Well it looks a if the NYPD are wrapping up their year of harassment (yeah I said it.) otherwise known as “operation safe cycle,” by setting their sites on Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Safe cycle, would be an appropriate title, if the cops truly were into a safety campaign instead of what we’ve seen through the last 12 months, misuse of enforcing the laws and a ridiculous effort to penalize cyclists.
Now they are handed out this to riders in Brooklyn’s most cycled park:
Wow, what an intricate graphic campaign they’ve designed to educate the ridership in the name of safety. Instead of taking an artistic approach like the D.O.T. and it’s Curbside Haiku signs, the NYPD simply ripped out a page from the vehicle code and are handing out in the park. Their goal is to maintain a 25mph speed limit and ticket bikers and skaters who violate it. This may be a crushing blow to the dentists and their $10,000.00 titanium filled peletons that often wreck havoc but for the rest of us I think it’s hard to achieve that speed.
I could go on about this but I think Brooklynspoke best summed it up in his last blog post, especially with this part:
I’m all for an enforcement of rules and safe riding in Prospect Park; lord knows the park would benefit immensely from an improved culture of respect among all users, especially training cyclists. But if the standard accident rate for initiating an NYPD response is at least two serious crashes in six months, why isn’t the NYPD passing a similar flier out to drivers all over the city every single day of the week?
Check out the Chicks on Bikes Radio, a collective documenting and educating young woman about the benefits of cycling across the US.
Our Story: We travel, we talk and we interview…celebrating the extraordinary girl next door. An internet radio show, podcast and interview project aimed and women and cycling. (That’s bicycles – if you were wondering). Over the next six months we are raising funds and awareness to launch the initial pilot project aimed at getting teen girls riding bikes – called The Riders & Writers Project
Chrome Bags got together with another American original, Miller high life beer and to celebrate their new line of bags and apparel,
their having a sweet giveaway.
In celebration of the release of the limited edition Miller High Life & Chrome bag collection, the two brands have partnered to bring you the greatest Holiday sweepstakes ever! Enter here for a chance to win this incredible prize package for you and a guest:
–Round trip airfare for two to Chicago.
–Accommodations for three nights.
–2 custom Miller High Life Citizen messenger bags made to order at the Chrome Chicago Shop.
–Ground transportation to Milwaukee.
–A VIP Tour of the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee.
–Beer sampling at the Bavarian-style Miller Inn.
–Two Tickets For the Annual “Holiday Lites†Festival in downtown Milwaukee’s Miller Valley.
Here is some videos found on the webosphere to fill your Friday with bike love.
I was sent this one from a reader: Kiel. Seems like this bike train (bike pooling) is taking off. Here is one about biketrainpdx.org biking to school in a group, Portland Oregon style.
Cloud Rock La Belle is the quintessential hippie, still living a perpetually stoned and carefree lifestyle 40 years after the 60s ended. In BEYOND THIS PLACE Cloud Rock’s son, writer/director Kaleo La Belle, attempts to re-connect with his absentee father by taking a 500 mile bike trip together around the Pacific Northwest. From behind the camera, Kaleo struggles to understand a man so different from himself while Cloud Rock works to form a functional relationship with the son he has never truly known. Poignant and often funny, BEYOND THIS PLACE examines the sometimes unconventional bonds of family.
Receive this press release from NYC’s Spokesman Cycles about crafty contest:
NYC BIKE SHOP OFFERS $50 PRIZE FOR BEST CYCLING HAIKU
(New York, NY, Nov. 30, 2011) As New York City’s Department of Transportation unveils its “Curbside Haiku” safety education campaign, one local chain of bicycle stores is betting its customers are just as creative. Spokesman Cycles is holding a contest for the best haiku about riding a bike in New York. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate.
Entries can be posted on the Spokesman Cycles Facebook Page until December 9th. The poem garnering the most “likes†by December 14th will win. Complete rules are available at our Facebook page.
Spokesman Cycles has stores in Union Square, Long Island City and the Atlas Park Mall. A new East Side store, at 313 East 60th Street is opening soon. The stores sell, repair and rent bicycles and are known for a well-curated selection of bicycle parts and accessories. Spokesman Cycles is family owned and operated.
