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Subscribe toIssue #19 May 2010SINCE 2007WWW.URBANVELO.ORGBicycleCULTUREOn TheSKIDSBrad QuartuccioEditorbrad@urbanvelo.orgJeff GuerreroPublisherjeff@urbanvelo.orgOn the cover: Shanna Powell pedaling through downtownAsheville NC on her single speed commuter. Photo by JeffZimmerman, www.jeffzimmermanphotography.comCo-conspirators: Annamarie Cabarloc, Tyler Bowa, JenHurricane, Lenny Maiorani, Jack Igelman, Roger Lootine,Janet Matthews, Adriane Hairston, David Hoffman, EdGlazar, Lynne Tolman and Andy SingerUrban Velo, PO Box 9040, Pittsburgh, PA 15224Urban Velo is a reflection of the cycling culture in currentday cities. Our readers are encouraged to contribute theirwords and art.Urban Velo is published bi-monthly. That’s six times per year,on the odd months. Issues are available for free download asthey become available. Print copies are available online andat select bicycle retailers and coffee shops.6 Issues = $18 US/$40 WORLD6 Issues = $18 US/$40 WORLDURBAN VELO.ORGPrinted in Pittsburgh by JB Kreider - www.jbkreider.comAll contents © 2010 Urban Velo, no unauthorized reproduction(online or otherwise) without written consent.

Features36 Denver’s Courier VeteransJen HurricaneThree of Denver’s most seasoned bike messengers share their wit,wisdom and tales from the saddle.46 Aiming for an Urban Cycling Meccain Asheville, NCJack IgelmanSouthern cities aren’t particularly known for their willingness to change,but Asheville is not your typical southern city.66 Finders KeepersJanet MatthewsDifferent people discover cycling for different reasons, but in the end thefact remains the same—we all benefit from the experience.Players from all over made the trip to Kentucky for Lexington’s 2nd AnnualBike Polo Spring Invitational. Photo by Jeff Guerrero

Departments10 Editor’s StatementBrad Quartuccio12 Publisher’s StatementJeff Guerrero14 I Love Riding in the CityReaders share their tales of city cycling.56 Gallery: 2010 NAHBSBrad QuartuccioPhotos from this year’s Handmade Bicycle Show.64 ResidueRoger Lootine70 The End of Favoring MotorizedTransportationDavid HoffmanA look at the bike advocacy movement, past and present.76 Red Hook CritEd GlazarPart road race, part alleycat, this yearly fixed gear rally takes place onthe dark streets of industrial Brooklyn.80 Book Review: The Lost CyclistLynne TolmanFrank Lenz disappeared on an 1892 round-the-world bicycle journey,and his death has remained a mystery.82 Freewheel RemovalBrad QuartuccioTips for taking that stubborn freewheel off.86 Get a GripBrad QuartuccioDifferent ways to keep those hand grips from slipping.90 Bicycle Helmet EvolutionAndy Singer8 URBANVELO.ORGDon Walker, the NAHBS founder, poses with one of his custom frames. Photo by Brad Quartuccio

Editor’s StatementBy Brad QuartuccioSomething I hope we can all agree on is that we’dlike to see more people on more bikes. How toget there isn’t so clear, with layers of problemswith sometimes circular or even conflicting proposedsolutions. Take dedicated bike lanes and facilities—theyclearly increase bike usage and safety, but without adequatepeople giving cyclist’s a voice at the table in thefirst place how do such public works projects first get offthe ground? Even with infrastructure improvements, howdo we get more bikes on the road when the entry levelseems so expensive, and so far from the bikes that peoplereally want or need to urban riding?Through decades of advocacy efforts, funding at thefederal level for bikes and other non-motorized transportationhas been on the rebound after some time, withthe United States Secretary of Transportation seriouslyaddressing cycling as legitimate transportation, and itsusers as legitimate tax-payers, for one of the few timessince the automobile was created. Racks in businessdistricts are full and big-box stores are carrying bikesthat only a few short years ago were in the sole domainof those in the know. As our numbers and visibility hasgrown, so has the influence of the urban cyclist’s dollarand it is something that even the most stubborn are beingforced to recognize.Besides Merckx or Coppi perhaps, few are born acyclist. People turn on at different times, through differentmeans. As the numbers grow and urban cyclingmoves out of the sphere of the underground faster thanever it’s my feeling that it’s important to embrace ratherthan fight the growth through false bravado or a sense ofownership of the scene. We’re all in this together. Thekid on the Walmart bike today could be the local fast guyor ace mechanic tomorrow—better to be the one whoencouraged them along the way than to be rememberedas the jerk that thought they invented two wheels.We want your words. Send your editorial contributions to brad@urbanvelo.org10 URBANVELO.ORGPhoto by Brad Quartuccio

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Publisher’s StatementBy Jeff GuerreroLast weekend I took a group of high-school studentson a field trip in downtown Pittsburgh. Since thestudents regularly take public transportation, wearranged to meet on Penn Avenue near the conventioncenter. When I showed up five minutes after the planneddestination time, several of them chided me for my tardiness.Though it was all in good fun, when one of thempointed at my bike and quipped, “Oh, I see why you’relate,” I was taken aback.“Bullshit,” I thought to myself, noting their implicationthat if I had driven a car like a normal adult, I would havebeen early. I know from experience that it takes nearly aslong to drive as it does to ride into town, and I would stillhave had to deal with downtown traffic and parking.In truth the real reason I was late was that I couldn’tdecide which bike to ride. But another small part was thatI saw a friend out on the street and stopped to say hello. Areal hello, replete with handshakes and well wishes. Whichis something you really can’t do in an automobile.But I didn’t make any excuses for myself, nor did Ilecture the kids on the merits of “active transportation.”Instead, I went with the proper schoolyard response,which is to feign ignorance and act superior at the sametime. Because you can’t expect to influence the youngergeneration if you ram your ideology down their throats. Ittakes a lot more tact.Thankfully, the subtle approach is working. Last summerI was approached by a student who wanted to learnhow to commute by bike instead of taking public transportation.And quite a few graduating seniors have cometo me asking for bicycle advice in preparation for theirupcoming year of college. One of my former students rideseverywhere she goes in a city of 3,000,000 (she did theillustration on page 66) and yet another has gone fromcommuting by bike to racing at the collegiate level.At the conclusion of the field trip one of the studentsapproached me as I turned the key of my u-lock.“Can I try your bike?”Urban Velo issue #19, May 2010. Dead tree print run: 5000 copies. Issue #18 online readership: 55,000+12 URBANVELO.ORGModel for a proposed public art installation by artist James Simon, www.simonsculpture.com. Photo by Jeff Guerrero

