“From 2001 and 2009, the average annual number of vehicle-miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita — a drop of 23 percent.” This news comes via a report titled Why Young People Are Driving Less and What It Means for Transportation Policy recently released by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund and The Frontier Group.

But the study didn’t just find that today’s young folk are driving less, it also found that they’re cycling more: “In 2009, 16 to 34-year-olds as a whole took 24 percent more bike trips than they took in 2001.”

The overall gist of the public interest study is that young people (Generation Y) are driving change when it comes to transportation. More specifically, states the study: “Young people are driving less for a host of reasons — higher gas prices, new licensing laws, improvements in technology that support alternative transportation, and changes in Generation Y’s values and preferences — all factors that are likely to have an impact for years to come.”

Read more…

Active Lifestyle, Advocacy, Health, Lane Love, Pedaling Change bike, commute, cycle, drive, ride, young

Bike enthusiasts and photographers Stan Engelbrecht & Nic Grobler spent two years traveling in and around South Africa — capturing portraits of people and their beloved bikes along the way. The culmination of their project is a book, Bicycle Portraits, divided into three parts that encompass the portraits, stories and essays about the South African people they encountered during their journey. As stated on the home page of the Bicycle Portraits website, “Bicycle Portraits has turned into a portrait of a nation through the bicycles that they own and ride every day —revealing all manner of social, class, historical and cultural nuances never imagined.”
Read more…

Active Lifestyle, Advocacy, International, Lane Love, Pedaling Change, Video Bike Portraits, commute, humans, Lane Love, people, photography, portraits, South Africa

When you’re hopping on your bike to ride to work or to meet up with friends, often the last thing you want to do is check your tire pressure. Sure, taking the time to inflate  bike tires can sometimes slow you down and if you admit to filling your tires to less than their proper pressure for whatever reason, you’re probably not alone (but you are reducing your bike’s full performance capacity).

While it might take time, it’s important to keep your tires properly inflated to guard against flat tires and rim damage, especially if you hit a curb or pothole. Taking the time to inflate your tires is a lot less frustrating than realizing your tire is flat halfway to your destination, in the pouring rain and without a spare… you get the gist. Added bonus: properly inflated tires make your bike easier to pedal, and increases the life of your tires.

How often you need to pump up your tires depends on the tire, but as a rule of thumb: high pressure road bike tires should be pumped up at least once a week, hybrid tires every two weeks, and mountain bike tires at least every two to three weeks.

With bike commuting on the rise, we’re seeing a boost in bike-focused repair stations and most recently a Free Air Station — a unit that prompts riders to first, find and enter their tire’s correct pressure reading and, next, inflate their tire to its perfect level in a super speedy five seconds. What’s more, if you get to a station with over-inflated tires, it’ll let you know and take the extra air out.

We wouldn’t be surprised to see Free Air Stations popping up in cycle traffic-heavy locations like bike shops, coffee shops, breweries and the like in the near future; it only seems a matter of time before retailers realize the benefit of providing an easy space for riders to fill up, so to speak, and potentially stop in during the process. What better way to show your support for cycling than by offering riders with an easy way to increase their bike’s performance and the enjoyment of their ride?

Since the Free Air Stations haven’t hit neighborhoods quite yet, you still want to make sure you’ve got those tires inflated correctly. Here’s a quick rundown of how to do it yourself…

1. Identify if you have a Schrader or Presta valve. Schrader valves are typically wider in diameter and shorter than Presta valves and inflating the tires will be a bit different for each valve.
2. Find the recommended PSI for your tires. This number range is usually on the side of your bike tires.
3. Find a pump. Having your own pump is crucial if you’re going to be a frequent commuter or cyclist, so in our opinion it’s worth picking one up from the get-go. If you don’t have one, borrow one from a friend or swing by your local bicycle shop.
4. Inflate the tire. Unscrew the rubber cap on top of the valve and put it somewhere safe so you don’t lose it. Put the pump on the valve. If there’s a lever near the nozzle, make sure it’s in the open position (parallel to the nozzle) when you’re putting it on the valve. Snap the lever down into the closed position (perpendicular to the nozzle) when it’s on. Keep an eye on the PSI as you pump. Flip the lever back up to remove the pump, then return the cap to the valve.

