Candy Cranks

While walking to the subway this rainy night, I noticed bike racks I hadn’t seen before on West Broadway in Tribeca. I didn’t have my camera, so I’m posting a photo from Curbed. The bike racks appear to reclaim sidewalk used as for ventilation for the subway, which I think is clever. And, in addition to looking modern and interesting, they incorporate a seating element.  Go NYC! We still have a long way to go to make drivers drive less like maniacs, but it makes me glad to see this kind of small, bike-friendly developments across the city. According to the Curbed article, they were installed in 2008. What do you think? (Photo from Curbed)

ITS HOUSTON’S FIRST CANDY CRANKS POST! So we had a ride to the St. Arnolds brewery and then to the blossom art gallery off of nance, and then we ran into this ingenious ride. He calls it a pedal party. AKA the mobile bar! check out their website for more details!

http://www.pedal-party.com/

What do you think of this mobile bar?

Hey Laydees, Pikey Bags, Headset Clothing, South Florida Fixed and Prolly is not Probably has a photo competition running with some smart prizes up for grabs.

“The give-away is for a Headset Girly Riding Hoodie and a Pikey bag, both pictured above. This contest is for the ladies ONLY. The rules are simple; submit photos of yourself working, or racing. No pretty in pink type shit. We are looking for ladies that actually ride their bikes. The more serious the better. Submit photos to the comments section and we’ll pick a winner. Working messengers, serious racers, or just awesome ladies that use their bikes as a main mode of transportation! Fixed, road, whatever. We want to see cyclists who love riding their bikes!
The hoodie is a size small and the messenger bag is a perfect-sized everyday bag.”

Submit your photos here.

These are pretty nice full-size folding bikes by Montague, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Montague says that they engineer the bikes to be foldable without sacrificing functionality or comfort.  They have pavement and mountain versions, both of which look pretty snazzy. What do you think?

Candy Cranks recently did a Q&A with Michelle Ernst of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which promotes alternative transportation and sustainable land use development in the Tri-State region (NY/NJ/CT). Michelle gave us a review of recent bike developments around NYC.

CC : What bike-related projects have you worked on with your organization ?

ME : A project we’ve worked on recently is the Bikes in Buildings law. A major deterrent to bicycling to work is just not having a place to park your bicycle when you get there. Prior to the law’s enactment in December 2009, many buildings prohibited bicycles from being brought into the office. And cyclists know that it can be a bad idea to leave your bike locked up outside, even for a short period of time. It’s still too early to see what effect this law will have on cycling, but we’re optimistic. The main challenge has been getting access to freight elevators to bring bikes in and out of buildings. Access is currently from 9am to 5pm, but many people work different hours, so if a freight elevator closes at 5pm, it can be hard to get a bike out.

CC : What are some of the recent bike developments you’ve seen in NYC?

ME : The many bike lanes that have been built recently are a big development for NYC. The NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner, Jeanette Sadik-Khan, is a cyclist herself, and she has been very progressive with projects such as closing off traffic from Broadway in Times Square and creating pedestrian plazas throughout the city. In the past three years, the city has built something like 200 miles of bike lanes. And the city is trying to track bike commuting, which is done by sending people out in the streets to do bike counts at bridges and other places. It’s not a perfect system of measurement, but it’s a start. Bicycle fatalities have dropped dramatically in the city, down from 26 in 2008 to 12 in 2009. It’s hard to discern a trend from just one year of data, but it sounds like good news to me. And I’m out on my bike very day, and I’ve noticed a lot more people cycling, even in the winter. And I’ve particularly noticed a lot more women who are riding. Just the other day, I was thinking, « Gosh, there are a lot of women on bicycles in NYC. » It’s great. So I think the trends are positive for cycling in the city.

CC: What’s next for your organization?

ME : We’re continuing our current work on pedestrian fatalities. We’re looking specifically at senior pedestrian fatalities, because seniors represent a disproportionate number of those. We’ll be examining that data to show that we need to better accommodate seniors though infrastructure, enforcement, education, and so on. Some avenues are quite dangerous to cross.

CC: Are there sources that identify the most dangerous intersections in NYC ?

ME : Transportation Alternatives releases a study called CrashStat, which shows the locations of fatalities and injuries in NYC. Many fatalities occur on arterial routes in the suburbs, because cars get up to higher speeds there. So if an auto strikes a cyclist or pedestrian at a higher speed on one of these arterial roads, that person is more likely to be killed than in places like Manhattan, where traffic tends to travel at a slightly slower speed.

