I’m typing this in Blue Smoke, the barbeque joint above the Jazz Standard on E 27th St in Manhattan. I’m in town to interview saxophonist John Ellis for my show The Jazz Session.

This is the first time I’ve been in the city since becoming a regular bicycle rider, and thus the first time I’ve really looked at the city with cyclist’s eyes. Let me tell you, you’ve really gotta want it to ride here.

I’m amazed at the bike handling skills of the messengers I see, and amused at the lack of skills of the pseudo-messengers. Yes, it’s cool to have more folks on bikes, but some of these riders are asking to be killed.

I also got a good laugh out of several of the bike lanes, which are little more than additional parking spaces for cars and delivery vans. Not a new observation, to be sure. In fact, BSNYC has written about it several times.

All that said, I’d love to try riding a bike here. I almost brought my bike today, but decided not to add one more complication to the joy of driving here and navigating to the club. (Tip: OnStar is useless in Manhattan. At least mine was.)

I did spot one thing I’ve never seen mentioned — a cycling map of New York City. It was outside the Barnes and Noble in Union Square, on one wall of a covered bike rack. The map shows various “bicycle-friendly” routes through the city, and it also shows the location of quite a few bike shops. I forgot that I had my camera with me, or I would have taken a picture.

Anyway, my hat’s off to all the folks who make riding a bike here part of their regular day. Huzzah!

One of bicycling’s least appreciated pleasurable aspects is walking. I mean, you go on a tour and you think you’re gonna pedal, pedal, pedal without a break? Give me a break.

Some examples: You’re carrying a big load and up comes a monster hill. Why pedal in a 19-inch gear and go no faster than you would on foot? Stop, smell the flowers for a minute, then walk to the top. Or you have a mechanical breakdown that makes your mount unrideable, so you end up walking it to the nearest settlement. No disgrace in this; the stroll may even buoy your spirit. (I’ve seen bikers laid low by a mere flat – that is, those bikers crazy enough to hit the open road without carrying a patch/toolkit. So be warned.) Or you just need to stretch a different muscle group – and you realize that biking isn’t supposed to be torture. So relax!

I think it’s fair, maybe even necessary, to rate bicycles on a, shall we say, pushability index. I give my old Miyata 618 tourer high marks here. I can lightly grip the bike by the stem with one hand and roll it along with almost no effort. And this holds true even when the Miyata is loaded to the gills with camping gear, clothing, tools, etc. Pushing the Big M certainly imposes less discomfort than humping the same load in a backpack.

But why am I bothering with this topic. Just a lead-in to a travelogue: my three days accompanying the peace march to Fort Drum, which meant that I pushed my bike (the storied Miyata) as much as I rode it.

Maybe you’ve seen something in the news about the march. (Check out nysmarchesforpeace.org for updates, with special attention to an upcoming rally.) Marchers will soon be converging north of Syracuse for the last push toward the base, which reportedly sends more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan than any other US military installation. I can’t vouch for the latter factoid, but I do know the base has grown wildly in recent years. No longer is it the miserable little hellhole it was in the early 70s when I had the bad luck to be sent there once in a while for “training” - no, today it’s a miserable enormous shithole and insult to humanity. But, hey, it brought jobs!

I digress. The point I’m trying to make is that it’s as simple as it is morally appropriate to bring a bike along on a peace march, and as simple as it is obvious that walking your bike is a natural form of locomotion. The vehicle itself is a symbolic presence – a human-scale machine that contradicts the brute logic of the highway (think SUVs, lots of them, as I found to my displeasure on Route 104) and the military (think Humvee/Hummer). And a bike’s inherent modesty, even with all the bells and whistles and panache of current models, allows you to function as a human being among pedestrians.

Which is exactly where you and I - not to mention the folks in uniform - belong.

So here’s me, modeling my new Yehuda Moon t-shirt. And by “modeling” I mean “wearing” as opposed to “causing to look attractive and therefore enticing you into buying.” That said, the shirts are cool, the comic strip is cooler, and I recommend outfitting your cycling wardrobe with one or two of these.

When the “model” isn’t tubby and hunched over, the shirt looks rather more like this:

Here’s the link to the swag at CafePress.com, and here’s the official Yehuda Moon site.

I would also like to point out that I took this shot in front of my 1957 Raleigh Sprite, thus enhancing my Yehudaness.

