The Atlantic takes a look at what they’re calling “The Bike Helmet Paradox,” which is basically research saying that helmets save lives, but requiring them also prevents people from biking. Further, giving people dirty looks for not wearing them might be bad for society as a whole since it means fewer people will bike. States [ more... ]

It would seem that in some ways the federal government in Russia is more permissible than that in the U.S. For example, they let a BMX rider into the National Spacecraft Control and Testing Centre so he could ride around in satellite dishes suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. In the U.S., this would be a hard stunt to get government backing. Perhaps my second grade teacher slightly exaggerated all those years ago when she told me that people in the USSR were routinely shot on the streets for expressing the desire to be ‘free.’

After six years of development the Hövding invisible helmet is available. The thing looks like a scarf you wear around your shoulders, and then if you get into a bike accent accelerometers trigger an airbag that encases your skull in a protective mitt. It’s a pretty interesting concept, though I’m not going to run out [ more... ]

I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you that you’re never supposed to use WD-40 on your bike. But I will tell you that every other person who brings their bike to your local shop for a tune-up is doing so. I always wondered why WD-40 didn’t make a bike lube, and I figured it [ more... ]

Portland cyclist Jake Gillum’s bike was stolen. A Fuji a few years old that he said cost about $2500. Gillum was distraught and instead of saying ‘so long’ to another bike lost to theft he cranked through Craigslist postings for a couple weeks until he found it bike for sale in Seattle. He grabbed a new Gmail address and contacted the seller to coordinate the exchange. Then he recorded the entire thing on his phone and posted the video to YouTube. While I’m thrilled he got his bike back, and I hate bike thieves as much as every other person who’s had a bike stolen, the video is unwatchable.  Though it is pretty sweet at about 7:15 to see a bunch of cops cuffing the guy in the madras shorts.

Burned out on your office job and looking for a way to make a difference? Quit. You can join up with the Bike & Build trip from South Carolina to Santa Cruz. The 80-day trip includes several stops to build homes for the needy along the way. I’m sure prospective employers will look upon your [ more... ]

Motorists won’t mess with you. Pedestrians won’t step in front of you. It looks like the chainsaw on this Russian rig spins the front wheel so you won’t even have to do much pedaling. I suppose the designer could have taken the chain off the chainsaw and still used the engine, but that would have [ more... ]

Backcountry.com employee and all-around good guy Jeff Bates is dealing with the BS that comes with battling Melanoma. Some of his friends have stepped up to raise some cash to help deal with the problem. Among those friends is Tony Pereira, an ultra-famous, Hollywood framebuilder who lives in the Mecca of handbuilt bikes, Portland, Oregon. [ more... ]

No wonder Floyd Landis went broke. It wasn’t the Floyd Defense Fund or the divorce proceedings – it was leaving his $8k bikes in the ditch. A mountain bike with two flats and what appeared to be a couple broken pedals was pulled out of a rummage sale for $5. Turns out the bike was [ more... ]