ONE AWESOME fundraiser THIS Saturday

Want an amazing (cycling) workout to help others...
at Chelsea Piers' new state-of-the-art Cycle Studio with views of the Hudson?

THIS Saturday, the incredible kick-ass Joanna Paterson (a native New Zealander) is leading an indoor cycling class at Chelsea Piers to raise funds for the recent New Zealand earthquake disaster through the American Red Cross Relief for Countless Crises. This class is going to be great - whether you love spinning out or are into trying something new. Joanna will even be guiding the class up and down hills with video footage of New Zealand's beautiful landscape ♥

The low-down...
Chelsea Piers Cycle Studio: New Zealand Ride
Pier 60, 23rd St / Hudson River, Manhattan

- Saturday, April 30th / 12:00-2:00pm
- minimum suggested donation of $25 / no additional day pass fee (!)
- class is first-come, first-served

About the bikes...
Chelsea Piers' new Cycle Studio features Keiser indoor cycling bikes, state-of-the-art Suunto heart rate monitor system, AND use the Triple Link Pedal System -- allowing for LOOK, SPD clips, or use the cages for sneakers / non-cycle shoes.

And now for some spectacular glimpses of New Zealand...

1 / 2  /3  /  4

god kväll! Bianchi Cafè&Cycles

Last October I posted about the opening of a Bianchi concept store in Stockholm... and here it is OPEN - though closed for the evening. Thanks, Victor!

Speaking of Stockholm, I'll never forget how cool it was to come across these air pumps in Stockholm when I was there in 2008... a nice addition that makes biking that much easier.

goodbye winter, hello spring... animated

This past winter presented us New Yorkers with a record snow fall - which spurred me to document my commuter in all its glory. A little belated but none the less I present to you... my first GIF! Thank you to Nesli for showing me the ropes... I think I'm officially hooked.

Speaking of GIF animations, you have GOT TO CHECK OUT these incredible ones by photographer Jamie Beck which Joy posted about yesterday. Real beauties.

spring cleaning

now you don't have to go this far to get your bike in shape - like this one from Things Organized Neatly

nor this one by PUBLIC bikes

If your bike has been out of commission for months -- warm sunny days are on the horizon so it's about time to get organized, cleaned up, and back on the ROAD! Even if you plan to drop it off to a shop for a tune up - here are a few links to some useful tips to help familiarize yourself with BIKE MAINTENANCE 101... and you might get so inspired that you'll save the $ and do it yourself +++ feel empowered!

{AMAZING RESOURCES}

Articles by Sheldon Brown
Harris Cyclery site that contains more information then you may want - but it's really helpful particularly when dealing with older bikes. Gotta love that old school website! 

Jim Langley's website
Author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop has lots of tips on his website.

Total Bike
Check lists to run through on a number of components.
Thanks, Kaitlyn Cole from OnlineUniversities.com

{VIDEO}

Bicycle Tutor
Has a number of videos on a variety of topics related to common bike maintenance issues, including this basis bike tune up.
Thanks, Simon Gallina - via BoingBoing

Etsy's How-Tuesday
Susan Lindell, from Brooklyn's Recycle-A-Bicycle, runs through the A-B-C's...

Tune Up Your Bicycle For Spring from Etsy on Vimeo

+++  lots of shops and organizations offer free workshops on the basics. In NYC there are many including Time's Up! and 718 Cyclery -- while Bicycle Habitat has a six week intensive on getting to know your bike intimately. 

Know of any other great workshops - in other cities?
Links to DIY maintenance?

support your local bike shop + ride on

via NYC Bicycle Show

Biking long distances is hands down one of the great pleasures in my life. And while I've done a few organized Century rides, Glen's (a.k.a. NYC Bicycle Show) Montauk ride in June and North Fork Century in August out on Long Island are just a couple spectacular ways to spend a summer day in my opinion. His rides are organized, routes nicely indicated, well stocked rest stops with tons of delicious calories to refuel with, and at the end you are greeted with hot showers and meal (+ depending on the ride, beer) ♥ Yeah, pure bliss.

Why am going on and on about these rides?
Well, if you're a New Yorker + plan to spend $750+ (on new bike, upgrade, accessories, clothing, labor, rental, whatever-whatever) in ONE DAY in ONE SHOP by ONE person - you my friend will... 
get to ride any of Glen's rides for FREE
A value of about $80! The only catch is that you have to spend this $750 a local NYC bike shop. Details are {HERE}

And a reminder of how buying local makes a difference.

at the 2010 North Fork Century - might very well be the best slice of pie I've ever had

welcome back mid-70°s

You've been dearly missed.

