Bike Hugger 

MyFox Atlanta | Proposed Cobb Ordinace Would Limit Bicyclists (video)

A popular Atlanta recreational cycling route is under attack, as residents of the neighborhood are pushing for a “no-cruising” ordinance that could fine riders who pass any point on the route more than twice in an hour.

Columns Drive runs along the Chattahoochee River, just inside Cobb County. It’s adjacent to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and cyclists have ridden laps on Columns Drive, 2.5 miles long, for as long as I can remember (and I was rafting the Chattahoochee 20 years ago). The road is wide, with a wide shoulder; it’s a dead-end (marked, I believe, at 25 mph) which limits traffic; and because it runs parallel to the river, it’s as level as anything in Atlanta. Also, there’s a large parking lot just across Johnson Ferry Road from the mouth of Columns Drive, so many riders drive to the lot, then do 5-mile laps.

Engadget | Motorola to roll out cellphone-charging bicycle in “emerging markets”

Motorola instantly responded to Apple’s iPhone announcement with an announcement at CES that they’ll soon be in the bicycle business. Seriously.

Seems Motorola wants to sell its mobile phones into China and other nations with little or no electricity, so they’re turning to a Motorola branded, generator-equipped bicycle with a charging station right on the handlebars.

What amazed me the most (and there was plenty of amazingness) about Apple’s iPhone announcement, is that I was thinking, “who cares about an mp3 phone, or a ‘smart phone!’” The sweet spot is taking your home folder on the road with you, in your hand or jersey pocket and that’s what Apple designed. Just amazing. I was hoping for an “internet communicator.”

I’ve held onto my Sony Ericsson T-616 for more than 3 years waiting for a product like this. I kept the Sony in part because of the small size and feature set. In it’s day, it was a benchmark of design – works as phone, nearly worthless mMode aside, and as a GPRS bluetooth modem for quick email checks in an airport or on the road. And mostly if fits inside a Timbuk2 strap pouch, which fits right inside of my jersey pockets.

Here’s how the iPhone announcement unfolded with photos and all the features. As soon as it’s available, I’m buying it and riding with it. Check the demo from Apple’s site.

Gunwharf Wheelie I, by Monster..

A bicycle built for you - Los Angeles Times (free reg. required)

A little behind the New York Times (You Paid How Much for That Bike? in November ‘06, now behind their ridiculous paywall), the L.A. Times takes a look at custom high-end road bikes, interviewing Rob Vandermark of Seven Cycles and Lennard Zinn.

There’s also a good summary of traditional road bike fitting conventional wisdom: Knees over pedal spindle, handlebar flat obscuring the front hub, with balls of your feet directly over the pedal axle and your feet parallel to the top tube. Pain in the front of your knee means your seat is too low, while pain in the back of your knee means you’ve cranked it up too high.

Those are all good rules of thumb, but keep in mind that different physiology may require different positioning; if any of those rules don’t work for you, talk to an experienced bike fitter at a shop.