From The Bike-O-Sphere

• Greetings from Tofino! (Adventures of a Crazy Biker Chick)
• Vermont bike parking (Bakfiets en meer)
• Rear fender anyone? (Bakfiets en meer)
• Iterruption (Derek Pearson)
• Weight Loss Wager-Donate to the City of Hope (Bike Commuters)
• Shifting Problem (Bike Noob)
• Harshing My Mellow (Pt. II): Partying in the John (Bike Snob NYC)
• xtracycle update: it begins (bikelovejones)
• Commuting 101: Dealing with Road Rash (Commute By Bike)
• The Birth of Bike Culture - Vive la Vélib (Copenhagenize)
• A good weekend (Fat Cyclist)
• Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational 2008 (Guitar Ted)
• Postcard from Europe (Jacquie Phelan’s Weblog)
• Greetings from a broad (Jacquie Phelan’s Weblog)
• Security (Nollij)
• Alternative Energy Task Force of Wayne County (NY) (that which rolls)
• Making Excuses in my Dreams (that which rolls)
• Oh Boy, It’s Amateur Hour (The Cycle)
• Smells like spring (Up In Alaska)
• Bootleg Sessions v.2 Trailer (Urban Velo)
• Introducing The Urban Advocate (Urban Velo)
• Gearing choices (Vik’s Big Dummy)
• Hauling a Chariot bike trailer (Vik’s Big Dummy)
• An honest mistake, right? (Yehuda Moon comic strip)

In The News

• BIKE RADAR: Ten ways to build a bicycle commuting habit
• LOS ANGELES, CA: City Council Celebrates ‘Bike Week’ by Reorganizing Bicycle Advisory Committee
• GILROY, CA: Santa Teresa not safe for bicycle commuters
• SALINAS, CA: Bicycle beats car in Bike Week race across Salinas
• LOS ANGELES, CA: This morning at the bicycle blessing

I’ve been refurbishing The Packet Boat (Xtracycle) recently with the help of the gang at the Down Tube bike shop on Madison. The two major changes are new trekking handlebars:

And new front and rear disc brakes:

I’m really digging both changes. Those handlebars (which I purchased from Nashbar.com for cheap) give me many new hand positions, which is a big relief on longer rides. I can also grab them down low for more climbing leverage, which I like a lot. When I reach forward to hold the shifters, I’m much lower out of the wind than was the case with my old riser bars. I’m not saying the Boat is aerodynamic, but it’s as close as something nicknamed “The Packet Boat” is likely to get.

The disc brakes, which I also purchased from Nashbar, are a welcome change. Much more stopping power than the old side-pulls, and — from what I’ve been told — more all-weather reliability. Unfortunately, I bought a front-and-rear kit from Nashbar that had a smaller rear rotor than Xtracycle calls for. I also had wheels on my low-end Giant hybrid that didn’t accept disc breaks. So I got a slightly better set of Shimano wheels and a larger rear rotor, and all was well.

Jen’s Xtracycle kit arrived today. It’s going to be built this weekend by the fine folks at the Down Tube bike shop on Madison Avenue.

The bicycle facilities at the Stewart’s convenience store on Osbourne and Sand Creek may not be that attractive…

…but they do have a cherubim watching the bikes, so there’s some extra security.

From The Bike-O-Sphere

• The Bike Room (Belgium Knee Warmers)
• Working Man (Derek Pearson)
• Win Susan (Bicycle Design)
• Stolen Bike Alert — Downtown Tampa (Bike Commuters)
• Bike to work week 2008 (Bike Commuters)
• Bicycle riders on the freeway (Bike Commuters)
• Harshing My Mellow (Pt. I): Austin Power! (BSNYC)
• Gentrification, labels and the “privilege” of bike commuting (BikePortland.org)
• In Your Face! (Citizen Rider)
• Bike to Work Week: Invite a Friend or Coworker (Commute By Bike)
• Avant Paris - Cycle Chic Art
• Bikes Belong Awards $44,200 in Grants for Recreation Projects (cyclelicious)
• KC Bike Week 2008 Day 1: Morning Convoy!
• Sunday Xtra(cycle)
• Long Relaxed Ramble (MY Bike Blog — welcome to the Links of the Day!)
• Pizza by bicycle (Powered by Nachos)
• The Surly Big Dummy and Jeeps (Practical Pedal Blog)
• How I’m Going to Help the Fat Cyclist and Family (UltraRob’s Adventures)
• Balance (Up In Alaska)
• Planet Bike Blaze 1W (Urban Velo)
• Biking to work: sign of adulthood because you’re free from having to be “cool.” (Urbana-Champaign Bicycle Commute)
• Packing Correctly (Yehuda Moon comic strip)

