March 2009 Archives

A photo from Simon Paris' bike tour in Bangkok.

Uploaded by simonparisphotography | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Reader nicelook tipped us to this video of an interia bike in action -- I'm not sure exactly what the inertia bike does, other than go up and over a grassy knoll a bunch of times.

Is this FTW! or WTF?

Douglas Whitehead is riding his bike from England to India and in his latest post, he's getting used to the rhythm of the miles and enjoying the silence.

The weather was glorious and the rural French landscape was idyllic as I cycled along the banks of the River Meuse. The light had a sort of special haze to it that seemed to intensify and magnify distances, but what really stood out was the all-encompassing silence

Photo: Douglas Whitehead

When we toured Alaska, for hours on end all we heard was our breathing, the bike, and Nature. Tuscany, Spain all beautiful but not as remote or quiet.

Thousands of tweets ago and long since passed in the ether, I said something like

"we need more art, more absurdism; something just off-the-wall in this medium now jammed up with social media experts, gurus, marketing, and the occasional jesus freak."

The Fake Christopher Walken was good for a while and then along comes the Banjo Brothers and their bike-centric micro-fiction on Twitter, which launches later this week (4/2). Interested and upon further inquiry, I learned the following in an email from company co-founder Mike Vanderscheuren

Serialized in 140 Characters

I had a blast at last years UAR when it came through Seattle. What's the Urban Assault Ride you ask? Basically, two person teams race around the city on an organized bike scavenger hunt. You start the race with a manifest. You plan your own route, and at each check point there is a "Mini-Olympics" style challenge. Once your manifest is complete, you race back the start line, for a massive party hosted by New Belgium Brewing, (makers of Fat Tire Beer.) Last year the challenges included a paper boy toss, mini-keg stilt walk, Bike Joust, and a kid's sized tricycle race. You don't have to be in Seattle to participate since the UAR road show might be coming to a town near you. Check out the dates announced below, and learn more about the event after the jump, and if you sign up, tell'em bikehugger sent you!

Tucson: April 19
Nashville: May 3
Seattle: May 17
Portland: May 31
Austin: June 28
Fort Collins: July 19
Denver: July 26
St. Louis: August 16
Madison: August 30
Chicago: September 20
Minneapolis: September 27

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Dapper Lad Cycles Photostream.

Need to keep ratcheting up the levels of freak bike -- just a week ago, I thought the bike we spotted at Mellow Johnny's was the freakiest, but then I saw Didi Senft's latest creation.

Called the Truffle bike, it's 10.11M long and 4.11 high.

Photo credit: Getty Images.

Update

And now with video . . .

Phil Keoghan, host of The Amazing Race is riding across the US to raise money for MS.

Fans of the show, know that bikes are often featured -- just last week they had barrel bikes and last season bakfiets. Fans also know that they contestants are always in taxis and planes. I'd love to see an Amazing Race on bikes.

Following Phil's progress on his ride website.

Photo credit: Lawrence K. Ho/LA Times.

Attended the Bike Works auction last night and 60K was raised for their programs.

Bike Works has been working for kids, bikes, and community in the Rainier Valley since 1996. Our programs invest in young people and encourage bicycling as a clean and healthy transportation alternative

Fabric Horse makes some great looking bags, and their newest release--designed to fit into the basket on a bicycle--also helps make the world a little better place.

All the proceeds for the bag, which is made of 90% recycled materials with a wooden bottom and recycled seat-belt straps, goes toward funding Fabric Horse's skill building educational trip in St. Thomas, Jamaica. Fabric Horse will lead a skill building workshop at the Johns Town Women's Sewing and Craft Collective at The Source Farm, which will lead to better job prospects for the attendees.

Of course you don't have to buy a bag to donate or to follow along with this mission, just check out the Fabric Horse Blog for more information.

Ran an errand on Bettie to pick up a Torker cargo bike. That's bike on bike action and both were cargo. Add a fixie next time and we've got a menage a trois.

A photo from the 2008 Mobile Social in Portland. Robo Bob is Crumpler's bagbot and he occupied that spot on the bar for most of the evening.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

I'm a big fan of ROAD Magazine. Their articles are more US-focused in a sport where all the other good rags are UK based. They get interviews with guys I want to read about - it's not like Bicycling where there's Lance...and then everybody else. They have one of the most prolific bike-related twitter'ers in Neil Browne who is always good for the latest insight. Road Magazine has an awesome new concept - the whole magazine online. I was looking through the most recent copy and check it out: Bikehugger Green at the USA Crit finals!

Great magazine, new distribution model, and apparently it even looks good on an iPhone for all you Apple fan-boy's.

After the Urban Ride, BBQ, and scwhag-a-thon, we partied at Mellow Johnnys to conclude the Mobile Social SXSW. As the dance floor heated up, the shirts came off.

Note the video is borderline NSFW with grinding, shirtless fixie kids.

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Shimano's electronic road group Di2 (or "Electronic Dura Ace" as some are calling it) has been lauded by many as being one of the most significant developments in bike drivetrain development since the derailleur. Even many detractors who feel that the group simply complicates a mechanical arrangement that's been slowly perfected for the better part of the century recognize the craftsmanship that goes into creating a new and complex mechanism like the self-centering auto-trimming motors that drive the system.

Luckily, Di2 has an incredibly affordable price with the suggested retail on the complete group only around $5500. Wait, is this right? That must be a typo. I'm going to just make a call and be right back.

Bike Hugger is bringing the Mobile Social back to Portland Oregon and exploring the future of the web at Webvisions 2009.

We'll urban ride, party at a local pub, and put the "blog" in blogtastic at the conference.

Of course that means we'll have schwag and giveaways as well.

We're also hanging out in a Hugga Booth at the conference expo with special guests and events planned.

I'm talking about Being Interesting and doing epic shit.

Details

Check the Mobile Social Webvisions page for the details.

Speaking of womens racing, check these legs from a race last weekend. Jackie Craver crashed hard, into a ditch, and is back on the bike already.

