So yesterday I mentioned that we got a package of goodies a while back. The good folks at Microcosm Publishing, whom we covered with our Brick and Mortar Goes Wheel and Pedal post a while back, generously sent along the following for Bike Hacks contest give away swag. The goods include:
1. Dwelling Portably (publication)
2. Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance (publication)
3. Still We Ride (DVD)
4. Chainbreaker Book
5. Bipedal, By Pedal! zine
6. Cantankerous Titles and Obscure Ephemera, Vol. 1 DVD
7. Sticker - Put the Fun Between Your Legs
8. Sticker - Chainring Heart
9. Patch - $0 Per Gallon
10. Patch - Bike Fist
So, Jack and billy (I mentioned you guys yesterday) you two have first dibs. Use the Submit Your Hack link at the top of the page to send us your top two choices each (you will only take home one) along with your mailing address.
I have another contest in the works so stay tuned for a chance to get your own goods.
I loved all of the comments readers contributed to the following picture last week when I asked for reaction to what I was trying to capture -
I mostly loved how there were different spins on the perils of bike commuting in NYC. My main goal was to convey the dangers, and disgusting nature, of NYC garbage. Yes the large puddle is an IED produced by garbage ooze and the cans and plastic bottle denote the blatant disregard for recycling efforts in NYC. Let me walk you through the picture with the following arrows as visual tools . .
1. This is garbage ooze (IED) and it should be noted that the puddles repeat all the way down the street. I have not crashed on an IED yet, however I have come perilously close when I was taking a turn a few summers ago, hit a baked puddle in the middle of the summer and held on for dear life, narrowly escaping a yard sale of epic proportion.
2. I grew up in Oregon where recycling is built into the genetic code of everyone born in the state. The Oregon Bottle Bill of 1971 was the first container deposit legislation passed in the United States. Thus I find it impossible to throw a can or bottle in the trash. If there is no recycling container around, I will carry the bottle with me until I find one. Call me crazy. What miffs me is that I meticulously sort all my recycling in my apartment in NYC and it is all too common to see garbage truck workers toss the recycling right in with the garbage and smash it all up. There are supposed to be separate trucks, but rarely if ever do I see recycling actually recycled and this is an example. The workers just crushed up the recycling with the garbage and didn't bother to pick up the cans and bottles that were dropped in the process. Deep sigh.
3. Often accompanying the garbage ooze is solid waste as well. Rats will sometimes eat into the bags left on the sidewalk at night and when the bags are picked up, all sorts of disgusting waste will drop into the street.
4. As some people commented, you have to be careful to watch out for car doors and pedestrians that will dart out of nowhere from between cars. Speaking of pedestrians darting out, it's not worth it folks . . . for super scary proof see the following - viewer discretion advised, but the guy did live.
5. It was a brutal winter in NYC and on this street there were potholes of unusual size for weeks. As you can see they were recently filled in.
6. This is the garbage truck, and next to it is another truck. The streets in the city can be very narrow and when a garbage truck and another truck are parked close to one another, good luck in getting by them unless you want to take the illegal step of riding on the sidewalk (I am often guilty of this but will clip out of one of my pedals and push myself along with my foot so as to appear less intimidating to pedestrians).
Oh what fun it is to commute in NYC.
So, who "wins" as far as comments? I did note that a prize might be up for grabs. Well, there are two winners. First, I am partially annoyed by Jack Bulkley's comment stating that he saw "7 rabbits
and a fox" on a recent commute. What, no unicorns? But I am also jealous, so Jack is winner number one for offering the polar opposite side of bike commuting.
Number two has to go to billy fright. If you have not read billy's comment, it zigs and zags from comments on the human species to art.
I got a package of goodies a while back and Jack and billy will have first dibs. I'll have more details tomorrow and I have another contest in the works so stay tuned for more chances to score some swag.
This comes from the site Idealist.org. Drool . . . .
Executive Director
Salary:
Negotiable based on experience
Education:
Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)
Location:
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96816, United States
Posted by:Hawaii
Bicycling League
Job Category:
Activism & Organizing, Advocacy, Event planning, Fundraising &
Development, Public Policy
Sector:
Nonprofit
Last day to apply:
May 31, 2010
Last updated:
April 1, 2010
Type:
Full time
Language(s):
English
Job posted on:
April 1, 2010
Area of Focus:
Community Development, Energy Conservation and Green Living,
Environment and Ecology, Sports, Recreation, and Leisure
Position Description: Executive Director, Hawaii Bicycling League
The Hawaii Bicycling League (HBL) is a non-profit organization that
promotes cycling for health, recreation and transportation through
events, education, and advocacy.
The Hawaii Bicycling League is seeking a full time Executive Director.
The Executive Director of HBL (ED) is the chief operating and
administrative officer of the organization. As such, the ED is
responsible for planning, managing and executing all programs and
policies undertaken by the organization in fulfillment of HBL's mission.
The ED is responsible for execution of the duties of that office to a
Board of Directors (BoD), and has the following primary duties (listed on Idealist site)
What is the end result when Formula One engineers redesign a bicycle? The Factor 001. The carbon fiber composite ride is very light weighing in at 7.4kg. Your wallet will also be light after dropping $34,000...$40,000+ for the model with integrated electronics.
