Posts about 'Video'

Sue Abbott

Posted on 15. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

The helmet. Such a simple piece of equipment really. It’s basically just a foam liner – which is the part that actually protects your head, a shell – which covers the liner and makes it more esthetically appealing, and the parts that make it comfortable (the pads) and keep it on your head (the straps). Here is a good article on how the helmet works. But this simple object has actually been the subject of great debate for cyclists throughout the world.

I personally elect to wear my helmet every time I ride my bike, but it’s actually one of those subjects about which I am quite torn. I have crashed my bike before and hit my head going upwards of 30 mph. My helmet cracked, but my head did not. Therefore, I am quite fond of my helmet, because I do silly things like ride 30 mph in large packs with other cyclists. But I don’t just wear my helmet when I ride as a sport cyclist, I also wear it when I ride as a utility cyclist. I personally just feel better with it on my head, and my hair is kind enough to bounce back from helmet-head-hair to cute-semi-stylish-hair as soon as the sweat dries (thanks, hair). Nonetheless, not for one second do I think that a helmet alone is going to save my life in the circumstance of a really bad crash. It won’t. There are other vital parts of the body which are not protected by a helmet – the spine, the lungs, the legs, and even important parts of the head itself. But then again, a bike crash that would not have been too severe otherwise, can be made more severe with an unnecessary head injury, which might have been prevented by a helmet. And for me, a helmet simply makes me feel more comfortable, and being comfortable on a bike is an important aspect of getting people to ride.

But then again, I do see both sides of the argument. Although there is no real consensus about the correlation between helmet use and cycling activity in the scientific community, it is generally agreed upon in the “real world” that helmet laws have the effect of decreasing the number of cyclists on the road.

Which brings me to the subject of Sue Abbott. Sue lives in Australia, where a mandatory helmet law was implemented in 1992. Sue has ardently been riding her bike for many years throughout the world without a helmet, and she continues to do so today in Australia. She was recently ticketed for this offense, and instead of simply paying the ticket, she is going to court to fight it. This short documentary of Sue is really well-done and quite fascinating, as her argument is really quite valid. Interestingly, she feels quite the opposite that I do: a helmet makes her uncomfortable. But the important thing is that she is still riding her bike as she sees fit, and that is really what matters.

Check out the video of Sue by Mike Rubbo, an Australian documentarist. Mike learned of Sue from the one and only Copenhagenize.com. And be sure to watch through to the end of the video. Mike’s comments on why countries like Australia decided to implement a helmet law in the first place are very well spoken.

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Be Sure to Wave

Posted on 14. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

I thought this video was really interesting, because I really believed what it is trying to say. The video is a ad by Transport for London, which has been making a big push to increase cycling as of late. The video’s message: that the Tour de France can help to inspire the next generation of cyclists, and not just sport cyclists, but also utility cyclists.

As I watched the video, I was actually inspired by it, because I believe that it can work. I believe that sport cycling can inspire people to cycle…and not only for sport, but for a wide range of purposes.

But being an avid follower of bicycle blogs, I have seen a ton of criticism of sport cyclists (ie. the ones that wear lycra and ride race-type bikes) by utility cyclists (ie. those who use bikes for transportation), as well as the reverse. The criticism goes both ways. I am certain that some of the criticism is quite well-founded and true on both sides. Yes, there are certainly cases of sport cyclists being jerks. Yes, there are also certainly cases of utility cyclists being jerks. But all too often when something unfortunate happens, people are judged and grouped in with others simply based on their choice of cycling garb and bicycle at a given time. What purpose does this serve? As far as I can see, it serves to solidify the notion that there is such a thing as a “sport” cyclist or a “utility” cyclist or a “recreational” cyclist. As if cyclists didn’t already have enough to contend with, there are some who seem to want to content with each other as well.

I am a bike racer. I raced mountain bikes professionally for a few years, and I now race primarily on the road. I love bike racing. I love the pain; I love the exhilaration; I love the people I meet; I love the freakin’ lycra; and I love my race bike. I also use my bike and associate with others who do the same…hence this blog, utility cycling. I love the satisfaction; I love not having to drive places; I love the feeling of hauling a load of groceries home; I love getting to work with my power; and I love my commuter bike. So yes, that’s a lot of love, and it’s all for cycling, and who cares what kind! I think cycling culture is important, so it’s great to embrace whatever aspect of cycling you love most, but at the same time, let’s all just try to get along and be nice to each other. Because after all, a good ride is made better by seeing others riding too.

So that’s why I like this video, because it is trying to say that it is possible to blur the lines between sport and utility. My only criticism – where are all the women?! But anyways, get out there and enjoy the ride! And be sure to wave to the next cyclist you see, no matter what their choice of garb.

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Bicycle/ Car Traffic Enforcement in Chicago

Posted on 11. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

Check out this great video about the laws and rights of both bicyclists and motorists. And as one of the officers interviewed in this video states, just have some respect for each other and use common courtesy. Indeed, well said!

Traffic Enforcement for Bicyclist Safety from Chicago Bicycle Program on Vimeo.

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A Rather Unusual Commute

Posted on 10. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

Although this video is an advertisement for S1jobs.com, which appears to be the Scottish version of LinkedIn, I am posting it anyhow for a few reasons.

1. Danny MacAskill is amazing, and his riding is absolutely beautiful to watch.

2. The video is actually quite well done, when you consider the message. Indeed, I like the idea of suggesting that one ought to, or even could, love one’s job, and potentially also love getting back and forth to one’s job. This is certainly an advertising message I can live with.

