m-bike.org

Category: General bike news

  • “Roadie” Book Signing in Royal Oak

    roadieThere will be a book signing starting at 7 PM this Friday, January 2nd in Royal Oak at the American Cycle and Fitness store on Woodward just north of 12 Mile.

    The book is called Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer
     and it’s author is local-cyclist Jamie Smith.  The book is illustrated by Frazz illustrator, Jef Mallett from Lansing.

    With a keen sense of humor and a wealth of experience as a cyclist, Smith explains the wonderfully addicting but equally strange world of bicycle racing, including many of its charming habits and obsessive practices. Training, diet, several of the Michigan courses, cycle repairs, race strategies, and the puzzling question of why cyclists wear Lycra are all outlined in this unique book. Mallett’s comic illustrations perfectly complement the narrative.

    Smith’s book did make the 2009 Michigan Notable Book list.

    For more details, visit  www.americancycleandfitness.com or call the store at 248-542-7182.  Refreshments will be provided

  • Snow plowing Copenhagen-style

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    In Boulder, Colorado, the bike lanes are plowed first.  That gives you an idea of where they put their priorities.

    And this is from a popular Copenhagen bike blog:

    We salt our bike lanes and roads here in Copenhagen. Sometimes the wide stripe of salt on the bike lane is my weather report. If I see the stripe I know that snow is forecast and the city is ahead of the game with a preventive measure to ensure that the bike lane is as clear as possible until they can get out with the bike lane snowploughs.

  • Greater Grace Temple’s ‘Bicycle Christmas’ Giveway

    The New York Times recently ran an article on Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple (“Detroit Churches Pray for ‘God’s Bailout’”.)

    Greater Grace, the largest church in Detroit, invited officials from the United Automobile Workers union to speak before Bishop Ellis gave his sermon, titled “A Hybrid Hope.”

    “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we need prayer,” he said. “When it’s all said and done, we’re all in this thing together.”

    Bishop Ellis encouraged the congregation to pray, not that Congress would “do the right thing” and approve loaning money to the car companies, but that Detroiters would “make it” through these tough times.

    Some bike blogs (here and here) picked up the article, apparently didn’t read it all that well, and wrote that the Church was praying for the Senate bailout.  Or maybe that just made a better story for them.  Piling on Detroit easy these days irregardless of the facts.

    Bicycle Christmas

    But on a more positive note, Greater Grace Temple has been a major supporter of bicycling in Detroit through their Bicycle Christmas program.

    “For many people, one of their fondest childhood memories was to receive a brand new bicycle on Christmas morning,” says GGT’s Senior Pastor Bishop Charles H. Ellis III. “We want to do something to help those youngsters whose families who are hit hard by this economy and could face having little or nothing under the tree on Christmas Day.”

    The church will be giving away 250 brand new bicycles to children from financially struggling families on Sunday, December 21, 2008. The giveaway will begin after the 10:00 a.m. service (approx. 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.). The church partnered with Meijer Stores and Sinai Grace Hospital to make the giveaway possible. Donations also came from church members.

    Greater Grace Temple has given away more than 2,800 bikes to financially struggling families over the last 5 years.

    Wow!  What a great program and a great cause.

    If you are interested in helping or supporting this program, please contact the Greater Grace Temple.

  • An Update on Cheap Oil and Biking

    High oil prices prompted Americans use their bike more than their car.  Last month we wrote about the falling price of oil and how people were still biking more.

    Since then the prices of oil has dropped even more.

    Still, the October driving numbers are down according to the Federal Highway Administration:

    Americans drove more than 100 billion fewer miles between November 2007 and October 2008 than the same period a year earlier, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, making it the largest continuous decline in American driving in history.

    The Secretary noted that Americans drove 3.5 percent less, or 8.9 billion fewer vehicle miles traveled (VMT), in October 2008 than October 2007, making it the sharpest decline of any October since 1971.

    Of course during this downturn, bike commuting and public transit ridership have increased.

    And, these changes are not just due to high oil prices.  (more…)

  • Trails Position to remain unstaffed for now

    trails_oakroutesTo continue on the bad economic news front, we learned today that Oakland County Parks will not be hiring a replacement for the Trails Network Coordinator position — at least not right now.

    Melissa Prowse, the former coordinator has transitioned into a parks planning position.  The intent was to hire a replacement.  The Oakland County Parks Commission decided not to at this time “given recent economic uncertainty and the current status of our structural reorganization.”

    Jon Noyes, Oakland County Parks Planning Supervisor says they’ll ensure staff can continue to support the Oakland Trails Advisory Council (OTAC).  That’s great news.

    There is a hope that the coordinator position could be re-posted in fiscal 2010 (October 2009.)

    Until then, we’ll have to make do with less just as everyone else is right now.