Each frame can be custom fitted to your body type and physical abilities and takes a team of six engineers one week to assemble. The production of these cycles is limited to only a few hundred...available at Harrods
For those residing in the Big Apple, reader Dave passed along the following to us. No word on whether or not there is bike parking, but like anywhere else in NYC, a stationary object to chain your whip to for a few hours should do the trick.
OUR MAGNIFICENT EARTH
Loomstate Celebrates The 40th Anniversary Of Earth Day
40 Drummers Ceremony Led By Hisham Akira Bharoocha (SOFT CIRCLE)
Kid Millions (ONEIDA)
Butchy Fuego (PIT ER PAT / ASKA)
Benjamin Vida (SOFT CIRCLE)
Robert AA Lowe (LICHENS)
DJ Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear)
Psychic Readings
Face Painting
Wednesday, April 14th
7-10pm
GOOD UNITS AT HUDSON
356 West 58th St (Between 8th + 9th Ave)
Free Bus Pick Up On The Bowery Every 30 Minutes From 6:30PM-9:00PM
From: ROGAN STORE, 330 Bowery ST (Corner Of Bond)
To: GOOD UNITS AT HUDSON, 356 W 58th ST
FRIENDS OF LOOMSTATE: PAMELA LOVE, GOOD UNITS AT HUDSON, KEDS, PERRIER,
VITA COCO, FASHION LOVES, TRACKSTAR, SPOKE VISUALS, and THE SMILE.
In Tokyo bikes are everywhere. Because space is so limited in this city of over 12 million (35 million if you count the Greater Tokyo area), a lot of the cycles that I saw were folding. Enjoy the pics, all photo credits go to the Bikehacks crew.
Electric assist
I saw a lot of these circle-style locks...just effective enough to prevent someone from riding away on it
Morning commute
The cherry blossoms were out in the city, it was beautiful
While waiting for a signal to turn the other day the juxtaposition of the two modes of transit caught my eye. It's almost as if the cars are jealously staring at the bike.
Pictured below is a site common in NYC, but likely unfamiliar to those that have not spent time pedaling around the city. What I am trying to convey with this shot? Submit your thoughts in comments. A prize might be in the offering for my favorite comment.
Plumbing or automotive clamps are like a zip tie on steroids when it comes to bike hacks. Metal clamps are bigger, meaner, and shinier. I have never actually used a plumbing type clamp (I am a zip tie fiend) but I see them all the time on bikes in NYC. The most common use in NYC is when someone uses one to secure their quick release to try and keep would-be thieves from walking away with wheels or seats.
We recently got a submission from Ed who hails from Chicago. This is not a pizza blog, but in the epic battle between Chicago and New York Style pizza, after I made a trip to Chicago last fall, NYC pizza wins hands down in my book. You know that sick feeling you get when you eat too many doughnuts? If you want to feel like you have eaten a giant tomato sauce covered doughnut, Chicago style pizza is for you. I don't think I "processed" my Chicago pizza for several days. Let's just say I had a going problem.
Anyway . . . Ed did not contact us to talk pizza, he contacted us to talk clamps. In this own words and pictures . . .
I have a simple hack to attach any cylindrical style flash light to the
handlebars of any bike with only two automotive style hose clamps. I
have photo and have used this hack for over 6 months through the Chicago
winter without any problems. It cost me less than $3 and is clean and
simple.
And a picture of the whip . . .
Ed's hack reminded me of a bike hacks classic submitted by reader Ross. Clamps are prominently featured in this one as well . . . along with a power tool. Part 2 of this entry is all Ross.
PARTS
-Old handlebar stem
-(4) medium hose clamps
-(2) high-power LED flashlights
TOOLS
-Dremel with cutting wheel
-Metal file
-(optional) Pipe cutter
Note: I found two 170 lumen LED flashlights on sale at Kmart, but you can use any aluminum-body flashlights you have on hand or see for sale cheap. Use aluminum-body flashlights for better heat dissipation (the mount works as a heat sink).
STEPS
1. Remove and discard the stem binder bolt and cinch (the triangular/cylindrical piece that holds the stem against the inside of the fork tube)
2. With a pipe cutter or Dremel with cutting wheel, cut off the pointy part of the stem and file off any rough edges. Wouldn't want to impale somebody with that!
Caution: You MUST wear safety glasses when cutting metal. Don't force the cutting wheel -- let it do the work on its own. Aim the sparks away from your eyes. Cool the stem with water as it gets hot.
3. Using the Dremel with cutting wheel, cut eight 1/2" slots in the stem tube. Cut four slots (upper and lower slots) on each side of the stem tube. Cool the stem with water as it gets hot.
4. Unscrew a hose clamp. Insert the clamp tip into a lower slot in the stem, then out through an upper slot. Repeat for the remaining three clamps.
5. Secure the flashlights to the modified stem using the clamps.
6. Attach the assembly to your handlebars. I prefer to hang the assembly below my handlebars.
Amsterdam is definitely on my "to visit" list. I considered making it there last fall when a business trip took me to Europe but because of the time of year I decided to head south for warmer temps with my vacation days. Reader Tim from Amsterdam sent along the following:
A unique handlebar stem extension, seen parked outside the public
library in Amsterdam. Why bother changing the brake cables when you've
got this whacky set up?
Not really sure what the goal is here, other than perhaps a little free time and perhaps the desire to ride extremely straight up.
