The ordinance, which backers described as the toughest of its kind in the nation, makes it a crime for drivers to threaten cyclists verbally or physically, and allows victims of harassment to sue in civil court without waiting for the city to press criminal charges.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bicycle-law-20110721,0,3219222.story

It seems like the City of Angels is on the right path to keep us cyclists on the safe side. Can’t wait for the “3-feet law” to pass.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

Since my daughters are now in Summer break, riding to a location such as a park or the local ice cream shop makes the ride more fun. One of the most useful bikes on my stable is my Diamond Back transporter with the Xtracycle FreeRadidcal kit. This bike allows me to transport my youngest daughter along with food, games, blankets and any other stuff needed for a picnic at the park.

I also happen to live close to the Fullerton Loop, so when we decided to take our little trip offroad, it was no problem. Both my girls and I enjoyed our little side adventure, although the offroad trip included some uphill riding, both girls soldiered on.

When we got back home, we were all pretty tired. We rewarded ourselves with some ice cream and some relaxing time at home. I’m pretty blessed to have girls that love the outdoors and are not afraid for a little adventure.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

Well, for starters, I used to “cruise” on the last half mile on my way to work. I basically “air dried” so I was not as sweaty when I arrived at work. Once I had arrived to work, I kept a small desk fan to continue cooling and air drying.

On my desk drawer I kept Baby Wipes (make sure they are the flush-able kind), 2 towels, body deodorant, mousse, hair brush and a bottle of Rocket Shower. Here is the run down of my “office shower”:

I would dry off whatever sweat I had on my body with one towel, clean my body with the baby wipes, spray the Rocket Shower and let it dry for a moment and then use the body deodorant. I would change into a clean set of clothes, rinse my hair (having short hair is a huge plus) and then style it. Voila, good as new!

One thing to remember is that the “office shower” process takes about 10 minutes, so arrive to work with time to spare.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

The first few miles of the trail were nicely paved, all I heard was the humming of my bike tires. Then, all of the sudden I heard a flapping noise around the bottom bracket, it was my left shoe! One of the straps had become unglued:

Although it didn’t affect the performance of my pedaling, the noise was really annoying. I started to search the side of the bikeway for some type of string. Thankfully, I found an old balloon that still had the string attached. I quickly tied the unglued strap and went on my merry way.

The last 6 miles to the beach were quite a challenge, a nasty head wind accompanied me to the end of the trail. Not only that, the trail also became quite bumpy with a lot of small potholes.
The Coyote Creek Bikeway joins the San Gabriel River Trail about 4 miles away from the beach, these last 4 miles were the windiest, but I made it to the end of the trail.

I finally reached the beach, the weather was perfect, not too hot not too cold. I chilled out for about half hour before I headed back home.

That nasty head wind that I encountered on my way to the beach turned in to a pleasant tail wind. I was cranking along at an average of 20 mph. Love tail winds!

I enjoyed riding the Coyote Creek Bikeway, being 3.3 miles from my house is an awesome way to get to the beach without having to drive the car!

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

What to wear while riding your bike to work is mostly an individual choice based on weather, style and practicality. I envy those who are able to ride to work with their work clothes on, having to change at work can be a pain sometimes.

Myself, I like practicality over style. I also tend to be a little “thrifty” on my choice of what to wear during my ride. Living in Southern California, I can get away with riding with shorts and short sleeve jerseys. I prefer mountain biking shorts or knickers over Lycra or jeans. I also like hi-viz cycling jerseys, I prefer the “house brands” (Pricepoint, Nashbar…) because they are cheaper. Here are links of clothing that we have reviewed in the past in BikeCommuters.com (including a cooling vest!)

