David Byrne's bike racks

When I was little my parents played the Talking Heads a lot...and True Stories was a great movie, but when I saw that David Byrne was a bicycle enthusiast as well as an artist,musician,director,and adventurer I gained instant respect for him.

                  In 2008 he designed some artistic bike racks in NYC, adding some fun and creativity in the city!

                                                   The racks have even inspired bicycle scavenger hunts!

                           If your lucky you may even spot the 30 year avid cyclist cruising around Manhattan.

                                                                 Listen to his commentary while riding!

Some may say he is a genius... maybe even eccentric, but to take a ride with this guy would be great fun and hilarious to boot!

Bicycle School

Looking to improve your wrench skills but not sure how? Want to build your very own bike frame?
Whether your looking to build your own wheels or become a certified mechanic I've got the info for you!

USA

Barnett Bicycle Institute - Colorado Springs, Colorado

United Bicycle Institute - Portland, Oregon

Canada

Winterborne Bicycle Institute - Guelph, Ontario

Quadra Island Bicycle Mechanic Training Program - Quadra Island, British Columbia

Technocycle - Montreal, Quebec

UK  (Cytech Accreditation)

ATG Training - Manchester, UK

PJCS Cycle Training - Milton Keynes, UK

 

If you can't find one near you there may be a vocational school that offers a bicycle repair class. Local bike shops also have bike repair classes taught by mechanics through the Park Tool School.

 

If you would like to start making your own frames why not learn from Master Frame Builder Koichi Yamaguchi!

 

You may have to wait awhile though... he only takes on about 3 students at a time and is fully booked for 2011. For around $3000 and 2 weeks of your time you will get to learn how to make a bicycle frame for personal use or just for art. Yamaguchibike

 

But remember a bicycle mechanic is 95% experience 4% intuition 1% certfication... and maybe part super hero.

Bicycle Photos and Art 3

 Here are some more interesting finds!

                                                                               Crash and Burn.

                                                                      Country of Smiles and Peace.

                                                                          I hope that net worked.

                                                                    What is she doing with my bike?

                                                                         Faster than a mosquito!

                                                     In 1910 $17.95 would be the equivalent of $420 today.

                                                                 Wonder how much this costs now?

                                                                           She will pump you up.

U.S. Bike/Pedestrian Funding is preserved in last minute Senate deal

Hopefully everyone has been riding their bikes and enjoying the great weather lately!

Some of you may or may not of been aware of Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn's amendment to eliminate bike and pedestrian funding from the Transportation Enhancements Program.

The funds are used to create more bike lanes, widen rural roads, recreational trails, safer routes to schools, and overall add accessibility and safety to bicyclists. These are all good investments that pay off in the long run and it is hard for me to understand why people choose to oppose it. As a fellow Oklahoman and bike rider I am upset to say the least that my own Senator spent time and effort to eliminate essential bike funding. Glad I didn't vote for him and maybe he should spend a few hours on a bike so he can see for himself how the funding is used and/or should be used.

But after a few thousand phone calls and emails from citizens the U.S. Senate forced Senator Coburn to withdraw his proposal yesterday and as a result, funding has been extended for all federal transportation programs to March 31, 2012. A big win for bikes!

However, Senator Coburn has been at this since 2009 and will not stop, so you can be sure I will be sending him a detailed letter soon about the importance of bicycle infrastructure in Oklahoma and in the United States.

Remember bike riding is fun and always should be! But there are people out there who don't like bikes and actively work against them.

Don't let them get in your way.

Bamboo Bikes

What if you could grow your own bike?

 The bamboo bicycle is a cool new alternative for a bicycle frame, and it's getting a lot of attention these days.

Bamboo bikes have been around since 1894 but only recently have companies started specializing in it.

 Organic Bikes makes the Caleb frame which I plan on getting soon. They also make other bamboo products such as fenders and grips as well as reclaimed bike packs and saddlebags and biodegradable water bottles.

Bamboo bikes are also helping empower people in third world countries by creating jobs, increasing carrying capacity by 5 times, and increase the distance a person can travel by four times compared to walking.

  Zambikes is one such company using bamboo and steel bicycles to help citizens improve their community.

The Zambulance is helping ferry patients from home to a clinic comfortably as compared to a wheelbarrow or an ox cart which I assume wouldn't be a smooth ride.

Links to some other companies and projects- http://bamboobikestudio.com/ http://www.bamboosero.com/ http://bamboobike.org/ http://www.bikebamboo.com/

Girls on bikes

 To me, there is nothing hotter than a girl on a bike. Even more so if they know how to ride!

                                         I wonder how she got up there, or how she got down for that matter.

                                                                  I heard tires taste like asphalt.

                                                             I think I need a new paint job on my bike.

                                                                              Like a boss.

                                                              Not too sure what is going on here.

                                                                  My, how the times have changed.

Self Inflating Bicycle Tire

Bicycle tires lose pressure due to air molecules diffusing through the rubber sidewalls.  This requires cyclists to air up their tires often due to the high operating pressures (up to 120 psi) and thin sidewalls of most bicycle tires.

I recently found this project on kickstarter.com called PumpTire.

