Tag Archives: bikes

Could D.O.T. Secretary think bikes are for real?

Posted on April 30, 2009 by | Leave a comment

I mentioned this on twitter last week, but I think it might be worth exploring in a little more depth here with our blog readers.

DOT Fastlane BlogThe US Department of Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood is blogging.

These days a blogging politico is no surprise. However, the things he’s saying have kind of caught me off guard (in a good way):

  • “Bicycling is an important factor in less carbon-intensive commuting”
  • “When I told the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit that “Cyclists are important users of America’s transportation systems,” I meant it.”
  • “And, when I wrote that “With DOT, bicyclists have a full partner in working toward livable communities,” I meant that as well.”

To  cyclists, these statements are pretty logical. We get all of this and many of us have been saying the same thing for years. But the problem hasn’t been saying, it’s been the listening. That is, getting the Beltway to listen, and take us seriously (remember last summer’s anti-bike rant by N.C. Rep Patrick McHenry?).

Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, consumerism, Human Powered Politics, streetsblog

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Pt. 3 Building a kid’s bike that doesn’t suck: Tires

Posted on April 28, 2009 by | 12 comments

Continued from the series of posts: Kids’ Bikes: They suck and what you can do about it. I started this “series” back in Dec. and then sort of fell off track as things melted down at work.  As we’re heading into prime kid-biking season I figured I should dust off the drafts and get the info out there where it might do some good.

It’s possible experienced wrenchers may find this a bit too detailed. If that’s the case, visit the flickr stream for quick some ideas and examples.

marathon2By  far, tires caused me the most trouble during this project.

I like to think I’m a pretty savvy cookie when it comes to bike parts. I’ve been around them a long time — as a DIYer and a shop rat.  And on top of that, I’m a librarian so I know how to handle a search engine. But dang, these 24″ tires are difficult.

Limited choices + confusing sizes

The legendary Sheldon Brown illustrated the problem quite clearly in the following chart: Continue reading →

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Posted in bike lust, bikes, kids' bikes, wrenchin'

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Taking the new skis for a ride (with Paris)

Posted on April 26, 2009 by | 4 comments

I recently scored a smokin’ deal on some telemark skis on craigslist. Because I harbor a special guilt about my addiction to making turns (pretty much the only reason we own a car is for getting to the ski hills, and I don’t even want to think about the massive carbon footprint of the ski industry), I sure wasn’t going to drive to SoBa to pick up the planks. Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, BIG Loads, bikes, Burke-Gilman Trail, cargo bikes, xtracycle

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SXSW Adventures: Large Guy, Small Bike

Posted on March 20, 2009 by | 3 comments

large-guy-small-bikeI went to the South by Southwest  Interactive festival (SXSWi) in Austin last weekend for work. While there I was lucky enough to score a loaner bike from our friends at the great Austin bike blog/magazine: Austin on Two Wheels.

Oh, and this wasn’t just any beater… it’s was a sweet Azor Transport all the way from Holland (via our pals Dutch Bike Seattle—small world)! Anyway, as you can tell from the reflective Panda snapshot, the bike was a tad small, but that sure didn’t stop me from having an excellent time riding it all over Austin (side note: how freakin’ cool is the Internet when other bloggers loan you their very own bike, just ’cause you’re a fellow bike-life blogger and long-bike rider?).

Continue reading →

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Posted in bigger than here, bikes, cargo bikes, In other Cities

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Trader Joe’s

Posted on February 23, 2009 by | 10 comments
via YouTube from carlsfinefilms

Tim and I often profess our love for Trader Joe’s on this blog. We mostly enjoy talking about how much we spend there and how much of that overspending we can fit on our bikes. I’d say I’m not quite a number 2, but almost. I really do love my family a lot so I can’t say I love Trader Joe’s more.

I did chuckle a few times while watching the video. Most of the reasons in the catchy jingle do it for me.

But the one I don’t have to worry about is, “It’s the cars that don’t fit in the parking lot”

The U District Trader Joe’s has plenty of bike parking right out front. There’s always an open rack spot when I roll up. And I get to listen to the guy playing violin while I lock up my bike. All in all a pleasant shopping experience.

– Anne

btw – for those of you who are getting sick of me and miss Tim’s perspective, he promises he’ll post soon.  ; – )

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Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, shopping, shops

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A chill in the air? Get studs for your tires

Posted on December 17, 2008 by | 18 comments

Seattle’s once-yearly cold snap has me thinking traction. Sure, so far things have been pretty darn easy. Aside from the University Bridge (no, apparently they _don’t_ read the blog), the roads have been in great shape.

