http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Thu, 24 May 2012 02:02:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Commute Orlando no Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/category/bicycle-culture/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/05/10/you-cant-bring-that-bike-in-here/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/05/10/you-cant-bring-that-bike-in-here/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 20:19:37 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15291 Tom Snyders, The Bicycling Comedian, is coming to town! “You Can’t Bring that Bike in Here!” is a one-hour, one-man show about Tom’s 25 years on the road, traveling to all of his comedy performances by bicycle. His fun mulit-media show features video clips and photos from his years on the bike. Enjoy a touring cyclist’s take on funny road signs from the back roads of America, starting with a section of signs you don’t like to see when on the road by bicycle! June 20th marks exactly 25 years Tom has been on the road — 162,000 miles, through all 50 states, and in 34 countries on six continents. He has performed in more than 200 comedy clubs throughout America, Canada, Europe and Australia. Come check him out at the Orlando Fringe Festival.  Get your tickets online or at the door ($10). Tom will be in the Yellow Venue (Shakespeare Center) in Loch Haven Park. Show times below: Arrive by bike! If you’re looking for quiet street bike routes, here are some suggestions:  ]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/05/10/you-cant-bring-that-bike-in-here/feed/ 9 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/05/09/happy-bike-to-school-day/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/05/09/happy-bike-to-school-day/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 12:33:06 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15283 In honor of National Bike to School Day, here are the Colonial High School kids.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/05/09/happy-bike-to-school-day/feed/ 1 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/26/the-pioneer-of-womens-specific-bicycles/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/26/the-pioneer-of-womens-specific-bicycles/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:34:24 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15181 Twenty-three years ago, my 4’10″ girlfriend wanted a road bike. After much research, she found Terry Bicycles and bought the one with the 700C wheel in the back and 24″ in the front. It was the only adult bike she could find that fit her. If not for Georgena Terry, she may have been stuck with a child’s bicycle. I love this quote: I hope I am part of a movement that encourages women to think for themselves, and to come at problems from an intellectual standpoint and not from an emotional standpoint. That’s a worthy movement!]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/26/the-pioneer-of-womens-specific-bicycles/feed/ 2 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/26/colonial-bike-club-proposed-trail/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/26/colonial-bike-club-proposed-trail/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:17:05 +0000 Jesse http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15172 Where you ride your bike is a civil rights issue–fifty years ago, people were asked to move to the other side of the road because they were different. The same thing is happening now. The law states that we’re supposed to ride as close to the right hand side of the road as is practicable. I am sure that this is meant for protection of cyclists, for consolidating space, for ease of traffic flow. But the result is that bike riders feel they need to move out of the way, and cars ride right past them in the same lane at the same speed they were going before they saw the bike—which is scary! So a lot of people don’t ride their bikes in the road. But the road isn’t patently bad or scary. Those same people would stand next to a car that was broken down—even on, say, State Road 436 (a 50mph 6+ lane highway from the Orlando International Airport and spanning two counties of urban sprawl). The reason these people would stand next to this car (even in traffic), I believe, is because there is an understanding that the other cars will simply go around them. They [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/26/colonial-bike-club-proposed-trail/feed/ 18 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/02/a-quiet-revolution-in-bicycles-recapturing-a-role-as-utilitarian-people-movers/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/02/a-quiet-revolution-in-bicycles-recapturing-a-role-as-utilitarian-people-movers/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:14:59 +0000 Bill http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15092 I ran across this article written by Dr. Morgan Giddings recently, and while it’s been out there a while, many of you, like me, may not have seen it. Dr. Giddings writes of the use of bicycles for utilitarian purposes, taking the place of the automobile, and how this phenomena is becoming increasingly relevant and popular with rising fuel prices and concern for the environment. Two main topics are explored.  One is the evolution of cargo bikes, and two, the use of electrical motor assists.  I’ll be very interested to hear reader experiences and opinions on both.  