Are you one of those people who would ride to work IF there was a place to lock up your bike and a place to clean up?  Or maybe you’ve begged for a bike rack at work only to get no response? Fear not….you now have a resource to turn to for help.

Our good friends at the Bike League (.org) have launched the Bicycle Friendly Business program.  BFB provides technical assistance to companies and organizations so they may foster a healthier workplace. 

The BFB evaluates applicants but just because a company applies doesn’t mean they will earn the designation “bicycle friendly business.”   Still, they just might learn what it is they need to do to become bike friendly. 

 Send this link to the decision makers in your company:www.bicyclefriendlybusiness.org. You might try putting “how to lower company health care costs” in the subject line.   And, if you do work for a Bike Friendly Business, tell me what your company does–I’m interested in knowing what works.

Here at Trek we have showers and a “commuter room” to store our bikes.  In our cafeteria, all the “healthy” food (salads, yogurt, sandwiches) is rather cheap and the less healthy food (chips, fries, soda) cost enough to make it easy to choose the better food.  If you really want that big gulp, it’ll cost you a buck fifty!  Milk or juice however, is just .50.   The weight watchers food score is on the menu next to each item so those on the program can select the best choice. 

 What’s in your lunchbox??

I got an email from the brilliant bike advocate, Tim B. (Bikes Belong.org) who was watching PBS Evening News Hour last night.  On the show Professor John Cochran of the University of Chicago  singled out the “Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act” which is included in the credit bailout bill that the House will vote on tomorrow, as THE prime example of what’s wrong with the revised bill that the House will consider.

I would have to agree with Tim that extra stuff tacked on to a rescue plan (presumably to broaden the bill’s appeal) isn’t the best light to put bicycling in, especially right now.  But it is politics.  Timing is everything.

Still, an election year is a good time to stay focused on growing the bike piece of the transporation pie.   If you ride a bike to work or for exercise there has never been a better time to raise your voice in support of bicycle infrastructure.

When’s the last time you wrote a letter to your local or state lawmakers? Hummm??  If the answer is “more than a year” giddyonup to your desk and google your state legislator’s name and address and start writing . Not sure what to say? Here’s a simple, short message:

Dear ____; I ride bikes and I vote.   What is your plan to increase the safety for bicyclists in (town/state)?

Feel free to ad lib, of course.  Then, after you’ve sent your letter you can follow along on who ISN’T supportive of bikes at the Bike League.org.  They’ve got a  new page to track trash talking politicians and arms you with data so you can talk back.  That’s courtesy of another brilliant bike advocate, Andy Clarke.  This is good stuff:

http://www.bikeleague.org/action/trashtalk/

I rarely get time to watch TV so when I got an email with the link to the Today Show story on World Bicycle Relief, I just had to pass it on. 

F.K. Day, who founded the WBR group is a featured “Hero” on this very website.   This story is touching and shows the impact that the simple and humble bicycle can have.   Maybe for us a bike is transportation but for some, it’s a lifeline. 

Click here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/26950282#26950282

We are in week two of the Go By Bike Pledge event with 4.5 million miles pledged by 14,000 people. (I haven't looked at the site since this morning so we're likely well beyond those numbers). The best thing about this Go By Bike Pledge event is the comments I'm getting from all over the world. What is the theme of most of the emails? "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, thanks for giving me a kick in the pants!"

Well, those aren't exactly the words but that captures the spirit of the most common response coming by this desk. And is it me or am I seeing a WHOLE LOT of news stories about "going by bike?" CBS ran a very thoughtful piece yesterday on its Sunday morning show. In the story the city of Portland gets props that it rightfully deserves; over 6% of its population is "going by bike."

Speaking of Portland, that's Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland, with bow tie) in the above photo posing with a 1World2Wheels jersey, yours truly, and from left to right, Patrick Seidler of WTB, Mike Mercuri of Sram and Chris Kegel of Wheel & Sprocket, a Wisconsin Bike Retailer. We were all at a bike advocacy reception and I couldn't resist bringing the jersey with me to see who I could get in a photo. The reception was across the street from the Oprah Studio in Chicago and I got the bright idea to show the jersey to Oprah. I walked over and knocked on the door but the cleaning person didn't seem to want to unlock the door and let me in. So much for shameless promotion.

So we have more bike winners from week 2. Each of these people has won a Trek 7.2FX bike. I'll post more winners in a week so check next Monday to see if your name is on the list.

