HumanPoweredTransport

When Black Friday Comes...

Kudos to Swobo for sitting out Black Friday. The culture jammers have been calling for it all along. Respect to the trampled. Get a ride on this weekend, and stay safe.

It's A Mad, Mad, World

First there's the dude who ran into a bear - a black bear - on his way to work at Target Range Middle School. Who names a school after a gun range? Who sends their kid there? The bear was apparently fine. Not so lucky the Toronto cyclist who ended up having his leg amputated at the knee by an aggro hack driver. Yes, the taxi vs. bike argument is a longstanding tradition in cities around the world, but this is a new level of fuckedupness. Leaving us with the spectacle of a paved-over Wembley Stadium, featuring a world champion track cyclist against a 500 series Merc piloted by the world champ F1 driver. Bet on the bear.

Where Is The Expression Of Pleasure?

Sometimes just when things in your particular little corner of the subculture seem stale, it can be difficult to conceive that there's something new. Cruzin' the tubes, stumbled over to T.Mossian Cambelescular's webage and found this. To restore faith in the creativity of plank-riding, sometimes ya gotta look East...

Real Man vs. Hipster

An absolutely brilliant piece of writing. Is it real? Is it fiction? Does it really matter if it makes you laugh until you nearly wet yourself? Thank you Mr. Prolly for preserving that post for the rest of us, since CraigsList has apparently had it removed.

London Called

Been in Londonistan past few days. Now in London to get around on your own accord, you need The Knowledge (or a fuckload of money, or a willingness to ride The Underground). Cabbies spend years tooling around on mopeds to learn it. I'd say most of the free-range bike couriers - the ones who go anywhere the money takes'm, not fixed-route cats - those guys must have The Knowledge too. With the increase in petrol costs, congestion charges, higher cost of living vs. falling currencies etc., there is more cycle-commuting in London than ever before. Sorta like America, where car-centric cities like LA are seeing more two-wheeled transpo hitting the pavement. Adding another pool of citizens to the streets who need The Knowledge. All of which makes us wonder when the bike industry is going to step it up and make more useful gear for the urban commuter. Or perhaps better stated, when the urban commuters are going to demand it. Like puncture proof tires that don't suck. Or locks that actually stop theft. Or specific to this original rant a GPS that works in highrise canyons, perhaps with a headsup display that streams across the inside of your Oakley Blades. As opposed to the current trend of rather useless urban cycling props like fixed-gear specific denim and pants, or arguing the variances between deep-V and 29er hoops. Real gear that real riders can use. We won't hold our breath. Meanwhile in the exciting world of bike racing, the Golden Boy is worried about his unretired ass getting smacked down by an irate Frenchman this July. As we've said before, you can't go slingin' stones in the house and not expect some glass to fall on your head. Go ride.

Terkel On Barrack

Today it's not about the bike. In one of his last interviews, the original guerrilla journalist, Studs Terkel discusses Obama, and media watchdog Jeff Cohen discusses Studs.