Check this out: http://www.robertwechsler.com/thebest.html

“Nine salvaged bikes were reassembled into a carousel formation. The bike is modular and can be dismantled and reassembled. It is normally left in public places where it can attract a variety of riders.”

I like the cut of these guys’ jib (although I’m admittedly not fond of the full suspension). Katz Bikes is aiming to produce a maintenance free bike with a rather clever drivetrain system.

Discovered this paper by Rutgers analyzing how Germany, The Netherlands and Denmark have made cycling a successful form of transportation.

http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf

Great ad campaign from the Manchester City Council. Their website http://www.loveyourbike.org has some solidly good information on it too.

Came across this picture of a Suntour LePree rear derailleur with the odd configuration of 3 pulleys. What I have gathered is that the extra pulley allows for additional chain capacity and permits as large as a massive 42T rear cog. Pretty useful gadget for touring. The technology was developed in conjuction with Nishiki.

Monty Python giving the true deserving glory to the bicycle repair man

Source: http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_7893849

A county study shows more people are rolling around on bikes these days. As part of Marin’s $25 million federal pilot bike plan, the county took a count of local bicycle and pedestrian trips to create a baseline from which to judge the program.

Overall, there has been a 66 percent increase in weekday commute-hour bicycle traffic and a 33 percent rise in weekend riding, when compared with a similar count conducted in 1999.

“These are encouraging statistics,” Supervisor Steve Kinsey said. “They indicate that our priority focus and associated investments are improving biking and walking in our county.”

“This upsurge in biking and walking shows that giving people safe alternatives to the car can work in reducing auto trips and congestion,” Supervisor Charles McGlashan said. “The automobile is not always the trip of choice when people see safe and readily available alternatives.”

Very encouraging results from the pilot program Marin is currently running from their grant award of the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program passed by Congress in ‘05

I was riding yesterday and started thinking about internally geared hubs (AKA gear hubs). I’m a huge advocate of the gear hub and run a Shimano Alfine 8 speed as my daily rider. There are however clear ups and downs for the gear hub. Here is my list of pros and cons:

Pros:

• Chainline - perfect chainline no matter your gear choice
• Chainguards - ability to use chainguards and even better, chaincases like the Hebie Chainguard
• Ease of Maintenance/Tuning - easy to maintain, turn barrel adjust until yellow marks line up, couldn’t be easier. And once the shifter cable stretches to its max, no further adjustment is needed
• Shifting from a stop - incredibly useful feature for commuting in traffic (stop and go). I got into the habit of coming to a stop and just shifting all the way down and its great, saves my knees from a lot of unneeded stress.
• Reliable - no exposed parts to damage unlike the ubiquitous problem with derailleurs. The internals of the hub gear are damn near indestructable too; just look at Sturmey Archer 3 speeds still on the road today after 50 years of service.
• Instant, crisp shifts - shifts feel responsive and crisp without noise or mechanical hesitation
• Water and grime resistant - fully enclosed gears means water and gunk doesn’t get in

Cons:

• Limited shifter options - you have greatly reduced shifter options when using a gear hub. You basically are forced into using what the manufacturer tells you; no aftermarket solutions. The limited shifter options then also limit your choice of handlebars.
• Weight - gear hubs have some pretty hefty weight
• Cost - cost is generally higher but of course it depends

I can deal with weight and cost but the limited shifter options really gets to me. I would prefer to ride drop bars but because no shifter exists to facilitate mounting on drops, I am forced to use a MTB style bar.
At the end of the day though I still love the internally geared hub. It is the most elegant drivetrain solution for bicycles and the best solution for the common cyclist especially those simply lookig to get from point A to point B.

Alright, now I’ve seen everything