There are few things I wish the U.S. would copy from Europe–Spain’s racism, the U.K.’s nanny state, and everything about France among the ones I’m glad we don’t–but I do wish we had a better system set up in cities for cycling commuters.
"Morning rush hour in the 4th largest city in the Netherlands. Streets look like this when 33% of ALL trips are made by bicycle!
This is an ordinary Wednesday morning in April 2010 at around 8.30 am. Original time was 8 minutes that were compressed into 2 minutes, so everything is 4 times faster than in reality. The sound is original.
This is one of the busiest junctions in Utrecht a city with a population of 300,000. No less than 18,000 bicycles and 2,500 buses pass here every day. And yet Google Street View missed it. Because private motorized traffic is restricted here.
These cyclists cross a one way bus lane (also used by taxis and municipal vehicles), two light rail tracks and then a one way street that can be used by private vehicles.
Behind the camera is a railway (you can hear the squeaking sounds of the trains passing) and the main railway station is very close too. A number of rental bikes from the station pass and many of the cyclists will have come by train for the first part of their commute."
I don’t think I really knew how to ride a bike until I was maybe 6. Even after riding all through my twenties and into my thirties, this kid may still have me beat in the skills department.
Jackson Goldstone heading to kindergarten the long fun way.
I thought I was pretty cool doing some singletrack riding on my singlespeed road bike, but this dude has put me to shame.
British trials rider, Martyn Ashton, takes a carbon Raleigh Avanti Team road bike for a cruise around town, across beaches, over boulders, on the edge of rails, and down a crazy slope, er… I guess, just because he can, and somehow manages not to get the bike posted on BustedCarbon.com while he’s at it.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to sit on a giant centipede while you ride you bike, here’s your answer.
Manta Saddle has gone down the same road as many others, trying to design a new bike seat that finally doesn’t cause pain while you pedal. Will it work? My guess is no, and I figure it’ll fail just like the Moon Saddle, Spongy Wonder, and all the rest. But, hey, you never know. I’m sure there are lots of riders out there who will look beyond the "I don’t want those things sticking in my ass" appearance and find it the best saddle they’ve ever ridden.
There’s a reason my bike doesn’t leave the ground: it doesn’t have wings. Things without wings aren’t meant to fly, and if you try to make them fly, this will happen:
Remember kids, buy bikes for pedaling, buy planes if you want to fly.
GoPro has improved the audio on their latest HD version of this camera, but most people still use the standard-def version I have here. The video is decent quality for the price, but the audio is definitely a sore spot for everyone.
Although GoPro added an external audio jack to the HD version, your only option for the normal camera is the lousy built-in mic on top of the camera itself. Of course, most people use the camera inside its water-proof case, making audio an even bigger issue for two reasons: camera vibration inside the case, and the inability to pick up a decent level of sound from outside the case. Recently, I discovered a work-around on MTBR.com that I thought I’d share here.
I’ve been cooped up inside my apartment for weeks now, pretty much unable (or unwilling) to ride because of the extremely cold temperatures and bad weather outside. I wouldn’t say this video makes up for not being able to ride, but it’s definitely fun to watch and dream about warmer weather.
I found this guy’s Mexican Highway video (posted below) on YouTube awhile back. From there, I found his website with a ton of interesting bicycling videos he’s made over the years. Watch the video below, then check out the rest here. Other than the Mexican Highway, I’d have to say the one with he and some friends riding on the iced-over Charles River is my favorite.
