Like Dottie, I had my share of invisibility yesterday morning: a pedestrian—probably a Belmont student late for class—darted out in front of me, in the bike lane.
All I could do was make inarticulate noises. Luckily that was enough to make him look my way and hustle as I applied the brake. No collision!
But then, on the way home, I had the opposite experience: pedaling down Portland, I saw a cyclist riding toward me. As we drew closer to one another, he veered toward me. Is he trying to hit me?
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I must be invisible. Invisibility is the only explanation for a pedestrian walking out in the street in front of me and for a car turning left across my path on the way home today. Except not invisible to other cyclists, since a guy on the other side of the intersection shook his head and said, "He didn't even see you," as I rode past.
One of the golden rules of transportation cycling is to assume you're invisible. Good advice.
Other than this not-so-minor problem, my ride today was lovely. The temper...
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I'd like to introduce our newest roll model, Laurie Harris. She studied at cycling mecca UC-Davis, where she earned a degree in design with an emphasis on textiles. Very cool! She now has her own small brand of eco-friendly jewelry, Lalipouri Designs, and blogs about her inspirations, including lots of bicycle beauty. Read on to hear how she first learned to ride a bike in college, the freedom provided by Davis' cycling infrastructure and the ways bicycling can influence fashion design.
Tell us abou...
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Did you know that sitting all day is as unhealthy as smoking or sun over-exposure? After reading about that study, I feel like even bicycling to and from work every day is not enough to make up for all my sitting. Bike commuting is an amazing activity for consistent exercise, but on average totals only one hour of my day. I have a desk job and many activities I enjoy after work - reading, blogging, watching movies - are sedentary.
In an effort to make my lifestyle more active (no gyms, please!) I often sp...
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Some readers asked for more information about the shopping trip I made with the De Fietsfabriek Bakfiets. I'm happy to oblige.
As I mentioned before, last week I ran into my friend Elizabeth talking to the shop owner, Jon. When I commented on how cool the Bakfiets looked, he said I could borrow it, if I ever needed to. My ears perked and I soon took him up on the offer for a trip to Costco. Such is the life of a car-free bargain hunter.
For those who are not familiar with Costco, it's a store w...
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Look what I found! An amazing cargo bike from De Fietsfabriek, a Dutch bike shop that I ride by every day during my commute. I got to borrow the Bakfiets overnight for an ambitious Costco bulk food shopping trip, 9 miles total riding distance.
This beast means business. The De Fietsfabriek Bakfiets is the Dutch company's biggest cargo bike (except the Stretch Limo?). I recommend the Bakfiets for those who regularly haul a lot of cargo or a troop of children, or who want to use the Bakfiets to promote their bus...
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We all love beautiful bicycles, but what if you're on a tight budget?
At Let's Go Ride a Bike, Trisha and I aim to show how transportation cycling can be simple, stylish and fun. A major factor of "simple" is low cost - the only lower cost transportation option is walking, which we also enjoy, but it takes quite a bit longer. A major factor of "stylish" is a good-looking bike, and a major factor of "fun" is a bike well-built enough to free you from the stress of bad brakes and uncomfortable seating positions. ...
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I've been on the lookout for the first bud of spring. Recently, I started seeing plants pushing through, but nothing more. I gazed longingly at ecovelo's poppies. Today, I finally saw the first Chicago bloom! (And I'm feeling better - thank you!)
I plan to write a retrospective on winter soon, but for now I'm savoring the spring. Any other flowers out there?
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We all know that bike commuters are less likely than non-cyclists to get sick. But what happens when a cyclist does catch a cold: garage the bike or keep on keeping on?
I encountered this situation today and decided to ride to work. I have a cold - sore throat, sneezing, a little weak - but did not feel bad enough to take a sick day. The weather was sunny and relatively warm, so I rode my bike without much thought. I took it easy, blew my nose at stop lights, and felt pretty good during the ride. I droop...
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When my friend Ms. Elle called to ask if I wanted to meet up at Copenhagen Cyclery after work, I was quick to agree. She has been loyal to her vintage bike Cilantro, but decided to explore less "rickety" options.
While she quickly fell in love with the Velorbis Studine (they make a hot couple - see above), I flirted with the Velorbis Scrap Deluxe, a bike I'd never ridden before.
The Scrap Deluxe's stand-out feature is the set of cream Schwalbe Fat Frank tires. Aside from being eye-catching and uniqu...
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