3. I could go into some socio-cultural critique about the way in which the rider commuting to work in the video navigates the city space in a non-traditional manner, which therefore enables him to experience place in a different way, and consequently, be able to better love his job…but I’ll just leave it at that.

4. It’s fun to watch. So enjoy. And then go mix it up on your commute (no, I don’t suggest jumping off any buildings on your bike), but maybe try a new route, for example, and see if it improves your workday at all.

And because I simply can’t help myself (or get enough of this video), I’m posting another example of Danny’s riding. Kind of like a ballet of sorts.

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On Street Bike Parking

Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

Yesterday, I posted two videos about indoor bicycle parking facilities: one in Amsterdam, and one in Phoenix, AZ. Large, indoor bicycle parking facilities are really useful in locations that serve as a hub of sorts. These types of parking facilities are often located close to train stations, bus stations, light rails, etc. and allow people to easily commute into central business districts, downtown areas, etc. Or conversely, the bicycle parking facility might be located within the central business district, but the point is, that these large structures are usually built for more long-term parking (ie. the length of a workday) and are built to house a large number of bicycles.

However, in places where short-term parking is required, such large facilities may not be as convenient or as efficient. On-street parking is a common form of short-term bicycle parking, and it often presents itself in the form of U-shaped bike racks cemented into the sidewalk, which are designed to hold between 2 to 8(ish) bikes per rack, depending on the design. These types of racks are fine in areas with low bike use, but in areas with high bike use, parking can become difficult to find or even overflow into the pedestrian zones on the sidewalk or into the car zones on the street.

This morning’s video shows one version of on-street bicycle parking, whereby the City of Portland converted 1.5 car parking spaces into bike parking spaces in one high use, but mostly likely short-term, parking area. The result is cleaner sidewalks, plenty of bike parking, and a very nice piece of cycling infrastructure.

What is the bike parking like where you ride? Let us know and even send us some photos!

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Bicycle Parking

Posted on 08. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

I discovered this great video by Amsterdamize this morning called Convenience. The video depicts how easy it is to commute by bicycle in Amsterdam, what with the great infrastructure – in the way of bike lanes, signs, etc., safe parking – in a guarded facility with plenty of space, and convenient locations – in the way of close proximity to the train, the business district, and presumably shopping, eating, and so on.

Convenience from Amsterdamize on Vimeo.

In the United States, such bicycle parking facilities are fewer and farther between, but there are some popping up in unexpected places. For example, just up the road from me in Phoenix, Arizona – a very hot place, I can assure you – a bicycle parking, repair, and locker facility called The Bicycle Cellar has just opened. The Bicycle Cellar offers parking, showers (which are essential in a place like Phoenix, if not for your smell, but for your sanity), repair services, and much more for great prices. The Bicycle Cellar is gathering momentum too, due in part to its convenient location near the new light rail in Phoenix and also because it is a fabulous idea.

The Bicycle Cellar is the first of it’s kind in Arizona and hopefully not the last. I think a similar business would do really well near the University of Arizona in Tucson, which sees the highest bicycle traffic and probably also the highest theft in the city. A safe place to park your bike and shower would make commuting by bicycle even better than it already is!

The Bicycle Cellar from on Vimeo.

Next up on Utility Cycling.org, we are going to begin a discussion about bicycle parking. So please chime in if you have suggestions, ideas, or stories we can add to our next post.

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Happy Labor (on your bike) Day!

Posted on 07. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

Happy Labor Day to those of you reading in the U.S. If you are celebrating the holiday, I hope this post can provide a little inspiration if you plan to entertain some friends this afternoon with a BBQ or get-together of sorts. The inspiration of course, is to use your bicycle and endless human-power to help prepare your meal. Whether it’s simply riding your bike to get groceries or using it to make eggplant dip (see video below) or any variation thereof, today is a good day to well, labor, but just a bit, and always on your bike!

Enjoy!

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The Day of Electric Bikes

Posted on 03. Sep, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

Well, today is the day of electric bikes and wow’s. The first wow…erhm, I mean electric bike…is the Yike Bike. It sure looks interesting, efficient and so on, but my first question, is it comfortable? I just don’t know how I feel about that hand position for riding, but you never know until you try. Yike Bike has an answer, and they also claim that it’s more intuitive to ride than a regular bicycle. Hmmm…I would say that once you know how to ride a bike it’s pretty intuitive, but who knows.

Anyways, check it out for yourself.

I first read about the Yike Bike over at Cyclelicio.us.

And then there is this video. Again, wow. Just wow. I like the idea of an electric bike vs electric car challenge, but what is that guy doing riding down the sidewalk going as fast as the cars? Geez!!!

This video and some good comments were found at Commute Orlando.

And I’m actually not opposed to electric bikes, as I think they are a great option for many people for commuting. However, personally, I must admit that I prefer to pedal.

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Open Street Map

Posted on 31. Aug, 2009 by Melanie Colavito.

Last Friday, I wrote a post about bicycle mapping, which inspired me to do a bit more research about it over the weekend. As I said, there are a lot of different mapping applications available online, most of which are focused around navigation and route-finding. Most of these online applications are available through large companies such as Google or Yahoo. However, there are some online mapping applications that are more open source.

One example of this is Open Street Map, which is a free and editable map of the whole world. The best thing about Open Street Map is that it is collaborative and interactive, so in many ways, it is much more up-to-date, dynamic, and user-friendly (especially for a cyclist), than say Google Maps, Map Quest, etc. Of course, there are trade-offs to using the different online mapping applications, but I really like the concept behind Open Street Maps.

Enjoy this short video excerpt from a presentation by Steve Coast of Open Street Map.

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