The Greener Truth » cycling

A Bendable Bike

Aaron Midgett — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:55:26 +0000

I am alsways looking for new ideas that will make greener forms of transportation easier and last week I found a great one. This may seem like an odd concept, but in big cities, where bikes locked with massive chains routinely dissapear, what better way to keep your bike from being stolen than to use it as the lock. Now, I am not too sure how this works, or how well it rides, but the idea behind this bendable bike is genius. Kevin Scott’s bike simply bends around a post and the two wheels and the frame can all be locked together with a U lock. In order to make the bike bendable when needed and stable when being ridden, a crank tightens a cable inside the frame. The next step will be to incorporate the lock so that the bike can just lock to itself. But for now, what a cool invention.

Peddle Power at the Copenhagen Crowne Plaza

Aaron Midgett — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:11:49 +0000

I have often fondly talked about my experience with biking in the Danish capital Copenhagen, but a the Crowne Plaza has come up with a great idea to take this to a new level. They have installed two bikes in the hotel lobby that are used to generate electricity. This by itself is a brilliant idea, not so much different from the idea of a gym powered by the patrons (one of our Greener Truth bloggers has always wanted to start a gym like this called the Powerhouse), but they have taken this idea a step farther and passed the savings along to the people doing the work. If you are staying at the hotel, a short workout on the bikes will earn you a free meal or drinks at the bar. This is the first such program that I know about and the Crowne Plaza is using this as a test program before expanding to other hotels. On top of this idea, the hotel was designed with energy saving in mind and uses 90% less energy than traditional buildings. Here are just a few of the energy saving ideas that have been implemented.

-solar pannels on the roof and exterior

-a geothermal well for heating and cooling

-the use of a biogas facility for organic waste

-organic food

-water saving faucets

-low energy lighting and electronics

I think that this is a great idea and would love to see these sorts of ideas catch on. To date, most business think of green practices as costly and unnecessary, but ideas like this will show that it is possible to run a greener business and save money as long as people are willing to think out of the box.

Peddle Powered Porsche

Aaron Midgett — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:01:24 +0000

Thanks to Johannes Ferdinand

Check out this awesome new Porsche. And why, you ask are we at the greener truth interested in a sports car? The Ferdinand GT3 RS is not just another sporty 911, it is the slowest and most efficient Porsche on the road. It also happens to be peddle powered with a body made out of cardboard and foil. By the way, it is completely off the WAVE scale as far as efficiency goes. When you watch the video, make sure that you check out the velcro emergency brake when he gets in the car to drive away. That is German engineering at it’s finest. The video is in German, but Johannes Ferdinand makes to totally worth while with his deadpan face and fantastic mustache.

Here is a picture of the construction, but for more on how this was built, here is Ferdinand’s website (Be warned it is in German though).

Make Commuting by Bike Easier

Aaron Midgett — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:16:38 +0000

Since the days are starting to get longer and warmer, it is time to reevaluate your commute to work. Biking to work is a great way to get a little exercise while reducing your impact. This can be a daunting task, but it is doable, and once you start, I think you will really enjoy this time. The most common reasons why people don’t ride to work are that it is too far, that it takes to long, that the don’t know the route, and that there is nowhere to put the bike once you get to work. So, to help convince you to start biking, I am going to share what I have learned about my commute as well as a few neat tidbits from other parts of the country.

My wife and I work about 45 minutes apart (in Golden and Boulder), and we are luck enough to live in between the two. That means that it is about 15 miles to work for both of us, which is not too bad in the car, but can take a while by bike (about an hour). I would love to bike to work every day, but it is difficult to take two hours out of every work day to bike. It is a goal of mine, so I am working up to that, but for now, I have developed a new system. Yesterday, I drove my car to work with my bike in the trunk. Then after work, I rode home and then this morning rode back to work. It was really enjoyable to be able to ride home, and after perfecting my route a bit, I think that it will be my preferred mode of commuting. The only problem that I had was that it was all uphill this morning heading to work. It is funny how you never realize that there are hills until you have to bike them. This method makes a full round trip on the bike, but it means that I can split the commute up so I only bike 15 miles a day and only commute for an hour and a half. Think of it as a way to cut your bike commute in half. Another way to accomplish this goal, are to ride public transportation for half of your ride, often making both parts faster.