Monday, July 21: B. Phifer
Tuesday, July 22: Jeremy Woodhouse
Wednesday, July 23: Samuel Johnson
Thursday, July 24: Pat Scanlon
Friday, July 25: Cindy Crawford
Saturday, July 26: Greg Christie
Sunday, July 27: Sanjdy Kimerer

The Go By Challenge on the 1 World 2 Wheels website caught fire last week. We launched the promotion on Thursday and by Friday afternoon needed to add a digit to the home page to accommodate the number of miles being pledged.

The comments sent this way from the pledgers are inspiring and back up what we’ve been thinking for some time now: the time is right to go by bike.

Speaking of which, we pulled names of pledgers as part of the contest. Starting last Thursday, Trek is drawing one name a day from all the pledgers to win a 7.2 FX bike. Check here to see if you are on the list, and check back often as the list will be updated frequently.

July 17 - R. Miller
July 18 - S. Schindlbeck
July 19 - T. Williams
July 20 - S. Vybrial

New winners announced in a day or so. I heard that the Trek site crashed. Is that because the bike revolution has begun? Stay tuned for more from 1 World 2 Wheels.

A prototype Trek Stop Cycling Convenience Center was assembled on June 30 just off the bike path in Madison, Wisconsin.

Trek Stop is a 24/7/365 convenience center for cyclists which provides access to cycling products, information and a safe place to work on your bike. Need a tube at midnight? Need some air on the way to your morning commute? Not sure of the best route to get where you’re going? Need a poncho, some wetwipes, or a power bar?

Trek Stop’s got you covered . This full service vending machine is stocked with bicycle products, food and cold drinks, and features an information center which includes maps, a message board, and advertising space for local events and announcements. There’s also a covered maintenance area with a work stand, free air, and even how-to videos a cyclist can play with the push of a button just in case their having trouble fixing that flat or repairing their chain.

The idea for Trek Stop came about a few years ago, when the Advanced Concept Group (ACG) at Trek Bikes, a crew of industrial designers led by Mike Hammond, began thinking of ways to make bicycle commuting more viable.

“Motorists have it easy,” says Hammond. “Gas stations, convenience stores, auto parts stores, tow trucks—you name it. The support network for cars far outclasses cyclists. The Trek Stop aims to change that by breaking down some of the ‘worries’ attached to cycling.”

“We got a budget together and started sketching out ideas. At that time, we found out that Aaron Goss and his wife (of Aaron’s Bicycles in Seattle, WA) had already set up a vending machine so that was encouraging,” added Hammond.
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Trek Stop’s construction consists of a regular vending machine, a small air compressor and a PC which runs the two video screens. All of this is housed in a weatherproof box made locally by Hoffman Manufacturing Corp. Add a repair stand and aesthetics, and you’ve got one very cool, very functional Cycling Convenience Center, a.k.a. Trek Stop.

Trek Stop was designed to be an extension of a real bike shop, not to replace one. Cyclists will still need the services and products found at local bike shops, but will have the convenience of 24 hour access to specific products and information.

For more information on Trek Stop contact Mike Hammond at mike_hammond@trekbikes.com or Rebecca Anderson at rebeccca_anderson@trekbikes.com.

If you read the post about Brian Shields, the Go By Bike Poster Guy from Kansas City, you’ll like this one from Kristin in Omaha. Kristin was the female Go By Bike winner in Omaha who agreed to take her shorts trips by bike in May. She got her new bike and took to it like a champ. She’s hooked. It’s June 12 and she’s still riding (loving it!) and blogging. Thanks, Kristin and Brian for the inspiration to “Go By Bike!”

Bikes and a pair of 3 inch heels

Last night I wore a little black dress with a gorgeous pair of patent leather, three-inch heel, Nine West beauties. Today, me and my tennis shoes are soaked in mud from a good, long ride on the Keystone trail before stopping at the Starbucks at 72nd & Dodge to journal and enjoy a frosty frappachino. The funny thing is, I used to put my bike in the trunk of my car and drive out to the Keystone for a ride. Now, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that fact.

I love contrast and opposites–yin & yang–being girly and flirty one night and tough and muddy the next. Cycling has opened me up in a way I hadn’t expected and sorely needed. For that, I am incredibly grateful and achingly sad that this “challenge” has come to an end. That’s not to say I won’t continue to ride, but there’s nothing more motivating than feeling as if the “world” is watching. I can see why those television reality shows work.

