The Cycling Dude

Cyclist Needs Help Identifying a 70's Era Bicycle

I got an e-mail recently from a man looking for information.

Hank needs help identifyng a bike: 

I recently acquired an old 10 speed with no identifying marks. 

It has a 23" lugged frame, 27' chrome steel wheels made in France, Kenda 27 x 1 3/8 gum walls, an English, Wrights leather saddle (unsprung), a Japanese 3 piece crank, and Shimano shifting components, stem shift and drop handlebars with brake levers for two hand positions, very intricate center pull brakes. 

The underside of the frame downtube (connecting bottom bracket to fork tube) has two heart shaped braze ons. 

These are where the cable stops and cable guides attach so I assume they are to mark the correct attachment locations. 

There are braze on brake cable stops on the top tube and each one combines a guide hole about 3/4 inch from the actual stop.

I'm guessing it is a 1970's standard ten speed bike and it is fairly heavy so I doubt is was a racer, but it is a very nice riding bike. 

The gears and brakes work perfectly. 

I'm just curious to know what "brand" it is.

If you can help him out contact Henry here: henryb54 @ yahoo dot com

 

Drunk Cyclist Faces German Justice

According to the story:

A drunk bicyclist got more than he bargained for when he went into a police station in the middle of the night and asked them to test his alcohol level.

The debate in the comments is over the choice of photo for the story, and the amount of the fine given the cyclist. ;-D

The Local: Germany's News in English.

Forbes Traveler On Bike Friendly Cities, and Best Bike Trails

In the most recent of two stories Forbes Traveler Magazine announces what it considers to be "America's Most Bike-Friendly Cities".

 As traffic continues to increase everywhere, pedaling within the urban grid only gets better: Municipal cycling commissions are encouraging pedal power over car congestion by putting in new bike lanes, paths and signals. Bike-only trails are also expanding everywhere to the suburbs and the exburbs. Getting to know a city by bike affords views and experiences you won’t encounter behind a windshield, as well as excellent passive exercise, often absent from travel itineraries.

The July package of online stories tells a little about each of the cities chosen, Austin (TX.), Portland (OR.), Eugene (OR.), Boulder (CO.), San Diego (CA), Davis (CA.), San Francisco (CA.), Seattle (WA.), NY City, Madison (WI.), Chicago (IL.), Minneapolis (MN.), Montréal (Quebec, Canada, and Vancouver (BC).

1, Original Article, with Photo Slide Show: North America's Most Bike-Friendly Cities

2. Yahoo News Briefing, featuring short bits, and links, on 7 of the cities mentioned: Forbes Traveler on North America's Most Bike Friendly Cities.

In March Forbes Traveler did a story called "10 Great American Bike Trails.

From dirt tracks to converted railroad tracks, great trails throughout the U.S. provide a variety of terrain, scenery, amenities, challenge, and overall experience for riders of differing abilities and intentions.

Their choices were:

Underground Railroad Trail; Mobile, Ala. to Owen Sound, Ontario.

Deschutes River Trail, Ore..

Trans-America Trail, Yorktown, Va. to Astoria, Ore..

Katy Trail, Mo..

Slickrock Trail, Moab, Utah.

Green Mountains Loop, Vt..

Great Divide Trail; Roosville, Mont. to Antelope Wells, N.M..

Route of the Hiawatha Trail; Idaho to Montana.

C&O Canal and Towpath and Great Allegheny Passage Trail, Washington, D.C. Area.

Central Park Loop, New York, N.Y.

This informative article includes a slideshow, describing more about each route, and providing links to more information on each.

Read: 10 Great American Bike Trails.

 

 

Coffee, Thee, and Me, on a Bicycle Built for Two

Extry, Extry, read all about it!

Love and Romance being pedaled at Newport Beach Coffee Shop! ;-D

Love will make you do crazy things. Just ask Kenny Fuller and Pamela Mooney, cycling enthusiasts who tied the knot Thursday morning while wearing Spandex, and while standing outside a Peet's Coffee and Tea, where their romance started.

The Corona del Mar couple rode up on their version of a stretch limo (a $12,000 tandem bicycle) while wearing their versions of wedding attire (a tuxedo jersey for him, a white gown jersey for her).

Instead of “Bridal March,” speakers piped out “Olympic Fanfare” as the lovebirds arrived. The two pedaled to a halt amid 100 or so friends, family and fellow cyclists, who formed an aisle out of 20-speed bicycles.

Congratulations to the happy Bicy, I mean couple! ;-D

Read more of the story, of the Champion Pro Cyclist, and the Gal of His Dreams, see photos, and watch the fun video of the wedding festivities, here:

Cycling couple pedal into marriage.

 

This Just In! Bikes Beat Cars in Annual Commuter Contest

Electric Bike Blog reports that the annual event is "meant to show how efficient bike commuting can be, as well as to promote a cycling as a healthy commute solution both for people’s bodies and the environment."

