Now why didn't this idea take off?

If you can get a car driver to wear this... well that's not happening.

Cool, Light and Comfortable... really, they look cool don't they?

Even if you re-designed it to look moderately cool, if that's even possible, no driver I have ever met would be caught dead in one; especially the ones who drive hopped-up, super cool machines and love to go insanely fast. It's interesting that even the idea of this makes you laugh out loud but the idea of a bike helmet is such a serious one that laws are made to force cyclists to wear them. But it's the drivers and pedestrians who show up in emergency wards with the majority of head injuries. Should we make a law to force them to wear one of these? Can't you just hear the outrage now?

Things I saw on my day off...

I took the day off last Friday to celebrate Bike-to-Work week by biking instead of working (there's a logic of sorts to it) and I saw a few things.

First there was our cycling Mayor of Vancouver Gregor tuck-in-those-pant-cuffs Robertson who I spotted crossing Broadway at Yukon looking every bit the perfect ad for the commuter lifestyle. Too bad about the message that the helmet gives off (cycling is scary and dangerous) but it's the law and I suppose as a civic employee he has to toe that line and it's likely that he agrees with helmet use anyhow -- sigh.

I didn't have my camera ready so I didn't take this shot,
but this is essentially what I saw.

And he walks the walk too. Not only can you catch him biking around town or spot him at a Critical Mass ride but Vancouver city council has now voted to close one of the Burrard Bridge’s six lanes to traffic in favour of cyclists. Whoo-hoo! The six-month trial is scheduled to begin some time in June. The southbound curb lane will be dedicated to southbound cyclists only and the eastside sidewalk will be dedicated to northbound cyclists only. While all pedestrians will be directed to the westside sidewalk.

Then there was the Google camera car which I saw coming out of an alley about a block from my house and then again about two blocks away near 10th & Fraser. At first I had no idea what I was looking at, but hopefully if I'm in the shot they'll blur out the stunned look on my face.

Again, camera not ready, but it looked just like this.

Google has announced that its cars will be driving around taking photos in the coming weeks in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax and Saint John. Google is now rolling down the streets of Vancouver in time for the 2010 Games. There has been quite a bit of controversy regarding Street View in other countries, notably the United Kingdom, but I haven't really heard an argument against it that I can agree with... yet.

And then while cycling along the bike trail around Sunset Beach I was stopped by a camera man and reporter doing a video survey of some sort for BCAA regarding their new service called Bike Assist. They talked to me and filmed for about 5 minutes or so. So as of June 1, cyclists in B.C. -- with BCAA memberships -- can get the same services as motorists when they run into trouble on the road. A phone call will bring a BCAA mechanic with bike tools and training to fix common problems, from a flat tire to a broken chain. If the problem is more serious, the mechanic will put the bike onto the truck’s bike rack and bring it, and its rider, home or to a bike shop. Apparently they draw the line at picking bike locks. Unfortunately they couldn't tell me if you could get a BCAA membership if you didn't have a car.

Should Distracted Drivers Face Jail Time?

Yet another news item in the growing list of distracted driving crimes. In this case, we have a woman doing her nails killing another woman on a motorcycle. And her motorcycle helmet (not the light-weight, plastic-sheathed, styrofoam toys that we cyclists sport) could not save her life.

There is also a reference in the article to a driver killing a cyclist while downloading ring-tones.

Or how about this "caught on tape" texting bus driver?

It's hard to imagine what other evidence is required before our lawmakers take notice and deal with the issue of distracted drivers. Distracted drivers are impaired drivers and it's time that the law saw it that way. But instead of dealing with real safety issues like distracted driving they'll pass knee-jerk reaction laws to force cyclists to wear ineffectual styrofoam buckets so they can say they did something. Dealt with public safety... check... next issue.

That said, it sounds like Ontario may be the first province to get its feet wet in the area. A bill to make distracted driving an offense has passed third reading in Queen's Park and the government hopes to have a law in place by the fall. Essentially, drivers in Ontario will not legally be allowed to use hand-held devices to talk or to send e-mail or text messages. Well that's a start but unfortunately there's still plenty of fine tuning to do on the legislation due to lobbying by commercial transportation companies (and you just know there will be others) to get an exemption. Maybe they need to look at the bus video above.

PS
So now I'm informed that Newfoundland has banned cell phones in moving vehicles. Well well, there is hope yet.

Bike Trials in Scotland

Normally I'm not a big fan of this kind of cycling. When I see guys trying to pull this stuff off on the streets or bike paths I secretly want to run them off of the road. That said, if you can watch this video without being in complete awe of this this guy's amazing skill and fearlessness then you may have forgotten what adventure means.

I love how they show him actually waiting for a light to change at one point. Beyond that it would appear that the city doesn't hold too many obstacles for Danny MacAskill. This is definitely one thing that recumbents certainly can't do... I'm still trying to master hopping up onto curbs.

