Today’s video takes it to the next level by using the spinning bicycle wheel to create animated scenes. A student in London has cut out shapes and attached them to wheels so that when the bike reaches cruising speed, we get to see these lovely vignettes.

I could just sit and watch this all day. Enjoy!

Minneapolis’ Midtown Greenway: Good for Biz, Good for Bikes. from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

This brief little film came out just a couple of weeks ago, and from the moment I saw it, I knew that I wanted to write about what I saw and felt as I watched the video.  Having lived in MSP for almost 10 years, I have a personal connection to the contents of this video because of my time in Minnesota as well as my involvement in the biking community here in Austin.  I initially had every intention of turning this post into some sort of rallying cry / rant about why Austin hasn’t built up a bike specific greenway like in MSP.  Sure Austin has the Lance Armstrong Bikeway – but that route serves primarily as a recreational path – and does not provide a protected path for a majority of commuters, which are coming from the north and south.  The Midtown Greenway connects residential and business areas in MSP, and as a result has earned the nickname “Bike Highway”.  On snowy days, the Greenway is often the fastest way downtown because the route gets plowed well before any of the area roads.

Certainly, as the video highlights, the Greenway has a strong recreational ridership, but from personal experience there is also a steady stream of functional riders (commuters, people heading out for dinner, running errands, etc.)  One thing that struck me as I watched the video was how many women, children, and adults with child trailers in tow you saw in the video.  Aside from mass recreational rides like last weeks Tour De Fat, you don’t see as many women or kids riding on our streets in Austin.  Don’t get me wrong, there is an ever growing community of bikers in Austin, heck people move here from all over the globe to experience our fantastic cycling climate, but we will know that we have reached that tipping point when we see the mom and her kid riding down the same city street as the group ride starting at one of the local bike shops.

Martin Olav Sabo Bridge (Minneapolis) from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

I am not just wishing this will happen, I am available to be part of the solution.  Sure I can join the League of Bicycling Voters, support local politicians who are bike friendly, and be out on the road on my bike.  I was struck by a recent article I read about Michael Bloomberg and what he has done for NYC as mayor.  Invariably the article turned to the possibility of “Bloomberg for President”, and while not saying it would never happen, he did offer an explanation why he has not jumped into the mix.

Among elected officials, Bloomberg makes clear, city mayors can have more freedom than most. “The mayor’s job is very different from the chief executive’s at higher levels–state, federal, county, however you want to put it,” he remarks. “What state governments and federal governments do is reallocate funds.

That statement got me thinking about my neighborhood.  Sure I could wait for the mayor and city council to add a separated bike line in my neighborhood or I could stop waiting and get involved.  The neighborhood has plenty of space for a separated lane…..now somebody needs to go out there and make it happen.

Damn….nobody else is raising their hand…..I guess that means it is up to me.

After their initial bizarre, extremely negative Share the Road Rant ad, this one is a welcome change. Lots of happy, healthy people of all ages and several local businesses all telling you to ride a bike. Love it!

In the mid 80s, Apple founder Steve Jobs noted that the bicycle is the most efficient form of transportation on the planet.

This second clip is not bicycle related per se, but an excellent speech about what is really important and following your dreams.

It ends with this gem: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

While watching an experienced cyclocross racer smoothly and quickly remount their bike is something to behold, they have nothing on the Dutch when it comes to mounting a bike with grace and style. This week’s video is from Amsterdamize and shows a lovely, young Dutch women hopping on the rear rack, or “girlfriend carrier” as the Dutch say. She has this move down to an elegant three steps that Amsterdamize calls the Dutch Side Saddle Hop.

A Three-Act: The Dutch Side Saddle Hop from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.

Enjoy your weekend and get out and ride your bike!

Image courtesy of Cyclocross Magazine.

As this film from the 2007 World Cyclocross Worlds shows, even the best racers in the world wipe out spectacularly.

Of course if it can happen to the pros, it can happen to us mere mortals at this highlights clip from Oregon’s Cross Crusade series shows.

On the other hand, there are few joys as sweet as negotiating a tough cyclocross course at race speed without falling. Come join us Sunday to experience the fun and folly of ‘cross, and feel comfortable knowing everyone falls but the falls are soft and the riding is a blast!

Austin on Two Wheels Cyclocross Skills & Hot Laps Practice Session
Sunday, September 4
Boggy Creek Green Belt, 1114 Nile Street (South side of Rosewood Ave at Chestnut Ave)
Meet up at 6:15, Skill Session at 6:30, Hot Laps Practice at 7:00

All are welcome with all types of bikes. Bring lights if you ride as we’ll finish at dusk. A free men’s and women’s entry in the Dirt Derby will be given away at the end.

I’m talking about Paris-Brest-Paris, which starts this weekend.

This extreme endurance event that is older than the Tour de France requires riders to complete a 1200 kilometer (745 mile) course in just 90 hours, or just under 4 days. Riders are expected to be completely self sufficient except at designated check points. While no longer a race, many riders try to complete the course in the fastest possible time meaning by the end they are exhausted and sleep deprived. The event is considered so tough you must qualify though official long distance rides called brevets, and it is only put on every four years with 30% of the riders not finishing.

Think you’ve got the stuff to do PBP? Check out the Hill Country Randonneurs. They put on 200-600K brevets throughout the year to help you train and qualify for the next PBP in 2015.

This weekend four member of the Hill Country Randonneurs will be tackling Paris-Brest-Paris: David Campbell, Wayne Dunlap, John Fusselman, and Jeff Newbury. You can track their progress on the PBP site here by search by their last name. Good luck, fellas!

“I want to point that if you have a car and more money (it) does not mean that you can park it everywhere,” Zuokas said.

While the car smashing was a publicity stunt using an abandoned Mercedes, it is refreshing to see a city official stand with the cyclists over selfish motorists. Considering how quickly our City Council and staff cave to a small vocal minority of automotive apologists, we just might want to draft Arturas Zuokas for our next election!

In bicycle advertising, who will win out: the carbon fiber frame or the pretty girl?

Today’s films are two recent examples. The first is actually from the bike industry, albeit the small Dutch style contingent that the rest of the industry has written off because the bikes are too heavy and you can’t race them. Vancouver shop Flying Pigeon Bicycle produced this lovely film showing the beginning of a new romance on the back of the bicycles that took a billion Chinese to work every day.

The Flying Pigeon Bicycle from yulu canada on Vimeo.

The second is from New York City fashion house 3.1 Phillip Lim which is using the theme “Girls On Bikes” to launch their Fall 2011 women’s line.

3.1 Phillip Lim “Girls On Bikes” Women’s FW11 Collection from 3.1PhillipLim on Vimeo.

The bike industry is dominated by men, engineers, and tech lovers. If you look at industry ads in magazines like Bicycling, more often than not you will see a picture of the product, not people or how it is used. And how has that worked for us? The U.S. bicycle industry has been in decline for over a decade.

Humans are animals driven by stories, not objects. We need to image ourselves how we wish to be. Most Americans do not wish to image themselves kitted out on a carbon racing bike, but allow them to envision themselves looking really good with the hint of a new romance and you’ll have them. It’s time cycle chic was the norm, not the exception.