Tops:
Faction Cycling Metro Flatlander Jersey
Shmaltz Brewing Co Micro Beer Jersey
Hoss Pony Polo shirt
Loeka Waterproof Shell Jacket

SWOBO Men’s Short Sleeve Merino Jersey
Arctic Heat Cooling vest
Zoic Namaste Hoodie

Bottoms:

Outlier Summer Shorts
Hoss Sienna plaid knickers
Zoic Damsel Skirt
Hoss Stallion Shorts
Bicycle Fixation Wool knickers

Shoes:

Simple Shoes Eco S

Keen Commuter Sandals
Sette Elite Carbon Road shoes

Again, what to wear is a very personal choice, I’ve seen riders wearing “skinny jeans”, regular jeans, denim shorts, sweats and full blown lycra kits. If it is comfortable for you, ride with it!

On my next installment I will address hygiene, the #1 reason (in my opinion) why people are reluctant to ride a bike to work.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

Breezer Uptown 8

For a lot of Bike Commuters, a commuter bike should have fenders, racks, chainguard, lights and dynamos. I’m totally cool with that, but all those accessories add heft and price to a bicycle. These bikes are great for those who can commute with their work clothes on and desire a comfortable ride.

KHS Flite 100

Fixed gear bikes are hard to miss (some are just plain ridiculously hideous), but they also make great commuter bikes for those who are minimalist and don’t mind riding with a backpack. Fixed gear bikes are good for mid-distance flat commutes. Fixies are also inexpensive and don’t require much maintenance.

KHS F20-R folding bike

For those who do a multi-modal commute (bus/train), a folding bike is an excellent choice. Although they haven’t caught on in the U.S., they are super popular in Asia.

Kona Smoke with Xtracycle

If your commute requires you to haul equipment or if you want to drop off your kid at school before heading to work; a cargo bike is the bike for you. The Xtracycle kit is very popular, you can add the kit to most bicycles. Bear in mind that these bikes are heavy and during windy days, it can be quite a grueling ride.

Torker T-450E

Electric and Hybrid bikes are gaining popularity. These bikes enable some riders to get to their destination faster, less sweaty and they can be really helpful to those who are not quite fit. The drawback of these bikes is the price and their weight, but they are certainly cheaper than a car and with these gas prices, they can pay by themselves on the long run.

KHS CX 200

I’m a huge fan of cyclocross bikes as commuter bikes. They are sturdy, you can add big tires, fenders and they are on the lighter side. Cyclocross bikes also enable you to go off-road if your route permits so, it also adds to the fun factor of bike commuting.

Wal-Mart Bike

So what about Wally World bikes? Sure they cost less than $100 bucks, but I know for a fact (my neighbor commuted on one) that these bikes are super heavy and they are quite unreliable. My neighbor suffered from broken pedals, bent rims and poor brakes.

So which bike is best to commute? Well, it is totally up to you but the real answer is: “The one that is between your legs!”.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

My first step is to survey the routes; safety is paramount and I don’t mind riding a little more if that means that I get to my destination in one piece. I use Google Maps to check out my different choices of streets, here is an example of one of my previous routes to work:

I can see that my choices are plenty but since I know that the area is a big thoroughfare for big rigs and the 5 freeway over-passes are rather narrow, I have to decide what it is the safest route for me to ride by first driving the different routes.

Here are the things that I look for in a route:

*Heavy Traffic- I try to avoid a very congested street; drivers tend to be a little too aggressive and they tend to disregard cyclists as vehicular traffic.

*Wide Streets- I like riding wide streets, less jockeying for lane position.

*Neighborhood quality- Besides traffic, another thing to contend with in L.A. is crime. I avoid riding through rough neighborhoods, the least thing I want to do is to get mugged for my bike and possessions.

*Freeway On-ramps/Off-ramps- Drivers are usually ramping their speed up to get on the freeway or are exiting the freeway too fast.

*Don’t be afraid to experiment and modify your route often, but remember that it is all about your comfort level

After settling on a route, the next step is to choose what bike to ride to work. The choice will depend on one’s fitness level , how much time it will take to get to work, and the terrain. Stay tuned for the next installment…

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

I’ve been riding the Torker KB2 on certain errands and recreational rides and it has been a fantastic bike to use on those short trips. The heart of the Torker KB2 is its hub; a Sturmey Archer DUOMATIC Kick Shift 2-Speed hub. To switch gears, one simply back pedals until a clicking noise is heard, that is it.

