Thursday, November 10, 2011

Tarapcsák Miklós


The legendary hungarian frame builder, Tarapcsák Miklós aka Pajti Bácsi has built his last frame.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Mountain Biker gets taken out by BUCK - CRAZY Footage - Only in Africa

Car manufacturer backpedals on anti cycling ad campaign

American auto manufacturer General Motors (only recently bailed out with $25 billion in US taxpayer funds) has had to pull a remarkably ill conceived advertising campaign after it backfired spectacularly. The campaign has made GM a laughing stock on social media sites around the world. It's astonishing that any modern company could be so completely out of touch with the market it is trying to sell products to.

For a while now, GM has been pushing an ad campaign aimed at college students called "Reality Sucks." One of the ads (pictured) tries to imply that bicycling is some sort of shameful act, saying students should "stop pedaling... start driving." It sort of floated under the radar until Bike Portland got a hold of it, and now GM is under fire. As the League of American Bicyclists put it:

If you are a student looking to add tens of thousands of dollars of long term debt, care little about the environment, and want to lump two tons of steel around campus while paying through the nose for insurance, gas, and parking...General Motors has got a perfect deal for you. Bonus: it'll make you fat and unhealthy! All you have to do is give up that dorky bicycle that's easy to use, practically free, gets you some exercise and is actually fun to ride.

To call this ad tone-deaf to the way the Igeneration thinks might be the understatement of the year. The people this ad was aimed at love cycling. They are buying less and less cars every year and for them cycling is not only cool and fashionable but an important political and environmental statement. Igen is also quick to note, enjoy (and promote widely) these kind of corporate blunders, especially when it's from a megacorp like GM which is a virtual poster child for the anti corporate backlash that is currently occurring in the United States.

Giant bicycles were quick to respond with their own clever twist on the ad:


I couldn't help thinking that the smile the young woman is directing at the cyclist might be based on something other than pity. After all the cyclist is going to be fitter and richer than a car driver and anyone who rides in traffic is obviously more courageous and tougher than some McDonalds eating slob who spends his travel time watching his fuel gauge run down while he pollutes the atmosphere. I reckon she's probably wishing she was on a bike herself.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sydney by Bike


Could this be the BEST way to spend a winter's day in Sydney? We come across some great videos on Youtube, but this absolutely delightful video by a couple of Sydney locals is sure to put a smile on your face...

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

MAKING A PERFECT ATHLETE



HUNGRY BEAST:
MAKING A PERFECT ATHLETE
Episode 11, Hungry Beast - Wednesday 1 June 9.30pm ABC1
In the second last episode of Hungry Beast, which explores the theme of Speed, we
look at what it takes to make the perfect athlete.
24 year old Australian cyclist Shane Perkins became the world’s fastest man on two
wheels in March this year, when he won the Keirin sprint at the Cycling World
Championships in the Netherlands.
Hard work and determination got him over the line first, but he didn’t do it on his own.
It takes a whole team to build an athlete who can push enough energy through his
pedals to power 12 flat screen televisions. A veritable pit crew of mechanics services
Shane’s nutrition, preparation and recovery.
All that backup helps the cyclist push himself to, and through, his limits...
“It’s quite a bit of pain. You feel like you need to go to the toilet, number twos, Like
you need to throw up, sometimes you black out, someone tries to talk to you, you
can’t understand. Yeah it’s fairly intense,” says Shane Perkins.
Kirk Docker and Scott Mitchell investigate the science, technology and team-work
that go into making a world champion like Shane Perkins.
Plus other stories on the theme of SPEED and regular Hungry Beast segments: The
Beast File, Vox Pops, Follow The Money and Stuff Said.
Hungry Beast is presented by Monique Schafter, Dan Ilic, Kirsten Drysdale and
Nick Hayden.
Repeats Thursdays, 10.15pm ABC2. Available on ABC iview.
HUNGRY BEAST: The World Remixed.

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

WOOP! Rolling Festival


Sunday, May 15 · 11:00am - 3:00pm

Christen the new Bourke Street Cycle Way in style with the official bike ride celebration which extends from Waterloo to Woolloomooloo. The WOOP! is a rolling festival along the bike path on the Sunday the 15th of May & will include live entertainment, stalls, a vintage bike exhibition and great activities by businesses all the way along the cycle way. Lord Mayor Clover Moore will be in attendance. Plus there will be a mega bike... raffle to raise money for Cancer Council NSW initiative called "Do Your Thing."

Woop! is put on by the community for the community, your contribution can help the day be even more special, please contact us to get involved if you are:

* A business along the cycle way
* A Sydney bike shop who would like to sponsor the raffle
* A cycling group that would like to contribute to the day

Please contact your event coordinator Carolyn Birley on
Email woop@circul8.com.au
Phone 0467 717 607

The event will raise money for Cancer treatment & prevention through a Cancer Council NSW initiative called, “Do Your Thing” the program allows people from all over NSW to create any experience they want and turn it into a fundraising activity.

