Candy Cranks

I was in New York last week on holidays and this bike caught my eye outside the American Museum of Natural History – I love the green wheels and patterned saddle.

I really like Affinity bike frames which are based in Brooklyn so while in New York I headed out to their shop for a look and managed to get a spin around the block on one of their new frame, unfortunately it was too small for me and there is a waiting list of a few months for new frames!   Better luck next time! I’ll have to go back soon so

http://affinitycycles.simple-helix.net/stop/ (although their site was down for maintenance last time I checked!)

Below is the Marta frame by Affinity. I just love the mean angle of the frame and most importantly it is a really nice bike to cycle too.

Richie's Bike

Assembly Required: One Peace at a Time from Bikes Not Bombs on Vimeo.

This short video shows part of the story of Bikes not Bombs, a charity in Boston, MA. Bikes not bombs has seen the donation of tens of thousands of bicycles to youth programs and charities from Boston to Ghana.

Bikes Not Bombs promotes bicycle technology as a concrete alternative to war and environmental destruction. For 23 years, BNB has been a nexus of bike recycling and community empowerment both in lower income neighborhoods of Boston and in the nations of the Global South. BNB’s programs involve young people and adults in mutually respectful leadership development and environmental stewardship, while recycling thousands of bicycles.

This film is (C) 2008, Allegra Anderson

Veja and Cyclope, the first cycle shop in Paris to specialise in fixed-gear, have joined forces to create an exclusive fixed gear trainer.
- Made of ecological materials.
- Limited Edition: 384 pairs.
- Available in store from the 1st February 2010 at Offspring Neal Street (London) and Paper Scissors Stone* (Leeds)
- Pre-order at Paper Scissors Stone from Wednesday 27th January.
- £95

*Brainchild of Artist Si Scott and The Electronic Poet’s Steve Banks, Paper Scissors Stone is an eclectic mixture of concept store and exhibition space.

I participated in several craft sales this November and December, and part of the process included moving my wares by bike with the help of my trusty fella. Our sturdy xtracycle once again came in handy for carrying crafty goodies, including the mannequin/judy. We were lucky to have fantastic weather this fall, aside from a week of torrential rain, which made it easy to get around our wonderful city every weekend to set up for another show.

This year I noticed many customers arriving with helmets and panniers in tow.What a great autumn activity! Find out where and when the craft sales are happening in your city and plan an afternoon with a friend riding around and getting your holiday shopping done, all while supporting local artists and craftspeople.

Loading the bike

Judy – strapped in and secure

My fella, ready to ride to another show

My booth at the Round House Urban Artisans’ Fair

‘Tens of thousands of people from nearly every nation on earth have descended on Copenhagen this month for the UN climate summit. As the delegates try to piece together a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they’re also absorbing lessons from one of the world’s leading cities in sustainable transportation. In Copenhagen, fully 37 percent of commute trips are made by bike, and mode share among city residents alone is even higher.’

More info here.

Photo from NYC.gov

Good news for NYC bike commuters! The Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law just went into effect on December 11th, 2009, whereby allowing cyclists the opportunity to park their bikes in or close to the workplace.

This is great news to make life easier for current commuters and to encourage would-be commuters. (After you’ve survived the harrowing NYC morning commute, the last thing you want to worry about is a secure space to park your bike.)

For the law to apply, your employer needs to be located in a commercial office building with at least one freight elevator.

Of course, if there is no freight elevator accessible, you can still ask your employer if you can carry your bike up the stairs. (I once worked for a company that allowed us to park our bikes in the basement. When the basement was no longer available, we carried them up the stairs to an unused part of the office. People may complain about damage/wall smudges, so be careful with your tires on the landings.)

If you use this new program, or if you have an employer who has offered a helpful solution to accommodate your bike, let us know!

As the crowd chanted “Coal Coal. Coal must go. To make our emissions Low Low Low!” I took in the sites. There was the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd bathing in coal. There was a Kevin Rudd Santa with a sack of coal for Xmas. And there was a Bicycle Pixie, fighting the crowd of people to deliver a slay full of coal to the little kiddies.

Yep.. I rocked up last minute to strut some protest for climate change and I was amazed at how many people brought their bikes as their partner in crime. Mostly people were just walking with them as if their bikes were another limb but still this took effort to avoid crashes in a congested crowd. But they did! And I thought that was rad.

I do wonder however when bikes become a protest tool for raging at the government? Apparently they send a message by themselves. I mean I know bicycles have had an “eco” tag for a long time but has anyone else notice just how much they have become an icon recently?

More info here on this cool hand built frame that is being retired after a good 5 years of riding.