for myself as a traveler has been incredibly weird. Sometimes being back in the States I feel like I’ve never left at all, other times I feel like I disappeared off the planet for years and am now just returning.

Adjustment back to US life didn’t take much effort, I apparently hadn’t forgotten. The lasting impressions I’ve noticed are habitually removing my shoes at dwellings and seasoning my food like crazy (everything here tastes…bland).

I’m feeling good but nowhere near the feeling I had when travelling. I feel myself slipping back into old habits that I’m not fond of. In general, I just feel like I need to get back on the road, keep moving. Will get my wish mid-June and head up the coast to San Francisco.

Observations:

  • Unbelievably clean public spaces (beaches, parks, streets)
  • Predictable and orderly traffic. Riding here has been…interesting; I’m still in “every man for themselves” mode. Easier now to do things I shouldn’t (weave lanes, run reds, etc)
  • OMG EXPENSIVE. Going from a $1 meal to a $10 meal is a bit of a shock
  • Rules exist; interesting concept. Best example: walking through Westwood to catch a bus, sidewalk is closed on my side but I pay no heed and walk past in the street. Black and white pulls up behind me, honks aggressively a few times (thanks), then pulls along side to roll her window and reprimand me for disobeying the closed sign. Threats of citation exit her lips towards my confused face before I can even stammer some lame apology. Thanked her for her “valuable time” and hoped sincerely the sarcasm had not escaped her.

23.May.09 Uncategorized Comments (0)