Are you aware?

With all this talk that was started about commuting to work I found it appropriate that we all take part in this AWARENESS TEST. It takes a keen eye to ride the mean streets on a daily basis and this test will help you ascertain your "Awareness Level". The test, devised in England by the Transport for London Organization is just one of the many ways that their city helps to encourage and educate cyclists. Isn't that nice.

Health and Happiness 4 $ale by owner

109.72

That is the going rate for the current barrel of oil. That is the highest on record. Since November when the price broke the 97-dollar mark everyday has been a record. The US dollar continues to plummet and the pump prices continue to climb, reminds me of the yodeler game on “The Price is Right” just steadily climbing and singing his tune.

So the streets should be filled with cyclists, right? Well not so much, although the numbers support an ever-growing number of Americans commuting to work, it could certainly be a lot higher. China has the highest number of reported bicycle commuters, 77% of the population. The Netherlands reports 50% of residents use pedal power to get to work. Japan squeezes out 15% and the US can only brag about 1.6% of the population.
Yes, that is quite a bit smaller than the others and smaller than most of us would like.

So if and when gas reaches $5.35 a gallon, anger and frustration will create awareness and solutions. The streets will overflow with cyclists and bicycle racks will ooze with the very vehicle that can produce a healthier lifestyle. We will see a mild reduction in the obesity rate; bicycle shops will be as plentiful as keno machines and liquor stores. You will awake to the alarm clock and the morning traffic report. “…a 3 bike pile up on the express path has got traffic tied up in both directions, a detour has been setup on the Westside sidewalk…” Work will be so much more productive all your co-workers will smile and the boss will surprisingly not have that chip on his shoulder that you got so accustomed to. You will leave work and have to fetch your ride out of the multi-floor parking garage adjacent to your building. Trying to remember where you parked you will eyeball your fellow co-workers new handlebars and fork. The ride home will be filled with riders yapping on cell phones and not looking when they change lanes. Advertisements of families riding new fangled bicycle models will clog our primetime airwaves and ESPN will air the entire World Cup circuit. Leaving ESPN 2 and 3 to merely show the highlights of all the stick and ball sports that took place the week before. As you rest your weary eyes your face will be washed in the warmth of happiness, a future of health, wealth and fulfillment will etch vivid dreams in to your subconscious.

When you awake cold-blooded reality will greet you, gas will be 6 bucks a gallon, traffic will make you late for work and you will get a parking ticket around noon for not catching the meter in time.

Park the car and pedal the bike, give it a shot. It will suck in the beginning but after the first week or two, you will smile, I guarantee you will smile.

bikecommutetips.blogspot
bikecommuters.com
commutebybike.com
bicyclesource.com

Imitation is the highest from of...

MRP will be releasing there new fangled chainguide at CrankWorx, named the “G2”

Dejavu?

I am constantly amazed at all the companies that produce some of the most innovative and advanced products available. They burn the midnight oil to solve some of the more pressing issues that we encounter on these bikes of ours. The chainguide in particular has come along way. Many companies have come and gone and our jaded memories are filled with these products. The spotlight and focus has shifted from company to company, AC, Mr. Dirt, MRP, E13 and Gamut are a few of those popular names. Lets face it as new products are devised and created many companies are quick to jump on the wave of success of a competitor and rake in some profits for themselves, such is business. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery? That’s what they say at least.
There is no question that in the pursuit of building the most efficient component possible engineers are bound to travel down the same path and that each answer to the problem will at times be very similar. One brand will adopt characteristics of another brands solution, which can be seen as a polite nod to the fellow engineer and or designer. That is an ever-fine line that gets crossed quite often. Enter patent law, a quagmire of the kings English that only the most seasoned esquire can decipher. He also charges by the hour, making the pursuit of justice an expensive one. So I ask, when have they gone too far?