Wednesday, October 27, 2010

HELP CATCH A CROOK!

My friend got his Green Bike bicycle (which he earned by switching from a drive-alone commute to taking train trips) swiped from the Sumner Sounder Train Station on 10/26/2010. Let's help get it back!

It looked like my old Green Bike below. His was also a medium size frame, he thinks. It was pretty much stock condition.



Notices posted to BIKEWISE, craigslist, and the Cascade Bicycle Club message boards.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

more pics - and a note about my job, bike commuting, e-bikes, and assorted fluff...

[Thank goodness for autosave - I thought I'd just lost this posting a few minutes ago!]

I have a few more bike-related pics to share with you from my new-to-me phone.

I took these first two during my trip to Seattle one day (DRIVING!) for a Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting.

I saw this e-bike parked out front. I suspected a member of the committee might have ridden it over to the meeting, perhaps.



I have wondered whether e-bikes (I am not familiar with the model in the photo) actually benefits the commuter as much as a lighter bike (but built strong for hauling commuters' needs) with good gearing would *or* on the other hand, would a commuter be better-equipped with a bike designed with low-maintenance simplicity for multi-modal flexibility, like bike-to-bus, bike-to-train, ferry-to-bike, etc.

Regarding that last notion, this interesting bicycle was toted into the building by Every Day of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. It is a Strida folding bicycle.



I think it is a Strida LT model - single speed, belt-drive, with disc brakes. Cool color too. I think the MSRP is $600, which might seem a little steep, but if it stimulates fewer car trips and more exercise - plus, stows away easily in an apartment or office, then it might be very well worth the price for some. There is a nice review on tree hugger's website. A video of it folding is below.



I don't have an answer other than to say I think both can co-exist, and they have, and every other option in-between. Despite what YLBS (your local bike shop) might tell you, there are a lot of people on the wrong bikes, wearing the wrong clothes, equipped with the wrong lights and bags, etc. but it is right for them. I have enjoyed David Madajian's take on setting-up a commuter bike.

Interesting to note... the Strida is an UK-invented bike. This week, I'd sent a US-designed innovation, a 1980s Stump Jumper, to the UK! Here's the last pic I took on my last ride on this 1980s "Stumpy".

Monday, October 4, 2010

pics from my old cell

Dumping files off my memory card from an end-of-summer trip to Bellingham, WA...

A Park Tools TP holder in the Fairhaven bike shop... gotta love the chrome and QR skewer!


The Specialized Hotwalk... perfect for a little girl's first "bike"...


Pedal-powered juicers at the B'ham farmers' market... called the "Juice Peddler" or something similar...