I mean really? I saw this flyer posted in my neighborhood in Park Slope Brooklyn.
I felt moved and contacted the owner via the gmail address.
Amy, wrote back:
I will certainly post on bikewatch. We are heartbroken!
The bike was well secured with a heavy kryptonite-like heavy chain. It was even tarp covered to protect from the rain. Whoever took it had to have at least 4 ft. bolt cutters, but even with that it would have been a hard job. The person took it in the dead of the night, the night before thanksgiving. It seems pretty calculated.
We will take any help we can get. Thank you! I’ll attach a flyer and a few photos. Please feel free to spread the word. If there are other places or people we should contact as well, please let us know. Someone MUST know where it is! It’s a pretty hard bike to hide.
Again, thank you!
All the best,
Amy
Here are some photos to make you sad or angry or both…
The Bike,
So if you see someone hauling a bunch of scrap metal down to the Gowanus in this contraption…let us know.
The family, now without what must be the greatest bike commute ever.
I mean really, thief…you stole this kids family bike…I hope you get nothing for Christmas, except a baloney sandwich in Central Booking and processed for grand theft.
I’d like to personally spearhead a collection for Amy and her family to raise funds to replace this bike. Anyone want to help donate…let me know.
mgreen(at)bikeblognyc.com
Many NYC cyclists are opposed to this mainly because riding here is such information overload and who needs more distractions. I always adhere to the rule of having one ear bud headphone in and consider myself an experienced enough rider to handle all the bombastic forces weighing down on me from every angle. Then of course that dude rolls by with some thundering bass sound system that costs more for one amp then my entire bike collection. I know, intimidating and quickly drowns out my Chickcorea.
It’s enough to make me want to throw down with a sound clash, but before I end up like these guys: (source: NYTimes “Biking to a Different Beat.” by Tyler Hicks.)
There is a very cute product out there for us bikers which I think should be on everyone’s Chanukah lists…
This company was super nice to send me a free one, and in my favorite color no less.
This speaker is the BB1 which is connected with a retractable mini to mini cable that goes from most iphones, ipods and protable mp3 devices or a laptop, right into the back of the unit. The skulls eyes are the speakers and for such a small device (about the size of a clenched fist) this little guy packs a punch, even on the loud streets of Grime town NYC. It has a super strong clip for mounting to a messenger bag strap or hip pouch and isn’t about to fall off. It charges with a mini USB into the unit and a standard USB for a computer port or that white cube iphone charger. It lasts for about an 4 hours (at full volume) on full charge and it indicates the charge with a blue LED in the star on the top of the speaker. It takes an hour to fully charge. The volume is controlled with your music devise of choice, so there are no audio controls on the BB1 itself, and I kind of enjoy the simplicity, just an on/off button.
There is now a BB2 bluetooth wireless version available.
There is a huge variety of colors and styles including my personal favorite…a Carbon Fiber.
Ok, it’s not going to blow anyone away like this guy:
But for a little portable speaker for around ($50.00-the wireless one is more) the boombotix is a very convenient little machine with really clear sound. This is the perfect speaker to ride with and then compliment your laptop sounds or park picnic.
The Bird Wheel has done it again, an excellent resource for bicycle information here in NYC. Check out their latest page and meet custom bike builders such as Seth Rosko, Johnny Coast (Coast Cycles) and Lance Mercado of Squarebuilt.
Here’s a unique holiday gift idea, a portrait of the New York City cycling community taken by photographer Dmitry Gudkov. All this week he’s having a print sale:
In honor of Cyborg Monday or whatever the made-up consumer occasion is, I’m holding a bike portrait print sale. All this week, Monday-Friday, any bike portrait print order is 20% off. Sure, the portraits look nice on the web, but to have a physical print on your wall is another story. Print them big, and they really breathe. So get one or get two for your girlfriend, boyfriend, mom, dad, grandma, or just get one for yourself. Or just send this link to your mom. I’ve spent so much time creating these photographs and post-processing them to be as perfect as possible, I don’t want them languishing in web-res. Prices are going up in 2012 so this is the best time to snag one of these beautiful prints.
Head over to the print store and enter the code Rideabike at checkout. Happy Holidays!