iriding in the cityNAME: Tina Tru aka TinaballsLOCATION: San Jose, CAOCCUPATION: Elementary School TeacherWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in San Jose. It’s amazing and fun to ride arounddowntown with SJFixed. I can actually say I’m thankful andappreciate the fact that I live really close to downtown.There aren’t any hills at all but it’s a nice area to chill andtarck around all day/night. We have awesome shops (IMinusD)located downtown that just opened, city lights, tallbuildings, a human size monopoly board, museums, andbeautiful parks and trails to ride through.14 URBANVELO.ORGPhoto by Annamarie CabarlocWhat was your favorite city to ride in, and why?As of lately, I would have to say San Francisco. I lovethe city! I love to ride around crazy small streets with busycars and buses all around. It’s also a great feeling to climbthe hills out there. It gives me an extremely exciting andheart-racing feeling that makes me just want to smashthrough all the red lights. I know it’s very dangerous, especiallyif I don’t have a helmet on, but I’m a daredevil. I’mlooking forward to riding in New York City in the springtimewith a couple of friends. It will be my first time thereso I hope that experience goes well. I’m super stoked andcan’t wait!Why do you love riding in the city?I love mashing through the lights at night, I enjoy passingup all the cars in traffic, and being surrounded by tallbuildings. I dislike the careless drivers and drunk peoplescreaming nonsense. But I would rather be on a bike andstop global warming than in a car stuck in traffic and tryingto find parking.Or just say whatever you want about riding in the city…Life is like riding a bicycle—in order to keep your balance,you must keep moving. –Albert EinsteinCheck out www.IminusD.com

iriding in the cityNAME: Maxime SorinLOCATION: Paris, FranceOCCUPATION: Bike MessengerWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in the downtown southwest of Paris, 10 minutesfrom the Eiffel Tower by bicycle. I was born here, grewup here and still live here. I’m a real Parisien.I’ve commuted by bike since 2003. I saw a big changein the city when the Vélib’ free bike service started uptwo years ago. People rediscovered the pleasure of ridinga bicycle, and car drivers changed their ideas aboutbicycles a little bit. Although Paris now has a growingbicycle lane network, it is still a jungle for the daily urbancommuter and especially bike messenger. Riding in Parisis very nice, the city has not been built for cyclists, butthis is a very charming and historic place that has a very16 URBANVELO.ORGnice atmosphere. I recommend a bicycle to visit the cityinstead of taking the subway or renting a car. The cityis not very large compared to London or many NorthAmerican cities, so you can cross Paris from north tosouth and east to west in less than 45 minutes riding.What was your favorite city to ride in and why?Melbourne, without hesitation. Aussies are verycheerful and kind people on the roads, they were verytalkative and respectful. And the city is just a huge playgroundfor messengers. There is an atmosphere mixedbetween the UK and the US that is very unique.Check out www.urbancycle.fr

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iriding in the cityNAME: Miss SarahLOCATION: Edmonton, ABOCCUPATION: Musician/TeacherWhere do you live and what’s itlike riding in your city?I live in a northern Canadiancity. We get four very distinct seasonsso it goes from sunny, dry andhot to cold, wet and dark. We alsoget everything in between.I find that riding in Edmonton isbittersweet. The bicycle commuterculture here is growing slowly, butnot without the pains of inexperiencedriders and exasperated drivers.Despite all this, riding in thiscity gives me a new appreciationfor the local businesses, the rivervalley, and the warm people wholive here.What was your favorite city toride in, and why?I think it would be difficult tomake presumptions of riding inother cities as a tourist, which maynot be indicative of cycling in anygiven city on a daily basis.I really loved riding in Vancouverbecause the drivers there aremore aware of cyclists, which madeit easy to navigate in traffic. Also,the lack of snow was nice too.Why do you love riding in the city?It’s healthy, convenient, and Inever have to deal with parking.Or just say whatever you wantabout riding in the city…Active transportation beatspassive transportation.18 URBANVELO.ORGCheck out girlsandbicycles.blogspot.com

iriding in the cityNAME: Peter DuranLOCATION: Algeciras, SpainOCCUPATION: English TeacherWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in the extreme south of Spain, across the bayfrom Gibraltar and 15 km from Morocco. My city, Algeciras,is super hilly and has quite a few one-ways and narrowstreets. It’s a lot of fun late at night and around 3pm whenpeople are at home eating their big daily meal. I try to takeadvantage of low traffic times since people here seem tohave little to no respect for cyclists. There is always somethingbeautiful to look at since we are situated betweenthe ocean and the mountains. I’m looking forward to takingmy bike with me on a few trips in the near future toother parts of Spain and a few other cities in Europe.What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?My experience is pretty limited with other cities,being as I’ve lived in Michigan for most of my life and I have20 URBANVELO.ORGrecently relocated to Spain. But, I’d have to say GrandRapids, MI has quite a few fun spots to ride. There aresome awesome hills to climb up and bomb down, a greatcycling community and diverse scenery with museums, abig river, old and new buildings, etc.Why do you love riding in the city?I love riding in the city because it shows cars thatcyclists are a legitimate form of traffic, that many of usare concerned about our environment and our health, andthat it doesn’t take a 4x4 to get to work. It can be prettyfun to weave in and out of cars that are stuck at lights justto show them what they are missing out on. It’s also niceto get off the road bike and country back roads and jumpon the fixed gear and cruise town to go from the store tothe bar to wherever.Check out www.oneworldonepulse.blogspot.org

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iriding in the cityNAME: BaudmanLOCATION: Melbourne, AustraliaOCCUPATION: Training AnalyistWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?Melbourne is great. Inner burbs are quite flat, withplenty of bike paths and lanes (although not always whereyou want them to go). Traffic is, largely, quite understandingof cyclists. However there’s always morons outthere wrecking it for everyone (whether on two, or fourwheels). The press seem to have a field day with the carsversus bikes war—but honestly, I don’t see it.22 URBANVELO.ORGWhat was your favorite city to ride in, and why?Melbourne—just the diversity of bike cultures here.A great semi-unofficial event is the annual Melburn-Roobaix (pictured above) held around Paris-Roubaix time.Makes great use of our many cobbled alleyways.Why do you love riding in the city?See above.Check out flickr.com/photos/baudman

