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It's raining :)
Finally, the monsoon 2009 has hit Chennai.
Rain usually comes late here and starts late October or early November and continues for a month. Last year, hurricane Nisha plunged the city in waters for almost a week.
Usually it's me who catches the cold first but this time my bike which has showed the signs after the rains splashed. Last night, I had to take an auto to get back home after an hour long effort to start the bike and many thanks to apartment's watchman who was with me in that failed effort.
It's time for shorts and slippers :)
Exercise mood-lift can last 12 hours
People always told me that exercise can be addictive, but having always been a books-and-computer sort of guy, I did not believe it. But when I got into bicycling last year for weight loss, I found that the old wisdom was correct. I now find myself longing for exercise after a day or so without it. Now, new studies show the lifting of mood from just 20 minutes of exercise can last up to 12 hours! Your bicycle may be the best way to combat depression. Get riding now!
Is parking key to expanding bicycling?
There is a hidden barrier to cyclists all over the country - where do you park the bike when you get to where you are going? Some communities provide bike racks, but most places provide no official place to lock up a bike and in many cases have banned securing bicycles to trees, cart return structures, etc. In general, a cyclist makes their best guess as to the most appropriate place, locks things in place, and prays that the bike is there when they emerge from the store.
Now, finally, some cities are doing something about this state of affairs. For example, the NYC "Bicycle Access Bill" which requires buildings to allow cyclists to bring their vehicles inside for storage between rides. Click thru to see many more efforts in cities around the country.
World’s Fastest Street Bike
The WARM UP introduces its new bike at the Essen Motor Show 2009.
The Asphaltfighters Stormbringer concept is transformed by WARM UP Zweiradtechnik GmbH, one of the world’s leading custom bike manufacturers based in Germany. The Stormbringer's Top speed is more than 320 km/h (200+ mph), its engine produces 220 HP, 280 with booster. They promise spectacular design, we will see it in Essen.
Via WARM UP.
File this under "Brilliant or Evil Genius"
I am not quite sure what to make of this one. Inspired by Johnny Appleseed, two design students have created an add-on to bikes designed to seed cityscapes with flowers. The idea is a mixture of bubble solution and tiny flower seeds are put in, then the natural motion of the bicycle generates a wind thru the device which blows bubble filled with the seeds. The bubble drift naturally thru the city streets and land in cracks and crevices where they sprout and produce impromptu gardens to delight the eyes.
Is this a genius idea? Yes. But one must wonder if it is evil genius, since I am sure city planners will be worried about these impromptu gardens increasing erosion of sidewalks and streets, requiring more frequent repaving projects. Then again, maybe I am looking a gift horse in the mouth. What do our readers think?
Bike Boats?
There are many different ways that cycling can get you to your destination - road bikes, hybrid bikes, tandem bikes, mountain bikes, trikes, recumbents, etc. But who new that cycling could get you across a sizeable body of water? Enter boat bikes! A very cool idea that reminds us of the old paddle boats, but without the obligatory swan design.
Bike Sharing program fails at a small Christian College
I am an alumnus of Houghton College - a small Christian liberal arts college in upstate New York. It is a small campus with everything within walking distance, and most classes centered around a single courtyard. Seems like the idea place for a bike sharing program, doesn't it? Check out a bicycle at the dorm, ride to class or the cafeteria, check it back in, then when you are done check out another one to get back to the dorm. But when the college tried it, the whole program was a miserable failure. Why?
"One obvious conflict between the bike share program and the Houghton community is the fact that we don’t need the bikes. Cities like London and Paris use the bikes to promote green living and reduce noise. This is not the case at Houghton. Houghton is not a city. It is not plagued by the same pollution and noise problems that a city is. The students who are using the bikes are the same students who would have previously walked between campus destinations. They’re not using less gas and they’re not honking less because these were not characteristics of their life before the bike sharing program...
The system only works if we take on the responsibility to care for the bikes. It makes an appeal to our better nature to care for the bikes, but doesn’t provide any sanctions and the force of the benefits is not enough for us to want to take responsibility for it. Part of the appeal is that we aren’t forced to take responsibility. When leaving a note is all that we are supposed to do when a bike is in a state of ill-repair, the actual responsibility of the bikes becomes some sort of joke. Are we really expected to treat the bikes with respect when the consequence of not doing so is…nothing? Initially irritated about the mistreatment of the program, that one or two students were disrespecting the bikes and ruining it for the rest of us..."
There may be such a thing as a community too small for bike sharing.
