Back with a New Bike
27 September, 2008
Sorry for the latest drought. I seem to be saying that way to much lately. I was at Interbike in Las Vegas this week and saw some great bikes and accessories, and I’ll be sharing many of them with you in the coming weeks. First off is the Madsen Cycles Cargobike. It comes in three colors, the two below and cream. It has a SRAM X5 drivetrain, and can carry up to 600 pounds! The front wheel is 26″ and the rear is 20″, exactly opposite of my Bakfiets. It has a bench with safety belts for two kids in the bucket, and there is an accessory rack that can be installed over the front wheel that is due out later this winter. This is really a great thing to see, and it is from Utah! I couldn’t believe it when I saw it and heard where it comes from. I’ll be getting a chance to ride one of these and perhaps give it a good run through in the coming weeks so a thorough review will be coming, but if it behaves as good as it looks, it is a winner. You can’t beat the price either. It should retail for only $1299. If you know cargo bikes, you will know that that is a steal. Enjoy the pics and check back for more info on the latest and greatest from Interbike for the practical and chic cyclist in Utah Valley!
Madsen Cargobike in Blue
Madsen Cargobike in Black
A Change of Pace
19 September, 2008
This is my sister, Annie. Annie used to be like a lot of us in the sense that her bike was used for recreation, if ever at all. In fact, Annie, has become a perfect example of what this blog is all about. She started reading the blog and knew that she could make it happen in style on a bike. Here she is using her new Electra Amsterdam Balloon as a means of transportation, and looking quite chic in the process.
Yes, those are high heels, and yes, she is running right into a wall.
I believe in this shot Annie is on her way to the new Sunflower Farmer’s Market in Orem (and not heading straight into the wall, as you might think).
A reminder and a crash
17 September, 2008
First, a reminder. Tomorrow night in Orem is the UDOT open house where you can tell UDOT all about what roads need to be more friendly to bicycles. I posted on this previously and you can read about it here. I spoke with the consulting engineer last night and he told me that the study includes roads owned by UDOT as well as those owned by other entities, so what ever roads you may wish to talk about, they will listen. I highly encourage you to read the PDF linked here prior to coming if you can. It will give you some good background on how things work and what the processes and procedures are in the world of transportation design. Since the time is short, focus on section 6 first, and move on to the rest as you have time. I highly recommend this for all advocates of cycling.
In other news, an American Fork school teacher was nearly killed this week by a motorist who wasn’t paying attention. I don’t know to many details, but you can read what KSL reported here. I hate to see this happen, and it happens all to frequently. I hope by working with our political and planning officials we can make things safer for everyone. See you all at the meeting!
The Bike Guy
11 September, 2008
Last weekend I was at my brother’s house for a family get together. During the meal, my brother’s brother-in-law came up to me and asked, “you’re the bike guy, right?” First off, I definitely don’t consider myself the authority when it comes to bikes or cycling, but I have done my fair share, so I said, “yeah, I guess so.”
He continued, “So, I’ve been thinking about getting into cycling. Maybe commuting to work on a bike.” This is the best part of being “the bike guy.” Perhaps you know what I mean. If you enjoy riding bikes and have done so for enough time, it doesn’t take long before people begin to ask questions.
The difficult part of being “the bike guy” is curbing your enthusiasm enough so you can really help the person you’re talking to. Having some practice in these conversations, I think I was able to accurately guage his interest and skill level, point him in the right direction, and offer my help and a bit of advice.
I think the trick is asking questions. Ask a lot of questions. Find out what type of riding they want to do. Guage their responses. Then, offer your advice. In this case, I encouraged him to look for a sensible bike that would sit him upright and get him to work in normal clothes. He really liked the idea, and I was very happy to have had the chance to introduce someone else to the option of cycling as transportation.
If you ever have, or have already had, a chance to be “the bike guy”, what did you say? What approach did you take, and how did things work out?
If you haven’t already checked it out, BikeUV has its own google group now. Sneak on over and sign up to meet like-minded folks and stay updated on bike and transportation news in the valley.
http://groups.google.com/group/bikeutahvalley?hl=en
BIkes on Trains & Buses
9 September, 2008
UTA is in my opinion doing a pretty good job with allowing cyclists to use the transit system. I have sporadically followed a Portland bike blog and they seem to have no end of trouble with the transit officials up there, and they have a far larger number of cyclists than we have here. I hope that trend continues. It is to bad we don’t have trains here in Utah Valley, but Frontrunner is on its way, and perhaps someday the (in my personal opinion) misguided BRT will be converted to light rail. One can only hope that our political leaders have some foresight. I doubt they do, but again, we can hope. Oh, click the pic for the article that sparked this post. Tailwinds!
This is your chance!
4 September, 2008
UDOT is having open houses around the state where you as the bicycle riding public can tell them what routes that they control are important to you as a bicycle commuter or one who uses the bicycle as your transportation. These would be all the major roads such as State Street, 800 North & University Parkway in Orem, Geneva Road, all the State Routes that have an SR in front of a number. Lehi Main Street and the Alpine highway are two of those. If you ride on any state route, or would like too because it is the most direct route, but you consider it to be to dangerous to use, this is your chance to let them know what you think. In Utah Valley, the open house is going to be in Orem on September 18 and it will be at the Senior Friendship Center on the corner of Center and 400 East from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. I’ll be there so come say hi if you come too.
We need your help!
3 September, 2008
Okay, the time is rapidly approaching where changes are going to be made to our transportation infrastructure and we need your help to make sure that those who are against bicycles, sidewalks, and transit, don’t drown out those of us who would like to see more of that kind of thing. What I am asking is this. If you live in Orem and ride a bike, or want to be able to ride a bike but are afraid to without a bike lane or other facility, send me an email with your name and contact information. I’ll be adding you to an email list and will only email you with important information about bicycle infrastructure in Orem. I am in a position to know that there is going to be a great need for positive input from Orem citizens in behalf of bicycle infrastructure of all types in the coming year. This will need to be a commitment on your part to attend a few public meetings or city council meetings, or perhaps writing a letter or filling out an online survey. All of this will mean big things for the future of Cycling in Orem. Please contact me with the information of any friends that may be interested in doing the same. I am not a spammer so I only want information for people who are genuinely interested. This is important. There is a very vocal group out there who will oppose this type of improvement. Help us make a difference and counter their opposition. Thank you to all who read this blog. We’ll post upcoming events here so keep an eye on your RSS feed. You can contact me at brad at bikeuv dot org.
