First of all, let’s get the mandatory ‘National Bike to Work Day’ Picture out of the way:

Now to the G-Form comfort pads. Let’s begin with addressing the hood pads - although I’m not built like Il Pirata, some of us like the aero position of our road bikes. So how did the hood pads perform? I like them. I found them very comfortable and they didn’t slip at all.

I didn’t need the saddle gel pads, but since they were part of the kit, I installed them on my saddle since I didn’t have anything to lose. How did they perform? I like them as well. They did add a little comfort to my derriere, specifically when I rode through bumpy rough terrain.

The shoe pads were a different story. I didn’t care for them. Although they were not uncomfortable, I had that sensation that they were not in the right place. Oh well.

Time will tell on the durability of the glue; I do share the same concern on how long they pads will stay stuck to the hoods and saddle.

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Well, I feel like a dork. Why? I took my first spill today. I was riding back from picking up my lunch when I heard a big truck breathing down my neck, so I got a little closer to the gutter so he can pass me… Well, he didn’t so I assumed that he was going to turn onto the next driveway, as I accelerated, I got too close to the driveway, and the ‘lip of death’ got me….

Yeah, you know, the little lip between the street and the driveway… I washed out, landed on my side and scraped my elbow.

Fortunately for me, my Banjo Brothers Panniers took the brunt of the fall. I’m OK, the bike’s OK but my ego is a little bruised…

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Our friend and regular reader Chris Raczkowski (who posts under the name “Ragged Claws”) was interviewed on one of the local news stations in Mobile, Alabama. Chris sold his car and dedicated himself to using a bicycle for transportation. As a long-time former resident of Mobile, I can say that doing so in that city is no small feat, so “bravo” to Chris for doing this. Bicycling infrastructure is virtually nonexistant, roads are narrow and poorly-maintained and car culture dominates the landscape. Plus, there are a LOT of hills to conquer! But, Chris did an excellent job of illustrating the many benefits of using a bicycle as transportation, and he looks like he’s having a blast doing it.

Check out the story and video – good stuff!

Chris, I see my “talking points” came in handy. Glad you threw in the bit about bike commuting being fun — the best reason to give it a try! Ride on, friend, ride on…

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We’ll be at the Urban Bicycle Commmuter Expo in Pasadena from 10:00am-5:00PM. Come by and say hello, we have lots of bike stuff to give away!!!

We’ll try to post some stuff while we are at the expo, stay tuned for pictures, video and interviews!

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I got this article from my Yahoo Odd News feed:

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Brian LaFave couldn’t care less how high gasoline prices climb these days — he’s parked his pickup truck and is refusing to buy gas for a month, possibly longer.

“The goal is to not use one drop of gas for 31 days,” LaFave said, calling it his personal stand against the oil companies.

Now LaFave, 31, is riding his bicycle or walking everywhere he goes. He won’t even let friends pick him up unless they already planned on being in the neighborhood.

“If they’re not going out of their way, I can take the ride,” he said. “But if they’re going out of their way, then … I’m still consuming gasoline so it kind of defeats the purpose.”

LaFave started the effort May 11. He bikes to his third-shift job at Aldrich Chemical in Sheboygan Falls, a 9-mile commute.

“I did like a practice run … two days in a row to make sure I could do it,” he said. “I’m not in the greatest shape. The mornings are the worst. It feels like it takes forever. I get like a mile down the road and I want to die.”

It’s a big change for someone who put 300 miles on his truck the week before he stopped driving it.

LaFave fills out a chart each day listing how many miles he bikes, the destination and the gas price that day, among other things. He plans to compute his savings and donate that amount to a charity that provides food to children in Africa.

“I think just with the gas prices being so high, everybody complains about it but no one ever really does anything about it,” LaFave said. “People continue to drive nonstop and not think about it, but I just wanted to take a stand and say, `I’m not gonna pay this much money for gas.’”

So, does that this mean that Bike Commuters are odd? Get real, this is what everyone else needs to do, stop bitching and complaining and find an alternative solution (my vote is for biking to work).
Maybe they should have posted it on their Front Page News feed instead.

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Boy Scouts are required to get either the Cycling, Swimming or Hiking merit badge as part of the requirements on their path to Eagle Scout Rank, which is the highest rank a Scout can achieve. To get merit badges they work through adult counselors. To sign up as a counselor you need to locate the council nearest you and fill out an application. To get an application go to www.scouting.org and click on the “local councils” tab and plug in your zip code. If you like working with youth and have some time to go on a few bike rides with some Scouts and to go over some cycling basics, this can be a fun and fulfilling experience. Below are the requirements for the cycling merit badge. The main requirements are numbers 7 and 8. In requirement 8 they have to do a 50 mile bike trip. Here are a few photos of when I was working with some Scouts from Laredo.

1. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while cycling, including hypothermia, heat reactions, frostbite, dehydration, insect stings, tick bites, snakebites, blisters and hyperventilation.

