if you build it, they will ride...

The adventure of building my own commuter is finally upon me.

I like tinkering with bikes and have even had a few opportunities to take apart, paint and reassemble bikes. All of those projects never resulted in anything much - none of the bikes are even in my possession any more. But I am always on the look out for a good "project bike." Once I started bike commuting, I felt the desire to build a custom commuter - spec'd exactly for what I needed. My road bike is too nice for the crummy roads and my mountain bike is too slow and too relaxed (geometry-wise) for the distance. I like the feel of lugged steel (who doesn't, really?) and have been on the lookout for a frame for building my franken-bike. And, alas, I have found it.

While making my first visit to the Tempe Bike Saviours - a local bike co-op (aka HEAVEN) - I found this sweet ol' gal amidst a pile of rusted out Schwinn's and Huffy's. I have yet to decipher all of the serial numbers so I can figure out the exact model and year of manufacture - but I do know that it is a pre-1973 Japanese model of the Sekine road bike.



Sekine's were originally manufactured in Japan until 1973, when they opened a plant in Manitoba, Canada to avoid certain duties and tariffs on importing bikes. Sekine was one of those brands that really profited off of the 70s bike boom - they were self-proclaimed as the "World's Finest Bicycle" (note that the actual frame decal says "World Finest Bicycle...").



The head badge has a signature rhinestone at the top - which I actually thought was something added by whoever owned this bike before.



For now, all I have is the frameset: frame, fork and crankset. This merely means that I have a blank canvas to work with and I get to hand pick every piece. I will write periodic updates as the project moves along.

now this is what i call a bike lane

Good news for those of you living in NYC, a story from Transportation Alternatives:

Copenhagen-Style Bike Lane Coming to 9th Ave



With better bike lanes on the way, groups need to ask for more and expect the best from the DOT.Click image to enlarge.

On Manhattan's Ninth Avenue from 23rd Street to 16th Street, the New York City Department of Transportation will soon build the city's first Copenhagen-style bike lane.

The new "cycle-track" will be placed between a lane of parked cars and the sidewalk, affording cyclists of all ages and abilities a safe and comfortable ride, if only for a few blocks. T.A. looks forward to the expanded application of this type of traffic-protected bike lanes, a necessary step if cycling is to be a safe and attractive option for the majority of New Yorkers who are not comfortable riding in traffic.

The DOT also announced that an 8.1 mile network of new bike lanes will be installed throughout North Brooklyn connecting Greenpoint/Williamsburg with Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Bedford Stuyvesant, Prospect Park and the rest
of the Brooklyn bike network. And if that wasn't enough, the bike lane on Fifth Avenue from 23rd Street to Washington Square Park will be upgraded to a buffered bike lane similar to the one that runs along Lafayette from Spring Street to 14th Street.

As the DOT raises the bar for its bike lane design and implementation, cyclists, community groups and advocates need to raise their expectations. In the coming months, T.A. will be urging the DOT to expand the application of traffic-protected lanes, and to adopt a "complete streets" policy that gives designated space to cyclists on all city streets. To make sure you see new bike lanes and better infrastructure in your neighborhood, contact your community board and the DOT.

This is obviously good news for those who will get to use this bike lane. But it is also good news for cyclists everywhere. This is the first step towards developing similar bike lanes in cities across the U.S. Every trend requires a trend setter, and I for one am optimistic that traffic-protected bike lanes can be a reality for so many more people. If not, I would move to Copenhagen before I move to NYC!

tour de fat recap in images

Yes, those are car tires...it had working v-brakes too.

And yes, those are shoes...

I couldn't tell if this guy was more excited to be riding his bike, or more excited to fill his stein with beer.



This kid was with a family of people riding similar style lowriders, all equally impressive.

re-cappin' the tour de fat

Well, Saturday has come and gone. Weeks of semi-anticipation are no more. I did not know what, exactly, to expect from New Belgium Brewery's "Tour de Fat" other than bicycles and beer. As the day neared, and I told more people about my weekend plans, I got more and more excited. I figured that I would see goofy people in goofy costumes riding goofy bikes. And that I did see.

The morning kicked off with a bike "parade" - and I would estimate that nearly 500-600 individuals and their favorite people-powered pedalers took part in this celebration of transportation independence. Local police ensured that this mass of people did not have to stop at any traffic signal we encountered. Even with police escort, passers-by (whether on foot or in car) appeared stunned for the most part. Many cars would try to make left turns through the middle of our peloton...only to be denied mobility by our prowess.

It was a joyous thing - to shut down usage of the roads to those driving in their cars on a gorgeous "autumn" morning. It makes me wish that critical mass had a presence in Phoenix...or at least one that I knew about.

The emcee of the ride (see right) used a bull horn to greet neighborhood residents holding yard sales, pedestrians, and motorists alike with a friendly and cheerful, "Good morning! Happy Saturday folks..." or "I see the bike in your garage - come join us!"

This is the kind of cycling advocacy I can get behind. Make cyclists visible. Do it without aggravating the law. And leave all of those you encounter with a positive taste in their mouth. If all you do is wish someone a pleasant day while smiling from your bike - any bitterness they have should quickly be realized as illogical, irrational and harsh. I do recognize that it isn't always that simple, and that sometimes - more frequently than I wish - cyclists have to stand up for themselves and get vocal. But I think approaching the issue of cycling advocacy with a pleasant, non-confrontational approach will go a long way in the end.

how do we teach those who do not go to school?

