June 2022

The Arroyo Link

From ArroyoLink.com

A SAFE, MULTI-USE PATH FOR WALKING, BIKING, RUNNING, & SCOOTING

The Arroyo Seco is the “jewel in the Crown City’s park system,” yet it’s difficult to access without a car.

The building of the 134, 210, and 710 freeways carved up and partially erased the path — and along with it, mini-parks and historical sites — that Pasadenans once traversed to get to the Arroyo.

The Arroyo Link proposes to uncover and rejuvenate that 1.5-mile path so that we can fully access and enjoy the nature and recreation offered in the Arroyo and beyond, along the regional L.A. River corridor to downtown L.A and Long Beach.

We’re in a time of re-examining our community roots, history, and values as they’ve evolved over the past 140+ years. The Link follows a route of culturally and historically significant sites like Carmelita Gardens, where a nexus of artists and thinkers inspired the young John Muir’s early ideas about nature conservation. As it crosses the 710 Freeway stub, the Link will offer an opportunity to mark the communities displaced by freeways in the name of progress.

The Arroyo Link project is small, but it has it all!

It’s the missing link in our mobility between city and nature, and between our backyard and our region; it looks back our rich history of ideas and ideals while laying a path toward a vision of a healthy, sustainable future.

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The Science Behind Bicycle Helmets Protecting Cyclists

From DiscoverMagazine.com

By Rena Kingery

Medical research supports the personal use of a bike helmet to protect from serious head trauma and traumatic brain injuries. But mandatory helmet laws are a more complicated matter among bicycle advocates.

With the arrival of summer, many people have swept the cobwebs from their garage-bound bicycles and taken to the roads and trails with their pedal-powered transit, and likely, a protective helmet for their head. But can this hard cover for your skull truly protect you from injury and death in a crash? Mounting research says yes, reinforcing the idea that it’s best to dust off that helmet and don the lid as you hit the streets.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), injuries to the noggin occur in one out of three cyclists who are involved in non-fatal accidents; and trauma to the head poses the greatest risk of disability and death for bikers. One CDC study found that bicycling resulted in the highest number of sports-related traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. You or someone you know may have experienced a mild TBI known as a concussion. Generally, people fully recover from concussions, but moderate and severe TBIs can cause lasting health consequences and death, especially for children.

Helmets Save Lives

While helmets don’t protect against concussions, they have consistently proven to reduce severe head injury and death for cyclists. In a meta-analysis that reviewed more than 100,000 crashes involving cyclists, a Norwegian researcher showed that helmets reduced the risk for serious head injury in riders by 60 percent. Another analysis of 6,267 patients admitted to hospitals for brain hemorrhaging after bicycle accidents found that those wearing helmets had a 51 percent lower risk of developing a severe TBI and had an overall lower mortality rate.

 

Image courtesy of Giro

 

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The Biggest Mistakes You Are Making Cycling In The Heat

Cycling in the summer can be the absolute best time to ride a bike, but there are some crucial mistakes which you may be making! Conor is well versed in riding and adapting to hot weather, and he has some top tips to bear in mind – he’s made the mistakes so that you don’t have to!

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Is Urban Arrow’s new family electric cargo bike the luxury SUV of the e-bike world?

From electrek.co

By Micah Toll

Amsterdam-based Urban Arrow has just updated its Family Cargo line of electric bicycles, making these family-centric electric cargo bikes better than ever for replacing a car in your garage.

Cargo bikes are one of the coolest inventions on two wheels. They take a bicycle’s narrow and convenient form factor and turn it into a heavy-hauling tool that can actually carry your family around or drag home a week’s worth of groceries.

But if you thought pedaling a normal bike was rough, imagine adding several kiddos and maybe a dog into the mix.

Fear not though, because electric cargo bikes solve that issue beautifully. They get you all the cargo space you need, but make the pedaling much more manageable – and even fun!