Especially thought provoking is the idea that using electrical motor assists may not be “pure bicycling”, and does that really matter. Here are a couple quotes: “Every innovation has its place and time. Some innovations happen before the market is ready for them and wither on the vine. Others miss the boat, being too late. Ross Evans’ Xtracycle was in the right place and time to help people in poorer areas of the world make more practical use of a bicycle – especially if the only alternative is traveling on foot. But in the late 1990‘s, the richer countries weren’t ready for this kind [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/02/a-quiet-revolution-in-bicycles-recapturing-a-role-as-utilitarian-people-movers/feed/ 11 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/03/07/you-cant-help-but-smile/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/03/07/you-cant-help-but-smile/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:24:34 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14962 And when you smile, people can’t help but smile back.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/03/07/you-cant-help-but-smile/feed/ 2 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/02/08/want-respect-on-the-road-ride-a-recumbent/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/02/08/want-respect-on-the-road-ride-a-recumbent/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:58:44 +0000 Bill http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14655 I will preface my remarks by stating this is not a report on a scientifically proper experiment, but relating my person experience. In other words, strictly anecdotal evidence. I recently had a total shoulder replacement, left side. Knowing I couldn’t ride my standard bike for a while, I looked into a recumbent to use while my shoulder mended. I found Suncoast Bicycles in Inverness had TerraTrikes for rent. As soon as I could drive, I went over and picked one up. I rented a TerraTrike Sport for one month. (Being the eternal optimist that I am, I feel assured I will be back on my regular bike by then.) Riding the recumbent is a blast. It handles very well and it’s just fun riding so close to the ground. (Can you pick up the newspaper without dismounting?) And it’s pretty comfortable. The TerraTrike has single rear wheel drive with two wheels that steer in front. I find this configuration to be very stable and easy to maneuver, although the turning radius is large. I’m riding it everywhere I rode my standard bike. It’s a little less efficient than my standard bike with more moving parts, so it doesn’t go quite [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/02/08/want-respect-on-the-road-ride-a-recumbent/feed/ 11 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/23/recommended-reading/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/23/recommended-reading/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:35:24 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14556 I can’t wait for the e-Book! In the meantime, the website offers some rich reading and fascinating collection of historical images. Roads Were Not Built for Cars Motorists are the johnny-come-latelies of highway history. The coming of the railways in the 1830s killed off the stage-coach trade; almost all rural roads reverted to low-level local use. Cyclists were the first group in a generation to use roads and were the first to push for high-quality sealed surfaces and were the first to lobby for national funding and leadership for roads. Without cyclists, motorists wouldn’t have hit the ground running when it came to places to drive this new form of transport. ‘Roads Were Not Built for Cars’ is a history book, focussing on a time when cyclists had political clout, in Britain and especially in America. The book researches the Road Improvements Association – a lobbying group created by the Cyclists’ Touring Club in the 1880s – and the Good Roads movement organised by the League of American Wheelmen in the same period. The book will be published in April 2012 and, thanks to research grants and advertising support, will be free to read online and free to download to [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/23/recommended-reading/feed/ 1 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/04/because-she-can/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/04/because-she-can/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:45:35 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14414 Here is a beautiful, poetic description of what makes The Dance work… and why it’s so easy for a self-assured woman. From the new blog, own the road: Role-models of distinction Confidence in their own status enables them to claim a share of the common land we call streets. They know they own the road. Their cheerful conduct is easy for others to interpret and react to. Before you can share something, you need to possess it. When you travel by bike owning the road is what allows you to be generous to those less fortunate or imaginative than yourself. Read the rest here.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/04/because-she-can/feed/ 2 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/01/here-is-a-column-i-never-thought-i-would-read/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/01/here-is-a-column-i-never-thought-i-would-read/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:51:14 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14411 Not in my lifetime, anyway. From the “Road Warrior” column in the The Morning Call (Allentown, PA 12/29/11 by Dan Hartzell I have nothing to add.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/01/here-is-a-column-i-never-thought-i-would-read/feed/ 5