They have almost raised $15,000 for the worlds first self-pressurizing bike tire. As I understand it the PumpTire inner tube clips into the tire to enable air to pass from the tire to the tube and you are able to change tire pressure on the fly.

You can check it out for yourself and pre-order @ PumpTire.com

Until this comes out you will still have to air up and change your tubes the old fashioned way. Or will you?

The Flybikes Cobra tube may make it a little easier for you 20 inchers out there.

The cobra tube from flybikes on Vimeo.

Acheivement Unlocked

weduce.blogspot.com now has more than 50 followers! Thanks so much for the support and comments everyone and I hope to reach 100 soon!

    For now here is an interesting picture about human powered vehicle performance.

Bicycle Photos and Art 2

                                                                      Hey how'd that get up there!

                                                               The beginning of Planet of the Apes.

                                                                                     Freestylin'

                                                          I'm riding in the snow, delivering your packages.

                                                                                       Bonk!

                                                                    I am feeling very run down.

                                                                               My old lady

                                                                        Those yappy little dogs!

Ticketed for not riding in a Bike Lane

I've never been ticketed for not riding in a bike lane, but I have been for riding on the sidewalk around campus so I can somewhat share in his frustration.

My city recently painted new bike lanes near my house so maybe I can test this out on the local authorities. Their knowledge of bicycle laws are somewhat scarce outside of campus limits.

People all over the country are pushing for bike laws and with that comes a crackdown on how we ride.

                     I wouldn't mind bunny hopping over a bench to get to work every day!

Bike without spokes

The Lunartic Cycle is an entry for the James Dyson Awards.

It features a hubless back wheel and is powered by toothed belt drives. They say the tiny front wheel adds to maneuverability but it would be really cool to see both front and back hubless wheels.

I can tell it still needs some work to be practical but it sure does look neat!

Conference Biking

I came across this contraption and instantly thought of people in business suits riding this downtown. Maybe even a little table in the middle with drinks and a conference phone.

OK well perhaps you wont see anyone doing business deals on this bike but it sure looks fun to ride!
                                                    Conference bike

How to: set up your BMX with an asian girl.

Having trouble putting your bmx bike together? Don't know which way the pedals go on?
Or maybe you do know and you would like to watch some girl do it for you?
I think yes!

I can't quite understand what she is saying but she puts that bike together better than some of the bicycle mechanics I've been around. Eye candy and information!


How to: Set up the Complete Bike on pinkbike.com

The Story of the Bicycle

Rob Penn is a true Bicyclist. He has ridden two wheels around the world and recently wrote a book called It's All About the Bike: the Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels  

This bike documentary follows him around the world in search of his perfect bike and meeting new friends along the way.

Here is the link for part 1 on youtube enjoy!
Rob Penn

Pedal Powered Talkies

I just ran into a fantastic idea! Magnificent Revolution has just launched a Cycle-In Cinema – screening bicycle-powered movies meant to inspire a low-carbon lifestyle and encourage more people to start pedaling. Simply take your two-wheeler, hook it up to a generator and ride. It needs the power of at least ten cyclists to play a movie off the generator. Combine this with the pedal pubs and this would be an awesome time!
                                                   www.magnificentrevolution.org

Bar on Wheels?

  I've recently become fascinated by the thought of owning my own bar on wheels!
Pedaling through campus corner yelling at drunk girls on my loudspeaker, giving them rides to other bars and watching their friends laugh at them as they fall off.

 My bike bar would look a lot better than the one pictured above. With a flatscreen tv, l.e.d. lights everywhere, a sound system of some sort, perhaps even a disco ball, and of course lots of chrome!  I do not know all the legalities related to a moving pub on wheels but it sounds like fun.


  Prices range from $150 - $200 an hour and routes are around 3 - 6 miles each. I think it would be a great way to make money and friends. But not every one is enthralled with the pedal pub, there is even a "I hate pedal pub" facebook page!

                                                This guy knows whats up.

                                         Here are some links to operating bike pubs.
           http://cyclepub.com/ http://www.pedalpub.com/ http://hopworksbeer.com/

Bicycle photos and art

Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.  ~Albert Einstein

Cycling for Profit

Ever wanted to make money by riding your bike? Want to start a clean energy business? Watch these videos and see how other people are converting to bicycle power!

UPS Delivery by bike!

 

Recycling for Profit

                                                                       bikesatwork.com

Monkey Lights

This may be my new favorite company! I wonder how many car crashes are caused by the coolness factor alone. These lights are great for night riding and really put on a show!

                                                                  monkeylectric

Bike Furniture

Who wouldn't want some bike furniture!
I've got a lot of old wheels lying around that would work just great!    
                                                                   bikefurniture.com

DYNAMO!

Dynamo hubs produce electricity while spinning. So practically they could be used for a lot more than just bicycles, but if your looking to charge your smartphone or GPS while riding this is what you will need.

Biologic makes these Ree Charge kits and dynamo wheelsets as well as other bike products.

                                                         thinkbiologic.com

Looks like my city made metal license plates for bicycles in the 60's and 70's. I think they are very cool and I'm currently looking for more. Picker mode!

Bicycle Doping

It's not very fair in races, however I can see these little motors coming in handy on a daily commute.

New Blog

New blog about bicycles and the lifestyle surrounding them...