Starting next Monday, March 30, 2009, we're giving away $100 gift cards to Onlineshoes.com. We'll be giving away four altogether, with the last give-away on April 20, 2009. Enter now and get details on the Onlineshoes.com and Bike Hugger Foot-O-Rama contest page.

As much as we travel and ride, I'm always looking versatile, comfy, durable, and stylish shoes. I'm not down with what passes for "sensible" travel shoes--those homely, clompy, "all purpose" shoes that make your feet look like their best years have passed.

I like these canvas PF Flyers from Onlineshoes.com. The simple, classic style looks nice with anything from jeans, to slacks (bring your own irony), to a sun dress (they're unisex!). But they'll also go easily from street to bike, providing decent stability on your around-town bike. In fact, I wore a pair like these all over Taiwan two Octobers ago as we rode and walked everywhere. The durable rubber soles hold up to most abuse, you won't feel bad about getting them dirty and scuffed, and the canvas uppers allow them to be smashed inside a suitcase.

If you plan to walk a lot in these, my one tip is to invest in some good insoles. I like Superfeet as an all around insole, but any supportive, cushioned insole will work.

Enter our Onlineshoes.com Foot-O-Rama contest and you could win enough to buy some of these PF Flyers and insoles.

I like women. I like bikes. I like women riding bikes. So I'm naturally a fan of the just-announced "Women's Cycling Magazine." The publication will cover "road, track, cross, mountain, college, high school, masters, lifestyle, commuting, sustainability, training, tech, product, repair, rides, community," and "community spotlight." In other words, cycling. Just for people with more ovaries than testicles.

All kidding aside, I think that vastly more women would ride bikes if the whole sport weren't so darned intimidating. I see guys in shops all the time who seem to really get on with the whole shop culture, while many women are so put off men-centric vibe in many bike shops, where questions about bike fit and function seem to take a back seat to unit sales and turnover. (That's why I've long wanted to open a women-specific bike store, but until some investors come along, I'll have to wait.)

The magazine will cost $15 for 3 issues (I think that's all that'll be coming off the presses in 2009) but the magazine's blog is already up and running. My copy's already on order.

A key to all successful relationships is loyalty to one's own needs. Skip the time-consuming relationship vetting process with this helpful t-shirt from Howies.

One thing from the 80s I still dig is anodized bike parts. Love it.

That and Van Halen -- old Van Halen without Hagar -- and anodized bike parts. Also, when all the girls dressed like Madonna. That was hot too.

Hat tip to reader Matt Haughey for making my day.

Uploaded by donttakemyscreenname | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Sit me at that table please! Spotted at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's Alice B. Toeclips Award Dinner.

Uploaded by gregraisman | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Russ Roca is a bicycling photographer that photographs everything by bike. He lives in LA without a car. His cargo bike of choice is a Bilenky — he talks about that in a comment here. I’ve ridden in LA and dude deserves props for the commitment alone.

That’s a category we should cover more — working with your bike. I’ve seen the gardener in West Seattle, but haven’t had my camera with me.

Readers,

Do you work solely by bike? Know someone that does?

Closed Loop Marketing specializes in Search Engine Marketing and joined us at the Mobile Social SXSW. This Huggacast features Lance Loveday, CEO of CLM, talking about what they do. Lance also spoke at SXSW.

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We like the Madsen bucket bike so much, we set aside a tee and brochure from the schwag they sent us for the Mobile Social SXSW.

See this shot of the Madsen carrying a Dahon.

Bryan Rhoads tipped us to Veer, a movie about bike culture.

"Veer explores America's fast-growing bicycling culture by profiling five people whose lives are inextricably tied to bicycling and the bike-centric social groups they belong to. The film follows these characters over the course of a year, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their personal struggles and triumphs. Veer examines what it means to be part of a community, and how social movements are formed."

New urban shoes just arrived from our partners at Onlineshoes.com and we're testing them out. Seen in the photo are Doc Martens Nates.

Pam's wearing Keen Sienna Mary Janes and we'll try out the new SPD-compatible Springwater.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Spotted in the Princeton Tec: Got Lights On Bikes Photo Contest pool on Flickr. I also like this one, less for the lights, and more for the pimp Euro-looking winter kit.

Uploaded by EcoVelo | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Where Bike Hugger was started on a ride in the Texas Hill Country, the Mobile Socials (our bike culture events) were thought of during an Event Apart Seattle -- an intensely educational two-day conference for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design.

During AEA's last visit here, I noticed a bike rack with other cyclists and talked to a designer about his ride in.

other designer, developer, creatives ride to events . . . Maybe they're into bike culture like we are -- hmm, that sounds like a group ride and party!

An Event Apart Seattle Attendee

Two years later and AEA is back in Seattle with Eric Meyer, Jeffrey Zeldman and their special guests. We're joining them at the event with a Mobile Social. We'll meet on Sunday May 3rd for an urban ride and beers and then on Monday AEA starts. We'll have some schwag and we're giving away a Yuba Mundo.

Barney Big Dummy and I observed the first sings of spring in Seattle. More beautiful bike friendly days are ahead!

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Dapper Lad Cycles Photostream.

The Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup kicks off in Edinburgh, Scotland with a photo opp at Calton Hill.

Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Spring is here, and people are dusting off their bikes and getting outside. I saw this sweet Schwinn this morning outside of Stumptown Coffee.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Dapper Lad Cycles Photostream.

A reader tipped us to a leather-wrapped bike by Jacques Ferrand. Setting the practical aside, the bike is a work of leather art and crafsmanship. As Arkitip notes, possibly better to have been a leather-wrapped randonee with matching luggage, but cool just the same.

See the rest of the photos on Arkitip Intel.

Update

Reader russroca tipped us to these fancy water bottle cages that'd go well with the leather bike.

District Cotton sendt us a box of the cycling-print tees, including Bike Fish and Blue Bike.

Organic, fair-trade, and with bike prints -- thank you District. We dig those tees.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Cyclists, like other endurance athletes, drink before during and after the ride. That's usually three drinks: water, some form of sugar, and recovery. H2O Overdrive, a new sports drink, combines three drinks into one and adds supplements, vitamins, and more.