The new 2022 Urban Arrow Family Cargo line includes a front loading cargo e-bike (the kind with the big bucket up front) that features a number of updates such as Bosch’s latest Kiox display and a new Gates Carbon Drive belt included as standard equipment that is designed to replace the chain with a quiet and maintenance-free drivetrain.

The belt connects the Enviolo Heavy Duty continuously variable transmission to Bosch’s Cargo Line Gen 4 motor. That motor puts out 85 Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful European mid-drive motors (even if it can’t hold a candle to the Chinese motors that don’t have to play by the same power-limiting rules).

The motor is still listed as a “250W unit,” though the company is winking so hard on that figure that it’s in danger of pulling an eyebrow muscle. The true wattage is almost certainly higher.

https://na.urbanarrow.com/family-bikes/

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Actor Mark Curry says stop complaining about high gas prices and ride a bike

From Pennlive.com

By EmilyAnn Jackman |ejackman@pennlive.com

Actor Mark Curry has one solution to the insanely high gas prices that has been wreaking havoc across the nation – travel less and ride a bike!

When TMZ caught up with the “Hanging with Mr. Cooper” star at LAX on Monday, he gave the outlet an earful about the constant complaints from folks about the rising gas prices but instead of joining the increasing number of celebrities voicing their opinions about the pain at the pump, he insists that drivers should just fill their tanks and get over it.

According to TMZ, he says Americans shouldn’t look at the gas prices because it makes no difference and the fact that we’ve been dealing with high gas prices for years, so there’s no point in worrying about it now.

Photo by Yassine Khalfalli on Unsplash

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Hottest Bikes & Tech From The Women’s Tour

With the third stage of The Women’s Tour taking place just down the road from GCN Megabase here in the UK, we went down to the race to take a close-up look at all the hottest bikes and tech on show. Manon gets a sneak peak inside the Trek-Segafredo team car and also asks the riders what they love most about their bikes!

 

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More people in California are buying eBikes to combat record-high gas prices

From ABC10.com

The electric bike market in the U.S. has experienced a recent boom in sales, particularly in California.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As gas prices hit a new record high every other week, more and more people are opting for more fuel efficient methods of transportation, specifically electric bikes.

A recent study reveals that electric bikes, also known as eBikes, are dominating the market with upwards of 130 million units expected to be sold globally between 2020 and 2023.

Jacob Stabler, co-owner of ATV Wholesale Outlet in Sacramento, is experiencing the spike in eBike sales firsthand as lately he is hardly able to keep up with the demand.

“We tapped into just the right market at just the right time,” Stabler told ABC10. “We’re starting to see a little bit of a downturn in sales on the gas powered stuff and now we’re seeing a shift in desire from consumers for the electric bikes,”

The long-standing family-owned motorsports shop has made the decision recently to stock up on eBikes following soaring gas prices and a noticeable trend in the consumer market.

“In the last year, we decided to dabble with some of the electric bikes and it absolutely exploded,” Stabler said. “We’ve traditionally for 17 years been a gas-powered dealership, but every day we open up the store and people are coming in for more and more electric bikes.”

While already an extremely popular mode of transportation for decades in Asian and European countries, the U.S. is only considered at a median growth rate in eBike sales and popularity.

Nonetheless, the U.S. is seeing higher rates of growth and interest in electric bikes every year.

Stabler thinks people are opting for electric bikes because they are only pennies at a charge compared to the amount people are paying to get around in a gas-powered vehicle these days.

Pat Kendrix, who works in San Francisco, says she has to commute four days a week from Castro Valley and spends over $100 a week on gas.

Image courtesy of RadPower

 

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PeopleForBikes’ Final Mile Is a Playbook for Accelerating U.S. Bike Networks

From BicycleRetailer.com

BOULDER, COLO.  — Can U.S. cities move faster, more efficiently and more equitably to build better mobility networks for residents nationwide? The answer is yes, proven by the work of PeopleForBikes, a national bicycling advocacy organization, following two years of partnership and action in five American cities.

