I got to wondering about this when I saw one of Blackburn's latest CO2/multi-tool widgets. For some reason I've always associated CO2 cartridges with road bikes, and as an owner of everything but, I've never considered them.
So I was curious if commuters use 'em, and decided to conduct a Twitter poll:
Some of the more interesting tweets:
@davidjschloss - both. Pump if you've got time on the way to work, co2 if you flat in the rain
@ryanalward - CO2 for really horrible conditions(rain, late to work), pump for the rest. It is more ecofriendly that way.
@mtbJohn - Mini-pump for me. CO2 is fast but I don't like the disposable nature of them.
@panasonicyouth - RoadMorph portable floor pump. CO2 is not dependable enough and the RoadMorph has saved my ride more times than I can count.
@roncreel - My vote: mini-pump. Just seems to be more disposable if lost, stolen, or thrown at a motorist driving in the bicycle lane
A rotary/roundabout, in a neighborhood just outside Copenhagen. Denmark has a cycling infrastructure outside its major cities, within about 6,000 miles/10,000 km of paths and lines in its regional bike network. Copenhagenize has more photos and some great reader comments.
There are some sweet options out there for adding a trunk to your bike, but if you're looking to save some cash or just feeling inventive, try this alternative from Instructables. Using a plastic toolbox as the foundation gives you a cheap, durable starting point, and lets you create different trunks for different purposes:
A small weekend trunk for fun rides
A larger commuter trunk with room for a change of clothes.
A "Good Samaritan" trunk, with a set of tools for helping other cyclists in a group ride.
Altec Lansing has updated the portable MP3 speaker we reviewed back in October. The new iM-237 is slightly larger and about $10 pricier, but has much better sound.
Best of all for cyclists, it has more durable construction and comes with a padded case plus carbiner. Perfect for chucking into a backpack, or hanging off a Camelback. Check out the video...
Portland, San Francisco, and Vancouver are experimenting with bikes boxes - dog-leg extensions to bike lanes that put cyclists at the head of the pack at an intersection. The purpose is to prevent right turns that drivers make without noticing the bicycle that's riding alongside them.
It's hard for anyone in a U.S. city to imagine a local government that would spend money to plow bike paths. But in Copenhagen it makes good sense: this path sees 10,000 bicycles a day. That makes it a public transportation system like any other, one that keeps 10,000 people a day off the city buses, trains, and roads.
It's a great thing to see. Especially when you realize that they've kept the path as clean as the street running next to it.