A few years ago Clif and some others released upon the world what I like to call the Solid State Energy Product, energy "blocks," which are an easy-to-fondle version of the same sugary goodness that's found in energy gel.

Personally I like blocks better than shots because my brain seems to consider anything that it chews to be more substantial than anything that is slimy and so when I eat a block it registers that I've actually eaten something. Gels seem to be perceived by my brain as being a thick beverage.

The bummer, up until this month, was that the packaging for the various semi-solid fuels was very large and wasteful, and provided no assistance when it came to extracting the food mid-ride. I've lost a lot of blocks on the ground trying to squeeze them from the candy-like packaging.

Clif's changed that with their new packaging, which is brilliant. Six blocks in a row for convenient on-bike eating, and that translates for retailers into 18 units in a box instead of 12.

They've also introduced a new flavor, Mountain Berry, which is by far my favorite and tastes like the wonderful bastard offspring of a marriage of grapes and Gatorade. I've probably eaten a box worth of the blocks so far this season and I haven't gotten tired of them yet.

All the Blocks flavors are going out in the new packaging, but it might take a while for your LBS to get rid of the older style before getting these in stock. If you're in a rush, they're available directly on the Clif site.

A Zugster Backpack in olive green and field tan and waxed canvas. A cyclist can never have enough bags like these.

Uploaded by Adam A. | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

For a while there I was thinking the Age of Stupid Premier itself was stupid. Then I saw this bicycle-powered popcorn machine! Want! My guess here is that in the future age of stupid, the citizens of the UK are powering machines and propelling themselves with bikes.

Want this to go with our Bike Blenders.

At The Age of Stupid premier in London actors arrived on bikes, rickshaws, and solar cars.

Unfortunately, this shot looks like the actor Pete Postlethwaite is fighting the paparazzo with his bike or he's homeless and someone is trying to steal his bike. Here's another mellower version. And this one where he's fighting the power with his bike.

There's no badge on that bike, but it looks fixed and with a nice paint job. Vivienne Westwood and her husband Andreas Kronthaler also arrived on bicycles.

To our blogger bro in the UK, Carlton,

What bike is that?

Photo Credit: Reuters.

Riding in the rain requires skill. You don’t want to ride through puddles and prolly shouldn’t do it while holding an umbrella.

This photo reminded me of all the craziness we’ve seen while riding in various Asian countries. Like this scooter-assist in Shanghai or this guy cooking a shoe or shiny human sculptures.

Noticed on RabatJoie a mostly NSFW site.

Remember to wrap that cable around the frame next time. Unless maybe those are your in-town wheels and you're swapping them or something.

Noticed on RabatJoie a mostly NSFW site.

Our Aussie mates that ride one wheel are holding a national competition this April with racing, hockey, freestyle, trials, and mountain. Badass.

This bike appeared during the Mellow Johnnys After Party fashion show. I got this iPhone crap photo. Anyone from Austin know who made this? Does it have a name? Why is it so cool.

We’re giving away one slightly-used, prototype Yuba Mundo during the MoSo @ An Event Apart on May 3rd. We’ll ride it to the event and the lucky winner can ride it home. This Yuba was an early prototype sent to us for review and the most cargo-focused cargonistas have ridden it.

We’ve kept it just waiting for a Seattle event. See our Yuba Mundo review here and the Yuba tag for more, including this video.

With a few days of recovery, time to wrap up our MoSo SXSW 09 and let's start with thanks to our partners, props to our friends at SXSW, and a quick recap below.

Urban Ride

150 cyclists of all kinds biking around Austin.

I have, what some might call, an insatiable lust to create a lighter bike. This pursuit, nay this passion, has driven me to replace just about all the components on my bike a few times over.

Dura Ace 7800? Been there, done that. SRAM Force, uh huh. SRAM Red, loving it but gotta ditch that heavy crank. I have been known to opt for less durable parts if they're going to be lighter weight.

One area where I will not compromise though is in saddle selection--if my arse isn't comfortable, I'm not going for a ride. And if I'm not going for a ride, why am I working so hard to make my bike light?

I've tried a few all-carbon saddles, I've tried some minimally-padded saddles, and again and again my posterior keeps bringing me back to the wonderful saddles made by Fizik. (For the record, they like to spell it Fi'zi:k, but that's pretentious and weird, and really hard to type.) I've had a Fizik Aliante or Arione saddle on every just about bike I've had for the last few years and so I jumped at the chance to ride the new Fizik Antares.

Custom Bicycles A Passionate Pursuit is a coffee-table book that spans the globe with images of custom bicycles. Page 82 features the Bike Hugger Hotspur that was handbuilt by Bill Davidson. The Calfee bullhorn bike is in the book and more from all the builders you know and those maybe you don't.

The book is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Read more about the Hotspur and the thinking behind the design in this post from Mark V. Also see the Hotspur tag.

After arriving in Austin, we went out for Tacos with the Mellow Johnnys crew and talked with Erin O'Neill. She doesn't spend much time in front of a camera, and was shy, but we thought she did great and told us who this Lance guy is we've been hearing about.

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Note: I have a special spam folder for the occasional gems like this from Taiwan

Power-curved cranks use the design of golden spiral ratio, which create more pedaling efficiency than traditional cranks can provide, so that no matter bike lovers or normal riders can enjoy more fun of speed and comfortable riding.

BioPace redux. Anyone going to the Taipei Bike Show please investigate further. Totally pimp to put a pair of those on a cargo bike.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Hugga met up with B-cycle at SXSW during the Mobile Social and interviewed them about their plans to change the world with bikes.

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Media

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Hugga interviews onlineshoes.com at their Seattle HQ.

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Hugga hung out at Mellow Johnnys for an afternoon. Note all the one-of bikes in the shop.

Download now for iTunes, your iPod, iPhone, and subscribe to the Huggacast Feed for more episodes.

iPhone Users

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Media

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Note: republished post with updated and re-edited video.

One World Bikes, based in Austin, sent us home with some sweet schwag from their clothing line.

