HumanPoweredTransport

Tangential Rant

Here we find a vehicle that manages simultaneously to cause laughter, anger and tears. Three stars from our judges. WTF? It appears to be a vehicle built for snowmobilers in warm climates. Or perhaps for jetski fetishists. Or just anyone without the sack to ride an actual two wheeled, good old fashioned MOTORBIKE. There's already enough jetsam we gotta watch out for in the roads fer cripesake. This drunken napkin sketch come to life is terrifying in traffic; watching someone ride the thing is akin to witnessing your 3 year old nephew navigate his big wheel for the first time. On a freeway. This mo-sikle reviewer sums it up in the byline - "Entreé into riding for those afraid of two wheels and the big bad clutch." Resembling a 'roided out assisted living power-scooter fantasy, this thing is wrong on so many levels it's hard to decide where to start. Since we covered looks pretty well let's quickly summarize a few other highlights: Cost is just south of 20k base. Ouch. The 4Q boys could do a lot with that. Mileage is apparently optional, as we couldn't bother with the official site long enough to find it. There is a 6.6 gal. tank, the whole kabodle weighs around 700 lbs., it's around 9ft. long and 4+ wide. In short, it prolly burns some gas to get it's fat ass, or nose around. Seeing someone park the beast is Benny Hill comedy. As noted, better they be parking than actually wrestling that alligator through traffic. For the sake of argument tho, let's say the biggest threat this abomination poses to cyclists is the same evil it poses to everyone - IT'S AN ASSAULT OF OUR SENSE OF STYLE. Even the geekiest, most tweaked sensability is gonna be shocked and awed by this flagrant FAIL. ok, tangential rant over. as you were.

Cycling With The Mayor of London, & Other Doorslamming Fun

All of which is explained here, via DC: "... in the UK shit is off the hook sometimes. The London mayor is nearly an honorific post. But he has a budget.And his big thing is to increase cycling in the city. So he goes out on his bike and rides around and says ‘build a bike lane THERE!’ or ‘we should have more bike parking HERE!’ and this week he was out on a jaunt and a fucking truck came up behind his posse, hit a speed bump which unlatched the rear door, which swung out and dragged a park car nearly into the path of the mayor, nearly fucking killing about 12 people. So. This is the video footage, because not uncoincidentally, there are 54,000 CCTV cameras in the city." Ironic that London's fave motorized import, The Mini, is bringing the bikes. Even more drama from the British Isles - Obree is going for it again! And check the bike!!! If'n you like bike docs and Cervelo, check out the Bartape Network. If'n you like nice paintjobs, check out Chester's in Chicago, where the messengers got serious with the racing. Some of the hardest MTB races award big ol' rodeo belt buckles made outa silver. If you want one, just hit eBay. One thing that's really cool about cycling is all the innovation; these pedals are either the coolest or the ugliest thing since Shimano dropped the platform. This is gonna be the headliner film at this year's BFF - about a race across Africa. Bad as. The truth really is strange; especially when it's about cycling and the law. Irony and cynicism find a home on this cheeky blog. Onward. Go Boris go.

Well Waddaya Know, Two Days In A Row

Cyclocentric stuff we've run across, followed by the usual smattering of randomness. In scenic Burbank California, cyclefolks is rising up fo’dem rights. Stevil doesn’t just redact the bummer life, he’s got another Swoblog you should check out. This Aussie gallery covers a few of our favorite bases. The case of the Councilor and The Carpet Tacks. Crushing The Commonwealth, well covered. The day we drove. There’s missions, and then there’s major missions. Sucka Pants brings the major. There’s circles, and then there’s circles. Remember Swine Flu? This little piggy does. Smart ape. Vegan? Baseball fan? If you need a super-tech synthetic mitt, go to this dude. The Agents in our midst. Little Joy Open Mic lives in the tubes. Simple question. Go ride

An' Ya Don' Stop

Chicago rep-ra-zent: J.Neuhaus floatin'. Surf there?! J.Jones blogs. Hummers still suck (think a off-duty was driving?). Blue planet. Green pizza. viva.

Goodbye Little Joy

Keep the fire burning. It worked for Strummer, it's worked here for years. Sometimes you stumble across something that stokes the flames higher, that 'lets the inside out', that creates community. Last Sunday, there was a full house for the last stand of such a stumbled find: the finale of Open Mic at Little Joy. Keith Niles has put on a wonderful event in this divey Echo Park bar for four years. It's end might prove more a beginning than we now know. These forty-odd Sundays have resulted in CD's, books and videos. They have bolstered careers for some, confidence for all. We've posted about the lil' j before, a smattering of photos to give a glimpse into this wonderful world. For the regulars, 3, 4 years of Sundays amount to more than a creative catharsis. For them, for us, it is a community. For the 'last night' many brought tributes in their comments, others through their poems. As ever, song, music and even comedy had their seat at the bar. Normally, it'd just be four or six or twelve of us sitting at the bar listening to each other, with a few wayward souls drifted in from the ball game or the tap up the street. A story remembered from those years - A rainy night, maybe summer of 06, a stranger with two well dressed ladies on his arm enters. A few readers in, he asks 'd'yall write your own stuff?' He's intrigued that we do. We encourage him to get up if he feels so inclined. He responds that he's a comic, and we encourage him further. Understand, it's a welcoming place, but these three seem waaaay off the reservation. They ain't from these parts. The man tells us he is a journeyman from out of town, hitting some bars with his dates. He gets up, and brings it. There's only seven or eight of us in the joint. The roof is raised. The roof is on fire. We're laughing like it's the end of the world. Never seen him again. That's Little Joy; welcoming, emboldening, inspired, fleeting. On this past Sunday night, to say good bye, or good night, or hello, it was wall-to-wall packed with respectful listeners and more than 30 participants. Chapeau Keith, and all who have performed their art at Little Joy over the years. Keep the fire burning.

Macaskill Control

Want more Danny Macaskill? The kid's earlier vid has been peeped on everything from Gawker(dot)com to Glen E Friedman's blog - here's more. Smooth doesn't even come close to the level of precision on display here...

Threads

LA's art-bike effort continues into the Giro. Tired of hatin' on the Lance; let's see what he brings beside some nice paint. Speaking of artisans, here's more cleverness for Africa, including of course the ubiquitous bamboo contribution. If you're in the UK, you may want to take note of the police state forming around you. If you're in Denmark, the cops will hug you and give you a helmet. Viva.