thanks to Bicycling Magazine

The next problem that a lot of people have is knowing where to ride that will be safe and direct. This can be difficult if you are used to commuting in the car, but there are a few resources out there to help you. Google maps has started a new service, where they suggest biking routes. While they don’t have all of the bike routes charted yet, it is a good place to get started. Here is an article that we wrote about Google Bike Maps earlier this year. Another resource is called “Map My Ride” and allows people to share their favorite bike routes. The challenge with this service is that it can be difficult to find a route to a specific location (like work). One final suggestion is to check out your cities bike maps. You might be surprised how comprehensive they are, especially if you live in a semi bike friendly city, and if you are lucky enough to live in one of the top 50 bike friendly cities like I am, then you will be blown away. I just searched for “Bike Denver” in order to find my local resource.

And finally, if you don’t know where to put your bike when you get to work, here are a few ideas that I have picked up recently. There is the obvious idea of locking your bike up in the parking lot, but people often worry about their bike getting stolen this way. One way to prevent that is to carry a massive chain lock, but another way is to just make your bike look unappealing. There is no reason to commute on your new Litespeed, and it probably is not even the best bike for the job. You want a bike that can handle pot holes without getting a flat, has a rack and even a basket to carry your stuff, is comfortable, and looks like a piece of crap. The rack is a necessity, and what I have done to my commuter is to strap an old milk crate to the back making a perfect spot to carry my backpack. Nothing will get you sweaty faster than wearing a backpack while biking. For comfort, a steal frame bike is much better than aluminum and is much cheeper too. The best part about a commuter bike like these are that they are for sale inexpensively on Craig’s lists everywhere and can be turned into a smooth riding machine with $50 at your local bike shop.

Other places to store your bike, if you are lucky enough to have access, are inside stairwells of your office, in your office, or at the train station. This last one is not available to everyone, but after this amazing new bikestation at Union Station in DC, I couldn’t help but mention it.

So, take advantage of the nice weather and in the process get rid of those extra few pounds from the winter; I know that I could use a little help myself. Start slow, but give biking a shot. Who knows you might enjoy it.

More Information on Commuting by Bike

-Commute by Bike

-Bike Commuters

-Wikipedia: Bicycle Commuting

-Ebay: Touring Bikes

-MetaEfficient (best new commuter bikes, but we recommend an old one that no one will steal)

Google Bike Maps

Aaron Midgett — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:17:04 +0000

It comes as no surprise that, now that Google has their fingers in everything (even solar thermal energy production), Google Maps now has a bicycling directions feature. We here at The Greener Truth think that this is a fantastic idea. I have checked out a few rides that I enjoy (like this one in Boulder), and while they have done a great job with bike paths, the site still requires some work with the bicycling directions that involve major roads.

Google has said that they have tried to find the most friendly paths with little traffic, but there are still a few kinks. I am sure that these will be ironed out before long (maybe Google can even create a function to allow users to improve the available directions?). Regardless, this is a great step in helping people feel more comfortable riding bikes and encouraging peddle power. By combining this Google maps feature with a community networking and site like “Map My Ride,” it will become easier and easier to find safe and fun bike routes.

Hopefully this will promote more cycling and less driving, and maybe even a little more thinking about cyclist by both drivers and city planners. Accessibility by biking and walking is fast becoming one of the most desirable real estate amenities, and tools like this will only make it easier to check and see if that new house that you are thinking of buying really is green transportation friendly.

For more information about the new Google Bicycle Maps service check out the Google blog.

Commuting the Yike Bike way

Aaron Midgett — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:08:29 +0000

Here is the latest form of cycling available to bike-lovers. This new electric bike, the YikeBike, is light and fully powered by electric energy. It can travel up to 12 mph and it also folds up into a small case so that you can easily carry it with you into the office. To top it all off, there is no need to peddle, so you don’t have to worry about getting all sweaty and smelly before your work day. Maybe it is not the best commuting tool in the winter, but for most of the year, this would do wonders. It was developed in New Zealand especially to fit the commuters needs and I think that it accomplishes that goal.