This post doesn't actually have anything to do with school - or formal education for that matter. But I feel it captures the essence of the question I wish to pose. I think education is key for making cycling safer - safer for cyclists AND drivers. I have read numerous blog posts, essays, etc. that claim that roughly half of bike-car collisions are the cyclist's fault:

In his 2004 book The Art of Urban Cycling, Robert Hurst cites evidence that as many as half of car-bike crashes are the cyclist's fault: the cyclist ran a stop sign, made an illegal turn, rode against traffic, or otherwise broke the law.

And that does not surprise me. While I feel that safe cycling depends on more bikes sharing roads with cars and therefore exposing auto drivers to more cyclists - it also requires that the cyclists know what they are doing. The cyclists themselves have to know how to behave appropriately on the road and not take for granted the privilege of sharing the road.

But one thing that I have noticed, and I assume is similar in other major metropolitan areas: a vast number of cyclists are not the kind of people who are reading blogs like this, or bikecommuters.com, or cicle.org. On any given day, I pass 20-25 cyclists in the 17 miles of biking I do to and from work. Of those, maybe 4 or 5 are what we think of when we hear the term "bike commuters." This term implies a middle-class or above individual who has made a willing choice to drive less and bike more.

But what about those that don't really have a choice - but instead are forced into biking as the only way to get to and from where they need to be due to socio-economic status? These individuals do not necessarily spend much time on the internet - if they even have regular internet access at all! My experience witnessing individuals like this is that they also do not have a very good idea or a desire to be an "upstanding cyclist." I routinely encounter them riding on the same side of the road as me, but going the opposite direction; swerving all over the road and showing complete disregard for others around them; crossing intersections while their direction has a red light; crossing in the middle of the street during times of high traffic.

These individuals rely on their bikes for transport much more than the general population - and I would assume are the victims of bike-car crashes more often than the "wealthy" bike commuters. I think an improvement in the education of this group would show an exponentially greater impact in safe cycling than educating middle-classers.

But how do we do that?

how to bike commute AND enjoy a fresh smoothie

One of the problems I consistently run into while bike commuting revolves around hunger. I have a sizable breakfast every morning before I get ready to leave my place. I pack a good lunch with a few smaller snacks to make sure I have enough to eat during the day. But I always hit a morning snag. I have tried eating a larger breakfast before I leave for work, but then my stomach is way too full and it is uncomfortable while on the bike.

And then I thought of a solution - bring a smoothie. But that brought up a new problem - how to keep it cold. Finally, I feel I have solved this problem.

This morning, I made a smoothie as I prepared my lunch for the day and poured it into one of my many water bottles.



While I finished getting ready for my morning commute, I put the water bottle in the freezer. Once I was ready to go, I grabbed the bottle and dropped it into my insulated water bottle holder that I picked up at a local REI store. These things are a great investment, especially if you spend any amount of time outdoors in the summer - or if you just live in Arizona.



Once I got to work this morning, I pulled out the water bottle, and my smoothie was still frozen like a smoothie should be. It made for a great morning-starter instead of the usual coffee.

the utilitarian concept

I had a nice "taste" of utility cycling this weekend, for almost the first time. I am committed to biking to and from work almost daily, but for things such as grocery shopping, I drive my car. But this past weekend showed us such beautiful weather that I made my best effort to be outside as much as possible, and use my bike as much as I could to get where I needed to go.

On Saturday morning, I decided to go to the Phoenix Public Market, which is a normal Saturday market that features a mix of artisans and local farmer's produce. Unfortunately, since it IS Arizona, the local produce did not offer much. There were two or three stands that had natural produce of any kind - the rest of the vendors were either selling eggs, breads, jams, honeys, prepared food or other artisan products like blankets, ceramic thingies, etc. This was my first time going to this market, so I really did not know what to expect. It was nice, but disappointing. As I mentioned, Arizona just does not offer much in the way of locally grown produce. I envy those who live someplace where they can go to a farmer's market and buy fresh, local produce. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I did buy some fresh veggies, some strawberry-amaretto jam, and a loaf of all-natural bread. So far, I have been extremely pleased with what I purchased. But it was the experience of riding my bike to the market on a gorgeous Saturday morning, and bringing the stuff home in my backpack that makes it taste so good!

Unfortunately, the ride TO the market was a little rough - and by that I mean almost the entire trip was on a construction zone. For those of you in Phoenix, don't take Washington St.! It is still under much construction. I had heard speculation that the construction was completed, but that is a negatory - they have a long way to go until that road is finished.

Granted, I could have turned and gone around the construction, but I was in an unfamiliar part of town, and honestly did not know if any of the other streets nearby would be any better. So I stayed the course...slowed down, stayed alert for potholes, and eventually made it to my destination. Too bad I forgot my camera...

All in all, I had a refreshing taste of how great it is to explore a new area by bike. I got to see another side of Phoenix, get some fresh air and just really enjoy the day. Hooray for that...