CC : We’ve heard rumors about a potential bike-sharing program for NYC. Have you heard any recent news on that ?

ME : I’ve heard rumors that NYC is developing a plan for bike-sharing. The city just tested a bike share program in Summer 2009 on Governor’s Island, and I think it went well. So I think the city is looking at this option, which would be great for NYC. Of course, the problems would be theft and safety. But the data shows that the more cyclists are out there, the safer the streets.

CC : What resources do you recommend to stay current on NYC biking news?

ME : Transportation Alternatives, Streetsblog NYC, and the NYC Department of Transportation, which has a whole page devoted to bike resources.

CC : How can NYC bikers support bike-friendly initiatives ?

ME : Attend your local community board meetings. Be vocal and supportive of bike projects. Some bike lanes have encountered opposition from small portions of the community. So if cyclists don’t show up and speak in favor of projects, their voices don’t get heard. And support the NYC Department of Transporation and all the great work they do, as well as Transportation Alternatives, and our group, The Tri-State Transporation Campaign!

CC : What is your bike commute like ?

ME : I take my daughter to school every day on my bike. We ride up to her school on the Hudson Avenue bike lane. Then I take the 8th Avenue lane, which is separated from car traffic, to my office. To get home, I go south on another bike lane on 9th Avenue. My commute is not very difficult, so I’m lucky!

CC : What are your favorite bike routes in the city ?

ME : The Hudson River bike lane on the riverfront is a favorite. And crossing Brooklyn Bridge is fun. And Governor’s Island in the summertime is great, because no cars are allowed on the island.

CC : How can NYC riders ride more safely?

ME : NYC riding is pretty aggressive. And I’m less aggressive than some of the bikers out there, particularly when I ride with a child. I use bike lanes, especially the separated bike lanes. And stopping at lights is a good idea. Improving traffic enforcement is something the city need to improve. Lack of traffic enforcement is slowing down other great initiatives that the city is making. The NYPD could think more about pedestrian and cyclist safety. So there are some frustrations, but we’re working on them.

CC : What do you recommend for riding with a small child ?

ME : There is a great bike seat made by a company called Wee Ride. We tried other bike seats that fit on the back of the bike, but the weight and center of gravity was awkward for me. So now with this bike seat, my daughter sits out front and instead of looking at my back, she can see.

CC : Any last comments for Candy Cranks readers?

ME : I think the aim of the blog is terrific. I think it’s great for other women cyclists to see other women cyclists out there. So the work you’re doing is really important.

I’m a sucker for cute-ness and this illustration by Noulou, Erin Moniotte just about takes the cake. It’s titled “The Runaway Bicycle” and you can have one of your very own for $18. You can check out more of her lovely doodles here.

Thanks Jewlz!

Saturday morning we got up and started riding to the Richmond, VA convention center, hoping we’d find a place to stop and eat breakfast on the way. We seriously hit the jackpot! If you know me, you know I’m all about breakfast. I wish we had a place like City Diner in Nashville. Not only was the food great, but the service was amazing too; City Diner saved my life this past weekend. All photos by Keith Gallagher.

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show had a lot going on. There were so many insane bikes and parts to even name them all. I met the guys at Urban Velo, and they were really cool. I also ran into Ben and the rest of the Cinelli guys again. Here are some pictures that Keith took while we wandered around the show. More photos here.

I will be recapping this past weekend at NAHBS in Richmond, VA in a few parts. The entire weekend was insane! There was constantly so much going on. Friday night Keith, Andy, Candice, and I got some sushi and headed over to the Carytown Bike Co Party. It was a really relaxed party and a lot of fun. And I finally got to meet up with Ben from Cinelli! Ben also introduced me to the frame builders. Every one was SO nice and Ben especially was way too good to my friends and I. If you guys didn’t already know, I love Cinelli! After the Carytown party cleared out a lot of us rode over to a house party that soon after got broken up by multiple cop cars and vans. From there we rode over to Mojo’s before finally riding back to the hotel where we ordered some pizza, rode around with some of the Philli and Milwaukee kids and some roman candles, and finally called it a night.

Photos via Andy’s cell phone - @ Carytown Bike Company

Looks of exhaustion at the end of the night

Photos from the last saturday races!