The weather in NYC yesterday was F-F-FABULOUS. While running errands I opted to take a detour and rode south of Chambers on the West Side. Since there is still construction along the West Side Highway, next to the World Trade Center site, the bike path makes a detour along the Hudson with some beautiful + well kept spots in Battery Park City along the way...


Note that most of this ride is on a path shared with pedestrians - it's more of a leisure sightseeing tour then cycle speedway. Also, be aware that further north on the West Side Greenway, you are not allowed to bike in some pedestrian paths which runs parallel to the bike lanes but closer to the water. Just read the signs - I do know people who have been ticketed by park police!

Goldman Sachs global headquarters @ 200 West Street laid down these elegant bike lanes running in front of the main entrance

it was so warm - jackets were off at lunch time

after turning on left onto Vesey Street, you get a great view of the The Irish Hunger Memorial - a beautiful portion of cantilevered grassy landscape which incorporates stones from all of the different counties of Ireland

you can also enter this outdoor memorial through this passageway

a duck filled pond to cool off by

loved spotting this 'Little Lady' pulling up to the ferry terminal

the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center - which likely houses the largest palm trees in NYC

the Statue of Liberty off in the distance

the weeping trees in front of the Museum of Jewish Heritage

 

 

wrapping around the tip of Manhattan the bike bath - the underside of the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge 

north of the South Street Seaport - just before turning off for either the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridge

this was the route - if you are looking for more, check out NYC Bike Maps

RIDE THE LANES on PPW -- this Sunday

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY
Come out and join your fellow supporters to celebrate the best thing to happen to Park Slope Brooklyn -- and a great example of how a city street can be shared by all forms of transportation {a.k.a. the Prospect Park West bike lanes} at:

We Ride the Lanes/Prospect Park West
Sunday April 10, 2011

♥ 10:30 am  gather at Grand Army Plaza -- where they will be giving away free t-shirts
♥ 11:00 am  ride/walk the bike path -- along the entire length of the PPW path) to the Bartel-Pritchard Circle entrance of Prospect Park @ 15th Street


And topping it off -- at the end of the ride there will be free hot dogs from Bark, cupcakes from Blue Sky Bakery and more from Bicycle Habitat and Ride Brooklyn ♥

Olek's crochet @ the Brooklyn Bridge

Snapped by a friend... an Olek - the crochet addicted artist - bike sighting at the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge walkway entrance in DUMBO. Its been there for at least a couple weeks now - which makes me think that yarn must be getting pretty gritty, nonetheless an unexpected sighting.

More of Olek's work...

via Illusion/Scene 360

via Freshness Mag

via Kill The Krankies

a Hong Kong commute, Beerman style

Jason sporting a musette as man purse - I photographed in Boston, not Hong Kong

A good friend of mine, former Cat 1 racer, Jason Beerman, moved from Boston to Hong Kong last summer with his wife Jen. In a city with a landmass of 426 sq. miles ( 25% developed with the rest being hilly mountainous slopes, which Jen and Jason also love to climb), population of 7 million, and less then 5% flat roads -- I was thrilled to follow the trials and tribulations of Jason's Hong Kong bike commute...

the two-wheeled Chinese machine

the bike commute-documenting Chinese-American machine

North Point to Sheung Wan on a typical 7pm Thursday night... 

I asked Jason to fill us in on the minutiae of his ride... 

Are you biking with among all those trams? Or do they just dominate your route?

I ride a lot in the tram lane because the regular lanes are sometimes a cluster with speeding taxis who randomly pull over for fares and buses and bus stops every 20 feet and exit ramps, etc. So sometimes the tram lane offers some protection since it's occasionally cordoned off. 

Are those rails difficult to deal with riding on with bike tires?

The tires on my 50 pound, Shanghai-made double top tube bike {the Phoenix} are pretty wide, so they can go over the tracks ok. I still have to be careful though and hit the tracks at an angle however.

Are bike lanes to be found in Hong Kong?

There are no bike lanes and no bike infrastructure whatsoever on HK island. There's simply no room and other than the road I was riding, there's not much flat land; the roads become steep (up to 15% in some places!) as you get away from the harbor. The only people who ride are the occasional produce/fish delivery guys. In the area off the island (which is very densely occupied) nearer to the Chinese border, there are dedicated bike trails and a lot more people ride. But riding on HK island is really rare.