 In 2018, PeopleForBikes set out to create a model for U.S. cities to systematically increase bicycle mobility. The Final Mile, a collaboration between Wend Collective and PeopleForBikes, was successful in achieving that goal. The strategy includes tapping into existing community support for biking, amplifying that support with paid communications and thoughtful neighborhood-based engagement and empowering elected leaders with the political will to accelerate the construction of local bike networks.

 Five cities — Austin, TX; Denver, CO; New Orleans, LA; Providence, RI; and Pittsburgh, PA —took part in the Final Mile, which provided cities with the necessary financial resources and expertise to execute broad marketing campaigns, create diverse coalitions of community partners and overcome public opposition that too often delays progress. It did not, however, provide any direct funding for infrastructure costs or governmental operations. All of the participating cities understood that funding the rapid implementation of safe, equitable and comfortable bike networks is the best way to address growing transportation needs and the urgency of climate change.

 “For too long we’ve designed our streets for cars and not people,” said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. “But what we’ve seen for the last couple of years is that we’re reversing that and changing that here in Providence. The enhancements that we’re seeing throughout our streets are going to benefit all of us.”

 The Final Mile was successful in accelerating the construction of mobility networks in each of the five cities:

 Austin completed 115 miles of new bike lanes to achieve a 50% build-out of its All Ages and Abilities Mobility Network in only 24 months.

  • Denver constructed 100 miles of new bikeways, tripling the pace at which its planned network of interconnected, low-stress bikeways was being built.
  • New Orleans managed to construct 27 miles of new bikeways and offered the highest concentration of new protected bike lanes in the program.
  • Providence constructed 43 miles of new bikeways, with an additional 22 miles planned for construction in 2022.
  • Pittsburgh completed 50 new network miles and is dedicated to completing another 15 miles in 2022.

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What Does Your Bike Say About You? | GCN Tech Show Ep. 230

With Ollie in Italy and Alex filming a GCN+ documentary this week, they decided to ask Manon and Hank to cover for them on this week’s Tech Show. Yes, you heard that right… Manon and Hank! Brace yourselves for some chaotic energy as they discuss what our bikes and tech say about us, as well as the latest tech news, this week’s best bike shop, and their take on the Bike Vault!

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Keep Your Repair Kit and Emergency Snacks Handy With the Best Saddle Bags

From Bicycling.com

BY CHRIS PINO

With so many different saddle bag options and styles on the market today, it can be overwhelming to pick the correct one for the type of riding you do. A road racer and commuter have very different needs when it comes to what to bring along on a ride, and as a result, will have different priorities when searching for a saddle bag.

Saddle bags are no longer the bulky, swaying eyesores they once were. Boa dials, compression straps, and waterproof fabrics elevate construction and performance so much so that not even the classic tool roll–style design and its decades-long dependability has remained immune. Today’s saddle bags are secure, durable, and some so minimal you’ll forget they are even there. You’ll no longer have an excuse for your riding partners when you forget to bring a repair kit for that roadside puncture.

What to Know About Saddle Bags

Saddle bags can be broken down into two main size categories: everyday carry and bikepacking. Smaller everyday bags often house basic tools to fix minor problems, such as punctures and loose bolts, out on the road or trail. Typically, you leave them attached to your bike in case of emergency. Larger bikepacking-style bags carry camping gear, clothes, and even food on overnight or multiday trips. In this review, I’ve curated a selection of smaller saddle bags that are geared toward quick weekday rides and all-day jaunts on the weekend. If you find yourself heading out on a bikepacking trip, or even just want to carry a bit more gear, head over to our best bikepacking bags article.

It’s important to know whether a saddle bag is waterproof. Some are made with water-resistant fabric, but unless it’s specifically stated, assume there is no weatherproofing. If you often ride in wet conditions or commute regularly, consider getting a waterproof bag that features burlier material and a water-tight closure. Your tools and gear inside will thank you.

Lastly, think about how the bag attaches to your bike. There are several attachment methods that manufacturers use now, including basic Velcro straps, cables secured with Boa dials, and more permanent bolt-on options. Be sure to not overlook this point, as a loose and saggy bag can become a huge annoyance out on the road.

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