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iriding in the cityPhoto by Tyler Bowa, www.peoplesbike.comNAME: Sandy LeyLOCATION: Shanghai, ChinaOCCUPATION: Art DirectorWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I’m originally from San Francisco but am currently livingin Shanghai, China after moving here from NYC.This is probably the craziest city I’ve ever ridden in—you have to be constantly on the lookout for spitters, randomelderly people walking into you, crazy taxi driversand livestock falling from trucks alongside of you.Once a guy with a 10 ft steel pole attached to hismotorscooter came out of nowhere and nearly got it stuckin my spokes—so dangerous! But somehow, the trafficjust seems to flow naturally in this city… almost like a choreographeddance.24 URBANVELO.ORGWhat was your favorite city to ride in, and why?NYC always makes for an interesting ride. I love thetraffic, the bridges and the beautiful sights. It’s the only cityin which you can ride for 40 minutes and end up in a neighborhoodthat feels like a completely different country. Myfavorite ride was from Williamsburg to Fort Tilden—fromthe ‘burg to the beach!Why do you love riding in the city?I love riding in Shanghai because it’s made me a muchbetter cyclist. All the abrupt stopping and tight squeezeshave really helped me gain better control over my bike.Plus, there’s just something about riding 45 deep withmotorscooters, tuk tuks, wheelbarrows and electric bikesthat reminds you that you’re a long way from home.Check out www.sandyley.com

TMOn March 17th, 2010, we posted a message on theChrome Facebook Fan Page announcing to anyonewho’d read it, that if they shipped us a pair of shoesfrom their closet and had the package postmarked bythe 18th, that we would, in turn, send them a free pairof Chrome shoes.Having recently started making footwear, we wantedto give the general public the opportunity to discoverfor themselves just how incredible these shoes are.We expected to see somewhere in the neighborhoodof 500 pairs being donated. We’ve been receivingshoes for over two weeks from all over the world.Enough to fill up an entire 40 foot long container andthen some. Lets just say it’s probably close to tentimes as many as we expected.Turns out the interweb is a incredible means ofcommunication. Who knew? Given the overwhelmingresponse, we’re now able to donate more than 5,000pairs of shoes to people in need throughout the U.S.and Haiti. Thank you to each of you who participatedin the promotion and those of you who volunteered tohelp us with such a huge undertaking.If you haven’t already, try on a pair of Chrome shoesand discover why they are being revered as the bestconstructed shoes ever made for the harsh demandsof everyday city living.TURDSFOR GOLDchromesf.com

iriding in the cityNAME: Tim WilhelmLOCATION: Akron, OHOCCUPATION: Pedicab DriverWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in Norton, OH but I ride my pedicab in Akron.I’m the only pedicab in town so I get special treatment.Everyone in town seems to like what I’m doing. The busdrivers and cab drivers all wave to me like I’m one of them.The store, bar and restaurant owners regularly stop meon the street and talk with me. I don’t charge for my ridesbut am always happy to get a tip.What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?I never really rode in a city since I lived in Houston, TXway back in 1979, so I guess you can say my other favoritecity to ride in would be Houston. I would love to live in acity where biking was a normal mode of transportation.26 URBANVELO.ORGWhy do you love riding in the city?I love riding in the city because I really like the downtownatmosphere. I like everyone knowing who I am. I getstopped all the time so people can have their picture takenwith me. Everyone in town knows me as Rickshaw Willie.I put on a show for the people. I try to make it fun. Whenyou work all week and you get a chance to get out youwant to have fun.Or just say whatever you want about riding in the city…“You can’t lose when you take a cruise on a Rickshaw.”There is another saying that I really like but I don’t knowwho wrote it, “Life is not measured by the number ofbreaths we take, but by the moments that take our breathaway.”Check out www.rickshawwillie.com

- T H E “ H O N D U R A N H A M M E R ” G U S M O L I N A- S E L A G E R F R A M E S E T- F U L L F R O N T A L N O S E P I C K E R G R I N D

iriding in the cityNAME: Lydia BrownfieldLOCATION: Columbus, OHOCCUPATION: Singer/SongwriterWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in Columbus, OH. The city is great for cyclists!With miles of paved and dedicated bike commuter paths,I can be downtown having a drink at the Tip Top or eightymiles out into the country from a single path. It’s verygreen, with mile after mile of scenic, rivers edge path tocruise along.What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?I was living in Victoria Highlands in Atlanta when mymusic career began to take off, and it was great because Icould ride my bike to almost every show in the city. It’s alittle hilly, but the weather is great and the city’s differentdistricts have great vibes. Atlanta is, without a doubt, myfavorite city to ride in… with Avalon Harbor being a closesecond.NAME: WoodyLOCATION: Philadelphia, PAOCCUPATION: Director of the Pedal Cooperative/FoodDelivery Boy/Intern at Bilenky Cycle Works/ResearchEngineer at University of PennsylvaniaWhy do you love riding in the city?I have lived in New York, Atlanta, and Columbus, butspend a ton of time in Los Angeles as well. The city is justso alive, and the battle between good and evil lies aroundevery turn.Check out www.lydiabrownfield.comWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?Philadelphia. Fun, since I usual ride with a seven-footlong trailer behind me loaded to the hilt. I receive greatcomments and many smiles and thumbs up. The city tendsto have a bad reputation for not being bicycle friendly buthopefully the times are a changing.What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?Favorite city to ride in is Philly since I am essentiallyfrom here. But looking back in my youth, I fell in love withthe ride from Narragansett RI to Jametown Island over thebridge, such a beautiful ride.Why do you love riding in the city?The intensity is what draws my love for biking in thecity. Sometimes you lose all sense of sanity and instinctkicks in. The challenges of buses pushing into the bike lanealong with the college students always makes cycling in thecity challenging but fun.30 URBANVELO.ORG