Ibex soft shell made with this crazy rubberized material and Merino wool liner. More on this jacket soon. Keith from Ibex asked me to try it out during the MoSo.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Blew through 3 kegs in a hour. BBQ didn't last long either -- ordering more kegs for next year. See you then and thanks for riding with us, partying, and hanging out.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Wore a pair of Hincapie Jeans to the After Party last night -- there was a fashion show and all. Def premium jeans, fit well, with enough room for cyclists thighs. Also comfortable enough for the short bike ride from the hotel to Mellow Johnnys.

Readers may remember that we spotted Hincapie's jeans last year when we visited Greenville SC for the Style in Motion event during the USPro Champs.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Despite the rainy weather, area cyclists showed up in droves for Cascade's annual Bike Expo. After a year in SoDo, the expo returned to Magnuson Park this year. Bigger and better than ever, exhibitors have taken over all of Hanger 30 and an adjacent tent, will several others in the surrounding area.

The events began last night with an appearance by Bob Roll. Hysterical beyond words, the audience left sore from laughter and with a better understanding of cycling from the perspective of Bobke himself. With tales of vicious climbs, unfathomable riding weather and complete debauchery, Bobke gave us his own recap of the Tour of California and predictions for what may be the most dramatic Tour de France that July has ever seen.

Events continue tomorrow at Hanger 30 where you're likely to find some day-two deals between the great line-up of presenters.

If you're not able to attend, Cascade will be tweeting and the Flickr stream is likely to have more additions.

We're kicking it at the Mellow Johnny's after party, but we wanted to take moment to throw up a Flickr set of our favorite mobile social photos. Thanks to everyone who came out for the ride and the BBQ, and thanks to our sponsors who made it all possible. See more from the Mobile Social after the jump.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Dapper Lad Cycles Photostream.

Tomorrow at 8:30 AM, we’re riding a mellow hangover ride from Mellow Johnnys out into the Texas Hill Country and back. Mellow pace and no drop. If you want to hammer, Team Hotel San Jose rides at 9:00 and will do their best to drop the tourists.

This man wants to change the world with this bike and we want to help him do it. Learn more at the B-Cycle site.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

It's the MoSo today and the weather looks better. We're riding, BBQ'ing, partying. Also giving away bikes and lots of gear plus tons of schwag.

Check the details here and sign up, if you haven't already. The ride route is mapped here.

Win this Madsen Bucket Bike

You may have seen us riding this around town yesterday and you can win it today.

Madsen Details

We're in Austin for SXSW and the Bike Hugger Mobile Social. I stopped by Mellow Johnny's today, and ran across this smallest custom bike I've ever seen. Apparently this little Don Walker track bike is in the "Custom Bicycles" Coffee Table Book. It is a little stunner. Keep an eye out for more photos from Mellow Johnny's and the Bike Hugger Mobile Social.

Uploaded by Dapper Lad Cycles | more from the Dapper Lad Cycles Photostream.

There’s even more bike culture this weekend. Just six blocks away from us at the Mobile Social SXSW, there’s a benefit for Austin Yellow Bike Project that includes an Alley Cat, music, and more

Alley Cat Race -  Longtime shop coordinator and downtown messenger Ben Lynch is throwing another exciting alley cat race starting March 14th, 3pm at the COMPOUND (4th & Attayac) next to the Scoot Inn. All proceeds benefit YBP’s new building fund. There will be an afterparty at the Compound with festivities running into the night; PONG will be the headlining band, others TBA.

We’ll stop by the benefit during our Urban Ride and after the BBQ. With that and the Mellow Johnnys After Party, it’s the Big Bike Culture day in Austin. Cool. Yellow Bikes hung out with us last year and we’ll hang with them again.

Riding the Mu EX and SL around Austin. The EX is equipped with SRAM Red and the most responsive, quickest, folder I've ridden. The Double-Tap Flat bar road shifting is splendid and the bike weighs in under 20 pounds.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Dahon is at the Taipei Bike Show and wanted to say hello. They're supporting us at SXSW with the Sycons, a SRAM Red-equipped Mu EX and Mu SL.

While we’re here in Austin for the MoSo SXSW, the Bike Expo is kicking off back in Seattle and there’s the Taipei Bike Show in Taiwan.

Metrofiets is bringing their flavor of cargo bikes to the Expo and that’s one of the bikes we’d want to see. We’d give them the thumbs up right back.

Readers,

Tell us how the Expo goes in the comments.

As connoisseurs of rain, we'll ride the MoSo this Saturday rain or shine. What type of rain does Texas get: pissing, drizzle, a deluge? Besides, we understand that Texas has been in a drought and needs it. I also fondly recall an old Trek ad showing Lance riding in the rain for 6 hours and then pulling into his garage. That motivated me more than once to ride in Seattle

Rain Plan

Urban Ride: 2 -- 4 PM, March 14th, ride as planned. We've got a gigantic tent at Brush Square Park to wait out any storm clouds. We'll group up, ride to Mellow Johnnys and then determine the best route.

BBQ: 4 -- 6PM, March 14th -- Our tent is protected from the elements and 50 degree temperatures are expected. We're there with music, food, beer, schwag and prize.

MOFO Rain

If the heavens open up, and it's a MOFO rain like this photo, we'll marvel at nature's power for a while, then ride . . .

Registration Reminder

See this post for all the details and register here

• Mobile Social SXSW -- Urban Ride
• Mobile Social SXSW -- BBQ

We'll announce how to get your name on the VIP list for the Mellow Johnnys After Party during the BBQ.

Photo Credit: DKR

Note: Robert Jolly wrote this post for us. Robert is Happy Cog's Client Relations Director based out of their Philadelphia office. He will be riding in the SXSW Mobile Social this year, and may very well be found singing off-key at OK! Happy Cog'aoke after the event and party at Mellow Johnny's.

