Green Options » bike

#3 Portland, Oregon (USA): Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:53:01 +0000

With bike weddings, bike parades, hundreds of naked bicyclists, bike fashion shows, popular & interesting cargo bikes, and travelling bike pubs, Portland is #3 on this great bicycle city photo tours list.

Portland has great bicycle facilities (colored bike lanes, bike boxes at intersections, great bike signs, off-road bicycle paths, etc.), a large number of people using the bicycle for transportation, and a bike culture that brings the fun of bicycling to another level.

As a result of these factors and more, Portland was the first large city in the US to achieve the Platinum level Bike Friendly award from the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) — the Platinum level being the highest level possible (above Gold, Silver and Bronze). It is truly a world-class bicycle city now, and the amazing photos in this photo tour help to show that.

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#4 Copenhagen, Denmark: Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:12:29 +0000

Home of the upcoming climate change conference, Copenhagen is #4 in this great bicycle city photo tour series. With about 55% of trips being by bicycle, Copenhagen is an amazing place to visit or live if you like bicycling.

The photos to follow give you a taste of this great bicycle city. From dogs on bikes to bikes on bikes, from bikes in ice to bike counters, enjoy these great bicycle photos.

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#5 Paris, France: Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:17:13 +0000

From bicycle lovers to lovers on bikes, bike art to art on bikes, the largest bicycle sharing program in the world to some of the smallest bikers, enjoy this bicycle city photo tour of Paris, France!

Paris doesn’t have a long history as one of the best bicycle cities, but with the introduction of the largest bicycle sharing program in the world, bicycling in Paris has boomed and the city is becoming commonly associated with the bicycle now. Its whole culture is changing due to the bicycle’s increasing relevance in the city’s daily life.

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Mavizen Launches TTX02 - World’s First Electric Superbike

Andrew Williams — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:25:37 +0000

British company Mavizen, the outfit behind the eGrandPrix, has launched the world’s first production electric supersport bike, - the TTX02, available as a limited edition from April 2010.

The bike, unveiled on Tuesday at the SEMA Show 2009 in Las Vegas, has been called a “laptop on wheels” and is the first motorsport vehicle in the world to ship with integrated IP connectivity. It also boasts a USB based system bus that allows a “virtually unlimited” number of peripherals to extend the capabilities of the machine with plug’n’play.

According to the man behind the outfit, Azhar Hussain, “This is about giving everybody access to the best tools so they can go racing and have a stab at making history.” (More pics after the jump).

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Yamaha HV-X Hybrid Motorcycle Debuts in Tokyo

Jo Borras — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:57:33 +0000

Yamaha didn’t pull any punches at last week’s 2009 Tokyo AutoMotoShow, bringing no less than five (5!) innovative new eco-conscious motorcycle concepts to a predominantly car-centric show in a bid to monopolize 2-wheeled press coverage and establish Yamaha as the leader in 2-wheeled hybrid technology.

Did it work? Maybe!

More about the seemingly production-ready HV-X hybrid concept—including video—after the jump…

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#8 Barcelona, Spain: Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:46:40 +0000

Naked bicyclists, folding bikes, balloon bikes, and more — enjoy this bicycle photo tour of Barcelona.

The third B in a row, Barcelona is next on this list of great bicycle cities (right ahead of Basel, Switzerland and Bogota, Columbia). As a dense city with a wonderful climate, Barcelona is naturally a wonderful place for bicyclists. However, a lot has been done to make it more so. The biggest carrot encouraging bicycling, by far, is Barcelona’s relatively new bike sharing program — Bicing. This is perhaps the best or second best bike sharing program in the world. It is one of a new generation of sophisticated, smart bike sharing programs. Read more about it on page 2.

Beyond Bicing, the city is also working on creating new bicycling routes and bike parking and it hosts fun Bike Week celebrations every year in May. Also, it has been creating better infrastructure for bicyclists due to so many more people bicycling within the past few years. It is transforming itself into a truly world-leading bicycle city.

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Photo Tours of 10 Great Bicycle Cities: #10 Basel, Switzerland

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:50:04 +0000

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this series of photo tours is going to be worth about a hundred thousand.

You have probably heard before that the cities on this list are great bicycle cities, but the following photo tours will give you a better and more entertaining visual explanation of why they are considered to be so great.

From public art to art on bikes, seas of bicycles to bicycles that could carry a swimming pool, high heels to naked bicyclists, check out these upcoming photo tours of some of the world’s greatest bicycle cities.

