REI emailed me today to announce their new campaign promoting the bike to work, called “Bike your Drive with REI.” I like the imagery and it is pleasant to have bike commuting be promoted so early in the spring.

After all, Bike to Work Week is over a month away!

I like this one: “Boost Your Smiles per Gallon.” I guess I get it and it sort of has that REI ring to it, but it really doesn’t make sense. Oh well. I still shop for bike stuff regularly at REI so I can’t complain.

There are good videos on the site to help getting a good fit on your helmet and how to fix a flat.

I’m so glad I’ve never had to deal with a flat, commuting on my bike (as I knock on my wooden desk). I never take my city bike off-road, so I never deal with thorns and such- left over from the weekend ride.

They should have a video about that - not using your commuter on the weekend. Wouldn’t you be more encouraged about some expert advice than by the prospect of fixing a flat on your way to a meeting downtown?

OK, look for some videos from me soon. Make that a promise!

~ms

So, you, like the rest of the velocommuting community got excited about the recent passage of the Bicycle Commuter Transportation Benefit, right? $20 a month couldn’t hurt in times like these could it?

And then you pitched the idea to your boss…and the gal in finance who does payroll…and anybody else who will listen to you at the water cooler…and watched time after time as eyes glazed over and the conversation seemed to wind around and around getting nowhere…

I know the feeling!

Trust me - there are a lot of folks out there scratching their heads about this benefit to folk like you and me.

All I can say is to try and take a deep breath, knowing there are folks working on it. Just know that your faithful House Representative/Biker’s rights champion Earl Blumenauer is not going to take this laying down.

For now, I recommend going Here to find out the latest recommendations (the League of American Bicyclists promises to update their FAQ on the Benefit as things develop).

And then, if you are still frustrated by all of the bureaucratic bungling, try going for a ride. What’s $20 anyway compared to the daily freedom from the anger and frustrations of car commuting? Ahh…the cold, clean air of a winter morning…

Happy velocommuting!

We are waist-deep in the dog days of august, folks, so it never hurts to remind ourselves that we do have co-workers!

I have settled on Johnson’s Pure Cornstarch Baby Powder recently and it does the job. Hey, I mean if I was lucky enough to have a shower at work, I’d probably never set eyes on the stuff - but I’ve got clients, co-workers, and bosses that have to be around me for 8/day & 40/week!

This is not the stuff of a normal water cooler discussion, but trust me, you’ll be glad you knew about this little velocommuting secret. Keep a bottle at work and use it to keep the smell in check for the, ah, privates - but don’t forget those sweating stinkers, your feet!

Use it people! It’s important for the image for all velocommuters everywhere that we all keep good hygene so that more will see velocommuting as not only clean and green, but also sexy and cool (even if we don’t feel that way all the time)!

(Photo courtesy of JohnsonBaby.com)

Here’s a couple of good tips: Be creative, start small, and don’t let obstacles slow you down.

So says Christina Laun in her article posted yesterday over at JobProfiles.org, called 100 Tips for a Better, Greener Career.

This is an outstanding resource and reference that Laun and the folks at JobProfiles have compiled. It is also inspiring to read and contains lots of helpful tips, links, and book recommendations.

One notable exception from the reading list that I will recommend now is The Chelsea Green Guide, Biking to Work, by Rory McMullan. It’s a quick read, but I find it to be a good reference and easy to pass on to a friend who is also considering making the switch.

I will also add one more recommendation to Laun’s list: Try to figure out who YOU are and follow your own path.

Jim Jordan and Pablo Alcala at the Lexington, Kentucky Herald-Leader have teamed up to post a story and accompanying video about Lexington resident Dan Dickinson’s bike ride to work.

Dickinson makes one very important insight: Don’t ride the big roads to work. (The smaller neighborhood streets are much more inviting and interesting anyway

Lexinggton is one city that has paid attention to its amazing level growth in recent years and has made significant strides towards making a compact, livable, sustainable community. Now that gas prices are going through the roof, I guess those dividends are paying off.

Here’s a tip of the old velocommuter chapeau to Dan and the Lexington Planning team!

Photo credit: Pablo Alcala, Herald-Leader.

Gosh, it seems like such a simple idea, doen’t it? And yet, it is a really good idea to know about how accidents happen before you decide to commute by bicycle.

