Bicycle

City Councilmembers Say More Should Be Done to Prevent Pedestrian and Bicyclist Fatalities in Pasadena

From PasadenaNow.com

BY KEITH CALAYAG

While Councilmembers agree that the Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Campaign could help get drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians to follow traffic laws, they also believe more should be done to prevent traffic collision fatalities in the city.

During the Municipal Services Committee meeting on Tuesday, City Associate Engineer Donson Liu reported that Pasadena has reported a consistently high number of pedestrian/bike crashes in each of the last four years, with 2-6 fatalities per year.

55% of those who were killed or injured were seniors while 13% were homeless people.

According to Liu, cars in Pasadena are traveling 2 miles per hour faster overall when comparing 2021 to pre-pandemic 2019 conditions.

Aside from an uptick in speed, the DOT has also seen “blatant disregard for signages,” according to DOT Director Laura Cornejo.

Liu said that the previous campaigns on road safety were “well received” by residents but “do not appear to have a correlation to crash, injury and speeding data.”

Photo by Martin Magnemyr on Unsplash

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5 Bike Tools I Wish I’d Bought Sooner!

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.

 

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A Guide To Flying With Bicycles

From SimpleFlying.com

BYLUKE BODELL ANDJOE KUNZLER

A thorough review of how to fly with a bicycle to and from your destination. Complete with a table of major airlines’ policies.

Ever wondered if you can take your bicycle on a flight as luggage? Maybe you’re flying to a place with lots of cycling trails or bike lanes and would rather use your own two wheels than a hired ride. Since there are no bicycle racks on aircraft, the carry-on bins are too small to accept full-size bicycles, and the flight attendantswould not appreciate any space in their relatively small galleys replaced by bicycle racks; this guide answers the question: What can be done about taking a bicycle on a commercial flight?

To clarify, this guide will concern non-folding bicycles – airlines can have different policies regarding folding bikes, which are easier to store and can often be taken onboard as hand luggage.

Put your bicycle in the hold?

Yes, you can disassemble your bicycle and bring it on your trip as checked baggage, so long as it is suitably packaged up. You can, for instance, place your dissembled bike into a cardboard box to save money, although this increases the risk of your bike being damaged in transit.

Many travelers have not just done that but have also videoed the process for YouTube. One YouTuber thoroughly documented his process using a cardboard box and supplemental materials to dissemble his bicycle for shipping:

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How To Achieve The Perfect Climbing Position On The Bik

Climbing can be a daunting task for many of us cyclists, but it doesn’t have to be. With the proper knowledge and body positioning, you can conquer any mountain. So, Manon dives into the essential elements of an efficient and powerful climbing position so you can tackle your next hill with ease.

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Don’t Ruin Your Ride Before You Start It!

For a good ride, you’ve got to lay the groundwork! Get your pre-ride prep and routine wrong, and that chill ride in the sun can quickly turn sour. There are a few mistakes that stand out as major no-nos, so in this video, we’re going to list a few so that you don’t make them!

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Bicycle Master Plan Update – L.A. County

Get Involved

Public Works welcomes you to get involved and provide feedback on your unique experiences biking around unincorporated Los Angeles County. This includes those who commute by bike, families who use bike trails and bike lanes for recreation, avid cyclists, and those who do not currently bike but would like to.

Attend a workshop or take our online survey for a chance to win a bicycle or $200 gift card! Each workshop will cover the same items, so join the workshop that will best fit your schedule. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

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6 things to check when resurrecting your bicycle for riding this spring

From USAToday.com

By George Petras and Janet Loehrke

Here are a few simple steps to help even nervous mechanics get their bicycles roadworthy for exercise, commuting and plain old fun.

Looking to dust off your bicycle and get it back on the road after ignoring it all winter? Even for those who prefer riding to wrenching, it’s not that difficult, bike mechanics say.

Assuming you don’t have serious mechanical problems that a bike shop should handle, a few simple tools and some care will have you on two wheels in no time.