iriding in the cityNAME: Empidog ReynoldsLOCATION: Oxford, EnglandOCCUPATION: Freelance Cartoon ArtistWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in a sleepy quintessential English village then cycleinto the madness which is Oxford in self defense mode. Asyou enter Botley it starts—taxis, buses, unaware pedestrians,dogs and other cyclists. Mad, but great fun. Take arun up into Jericho to Zappi’s Cafe (Flavio Zappi, ex-Girorider) for a well earned cappuccino then it’s off up northto BMW and Audi country to avoid school run mums anddozy kids… Heaven.What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?Oxford, for its diversity. You can daydream around theback streets absorbing the history and culture or you cango into East Oxford to the best bike shop (Beeline) andfight with the door openers, random pedestrians, cyclehaters and be sworn at in a multitude of languagesNAME: Natalie NewberryLOCATION: Mufreesboro, TNOCCUPATION: Waitress at Macaroni GrillCheck out empidog-empidog.blogspot.comWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?I live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It’s a suburb ofNashville, where its citizens aren’t used to a lot of cyclistsriding around. We have a tight-knit crew of bikers calledCHIRP! Another group spawned from it, BIKE NITE, inwhich we meet up on our college campus and ride aroundthe city every Thursday night. At first we were just expectingit to be the normal group of about 15 or so people, butafter a while it caught on. We have had 60+ people showup, which was amazing. BIKE NITE is quite a sight for people,seeing 60 people on bikes isn’t an everyday thing here.What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?Murfreesboro of course! Although riding experiencesdiffer from day to day, all of my fellow riders stick togetherlike a family. We don’t ride to show off fancy bikes or provethat we can ride fast—we ride for togetherness.Why do you love riding in the city?It makes me feel free. It makes me feel like I’m actuallydoing something. It raises awareness to motorists saying,“We’re not blocking traffic, we ARE traffic.”32 URBANVELO.ORG

iriding in the cityNAME: Josh EsteyLOCATION: Jakarta, IndonesiaOCCUPATION: PhotojournalistWhere do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?Jakarta, Indonesia.“It’s fun riding bikes with friends but my favorite thingis riding through the kampung (slums) and exploring newplaces. Besides it helps the environment.” –Diva, 8“My fixed gear bike is so much fun. I can put my friendson the back. When my dad takes us on the Xtracycle I canrelax and watch the city. It’s nice because we don’t makepollution or noise.” –Xenia, 6“I like bikes. I can go fast like Superman.” –Nic, 334 URBANVELO.ORGWhy do you love riding in the city?Despite the heat, humidity, pollution, traffic, povertyand general discomfort, Jakarta is a magical city where thesimplicity of a bike can make you feel like a kid again. TheBig Durian, as it’s affectionately known, is ranked as oneof the worlds most polluted cities, with choking smog,unimaginable traffic jams, horrific poverty and obscenewealth.My bike made me fall in love with this city. Riding mybike makes me happy.Check out www.joshestey.com

D enver'sCOURIERVETERANSBy Jen HurricanePhotography by Lenny MaioraniThe life of a bicycle courier—seems asthough they don’t have a care in theworld. Riding with cup of coffee in hand,saying snarky things in the elevator, slicin’ itthrough every nook and cranny of the city. Denver’sfinest hustlers recently sat down for sometales from decades spent in the business.

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On The JobMarcus Garcia: Craziest delivery? I had a delivery for oneof the partners of this law firm, which shall remain nameless.It was some anti-itch medication and a box of condoms.One in the afternoon or so, and I was like, “Who’sthe freaky deeky, itchy scratchy!?”Punchy: I used to carry a harmonica in my bag and everytime it’d go through the scanner they would think it was aclip of .22s or something.Marcus Garcia: I got stuck in this elevator at 1225 with thischick and she was just trippin’. I didn’t know what she wastrippin’ about, she had a to-go box, I had a bunch of weedon me, we could have hung out. You know, smoke someweed, she could finish her lunch, it’s okay, it’s all gonnawork out! But she wasn’t having that, so I pried the doorsopen, like “Look see, we can get out.” She still wasn’t havingit and I had a bunch of packages on me, so I dumped itdown and jumped off. People waiting for the elevator wereall like “Whoa,” like I was on some super hero shit.Sam Turner: I think everyone has had the food explodingin their bag experience…Marcus Garcia AGE: 44Native to Denver, Marcus has spent 22years as a bicycle courier and has seenit all.Marcus Garcia: “Are you just the runner?” “Only if you’rejust the receptionist.”Marcus Garcia: There’s nothing I dig more than whenyou’re completely worked, it rarely happens now, butthere’s nothing more brutal than on a Saturday where youwant none of your bike. The weather starts to get niceout and you see fools, you see packs of [people] riding.The streets are yours! But when they’re paying, I’ll see youdown there.Punchy: How I first started was on a Huffy with no brakes,no gears, combat boots and a duffle bag as my courier bagin the winter in Chicago. Now, when the kids start theyhave to have the sweetest gear, that’s cool, whatever yourstyle is! But I came into this job broke! I was working constructionand one of my homies that was a messenger told38 URBANVELO.ORG

me, “You got a bike, you know your city, you got a lock, gomake some money.”Sam Turner: There was this guy who was standing in theelevator door, just holding it cuz he’s talking to his buddy.And there were people in the elevator with me, we allwant to get somewhere, so I said, “HEY! Get in or getout!” He just stared me down, like, “You’ve got the ballsto say that?” I said to the girl next to me, “Lets get off onthe next floor.”Marcus Garcia: WHOA!Sam Turner: No! ‘Cause she was pissed off too. Then Ipushed all of the buttons and said “Later,” and we got off.She was laughing.Marcus Garcia: I remember wildin’ out in the 90’s like, “I’mraising babies on this shit!”On The Bike SceneMarcus Garcia: I grew up blue collar, and it just happenedto be on a bike. That evolved into now, if you’ve gotenough cheddar, you can get your Urban Outfitters kit,you can look like that messenger type and there are kidswho come out of that who kill it, and they may becomethat next wave.Sam Turner: You can hate on anything when it gets popular,but I just think it’s cool that more people are ridingbikes.Punchy: It was culture shock when I came out here! Peoplehave nice bikes! These are real bikers out here. Backhome, we ghetto, running on rims!Marcus Garcia: You see heads that are poor or maybehomeless, or even your kitchen fare. Riding around on away too big stolen mountain bike with a buried seat postwith the checkered pants… gotta get to work! The factthat I could make money just dicking around on my bike,to me, was an amazing thing.Marcus Garcia: Chrome is some shit, Bart and Mark, theycame into the mix in the late 80’s, early 90’s. If you werea Denver kid and you were about it, they’d hook you up!And they loved doing it.Sam Turner: In case you don’t know, they sold it andthey’re Mission Workshop now.Marcus Garcia: Their bags killed it, they killed it, they weresuper supportive and they made us feel like champions.That was during the time when you could drop 50, 60tags a day. You wanna roll the whip? Get it. “Awesomeyou called early, here’s these runs, do this!” Chromewas a good thing for the Denver scene, for sure.Sam Turner: I counted the number of track bikes I’vehad, around 15.Sam Turner AGE: 41Known as the artist behind some ofDenver’s finest alleycat fliers, Sam has12 years of experience working deliveries.

