Power Assisted Bikes

Brand consultancy, Interbrand, has launched its annual report of Japans top brands, ranking a total of the leading thirty to date based in the monetary value of the brands. The only newcomer in the top-30 is Shimano on the 27th position valued at US$

Ludo NV, Belgium based bike maker and importer of Scott, DT Swiss, Crankbrothers, Argon18 and others has introduced a bike store concept for its local market. As Scott does not intend to open concept stores like Giant and Specialized we have developed

Announcing C.I.C.L.E.’s 2010 Membership Campaign Extravaganza! When you join C.I.C.L.E.’s bicycle movement during this ground-breaking year, you will find yourself automatically enrolled in a C.I.C.L.E. sweepstakes drawing for rad prizes from our community partners.

Published February 5, 2010 by C.I.C.L.E.

Announcing C.I.C.L.E.’s 2010 Membership Campaign Extravaganza!  When you join C.I.C.L.E.’s bicycle movement during this ground-breaking year, you will find yourself automatically enrolled in a C.I.C.L.E. sweepstakes drawing for rad prizes from our community partners.

When you become a C.I.C.L.E. member during February 2010, not only will you help C.I.C.L.E. spread our unique mix of bikes and joy, you will also be entered into Grand Prize drawing to win a whimsical gift assortment from our favorite brewery, New Belgium!  New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, is a tried and true supporter of C.I.C.L.E. and bicycle advocacy everywhere throughout the known universe.  Pedal into C.I.C.L.E.’s member program by February 28, 2010 and you will instantly and magically be entered to win this fabulous New Belgium gift assortment!

The lucky C.I.C.L.E. fan and bicycle superstar will receive a Timbuk2 messenger bag with adjustable, padded shoulder strap and New Belgium logo, a handsome New Belgium baseball cap, and an assortment of (2) two twelve packs of delicious, wind-powered New Belgium brews, including the new Ranger IPA (over $150 value).  Happy Riding!  You must be at least 21 years old to win. 

You can commit to C.I.C.L.E.’s mission to create a healthy planet, happy streets, and a healthy you, and join our membership program anytime online at www.cicle.org or donate in person at the next Urban Expedition Ride on Feb. 20, Creak Freak ride.  You won’t want to miss the members-only (yeah: think awesome jackets) C.I.C.L.E. House Party on Saturday, Feb. 27, so join today!

C.I.C.L.E. wants to do more for you and the bicycle community of Los Angeles.  Won’t you help us today?

Shimano is currently on Tour in Europe meeting their OE customers for the new product presentation (NPP). Among the 2011 products, the component maker announced the next step in internal hub gear technology. One of the remarkable new components is the Alfine 11-speed

Selle Royal SpA has taken over Jiangyin Justek Vehicle Co. Ltd. which is the largest saddle maker in China. The acquisition provides Selle Royal access to Asian OE bike makers as well as the fast growing Asian consumer markets. With the purchase of

Thanks to the continuing strong demand for e-Bikes, in particular in Germany, investment bank SNS Securities announced earlier this week a change in advice for Accell Group shares from hold to buy. According to SNS Securites,

Have you already planned your trip to the next Taichung Bike Week? Make sure that you have booked the correct dates as all indicators clearly show a preference for

Commuting in China's big cities is a daunting experience. The phrase "rush hour" takes on a whole new meaning, and an ominous one, in a city like Beijing which has 20 million residents and 4 million private cars.

Published January 28, 2010 by Xinhuanet.com
By Wang Xiang

Beijing — Commuting in China's big cities is a daunting experience. The phrase "rush hour" takes on a whole new meaning, and an ominous one, in a city like Beijing which has 20 million residents and 4 million private cars. Congestion and pollution are serious problems.

To reduce traffic problems and pollution, Beijing authorities plan to encourage commuters to use bicycles rather then cars. Today 19.7 percent of Beijing residents ride bicycles, and the government hopes to raise the figure to 23 percent by 2015, Xinhua news agency reported on January 24.

At that time, public transportation will account for 45 percent of Beijing's traffic, while private and business cars will account for 22 percent. Taxis and other vehicles account for the rest.

The plan calls for setting up 1,000 bike-hire stations and more than 50,000 bicycles around metro and bus stations. It would cover most of the city and provide quick access to rental bikes.

Bicyclists who know their history consider the plan too modest. For decades, China was known as the "bicycle kingdom." In 1989, there were more than 4 million bicycles on Beijing roads and 60 percent of the residents used bicycles. Now gas-guzzling, fume-spewing autos in stalled traffic seem indispensable to modern life.

Promoting bicycles again will not be easy. The first concern is safety of cyclists as bicycle lanes have been edged out or phased out and bikes must use faster and more dangerous auto lanes.

Moreover, China's car makers are unlikely to yield to two-wheelers taking even a tiny slice of the market.

Overtaking the United States as the world's biggest auto market in 2009, China's car sales totaled 13.64 million, a 46.15 percent surge from 2008, according to China's Association of Automobile Manufacturers. As early as 2008, the industry contributed more than 8 percent to China's GDP, according to National Development and Reform Commission.

Another problem with the bicycle plan is convenience: many destinations in sprawling Beijing are not an easy or an hour's bike ride away. Many bike rental operators in Beijing say they are struggling to survive because few people need their services.

Despite all obstacles, encouraging bikes is a good idea. The plan could work. Take Denmark, a country that features bikes in its national tour guide books. The popularity of bikes was fostered by a conscious government decision to save energy in the first place. However small, a first step is a solid step.

