I just by chance happened on the April 10 issue of THRIVE Magazine.
(Thrive is the "alternative" to the "alternative weekly" local news rag, put out by the mainstream daily news rag.) (Confused?)
It's their annual "Bike Issue." (Click on the word THRIVE above, to be redirected to the online version.)
There may be some interesting articles; I'll definitely have to check it out. In the past, I've eagerly grabbed one out of the (free) box, and have been sorely disappointed when it was all about "bikes as toys." Aimed at people who recreate on their bicycles, and essentailly nothing about bikes-as-transportation. Maybe they're catching on.
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
11 comments:
Hi:
The Bike Issue is online here:
http://tinyurl.com/2trzma
I don't really like Thrive/The Statesman. However, I think they did an OK job this year, and it's better than what I've seen in years past.
Near and dear to our hearts: one of the bigger McStories is about bike commuting.
Bike Nazi said:"Aimed at people who recreate on their bicycles, and essentailly nothing about bikes-as-transportation. Maybe they're catching on"
Now if we could only get the bike shops to catch on. I was looking for a used fork(need brakes) to create my Xtracycle and most said they don't deal in used parts. Then they ask what it is for and I tell them. They ask why not a trailer(potential sale). Or I can tell they are thinking "Why would you do that?"
As fuel prices rise, the utility of the bike will come back to where it was 50 years ago.
db - I guess it was rather obscure, but if you click on THRIVE in the post, it's a link to the story. (I will clarify it.)
(By the way, I LOVED you in "Young Frankenstein!" hahahahaha!)
Didn't see that link, Bikeboy. Not obscure, I was just in a hurry.
By the way, it's EYE-gore.
Clancy, we could probably start a blog that was nothing but rants about bike shops around here. It's not the shops, per se, but some of the folks working there who ... just ... don't ... get it.
When I need used parts, the best luck I have is at World Cycle - they seem to keep anything useable. But that's just based on a couple of experiences where they've put on used parts for me. I've killed a lot of derailleurs in my day.
That's a pretty good article, I'm impressed. It does seem like they must be catching on.
That db guy is always leaving interesting comments on your blog, but his profile doesn't list any blogs of his own. I suspect he has one. Any ideas about that?
db- My shop for used parts and wheelin/dealin is A-1 Bikes on Vista.
DB is an enigma. (I've got some suspicions, but they're nothing more than suspicions.)
I agree... DB understands the topic!!
I agree about the used-parts situation; it's good to hear of some sources. (There certainly isn't any shortage of dead/abandoned/going-to-seed bikes out there... somebody needs to harvest the usable organs.)
("Woody" at George's on State has been a friend of mine for 40+ years; there is nobody with more integrity or honesty. I'd never hesitate to aim somebody at Woody, if they need bike or parts advice.)
I'm glad I'm not the only one that dislikes their bike shop experiences. I find the people at most shops to be haughty. I can understand the heightened sense of self-worth as a cyclist -- I have that, too. But I consider that to be in contrast to DRIVERS, not to other cyclists!
I especially dislike George's Cycles on State, though maybe, on Bike Boy's advice, I'll ask for Woody next time.
I finally stopped into the tiny newish shop that's only about a 1/4-mile from my house, and I think I'll start going there. If anyone's in the area, they're on Lander Street, just north of State. It sits back in a ways, next to a house. I can't think of the name now, but you can't miss it.
The more I think about this, the more it seems that haughty bike-shop folks are a great way to discourage car-addicts from trying cycling. I keep going back because I must, but if I were a mere recreational cyclist, I would definitely find this conceit to be a reason to not return.
Whoa, cool, an enigma?
But not really. Bikeboy, I'm the guy who e-mailed you probably two months ago about your Bikeboy site -- where the link to COMPASS' bikeways map was broken, remember? You informed me of this blog in your answer, and I started checking in soon after.
I don't have a blog because I have too many "projects" in my life already. It amazes me how many new posts Bikeboy can put up in a week. I couldn't keep up.
Glad we're identifying parts places. Those folks are important. I will make a point of visiting A-1 Bikes on Vista in the future.
I would fall on the side of Danielo regarding George's on State. For a reasonable fee, they put my road bike together for me (an Ebay purchase). But I had continual drivetrain trouble with it (and repeated visits to George's for adjustments) until I took it over to World Cycle, where one used $25 derailleur fixed the problem.
DB... oh, yeah! (I still haven't fixed that busted link. Too busy crankin' the blog - haha! Actually I get/compose a lot of my "material" when I'm bicycling about. The rest is just furious 2-finger typing!)
Danielo... don't get me started about MUCH of the "George Attitude." (Ask for Woody by name... he's NOT typical.) The worst are the cyclists who ride around in their "George's" jerseys. If I greet one, which I'm prone to doing, frequently he acts like I'm wasting his air! Yeah, that shirt makes you real special, buddy... NOT!! (Maybe not all "George's" riders are that way, but that seems to be the prevailing attitude. Too bad. Maybe they should change their slogan to "Run by SNOOTY cyclists, FOR snooty cyclists.")
Okay... I've vented.
(-;
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