Not without well-founded political trepidation, we got up at 4am to ride with the Bike Swarm up to today’s 12/12/11 port shutdown. Joe was after footage and I was after photos and maybe a story. Most of the bike action happened before dawn, including some seriously unwelcome flashbacks to the bad old days of motorcycle […]
Tag Archives: Bicycling
Cycling's gender gap, explained
Posted onI’ve written about why there is a gender gap in cycling in the U.S., and have struggled to explain that it isn’t because women are so damn womanly but rather because we’re an economic underclass and our transportation choices are more constrained than those of our male peers. So it was great to read a […]
Sharing the road with Bitch
Posted onThe first issue of Taking the Lane zine is out of print. If you want to read it but didn’t get one of those 500 copies I underprinted, you’re in luck – you can now read a big old excerpt in the current issue of Bitch Magazine. My copy just got here and they made […]
Bikenomics zine -- new edition
Posted onThings got a little hectic in the lead-up to tour this September. I forget exactly how it happened, but I ended up sitting on a comfy couch in Provo, Utah, while our friendly hosts and their 3 year old daughter helped me hand-number and mail out an impromptu, photocopied edition of 160 of the Bikenomics […]
Bikes on the base
Posted onPhoto courtesy of Minnesota Air National Guard Earlier this month, I wrote a short column about the historical use of bicycling in the military. While I was researching it, I chatted with Justin Haugens, who is the only person he knows who commutes by bike to the military base in Charlotte, North Carolina where he […]
The battle of the yield
Posted onA guy on a bike stopping at a yield sign. (Photo © Elly Blue) My column last week at Grist was about the discourse around bikes at stop signs, and how the way we talk about bikes is different, in this case, than what actually happens on the road. The response has been interesting, and […]
Going to the bike craft fair
Posted onBikeCraft – an annual bicycle-oriented craft fair now in its umpteenth year – is definitely a niche event. But bicycling is a major niche around these parts, and this has almost always been a stupendously good event for vendors, attendees, and organizers alike. I’ve been to all of the BikeCrafts, and even had a hand […]
More Portland bike route mini-reviews
Posted onWhat, more Portland bike route mini-reviews already??? You asked: And I am easily distracted from other work. Here are two more:
Portland bike route mini-reviews
Posted onThe northbound MLK experience: A lost classic in experimental thrash riding I’ve been reading Our Band Could Be Your Life, a history of the U.S. indie music that I didn’t listen to in the 80s. The author clearly honed his catchy style writing record reviews and I was inspired to attempt a similar treatment for […]
Bikes on my mind
Posted onFor three years, I compiled a weekly bicycle news roundup at BikePortland (Jonathan is keeping it going, and now I’m the one getting my news that way). Since moving on a month ago, I’ve relaxed my eagle eye on the news: instead of skimming everything quickly, I’m able to take the time to be choosier […]
The fertile plains
Posted onMy latest column over at Grist is about bicycling in Las Vegas. The literal translation of Las Vegas is “fertile plains.” Looking back in light of the city’s current landscape of asphalt and gravel, the name seems tragically optimistic. But this city, like any other, has been incredibly fertile for those who were lucky, savvy, […]
Women, bikes, and the futon bike
Posted onI’m posting this mostly as an excuse for the photo. The article it goes with, profiling several women in Portland’s bike industry, is really nice as well, and worth a look. The article is in up and coming Portland online news source Neighborhood Notes. And it’s written by Melissa Reeser, a poet, blogger, and the […]
Creating a rural bike community
Posted onNevada City California: We woke up on a farm in the foothills of the Sierras to the sound of chickens and birds and the smell of vegan breakfast cooking.
Bikenomics zine cover
Posted onMy house is full of friends cooking and eating. There’s an amazing pie, an adorable baby, and good conversation to be had. But I’m sitting here at the computer writing about how to internalize the externalities. I took a break to show you the front cover that Joe designed today. Wait til you see the […]