For those of us who've been to South By Southwest before, we all know the atmosphere of the conference by day, parties by night. It's been termed "Geek Spring Break," and that won't change for the most folks, even though the economic climate is a veritable shitstorm. This year, I'll be attending panels and conference programming to get my fill of inspiration and collaborative thinking on the professional side, but my personal focus will be to improve my fitness and social well-being through training with like-minded SXSW attendees and athletes. It's both strategic and tactical that I move ahead of where I am now--on many different levels.

A few months ago I was out at the Oregon Manifest checking out everything good and biketastic there, when my friend Otis introduced me to the Super Relax team. They're a group of cycling fans and 'cross racers with one of the nicest ethic around. Cool guys avoiding the corporate logo-fest that is the average bike racer. As their site says, "No logos. No sponsors. No attitude. Just Rainbows and Talking Acorns. Yeah. Talking Acorns." You can't beat that as a mantra.

I fell in love with their jerseys, which were only available for the teammates, until scores of their Flickr fans started to beg for their own kits.

Bowing to public pressure, the Super Relax kit is now available on pre-order to the general public. Jerseys, arm warmers, hats, jackets, vests and even a pair of Convserse with the logos. Even if you don't ride 'cross in PDX, you can Super Relax in style. Order your gear now, while you still can.

And if you get super-duper into the Super Relax theme, have the good folks at Sweetpea craft you a one-off Super Relax bike.

Shot a podcast at Onlineshoes' downtown Seattle offices today. Will run it during SXSW this weekend. Onlineshoes.com talked about their cycling-related gear, including Keen's Hybrid line, and partnering with us.

You can follow Onlineshoes.com on Twitter and Keen as well.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Bright, chilly day in Seattle before we head to Austin and I spotted this bike pin up girl.

From the The Harry Ekman Gallery, date and title unknown. I'd call it Spring Time Bettie.

Note for the ladies: we posted on Matt Damon earlier in the week.

MoSo attendees will all get schwag bags filled with various schwaggy things, including the following from our partners.

Urban Ride

An Event Apart is an intensely educational two-day conference for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you've been waiting for.

An Event Apart is schwagging us out with coupons and gear.

Inspired by the vanishing subgenre of agricultural memo books, ornate pocket ledgers and the simple, unassuming beauty of a well-crafted grocery list, the Draplin design Company, Portland, Oregon in conjunction with Coudal Partners of Chicago, illinois bring you Field Notes in hopes of offering, "an honest memo book, worth fillin' up with good information."

You can write down how freakin' awesome the MoSo was on these notepads.

Rudy Project officially launched the "Rudy Project Gear Deal" - their most daring and innovative promotion to date - in March 2009. Customers get $250.00 worth of free gear when they buy a sunglass kit.

Find a flyer for this deal in your bag o' schwag.

For cyclists, the word Camelbak often evokes one of two thoughts--a nearly limitless sip of cool water in the midst of a long ride, or a heavy bladder system hunching the rider forward under its weight.

It's not the fault of the Camelbak really, it's got to do with personal preference. For many the hydration packs provide a quenching supply of fluids with a level of convenience impossible in the pre-Camelbak era. For some though Camelbak and its ilk are ungainly and difficult to use.

It is for the latter group that the new Camelbak Podium bottle will likely make the largest, ahem, splash as the company's newest twist (another intended pun, read on) on water bottle designs has made the container-based ingestion of water significantly easier and less messy.

The water bottle doesn't seem like it needs an overhaul, but Camelbak's newest product proves that sometimes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" should read "if it ain't broke, look at it harder and figure out how to improve it anyhow."

Water bottles tend to be a ubiquitous addition to most bicycles, and riders don't tend to give them much thought--until the spray from some sports drink ends up coating the downtube on a particularly bumpy ride. That's because water bottles have a pop-up nipple that's prone to leaking and prone to disgorging the contents of the bottle across tubes and legs alike.

The Camelbak Podium deals with this with two clever mechanisms, the first being a rotating shutoff valve on the top of the lid that completely closes the flow fluids with a simple twist. The second is a bite-valve nipple that's based on the company's hydration-pack system which is much less prone to splattering. It's also a joy to drink from and is much more comfortable to use than a standard bottle.

Questions are coming in on how to register for the Mobile Social SXSW. We’ve got 3 events happening, plus I’m on a panel. See this post for all the details and register here

• Mobile Social SXSW — Urban Ride
• Mobile Social SXSW — BBQ

We’ll announce how to get your name on the VIP list for the Mellow Johnnys After Party during the BBQ.

As the name implies, Pole Riders, dance on poles attached to specially-designed cargo bikes. As they say themselves,

It’s the mullet of bicycles — business in the front, party in the back.”

This idea surely should’ve come from Portland, a city of bikes and strippers, but no it’s straight out of NYC. Also on Facebook.

Note: checked for Worksafe.

You can win bikes and gear at the Mobile Social SXSW. Our partners are bringing their goods with them and giving it all away.

Ibex Outdoor Clothing

From their Ride collection, Ibex is bringing gear like these shorts.

Hed Cycling

Our bros at Hed Cycling are bringing a set of Ardennes C2 to giveaway. I hope they’ve got the new, Flamme Rouge Wheels with them for use on Sunday’s Mellow Ride.

Crumpler

We’ve given away Crumpler bags at all of our Mobile Socials and at SXSW Interactive 09 they’ll have one-off, custom art bags like these. Also visit them at Trade Show booth 127.

Onlineshoes.com

Onlineshoes.com is a new partner and they’re giving away 5, $100.00 gift certificates: one during SXSW and the rest online.

Closed Loop Marketing

The Closed Loop Marketing Crew may not make a bike-related product, but they ride just like we do and help businesses with search-engine marketing. Their CEO, Lance Loveday will tell you how to Kick Ass or Suck during a roundtable discussion on Monday and they’re occupying booth 616/717 at the SXSW Trade Show.

During the BBQ, Closed Loop Marketing will raffle off an Apple TV, a jersey from the Endurance Capital of the World, and possibly some other tech candy. That’s in addition to providing free Search Marketing, Conversion Optimization and Web Analytics assessments in their booth at the trade show. You can also stop by their booth to enter to win a magnum of Silver Oak cab.