Presto! You’ve got yourself a tire that’s ready to ride. If you have questions, just ride into your local bike shop. The community holds a wealth of knowledge and is usually more than willing to help you out.

PHOTO via: Bike World News

Every Monday on Lane Love, we’ll be featuring bicycling news, stories and photos from around the world. Have a lane that you love? Send us a photo! You can post it to our Facebook page or upload to our Flickr group and we might just feature it here on Lane Love.

Active Lifestyle, Advocacy, Lane Love, Pedaling Change bike shop, Free Air Company, Free Air Station, inflation, performance, pump, ride, tires

When we learned of the new ticketing policies taking place in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, we couldn’t help but wonder if it’s bound to become a microcosm of the bicycling in the U.S.: relatively un-policed, but for how long?

Prospect Park offers those in Brooklyn with 585 acres of natural land and — more importantly — a popular roadway for cyclists and pedestrians alike. And until about four months ago, says neighborhood news source The Brooklyn Paper, this roadway presented cyclists both hardcore and recreational with a paved place outside of the dangers of New York’s roadways with a place to ride without inhibition. Now, tickets ranging from $50 to $200 are being doled out by park police, stopping bicyclists from running red lights, riding against traffic and even speeding. The neighborhood news source says 188 tickets have been handed out to cyclists in the last four months.

Read more…

Active Lifestyle, Advocacy, Lane Love, Pedaling Change Cycling, Lane Love, law enforcement, New York, pedestrians, Prospect Park, safety, shared pathways, ticketing

Are you cringing every time you drive past the gas stations these days, like we are?  It’s no surprise that as the gas prices rise, cycling is also on the rise.  We thought that you may enjoy this article from Chicago Now, regarding this topic.  Happy trails!

It happened in 2008.  It’s happening again.

Gas prices are rising.  Rapidly.  Inexplicably.  In an election year, coincidentally.

Unless you are an heir to an oil fortune, an executive at a multinational oil company, or a Wall Street speculator, this is probably not good news for you.  It likely falls somewhere between monkey wrench and economic catastrophe.

When this last happened four years ago, there was a nationwide shortage of 27 X 1 1/4″ bicycle tires.

For the 99% not familiar with bike tire sizes, 27″ tires were last popular in the 1980′s.  Back in ’08, people were dragging old ten-speeds out of sheds, down from attics, up basement stairs, out of garages and into bike shops in record numbers.  The bike boom of the 1970′s had been accurately recreated without terry cloth shorts and striped tube socks…

Read Full Article Here.

Photo via Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop – Austin, Texas.

Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!

Advocacy, Ditch Your Car Chicago Now, RIsing Gas Prices

Ever wondered how much your pocketbook may benefit from you ditching your car? We have and were excited to read this article, originally posted by Out Of Your Rut. We hope that you are inspired to trade the car keys in for your bike lock, next time you need to run an errand.

Read more…

Advocacy, Ditch Your Car bike commuting, bike to work, cars, traffic, travel

Ditch Your Car to provide youth in crime ridden cities an outlet of fun, education, love and life. We first saw “Scrapertown” at last year’s 5Point Film Festival in Carbondale, Co.  Baybe Champ was on the scene to talk about this film and to bring an inner city point of view, to an otherwise very white audience.  As a result, we were all in awe of his story and his grace; overwhelmed with love for what Champ has dedicated his life to and humbled by our own lives.  So today, we wanted to post this film to remind each of you, that there is always an alternative to the life that is seemingly ‘dealt’ to you.

The requirements of becoming a member of the Scraper Bike Team:

“In order to become a member of the Original Scraper Bike Team, you must: Be a resident of Oakland, CA. Be at least 7 years old or older. Retain A 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA), Create your own Scraper Bike…(It Has To Be Amazing, Or Else You Can’t Ride.) A single-file line when riding. After 10 rides The Scraper Bike King and his Captains will decide if your bike is up to standards and if you can follow simple guidelines. After your evaluation we will consider you a member and honor you with an Original Scraper Bike Team Shirt. Only worn when Mobbin’ Stay posted to our website for all upcoming Scraper Bike Rides…” — The Scraper Bike King

A film by Drea Cooper & Zackary Canepari

Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!