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Punchy AGE: 35Marcus Garcia: Cumulitavely, 60-75 bikes,I’ve had em all, except for the ‘Nago.Marcus Garcia: When the alley cat thingstarted in Colorado, there were a lotof kids who were hella sick road racers,cross racers, mountain bike heads thatwould come out. It’s a bitch to ride amountain bike, strong mountain bike racerskill it. And there were kids tricklin’down who wanted those messenger jobs,and they could flex on the messengerworld. They would race and drop tags,and a lot of those kids in the end wouldbe in the yard around the keg feelin’the same burn. Those kids were cool. Iremember rocking it with kids who weresick ass sponsored semi-pro, pro racers;what they got from the bike downtownand getting paid to do the wild thing wassome shit that they didn’t get in the pack.I’d look around and realize, if it wasn’t forthe bike, I would never know these kids.On PartyingSam Turner: I’d be at Republic Plaza with my bike locked to my ankle, takinga nap.Punchy: There’s nothing that heals you more than the bike! When you’resick, when you’re hungover, mind ya, two o’clock sucks for everybody.Marcus Garcia: I had a court file from Friday and I had to drop return thefiling on Monday by 9AM. Over the weekend the court filing stayed in mybag, of course, and at one point there was a bottle of Jager’ in there too. Itbroke in my bag! It had this weird brown steeze over the whole thing andwas super sticky. I copied it and took it to the fucking deal and they didn’teven care. They were like, “Thanks! Cool!” The amount of damage controlthat went into that was unreal.Marcus Garcia: In the alleycat days, it’s not the kids stretching or doingpush ups you gotta watch out for. It’s the other guys across the street killin’that twelve pack you gotta look out for. The kids you sleep on.Punchy: “Wow, I bet your job keeps you in shape!” “Yeah, but it’s the blow,weed and booze that are fucking me up!”Originally from Chicago, Punchy hasspent some 11 years in the game.42 URBANVELO.ORG

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Advice ForThe KiddiesPunchy: You gotta learn it just like I learned it, I ain’tgot shit to tell ya! Just remember it’s still a job.Marcus Garcia: Ride safe, keep your head up, payattention to what you’re doing, it’s not a fashionshow, and maintain your bike a little bit. And stopmean muggin’ me!About The AuthorJen Hurricane is an ex-courier andused to throw races and write for CycleJerks. She is the Denver producer of theBicycle Film Festival & can be found ontwitter @MsHurricaneCheck out lenonlife.blogspot.com44 URBANVELO.ORG

Aiming for an Urban Cycling Mecca inASHEVILLEN O R T H C A R O L I N ABy Jack IgelmanPhotography by Jeff ZimmermanOn a warm night in the summer of 2008, nineteen year-oldJeremy Johnson was cycling home after an evening shift in theproduce department at the Walmart Supercenter in Asheville,North Carolina. Johnson, a father of three and cyclist out ofnecessity, cut through a hilly residential neighborhood before dartingthrough a traffic light at the crossing of a commercial boulevard. Whilethere was little traffic at the late hour, according to a witness, Johnsonpedaled through a red and was fatally struck by a car.When local cyclist Mike Sule heard of the death several days later,he was rattled. Though a stranger to Sule, Johnson’s death was atan intersection that he, a bike commuter, passed often on his wayto work. He is also the co-founder of Asheville on Bikes (AoB)—anurban cycling advocacy organization. While AoB’s efforts were initiallyaimed at promoting a culture of cycling, Johnson’s death was a slapin the face and a realization that urban cycling isn’t just the propertyof a minoritiy of bike enthusiasts. “Usually when a cyclist is injuredyou hear about it right away,” says Sule who recalls very little pressabout the accident. “The fact that this kid could be killed and virtuallyignored really got me thinking about my responsibility.”46 URBANVELO.ORG

It was was a year later that a violent incident on thesame roadway elevated the cycling movement in Ashevilleto the next level. On a Sunday morning in July, Alan Simonswas riding with his wife and his three year old son in a childseat. A driver, Charles Diez, was upset that Simons wasriding with a child on the four lane road. Diez confrontedthe biker in a parking lot, and as Simons walked away, theoff duty fireman aimed a .38 caliber pistol at Simons’ headand fired. As luck would have it, the bullet penetrated theouter shell of his helmet but missed striking flesh by lessthan an inch.Sule was travelling on the day of the shooting, but thistime he found a dozen messages on his phone immediatelyafter the incident became public. Sule was taken abackbecause the act of road rage from a public servant was soegregious, but at the same time he wasn’t shocked. That’sbecause confrontations between cyclists and motoristsaren’t uncommon in this small city in the southern Appalachianswhere an acceptance of urban cycling has struggledto take hold. While Johnson’s death drew very littleattention, it was the Simons’ shooting that drew the ireof riders and those who see bicycles as an obstruction.While the edge of roads everywhere are often the battleground between cyclists and motorists, the tension herehas boiled over, making Asheville seem more like a hotbedof anti-cycling hostility rather than an urban cycling mecca.On the other hand, the shooting, argues Sule, addeda sense of urgency to the fledgling urban cycling movement,springing it from a grassroots campaign to a cohesivepolitical one. And despite the setbacks, Sule will tellyou that urban cycling in Asheville may be on the verge ofa breakthrough.******It may be true that progressive ideas take longer totake catch on in the south, but Asheville isn’t a typicalsouthern city. After all, there are few places in this NAS-CAR mad region willing to allow the permanent transformationof its only stock car oval into a velodrome. The cityhas a century old reputation of embracing unconventionallifestyles and attracting a counterculture of misfits, artists,48 URBANVELO.ORG