In The News

• CARSON CITY, NV: Many biking to work this week nationwide and here
• COLUMBUS, OH: Bicycle Boulevards Part Of Path Plan
• OMAHA, NB: Omaha to add bicycle lanes to some streets
• BILLINGS, MT: Reporter’s Notebook: Confessions of a bicycle commuter
• CLEVELAND, OH: Cleveland Bicycle Week celebrates — you guessed it — cycling
• SEATTLE, WA: For Marty Dopps, pedalling 27 miles to work is a great way to get pumped for the day ahead
• SAN JOSE, CA: Jump Jam is “A party on two wheels and wide bars”
• INDIANAPOLIS, IN: Hoosiers urged to bike to work
• GREENVILLE, SC: Bike to work safely this week and all others

From The Bike-O-Sphere

• Hard to be crabby on a bicycle (Bike Commute Tips Blog)
• Reno: Getting started with bicycle commuting (Bike Commute Tips Blog)
• Happy Mom’s Day! = New cruiser! (Bike Commuters)
• Social biking (Bike When You Can)
• Launching more Surlies (Citizen Rider)
• You and me in our sport utility vehicles (Cyclelicious)
• Kramer (Dan On Bike)
• Fear and Negativity: Don’t even think about it (Dave Moulton’s Bike Blog)
• First Full Week of Bike Commuting (that which rolls)
• Big Ol’ Tires (Practical Pedal Blog)
• Bicyclists - The Future is Now (Urban Velo)
• Rydjor Bike Shop Vintage Cycles Collection (Urban Velo)
• Major Taylor Statue Dedication May 21st (Urban Velo)
• Prohibit this! (Vik’s Big Dummy)
• Who’s Been Reading the Leaflet? (Yehuda Moon comic strip)
• Fast Bike Necessary (Yehuda Moon comic strip)

In The News

• AP: Gas prices knock bicycle sales, repairs into higher gear
• CHICO, CA: It’s all about bicycle commuting, dowtown Chico this week
• WILLIAMSPORT, PA: Bicycle facts

This weekend is the annual Tulip Festival in Albany’s Washington Park.  On some level the event celebrates the region’s Dutch heritage (bicycle connection to come?) with true American style overconsumption of high fat, high sugar foods.  Come to think of it, I didn’t see any frites being sold but I’m sure there were plenty of places to buy fries, funnel cake and the like.    You’ll have to forgive the initial rant, I seem to have strayed from the topic.

I was riding through the park on my way to the Downtube yesterday morning when everything was still quiet as the festivities had yet to begin.  Since the park has been blocked off to all traffic for the duration of the event, I had the roads pretty much all to my self save for a few other folks who were wandering around or preparing to set up.  Of course it was a pleasure not to have to deal with the usual stream of car traffic.  (On more than one occasion I have nearly been clipped by motorists making a right turn in front of me as I approached the Madison/Willet intersection.)  Which brings us to the title and the raison d’etre of this post: Sunday Parkways Programs.

The idea behind Sunday Parkways is to close off a stretch of roads one Sunday a month and open it to non-motorized traffic: bicyclists, walkers, joggers, skaters, you name it.  The idea was started in Bogota, Colombia and is called Ciclovia there.  The program has been around for the better part of a decade now and is extremely popular in the Colombian city.  A number of cities in the US have picked up on the program and are calling it Sunday Parkways.  Chicago is one city that is actively promoting the Sunday Program idea: http://www.healthystreets.org/pages/sunday_parkways.htm

For the past few months, the NY Bicycling Program has been advocating for a Sunday Parkway Program in Washington Park.  Ideally, we would have liked to roll out the inaugural Sunday as part of our Capital Bike Month festivities but that doesn’t seem like to happen at this point.  We are still trying to build momentum with the local businesses and neighborhood associations to support such a program.  I think once we get some local support we can get the city to buy into the program, at least on a pilot project level.  We would like to encourage other upstate cities to explore the option as well.  Its a great initiative to support healthy travel options with relatively low cost to the city involved.  We will continue to advocate for the program here in Albany and if anyone would like additional information or support for starting the program in another city, please drop Jenn or myself a line at the NY Bicycling Coalition: nybc@nybc.net or 518.436.0889.

