Just rode an #ebike for the first time. I’ve been intrigued for a while, but figured I would stick with human power for as long as my legs could turn unassisted.
This ride was so much fun and gave me a completely different experience of urban mobility. Only traveled a few miles—from Capitol Hill to Dupont Circle—but it was like being a kid again. Best two-wheeled experience in ages. Face hurts from smiling.
Yesterday my wife was on the way to taking our daughter to school via our electric cargo bike, as usual, and a classmate's father taking the classmate to school in a car pulled up beside them and offered to take our kid the rest of the way. As if the only reason we'd be biking is because of economic necessity. My wife replied "No thanks, we LIKE biking"... Now I'm wondering if maybe I should make a flag or sign for the bike that says "we're not poor, we just like bikes"... or "we just hate cars"? Or "we just believe in climate change and live by our beliefs"? #climatechange#bikes#bicycles#carsRuinCities
I forget where I found this, but I'm pretty sure it's public domain and it's my new phone background! Maybe I'll print a copy for the bike shop too. #cycling#bicycles
When I sold my last car in 2011 and switched to bike (first a standard, last 5 yrs eBike) I walked past the auto-electrician, the tyre place, the rego office, spare parts dealer, the mechanic, the panel beater, the petrol station etc etc and counted all the money I was saving and it made me very happy.
Also noticed how many things I did not spontaneously shopped for because I had no way of getting them home (and really didn't need them anyway).
It works well for me, public transport is used for trips I can't make with the bike.
The freedom of pulling up next to the shop without having to search for a parking spot is priceless.
Some would find it extremely inconvenient for sure. Others, like myself, find it very liberating.
For fun and camaraderie, some @pinoy#OpenStreetMap folks are taking their #bicycles around Marikina, to collect street-level imagery this coming weekend.
The 'banana' and 'cone' bicycle intersection from @BicycleDutch
Having a crossing that starts wider (to allow many bicycles to wait) and narrows in the intersection.
We do this sometimes with car infrastructure too, where we have two lanes before an intersection that immediately merge in to one on the other side of the intersection.
Of course this design is much more effective with bicycles.
I reached 70000 km with my Mango velomobile today. I have other bikes to ride, and other things to do, so it's taken me just over 12 years to cover that distance at only about 5800 km per year.
Anyway, short 12 year experience review:
It's fast, comfortable, safe, practical for everyday use, lots of fun, keeps you warm and dry in bad weather (e.g. today), let's you pretend headwinds don't exist, has needed hardly any maintenance beyond tyres and very occasional chains (the drive chain is entirely enclosed, as are the brakes), has plenty of storage space inside which is also out of the weather, uses no fuel beyond the food you were going to eat anyway, and it's an absolute bargain: total cost at this point is just a few cents per kilometre.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, "Get a velomobile. You will not regret it!" (The other part of the quote is funny but really makes no sense for such a safe vehicle).
Okay, so it looks like I have an instance all to my very own. I'm Thom. I like #bicycles, #coffee, #beer, and I collect old #computers. PrimitiveBits is a domain I bought (but have so far not used) to blog and otherwise talk about my #retro hobbies.
This website is an incredible examination of the forces on a bicycle. I knew a lot of this from a long history with my wheeled horses but anyone of any level of understanding will be immediately drawn in by the wonderful animated demos.
Research published in Lancet Oncology concludes that in the poorest areas, the risk of dying from #cancer is more than 70% higher than in the wealthiest areas.
The key to the difference is lifestyle changes, with giving up #smoking is a key shift; but of course, especially in poorer areas services to aid giving up #cigarettes has been hit by funding cuts.
Equally, getting fit also isn't cheap; from #bicycles to #gyms, if you have no money fitness aids are out of reach
A few weeks ago, the Central California environmental justice organizer Nayamin Martinez asked me: “Why ride your bicycle here when you have asthma?” Later this month, when my friend Ivan and I start a 550 mile ride along the route of the 1966 Farm Worker’s March, I’m going to need my air sensor, biomonitors, and mask.
So why do the ride? My answer is that #bicycles are machines to visit alternate futures.
Stream from @notjustbikes at the Fully Charged Show with some commentary about some of the risks of commerical electric cargo bikes on bicycle infrastructure.
Removing speed limiters, maxing out dimensions, and electric motorbikes pretending to be bicycles.
Bike Route Buddy's great video of some Geelong examples of the intentionally sabotaged bike lanes that make up the majority of bike lanes in Victoria.
'Car door death-zone' bike lanes that encourage drivers to illegally close pass are worse than no bike lanes at all.
First day doing a full grocery shop with all four panniers on the bike! I also found the absolute best way to do the shopping by attaching them to the cart! The lady bagging at the checkout line thanked me for making things so easy when I wheeled the cart over to her and asked me who made bags designed to go on grocery carts because she wanted some!