Month: May 2009

By Flip Shelton
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Cyclists are killed by cars and trucks, so car and truck drivers who don’t ride a bike should pay more on their registration to cover this cost.
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The ancient Greek philosopher Plato said: "No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding." The biggest problem we have on the road is a lack of understanding.
Many drivers don’t realise the anxiety they cause by driving too close, or too quickly, or honking. They don’t know because they have never been in our cleats, so to speak. That’s quite understandable — often it is impossible to imagine a situation if you haven’t been there.
And to those people I say, get on a bike and ride the roads for some first-hand experience.
Continue reading “All road users should have to do 100 hours on other modes of transport.”

Come to Trophy Bikes Philadelphia for folder demos, rides and rallies, and a folder bike-on-rail excursion. Whether you’re a folder geek or new to folders, you’ll enjoy this weekend.

If you ride a Bike Friday, a Brompton, a Birdy, a Dahon, Moulton or Strida–come and take part. If you’ve wondered why folder bikes are the fastest-growing thing on two wheels, stop in for a test fold.

The ROUND UP is held during the same weekend as the TD BANK PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP— America’s biggest one-day bike race–on Sunday, June 7th.

That means you can see top-flight road racers, a bike expo and much more!

Continue reading “ROUND UP FOLDER BIKE FEST”

SOME PEOPLE HAVE CHILDREN. Some have pets. And then some have bikes. So in honor of National Bike Month, we want to see the equivalent of your baby pictures: photos of your sweet, tricked-out ride.
Whether you saddle up on a trike, recumbent, tandem, unicycle or traditional two-wheeler — with some unconventional touches worth touting — we know the riders of this town are off the chain.
Come on, those yellow-jacket colored tires (that just happen to match your Fuji Roubaix’s frame) deserve more of an audience than whoever happens to be sauntering by on the sidewalk. Perhaps your Trek’s wheels are packed to the rims with a wild collection of spoke cards. Or maybe your claim to cycle fame is using your frame as a canvas for outrageous art. Whatever the means, you know your pedals are unparalleled.
E-mail a high-resolution snapshot (at least 300dpi) of your pride and joy — and means of transportation — to bike"at"readexpress.com by Tuesday, May 19, at midnight. We’ll feature our favorite rides in an upcoming issue. Include your name, age, city of residence and why your bike makes you one of the coolest spokespeople in the D.C. area.
Continue reading “Wheels Gone Wild: Enter the Express Bike Contest”

by Freemason Cyclist
This is for anyone who thinks cyclists should never ride on public roadways and should only be confined to sidewalks and trails. This is for anyone who constantly says to cyclists get off of the roadways and on the sidewalks and paths. This is light of the recent vulgar, threatening, rude, crude and bad comments made on certain newspaper web sites about cyclists who were hit and injured by drivers.
First I’m going to say; put up or shut up!
Now let me explain that. Anyone with this attitude loves to run their mouths with all kinds of B.S. rhetoric, yet take no action to resolve the problem. Here is an opportunity to put your money where your mouths are.
Do I have a deal for you!
If you want me and other cyclists off of the public roadways then do more then just spout your B.S. rhetoric. Here is how you can do that. Push for and get legislation passed that will provide funding at the local, county, state and federal levels to provide for every piece and bit of infrastructure needed to provide for cyclists nationwide. Provide for wide sidewalks paths that will accommodate cyclists and pedestrians in every neighborhood. Provide for crossings with smooth transitions were the paths cross the roadways. Provide for traffic light controlled intersections that work well enough to allow the path users to safely cross, whether they be pedestrians or cyclists.
Continue reading “Put Up or Shut Up!”