Glow in the Dark Bikes, Cheaper Alternative

Glow in the dark bicycles are really helpful if you drive on the road at night. Motorists will have easier time to see you in the dark. In my previous post, I mentioned about Mission Bicycle Company's Lumen Glow in the Dark bike, yes their bikes are stunning, beautiful, and work of art but most of us can't afford $799 for a bike. Luckily, I found a cheaper alternative, Pure Fix Cycles Glow in the Dark which offer glow in the dark bikes for half the price of Lumen. On their website, the price is $399.00 but you can find discounted price on Amazon for just $340 with FREE Shipping.

Pure Fix Cycles Glow in the Dark bikes are fully GLOW-in-the-dark fixed gear bike. The paint that they used is solar-activated, it glows in the dark. You will need to expose your bike from the sun for an hour and it'll glow for more than an hour at night.

When you purchase the bike it comes standard with every components needed to ride a bike right out of the box like grips, front brake and pedals. However, at this time they don't offer bike customization but you can buy additional parts from them if you want to customize it. It's also delivered to you 90% assembled, so all you need to do is attach the pedals, front wheel, seat, handlebars, and brake and you're ready to go.

The bike weigh between 21 and 25 pounds, depending on the size of the bike you ordered.

Our standard fixies are made of steel and weigh between 21 and 25 pounds, depending on size.

I will definitely consider glow in the dark bike to replace my current one, since I was almost hit by a dumb driver last month.

Check it out HERE. 

Downtown L.A. streets closed to cars for a Car-Free Festival

The CicLAvia festival started at 9 a.m. and the organizers said that the estimated turn out was over 100,000 participants that bike, walk, run and roller-skate. About 7 miles of downtown L.A. streets are closed to cars for the bike fest.

There are no reported major incidents or injuries but organizers reminded participants to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated because of high temperatures low humidity.

The car-free event "Heart of LA" was its third this year and the eighth since CicLAvia began in 2010 in downtown Los Angeles.

Bike Thief Caught on Camera at RideLondon cycle event

A man riding a stolen bike down the Mall with other cyclists was caught on camera. The bike was  taken from a participant in the Prudential RideLondon cycle event and the thief was photographed by official event photographers while riding the stolen bike.

Photos of the man riding the £2,600 ($4,019 USD) green Trek Madone 4.9 down the road which links Buckingham Palace with Trafalgar Square have been released by London Metropolitan Police.

It was stolen before the cycle event started at 1pm on Saturday 3 August. Police said the bike was taken after thieves cut the lock.

The photo shows a man wearing a helmet while riding the bike which belongs to a 42-year-old man who was hoping to take part in the event.

Pc Charlotte Brierley, of Scotland Yard's Cycle Task Force, said: "The victim was about to take part in the FreeCycle event when his bicycle was stolen.

"The theft took place in the middle of a very busy event and we are urging people who were there who may have seen anything to come forward.

"As a result he could not take part in the event which he was looking forward to participating in."

The man is seen in the photographs wearing a blue cycle helmet, sunglasses, a blue and white striped T-shirt, beige/grey shorts and blue and white shoes.

Hubless BMX Concept Bike by Bradford Waugh

I found this on the web and it's pretty awesome. It is called Hubless BMX Bike by Bradford Waugh. Instead of using some sort of magnet, the Hubless Road Bike Concept pictured will use geared rollers for a smooth ride. More interesting than the hubs, the crankset is hooked up to a roller which will power the hubs.

Huge Bike Jump into a Pond

Check out this cool video, couple teens build a ramp and use it to jump or fly into a pond. I wonder if they have insurance. 

  

My Mountain Bike Wish List

 Jamis Dakar XAM 2.0

The Jamis Dakar XAM 2.0 is an efficient trail bike mainly because of its excellent suspension. It has mp3 suspension. One yahoo writer said that this is one of the best bikes you can get if you are a serious biker because of speed and lightweight construction. It also has a unique frame geometry honed by pro riders and test pilots who demanded that this bike be able to climb as capably as it descended. It has 10mm shock hardware, over-sized pivot bearings, thru-axle front and rear hubs. The price tag is a whopping $5,000.

