Nothing feels better than a sparkly clean chain! Ollie is here to talk you through one of his favourite and most effective ways of stripping and cleaning dirty chains.
From LATimes.com
For the first time in 20 years, a section of the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the West Coast’s oldest freeway, is set to close down for people to walk, bike, skate and run.
On Oct. 29, ArroyoFest will allow car-free exploration of six miles of the 110 Freeway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Two decades ago, the first ArroyoFest was ahead of its time for Southern California, said Wesley Reutimann, co-founder and special programs director at ActiveSGV, one of the event organizers.
In June 2003, seven years before the first CicLAvia “open streets” event, ArroyoFest shut down the Arroyo Seco Parkway for three hours, giving thousands of people the chance to tour the freeway as they never had before.
“I had a real urge to take the exit to the 5,” bicyclist Steve Edberg told The Times in an article covering that 2003 gathering. “If I had 200 or 300 riders with me, I think we could have taken over that one too.”
The original ArroyoFest had been in the planning stages for 10 years before event organizers were able to persuade Caltrans and pull it off.
Twenty years later, Reutimann said, planning a revisit of the event has proved just as complicated.
“There are a lot of pieces that go into putting on an event like this,” he said. “It speaks volumes that the first one, they were able to successfully stage it in 2003.”
It’s a major undertaking involving various permit processes and agencies, including approval by the Pasadena City Council and a special event permit from Caltrans, according to Pasadena Now.
From CyclingWeekly.com
BY
Now showing in theaters nationwide, the new Greg LeMond feature film is so much more than another Tour de France documentary
If the Netflix series “Unchained” doesn’t rapt American audiences, perhaps the new Greg LeMond feature film will connect them to cycling in a new way.
Premiering today in theaters across the country, “The Last Rider” is a feature-length documentary that chronicles Greg LeMond’s rock bottom year and his legendary comeback at the nail-biting 1989 Tour de France.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alex Holmes, the race almost serves as a backdrop. Instead, viewers are offered an intimate portrait of one of America’s greatest athletes of all time as he maneuvres betrayal, childhood sexual abuse, getting shot, and coming back from the brink of death to face his rivals and win the Tour de France by just eight seconds — the closest winning margin in the race’s history till this day.
The film features never-before-seen footage from the 1989 race as well exclusive interviews with LeMond himself, his former coach Cyrille Guimard and his wife Kathy, whom LeMond credits for his success.
A load of new bikes, new tech and kit, great food, and back in Germany? It can only mean one thing, it’s time for Eurobike 2023! Ollie geeks out to bring you all the hottest and weirdest tech from the expo, including some super lightweight bikes & all things aero!
Join us for the first of 4 bike rides that will explore some of our SGV rivers and our San Gabriel Mountains and learn about the current efforts to complete the vision of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument! This ride will feature; the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel river tails with a stop at the Santa Fe Dam. The route is about 18.2 miles – on mostly separated bike paths.
This ride will start/finish in El Monte and travel on both city streets and bike paths. Due to the length, this ride is not recommended for anyone under the age of 12.
Pre-registration and attendance confirmation is required for all participants. If you are attending with other family members, each person must be registered separately in order to attend.
E-bikes of all types are encouraged, but not required or you can also register to ride a GoSGV e-bike FREE. Register now to guarantee your spot!
THE ENGINE INSIDE | Los Angeles Premiere (84 min).
Hosted by Bicycle Film Festival
Presented by Shimano
Thursday, June 22
Screening time: 7:00PM
Fine Arts Theatre
8556 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
The new documentary feature film, “The Engine Inside” tells the stories of six everyday people from all over the globe, who reveal the unique power of the bicycle to change lives and build a better world. Through each character’s story, the film uncovers the often-overlooked potential of this 200-year-old machine, exploring its impact on a wide-range of global issues such as physical and mental health, socio-economic inequality and climate change.
By shining a light on people who have embraced cycling as a way to overcome daunting personal and systemic challenges, The Engine Inside ultimately asks viewers to reconsider their own perspective. Is there a transformative power within us all that can be unlocked through the simple act of riding a bike?
Narrated by the “voice of cycling” Phil Liggett, paired with an eclectic soundtrack and immersive cinematography, the film weaves together an emotional and informative celebration of the bicycle’s world-changing potential.
It is so frustrating when something goes wrong with your bike but you don’t have the tool to fix it at home. Ollie explains five of the most common maintenance problems you may encounter with your bike and shows you which five tools you should have at home to do the necessary repairs.
From MomentumMag.com
Bicycles are not just a means of getting around – they can also have a significant impact on the financial health of cities. From reducing traffic congestion to boosting local businesses, the benefits of bicycles extend far beyond their environmental and health benefits.
Just this morning, former chief planner for the city of Toronto and all-around city-building guru Jennifer Keesmaat took to social media to relay a personal account from her past life in municipal government.
In her tweet, she recounts a time when she was pressing to get the city to adopt a somewhat-ambitious cycling plan. Now, there are no end to the reasons that people can come up to argue against this investment, despite the obvious benefits in reality. But, this time, she heard something knew. This time, an individual, an elected city councillor no less, came up with the reason that it would be bad for one of Toronto’s big economic drivers — the film industry. The Canadian city is a well-known stand-in for many American cities and, this councillor argued, the city wouldn’t be able to do that because, apparently, cities don’t have bike lanes in America.
“So I went to the film office and asked if this was true, with the thought that we could create a strategy to mitigate this,” she said. “But instead I was promptly told that streets with bike lanes were highly desirable filming locations – because Toronto is often a stand in for other cities. And other cities have bike lanes. Anyway, not long after that, sure enough, I noticed a Toronto bike lane as the background shot to a street scene in an episode of (TV show) Suits.”
From SierraClub.org
By Zoe Reckas & Chance Cutrano
What is an e-bike, and why are they everywhere?
Electric bicycles, or e-bikes, have been on a meteoric rise since 2020 as pandemic restrictions encouraged more people to get on bikes and as more affordable options became available. But what exactly is an e-bike? Simply put, an e-bike is a type of bicycle that gives the rider a helping hand via an electric motor and battery. This can be useful for a variety of reasons and allows people of all ages, abilities, and skill levels to get around in an efficient, affordable, and sustainable way. They’re a heck of a lot of fun, too!
How are e-bikes changing the way we get around?
The most effective way to reduce emissions in the transportation sector is to get people out of their cars, which isn’t easy. Bus stops can be difficult to walk to, public transit schedules aren’t always convenient, and some commutes are just a few miles too long for a “traditional” bicycle. E-bikes help remove many of these barriers to car-free transportation. With the help of an electric motor, that extra mile or two doesn’t seem so daunting, the hills are barely noticeable, the commute is faster than on a pedal bike, there’s no need to change out of sweaty clothes, and the weight of your grocery haul isn’t so concerning. Additionally, e-bikes are a more welcoming option for those who are unable to ride a traditional bike due to age or health concerns. And with more financial incentive and rebate programs emerging for e-bikes, particularly for low-income households, the cost barrier is becoming more manageable for many.
How should you hold your handlebars on a road bike? Poor technique or staying in one position for too long can lead to hand and arm pain, so getting it right can help you ride further, faster and more comfortably. On the hoods, in the drops and on the tops, Manon is here to help you find the best hand position and get maximum enjoyment from your cycling!
