And you thought fixie tricks were something new… [via MetaFilter]
Sad stories of bike theft
Loonies on the loose
According to thewest.com.au
Vigilantes are stringing wire between trees and hiding spiked planks on a Mundaring bush trail in a dangerous bid to ambush illegal dirt-bike riders.
Rangers claim the traps are also threatening walkers, cyclists, horseriders and others who are allowed to use Railway Reserve Heritage Trail between Glen Forrest and Chidlow.
Can anyone explain to me the rationale for attempting to indescriminately and randomly maim and kill people?
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Drive less, save more
Check out these videos for Drive Less Save More, a campaign in Portland (USA) to promote alternatives to car trips. All made as entries in a competition, the winners are going to air as TV ads. [via Bike Portland]
And speaking of videos, this is a good 'un: [Gas pumps are so last y][] [twitterer]
All-in-one
Bike Handlebars With Built-In Basket [Thanks tom]
Maxims and truisms
Junk food that you "earned" by riding all week tastes far better than junk food normally does. (Also applicable to beer, chocolates, takeaway curry, chinese food &c).
A bit more than a pannier
POD is a innovative multipurpose carrier. It will carry an inner bag (for shopping), a laptop bag and even a suit carrier.
A bit more than a trailer
Midget Campertrailers are pop-up campervans for towing behind bikes.
Blank screen moments
Bicycle Wallpaper. Rather good, I think.
DIY
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Contactless dynamo powering bike safety lights (Can you say Reelights?)
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From a decrepit old 70's Raleigh Twenty Granny shopping bike "something a bit different".
Study Tour
Bike and Trains Study Tour, Netherlands:
The bike is the grease that keeps the traffic system, and with that the economic system, flowing.
A promising sign?
Twice as many children cycling to school in UK:
Nearly twice as many children are now cycling to school in the UK compared with five years ago, according to sustainable transport charity Sustrans.
And in related news:
Eight-year-old Nigel Williams from Maidenhead will tomorrow step into his family's history books when for the first time he will attempt to walk alone along the three hundred-metre route from his home to school.
[via CAN]
Mythbusters
Let's Bust The Bike-Commuting Myths
What we'd like you to know
The Drive Safe, Cycle Safe page on the UK's Department of Transport web site offers tips on "What cyclists would like motorists to know" and "What motorists would like cyclists to know". [via Chris Gerhard's Weblog]
Hire helmets also?
No explanation on how Victoria's compulsory helmet laws will be satisfied by the operators of Melbourne forthcoming [bike hire e][]. I'm not sure I'd be all that keen to stick my head into a hired helmet…
But why?
Aurumania offers a nice gold bike with Swarovski adornments for a cool €80,000. I guess you'd want a good lock for that. [twitterer]
Self destruction
Bicyclism ponders what leads people on the path to Self Destruction and how a little cycling is an antidote:
I know the experience, the reality, of loosing weight. Two years ago, after 20 years of too little cycling, I weighted 104 kg (231 lbs)…I took to the bike like a dehydrated desert survivor to a water trough. One kg. Two kg. Five. Ten. 20. 30! Gone. I am alive again. Free. There was no diet. No regimen of pain. No militaristic martialing by personal trainers or gymn instructors. Just the pleasure of pedalling and pedalling again. Day in day out, every day. The more I rode the better it got and the better it got the more I wanted to ride. Life affirming, life confirming. The ecstasy of fitness. The ecstasy of reborn bodily flexibility and the capacity to participate in any physical adventure I choose.
Get organised
How to organise a full moon ride. [Thanks [Bike n][]]
And if you find yourself organising a ride, lynnef's [Cue Sheet s][] are worth a read.
Comments
Had Georgia & Ben in last week for a interview about Commonbike - listen in here.
Hmmmm ... maybe it's time for another speedlinking sess?
Monash also have a bike share arrangement going on, between halls of residence and the main part of the campus at Clayton. I wish they'd thought to add more bike racks to cope with the increase in use
Other good sources for cycling wallpaper;
http://www.everydaycycling.com/edc/v2/media/media_desktop_wallpapers.aspx (British Cycling's "Everyday Cycling" page)
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/gallery/v/Wallpaper/ (Cycling Weekly's Pro Cycling Wallpapers)
http://www.cervelo.com/wp.aspx?t=TestTeam (Cervelo)
you might be interested in the bikeshare pilot that's being run by rmit students in melbourne for the next three weeks. http://www.commonbike.com/ the aim is to get some information on how people use shared bicycles in melbourne, and also to examine the feasibility of community run shared bike plans, as opposed to large scale commercial ventures.