Psst - Do You Wanna Buy A Sprocket?
By spokesman | March 2, 2010
I saw this guy walking around at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Richmond this weekend. He had a bunch of old bicycle components taped on a backpack with a for sale sign.
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Topics: Flotsam | No Comments »
North American Handmade Bicycle Show Report
By spokesman | March 1, 2010
I attended the 2010 North America Handmade Bicycle Show in Richmond this weekend. I will do several posts in the near future on the show and some of the interesting bicycles and products.
The highlight of the show for me was meeting the builders. It was great to talk with people that are so passionate about their job. Most of these builders are in the business because they love it. It is a tough business and not a quick (or easy) way to get rich. They are very proud of the bikes that they produce. As I wandered around the show, striking up conversations with builders, the consistent theme was their excitement about the industry and their bikes. We had detailed conversations on frame geometry, materials, construction techniques and design. As the conversations got more into the minutia of bicycle building, most of the designers would get more excited. They took tremendous pride in explaining the unique features of their bicycles.
I have included 2 videos with this post. One video has photos that I took at the show. My pictures were all taken on the show floor. Check out Urban Velo for professional quality portraits of the bicycles. The second video is from the party on Friday night and feature the show organizer, Don Walker, competing in a combination bicycle sprint and beer chug.
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Topics: Bicycle Event | No Comments »
Bicycle Issues For DC Metro
By spokesman | February 23, 2010
The Washington DC Metro system is the second busiest rail system in the country and is in a state of crisis. There are large budget shortfalls and recent accidents have resulted in several deaths and a significant number of injuries. This past Sunday, the Washington Post had 3 articles focusing on the Metro system including one on the front page.
In addition to the immediate operating problems, I believe that the Metro has done a poor job in providing access for bicyclists. While there are some good features, including the bike racks on Metro buses as shown in the picture above, there is significant room for improvement. Many of the surburban stations are designed to be primarily car accessible and aren’t pedestrian/bicyclist friendly. Often a Metro station in an area leads to increased higher density development. This leads to larger roads and more cars. Many stations don’t have good access for pedestrians and bicyclist from the surrounding neighborhoods. In many cases, even after the bicyclist/pedestrian reaches Metro property, they must still contend with traffic, long routes or crossing through garages/parking lots to access the station.
I believe that each Metro station should have a network of sidewalks and bike lanes that radiate out from the station to the surrounding neighborhoods. In many cases this can be done inexpensively. Painted bike lanes, crosswalks and properly timed crossing signals can help address the problem.
One of the articles in the Washington Post was written by a reporter who rode the Metro for the entire day and traveled to every station in the system. However the train ride is only part of the commute. Getting to and from the station needs to be considered. I challenge the Washington Post to have a reporter bike or walk to several of the surburban Metro stations to see the obstacles first hand and chronicle the difficulties. I would be glad to accompany the reporter.
A Fairfax County supervisor who was recently quoted in an article in the Washington Examiner said “I don’t believe that a bicycle is a transportation device.” The combination of that type of attitude and Metro’s other problems (killing passangers and employees) means that it is unlikely that there will be a focus on addressing the bicycle/pedestrian issues any time soon.
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Topics: Bike Commuting, Washington DC | 4 Comments »
Race Across The Sky - A Review Of The Movie
By spokesman | February 21, 2010
I saw the movie Race Across The Sky this week at a screening at the Arlington Cinema & Draft House hosted by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and Bike Arlington. Spokes Etc., a local chain of bike shops, also needs to be recognized for contributing prizes to the raffle.
The film is a documentary on the Leadville 100 mountain bike race held annually in Leadville, Colorado. The film was made during the 2009 race. Lance Armstrong was a race participant for the second time that year. He first rode the race in 2008 when he began his comeback and he finished second that year. His attempt in 2009 took place just 3 weeks after he had finished the Tour De France.
The film does an excellent job of giving the history of the race and a feel for the difficulty of the course (104 miles, over 14,000 feet of cumulative ascent, entire course at high altitude). There are many significant steep climbs and descents over a mixture of terrain. The film is narrated by Bob Roll, who will be familiar to viewers of the Tour De France. Although Bob’s comments are scripted as opposed to his usual improvised style, he is still very entertaining.
The photography is beautiful. The race takes place in a very scenic area and the film captures the beauty of the area. Filming a bicycle race over a 100 course where some of the route includes very narrow paths is difficult. However they managed to capture all of the key moments in the race and were very close to the racers. There are even discussions with riders during the race throughout the film.
The movie also does a good job of capturing stories of average participants. While the race includes some professionals, there are many amateur riders whose only goal is to finish before the 12 hour cut-off and be awarded the finisher’s Leadville 100 belt buckle.
If you get an opportunity to see the film, I highly recommend it. I think that even non-bikers will find it enjoyable.
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Topics: Books/Movies | No Comments »
Race Across The Sky
By spokesman | February 16, 2010
Race Across the Sky is a documentary covering the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 bike race, one of the most intense endurance races of all time. The film includes candid conversations with Lance Armstrong, Dave Wiens, and other elite and amateur cyclists who overcame extreme challenges to participate in this grueling race. This was one of the first races that Lance rode when he came out of retirement. Here is a link to the trailer on Youtube.
For those readers in the Washington D.C. area, the film will be shown tomorrow night (2/17) at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse.
Topics: Bicycle Event, Washington DC | No Comments »