Category Archives: Article

Expensive road bikes? carbon frames? Is it worth spending upwards of 1500 dollars on a bike just for getting around? What does it mean to the average commuter? Apparently not a whole lot.

In a new study by Dr. Jeremy Groves, an “anaesthetist at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and self-confessed cycling fan,” he asserts that the commuting time between a commute with a carbon fiber bicycle verses the commuting time with a steel frame is about the same. The big part of this was that he spent 1000 euro, about 1326.70 US Dollars, and only 50 euro, about 66.33 US Dollars, on the steel framed bike.

The best part is the conclusion that he comes up with, “A lighter bicycle did not lead to a detectable difference in commuting time. Cyclists may find it more cost effective to reduce their own weight rather than to purchase a lighter bicycle.”

You can find the study link here [via: BBC News]

Written by Chris Belsole

You heard right! Copenhagen is building a network of bike highways. It would stand to reason that one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world has a bike path congestion problem. As I type these words I can’t help but feel jealous at the fact that they have these problems.

“… Roehl [the Copenhagen municipality’s bicycle programme manager] is not content with making life easier for Copenhagen’s inner-city cyclists: he wants to get suburbanites out of their cars and onto two wheels as well.

His goal is to hike the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city from the 37 percent it is today to over 50 percent by 2015.

Within the city, 55 percent of all commuters already travel by bike, according to the municipality.

Copenhagen’s bike highways of tomorrow will be dotted with pit stops where it will be possible to pump up tyres, fix a chain and have a drink of water, Roehl says.

And synchronised traffic lights prioritising bicycles over cars will bring riders from the suburbs into Copenhagen “quickly and safely,” he says.”

Written by Chris Belsole

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day or something more? At the Capital Region Healthy Communities Coalition they believe that breakast leads to greater chances for education and lower diciplinary problems.

Do all kids eat breakfast? In New York State it is mandatory that all schools serve a USDA approved breakfast; although not all schools do. Not all children eat breakfast even if it is offered at the school. In fact even the majority of the children who get free or reduced priced lunches don’t take advantage of the free breakfast.

So how do you get children to eat breakfast? Because children “eat with their eyes” the food must look apealing. Also there is something called stealth nutrition where you use tatics like low sodium chips or whole wheat pancakes to give children a healthier meal.

So what can we do as bicyclists to help these children get a proper breakfast? One thing that could be done is plan and get cities to put signs up for “safe routs” to schools as well as plan and run daily bicycling rides to schools so that children don’t have to wait for the buses and end up missing the time for a school breakfast.

For more information go to the Capital Region Healthy Communities Coalition website.

Written by Chris Belsole

Five intrepid riders met at the monument for a chilly bicycle ride to the art venues on 1st Friday in Albany. Although the weather called for several clothing layers, we had a nice ride with lots of time to enjoy the art and the goodies and to chat about cycling in Albany. We visited the Opalka, Davey Jones, Upstate Artists Guild, and the Picotte Gallery on State (St. Rose student works). Mid ride, we enjoyed an intermission at the Daily Grind – where throngs of people were enjoying a pleasant evening on Lark St.

Three of us decided to go to the “new” Pepper Jack’s for post-ride refreshments, found it closed (early hours until Pepper Jack’s competes its move to N. Allen St.), so rode back downtown for eats at the original shop where we solved all the issues facing cycling in the city.

Written by Lorenz Worden