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Bikes & Trains — New Initiative for England

Zachary Shahan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:13:36 +0000

England is working to combine two of the world’s cleanest methods of transportation through a new initiative.

A handful of strongly funded programs are geared to get more people bicycling to and from rail stations in England.

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Bicycle Repairman Saves the Day Again

Rhonda Winter — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:16:00 +0000

In a land where everyone else is a Superman in a red cape, being a bicycle repairman is something special indeed. I remember this brilliant Monty Python skit from my childhood, and it seems just as funny today. “See how he uses a spanner to tighten that nut!” It not only makes me most enthusiastic about the upcoming Monty Python reunion next month, but also really makes me want to learn more about how to fix my bicycle. Then I would truly have useful super powers.

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Beautiful Off-Road Bike Paths & Great Bicycle Signage

Image Credit 1: knallaerbse via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: freddy via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: nchenga via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Arts & Crafts Bikes

Image Credit 1: Jope 1978 via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: missdarling via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: alicetiara via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Great Bike Parking of All Sorts

To a secure bike center under the train station with attendants where you can also buy or rent a bike, visit a full-service bike shop, go to one of several available cafes, or get bikes maps and information:

Image Credit 1: Julikeishon en Basel via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: Climens via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: kbrookes via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 4: Márcio Cabral de Moura via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 5: acezz3000 via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 6: kbrookes via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 7: freddy via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Weather-Protected, Artistic Bike Seats

Image Credit: JackVinson via flickr under a Creative Commons license

This Bus Bike Rack Rap Rocks

Rhonda Winter — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:11:36 +0000

My happy transportation moment of the week came when I stumbled across this most excellent song on the Muni Diaries. The rap was created for the Transit Authority of River City in Louisville, Kentucky to explain how to use the bike racks on their buses. The infectious chorus has been stuck in my head all week: “Bring it down, pull the bar, put it on, put it on, take it off, put it up when you’re done, then you’re done…”

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Beautiful Off-Road Bike Paths & Great Bicycle Signage

Arts & Crafts Bikes

Great Bike Parking of All Sorts

Weather-Protected, Artistic Bike Seats

Image Credit: JackVinson via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Nude Pole Dancing on the Subway

Joe Mohr — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:13:35 +0000

Nude pole dancing on the New York subway and pole dancing on a pedicab (bike)! Two more reasons to ditch your car…

See the video here.

image credit: Wikimedia Commons–Creative Commons Public Domain

Beautiful Off-Road Bike Paths & Great Bicycle Signage

Arts & Crafts Bikes

Great Bike Parking of All Sorts

Weather-Protected, Artistic Bike Seats

Image Credit: JackVinson via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Ride your bike, charge your iPod or cell phone, with PedalPower+ device

Jeff Kart — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:04:40 +0000

A recent study concluded that it’s dangerous to text while driving.

What about texting while bicycling?

That’s also not advised, but a device from a company called PedalPower+ will charge your Blackberry while you ride. It also will charge your iPod.

The device, similar to the old school dynamo systems used to power headlamps via the back wheel of a bike, also stores generated power in a battery and will charge with solar panels even when you’re not riding, according to a report from the Austrailian Broadcasting Corp.

Gizmag, a technology blog, explains that developers spent three years working on PedalPower+, to work out the kinks of safely regulating current to electronic devices via a spinning bike tire.

As a result, the patented technology will charge a mobile phone from flat to finished in about two hours, the company says.

How much? Right now, the devices are only available Down Under. But the company says it’s setting up distributors in the United States and Europe.

(Image Credit: PedalPower+. Caption: Bottle dynamo installed on the back wheel of a bicycle.)

Beautiful Off-Road Bike Paths & Great Bicycle Signage

Arts & Crafts Bikes

Great Bike Parking of All Sorts

Weather-Protected, Artistic Bike Seats

Image Credit: JackVinson via flickr under a Creative Commons license

Zero DS: A More Aggressive Electric Motorcycle

Christopher DeMorro — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:09:58 +0000

A lot of electric vehicles suffer from performance anxiety. That is to say, they are green and clean, but not very mean, the Tesla Roadster being a notable exception. Sometimes though, you just want to go fast. I had my first hybrid experience the other day, and while the Honda Insight I drove wasn’t the worst ride I’ve ever had, I could see myself getting very bored, very quickly with such an underpowered car (in my opinion, of course).

