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

Torkel Dohmens' Bicycle Commuter Concept Bike

I have to post this image of Torkel Dohmens’ conccept bicycle design that won the Bicycle Design blog’s Commuter Bike Design Challenge.

I don’t live in Europe and I have never ridden a recumbent bike, so I am not sure if this would make my list, but…did I mention that I don’t live in Europe? My climate and town is much more suited for the cruiser I ride every day. I guess that’s the point of the exercise, right? To make more options available to folks so they will take up biking, despite the odd, traffic, weather, etc.

My friends wonder how I can haul all of the extra metal around, when I could step up to a single speed with no gears or brakes. Whatever. I love my bike and I love my commute.

Maybe a bike with a roof is in my future, I mean - who’s to say? I try to stay open minded about such things. My motto is ‘whatever gets you out of your car is good’ - even if that thing has a roof and a windshield…

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!

The Trek Soho

I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these! Trek has apparently been listening to folks like us and has produced what looks to be a real winner. The sleek styling, complete with nice-looking fenders, may be just the ticket for you, the bike commuter afraid to give up style during the jaunt to work.

I am not sure how roller brakes work either, but that seems like a better system than the one I have now as well.

Let’s not forget the new belt drive! The chain has been our staple for all these many years, so we have a working system - but I’m certainly willing to let go of the chain any day. Just because chains work well does not mean that I’m married to the idea. That’s why I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these!

So, the ultimate commuting machine - or too many new things that can go wrong? Are you an early adopter or one who plays it safe? You make the call - but you might want to test drive one of these first. It may just sell you on the spot.

The puncture-proof tires are an added bonus - oh, and Trek throws in a commuter mug that just fits perfectly in the bottle cage!

Anybody have one yet? Please post comments if you have one! Tell us all about it!

Watch an introductory video Here on the Trek website. Pretty cool, huh?

I was correct in suggesting that the press would make a big deal of the bicycle commuter tax break. Many news outlets have had a field day talking about this credit as an example of the “pork” contained in the bill.

Oh well - no need to be so down - We get a tax break! Start negotiating with your employer now for better bike racks, changing facilities, and lockers, because you will be giving them a $120/year break on their taxes!

Read more about how bicycle commuters are reacting at the Outside Magazine Blog.

That said, I don’t think it should be a part of the debate going on in Washington about what to do to solve the current financial crisis. This week, in order to “sweeten” the deal for members of the U.S. House of Representatives - to encourage certain members of the House to vote for the legislation - the Senate added a provision that would give employers a $20/month tax break for each employee who regularly bikes to work.

Seems like a good idea right? Only, the House’s only velocommuting member, Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) isn’t biting. I never thought that I would write such a thing, but I commend Blumenauer for sticking to his principles.

The last thing this community needs is to have a bunch of press about this obviously ill-timed and frankly inappropriate attempt to sway a few votes. And then there are the other potential backlashes, as in when companies most certainly will abuse this provision, that simply make this a ticking time-bomb, in my humble opinion.

I mean, I know this is how politics works, but after all of the pork spending that was added to the current bill, I have started reminiscing about the old bill - the one that the House voted down on Monday - that was only $700 billion!

So, we await passage of a modified version of the bill in the House, a quick conference committee, where this provision will almost certainly get stripped since Blumenauer is not going to vote for the bill, and we are back to square one.

I do hope that Congress can someday find a way to make biking to work more financially attractive to Americans, but this is not the one we want!

Check out this hilarious video the folks over at New Belgium have put together to celebrate their new Team Wonderbike blog.

Now, the site is supposed to be only for folks who are over 21 and we know that lots of people who commute by bicycle who are not of drinking age. Regardless, these folks bring the right spirit to the concept of biking to work.

Just read their inspirational page, Why I Ride, to see what I mean…

OK, Aibo fans, this one’s for you. It’s a bicycle parking robot that stores your bicycle in an underground, 9,000-bicycle capacity parking facility. That’s very efficient use of urban space!

Obviously, we don’t have such a need in the States (yet!) for such parking capacity (or gadgetry, for that matter), but it’s still a cool video and I like how excited the announcer gets.

What a way to end your commute! I still haven’t talked my boss into getting a basic bike rack for the office. Slow are the cogs of change in even the smallest offices…

Read more about the robot at Geek.com.

I have long wondered if I would live to see the day when such factors actually made it on to people’s short lists of factors in considering which home to buy (or rent). It is really hard to predict, as I certainly did not foresee the ongoing paradigm shift in American’s commuting habits (OK, we are just talking about Portland here). BUT, here we are and people are considering the length of their bicycle commute to work as they choose their home in Portland. Maybe this idea will catch on, or maybe gas prices will go back down and I will be left all alone again on the bike path… you just never know, do you?

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)