Original Article:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-01/28/c_13154296.htm

Declaring "The culture of the car ends now!" City Councilman Bill Rosendahl invoked the Cyclists' Bill of Rights

Published January 29, 2010 by CityWatch
By Stephen Box

Declaring "The culture of the car ends now!" City Councilman Bill Rosendahl invoked the Cyclists' Bill of Rights   (LINK)  and took a giant leap at pursuing a city ordinance that would prohibit the harassment of cyclists. He drew applause from council chambers as he articulated several examples of the behavior that he wants to forbid on the streets of Los Angeles.  (Video here) 1. Knowingly throwing a projectile or discharge at or in the direction of any person riding a bicycle:

2. Threatening any person riding a bicycle verbally or by use of his/her vehicle for the purpose of injuring, frightening or disturbing the person riding the bicycle;

3. Knowingly placing his/her vehicle within 3’ of a bicyclist while passing or following;

4. Making physical contact with a bicyclist from a moving vehicle or the roadway either by physical person or use of an implement;

5. Knowingly placing a person riding a bicycle in concern of immediate physical injury;

6. Knowingly engaging in conduct that creates a risk of physical injury or death to the person riding a bicycle.

As cyclists offered testimony of their experience riding the streets of Los Angeles, they were echoed in their concerns by members of the City Council who agreed that the City needs to do more to support the cycling community.

Councilman Ed Reyes recounted his experience as a child getting hit by a motorist as he rode his bike.

Councilman Rosendahl reminded the council of the Mandeville Canyon Road-Rage incident that brought the issue of harassment of cyclists to the forefront.

Councilman Paul Koretz stood in support and declared "We need to send a clear message."

Rosendahl brought it home saying “We’re going to give cyclists the support they should have been getting.”

It seems simple, after all, who can stand in favor of harassment of any kind, but the devil is in the details.

The proposed "anti-harassment" motion, which simply directs the generation of reports on the development of an ordinance has made it through the Transportation Committee but hit a speed hump at the Public Safety Committee which recommended further study. The City Council voted to essentially direct the City Attorney and the LADOT to continue with the generation of reports.

As cyclists recounted their experiences turning to the LAPD for assistance when they experienced road-rage, aggression from motorists, threats, assaults and even hit-and-run collisions, Rosendahl responded by saying "The LAPD hasn't been part of the solution, but sometimes has been part of the problem." The LAPD had no response, they weren't there. Somehow the LAPD and the District Attorney were left out of the process, leaving the LADOT as the lead and the City Attorney deferring in the development of an anti-harassment ordinance that requires enforcement and prosecution support. Some might even suggest that it requires support from Sacramento.

The real value of this ordinance lies not in its chances of becoming law but in the fact that the harassment of cyclists is being discussed, prompting some to murmur "This is how it starts!"

Complementing the City Council's slow but steady pursuit of a more bikeable Los Angeles was the City's ongoing study of Bike Sharing, an endeavor that prompted Council President Eric Garcetti to refer to great bikeable cities such as East Hollywood, Paris and Long Beach. (Not often that those three are mentioned in the same breath!)

The bike sharing concept is an old one even in Los Angeles where college students can "rent" a bike for the quarter, studio employees can "share" a bike while on the lot, tourists can "borrow" a bike from some hotels, and bikes "for hire" exist in several locations.

None of these are as visible as the programs in Paris or Munich or Leon but perhaps that's the real opportunity for the City of LA, to support those small operators who are already in the bike share business with promotion and marketing support.
•••
Capping off the "anything but the budget" day at City Hall was the Transportation Committee's showdown over the speed limit increases in the Valley. On the agenda were proposals to raise the speed limit on Riverside Drive (up to 45 mph) and Chandler Avenue (up to 50 mph) in an effort to certify the streets for radar/laser speed limit violation enforcement.

Cyclists were joined by members of the community, all braced with arguments against the City of LA's continued pursuit of increased speed limits as a tool for enforcement, but the debate faded at the request of Councilman Krekorian who wanted to pursue other options, such as his AB 766 Safe Streets bill which he introduced last year when he served as the Assistant Majority Leader in the State Assembly.

The bill did not make it to the finish line but the message was clear, the 50 year old speed trap law needed to be revised so that local authorities can set speed limits with greater sensitivity to the local community. Not all streets should be raceways, not all streets should be fast cut-throughs, not all streets should be hospitable for speeding motorists.

Councilmembers Krekorian and Koretz both asked the hard questions and seem to understand that there are methods for slowing traffic other than simply raising the speed limits and then relying on traffic officers with radar/laser enforcement.

Now is the time to pursue traffic calming methods, many of which represent funding opportunities such as Safe Routes to School, Highway Safety Improvement Program funding and Office of Traffic Safety grants.

Road diets, bulb-outs, speed tables, pedestrian enhancements and other innovations are not just tools for safety, they are also opportunities to put people to work, to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and to bring funding into the city coffers.

(Stephen Box is a transportation and cycling advocate and writes for CityWatch. He can be reached at <!– var prefix = ‘ma’ + ‘il’ + ‘to’; var path = ‘hr’ + ‘ef’ + ‘=’; var addy14069 = ‘Stephen’ + ‘@’; addy14069 = addy14069 + ‘thirdeyecreative’ + ‘.’ + ‘net’; document.write( ‘‘ ); document.write( addy14069 ); document.write( ” ); //–>\n Stephen@thirdeyecreative.net <!– document.write( ‘‘ ); //–> This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it <!– document.write( ” ); //–> )        -cw

Original Article:

http://citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3148

For the second consecutive year the jury awarded an e-Bike as the Dutch Bike of the Year. Yesterday, at the trade show FietsVak Wouter Jager (photo) MD of Koga-Miyata was handed over this prestigious award for the Koga Miyata