Bike Polo Tournament

…and Gold Sprints!

Female: 1°

2°

3°

And a Candy Cranks fan!

RC, Scattofisso e FixedForum

While it’s freezing, snowing or raining in Paris (brrr….), we are trying to find ways to have fun… Here is the result:

credit: Paul Hackmann
More pics here

So it seems that frames made of bamboo are kind of hot these days. There are finished frames, do-it-yourself kits, courses, and charity organizations all offering bamboo bikes in some way. Apparently the material makes for a nice ride that’s stiff with a bit of flex. I’ve done some superficial googling for you:

http://bamboobikestudio.com

http://www.calfeedesign.com - the triathlon model

http://www.organicbikes.com

I assumed that this was a new trend geared towards the LOHAS crowd. Well, wasn’t I surprised to come across this:

114 year old bamboo bike

I think these bikes are all beautiful and would love to take a bamboo bike out for a test ride.

Just a heads up on this upcoming NYC Transportation Alternatives event this Thursday, February 11th:

Celebrate Valentine’s Day, bicycling, Transportation Alternatives and all of our sexy members at this year’s first mixer. Join us at NYC Velo on Thursday, February 11th. $10 will get you in the door, where free snacks, Brooklyn Brewery beer and who knows what else await!

Join or renew your membership at the door and we’ll wave the admission fee. If that isn’t reason enough, NYC Velo will extend its longstanding 10% discount for T.A. members to all products, as well as an extra 10% off any winter jacket and other special seasonal sales. Plus, in tribute to our evening’s theme, we’ll have a special contest to see who loves bicycling the most…

Biking is for Lovers

Thursday, February 11th

7-9 pm

NYC Velo

64 2nd Avenue

Manhattan, NY

$10 at the door

To RSVP, click here.

Available here.

This is the latest Candy Cranks chainring design called Skelington. Simple, lightweight and super strong, available in 130BCD and 144BCD in silver or black. Seen here being modelled by a Primate Frame, Skelington chainrings are made in Australia, retail at $89 AUD, and ship worldwide.

- 144 BCD or 130 BCD
- 4mm plate
- 1/8″ tooth thickness
- 3/32 available on request
- Hand finished
- Designed and manufactured in Australia
- Custom sizes available on request
- $89 AUD, $10 worldwide shipping

More info here.

Interesting design, not sure I’d trust it though if I came off landed on my head.

The Tatoo Helmet, designed by Julien Bergignat and Patrice Mouille, is meant to be an easily stored, totally recyclable bike helmet.

“Tatoo” is derived from tatou, the French word for “armadillo.” And that’s what the design evokes. Rather than a single carapace, it comprises several polypropylene strips, which come into shape after the joints are clicked together. The entire helmet is made of polypropylene, so that it’s readily recyclable. When you’re not wearing it, it can be packed flat for storage:

Via Fast Company

So, February is coming up and what better way to fend off the winter blahs than a party?

Get ready for…

BIKES INSIDE

- Saturday, February 20, 2010, doors @ 9pm

W2 Culture + Media House

Bike Porn visuals by Rev Phil
Gastown Sprints
Disco, electro & dubstep by the Soft Infiltrators
Live dirty pop electro by Autacoid
Bicycle Art, Prizes, Cheap Beer + More!!!

Art by Topher Wong

One of my favourite blogs about riding in Amsterdam is by Marc over at Amsterdamize - he takes the BEST pictures of everyday cycling in Amsterdam and reminds me on a daily basis how lucky i am to be living in bike heaven !

Today he re-posted a video taken at a random intersection in Amsterdam - in it you can see the cris cross of cyclists and how we flow with the traffic here. One of the things i have learnt since being here in Amsterdam is that you don’t stop..you just ride…in, out, around, over, around..and you flow with the traffic. It’s a great feeling - it’s like a language all in it’s own. Luckily much easier to learn than Dutch

“The Anger Release Machine created by artists Katja Kublitz and Ronnie Yarisal. The pair has converted a snack vending machine into a dispenser of cheap psychological therapy, filling the rows with various breakable tschotskes that invite passersby to vent their frustrations for a few coins each. Simply insert money into the slot, make a selection and wait for the sound of the satisfying crash as the vase or ceramic cat hits the deck.”

I like! I’d prefer to be able to smack them with a hammer or big mallet, more satisfying.

Via psfk