Diamondback Overdrive Pro 29'er Mountain Bike (2011 Model, 29-Inch Wheels)

The Diamondback Overdrive Professional looks comfortable to ride due its added support. It has an aluminum frame with Avid BB5 disc brakes and has six-inch rotors. It is built for reliability and is perfect for all types of terrain. Retail stores and sporting goods stores offer this bike for $1,200.

    * 29-inch hardtail mountain bike with butted aluminum frame

    * Rock Shox Reba dual air fork with motion control and hollow crown

    * Truvativ 5D crank set with sealed cartridge bearing; Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes

    * 29-inch WTB Prowler tires; SRAM SX-5 9-speed trigger shifter

    * Comes in 16-, 18-, 20-, and 22-inch sizes; WTB Speed V Sport saddle.

I think I'll go for Diamondback Overdrive because of the price, $5,000 is just too much for a bike. 

Man crushed underneath cement truck

Oh, I hate news like this. A man died after he lost control of his bike in Manhattan and was run over by a cement truck. Poor biker, my deepest sympathy to his family & friends.


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Mountain biking: a beginner's tale

I love beginners stories, because not so long ago I'm also a beginner and I can easily relate to them...

As the saying goes, you never forget how to ride a bike. At least this is the motto giving me confidence as I swing my leg over the saddle at the Coed Trawllm mountain bike centre, in mid-Wales, and prepare to take to the trails for the first time in years. I'm not going to lie to you – I'm more than a bit nervous – but having arranged a ride with my guide, John (recently awarded an MBE for services to the sport), I'm confident that I'm in good hands.

For a start, the trails at Coed Trawllm are colour-coded like ski runs – blue, red and black – so you can pretty much pick the route to match your mood and, of course, ability. For relative newbies like myself, this is ideal. Before we head to the gnarly stuff, John leads me out onto something gentler to assess my skills.

First up, a short descent that leads to a stream crossing. "The trick is to lean your backside over the end of the saddle, so your weight stays back," he says, before making it look far too easy.

This is the point where I realise something key: never forgetting how to ride a bike is all well and good, assuming you have learnt properly in the first place. Put simply, I come a cropper, locking up my wheels by leaning too hard on the brakes. The result is a wet backside and slightly bruised ego, but frankly who cares? I'm having a great time, and getting muddy is all part of the fun with mountain biking.

Continuing on around the trail, John explains what it is about Wales that has brought bikers flocking from all over the planet in recent years. "The terrain in this part of the world is pretty special – hundreds of miles of forest tracks, pristine woodland and old quarries. It's as challenging as anything you'll get in mainland Europe."

No kidding. As we continue on around the 4km blue run that loops through the woods and conveniently back to the cafe, I find myself careering in and out of my comfort zone. And I am loving every minute.

A bite to eat later (tea and cake are a mountain biking must), John and I are heading out for more – and this time we aren't mucking about; it's on to the red run. Now is my opportunity to put into practice the skills that John taught me in the morning – namely body position, braking and simply looking where you're going.

"It sounds simple," says John, as we huff and puff our way up a steady climb, "but watching where you're riding is essential because your body will naturally set itself up to ride whatever you see in your path."

He isn't wrong. As I expected, the 5km red run is slightly more technical than the blue – with some challenging single track stuff, a switchback and some satisfying descents. All in all it requires more attention – a fact I find out the hard way after taking a tumble off a small bridge and ending up in a stream. Again.

"Ease off the brakes a bit more and let it flow," is John's straight-faced appraisal of what must have been a rather amusing wipeout.

Thankfully, this is my last "technical touchdown" of the day, and my confidence grows in spades as we continue along the route – soaking up the gorgeous landscape that surrounds Coed Trawllm. One moment we are in Lord-Of-The-Rings-esque forest, the next, hurtling across beautiful streams and pedaling through spectacular open sections.