Read more, here.

Now, if you will excuse me...I gotta Bike/Bus Commute to work. ;-D

Award Winning Bike Doc About Stupid Hippie Capitalists Finally Gets Trailer

I get e-mail:

Hey There,

As you may or may not know, KLUNKERZ won the '2009 Cycling Film of the Year' at the Endurance Sports Awards at Sea World in San Diego.

 

It's pretty crazy, considering how long I've been out there with the film, but with no marketing or advertising budget it takes awhile (even years!) for people to find out about these things:). Such is the way with independent filmmaking.

 

Anyway, I realized that I never really put a decent trailer together, so know I've finally done it.

 

It's very homegrown in style, not unlike the film itself.

 

With this in mind, it is my hope that you enjoy it for a few minutes, then pass it on to some good friends.

 

I want to say a special thanks to everyone who has supported me on this ride. It's been a very long journey and, with any luck, it's not nearly over. Thanks again, everybody. 

Ride on,

Billy Savage

writer/producer/director

KLUNKERZ

I have just watched the Trailer, and wish to share it with you, the readers of The Cycling Dude.

 

 

In January I had the honor of being invited by the director to a screening in Escondito, Ca.

 

It was eye-opening, and a joy, and a pleasure.

 

I not only got to meet, and briefly chat, and get my picture taken with, Billy, and 2 of the Mountain Biking Legends profiled in the film, but to do some road cycling on the way home afterward.

 

As I wrote about the film at the time:

 

Northern California is an interesting place.

 

The Gold Rush & its aftermath, gave birth to the American obsession with shiny rocks, and California's Prostitution, Real Estate, Journalism, and Entertainment Industries (Samuel Clemens, among others, came there as early as the 1860's), among many others.

 

Everyone knows what happens in San Francisco, sometimes before it happens, but just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin County (Now home of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.), something happened that spent a long time under anyones radar.

 

A bunch of hippies, and hippie wanna-bes, were happily traipsin' around in the small towns, hills, and mountains, on, and around Mount Tamalpais, on modified pre-WW2 bicycles.

 

I know, I know...you are scratching your head, and going What the, um, heck? ;-D

 

This was the 60's & 70's! Why weren't they out there war protesting, and smoking pot with bare-breasted women, like normal hippies?

 

I don't know about the protesting, but the movie makes abundantly clear that these particular young people did not neglect either pot, or bare-breasted women. ;-D

 

This is the story of that day, pictures, and all, including my review of the film, and the bike ride afterward:

 

KLUNKERZ: A Recreational Cyclist, and Commuter, Meets MTB Legends

 

 

 

As the Wheel Turns: The Latest Video from the Futures Channel & Easton Bikes

I get e-mails. ;-D

Hi Kiril,

My name is Jenna and I work at The Futures Channel.  I thought you and your readers might be interested in a new movie that we are releasing on Monday, "Building and Testing Wheels."  As the title infers, the short documentary provides insight into how bike wheels are made and tested  at Easton Sports.  It's pretty interesting and insightful.

We would love to get as many people as possible to watch the movie so please feel free to share.  Any links you'd like to post would be more than welcome!  I've also included our press release below.

I hope you enjoy the movie!

Sincerely,

 

Jenna Bowles

 

Head of Distribution

The Futures Channel

 

 

I watched the film, and found it to be a fascinating inside look at the creation, and testing, of wheels for racing bikes.

Here is the Press Release, with links:

Reinventing the Wheel… Literally! 

A new online documentary from The Futures Channel shows how engineers are using science, math and innovation to make some of the most durable bike wheels on the market.  

Burbank, CA (The Futures Channel) February 23, 2009: Whether it’s running marathons, taking photographs or writing novels, many of us dream of getting paid to work at our favorite hobbies.  For Adam Marriott that dream is a reality.

 

“Really, it all stems from a love for bikes.  I love riding. I started working in a bike shop in college… I’m now Product Manager for Easton Sports,” says Marriott.

 

Marriott is featured in Building and Testing Wheels, the latest movie released on TheFuturesChannel.com.  It offers an inside look at what it takes to make strong, durable high-performance wheels at Easton Sports' R&D facilities in Van Nuys, California.  In the short documentary, Adam Marriott demonstrates an innovative technique using sound to ensure the wheels are true and explains that, “Mathematics plays a daily role in everything we do, whether it be production or the testing process or the actual design of the products.”

 

Viewers also meet Niko Henderson, a test lab engineer. He says that the key is testing the wheels to extremes—all on state-of-the-art, one-of-a kind machines. “Imagine a 280 lb rider riding for a 1000 kilometers on a bumpy road the whole way, in this case 4.4 million bumps,” Henderson explains in his interview. “We test the wheel like this in order to learn about the durability of the wheel.”