It may be true that progressiveideas take longer to take catchon in the south, but Ashevilleisn’t a typical southern city.and free spirits. That quirky tapestry of people has createdan alluring and trendy mountain city of 70,000 with a funkyand progressive vibe that is in blunt contrast to the typicallyrigid traditions of the south.And for road bikers and trail riders, Asheville’s a fivestardestination on the cycling atlas. The city is surroundedby large swaths of public land, scenic by-ways that unravellike tickertape, and a well developed system of trails. Forthat reason, cars with cycles on roof racks are as commonas daisys in springtime. But for a city that loves its bikesso, cycling as a viable mode of urban transportation is anafterthought. Just try bicycling to the office, to school orthe grocery store, and it’s clear that cyclists here are stillon the fringes of cutting-edge urban transportation. Withfew metro riding lanes and bike paths, two wheelers mustwrestle for scarce space on hectic bridges and dodgy boulevards.Yet all of the parts for a thriving urban cycling cultureare here: the enthusiasm for the outdoors and healthy lifestyles;a passion for sustainability; and of course, the bikes.So what’s keeping Asheville’s urban cycling scene in lowgear?One of the obvious challenges is the topography. “Wehave coves and ridge lines everywhere,” explains Barb Mee,a City of Asheville transportation planner. From above,Asheville’s footprint is like a cross, with two primary corridorsrunning east/west and north/south with downtownat the center. “If you want to find an alternate route orconnector, you often have to go miles out of your way, orsometimes there is no alternative,” she says, adding thatthe city seldom has the right-of-way to widen roads whichmakes it costly to add bike lanes and sidewalks.In fact, cycling facilities and infrastructure are woe-50 URBANVELO.ORG

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52 URBANVELO.ORGfully needed—Sule mentions that thenearby town of Erwin, Tennessee, populationroughly 6,000, has more greenway thanAsheville. Discouraging as it may seem, solidifyingAsheville’s urban biking culture isn’t justapplying more white paint and asphalt—progresshere depends on putting more people inthe saddle.Sule came to Asheville in 2003 and soldhis car soon after. While on a bike tour inOregon in 2006 he was so impressed bywhat he saw in Portland that on his returnhe challenged himself to cultivate a similarcycling way-of-life at home. “I really wantedto establish that culture; cultivate it; and highlightit. That was my initial goal,” says Sulewho founded AoB on the logic that urbancyclists should focus their energy at thegrassroots level.One strategy was to promote eventsand community rides—which are sometimesflamboyant, spirited, and eclectic. The eventsmay draw attention to cyclists that couldcome across as counterproductive, reinforcinga perceived lack of seriousness and thenotion that urban bicycling is a fringe cultureand stuck in the same place that organic foodwas a decade or two ago: the domain of asub-culture. But Sule wants urban cyclinghere to reach the mainstream, which is whyputting more people—all sorts of people—on two wheels is a key variable to make thistown a seriously biker friendly city. “I thinkour urban biking culture is as passionate asPortland’s; it’s just younger. We want to reignit in and develop it,” says Sule who has faiththat the universal connection to bicycles willinspire more people to opt for two wheelsas a primary mode of transportation in thefuture.Many point to Charlotte, North Carolinaas a model. Less than three hours fromAsheville and with a metro population of twomillion, the city has made, perhaps, moreprogress than any in the south. “There arebike lanes in places I would have bet my lastpenny that there never would be,” says stateappointed North Carolina Bicycle Committeemember Dennis Rash. “Some of that hasto do with the extent to which the city commitsto planning.”

Asheville, in fact, has multi-modal transportation planningon the radar. In 2008, the city council passed a comprehensivebike plan that projects a network of 181 milesof bike lanes that layered on top of a newly created greenwayplan and public transit master plan. Tangible payoffsof the effort are downtown bike lockers, new greenways,signal loop detectors, and signed contracts for the additionof bike lanes on five downtown streets, among otherprojects in the works.Despite that success in developing needed infrastructure,Sule thinks Asheville has a long way to go but contendsthat the incentive to invest and commit to a longtermcycling future may be worth the extra effort. “Relyingon a bike focuses spending in the city,” he says. “We wantto empower cyclists in Asheville to see themselves as aneconomic force.”And as a political force too.AoB had limited success organizing a candidate bikeforum in the 2007 city council elections. Only two candidatesattended, however the Simons’ shooting precededthe run up to another round of municiple elections. GetThere Asheville, a coalition of citizens who support multimodaltransportation, sponsored two public events inthe fall of 2009 that attracted city council candidates, theincumbent mayor, and dozens of citizens. The cycling community’shope is that events like this one will help Ashevilleaccept cycling as a serious long term mode of transportationby developing an influential bike ballot.54 URBANVELO.ORGStill, plenty of people disagree with cyclists’ view thatthey should have increased access to Asheville’s road ways.The question is: how do you bridge the gap between thosethat pedal for transportation and those that do not? Theanswer is in part education. Claudia Nix, a longtime Ashevillecycling activist and Sule’s mentor has helped deliveradult safety classes, bike rodeos for kids, and a “share theroad” module in driver’s education classes.The shooting highlighted the enormous void thatcurrently exists between people who love bikes and thepeople who hate them—unleashing a wrath of fury fromboth sides of the windshield. Consider a sample of recentletters to the editor: “[I’ll] continue to blow my horn andto curse at you and others who like to think that you arehelping prevent global warming by bicycling. Ride your bikeall you want, but follow the laws and rules of the roador get the hell off my road. Yes, my road, since cars andtrucks pay the highway taxes and bicycles do not.” (MountainExpress, Craig Whitehead on 12/23/09). “Bike ridersin Asheville are some of the most rude and inconsideratebunch out there. Not all of them, but a big portion ofthem.” (Mountain Express web site, Barry Summers on11/12/09).Sule has also jumped into the editorial fray, authoringseveral op-eds in local papers. “I understand the dichotomy.We all have to use the space and cyclists have to beable to deal with a certain amount of harrasment,” condedesSule, but adds with emphasis that “an automobile isa large, slow moving bullet, so when a motorist harrases acyclist, they jeapordize a life— and that’s a fact.” So whenDiez was handed a surprisingly dainty 120 day sentencelast November for assault after a grand jury droppedattempted murder charges, the indignation among cyclistsreached an apex. Ironically, it was an actual bullet thatmay have ultimately brought cycling as transportation to ahigher priority in Asheville.For Sule, however, that realization came a year earlier:with Jeremy Johnson’s death. “The fact that he didn’thave the support to wear a helmet or use a light—thatreally shook me hard,” says Sule who ultimately favorsa balanced approach—infrastructure, education, policychange—to making cycling a reliable mode of transportation.“It’s been a learning process ever since. I’m startingto understand the policies and how the system works. Myresponsibility is not to look at what’s keeping us back, buthow to move forward.”Though he hasn’t overlooked his initial goal of developinga vibrant cycling culture. Adding that the test is to notjust convince future pedalers that riding in Asheville is aremarkable place to ride, but a safe one too.Check out www.jeffzimmermanphotography.com

