Rock The Bike: BLOG

Why don’t ‘they’ make more stylish clothing for commuters? ‘They’ do.

Mar 6, 2008Posted by fossilfool

Nan Eastep heads up Joyrider Clothing — a custom line of clothing and bags for city riders. This is the front of her new bike bag, which features a really spacious roll-down bag, some nice front pockets for phone and wallet, and a structure that hugs your sides to support the weight as you rock back and forth on climbs.

http://joyriderclothing.blogspot.com/

Bike Culture and traditional advocacy — a powerful combo for growing and sustaining a movement to two wheels

Mar 5, 2008Posted by fossilfool

New BART car design allows long bikes to fit without blocking doors

Heading home last night I spotted a new blue print of a bicycle on the wall of one of the BART cars. I wheeled my Xtracycle into that car and parked it in the new stretched out ‘Bike Space’. It was as if it were made for my Xtracycle. On other BART cars, my rig sticks halfway into the doorway, which can slow other passengers down at stops. Usually I try to avoid commute hours and tuck the bike in as much as possible, but with the new layout, I won’t have to.

The new design removes one seat from the train, allowing full leg room for the passenger sitting by my front wheel and full access to passengers at the door. Commuting by BART had never been stressful with my Xtracycle — the other passengers were always cool — but the new design makes it easier for every one. I also have to give it up for the non-carpeted floors. They feel much more ‘subway’ and less ‘commuter rail’.

This cool improvement to BART’s design is probably the result of some hard-working bicycle advocate working within or with BART. And these types of practical improvements — bike lanes, parking, public transit access — are exactly what traditional bike advocates do best. But focusing on practical improvements is only half of what it takes to grow our bicycle movement. We also need passionate bike culture heads to do the work they do so well — outreach.

Working together, Bike Culture’s outreach and traditional bicycle advocacy’s hard-fought improvements are a powerful combination that can grow and sustain the bicycle movement.

Water bottle-based music systems help you hear (but maybe not feel) your music

Mar 4, 2008Posted by fossilfool

A couple new products are helping bike people cruise with music this spring.

The Gadget Bottle is a functional water bottle that has no batteries or speakers, but its unique shape allows you to strap a cell phone with an internal speaker and listen to your MP3s as you ride. It fits inside a standard water bottle cage. At 2:35, inventor Steve Lach takes a phone call from his wife, holding the entire Gadget Bottle to his ear, with his flip phone securely rubber banded in place! No problem with one-handed use while cruising or training.

To up the volume a bit, the iHome2Go Cycler is a rechargeable black water-bottle shaped single-speaker music system that conceals an iPod and includes a handlebar mounted control.

Eugene, Oregon-based bicycle advocate and customer Shane Rhodes, a.k.a. The Bike Phantom, recommends it and says the volume is big enough for a small cluster of riders to hear the music. With a 3″ speaker, the Cycler isn’t going to deliver satisfying bass hits. It’s a basic law of speaker design that the smaller the speaker and its enclosure, the harder it is to get good bass response.

But how important is bass response on a bicycle? I think it’s essential, and Rock the Bike is obviously committed to the path of building bicycle music systems with cabinets large enough to deliver satisfying bass. With good bass, you and the people around you feel ‘in the music’. Without good bass, you can sing along with your friends to your favorite songs, which is a wonderful experience. But it’s a different experience than cruising in the music, which feels a bit like being in your own music video. Plenty of people disagree with me on the importance of bass response.

Others are more hardcore than I am:

Bicycle Music Festival riders climbing a big hill from Alemany Farms to Precita Park

Mar 3, 2008Posted by fossilfool

Musician Peter Mulvey stays local, in “Look Ma, No Gasoline” tour.

Feb 29, 2008Posted by fossilfool

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=662120

For a healthy Friday afternoon dose of bike culture inspiration, follow the link above and check out Peter Mulvey‘s video.

After making a career as a singer/songwriter he admits “I’ve had a great old time” touring Europe and North America by plane and car, “and I’ve burned a lot of gasoline doing so.”

For a week and a half last fall, Peter stayed closer to home, hitting shows in Fort Atkinson, Madison, Green Lake, Osh Kosh, and Sheboigan Wisconsin.

Jacob Kramer 1 year hence, confirmed bicycle lifestylist

Feb 23, 2008Posted by fossilfool

Jacob bought and installed his Xtracycle at Rock the Bike. ( www.flickr.com/photos/rockthebike/372539035/ ) Now he’s tearing up the town and using his bike on dates (with Down Low Glow of course). Note the flowers (not on Valentines day).

I used to think one person on a tandem was sad. Not if they’re wheelying the thing from the stoker seat

Feb 22, 2008Posted by fossilfool

Si, se puede! It can be done!

Sins & Sprockets — Ghostriding the whip with a tandem

First Annual Southbay Bicycle Music Festival

Feb 22, 2008Posted by fossilfool

Specialized President Mike Sinyard pedals water-purifying Aquaduct trike in Tour of California prologue.

Feb 20, 2008Posted by fossilfool

From our Flickr friend MacPaulster’s account:

“Hats off to Mike Sinyard, CEO at Specialized Bicycles, for riding the winning “Innovate or Die” contest entry, Aqueduct, in the charity Prologue of the Tour of California 2008. The pedaling of this rig powers both the drivetrain of the tricycle and the pumps that purify water.

The machine is intended for Third World countries where clean drinking water is challenging to find. The bike can be ridden to the questionable water source, where the tank in the rear is filled. Then, while the bike is ridden back, water is filtered into the reservoir on the front. Additional water can be filtered while the bike is stationary by disconnecting the drive train. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-mvfjyiao

New article in the LA Times 2/18/08

Feb 18, 2008Posted by fossilfool