At the Mobile Social SXSW, we’re giving away schwag, gear, and these bikes

Madsen kg271/BUCKET

A Bicycle for Utility, Cargo and Transportation - Madsen Cycles, built with the bucket option.

Madsen Details

Gary Fisher Simple City

Gary’s take on a Dutch city bike: simple, faster, lighter, and more beautiful.

Simple City Details

But wait there’s more

We’re also giving away a FreeRadical kit “hitchless trailer” to transform a bike into a load- and passenger-hauling sport utility cycle.

FreeRadical Kit Details

We had a proto on test and here's the production version in green. Features a 3 speed, rear coaster brake, front roller brake -- rack up front and back, step through frame.

Remember all that talk of Matt Damon playing Lance in a movie? Well that never happened, but the gossip blogs lit up over the weekend with shots of Matt on a bike and kitted up with his buddies on a charity ride.

Expect the standard lame spandex jokes on those blogs and I wasn’t able to find what MAD is or why their jerseys said, “are you crazy enough.”

Photo credit: WENN.

Answering our call for art and design at the Mobile Socials (MoSo) in 09, ArtBike! is bringing art with them to SXSW, including Scraper Bike prints from Matthew Reamer.

More on Scraper Bikes

• Scraper Bike Movement Gains Speed
• Scraper Bikes Site
• Scraper Bikes Movement Rolls On

Photo credit: Matthew Reamer.

During SXSW Music, a custom, signed Devo-themed Trek bike will auction to benefit the Livestrong Foundation. Mobile Social SXSW attendees can see the bike, along with Lance's TT bike, the Naked Baba Ganoush and more when we stop by Mellow Johnnys during the Urban Ride. And later at the After Party.

It's that time of year again. Us fair-weather riders are dusting off the bike and getting ready for the season ahead. This weekend's Bike Expo has a full line-up, including everything from the kid's bike zone, to the return of The Metal Cowboy. This year, Bob Roll will be joining the fun for Friday night's Expo Gala.

The Bike Expo is back at Magnuson Park this year, open Saturday, March 14th from 9:00AM - 6:00PM; and Sunday, March 15th from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. Entrance is $8 for a single day and $10 for both. (An Evening with Bob Roll requires a separate ticket.)

See you at the Expo!

From the Getting There column, a transportation Q/A,

Will Murray says Seattle put in a bike lane. But it ends in a ditch. He said that seems kind of dangerous.

By the power of Google, I found the location, but didn't see the ditch. Remarkably, there are two cyclists in the Street View. The lane is at Linden Avenue North and North 141st Street.

View Larger Map

The city promises to work with the contractor to fix the problem and I expect they will. After I wrote about the Lexus Love Tap, a city worker setup his own barriers and was out there watching for cars. It now has concrete curbs.

With new signs sharrows, and green lanes, the City of Seattle is working hard on the Bicycle Master Plan.

Readers,

Is it making a difference? I think we've all ridden on paths to nowhere, and the best (or worst) ever was the 34 seconds of Bike Lane.

Make Sweetskinz in hugga green and we're there.

Uploaded by Rock The Bike | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

In a bout of fitting timing, I came home from a ride today from Manhattan's lower east side (up the bike path and across the GWB) to read an article in the New York Times City Section about the current state of cycling in the Big Apple. As is typical for the Times, the article mostly groks the up-and-coming dominance of bikes in the transportation mix of the city and implores people to get along while straying a bit off course to take some digs at "Lance Armstrong types..." on the city streets who don't obey the laws.

As the president of the Rockland Bicycling Club, located in a county that's popular suburban destination spot for riders who come north of NYC, I'm sensitive to the feeling of frustration when so many cyclists break the law. It's not a stretch to say that fewer than one percent of riders who pass through our area obey the traffic laws completely, a PR nightmare for our club, which makes a point of obeying regulations on all of our rides. We catch a lot of flack from local officials who feel that cyclists are scofflaws who sprint through lights and weave through traffic.

But I bristle a bit when I read an article by a cyclists casting aspersions on a particular class of rider because they are "Lance Armstrong types," when what they mean is not that the riders are trying to conquer cancer nor that they have won the Tour de France, but that they are obnoxious.

This particular paragraph, in the midst of the article's plea for the city and for motorists to pay more attention to cyclists caught my eye.

The Brooklyn Bridge is an important front in the bike publicity war; it is a place where bikes are losing. The essential conflict can be grossly caricatured like this: Guys dressed as if they are in the Pyrenees stage of the Tour de France try to set speed records as Italian tourists linger in the middle of the bridge to get a photo of their cousin, Paolo, backed by the Empire State Building.>

Awesome, a single paragraph defames both me, and the tourists that I passed today while riding in Manhattan.

The larger point that the city, and indeed all cities, need to integrate cyclists is a solid one, as is the message that bikes need to obey the laws of the road in order to be granted the rights those laws afford, and makes the article worth reading.

Just please, don't use the fact that I'm wearing a jersey as a reason to belittle me. If you're on a bike, you're one of us. It doesn't matter if you're a "Really Cool Biker" (another derided class in the article) or a guy on an expensive bike. We're all trying to get somewhere without a car, and that's the important part.

I’ve been looking at this photo for a while trying to figure out all that this drivetrain does. With its pulleys and loop de loop chain line, I think you kick the the wingnut level on the rear axle to change cogs. The caption text translated to

This is to such, that as much if can pedalar onward as it stops backwards. Brilliant!

and that’s even more confusing. Maybe it’s a pedal forward and backward drivetrain? Readers?

Spotted on the Btt Do Minho Ao Vouga blog.

Movimento Alternativo 2009, on the the 25th of April, is a ride for choppers, cruisers, vintage, homemade, and whatever else in Porto, Portugal. Check the photos from last year.

A recent study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research took a look at the two most popular training tools for cyclists, heart rate monitors and power meters, and the results challenge the current wisdom of coaches and athletes.

A quick recap: Heart Rate Monitors (HRMs for short) include a strap that goes across the chest to measure the beats of the heart and a receiver (a watch or head unit of some kind) that displays the current heart rate. With information on one's resting and maximum heart rates, it's possible to calculate target zones for different types of training zones.

