Video: How to Ride in the City (are you bike-curious?)

Grist published a short video yesterday on YouTube on how to ride your bike in the city.

For some reason, YouTube isn't letting me imbed it, so you can watch the video here.

It's a good little video that gives some quick pointers for those who are new to commuting. I liked that it mentioned "no spandex (well, it should be Lycra - cyclists do not wear spandex, but let's not be picky) required".

I like the video, it offers some good advice, it's distilled down to the basics: watch the door zone, hand signals, ride with traffic, etc... but it is stuff that beginners don't know.

I do have a couple of problems with it, however...

First off, our intrepid newbie commuter stops off for a "dount break" to recap what she has learned. She rolls up to the donut shop, leans her bike against some tables, and walks in to purchase the donut she will reflect over. All without locking her bike up.

... and your bike is going, going, gone!

I don't care where you live, even here in happy valley, you lock your bike. Unless, of course, you are wanting to help out the struggling bike theivery economy by giving them a freebie. They should have included a lock in the part where they are talking about gearing up.

In my opinion, if you are going to be commuting, a lock is as important as any other piece of your gear.

This next problem is more of the "really?" variety.

Our intrepid newbie commuter, now calm, cool and collected after eating her reflection donut is a pro. She's riding down the road to meet her friends for some lunch.

I can handle this

She heads over to the cafe, does a nifty "bar-spin, jump backwards off the saddle" dismount to impress her friends, and to show how calm, cool and collected she now is.

look at me! I am in no way a stuntman performing this trick!

Personally, I think that they should be more impressed with how she is able to change the type of bike, jacket style, and even her gender in order to pull off that trick.



how did you do it!

Just remember:

cars are big. be aware.

you are small. be careful.

but you can do this. be confident.

And most importantly, this is how the majority of people not on bikes view us:

Video of the Day

Really, the only word that comes to mind is WOW!

All of that, on a carbon Pinarello Dogma 2.

Video of the Day

Yes, the video is in German. You have to watch it until the end to see what they are making. All I have to say is that it is very clever, and let's just hope that you have some good batteries in it.

This video was brought to my attention by David from The Sufferfest.

A Couple of Videos for Sunday

I found these two videos whilst laying on the couch, surfing through some of the blogs I follow. Too good not to share.

The first one I found on Urban Velo:

My favorite part is how he pushes off with one foot when he starts.

The next video is from Neil Browne's Browne Eye Cycling Blog:

The Bicycle Gallery in Jacksonville, NC created their own video for LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It". This version is infinitely better.

Video of the Day: Splinterbike in Action

Back in May, I posted about a couple of guys in England who were going for the world record on a bike made entirely out of wood, dubbed Splinterbike.

Well, on Thursday, they broke the world record with a run of 11.25 mph.

Here's the video:

Congrats to them for a sucessful run. Not a blazingly fast run, but remember, this bike is made out of only wood and glue.

As they said on twitter, they'll be back!

Le Velo

Just in time for the Tour de France, which starts Saturday. From the same (slightly unhinged?) mind that brought you "Performance", and "Get Dirty". Enjoy!

Video of the Day

I love this song, but this would be the most boring concert in the world to go to. Watching 4 guys play on their macs? Seriously?

Friday Videos: 3M - No White at Night

Many of us commute by bicycle, or enjoy a nice run early in the morning, or after the kidlets have been put to bed for the night. We squeeze in our training when we can, and often that means going out before the sun is up, or after it has gone down.

At those times when visibility is low, we are at the greatest risk. Cars may not be able to see us.

I visited the 3M booth during the Outdoor Retailer show, and talked to them about their Scotchlite™ Reflective Material. They were showing this video, which demonstrates how far an approaching car can see you at night.

3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material uses retroflection technology. This means it is specifically designed to return light directly back to its original source. Think about cat’s eyes or a deer’s eyes in headlights shining in the night. 3M products feature retroreflection through the use of glass bead and prismatic technologies.

I was surprised at exactly how much of a difference there is in distances between the white shirts and the Scotchlite material. The most easily seen parts of the runners were where the reflective material was applied to areas that were movin, and the movement draws your eyes to it.

Be careful out there while training. Don't become part of the statistic.

Planters Tree-Athlon

Saw this commercial on the TV yesterday. 

If bkes were like cars...

I found this over on Urban Velo's site. It's in Dutch, but you don't need to understand it to enjoy the video.