Monday, May 02, 2011

Bike riding booms around Sydney’s new cycleways



Sydney's new bicycle network is experiencing a boom, with a 60 per cent increase in bike trips in the morning period, Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said today.

The most recent bike count released today shows a 60 per cent average increase in the AM period and an average 48 per cent increase during the PM period over the past year.*

"Cyclists are voting with their feet - more and more of them are using our cycleways as we build them and join up the links," Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

"The figures confirm that most riders use our cycleways to commute to and from work, so during peak hours in the morning and evening they are used heavily. Congestion on our roads is heaviest across the state during peak hours so the more people who ride during those times, the bigger the impact on reducing traffic and congestion.

"Critics who complain about the cycleway network need to realise that we need to build it in stages, and that the stages then need to be linked. It's a bit like building a bridge and getting halfway through and then wondering why no one is using it yet. This is about the future and building a viable network that will become a normal part of city life in the years ahead.

"We worked closely with relevant authorities, the local community and cycling groups in planning the routes and have so far managed to build them without taking out any lanes of traffic."



Bike count figures at key intersections include:

- King Street /Kent Street intersection where bike rider numbers have more than doubled from 228 in March 2010 to 771 in March 2011 in the PM period, or a 238 per cent increase;

- College Street/Oxford Street intersection, where bike rider numbers have risen from 278 to 862 in the PM period, or a 210 per cent increase.

- Bourke Road/Gardeners Road (Alexandria), where bike rider numbers have risen from 51 to 178 in the AM period, or a 249 per cent increase.

- Bourke Street/Phelps Street (Surry Hills), where bike rider numbers have risen from 99 to 262 in the PM period, or a 165 per cent increase.



Ten kilometres of separated cycleways have been built in inner Sydney so far - and no traffic lanes have been lost in their construction.

Kirribilli resident, 71 year old Les Baker, is a huge fan of the bicycle network and often rides with his wife Judy to the fish markets in Pyrmont. He said: "Judy and I are using the bike paths around Sydney more and more. It's safer and more enjoyable getting around. They are also great for getting visitors on our spare bikes so they can see the best of Sydney."

Kids from Crown Street and Bourke Street Public Schools use the Bourke Street cycleway to ride safely to school.

Businesses are also benefitting from increased bike traffic on inner Sydney routes.

Jeremy Havlin, co-owner of Remy & Lees café on Bourke Street, Surry Hills said: "There is a definite increase in the number of bike riders in the area. It's great to see whole families out and about on the weekend on their bicycles."



With the increase in bike riding across inner Sydney, the City of Sydney is also ramping up its education program to ensure everyone has a safe and pleasant journey on the roads, cycleways and shared paths.

Staff are stationed at key shared paths in the City talking to educate people about bike safety. Honker horns and reflectors are being offered for good behaviour, and Bikewise mechanics offer free and speedy bike checks.

The City also offers free cycling confidence and bike maintenance courses. More than 400 people have learned how to ride safely in Sydney traffic over the past year and 71 per cent of surveyed participants say they now ride more often.

Before the course only 2 per cent rode "most or all days". After completing the confidence building course, 30 per cent of participants reported cycling most days - up from just two per cent beforehand.

More than two thirds of those taking the courses are women and most are aged between 25 and 44.



One participant, Chloe Evans, said: "Shortly after buying my first bike, I did the City of Sydney confidence course and it was brilliant - it really boosted my road confidence. I ride so that motorists can see me, by being predictable, sticking to the road rules and making clear signals.


Pedestrians and bike riders have been using the city's shared paths in parks and on footpaths for many years with few problems. Council is stepping up its educational program due to the cycling boom and increase in shared paths.

In the past six months, more than 65,000 cycling maps with safety information have been also distributed.


Photos from bicyclegirls.pl

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Happy Bicycle Day!



Bicycle Day is April 19, commemorating April 19, 1943, when Dr. Albert Hofmann first took LSD intentionally. Three days earlier, he had absorbed a small amount of the drug either through his fingertips or by accidentally ingesting it. On Bicycle Day, he took 250 µg of LSD intentionally and, fearing he had made himself ill, cycled home from his lab. On the way, Hofmann’s condition rapidly deteriorated as he struggled with feelings of anxiety, alternatingly believing the next-door neighbor was a malevolent witch, that he was going insane, and that the LSD had poisoned him.



Here is a short film made to celebrate Albert's 100th birthday. He died at the age of 102.





Monday, April 18, 2011

jo jeeta wohi sikandar final race

* ARTcycle opening this thursday At The Vanishing Point



ARTcycle will be launching itself with a party and fundraiser this Thursday evening at ATVP gallery, 565 King St Newtown. Nibbles, beer, wine, music, Cycle Maximus rickshaw rides, a ‘collective visions’ map for people to record their memories or desires, and more.



7pm – 10pm. Thursday 21 April.

565 King St Newtown, between Dickson and Wells Sts.

All welcome. Free entry!

ARTcycle is an artist run cycling initiative, a social club that promotes the arts and environment friendly transport.



ARTcycle
At The Vanishing Point, PH: 9519 2340