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

You said it, Jim!

You can purchase this comic at The Cincinnati Enquirer website.

Want to look sexy velocommuting? Check out Copenhagen Cycle Chic for some cool bike-purchasing ideas. Zakkaliciousness (thanks for the correction, JC) really knows what’s up when it comes to bicycle styles in Copenhagen AND there are lots of sexy velocommuters there that he has captured on film. (What a life!)

The blog is worth a quick glance just to get an idea of what it’s like to live in a place that really has biking at its core. Urban transport is really much more enjoyable (and quicker, apparently!) by bicycle. It is really a wonder that it’s just catching on in the States.

Here has an interesting perspective on how many gears are needed:

This is one issue that gets discussed quite often. Most bikes in Copenhagen have 3 gears. The most irritating sound I know is someone accelerating off the light in one gear and then clickclickclickclickclick, they hop past 78 gears to get to the one they want. Why not just buy a bike with the gears you need?

We often hear that three gears don’t fly in hilly cities. Then get five gears. The vast majority of cities in the world can be cycled daily in 3-5 gears. Whenever anybody says, “Yeah, but my city is REALLY hilly”, we just politely refer to European cities like Berne, Switzerland, where 25% of the population ride each day through a Alpen landscape. Or hilly Aarhus, Denmark’s second city, or Gothenburg, or Trondheim, Norway. 3-5 gears and off you go.

You said it!

Photo Credit: (Copenhagen Cycle Chic)

The Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic has launched a bike sharing program. The program even has a great acronym! Gear up and Ride, or GEAR, is the brainchild of Dave Jasperson (pictured), Mayo’s coordinator for surgery and radiology in their Livewell Program.

The program is only in pilot phase at this time and there is no information about GEAR on Mayo’s website, the Rochester Post-Bulletin reports that numerous employees are supportive of the program.

Photo credit: Ken Klotzbach, Rochester Post-Bulletin

So GM is NOT buying Specialized Bicycles after all. It is an excellent idea for an April Fool’s joke, however.

Now, just focusing on the core competencies of the two companies, one can see that such a match-up would be utter silliness, but that is why it was such a great April Fool’s joke (we admit that we fell for it hook, line, and sinker!). GM desperately needs to green its bottom line with something!

The fact is, there are a hundred reasons why GM and Specialized would make a terrible team, but how exactly are we going to get out of this mess anyhow? Try thinking outside the car!

Here’s an idea: leave your GM in the driveway and get a great workout while you ride your Specialized (or any of a number of different brand) bicycle to your job or school!

Today, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) announced a plan to offer bicycle rentals around the U.S. House of Representatives office buildings. The bicycle rental program will be similar to ones that have been recently implemented in Paris, Barcelona, and other European cities.

Blumenauer started the Congressional Bike Caucus last year. The Caucus currently has 164 Members, including 118 Democrats, 45 Republicans (Sue Kelly (R-NY) is the Co-Chair), and 1 Independent. Members of the caucus represent 43 States and the District of Columbia.

To start, Blumenauer is launching a pilot program for bike sharing on Capitol Hill. Today, as part of the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., Blumenauer announced Wheels4Wellness, a program to provide up to 30 bicycles around the Capitol Hill complex for U.S. House employees to check out.

Blumenauer worked out the details of the system with Dan Beard, the chief administrative officer of the U.S. House. The House will select a vendor to provide bikes on self-service racks throughout the House campus. Employees who register for the program can check out the bikes for short trips.

Representative Blumenauer on his commuter bicycle (Photo Credit: The Washington Post)

Bike-sharing programs take advantage of new technology — using smart cards or cell phone codes for riders to check out bikes from bike shelters. They’re funded by advertising, user fees or government subsidies. Some rental bikes even feature GPS units for navigating city streets.

Read more about it from our Source: The Oregonian

~ms

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France (did I need to mention that?) is a bicycle commuter and he wants more people to be like him. He is opening an 18,000 square foot bike shop in the downtown Austin area.

Artists rendering of the future Mellow Johnny’s (Photo courtesy of Austin360.com)

Mellow Johnny’s, named for the nickname Armstrong earned while wearing the Tour de France leader’s “maillot jaune,” or yellow jersey, will be housed in a yellow- and red-brick building next to the music venue La Zona Rosa. It is a block north of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, a path that will cut east-west through downtown Austin.

The store will feature showers and a locker room so that velocommuters can wash up before heading to work in nearby office and retail space.

Lance Armstrong, in Mellow Johnny’s on Wednesday with, from left, manager Craig Staley, general partner Bart Knaggs and building designer Michael Hsu (Photo Credit: Austin360.com)

“This city is exploding downtown. Are all these people in high rises going to drive everywhere? We have to promote (bike) commuting,” says Armstrong. “This can be a hub for that.”

Click Here to view a video of Lance talking about his new project.

~ms

(photo courtesy of 1world2wheels.org)

Trek has launched a sustainability website called 1 World 2 Wheels. This is their attempt to show people how to commute to and from work by bicycle. They have lots of useful information and great instructional videos.

We have been impressed by the selection of bikes that Trek has added to its lineup recently. However, while they have the basics covered, the number of options is limited. We need bikes that have the basics covered and that look good when we hop on and ride. For example, why not nice-looking fenders on the Lime? Still not offered for 2008? Hmmm…

~ms

Wow. What an amazing way to send a strong message. Check out the Green Hummer, a bicycle publicity vehicle designed and built by some students down in Savannah, Georgia.

(photo courtesy of thegreenhummerproject.org)

Here’s a quote from their website that seemed quite apt:

When we ride the Green Hummer, we become part of our city. We have no illusions of flying through an empty city, devoid of traffic, parking problems, pedestrians, or street life like the drivers in television commercials. We expect people to talk to us. People ask questions, tourists ask for directions, traffic goes slower than we can pedal. We accept and expect little delays, and it’s okay. We don’t look for confrontations; we enjoy ourselves in our vehicle.

Now THAT is a commute to look forward to!

~ms

New Belgium Brewing has set new records in its goal of promoting bicycles, raising more than $245,000 for nonprofit organizations during its so-called “Tour de Fat” this year.

Festivities in Ft. Collins, Colorado set a world record for the longest stretch of a bicycle parade, with nearly 5,000 riders filling the streets.

From their press release:

Team Wonderbike, whose members pledge to leave their cars at home and commute by bike whenever possible, was a new feature for the 2007 Tour de Fat. At the Carbon e-Racer Kiosk, participants were able to see how much they will help the environment by making a commitment to join Team Wonderbike. So far this year more than 665,000 monthly commuter miles have been pledged, which will remove more than 7,982,000 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere over the next year.

To see photos, a montage of Tour de Fat stops, video from a car-for-bike trade and to learn more about Tour de Fat, log on to http://www.followyourfolly.com/ For more information on New Belgium Brewing visit http://www.newbelgium.com/

~ms