Advocacy, Ditch Your Car 5Point Film Festival, Baybe Champ, Scrapertown

Everybody remembers his or her first bike. Mine was a blue Schwinn — traditional bars and a seat with a metallic blue paint.  In particular, I remember my first ride without training wheels. My father ran alongside me in an empty parking lot pushing and balancing me and then I was free — spinning away from my Dad, pedal, pedal, pedal — already worrying what to do when I came to a stop because the bike would now TIP OVER!! That bike saw many miles and many tip-overs. Over the years, it was shamed by my envy of Schwinn sting-rays only to rise proud again, converted to BMX style.

Osprey was introduced to 88Bikes when we first entered the bike industry with our Osprey Hydraulics™ line of hydration packs. Their model is simple yet incredibly powerful: provide bikes — often the first — to young people living in challenging environments across the planet. In places like Cambodia, Uganda and Peru the addition of a bicycle to a young person’s life almost always is a life-changing event.

Read more…

Advocacy, Non-profits, Osprey Life 88bikes, Navajo Nation

The following is an urgent message from Jim Sayer, executive director of American Cycling Association.

“Today, the leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives is releasing its long-term federal transportation bill. Cycling groups expected the bill to be bad news for biking and walking, but we didn’t think it would reverse all progress made in this country in the past twenty years.

The House Transportation Committee will vote Thursday, February 2, on whether to approve this bill or amend it to include biking and walking programs. Find out if your Representative is on the committee by clicking here — and if he or she is, then take action right away.

Why the urgency? House leaders are pushing hard to completely cut bicycling and walking out of transportation. Lawmakers seem to have gone through federal law line-by-line to gut programs that make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. They haven’t done this to any other transportation sector. Among many terrible provisions, the House bill:

• Destroys the major bike/walk funding program (Transportation Enhancements);
• Repeals the Safe Routes to School program, which helps create safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school;
• Allows states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles;
• Eliminates bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs; and
• Strips language which ensures that rumble strips “do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians, or the disabled.”

But there’s still a chance to save federal bike/walk programs. This week in the House Transportation Committee, Representative Tom Petri (R-WI) plans to offer an amendment to restore dedicated funding for key programs. Please click on the action alert to see if your Representative is on the committee — and if they are, contact them asap and ask them to support Mr. Petri’s amendment.

This is as urgent as it gets. Even if Mr. Petri’s amendment succeeds, there will be a long road ahead. But if we lose here, we risk losing decades of progress for a more bike-friendly America.

Please pass this along to all your local friends and contacts – particularly high-level contacts like mayors, school board members, and business leaders — and ask them to weigh in, too. Thanks so much for your quick action and we’ll keep you posted.

Photo from iStockPhoto.com.

Every Wednesday on Ditch Your Car we’ll be bringing you just another reason to spend more time on two wheels. Be it a photo, a statistic or an inspirational video, we want to keep reminding you about why riding is great!

Advocacy, Ditch Your Car Adventure Cycling Association

On October 4, Adventure Cycling announced the receipt of four new grants totaling $100,000 to support its efforts to create the U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS).The grants came from a number of prominent foundations and a leading cycling business: $45,000 from the Tawani Foundation; $30,000 from the SRAM Cycling Fund; $15,000 from the Surdna Foundation; and $10,000 from the Lazar Foundation. The grants from Tawani, Surdna, and Lazar focus on the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The grant from SRAM will support Adventure Cycling’s work on the USBRS, as well as its efforts to help understand and organize the bike-travel industry. Read more.

Louisiana progress is clicking along with the help of the Baton Rouge Advocates for Safe Streets. Resolutions of Support for USBR 90 are steadily being passed by parish governments. Check out their website devoted to the project.

To stay up-to-date on the USBRS, follow the conversation on Facebook or Twitter,@usbicycleroutes.

New to the U.S. Bicycle Route System? Read our U.S. Bicycle Route System 101 blog post to get the basics and follow our weekly blog posts on Building the U.S. Bicycle Route System to stay up-to-date on USBRS developments.

Don’t forget, the USBRS is on Twitter and Facebook — show your support, follow our tweets and become a fan!

Photo via: Adventure Cycling Association

Active Lifestyle, Advocacy, Osprey Life Adventure Cycling Association, Bike Routes, SRAM, U.S. Bicycle Route System