Does cycling make you truly happy?

If you commute by bike every day it can become a labour. There are likely days when you look out the window and the weather says, "Take the bus dopey." But once you've strapped on all of the sweaty rain gear, covered your panniers with little shower caps and checked that all of your lights are blinking away, you're off. If you're actually out there doing it in those conditions then it's fair to assume that it probably it makes you happy.

Charles Foster Kane was not happy.

Because I ride a recumbent I smile like an idiot all of the time anyhow, but I can honestly claim that during some of the happiest times in my life I was riding a bike.

Twenty years ago I rode across Canada and although I was none to enamoured with the persistently consistent landscape of Saskatchewan (not to mention the wind), that cycling introduction to this impressive country is one of my fondest memories. I'd have to concede that cycle touring in general has given me some of my most cherished memories.

I get a very similar pleasure these days from my daily commute. When I took my current job I readily admitted to my employer when he asked me how I liked the place that my favourite thing about it was my daily commute. I see aggressive and angry people from time to time riding bikes and I really don't know how they manage it. For me commuting is one of the best parts of my day. In my life 'Rosebud' was a bike!

Soon to be on a t-shirt near you.

Share your route...

When you find a great route that you like to ride over and over you (probably) don't want to keep it all to yourself. At Bikely.com you can be as generous with your knowledge as you want. Bikely is a great tool that lets cyclists from around the world log in and share their favourite routes. You can view the elevation profile of a ride, or get a cue sheet so you can follow the route, and all routes are available for download as .GPX files for use on a GPS device.


It's just as easy to create a route. You can upload a .GPX file or you can draw it right on the map. The routes have as much detail as the person who makes it wants there to be. Some are quite sparse while others are jammed with info about potholes, traffic and sights. When you create a route, you can include whatever information strikes your fancy.

Try using it when you're up for a ride around town but don't want to follow your old creature-of-habit ways. The routes are posted by people like us, so expect them to occasionally steer you in a strange direction. I followed a route one day that took me all over UBC, weaving and overlapping through streets and paths that I didn't know existed and led me through some paths down by the river that were very cool. I had it on my GPS so I just kept following it and it eventually got me home, having taught me a thing or two about Vancouver that I didn't know before.


So in the spirit of sharing, I offer up my contribution to Bikely. This is my favourite take-a-nice long-ride-for-lunch ride. When they open the new bike bridge that's under the Canada Line crossing the Fraser river, I'll update this route to replace the Oak street bridge crossing.

Here is the long way to a fish & chip (& beer) lunch...

Vancouver to Steveston for Lunch

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Go here and start sharing your rides.
Bikely.com

Out with the old...

When you cycle a lot you go through parts. Depending on how much and where you ride (and the quality of your bits) your experience may vary. Drive trains tend to last me between 5,000 & 7,000 km although my previous one crapped out a lot sooner because I cleaned it improperly with WD40 and let it dry out so it wore too quickly (I have since learned --never, never clean moving parts with WD40).

This particular drive train has been on my bike for around 7,500 km and has finally gotten to the point where I'm getting phantom shifting. And it's spring so what better time for a little face lift.

Old chain and cassette ready for the bin (note fancy recumbent bike stand).

To be sure that any problems you may be having are due to a worn drive train, the first thing to do is check for chain stretch. The easiest way is to use a chain checker like the one pictured below. Note that it reads 1.0 in the little window to the left. It actually would have read more stretch than that if the tool went further but once it's at 1.0 it's time for a new drive train. Since the chain and cassette wear together it's always a good idea to replace both at the same time.

These tools are a bit pricey for what they do but very handy. You can always take it to a bike shop and have them check it for you.

The process is fairly simple and involves more cleaning than anything but you will need a couple of special tools to remove rear cogs.

The rear cogs are attached to the hub in one of two ways. Newer bikes tend to use a type of hub assembly called a cassette. Cassette sprockets slide over splines on the hub. A lock-ring threads into the hub and holds the sprockets, or cogs, in place. Older bikes may have a large external thread machined into the hub. The cogs and ratcheting body assembly, called a freewheel, threads directly onto the hub. You'll need to determine what style of hub you have to get the right tools for the job.

My bike has the newer type so I needed a wrench, chain whip and a cassette lock-ring removal tool.

In the end the hammer was needed to "assist in turning the removal tool" and the vice grips were needed to yank the damn tool out of the hub again.

New cassette and chains (you need two chains and about 1.5' more for a recumbent).

It's all assembly work from here. Use a chain break tool to remove the old chain put on the new cassette and chain and voila! Ready for another 7500 kilometers.

Just in case you're wondering, the strange looking bits on either side of my axle are Bobnuts fixed to homemade extensions to attach my Bob trailer. Due to the Sram Dual-Drive hub that has a click box on the drive side I can't use the standard Bob skewer to connect my trailer or simply attach the Bobnuts to my axle. But that's another post.