Documents early days (2000) of Xtracycle LLC, makers of the FreeRadical hitchless bicycle trailer — http://xtracycle.com/ . Shot mostly in San Francisco, where inventor Ross Evans and musician-president Kipchoge Spencer introduce the product to sometimes quizzical, sometimes skeptical, sometimes euphoric people.

From The Bike-O-Sphere

• Just another day at the office. (Derek Pearson)
• Forget about walking on water (Bicycle Diaries)
• The Other Paper Talks Bike-To-Work Week! (Bike Commuting In Columbus)
• Staff bikes: Alexi (Bike, Chicago!)
• Time’s Up: Not Just in New York (Carectomy)
• Dear Idiot, (Commutr)
• Gratitude (Fat Cyclist)
• It’s What I Do (MnBicycleCommuter)
• Disobey (nicomachus)
• Seaway at sunset (nicomachus)
• Rush hour (Raleigh Commuters)
  
• Slipstream takes biggest win yet, Vandevelde in Pink at the Giro (spare cycles)

• Seven hours of escaping the blahs (Up In Alaska)
• 12 hours in photos (Up In Alaska)

In The News

• GRAND HAVEN, MI: Bicycle ride-to-work contest begins Monday
• REASON MAGAZINE: DWI for Walking a Bicycle
• UK: Claims rejected as a bike is stolen every minute
• WASHINGTON POST: Grown-Ups Need Helmets, Too

I love Bike Snob NYC for many reasons, one of which is writing this good:

But as cruel a fate as that may be, he knew perfectly well when he swung a Docker-clad leg over that gel saddle, flipped up the kickstand with the heel of his Rockport, and set out on his way to the comic book store that he risked feeling the cruel sting of Anserine ire.

(Read the rest of this post.)

And lest you think I’m making fun of other cyclists, I will come clean and admit that while I don’t wear Dockers, I have flipped up my kickstand with my Rockport on the way to the comic book shop.

If you’d like even more BSNYC, give a listen to his appearance on our podcast, The RocBike Review.

I’m a member of the Parents Panel of The Albany Times-Union newspaper. That means I write a little piece for the print edition of the paper each month, and it also means I contrbute to the “Parent To Parent” blog. Recently, they asked me to write about our family’s plan to go car-free. Here’s what I’ve written so far:

• Living car-free (Part 1)
• Living car-free (Part 2)

From The Bike-O-Sphere

• Got the fever (A Midnight Rider)
• Dog Shox (Bicycles and Icicles)
• Smoked the old guy (Bike Noob)
• Yoink! Another Fixed-Gear Vanished (BSNYC)
• Valley Girl Decries Car Culture (Carectomy)
• Chicken or Egg on Auto-Oriented Land Use Planning (CommuterPageBlog)
• The Hierarchy of the Bike Helmet Empire (Copenhagenize)
• Springtime Cargo and Supermums and Dads (Cycle Chic)
• Furious driver takes out 50-strong cycle pack (Dave Moulton’s Bike Blog)
• Tour de Plumas, this June (Everyday Adventures)
• 2008 Fat Cyclist Jerseys Coming Soon (Fat Cyclist)
• The Boys Take A Big Bike Trip To Mělník & Kokořínský Důl (Grant’s Prague Bike Blog)
• it was funny (cool photos from gwadzilla)
• Becoming better acquainted with my Xtracycle (MnBicycleCommuter)
• The Dispatch (Mudflaps Blog)
• Filmed by Bike 2008 DVD (Powered by Nachos)
• almost went back to sleep
• Filling (Up In Alaska)
• Mugwump comfort (Vik’s Big Dummy)
• Graham’s Test Ride (Vik’s Big Dummy)
• Just One Tipping Point (Yehuda Moon comic strip)

In The News

• SINGAPORE: Library installs bicycle racks after parking row
• STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO: Club’s bike swap an opportunity to network
• LA TIMES: Rising fuel prices are a driving force for change - away from autos