Bike Hugger 

The Seattle PI reports on the travels of Rune Monstad, all 16,000 miles of them, and how Seattle has helped him out after a thief stole his wallet, passport, and pride.

In a stark contrast, cyclists are featured on the front page of the Seattle times today as part of Mayor Nickel’s plan to fight global warming and a cyclist dies from the injuries she sustained in a collision with a van.

My friends are close to the cyclist and they’re all devastated – I’m devastated. I gave her husband a ride on Bettie last week at a Schooner Exact Brewery party.

There’s a memorial ride planned tomorrow from Westlake at 5:30. I’ll be out a town visiting and old friend who suffered a heart attack, but pay my respects here, wish the family well, and hope our Mayor also notices that we also need safer streets in Seattle.

Update

KOMO’s Tracy Vedder reports on Susanne and her family

I’m back home in Seattle, getting caught up on postings, and photos. Mark V is on special assignment for Bike Hugger@Interbike and sobered up from all the crazy partying to email his day one report.

Fixed and Loathing in Las Vegas, Day One

by Mark V from Elliott Bay Bicycles

I strode out the plane, past the airport terminal’s slot machines, into the baggage claim. Next to me, the tanned blonde’s floral print top looked like a tarp pulled tight over a pair of F-16 jet fighter nose cones; nothing’s for real here in Vegas. But I’m not in this city of blackjack and 24-hr liquor stores to talk about reality … or aerodynamics. Byron said to find the fixed gear junk at Interbike, and that’s what I’m going to do … no matter how many $9 rum-and-cokes it takes.

Getting caught up on email this morning and a brief break from Interbike (and the shirt-exchange party), a reader sent us a link to Magnetic Yellow Card, which is a magnet cyclists can toss onto cars when a driver has endangered their life.

Byron sends along this photo from the floor of Interbike, which officially starts today. I’m sure we’ll have more details when the show is open and the bike isn’t locked down, but the long and short of it is: Surly is launching the first production all-in-one Xtracycle.

That means folks who love the idea of an Xtracycle will have one less obstacle to hurdle: No more kit-building. Also, I can’t see any reason the Stokemonkey wouldn’t work.

Questions for our eyes and ears in Vegas: Is Surly selling this as a frame or a bike? What are they calling it? What’s the availability?

I’m crossposting this to both Bike Hugger and our special Interbike coverage site. Most of our Interbike content will be at the Interbike site, so if you dig this, check there.

She was enjoying the sun, the view, and riding her old cruiser bike along Alki.

See the bike culture photostream for more photos from today.

As Todd said in email, “I got your zeitgeist right here pal!,’ and linked me to BikePortland’s post on Electra’s new Amsterdam bike. The concept of a stylish, simple transport bike, be it “working,” “urban,” “townie,” or sport-utility bike, can flow right into that mood of change that’s going on in cities.

Given a good alternative, I think people want to get out of their cars.

The NYTimes reports today on a bike-friendlier New York. With “an estimated 120,000 regular cyclists in New York” and “40,000 of them” commuting, there’s a ferocious turf war. And an absolute moment of opportunity. Just like Seattle.

The Gran Fondo Walla Walla is a ride that has been around in concept for about 10 years. It has had different people interested in promoting it, sponsoring it, and helping put it on for at least 5 of the last ten years, but it was not until last year that everyone that was interested finally sat down at the same table to put it al together. And when they put it all together, they decided to do it for people with cancer.

The Gran Fondo is on 9/30/06. Registration is $40.00 and includes a lunch and beverage.

Ryan McGreal sent us an email about his essay, Can the Bicycle Save Civilization, in the September issue of Raise the Hammer.

Ryan believes that the “lowly bicycle could be a key to our long-term survival.”