2010 NAHBSPhotos by Brad QuartuccioCherubimwww.cherubim.jppresented bywww.panaracer.com56 URBANVELO.ORGVisit www.urbanvelo.org/nahbs for more photos.

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The first time we raisedthe idea everyone thought wewere brother and sisterwww.knog.com.au

FindersKeepersBy Janet MatthewsIt was in the early 1990’s when we started riding bikes,specifically for my husband’s health. His couch potatolife style was literally killing him. We lived on the highplains in Texas, home to abundant sunshine (inexhaustiblesource of Vitamin D) and strong winds (great for developingstrong cardio and calf muscles), which became a definitenegative when the spring sandstorm season arrived.Even though there were ample ribbons of flat paved roadsto ride, we opted to purchase mountain bikes, based onour doctor’s suggestion. We were embarking on a sportwe knew absolutely nothing about.Not unlike lots of folks, we started out with departmentstore bikes. As our skills improved, so did our equipment.Our first “real” mountain bikes were aluminumframe, front suspension hardtails. Our bikes carried usover sandy flatlands full of thorns as well as trails in thecanyons of our home state. We rode singletrack most ofthe time, and felt that mountain biking was our ticket tobetter health.Our biking lives changed when I received a promotionthat took us away from our home of 33 years. Our newlocation boasted weather that was conducive to ridingalmost year round—no more sandstorms! Even thoughmountain biking was still our first love, we decided it wastime to take a shot at the local roads. There were a numberof road cycling clubs at our new location, providing avariety of rides throughout the week. With the addition ofroad bikes to our stable, we spent many weekends ridingback roads and some urban areas that included paved trailsand streets designated for bicycles. Life was good!Illustration by Adriane Hairston URBANVELO.ORG 67

Life can throw you some curves, however. In January2005 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because my fantasticdocs caught the disease in the early stages, I got bywith surgery and a dose of radiation five days per week forsix weeks. Radiation takes its toll on your energy level, andsleeping late on Saturdays felt like Heaven. Sundays weredesignated urban bike riding days. A routine ride coveredanywhere from 10 to 20 miles, however, riding drop barsproved to be uncomfortable for me, prompting a switchto flat bars.My recuperation also included short and eventuallylong walks around our neighborhood, but exploringthe urban areas around our home by bike was what weenjoyed the most. Then a funny thing happened. Almostwithout knowing it we became aware of all sorts of “stuff”on the streets, in gutters, on sidewalksand along designated bikepaths. We started to accumulatetreasures such as loose change,hand tools, sunglasses, “cheater”glasses (with rhinestones aroundthe rims, no less), metal spoons,knives, and forks, a new babyblanket with tire tread marks onit, and an occasional bar glass orpaper bill. An exceptional find wastwo purses discarded in a drainageditch (containing driver’s licenses,credit cards, and car keys). Wecalled in the local cops on this findand learned that the purses hadbeen stolen from a bar. Anotherexceptional find was five tickets toa well-known theme park, whichwe rescued from the brink of a citygutter drain. We gave the ticketsto a single mom with four kids. Coincidentally, the daywe handed the family the tickets was the mom’s birthday.How cool was that!Almost accidentally we came across a book by Jeff Ferrell,entitled “Empire of Scrounge,” which further piquedour interest in scrounging. This pastime has become aunique part of our lives and helps us keep up with ourfitness routines—urban bike riding and walking—with aneye open for treasure. Scrounging has also turned into acompetition between my husband and me. At the end ofour rides/walks we assess our bounty; my husband tendsto find more coins, but I hold the record for discardedcutlery.Since we began to ride or walk daily after work, we68 URBANVELO.ORGNot unlikelots of folks,we startedout withdepartmentstore bikes.decided that we should give ourselves a title: Urban Trekkersin Search of Random Treasure. We also decided tobuild what we considered to be the ultimate urban bike.We purchased some older steel cyclocross frames, flathandlebars, and installed single chainring cranksets. Tomake it much easier to climb steep hills, we opted for 10speed cassettes and long cage rear deraileurs. This combinationreally works for us.Recycling is also a part of our lifestyle, extending tothe goods we find along the streets and roads. Examples: alike-new tennis skirt found in a parking lot (you really wonderabout that one!), 15 articles of gently-worn children’sclothing stuffed into the trash bin at the local car wash(laundered and given to one of the local children’s homes),t-shirts, work-out clothing, several pairs of slightly wornflip-flops, and aprons all washedand taken to homeless shelters.Shirts not up to shelter standardsare laundered and stuffed into our“rag bag” in the garage, where wecan use them for bike repairs andhouse cleaning.Although you might notthink it, the pennies, nickels,dimes, and quarters add up overtime. Tucked away in a cupboardinside our home are 3-quartjars brimming with loose changescrounged from the roadside.These fruits of our labors are nottotally philanthropic; at least onceper year we treat ourselves to abiking vacation. One of our favoritedestinations is in New Mexicowhere we visit our favorite nonsmokingcasino. Almost withoutexception, what we have gained through scrounging, theslots taketh away. Such is life.Bicycling will always be a factor in our staying activeand healthy, whether it is our now favorite urban riding,mountain biking or an occasional club road ride or tour.Our cycling wardrobes have changed dramatically. Weno longer wear spandex shorts and colorful roadie jerseyswith graphics and such. Our urban riding and walkingwardrobe now consists of high visibility polyester t-shirtsand baggy bike shorts or knickers with lots of pockets fortreasures.And the best news to date—I’ve just had my 5th annualcheck-up and I am still cancer free. Urban scroungersride on!