And if you’re one of many Americans who rediscovered bicycles during COVID-19, you’ll find that bike parts, and even new models, are much more available now. Things have changed since the pandemic-induced shortages of a few years ago.

“It’s a very different story today,” Stephen Frothingham, editor in chief for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, told USA TODAY.

“The supply has caught up with the demand for most bikes. There’s an ample supply of just about any kind of bike you’re looking for.”

Bike shop mechanics remain busy, but the pace isn’t as frantic as before. “Right now, we have about 35 or 40 bikes out back for repair,” says Mike Hulett, owner of Broadway Cyclery in Bedford, Ohio. That’s down from about 60 in July 2020.

If you’re looking for a new bicycle, you can probably find one at a nearby dealer. But if you have a bike you want to repair or maintain yourself, you can do it!

Photo by Luca J on Unsplash

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How to increase the resale value of your bike

From CyclingNews.com

By Joseph Delves

Tips, tricks, and tools to increase the resale value of your bike and ensure you get what it’s really worth when you sell it

For most of us, getting a new bike also means getting rid of the old one, and it’s common sense that if you can maximise the money you receive for flogging your old one, and you’ll have more to spend on the next.

But how do you ensure it’s selling for what it’s really worth? We’ve already gone through the basic explanation of how to sell a used bike, but below we’ve collected tips, tricks and general advice on increasing the resale value of your bike, so that you have more to spend on the next one.

Get the simple things right

Having worked as a bike mechanic, I can tell you that the odds of someone noticing you’ve spent hours rebuilding the internals of some obscure component are minimal. However, everyone notices if you’ve popped some air in the tyres and wiped the frame down.

f you can’t be bothered to do anything else, at least do this. It’ll make any test ride more enjoyable too, and first impressions are key when it comes to the inevitable haggle over price later on.

Invest in tackling key mechanicals

You’ll feel better if you send your bike on in good order, but there’s a balance to be struck. You’re trying to maximise the amount of cash you have available for your next bike, so unless your bike is particularly posh, investing in a full service is unlikely to be economically efficient.

Instead, tackle jobs you can manage yourself. If you’re a competent mechanic, a complete overhaul would be brilliant. Otherwise, make sure everything is safe and works correctly. Our bike maintenance tips will help you cover off what’s needed, but at the very least, ensure there’s life in the brake pads, the chain has been lubricated, and there’s air in the tyres at least.

Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash

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Shining a Light on the Bicycling Community

From Bicycling.com

By Riley Missel

As the summer evening sky turns from orange to purple to navy, traffic in the Los Angeles bike lanes dwindles until just a few riders remain toodling by, their path unaffected by the surrounding darkness thanks to a single bulb mounted to their forks—a Dynamo light.

This bicycle-mounted beacon is powered by its passenger’s energy to illuminate the road ahead—for the rider and everyone following them. Bike mechanic Jimmy Lizama custom-fits these lights for cyclists out of his Koreatown shop called Relámpago Wheelery, where he builds wheels by hand as well. But according to him, those services just help pay the rent for what he’s really doing there.

“Ultimately, Relámpago is social engagement within the bicycle community,” he said. A Dynamo light of a shop, if you will. Fueled by Lizama’s passion and his surrounding community’s enthusiastic response, Relámpago is illuminating the future of energy use, mobility, and human connection in downtown Los Angeles.

One such way the shop fosters human connection is by hosting mobile karaoke nights. Oh yes, mobile—they hook up a bike trailer to two tandems to serve as the stage, complete with speakers and a microphone. As they tow their singer through the streets of Los Angeles, the audience pedals along behind on their own bikes laughing and singing along. Usually, Relámpago teams up to host these events with other community programs raising awareness for a cause like women’s rights, immigration rights, or water rights. People meet each other, make friends, and find ways they can help each other live better in their community.

Lizama’s goal is to energize his community in the most accessible, sustainable way possible—after a bike. “It amplifies its human’s energy,” he said. His favorite way he sees this concept in motion is on a cargo bike: With simply the power of your legs, you can transport yourself as well as another person, or a bikeload of things.

Photo by Wayne Bishop on Unsplash

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