But I doubt I would get bored with the Zero DS, the latest electric motorcycle to be unveiled by Zero Motorcycles. Built from the ground up and utilizing the latest techniques and technology, this durable dirtbike promises off-road performance with streetwise manners. And it had better for the asking price $9,950.

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Come to the Bike-In Movies

Rhonda Winter — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:17:27 +0000

Lately the long foggy nights of summer make me wistfully yearn for the drive-in movies of my youth. Bad movies and sticky salty gooey food were merely condiments for the socializing that was really the main event on so many long ago August nights. Sadly, all of our local Bay Area drive-ins have gone dark years ago; however, this summer in San Francisco we now have something even better, the bike-in movies.

Throughout this summer the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hosting a series of free bike-related movie screenings downtown at 7th and Mission Streets, right across from the Good Hotel. Once a month the hotel’s barren parking lot is transformed into a festive and inviting public space, where hundreds of people gather for free entertainment, socializing, and to eat tasty locally made snacks.

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10 Sustainable Lifestyle Tips: #1-5

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:16:19 +0000

In a previous post, I listed five of the best things I think you can do in order to live a sustainable lifestyle — #6-10. Now, here is the top five list.

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Car-Free Market Street Is Closer to Reality

Rhonda Winter — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:12:55 +0000

My long held fantasy of a car-free Market Street became just a little closer to reality today. A transit improvement report was just approved by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority that encourages travel by bus, foot and bicycle along this busy thoroughfare. District 6 Supervisor Chris Daly, who requested the report, expressed his support for the positive changes being implemented that will limit car traffic on Market. “It will feel pretty good to see some progress, albeit incremental progress on Market Street,” he said.

A glorious car-free Market Street in June of 2008 after the queer pride parade.

I could not agree more, and am eagerly anticipating the upcoming changes; they can’t come quickly enough. Cars make us fat. The more we can increase walking, biking and mass transit use, the healthier our citizens will be, and the more livable and sustainable both our city and world will become.

Beautiful Off-Road Bike Paths & Great Bicycle Signage

Arts & Crafts Bikes

Great Bike Parking of All Sorts

Weather-Protected, Artistic Bike Seats

Image Credit: JackVinson via flickr under a Creative Commons license

The Schweeb: Personal Pedal Power Pod

Christopher DeMorro — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:57:44 +0000

I hate traffic. To me, there are few things worse in the world than having to sit idling in traffic, moving at an inch an hour, all because some dimwit blew out a tire. It is part of the reason I consider myself a country boy at heart. At least to me, the city is a nice place to visit, but I could never live there.

But a new, novel idea involving pedals and a monorail system has the potential not only to eliminate traffic, but emissions and accidents as well. Called simply The Schweeb, this self-enclosed, pedal-powered personal pod is already in use at an amusement park in New Zealand. Geoffrey Barnett and his team of designers see the Schweeb not only as a vehicle of amusement, but as a replacement for personal motor vehicles in traffic congested cities.

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What Is a Good City?

Rhonda Winter — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:51:14 +0000

That was one of the many probing questions that the visionary former mayor of Bogotá Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa, asked a packed auditorium in San Francisco last night. How do we define what makes a good city, what is our criteria? What makes an urban environment desirable and livable, and how do we judge the quality of life? What is socially and environmentally sustainable?

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The Grassroots Work Behind the SF Bike Plan Victory

Rhonda Winter — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:59:11 +0000

San Francisco Bike Coalition member Rick Baraff produced this short video documenting how the grassroots advocacy work of thousands of SFBC members led to last Friday’s historic victory at the SFMTA hearing.

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Beautiful Off-Road Bike Paths & Great Bicycle Signage

Arts & Crafts Bikes

Great Bike Parking of All Sorts

Weather-Protected, Artistic Bike Seats

Image Credit: JackVinson via flickr under a Creative Commons license

SF Muni Fares Go Up on July 1st

Rhonda Winter — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:39:47 +0000

The first time that I rode on San Francisco’s Muni it cost me a quarter, complete with a two hour unlimited transfer. Even as a clueless adolescent, I thought that was a pretty good deal. Mass transit ridership is skyrocketing all over the country, as more and more people are utilizing more sustainable methods of transport and bicycles. A few weeks ago, when I saw this notice that Muni fares will be going up to two dollars on July 1st, the first thing that I thought was: “I actually feel pretty good about spending two bucks of my meager resources to ride the streetcar. I want to support my local transit agency and help it to be a success.” Man, I am getting old.