Posts tagged Bicycling
Climate Cycle Bicycles for Solar Panels
Feb 18th
Climate Cycle is bicycling for a greater good, and that good is the installation of solar panels at public schools. “In the first two rides, a combined 900 Climate Cyclists raised $175,000. Thanks to their efforts, Climate Cycle has awarded 10 schools with solar panel installations and seeded 15 additional environmental school projects to date.”
May 22, 2011 will be the 3rd annual Ride to Recharge, where bicyclists of all ages take to the Chicago lakefront path. There are different rides to choose from: 4, 10, 20, or 62 miles, and even a 125 mile 2-day ride, spending a night at the Indiana Dunes. Both the 62 and 125 mile rides are supported with SAG vehicles, rest stops along the way, and ride marshals to provide basic bike maintenance.
Climate Cycle has to goal of raising $200,000 this year. Registration begins February 18. And they are looking for volunteers.
Chicago Cycle Swap!
Feb 11th
Great deals and bike fun at Chicago Cycle Swap!
The Chicago Cycle Swap is open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Pulaski Park Field House.
- More than 30 bike shops, merchants, nonprofits and individuals offering great deals
- Demos and presentations about cargo bikes, winter bike commuting, the new Chicago Velo Campus and more
- Food, beer and soda by Goose Island Beer Company
Admission is $10 (cash only). Save on admission with our $5 off coupon…print as many as you and your friends need! Kids 12 and under are free!
Want to sell or “swap” a bike in our corral? Pay admission plus $5 per bike (limit three).
Active Trans membership deal: $20 to get into the Swap and one year membership including the Chicagoland Bike Map ($10 value).
Proceeds from the Chicago Cycle Swap benefit your local, friendly bike nonprofits Active Transportation Alliance and Chicago Bike Winter.
Where to Bike: Chicago, by Greg Borzo
Feb 11th
Greg Borzo is a local author who has a passion for bicycling and story-telling. He’s put the two together for his latest book, Where to Bike: Chicago. It looks like a good way to find a route for a bike ride while at the same time reading about the history of Chicago bicycling. His website for the book is here, and an extensive interview with Greg can be found on John Greenfield’s website: Vote With Your Feet.
There’s a book launch with a free raffle, Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm at the Book Cellar (4736 N. Lincoln).
Also, Greg has “created a photo exhibit with up to 25 photos, using photos that are from the book, showing a cross-section of biking around the city and suburbs. That photo exhibit is available for free to any library, bookstore, bike shop or civic organization that would like to put it on display for two to four months.”
Bicycling Roundup in Portland
Feb 8th
A recent ISEC post referred to a book review at the website BikePortland.org. While much of the BikePortland blog is focused on bicycling in the Portland, Oregon, there is also information and stories from other parts of the country and the world. For example, this week’s “The Monday Roundup” is filled with a multitude of stories, such as snow-ready bicyclists in Minneapolis, a helmet case in Australia, an urban planning issue (located everywhere), a mayoral candidate in Chicago, New York citizens trying to remove a bike lane, solar power in the Netherlands, helmet cameras in the UK, a tall-biker brake system in San Francisco, a bike lane in South Africa, adding bike lane miles in Alabama, a bicycling studies minor offered in North Carolina, a car-free family in Massachusetts, a women’s repair workshop in Rwanda, and even a “fixie craze” in Jakarta. It’s an international roundup to say the least.
BikePortland.org discusses recent news items, studies related to bicycling, government policy issues and biking infrastructure projects. There are 2-3 new posts per day, which are well-written, enhanced with maps and pictures, and contain solid feedback in the comment section.
If you want to know what’s going on in a progressive bicycle city (and beyond), concerned about all aspects of the environment (natural, human, political, physical, economic, social…etc.) related to bicycling, BikePortland.org is a great stop for a great read to open the bicycling mind. Be sure to have a coffee and your bike nearby.
You Say You Want a Bicycling Revolution?
Feb 3rd
“School’s lessons went way beyond books and you were unstoppable.”
- Bikes Belong Coalition
The quote above is from a sign I once saw (right) that was promoting bicycling, obviously for those who haven’t been riding in a while and obviously from warmer weather days. “Remember Me?” the sign read, which to me was funny, because I was standing there reading the poster with my bike, saying, “We’re right here.” My bike was probably thinking, “Who are you talking to?” 
You say it’s too cold and snowy to think about bicycling during this blizzardscape? Check out the 2nd picture.
Never mind the 2 feet of snow; instead, notice the bicyclist in the background. It’s the day after the “snowcopolypse” of 2011, a day when temperatures began below zero, and here is this bicyclist weathering the weather at 8:15am when the temperature was maybe 5 degrees (-5 degrees wind-chill?). I don’t know about you, but I love it.
Beyond the current blizzard and frigid weather, ISEC is launching a campaign for Illinois college students interested in bicycling. We’re not attempting to bike in the snow (although Bike Winter is a great group, and I enjoyed biking in the pre-blizzard snow Monday night). Instead, ISEC is planning events such as pizza night Critical Mass, discussions with bicycling professionals and a postcard drive to help promote better bicycling infrastructure. And since ISEC is all about working with Illinois college students we’re hoping students not only participate in events but also provide feedback and help us out.
I hope to get ISEC’s bicycling campaign off to a great start. As a student myself at Northeastern Illinois University, I look forward to hearing from others and participating in bicycling events. There are some ideas shifting in the gears, so stay tuned. Let’s keep this bicycling revolution going in Illinois.
And for more information on bicycling in general, and part of the inspiration for the title of this post, check out the book review below for Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes.
Book Review: Pedaling Revolution
Feb 3rd
“Because motor vehicles dominate the road, we accept car-b
ased social standards as right and proper.” – Jeff Mapes, Pedaling Revolution
A great book to get one up to speed on the state of bicycling in the U.S. is Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes. It’s a good read for anyone curious about bicyclists affecting city structure, including some history, cultural and social aspects, examples of different cities, infrastructure, kids riding to school, and political happenings at the local, state and federal levels.
There’s an excellent review of Pedaling Revolution on BikePortland.org.