But the weather folks tell me this won’t last.We’re supposed to get some snow tonight and maybe tomorrow. Then they tell us to expect the teens to the low 20s (in Seattle!) for a few days, followed by more white stuff.

That’s tempting me to up the ante in the grip department. Studded tires are a logical choice, but hard to justify for two or three days a year. Even if I wasn’t such a cheap bastard, by the time I got around to ordering them it would be 50 and raining.

So what’s a tightwad with a hankering for traction to do?

DIY of course. Chains seem pretty nifty, but the process is kind of  high maintenance, even for me. That leaves self-studding as my only option. You don’t need me to point you to a studding tutorial — the interwebs are loaded with them. Totally cool studding videos are in shorter supply. Luckily, the Google delivers with this awesome video from Finland:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Even Anne, who doesn’t give a rip about studded tires,  watched the whole thing. It kind of makes you wanna grab the cordless drill and a beer, huh? If I don’t get snowed in tomorrow, I think I’ll head to Tacoma Screw for some #6  pan-head screws and give it a whirl.

Do you have some studding plans or experience ? (I can’t imagine what our Google search referrers are going to look like after this post). Let us know how it goes.

-Tim

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Posted in bikes, shopping, weather, wrenchin'

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Building a kid’s bike that doesn’t suck: The Mt. bike frame

Posted on December 10, 2008 by | 7 comments

Continued from yesterday’s post: Kids’ Bikes: They suck and what you can do about it. It’s possible you may find this a bit too detailed. If that’s the case, visit the flickr stream for quick some ideas and examples.

Reaching for the brakes

Pre-upgrade: Reaching for the brakes

For the non-sucky kid’s bike project foundation, I started with Craigslist’s finest: a $65, 21-spd,  24″-wheel Trek MT 220. I like this style of bike because it has a semi-step through frame. I originally tried for a slightly older version, complete with lighter frame and a closer to a true step-through design. Unfortunately, all the samples I ran across were pretty hammered, having been through two or three kids. Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, consumerism, kids, kids' bikes, wrenchin'

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Kids’ Bikes: They suck and what you can do about it

Posted on December 9, 2008 by | 19 comments

Since the spring, our kids have really embraced riding under their own power. Anne has blogged about this a number of times. It’s been a great time for them. Meanwhile, as the resident gearhead, I’ve been growing increasingly frustrated by the absolute crap that passes as acceptable kid transportation in the US. Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, consumerism, kids, kids' bikes, wrenchin'

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Bike the Vote: Car Free Days goes Xtracycle style

Posted on November 4, 2008 by | 6 comments

Anne and I are holdouts. We, unlike the rest of the county, prefer in-person voting over the mail-in/absentee alternative.  Call us old fashioned if you like (and this article does), but we really enjoy seeing our neighbors while we soak up the mood at our local community center on Election Day.

We also think in-person voting is darn useful for getting get the kids involved in their democratic responsibilities at a young age. For my money, there’s nothing better for inspiring responsibility than bringing your kids with you to vote. I vividly remember standing behind my mom in the big metal voting booth and craning my head in wonder as she yanked the curtain and started pulling the levers that cast her vote. By the time I was old enough, those booths were gone (dang!) and I had to make do with hanging chads and coloring in bubbles.

But I still got to vote.

Booth or no, the experience is rich. Our polling place was just humming this morning. We’ve been voting at the same community center for 12 years and have never seen it so busy.

Continue reading →

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Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, extravehicular activities, Human Powered Politics, xtracycle

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48 Hours in Portland

Posted on October 29, 2008 by | 17 comments

Taking the Appliances on VacationIt turns out you can take your appliances on vacation. (btw Stephan – even if Anne has to eat her words, the trip was well worth it).

We have been trying to get to Portland for a childless getaway for awhile. The stars aligned this past weekend and we were able to get the grandparents to watch the kids so we headed down to the Rose city to celebrate our anniversary.

We ended up driving our VW van after much discussion of trains (no go since we read you have to box odd shaped bikes) and Zipcars (we didn’t think our bikes would fit in any of their cars). To complicate matters, we had to pick up our kids at the grandparents house in the suburbs at the end of the weekend and driving simplified all of that.

Did you like all of those excuses for taking the stinky car?

Continue reading →

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Posted in bikes, extravehicular activities, PDX

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