Category Archives: Article

Yesterday I wrote a post about failing to fix someone’s flat to which Ethan replied:

“The Albany Bicycle Coalition: the Boy Scouts of the Albany Bicycle community! Always prepared, always willing to lend a hand. This reminds me of that Monty Python skit with the supermen and the bike mechanic.

(I’m sure the people at EMS can change a flat.)”

So here it is for your viewing pleasure, Monthy Python’s: Bicycle Repair Man:

Written by Chris Belsole

Yesterday when I was on my way to Plaza Fitness I saw someone walking their bike down and across the street. I caught up to him and asked if there was anything wrong with his bicycle. It turns out he had a flat tire, and I had a patch kit. So I set up to help him fix his flat when I come to find out that I don’t have my adjustable crescent wrench on me! You see I’d bought this multi-tool  a few weeks ago and it had wrenches for small things not for taking off wheels. I apologized that I did not have the right tools, and he went off to EMS which was not that far away.

So I am sorry man with a flat. I am sorry I was not more well prepared. You better believe the first thing I did when I got home was stick the tool back in my bag. I wish I could have been able to help him because I know how it feels to be somewhere with a flat tire; unable to get where you want to go. Hopefully everything worked out for them though. I can’t speak for the competency of the people at EMS, but they should know how to change a flat.

Written by Chris Belsole

Hey Everyone. Thanks for making this bike month the best its ever been. I was browsing the site stats recently when I came across something really cool. Check it out:

(Click on the picture to make it bigger)

This May was our biggest Bike Month ever! With over 2700 views we blew the other years out of the water. So thank you everyone. Thank you to the people that wrote the posts and worked on the site. Thanks to the readers who visited our site day after day. You have made it all worth it.

Written by Chris Belsole

For a city that shares a name with the mountain that is right in the middle of it, and which commonly has temperatures around -40F in the winter, you might not think that Montreal would be a very bike-commute friendly city.    But you would be wrong. I recently took an overnight trip to Montreal (just over 3 hours from Albany if you drive really fast!) and saw more bike commuters than I’ve ever seen in a North American city.   Every few blocks or so each major roadway has dedicated bike lanes that are physically separated from the auto traffic making it easy to get virtually anywhere in the city by bike:

Don’t have your bike?   Nowhere safe to park it when you get where you are going?   Not to worry, because Bixi Bikes have you covered.   Every few corners you can find a rack of public bicycles that you can subscribe to, or just put your credit card in the machine and get 24 hours of unlimited in and out privileges for 5 bucks:

I wouldn’t want to ride cross country on one of these thing but they are really made for commuting.   All bikes have front and back fenders, a nexus 3 speed enclosed rear hub, and an easy to adjust saddle.    A shimano front hub dynamo powers front and rear blinky lights and most bikes have a rack on the front that accommodates a backpack or a briefcase.

I saw MANY commuters in business wear making their way around town.    If you’ve got your mobile device handy the bixi website tells you where the nearest racks are and lets you know how many bikes/spots are available.

While it was a unique joy for me to drive into a new city for business and be able to grab a public bike off a rack right outside my hotel for a quick pre-breakfast ride,  I think the most stunning thing about my ride in Montreal was that I was an actual member of real traffic flow in a vibrant city.    There are so many cyclists on the road that one has to use the same care in merging, signaling, and general traffic management as one would when driving on a busy highway.   As sometimes happens when I drive, I once had a minor annoyance that the cyclist in front of me waiting to go straight at a red light was holding me up from making a right hand turn, but then I reminded myself that this is the kind of bicycle commute problem that I’d love to have in Albany.

A recent New York Times article (Before Bike-Share Effort Starts, Concerns Are Raised About How It Will Work ) talked about New York City’s plan to add a service like Bixi Bike.  Could something like this work in Albany?   Hey, if Montrealers can get up Mt. Royal in their business suits, I think our state workers should be willing to tackle State St.

Written by JP Shipherd

A more generalized version of the following appeared in the “Letters to the Editor” in the Times Union on June 4, 2011.

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On May 18, bicycle riders in Albany commemorated the national “Ride of Silence” by riding to the various “ghost bikes” in the city. These white bicycles and the ride commemorate those cyclists killed in traffic.

One rider reported to me that on her way to this ride, the front wheel of her bicycle was struck by an aggressive driver at the ever-challenging Allen-Madison-Western intersection. She said another car driver attempted to chase down the offending motorist. While neither she nor her bicycle was harmed, the reality is that — regardless of fault — the bicycle rider always suffers most in any bicycle-motor vehicle collision.

My observations are twofold: that drivers in the city of Albany are generally considerate of cyclists but that many cyclists are somewhat casual in their approach to traffic laws and safety. The messages I hope to deliver are that cyclists need to be alert, careful and mindful of the law and that vehicle operators need to give a little consideration when near bicyclists.

My observation not shared with the general readership of the Times Union is that I frequently observe the following cycling offenses while riding and driving in the area:

– Riding the wrong way on a one-way street
– Riding on the left into traffic
– Not even pausing at red lights
– Not yielding to pedestrians in “zebra stripe” crossings
– Not even pausing at stop signs
– Riding on the sidewalk and frequently in an unsafe manner (e.g., too fast, dodging in and out of pedestrians)

The message need be that we, as riders, are responsible for setting the example to both cyclists and motor vehicle operators and, when on a bicycle, gently cautioning our fellow cyclists when we observe them behaving in an unconstructive fashion.

Written by Lorenz Worden