Other Information about commuting with the Yike Bike

-YikeBike.com

-Discovery (Another cool video)

-Time (one of the top 50 inventions of the year)

Eco Friendly Lawn Mower

Aaron Midgett — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:06:35 +0000

thanks to TxBell.net

It’s still a little early in the winter season to be talking about cutting grass (can we even remember what green grass looks like?!). However, today is March 1st, so let’s look forward to the upcoming spring season. I cannot wait to take a nap in the hammock and feel the sunshine warm my face. Today, many parts of the country are already starting to feel the earliest stages of thawing, and those first few little baby blades will soon be reaching for the sun. I am here to share the most amazing (and greenest) option for cutting those blades down when the time comes.

The first time that I saw a push-powered lawn mower when I was a kid, I thought it was the coolest thing. I wanted to try it out and started cutting the grass in my grandparents’ back yard as soon as I was tall enough to reach the handle. I was an energetic kid, but by the time that I was about half way done, I was as withered as the current Colorado grass. Now, admittedly, this mower was probably older than my grandparents, and the newer ones are much better, but if you have a decent sized lawn, these push mowers are not very practical.

Here is a new design presented at the North American Handmade Bike Show this year that has transformed push-power into peddle-power. Using the basic design of a recumbent bicycle, Ted Wojcik created a push mower that cuts the grass while you peddle. Genius! I can’t wait till they go into production (and will let you know as soon as they do). It might be a while, and they will probably cost a bundle. Maybe I will have to convince my brother-in-law welder to build us one on the cheep. Plus, then I could add one extra feature; a beer holder. The Greener Truth is not responsible for any LMWIs (lawn mowing while intoxicated) incurred while borrowing this idea!

thanks to DirtRag

Eco-conscious transportation and lawn mowing links

-Ted Wojcik Custom Bicycles

Cycling Journey of a Lifetime

Aaron Midgett — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:37:13 +0000

thanks to The Solar Cycle Diaries

Congratulations to the Solar Cycle Diaries bicycling team, who just
completed a 13,500 mile trip around the world on thier bikes. To top it all off, they did trip to promote one of my favorite causes: Solar Energy. This 9 month trip was completely human and solar powered and aimed at convincing the United Kingdom to support homeowners who instal solar panels by guaranteeing to buy extra energy back. The team of three also hoped to raise awareness about a program called SolarAid that helps promote solar energy in developing countries. Amazingly, this lofty goal worked, and the UK Feed-in Tarrif was recently announced to provide homeowners who instal PV systems a guaranteed, tax free $1600 a year (for an average size array) in savings or income for 25 years.

thanks to Solar Century

Throughout this trip, the group promoted solar by visiting installations all over the world while trying to teach people in third world countries about solar possibilities. As an avid tour-cyclist myself, I am a little jealous of such an amazing trip, so congratulations on a huge accomplishment. The group deserves more than a few days off of the bike to rest those sore keasters.

Making Biking to Work More Cultural

Aaron Midgett — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:23:22 +0000

Every once in a while I come across a story that really makes me smile. In most major cities, bike paths are becoming more popular, safer and easier to use; however, in Portugal, city planners have gone one step farther, making bike paths a cultural as well as environmental and physically beneficial mode of transportation.

thanks to TreeHugger.com

This may sound a little strange to those of us in the US– where the most bike friendly cities like Portland or Boulder are no match for the biking accommodations like the bike traffic light of European cities– but new bike paths in Portugal are currently being lined with famous verses of poetry by Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa.

My wife had a high school English teacher who liked to staple his poems to telephone polls, and we’ve got poems on the ceilings of buses in Boulder, but who would think of reading poetry while biking? I’m sure it’s a safer way of reading than with a Bike Book Caddy…

O Tejo from Abilio Vieira on Vimeo.

So next time you are stuck in 5 o’clock traffic, think about moving to Portugal and how you could be reading poetry while getting your exercise after a day at the office. While that is probably not an option for most of us, there is no reason that we can’t have a more cultural experience on our bike paths in this country. Maybe next time you go on a bike ride, grab a stick of chalk and get inspired (while you’re at it, send me a photo to post on my blog!).