February 17/10 17:58 pm - Cycling News (of the) World

Posted by Editoress on 02/17/10
 

You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day. ~Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles

Putting super back in Superweek
Tour de Delta would benefit from the return of Tour de Gastown, says a B.C. Superweek organizer.

The cycling event in Vancouver was shelved last year because of a lack of financial support but organizers hope to bring it back this summer.
Read more at Delta Optimist


Dunsmuir Viaduct Trial Approved
Bike lanes separated from vehicle traffic will soon be expanded in Vancouver. Earlier this month, a proposal to construct separated bike lanes on the Dunsmuir viaduct and other connecting routes downtown was approved by Council.

The addition of separated bike lanes will bring to fruition one of the recommendations made by the Greenest City Action Team last year.
Read more at VO


Downtown Bike Plans for 2010 Revealed
If city cycling staff get their way, downtown will be transformed by cycling projects in 2010. Partly to accommodate the planned launch of the public bike program and partly to address concerns over the way the Bikeway Network has been assembled piece by disconnected piece over the years, staff are concentrating this year's efforts on a comprehensive and dense network of cycling infrastructure south of Dupont between High Park and the Don Valley.
Read more at Torontoist


Toronto Man Invents Wind-Resistant "Bra" for Bike Handlebars
When we saw a flyer on a utility pole advertising the Barbra, we knew we had to find out more about it. Earlier this week, finally riding our bike with a sample Barbra on our handlebars, we discovered that we were a little self-conscious: first, because none of the other bikers we passed were equipped with anything even remotely similar; and second, because its name, which is printed in large type on a label sewn to its side, seemed to be implying that our handlebars were similar to breasts. And yet, our hands were very warm.
Read more at Torontoist


Judge Rules Bike Groups Must Get Parade Permits
A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday dealt a blow to organizers of group bicycle protests, ruling that the City of New York did not violate the constitutional rights of cyclists by requiring them to get parade permits.
Read more at NY Times


Yale students invent Spokeless Bicycle Wheel
Students from Yale University have created a bicycle wheel that does away with the spokes entirely. Pretty awesome. All of our future bicycles will probably look like this one. They should all be patting themselves on the back.
Read more at Slippery Brick


2010 Bicycling Economic Impact Study
In Wisconsin, bicycling contributes $1.5 billion to economy
We all know that our favorite past time is good for us and good for Wisconsin. Thanks to an exciting study conducted by the CHANGE program at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies we now have an impressive dollar amount to connect to bicycling.
Read more at Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin


LIVESTRONG(R) and Nike Announce New Strategy to Grow Global Awareness and LIVESTRONG Product Collection
The new strategy includes consistent financial contributions from Nike to LIVESTRONG, including international expansion for the collection, starting in July 2010. It also features a guaranteed annual payment and the potential for additional funding as sales from the collection grow.

This is a change from the current variable amount US-only funding strategy where 100 percent of the profits go to LIVESTRONG.
Read more at Web Newswire


Hell on Two Wheels: Another Critical Mess
Police Chief George Gascon has gotten a new round of controversy rolling around San Francisco by kicking the tires of Critical Mass. "If you did an initiative to get rid of Critical Mass, I think it would pass by a large number of votes," Gascon quipped at a press conference, promising to review police procedures related to the event.
Read more at SFAppeal


An electric boost for bicyclists
Jiang Ruming, a marketing manager, owns a van, but for many errands, he hops on a futuristic-looking contraption that lets him weave rapidly through Shanghai’s messy traffic. He rides an electric bicycle.

Half a world away, in San Francisco, the president of that city’s board of supervisors, David Chiu, uses an electric bike to get to meetings without sweating through his suit.
Read more at Go Upstate.com


So many bikes, so little space
Anybody who has visited the Netherlands won’t be surprised to learn the Dutch are up to their ears in bicycles. But those bikes have now began to encroach on public space so much, municipal governments are left with few other options than to remove some of them by force.
Read more at NRC


A Cyclist's Best Friend
RidetheCity.com is a Web site for any cycling enthusiast. Think of it as MapQuest for your Schwinn. Just enter your starting and end points, and the site will create the perfect bike route for you. You can even drag a bike icon to a specific location to get directions from there to your destination
Read more at NBC Washington


L.A. sees 29% jump in bike thefts, prompting some vigilante justice
Nearly 2,000 bikes were reported stolen last year -- and authorities believe the actual number of thefts was much higher because so many people don't report stolen bikes.

Los Angeles Police Department detectives believe the increase is due in part to more people using bikes to get around in some neighborhoods.
Read more at LA Times


Intelligent bicycle light senses approaching traffic
The introduction of LED bulbs has made lightweight, powerful and durable lighting affordable for cyclists, but the evolution of bicycle lights may be about to make another leap forward with a design that senses approaching traffic and illuminates the rider as well as the road.
Read more at ETA


Riding Backseat in Oakland
If you frequent the Oakland bar scene, chances are you've seen a tall, bespectacled guy driving a four-seater bicycle, with house music bumping from his iPod speaker.
Read more at East Bay Express


School caretaker rides same bike for 57 years
Owen Hook, 72, paid 36 monthly instalments of 10 shillings for the top-of-the-range Raleigh after buying it from a local department store in 1953.

He has ridden the bike every day since, either commuting to work or heading to the shops near his home in Haddenham, near Ely, Cambs.
Read more at Telegraph


Scuba diver rides bike underwater
The London Diving School has designed an underwater bicycle, and they're challenging diving fans to cycle a mile on it to raise money for Sport Relief.
Read more at BBC