In this entry I'll explain the basic options for where one can buy a bicycle in LA, share my opinions as to which are best, and I'll briefly discuss helmets, locks, and lights.

It was a frigid night in late 2004 when the lights went out on a potluck dinner of frustrated bicycle enthusiasts.

In the road bike market, you may have noticed that nearly every manufacturer is offering bikes with compact double crankset, ie road cranks with a 110mm chainring bolt-circle typically mounting a 50 and 34 tooth chainring combination. Bike companies have toted the compact double as the ideal way to gain most of the benefits of a triple crank (namely better low range gearing) while having a better chainline and lower weight. This is mainly true, but before you decide that the compact double crank is right for you, you should understand its real advantages for you as a user as well as the motivations bike companies have for selling it to you.  read more »

As one cyclist was lying dead in the road, another lay dying, and a third was writhing in agony, the Deputy is reported to have paced the road, saying "my life is over" and "my career is over."

Another bike is kidnapped. My good friend and co-worker, Matt Craig, had his bicycle stolen today near 11th and 5th Ave. According to police, this is a high target area for bicycle thieves. The lowest of the lot. Of course the mere fact that the police know this is a little unsettling, but after all we can't expect a tiny police force like the NYPD with 40,000 cops (6th largest standing army in the planet) do anything about petty bike theft. I mean they're way to busy making sure we don't ride in groups of more than 30.

Matt had just been given permission by his adoring wife to buy a commuter bicycle to be able to get to the various location he frequents for work. The deal is that Matt is going to work as much as he can while Lisa stays home and takes care of their baby son Liam. Believe me, this is a fair compromise because it may seem glamorous to work in Hollywood but we often put in 18 hour days and 80 hour weeks. (I know, I can hear the worlds tiniest violins playing now)  read more »

I swear, if one more person emails me a link to that high school kid who built a wooden bike, I am going to lose my mind.
For the lucky ones among you who haven’t yet received this email chain, an online woodworking newsletter has an article about Marco Facciola, a 16-year-old kid who built a [...]

James Starley (1830 - 1881) is considered to be the "Father of the Bicycle Industry." Born in Albourne, Sussex in the South of England, James Starley (Above.) left home at eighteen years old and took a job as a gardener. Starley was a mechanical genius who gained a reputation for mending clocks and inventing useful gadgets. It is interesting how chance meetings in a persons life can not only change the course of that individuals life, but in this case change the course of history. Starleys employer, John Penn, bought an expensive sewing machine for his wife, which broke down. James of course fixed the problem and, what is more, envisioned improvements to the mechanism. Penn knew Josiah Turner, one of the partners of the makers of the sewing machine, and in due course Starley was taken on as an employee at the London sewing machine factory. His talent was such that Turner and Starley started their own sewing machine company around 1861. The pair moved to Coventry, in the West Midlands of England, because of the abundance of skilled machinists there. Coventry had previously been known for its clock making industry.  read more »

The ultimate for bike maintenance - The Blubike/Super-B combo has all you need to clean and maintain your bike dring the hard wearing winter months. The SUPER-B 96500 is a top quality bike toolkit at an amazing price. Every tool is custom designed to do its intended job and then manufactured to precise tolerances. SUPER-B tools are intended for home mechanics and durable enough for professional use. SUPER-B 96500 includes: 1 - PEDAL REMOVER 15X16MM,15X17MM 1 - CHAIN WHIP (To hold cassette while loosening locking ring) 1 - 8MM HEX KEY+1/2 DR ADAPTOR 1 - L HANDLE 4 - 25L BITS SIZE:PHILLIPS:1/2; SLOTTED:5/7;W/HOLDER 3 - 1/4 DR. SOCKET SIZE: 8/9/10MM 1   - HG CASSETTE LOCK RING SOCKET 1 - B.B. TOOL (Shimano internal bearing type) 1 - BB LOCK RING TOOL 1 - TOOL FOR BOTTOM BRACKET CUP 2 - HUB CONE SPANNER 13X14 AND 15X16MM 1 - HEAD SET WRENCH 30X32X36X40MM 1 - TUBE REPAIR KIT 1 - OPEN-ENDED WRENCH 8X10MM 1 - 6" ADJUSTABLE WRENCH 1 - SCHRADER TYRE GAUGE 1 - SLOTTED 3X75MM SCREWDRIVER 6 - HEX KEY 2/2.5/3/4/5/6MM W/HOLDER 3 - PLASTIC TIRE LEVER 1 - CHAIN RIVET EXTRACTOR 1 - COTTERLESS CRANK TOOL 1 - SPOKE WRENCH The Blubike Cleaning Kit includes all of the essential accessories needed to keep your bike looking great, it will even smell nice too. Brush, scrub and soak your bike to bring it up looking almost like new. The kit comes all included within the large plastic bucket with sealable lid to keep all of the contents organised and fluids contained. The kit includes 1 x Bucket with Lid, Blue 1 x Wash Sponge 1 x Spray bottle of Bike Cleaner Fluid 500ml 1 x Bio Chain Cleaner fluid, 250ml 1 x 10.40 High Tech Wet chain lubricant, 75ml 1 x Chain Machine with rotating brushes 1 x Cassette Cleaning Tool  1 x Bike Cleaning Brush 1 x Tube repair kit What's in the bucket?  read more »

Photos continue to pour in from this past weekends handmade bicycle show, and like most of the cyclists who werent there I continue to pore over them. Yes, many of the bicycles were beautiful. Yes, we are truly fortunate to be alive during a handcrafted bicycle renaissance. Yes, its great to see so much innovation from so many independent builders. And so forth. Frankly, after gorging myself on pictures I thought Id gotten the whole thing out of my system already, but I haven't. Theres still something about the show thats bothering me. Its like a slight ticking from your bicycle that you still cant get rid of despite multiple tear-downs and re-builds. Certainly Id like to just sit back and appreciate the bikes.  read more »

Phillip Barron The Herald Sun In Ghana, the availability of a reliable bicycle turns a 2 hour walk to school into a 25 minute ride. In Guatemala, it means that someone who previously could not carry their wares to a market now has a way. In Namibia, where specially equipped bicycles become pedal-powered ambulances, it can be the difference between life and death. Bikes empower people to change their lives, says Merywen Wigley. As an HIV/AIDS professional working in international health, Wigley has witnessed personally the difference two wheels can make.  read more »