Being a Bike Geek, I started to wonder about the hub’s gear ratios, gear gain and what not, in other words, does a 2 speed hub make a real difference? Let’s start with some quick measurements of the Torker KB2:

Wheel size with stock tires: 700X38
Crank Length: 170mm
Crank Chainring: 42T
Rear Sprocket: 22T

Although the Sturmey Archer SC2 hub’s specs are not on the Torker website, you can easily find a pdf with all the info on http://www.sturmey-archer.com/userfiles/manuals/S2C-Tech.pdf. So according to the PDF, the gear ratios of the Sturmey Archer SC2 are 1.0 (first gear) and 1.38 (second gear).

Now, using Sheldon Brown’s Gear calculator, we have the following measurements:

Gear Gain Ratios: First gear: 3.9, Second Gear:5.4
Gear Inches: First Gear: 52.2, Second Gear:72.0

OK, so these numbers may not mean much to you, how about something that we can really understand:

Gear Combination: First Gear: 42T X 22T, Second Gear:42T X 16T
MPH at 100 RPM: First Gear: 15.5mph, Second Gear:21.4mph

As you can seem, there is a big jump from first to second gear, in fact, the second gear combination is the same as a the Torker U-district.

I’ve learned to really like the 2-speed hub, my knees are quite thankful that I am able to start on an easier gear and it I can easily shift to second once I’m up to speed and really gain speed. I also like the first gear for those 4% to 6% climbs, it makes it so much easier. If you have the need for more speed, the Sturmey Archer website states that you can use 13T to 22T rear sprockets, but I would leave the 22T, Torker got it right with this size sprocket.

So for me, The Torker KB2′s Sturmey Archer SC2 hub is not just hype, but real functionality.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

BikeCommuters.com had a chance to review the Torker KB2 as a commuter bike a little while ago. What I though it was cool about this bike is its 2 speed internal “kickback” hub and its price tag: $399.

I asked RL if I can use the KB2, not as a commuter bike, but as an errand bike. Although I have an Xtracycle, there are times that I just want to do a quick run to the bank or to the pharmacy. I don’t feel too comfortable leaving my KHS CX200 locked outside, but a bike with the KB2′s price range I feel OK. Don’t get me wrong, I still would hate if the KB2 gets stolen, but I think it looks less conspicuous.

I added a few accessories to the KB2 to make it more utilitarian and more my style; front and rear blinkies, water bottle cage, front brake (for safety), Crank Brothers clipless pedals and a detachable rear rack. I will also be taking the KB2 on some recreational rides, its geometry is perfect for those “non-competitive” rides to the beach.

For more information on the Torker KB2, check out the Torker Bicycles website: http://www.torkerusa.com

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!

As I arrived, the temperature was quite cold but I was eager to get on the course so I could dial in the Airborne Taka and get familiar with the course. After my first run, I came back down and adjusted the Taka a bit. The course was tacky with sweep turns, a couple of jumps and an off-camber turn. I managed to squeeze in a couple of more practice runs, but I felt that it was not enough. Oh well.

I felt good on my first run, I didn’t make any mistakes and that yielded me a decent time. I was only 15 seconds from first place. After a long wait for my second run (unfortunately someone got injured), I felt a little stiff and tired. This showed during my second run, I wobbled off the start and almost ate it. I regained composure but I raced a bit more cautious.

I ended up 6th and I was quite pleased with my results. I was also very happy with the Airborne Taka; this type of course really suited its quick steering and pedaling capabilities. Next Race: May 21st @ Fontana.

I really want to thank my sponsors: Airborne Bicycles, VIP energy Mix, Evomo, The Sweet Cakery, Serfas Optics, DirtyDogMTB and Ergon.

Get your Airborne Taka for $1,399.95!