This experience has taught me a lot: that I am capable of surviving Dodge Street on a bicycle; that I can shower and be ready for work in about 15 minutes; that I can enjoy riding through puddles and the feeling of mud spraying up my legs; that I have a lot of fantastic and supportive people in my life; that men really squirm at references to menstruation.

What’s been interesting is the unexpected changes that have come about effortlessly. I’m recycling more, walking if I don’t have my bike (i.e. instead of having a friend drive around the block to drop me off at home, I walk) and I’m craving healthier foods. My body has changed significantly in the last month, as evidenced by the fact that I am now wearing clothes I haven’t been able to wear in four years. Shopping just got a lot more fun.

I’m also ready for a serious cycling revolution to occur. It’s time for this country to surrender its reliance on automobiles and suburban strip malls. Omaha desperately needs a better trail infrastructure for commuters and a much more cycling-friendly driving community. When I took on this challenge, I had no idea I’d been joining the ranks of these underappreciated rebels who are more than entitled to their fair share of the road. Now, I’m proud to be even just slightly on the periphery of this courageous bunch of crazy endorphin addicts.

Not a week goes by without someone concerned about the environment asking me what they can do with their old innertubes or bikes.  There are certainly some outfits like Alchemy, Green Guru or Vy & Elle that will re-purpose old tubes or vinyl banners into useful bike messenger bags, but that doesn’t quite put a dent in the amount of tubes or old bikes we send to the landfill in this country every day.

Enter: Bike Furniture!  Andy Gregg of Marquette, Michigan has been perfecting his furniture since 1990.  That’s a fair amount of time to figure out how to turn an old Serotta that had a fateful meeting with a cattle grate into a flashy lawn chair.    (You’ll find just that on his website under the “chair” then “stuffed” line).   In fact, none of the furniture is stuffed and instead uses bike tubes for upholstery.  

I am lucky to have been given one of these chairs last year and I can attest to the comfort of tube upholstery.   It’s firm, yet springy.  Even better you can simply hose the whole thing off if it gets dusty.  That’s my kind of furniture.  Check it out here: www.bikefurniture.com

There’s a guy on a bike riding up and down the east coast pitching a program called “Bicycle Benefits.”  The guy is Ian Klepatar and BB is his program to encourage businesses to reward customers who arrive by bicycle.    

Simple and effective are two words to describe this program.   A business chooses what reward to offer a customer who arrives on bike, the customer gets rewarded and everyone wins.  

The program is so brilliant and effective that I’ve asked Ian to send in updates from the road.   He left his hometown near Saratoga, New York two weeks ago to start his trek around the east coast, talking up the benfits of “going by bike.”  Klepatar attended the Washington DC Bike Summit then lit out for Boston.    The first of many entries on his travels follows. 

Boston, MA: Today was like so many days that cyclists and bicycle advocates know all too well.  Whether we are pushing for bike lanes on a new street in our community or getting cut-off, doored or disrespected among traffic flow while commuting to work, we know the feeling in others just “not getting it.”  Unlike the past three days since I arrived in Boston, business owners didn’t really seem to be that interested in the benefits of bicycles.  ‘You know there aren’t really that many bikers that come in this restaurant’ they tell me.  I guess in my eyes, if somebody knows how to ride a bicycle, they are automatically a biker.  At the same time just because we ride bicycles, it doesn’t make us bikers.  So I go on to tell the uninterested owner the benefits of participating in a program which promotes physical activity, helmet use, alleviating congestion and parking hassle.  The concept of the program is pretty basic.  Businesses in the community offer discounts/rewards in order to entice community members to jump on their bicycles and visit the restaurants/businesses by bicycle.  Upon arriving by bicycle and showing the affixed Bicycle Benefit helmet sticker, the individual receives the designated discount/reward.  However, just as we often struggle to convey the many benefits of bicycle paths connecting neighborhoods to community centers or the importance of complete streets http://www.completestreets.org/ legislation to our elected politicians, I too wonder why some people don’t get it…Perhaps it’s been a while since we all felt the joy and benefits of riding a bicycle.      

In 2005 Nick Goddard was working at a car magazine and was assigned to write an article on a flex-fuel car that could run only on ethanol. Goddard learned a lot about how much energy is in a gallon of gas and being a science minded guy, he started to wonder how far he could ride his bike on the equivalent of the energy in a gallon of gasoline. Read on to learn the results of what became a coastline trip by bike!

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