The Futures Channel is the leading producer and publisher of real-world documentaries about careers and applications of science, technology, engineering and math.  From wildlife biologists to space architects and skateboard designers to robotics engineers, The Futures Channel’s movies show students places they might otherwise never see, fascinating professionals they might otherwise never meet, and careers they might not even know exist.

Amy Agramonte, a teacher from Georgia who screened Building and Testing Wheels, said the movie “hits the mark.”

“We discuss the ‘why’ we learn what we do every day. My students enjoy seeing that what we learn in the classroom is applicable later in life. Also, seeing a movie with real life uses of recent science standards (sound, force and friction) is very exciting,” said Agramonte. “Whenever I show Futures Channel movies, the discussion after the movie is an essential piece for my students.”

Greg Pearson is a senior program officer at the National Academy of Engineering and co-editor of Technically Speaking:  Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology.  "Building and Testing Wheels is an excellent illustration of how important technology is in our everyday lives and how science and mathematics knowledge combine with engineering design to produce useful products,” Pearson said.  “Showing how science and mathematics are applied to solve real-world problems helps students see the relevance of these subjects to their own lives."

The Futures Channel was founded in 1999 with the goal of “using New Media technologies to create a channel between the scientists, engineers, explorers and visionaries who are shaping the future, and today’s learners who will one day succeed them.”  In the last 24 months, there have been over 18 million student views of Futures Channel movies during math and science classes.

Watch the movie: Building and Testing Wheels

 

Read more educator feedback.

 

 

Learn more about The Futures Channel.

Also Visit Easton Bikes’.

 

 

 

BikeBlogging Finally Gets Brain in Gear!

Well, actually Bicycle Retailer And Industry News decides to bravely go where it never thought it would go before!

BRAIN Blog is being billed as a collaborative effort, of the BRAIN staff, that will share a steady stream of news analysis, commentary and expanded multimedia event coverage, not to mention tapping into reader opinion about what's affecting the industry now.

Editor Megan Tompkins expresses her fears and skepticism about the world of Blogging, and the other tools of the New Media, while also acknowledging the great influence Blogs, and by extention BikeBlogs, often have.

For dyed-in-the-wool print media folks like us, entering this space is a bit scary. It forces us to write on our feet, turn off (or at least turn down) the editorial filter and reveal a more personal side of the industry and of ourselves. Moreover, we have to figure out how to incorporate this free-flowing approach into what we already do well—covering industry news.

While we’re smart about publishing and savvy about news reporting, we’re not experts on this new media stuff.

No expert? Joint the crowd! ;-D

When I began blogging, in 2002, and then with this blog in 2003. I had to learn so much, and count my blessings that I had a friend to help me get on my feet those 1st 2 years.

They will have no problem learning what works for them and, unlike me, and many others in the BikeBlogosphere, they have the time, resources, and connections to use the wonderful platform of their place in the Cycling Industry to stake out an important place in the BikeBlogging Community.

As I wrote, earlier this morning...

I am proud to say that BikeBlogging has come into its own, the last 3 years, with many bloggers, because of their knowledge, time, connections, and resources, doing things with their blogs, and thru podcasting, and YouTube, that I can never do, and thus reaching masses of people that I can never reach.

 

Brain, right out the gate, has the potential to contribute much to our community.

 

I've added links to the blog, and the main website, to my sidebar.

Read her piece: BRAIN Enters a Brave New Media World

Visit the Blog here.

A Tip of the Hat to Cyclelicious! ;-D

 

 

Geeks of the World Unite!

In May, a journey will begin, a journey with a purpose....

Carlos and Joe, 2 Geeks with a message, on a mission. ;-D

Starting May 20th 2009, we (both geeks) will ride bicycles 3000+ miles across the USA to make a point.

 The point we want to make? 

If WE can do this, we think other geeks can at least ride to work.

Our goal is to persuade 1,000 geeks to bike to work instead of driving.

Join us on the adventure!

To learn more about their planned journey, from New Jersey to Oregon, check out their website: Real Geeks Ride.

Are Helmet Laws turning Aussies off of Bicycling?

Are they lazy?

Are they Cost Conscious?

Are they afraid of making the wrong fashon statement?

Statistician and avid cyclist Dorothy Robinson has pondered this conundrum.

She reckons that repealing laws passed in the 1990s requiring cyclists to wear helmets would get bikes out of garages and onto the roads.

Robinson noted that in the two years after the law was passed, bicycle use was halved.  

Cyclists find the laws a bother because helmets are expensive, easily stolen, mess up your hair and are of marginal help in reducing injuries in traffic accidents.

No one looks better in a helmet.

The reasons are probably as numerous as the cyclists. ;-D

No-one looks better?

How would you look after an accident w/o a helmet?

Yes, one might not help much in certain accidents, but...

I prefer to use a helmet rather than have no protection at all.

For more - Monsters & Critics.

Robinson wrote her piece in 2006, I learned, from a Google Search, and one must either be a member of the site, or buy the article to read it in full.