HumanPoweredTransport

HTFU

Apparently, Jens got pissed off watching, by his account, 20+ riders skitching rides up the mountains over the past few days, so he made his way to the front to set things straight today.  Long live the hardmen.

Links:

Local hardmen.
Kevin Kelly for Pres.
Manifest!
Biker down.
Ride of Silence uglyness.
Weird.
Buy an SUV, get a free gun!

Don't Stunt

Video Daze

Bike Therapy...
Hope on Wheels: Bicycle Therapy for Spinal Cord Recovery from Detroit Medical Center on Vimeo.

Citizen Journalism...
NetzpolitikTV 039: Bicyclemark about Citizen Journalism from netzpolitik on Vimeo.

Tricks...
Bicycle Guardians from theory11 on Vimeo.

Memorial

Memorial Day.  Remember the ones who served and who serve.  Indeed.  As we partake in 'staycations' brought on by an economy-draining war that continues to put young people in harms way, we remember.  As we slavishly cling to oil, plastics and bombastic rhetoric in the name of patriotism, we remember.  For our fathers and grandfathers who fought a war to end all wars, our  brothers and sisters who fought the next and the others, we remember.  Respect to the fallen, the injured, the damaged.  Respect to the thought of peace.

Go Surf

Jumping the shark with the NYT, it's time for post-materialism in Berlin.  Drinking and riding might not be such a hot idea in Germany anymore.  Sara Huston on bikes for girls.  In Portland it makes sense for a bakfiet coffee. This ride looks right up our alley.   Rapha Continental comes to town.  OG RC rider Ira Ryan has been winning the Trans-Iowa since he was just a messenger.  Alley Catting across the pond. Go ride.

Roll In Peace

Last night, around the world, cyclists came together to pay respect to the fallen.  For the local edition of the Ride of Silence, the gathering was at the vaunted Rose Bowl, where three laps were turned in total silence, rolling two-up and at a 10 mph cadence.  Following a reading of names of local riders brought down in the roads - a thankfully short list - and a reading of the Ride of Silence poem - which sounds nicer in Spanish btw - we set off.  It was an unexpectedly emotional and heavy experience to be somberly pedaling in a large group absolutely silent save for the simple sounds of engaged drivetrains.  One unpleasant sound was the whistle of air produced when, 5 seconds before departure, I picked some debris from the front tire and discovered it was a thorn.  One and 1/3 laps in, and the shoe was flat.  C'est la vie - it was easy enough to make the change and wait for lap 3.  Vontz and I had elected to roll to and fro, rather than the customary Rose Bowl rider approach of driving the bike to Lot K.  Of course, this meant riding in heavy traffic with possibly the worst winds of the year, making for an interesting evening overall.  Special thanks out to the PAA club for organizing and to Corey/Ghost Bikes for making these angelic jerseys to raise awareness.  Video of Corey explaining the ride, via Susutio, here.  Ride on.

Missing The Mark

Been ranting a lot lately; today we started thinking maybe it's time to set aside the desire for acerbic wit and change the tune.  Time for more positivity in cycling, more connections between the various cliques and niches in the sport.  We rail against perception a lot around here.  Lance for instance is a favorite target; these days, he's not just fighting for the cancer cure, through his new shop, he's now helping bridge the gap between 'serious' cyclists and the commuter - nothin' wrong there.  (Not dropping our disrespect for other aspects of his legacy tho)  We feel strongly that in order to gain respect from traffic, we need to behave like responsible traffic.  The cats riding on the freeway, and other acts of cyclo-disobedience - we hope they find use for all that pent up energy in other ways, but across the board they seem like good folks.  The chasm between the street and the elite is numbing cycling, both as a sport and as a legit form of transpo, owed respect on the streets.  The racer who drives his rig to his training ride does not relate to the folks on flat bars n fenders.  Maybe now there's a chance for that to change, a merging of phylum in the species so to speak.  If it takes a bunch of crazies on the freeway on one end of the spectrum and the most recognized cyclist from the other, so be it.  We need a uniform acceptance within the ranks before there can be acceptance from the masses. Tucker Carlson and his ilk ain't gonna do it for us.  Until then, ride safe folks, and go ride.  Tonight is Ride of Silence; photos and reportage to follow.

Linkage:
bikes vs media
nefarious
Calore!
number plate art
jet bike

The Next Level

Found on BikeBlog and Prolly.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Sweet Nothings

Revisiting Arthur one day while eating tacos, we were reminded of how well writ this rag is. Old favorite LBS, now blogging. So are the burrito brothers as they slog through the Giro. Hey Michael Ball, act quick, Petacchi's on the market. Hardcore comes in different flavors. More trails to practice on in the greater Los Angeles area. Barak's got a spoke card, and yeah that was him at the Little 500! One night in Bangkok the world went fixed. Please don't drive with your dog in your lap. duh. Ordinance collectors get a doc. Some folks believe in a contrail conspiracy; the reality is worse. The doc bubble hath burst; sometimes it makes me wonder how they all keep from going under.

Caught The Eye

Some webage that's caught our attention: the attempt to hybridize the mountain bike and moto-x fantasy in an electric form continues. Vintage comes in a few flavors. Major Taylor gets props. Shaolin!