The LA Times Travel section went heavy on the bikes this week, following up on yesterday’s story on charity bike rides in the West.
The paper asked “bicycling enthusiasts” for their favorite rides, which ranged from LA’s Ballona Creek north to Washington, and east to the Mississippi. But somehow managed to place Iowa’s RAGBRAI in Missouri.
They suggest trying a pedal-assist ebike to get a bigger charge out of your trip — no pun intended, I’m sure — and follow up with ten questions to answer before you set out on a bike trip.
And last but not least, they offer a short timeline of the 200-year history of the bicycle, noting that the first recumbents were met with derision.
An attitude that continues today in some circles.
………
Local
There’s now a $50,000 reward for the bike-riding man who killed a homeless woman in Koreatown in February.
CiclaValley urges everyone to show up for Wednesday’s meeting for bike lanes on Lankershim Blvd.
CicLAvia is looking for a paid digital engagement intern.
A 36-year old homeless man has been ordered to undergo a psych evaluation after getting busted for throwing an object at a driver’s car when he was apparently cut off while riding his bike on a Santa Clarita sidewalk.
State
Welcome back to SoCal, Frank. Former Newport Beach bike advocate Frank Peters is back in Southern California, setting up shop in Santa Barbara after a stint in Portland. And back to his old bike advocacy ways.
Plans are starting to fall into place for a possible 13-mile bike and pedestrian path linking Petaluma and Sebastopol.
The organizer of the Napa County triathlon where over 30 competitors were treated for possible hypothermia after swimming in a freezing lake says it didn’t really happen, and besides, they should have worn a jacket.
National
Cyclocross Magazine offers seven pretty good reasons to visit your local auto parts store.
Thankfully, there’s no consensus in the Iowa legislature for a bill that would force bike riders to dress like roadway workers and light their bikes 24/7.
Equestrians carry the anti-bike torch in Wichita KS, partially blocking plans for a bike path through a park.
A Wisconsin bike rider faces charges for allegedly beating a pedestrian after they nearly collided as the victim was crossing the street.
Chicago drivers who ignore No Parking signs and park in a buffered bike lane are blocking more than just people on bicycles.
The driver charged in the drug-fueled Kalamazoo massacre that killed five bike riders was arrested for a previous DUI in 2011, but his confession that he was stoned on painkillers was tossed because he hadn’t been read his rights.
Winston-Salem NC plans construction of a separated bike path along with a highway project, minimizing costs and disruption; the route is designed to allow riders to avoid a pair of major hills on their way downtown.
Atlanta is putting the finishing touches on a new three mile, 14-foot wide section of the planned Beltline multi-use trail through the city.
International
Treehugger reviews the new book by the Guardian’s bicycling writer, Peter Walker.
Montreal makes a smart move by making their bikeshare free on weekends.
After being acquitted in Britain’s first crowd-funded private prosecution, a British driver says it’s horrifying to be responsible for the death of another person, while insisting that she just didn’t see him.
Police are looking for an English cyclist who assaulted a couple in their 60s when they parked their car after passing him. I’d really like to say there’s another side to the story, but there’s no excuse for physically attacking anyone. Ever. Period.
No bias here. A British paper says a bicyclist suffered serious injuries smashing into a windshield. Never mind that she was actually hit by the car, which apparently did not have a driver.
As long as you run the country, you can make them play any damn song you want. The president of Turkmenistan has chosen a song he recorded as the official anthem of the Asian Indoor Games being hosted by his county.
An Indian couple is riding from Mumbai to Bangkok, having covered over 2,100 miles so far.
Finally…
A police station probably isn’t the best place to hide after getting off your bike and snatching a woman’s cell phone. Just a suggestion: If you’re going to ride your bike in the Applebee’s parking lot, leave your gun, heroin and prescription drugs at home.
And if you’re going to drop out of a bike race, try not to get picked up by the police for riding on a highway.
The Cyclocross magazine link tells us what bike useful items can be obtained from auto parts stores. But it misses the BIG one; lubricants. ‘White lithium grease’ in a spray can is better than any bike-specific chain lube I have ever used, and I have tried all the big brands. Auto wheel bearing grease is just fine for bikes; the auto wheel bearing requirements are much more than bike bearings in terms of speed and load, so if the grease works for cars, it will be more than adequate for bikes. There are many other grades of lubricants in auto parts stores as well, many of which have bike applications.
Thanks Harv, I had no idea. Never would have occurred to me to use any auto lube on my bike. Although now that I think of it, that’s all my dad ever used when we were kids.