Remember the time that you were driving and almost hit a biker or pedestrian?

I certainly do.

It really hurt because I consider myself a very cautious driver. Take a look at BicycleSafety.com’s web page on important lessons in bicycle safety.

You can learn about how to avoid meeting the fate of several bikers last fall who fell victim to the Right Hook, as displayed below:

Keep it safe out there.
~ms

Today’s Title comes to us from an article posted back in July by the New York Times. In it, Jane Brody gives some very real encounters between bicycles and cars. She follows with some excellent tips for bicycle safety, both from the perspective of the biker and a driver:

If You’re the Driver

Keep in mind that a bicycle is a vehicle and that a person riding one has the same rights as a driver of any other vehicle. Bicycles are legally entitled to use most roads, though they must ride on the shoulder when the speed limit exceeds 50 miles per hour.

Remember, too, that bicycles are hard to see and, unlike drivers, cyclists are unprotected by seat belts, air bags and steel cages.

When approaching a cyclist, slow down. When passing, clear the bike by at least three feet (five feet if you are driving a truck). Check your rearview mirror and be sure you can see the cyclist clearly before moving back into the lane.

Do not blow your horn behind cyclists. It can frighten riders and cause them to swerve.

Don’t follow closely behind a bicycle, which may have to stop or maneuver suddenly to avoid a road hazard that could cause the cyclist to fall.

Be especially wary around young cyclists, including those on sidewalks, who may cross intersections or dart into the road from a driveway or midblock without looking.

Most serious crashes occur at intersections. When turning right, signal well ahead of time, turn from the middle of the intersection rather than across the bike path, and make sure no bike is on your right before you turn. Do not pass a cyclist if you will be turning right immediately after.

In bad weather, give cyclists a wider berth, just as you would do for other drivers.

When waiting to turn left or to proceed from a stop sign, yield to a bicycle that has the right of way. More than half of collisions occur when cyclists and drivers are on perpendicular paths, and three-fourths of these accidents result from a failure to yield the right of way.

Before opening your car door, check your mirror to be sure no bike is approaching. A passenger on the driver’s side should open the door just enough to turn around to see if the path is clear.

Like it or not, bicyclists have the right to “take the lane” under certain conditions:

When overtaking a vehicle moving in the same direction.

When getting ready to turn left.

When a lane is too narrow to share with a car or truck.

When there are unsafe conditions on the road like double-parked vehicles, animals, pedestrians and potholes.

If You’re the Cyclist

The first rule of safe cycling: Never forget that bicycles are vehicles and thus are obliged to follow the traffic rules that apply to drivers. Ride with the traffic, not against it. Wait for the green before crossing intersections. Signal all turns and stops and make full stops at stop signs.

Never ride on the sidewalk — sidewalk crashes are 25 times as frequent than crashes that occur on major streets. Safest are streets with bike lanes.

Ride in a straight path. If you must pull out into the lane used by drivers, turn around first to be sure the coast is clear.

If you are stopped at a light or stop sign to the right of a car or truck, the driver might not see you. Wait until the other vehicle clears the intersection before you proceed, in case the driver turns right unexpectedly.

Try to make eye contact with drivers before you change lanes or turn left.

Don’t weave in and out of parked cars. Although this is challenging in cities like New York, try to ride at least three feet — and preferably five feet — from parked cars to avoid being “doored.” Be alert to drivers and passengers who may be about to get out of cars, as well as to cars about to pull out of parking spots — they may not see you.

Protect yourself. Always wear a properly fitted bike helmet, one that sits firmly and level on your head, covering half your forehead.

Be visible. Wear brightly colored clothing in daylight (though I was wearing an electric blue running suit when I was hit and the driver still failed to see me); when riding in the dark, wear light-colored clothing and a reflector vest.

If you cycle at night, you are supposed to have a white headlight and red taillight (preferably a blinking one) so drivers can see you.

Scan the road 100 feet ahead for possible hazards. When approaching a pedestrian, ring your bell or call out “hey” or “excuse me.”

Do not cycle wearing headphones or while using a cellphone. If you must make or take a call, pull over to the roadside and stop.

Now, get out on that bike and be lean and green.

What else is there to say?

~ms