How Can We Make Cycling Safer For Everyone?
by Frank on October 25, 2009
in Riding the Road, Safety, lifestyle
I very often go cycling by myself, or with a small group. I also bike very frequently pulling my son in a trailer, and this always brings my most safety-conscious self to the forefront. I find myself thinking “what is this car going to do?” “are they going to see us?”
Bicycle Safety
That being said, the trailer actually makes me more visible, and I have had very few bad experiences. I have, however, had a few close calls that made me think twice.
I think that it’s safe to say that many more people would ride if they thought riding a bike was safer. How, then, can we make cycling safer for everyone? How can we do away with the machismo attitude that claims that cars own the road? Here are just a few thoughts:
Our streets would be more bicycle friendly if. . .
5 Cycling Books That Aren’t Just Training and Maintenance
It’s a fact: for all intensive purposes, books on cycling can be boring.
You’re constantly bombarded with fitness and training advice. The others are all about maintenance.
While these things are important, it’s sometimes good to step away from the technicalities and enjoy a book about cycling as much as we enjoy cycling itself.
(disclaimer: at least one of these books fits the fitness/maintenance category. . )
Here are 5 picks:
Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne
12 Bicycle Photos You Just Can’t Miss
Maybe you ride every day, or maybe you haven’t ridden years. Do you ride with your kids, competitively, for fun? Everybody rides for different reasons, which only lends beauty to cycling.
Take a moment and remember the times you’ve ridden; remember the people you’ve ridden with; motivate yourself to ride more or ride again. Let these photos remind and reinforce the beauty in cycling.
Enjoy.
Bicycle Punk
Collapsible Bikes: Fun or Folly?
by Frank on October 11, 2009
in Cycling Business and Industry, concepts
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of a collapsible bicycle are those goofy looking travel bikes with tiny wheels. And then I saw this:
Folding Bicycle
5 Reasons You Should Ditch Your Car and Ride a Bike
by Frank on August 29, 2009
in Riding the Road, lifestyle
Ditch Your Car - Ride a Bike!
Ask yourself the question: Why do I ride my bike? or Why do I not ride my bike? Do you know the answer? Maybe it’s a simple. Maybe it’s not. Must you ride your bike, due to lack of vehicle? Or is riding a bike a conscious choice? Maybe you don’t ride a bike. Why not?
In any event, I believe it’s important to know why exactly you do what you do. In this case, why do you ride a bike? Why don’t you ride a bike? If you don’t spend much time on a bike, I challenge you (yes you) to ditch your car and ride a bike! If you do spend time on a bike, i challenge you to spend more time on it. I’ll even give you 5 reasons why:
Bicycle Couriers: Are They Making a Comeback?
by Frank on July 17, 2009
in Cycling Business and Industry, lifestyle
Have you ever seen a bicycle courier? I’ve seen a few trolling around larger cities like NYC, but even then not too many.
Enter: Ecotrack Cycle Couriers. These guys have brought the cycling courier back to Oklahoma and at the moment, provide the only totally eco-friendly courier service in Oklahoma. They deliver with no emissions, and on sweet rides at that. Here’s why they say you should use a cycling courier:
Benefits of using bicycle messengers versus car couriers for deliveries include:
- Reduced pollution
- Reduced traffic congestion
- Save on-street parking for more necessary activities and emergencies
- Faster
- Cheaper
Bicycle couriers provide solutions to the environmental problems related to many forms of pollution such as air, noise and smell. The more couriers on bikes there are, the fewer cars there are and therefore the less carbon dioxide emissions. More bikes mean less noise and stench. Bike messengers take up less space on the road and do less damage to the roads than cars. More bike couriers mean less gridlock and fewer road repairs.
As a result more bike couriers mean better conditions and streets for all road users including motorists.
And I couldn’t agree more. In cities clogged more and more with cumbersome, polluting automobiles, cyclists CAN be faster, and because of that be cheaper. Furthermore, if all couriers rode bikes, how much clearer would the roads be for you? I dig what these guys are doing and hope to see it spread.
Do your cities have bicycle couriers? Are you one? Let us know in the comments!
Need a bike? Check out RealCyclist: Free Shipping On Complete Bikes Only – RealCyclist.com. Ongoing Offer. 
Would You Live in a Bicycle City?
While browsing the Bicycle League of America website earlier this week, I noticed ads for a project called “Bicycle City“. Naturally, this piqued my interest, so I took a closer look.
Bicycle City offers itself as “an Eco-Friendly place to live, work and play. Designed for people, animals, and the earth.” Though it’s not yet a reality, the planning seems solid, and you can even reserve your place in the first bicycle city. Here is the brief description from bicyclecity.com
Bicycle City is a planned car-free community where people live, work and visit. Its eco-friendly design is healthy, sustainable and could be applied to urban or non-urban areas. Residents who own a car can conveniently park it on the edge of the community nearest their home.
Check out the full project here: Bicycle City
Would you live in a Bicycle City? Let us know in the comments!
Riding the Road: Simple Rules and Common Sense
by Frank on July 13, 2009
in Basics, Riding the Road, Safety
You may have never ridden a bike in the road, or you may have been doing it regularly for some time now. In either case, it is always a good idea know what you need to do to keep yourself and others safe. I see motorists and cyclists every day making simple (but sometimes deadly) mistakes. While you may ride (or drive) safe and smart, it only takes one to give the rest a bad reputation. This bad reputation unfortunately leads to far-too-common motorist aggression, and resentment toward cyclists. Here are a few guidelines to follow to help remedy this:
Read more..
About DIY Cycling
DIY Cycling is a blog dedicated to cycling and the cycling lifestyle. Its goal is to give you the information you need to get on your bike and ride whether you’re an experienced cyclist or totally new to two wheels.
- Find tips, tricks, hacks and other information about cycling
- Do your own bicycle maintenance
- Start your bicycle commute
- Ride smart
- Ride safe
- Find the cycling gear you need
- And most of all: RIDE
We’ll be coming soon with more content, let us know what you want to read!