2. Clean and adjust a bicycle. Prepare it for inspection using a bicycle safety checklist. Be sure the bicycle meets local laws.

3. Show your bicycle to your counselor for inspection. Point out the adjustments or repairs you have made. Do the following:

a. Show all points that need oiling regularly.
b. Show points that should be checked regularly to make sure the bicycle is safe to ride.
c. Show how to adjust brakes, seat level and height, and steering tube.

4. Describe how to brake safely with foot brakes and with hand brakes.

5. Show how to repair a flat. Use an old bicycle tire.

6. Take a road test with your counselor and demonstrate the following:

a. Properly mount, pedal, and brake including emergency stops.
b. On an urban street with light traffic, properly execute a left turn from the center of the street; also demonstrate an alternate left turn technique used during periods of heavy traffic.
c. Properly execute a right turn.
d. Demonstrate appropriate actions at a right-turn-only lane when you are continuing straight.
e. Show proper curbside and road-edge riding. Show how to safely ride along a row of parked cars.
f. Cross railroad tracks properly.

7. Describe your state’s traffic laws for bicycles. Compare them with motor-vehicle laws. Know the bicycle-safety guidelines.

8. Avoiding main highways, take two rides of 10 miles each, two rides of 15 miles each, and two rides of 25 miles each. You must make a report of the rides taken. List dates, routes traveled, and interesting things seen.

9. After fulfilling requirement 8, lay out on a road map a 50-mile trip. Stay away from main highways. Using your map, make this ride in eight hours.

Source: 2007 Boy Scout Requirements (33215)

Shane Stock
www.osobike.com

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The LBCyclists want to thank Bikecommuters.com and KHS for helping out our event this year! By all accounts it was a resounding success. I’ve attended a few BTWD events in Long Beach and this had the most traffic of all of them. Granted, it doesn’t hurt it was right smack on a beach bike path

We brought most of the event materials by bike! Bottles of water, giveaways, muffins and even a table!

We spoke to many community members and beach path users about the joys of bicycling.

We also had great volunteers helping us all day.

We also want to thank PlanetBike for donating Superflash/Blaze combos and Walzcaps for donating a cool assortment of caps to the event! Everyone was really excited about the killer blinky combos and styling cycling caps.

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Besides reliability, comfort rates high on my scale of *must have* on a bike. Since I ride 20 miles round trip, there are areas of my body that do get sore. My biggest grief with road bikes is how uncomfortable riding on the hoods is. So when I saw that G-form offers Gel Brake Hood overs, we quickly got a kit to test.

The entire kit consists of:

The Brake Hood Over grips. Retail: $12.99

The Saddle Kit. Retail: $24.95

and the shoes inserts. Retail: $9.95

Entire Kit, Retail $47.85 Free Shipping!

Installing the hood grips and the saddle kit was very easy. The shoes inserts took a little time to properly stick them on the right place.

I will be riding with this setup tomorrow, National Bike to Work day. I will post my first impressions on the afternoon.

For more information go to www.gformcomfort.com

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Just came back from Long Beach. I was there with the fellows from Bikestation and LBCyclists.org to celebrate Bike to Work Day and to encourage people to ride to work.

Turn out was very good; we had all sorts of riders stop by. We were giving away all sorts of schwag and of course, we were raffling a bicycle provided by KHS Bicycles. Riders were greeted by smiling faces and were treated to coffee, muffins, water and Bumble Bars.

There was the occasional passerby the didn’t know that it was Bike to Work Day — most of these onlookers were surprised to see how many people ride their bikes to work and we were commended on ‘trying to make a difference’.

I had a great time with Russ, Dominic, Jaymee and Laura, thank you all for putting this thing together and hope to see you next year!

Note: Winners will be announced on www.lbcyclists.org

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As with the rest of the country, there’s been a slew of media attention on this year’s National Bike to Work Week here in the Tampa Bay area.

Normally, I tend to hog the spotlight around here because there are so few regular commuters (or they’re much better at hiding than I am). However, this week two of our other Tampa-based pals made it onto television!

First, we have Jonathan Scott, an engineer with the City of Tampa…he made it onto the news not once but TWICE this week, and did an excellent job on-camera. Check out his first article and video, and also today’s video.

(image by Rick and Lisa Hickman)

The second “local celebrity” is roadie/commuter and all-around good guy Mike Limerick, co-founder of the Seminole Heights Bicycle Club. Mike’s other claim to fame is his amazing cycling jersey collection. Here is today’s article and accompanying video. Look for a cameo appearance by local cycling advocate and longtime friend of Bikecommuters.com Julie Bond (photos lost to last year’s hacker).

It is good to see the local media outlets focusing on bicycle commuting…I only wish there was this much attention year-round rather than only during Bike to Work Week. Well, the message is getting out, regardless. Bravo to Jonathan, Mike and Julie for braving the news cameras!!!

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