Power meters record the power output of a rider, either through a hub or crank/bottom bracket combination that measures mechanical strain and translates that into wattage numbers. By riding at different wattages, it's possible to perform various types of training and it's possible to see what a rider's maximum output is.

Bicycling.com the web front end to the world's highest-circulation bike magazine has for years featured a nifty resource for cyclists, a tool that allows anyone with (or without) a GPS to create maps and turn sheets that can be downloaded by any other rider.

The Rides section of the site is the location of all the GPS goodness, and it's just gotten a much-needed overhaul to the engine used to create maps and turn-by-turn directions. (Full disclosure: I am a contributor to the Rides section, which makes me expertly aware at how frustrating the old system was.)

The new system creates a "follow-the-streets" route planning system that will now automatically generate turn-sheets on the fly. The tool builds a route map and elevation profile as well.

They've also added the ability to upload geocoded images from a GPS capable camera, which then automatically links the photos to the correct location on the route map. In the last iteration of the planning software it was necessary to manually place images where you thought they should go.

The free resource is particularly great for people looking for routes in areas they're visiting, or for anyone who wants to create turn sheets for anything from a trip to the local bodega up to a multi-day event ride. If you've got a GPS unit you can download any ride on the site right into your device.

She’d pedal right into our hearts here at Hugga HQ. That’s a poster from the Art of Elvgren.

Uploaded by bballchico | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

The Mobile Social SXSW is brought to you by our Partners at these Levels of Hugga.

Here's the definitive scoop on the Hugga's mobile social day at SXSW, March 14, 2009. We've got a lot going on, so pay attention:

When: Tuesday, March 10, 4 - 6 p.m.

Where: Sam Smith Park, 1400 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, Seattle

Directions: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=4242

In response to the attack and mugging of a cyclist near Sam Smith Park on February 26, 2009, Cascade Bicycle Club will hold a rider safety community meeting at Sam Smith Park on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 4 p.m. to address the issue and provide safety information to cyclists. This most recent attack is, unfortunately, not the first to occur in the area near the I-90 bike tunnel. City of Seattle staff and representatives from Seattle Police Department's East Precinct will join Cascade Bicycle Club at the meet-up to hear from cyclists, to share ideas on how they can work together to prevent future attacks and to learn what the city is doing to address the problem. Snacks and safety information will be provided.

Cyclists who have experienced an assault or a close call while riding through the I-90 bike tunnel area are encouraged to email their story to m.j.kelly@cascadebicycleclub.org, even if the incident was not reported to the police at the time.

SXSW posted on the bike-related activities at the Interactive Festival this year, including our Mobile Social and Friday's Featured Speaker: Alex Bogusky. Alex is an ad guy (Crispin Porter + Bogusky) who's partned with Humana and Trek bicycles on B-Cycle.

B-Cycle is an audacious plan to re-center the world to bikes and is about freedom, independence, forward momentum, and prosperity. A business plan from bike heaven.

I'll miss that talk because I'm on the Make Yourself Interesting Panel at the same time, but we'll have Galen et al. there.

Spotted downtown Seattle — a Schwinn Varsity, updated, and mashed up with a Redline 925 influence. Bullhorns, straight-blade fork, clipless pedals. During the bike boom last year, talking with the industry, I heard

we should update those millions of bikes we’ve pushed out over the years. That’d help the planet and people the most.

True and this guy did just that. He’s got plans to ride it in STP this year.

This maybe a trend. I spotted a modded Redline Conquest Touring bike last Fall.

Our bros at Road Bike Action reported today that Shepard Fairey is working on a large-scale mural with a Livestrong theme.

Lance's ability to transcend cycling and tap into creative and inspiring outlets to further his message of hope to the cancer community is unparalleled.

RBA plans to be at the announcement on Saturday so we will keep you posted. Also note that we'll see some of Lance's art at Mellow Johnnys during the Austin Rides! Fashion Show and ArtBike! is representing at the Mobile Social SXSW.

As a photographer, it's hard for me to separate my creativity from my cycling, which means that I've become the defacto documentarian of my county's local bike club. I've got more than 6000 bike club photos spanning the eight years the club has been in existence, most of which were shot from the saddle of a moving bike.

I've also broken several cameras, either by soaking them in downpours (somehow I never remember to bring a ziplock bag with me when the forecast calls for deluge) or dropping them from the back of a moving bike. A camera can bounce a considerable distance, even when just dropped while trackstanding at a stoplight.

But I think I've found the perfect camera--at least for the hazardous conditions often faced while engaging in active sports. The Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 is the latest model from Olympus that provides protection both from the elements, and from being clumsy.

Pam isn't sure what she hit, it was in a shallow puddle, but boom it destroyed a rim and tire. The Ultremo, while mortally injured, did its job and got her home. Lesser tires would've required a call for roadside assistance. There's no booting a gash that big.

See the rest of the photos here.

Late night, somewhere in Pasadena.

Uploaded by ipsofatso | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Bike Sharing Boston is in the news with the city releasing an RFP.

Users would swipe some form of plastic - an ATM, credit or Charlie card - to rent the bikes for a fee that will likely range between $2 to $5 an hour, said Jim Hunt, the city's chief of environment and energy.

Officials eventually hope to expand the network to 600 stations in the greater metropolitan area with 6,000 bikes. I been to Boston a few times, have never ridden there, but it didn't strike me as particularly bike friendly. The Boston Daily reports that Bicycle Magazine consistently ranks Boston as one of the worst biking cities.

Any readers from Boston? Is is rideable?

The following was posted originally by my friend Martin, a photographer who was a hard-core cyclist when he gave up riding after an injury nearly twenty years ago. Martin had the fortune of photographing many of cycling's iconic moments and covered the Tour de France several times. About six months ago he started to ask me about bikes as he was starting to shop for a new bike. This excellent blog post is a result of his recent reflection on bikes, and I think it's a great tribute to the passion for cycling that many of us feel. The original post can be found on his blog.