For John, it's just another day in the saddle but for me it's an experience I'll never forget - and one I'm aiming to repeat again soon.
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/visit-wales/mountain-biking-wales-powys-coed-trawllm

Biking violations unpunished

Saw this news and my instant thought was, hahaha eat my dusts su***

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Law meant to keep pedal-pushers in line turns out to be toothless

Boston police have yet to ticket a single bicyclist for running a red light or disrupting traffic since the launch of the Hubway bike-share program two weeks ago. But the reason may have little to do with lack of opportunity: Because of a loophole in a state law, the tickets wouldn’t be worth the paper they’re printed on.

A newly enacted provision called for police across the state to begin ticketing bikers $20 for civil motor vehicle violations starting last January. For the first time, police could use the same ticket book for motorists and bicyclists, with copies of every ticket going to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

But, as police, court administrators, and Registry officials became aware this spring, the law also inadvertently did away with punishments for bicyclists who fail to pay tickets.

Without any clear way to collect fines or punish those who ignore tickets, authorities have been left with a procedure reliant on the honor system. As a result, it appears that a number of police departments are choosing not to ticket bicyclists. Boston police, as of last week, had issued 60 warnings - but zero tickets - to bikers since the Hubway added 600 bikes to city streets.

Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll acknowledged in an e-mail that the department was aware of the lack of teeth in the law.

“At this time, we will continue issuing warnings and taking the opportunity to increase awareness regarding the rules of the road,’’ she wrote. “Our main concern at this point is having the opportunity to educate bicyclists on traffic rules.’’

Across the river, Cambridge Sergeant Paul Timmins said his department, a leader in bike-law enforcement, has not issued a bike ticket since January.

“It’s just this one sentence in the law that’s causing this whole problem,’’ he said.

That “one sentence’’ can be found in Chapter 85, Section 11E of the Massachusetts General Laws. It starts innocuously by calling for police to ticket bicyclists as they would motorists.

The problem lies in the sentence’s concluding remark, which says that bike tickets “shall not affect the bicyclist’s license to operate a motor vehicle.’’

Keeping bicycle tickets and driver’s licenses separate makes sense on several levels - not every bicyclist drives a car, for instance. But the law, as worded, takes away the Registry’s only means to coerce bikers to pay civil tickets - by suspending or not renewing a driver’s license - without offering an alternative punishment.

Registry spokesman Richard Nangle did not say how the Registry will pursue delinquent fines without such authority.

more on this news

Another Grandpa biker!

Here is another amazing story of a grandpa biker...

 

A grandfather is racing against the clock, cycling from Vancouver to Halifax to beat a world record and raise money for charity.

54-year-old Arvid Loewen is raising money for Kenyan orphanages.

He has to make it to Halifax by Thursday night to break the Guinness World Record of riding across Canada in 13 days, nine hours and six minutes.

It's going to be so close, Loewen didn't even sleep Wednesday night.

In fact, he can't even pull over to take a phone call.

"Well I basically don't stop now. I only stop to do a few necessities and that's about it."

Loewen had been ahead of the pace, biking 22 hours every day.

But in Saskatchewan, leg injuries almost forced him to quit.

"So I had a choice to make — either I was going to DNF [racing acronym for Did Not Finish], quit, or I was going to use up everything I had banked."

So he risked it and rested for a day.

Although he lost time, he's almost back on pace now.

He's hoping to raise $350,000 for Mully Children's Family, a charity that helps rehabilitate street children in Kenya.

He said he's already raised $250,000.

The project is called Grandpas Can and was inspired by his three grandkids.

"Grandpas can do a whole lot more than just simply love their own children, grandchildren, which they should and we all believe that, and I certainly believe that as well, but we also have an opportunity to say, you know what, we can do so much more."

To break the record, Loewen has to get to Halifax City Hall by 9:06 pm Thursday.

His assistants say that he could get there anywhere between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

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