Bike In Time

There's a photo, in my parent' s photo album, of a smiling, no-spectacles me. I must be around 6 or 7, maybe 8 or 9 and I'm in the back garden at the house I grew up in in Nottingham, England. I'm crouched down at the top of the steps and I have my arms around Lucky, our much beloved one-eyed dog. It's obviously summer (wasn't it always summer?) as I'm wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. In the background the lawn is dry and brown as I remember it and on that lawn, out of focus, is a bicycle lying on it's side where I'd clearly left it in a hurry to hug the dog.

Lucky and me, circa 1975. Scan courtesy of my dad. Thanks dad.

That bike was the first bike I really remember having. It was an old black-painted Phillips steel framed bike with 3-speed Sturmey Archer gears. It weighed probably more than I did. If I remember rightly it was also the bike I brought down on my head, in the shed, one fateful day around 1970. I split my head open and needed hospital treatment to stitch it all back together again. When I was tall enough to ride it, I loved that bike. It was old, it was heavy, it had straight 'bars and only three gears but I rode it constantly. In the summers my brother and I would 'speedway' it around the back garden. No wonder the grass was all brown.

Before the Mobile Social, parties and rides, I’m speaking on the Try Making Yourself More Interesting.

Joining me on the panel are

• Amit Gupta, Photojojo
• Brian Oberkirch, Small Good Thing
• David Rees, mnftiu.cc
• Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

Panel Description

There are no cheat codes for community. No Charles Atlas shortcuts to make your pet project the one to rule them all. Want people to think you’re awesome? Be awesome. This panel promises a bullshit-free look at how you might tune out the jibber jabber, tune in to those who matter, put your head down and make your online service a little bit more epic each day. We’ll dissect Bike Hugger, Photojojo, Metafilter, and other examples of Web charm for what you can do. Today, and tomorrow. And the day after. Which is how you will become what you want to be.

In other words, Do Epic Shit. That’s the motto we live by here at Hugga HQ.

The panel is Friday, March 13th 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

The panel will include extensive Q/A and hopefully good conversation about the web, social media, and blogging.

But wait there’s more

The next day, before the Urban Ride, I’m at the South by Bookstore from 12:45 pm - 1:15 pm signing Publish and Prosper: blogging for your business.

From the bike show that's a mouthful, come some favorites like this removable head badge spotted by El Cargonista. Wired noticed an IF, flat-bar fixie and see this colorful bike pile.

Uploaded by El Cargonista | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Following the Lightlane concept, Streetsblog posts about “Contrail,” a frame-mounted chalking device that leaves a trail behind. Cool, but probably not so practical in the weather. Suggest a better idea is to create GPS contrails by equipping commuters during Bike to Work month with GPS units. Then auto-upload them to a municipal community, and share rides, like the CopenCycle concept.

Note: That’s a photo simulation of Contrail in action. Credit Jessi Pervola and Studio Gelardi.

Update

Treehugger picked up the topic and it’s from a 2008 Design 21 contest. The Power to the Pedal contest has a plethora bike blog topics, including Road Share: Bicycle Social Networking. The Bike Remora — attach your bike to a car for a while for a break — that looks like a curling stone and the awesome Sound from the Wind.

While we used trucks and cars for most of our move to a temp location -- we're remodeling Hugga HQ -- the Bettie worked well for items like this Workbench.

Download now for iTunes, your iPod, iPhone, and subscribe to the Huggacast Feed for more episodes.

Media

• Watch now on YouTube
• More videos
• Huggacasts are also available in the iTunes podcast directory.

A mixed-item load like this, you just stack on the back of a longtail, strap it down, go slow, and avoid bumps. Use your longtail foo.

That's a handtruck, giant gym bag, plant. On the other side, another box of plants.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

While we used trucks and cars for most of our move to a temp location — we’re remodeling Hugga HQ — the Bettie worked well for items like this Workbench.

Check the crappy camera phone video and notes on this photo. Also, please don’t try this at home, without advanced cargo skills. Riding with that much unbalanced weight required constant adjustments to counter the twisting.

More Longtail

Recent posts we’ve written about Longtails and Xtracycles, including videos, are available on our Longtail Page.

In my years of riding bikes I've piloted my share of exotic frame materials, from aluminum to titanium, 853 to carbon fiber--but easily the most interesting of the bikes I've ever owned was grown, not machined.

I'd already ridden a Calfee Dragonfly for years when I made the mistake of asking Craig Calfee on a whim if he had any of his bamboo frames in my size. I'd loved the bamboo bike since I first saw it in his California workshop but at the time I had been fantasizing about creating a bike with a set of parts I was removing from another bike.

Not only did Craig have a frame in my size but he had one that had just come back from a dealer where it was built as a show bike--Calfee was changing the lug design of the bamboo bikes from carbon to hemp and the carbon-wrapped frames were coming back to Calfee. He'd just gotten back one in my size and the older design translated into a discount on the frame and fork combo. Even better for me, I prefer the carbon-wrapped lugs to the new hemp ones.

(Photo Credit - Levi Leipheimer)

I'm guessing $12k for a custom carbon disc brake rain bike, SRM, and SRAM RED?

If you win the Amgen Tour of California, you probably get a bro-deal. Similar setup to my Baron rain bike, but Levi's is 18lb, and mine is 22;b.

You find cool stuff on Twitter eh?

Pyramid's Spring seasonal is a mountain-bike inspired amber lager and it's a MTB straight outta the 80s.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

I had this same problem once with a bollard and thought, "maybe that'll trick a crackhead." To avoid a fail, I then U-locked the front wheel, unplugged the Stokemonkey, and toe-strapped the front brake. If the cable-around-the-bollard trick didn't fool the crackhead, he'd surely not get far with the front brake on.

Sometimes I'll also just pull right into a parking slot, and immobilize the bike, as noted above.

What are your locking techniques for a cargo bike? I know Val figures that his Dreadnaught is so intimidating few would consider stealing it and if they do, it isn't going far with the brakes locked.

Hat tip to jacobawhite