By David HoffmanAs a profession, bicycle advocacy hasn’t beenaround that long. Yet over the last ten yearsor so, the changes in the type and breadth ofwork that we do as advocates has been great. Thisarticle explores the origins of bicycle advocacy andmakes some predictions on where we are going.70 URBANVELO.ORG

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Birth of a MovementSome of the very earliest bicycle advocacy tookplace in the 1890’s as part of the “Good Roads” movement.The movement was aimed at improving rural roadsfor bicyclists, who at the time had to contend with mudthat could be inches deep when it rained or cracked andrough when it dried, or had to contend with cobblestonestreets in the days before pneumatic tires. This movementpaved the way for the automobile in the years ahead, andin fact, many motor advocates joined the movement asearly as 1902. Another famous example of early bicycleadvocacy took place in San Francisco in 1896. Known as“The Great Bicycle Protest of 1896,” in which local advocateswere lobbying to have roads improved in a city thatwas then supporting 360,000 residents but was designedfor 40,000. Advocates staged a rally on Market Street,and one local merchant actually put down tarred woodenblocks in an effort to demonstrate what a “paved” streetwould look like. The rally was a huge success, with thousandsof cyclists turning out Critical Mass-style, resultingin a paved Market Street by 1898. (More on early effortsat bicycle advocacy in Urban Velo #11, “Good Roads GreatProtests.”)As the 20th century rolled on the automobile rapidlypushed bicyclists to the margins of transportation. Whilenever completely gone, the bicycle was largely the playthingof children, vehicle of choice on college campuses,and occasional curiosity on the road. Under the Eisenhoweradministration construction of the National InterstateSystem commenced as cars reigned king. Gas wascheap, tailfins grew large and Americans fled to the suburbsin search of the American Dream and a patch of greenlawn that they could call their own. Imagery from this timeperiod puts bicycles under the Christmas tree, little girlswith pigtails riding tricycles on the sidewalk, and dowdyIvy League types pedaling around campus in a tweed jacketwhile smoking a pipe.Europe never really gave up the bicycle. Being mucholder than America, Europe had most of their cities builtby the time the bicycle and then the automobile came intoexistence. As such, there were no suburbs to build, andfew roads within the cities that could be widened. On topof that, gas has always been more expensive in Europethan in the U.S. Finally, as gas was such a scare commoditybefore, during and after World War II in Europe, the useof bicycles remained (and continues to remain) very highrelative to that here in America. So what caused somefolks to take the road less traveled and face-off against thedominant car culture?The answer isn’t simple, but like today, it likely involvesmultiple factors that led folks to rethink the way that theyare getting around. Here in the U.S. there was a mini bikeboomin the 1970’s where European-style, drop handle,skinny-tire, racing-type bikes were all the rage. This boomlasted only a few years after which most of these bikeswere parked in the garage and forgotten. By the mid-70sthe gas shortage in the U.S. helped people to find thesesame bikes, re-inflate the tires, and use them for transportation.The only problem was that the roads were no longerfriendly to bicycles. Some of the nation’s oldest grassrootsbicycle advocacy organizations were formed at thistime including: the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (www.sfbike.org), the Active Transportation Alliance (formerlythe Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, www.activetrans.org), and the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadephia(www.bicyclecoalition.org). During this time, bike advocatesfocused on creation of bike lanes, bike parking andbicycle pathways. Research in California showed that theState of California had its first statewide bicycle plan in1974. Marin County (where I do most of my work) hada countywide bicycle plan from the mid-70’s as well. It isinteresting to note that the covers of both of these documentsshow the dominant bicycle sold at the time—thatsame European-style road bike—wasn’t particularly wellsuited for transportation, unlike many of the current commuterand utility bikes which are the current trend in thebicycle industry.Bike advocacy organizations continued to occasionallysprout up through the 1970’s and 1980’s—mostlystill focusing on the creation of urban facilities. In general,partnerships with other organizations outside of ridingclubs were rare, and progress to build new bicycle facilitieswas relatively slow. All of that changed in 1991 whenCongress passed ISTEA (pronounced “ice tea”)—theIntermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act—in whichmillions of dollars were available for the first time forbicycling at a Federal level. Bicycle advocacy organizationsbegan appearing with more frequency as there was nowmore available funding to help build some of the facilitiesand trails that had been planned in the previous decades.By the mid-90’s bicycle advocates were really beginningto coalesce, finding each other through new electronicmediums. Additionally, the potential reauthorizationof ISTEA was just around the corner, and advocateswere beginning to look for ways to increase funding forbicycling. In 1996 about twenty leaders of bicycle advocacyorganizations from all over the county met at the ThunderheadRanch in Wyoming to discuss strategy around72 URBANVELO.ORG

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Europe never really gave up the bicycle.Being much older than America,Europe had most of their cities builtby the time the bicycle and then theautomobile came into existence.the upcoming reauthorization. Out of this seminal eventcame the Thunderhead Alliance (now the Alliance for Bikingand Walking, www.peoplepoweredmovement.org).One of Thunderhead’s objectives was to help create andempower local grassroots advocacy groups.TEA-21 (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century)was the first reauthorization of the Federal transportationbill in 1998 and included even more money($285 million) for bicycling. In 2001 the first Safe Routesto School programs began to appear in the U.S. (basedon the U.K. program with the same name). This program,now a national program in all 50 states focuses on enablingchildren to walk and bike to school (see Urban Velo #14,“Safe Routes Revolution”). Bicycle advocates were nowsometimes working as pedestrian advocates… and thebenefits of shifting the narrow focus from just bicycling tonon-motorized transportation as a whole were becomingmore apparent. Pedestrian advocacy groups also startedappearing in greater numbers. By 2004, the ThunderheadAlliance began to include pedestrian advocacy organizations.The change to include pedestrian advocacy groups inThunderhead was made right after ProWalk/ProBike—abiannual conference for transportation planners and advocatesworking in non-motorized transportation.Growth and EvolutionThe National Complete Streets movement (see UrbanVelo #1 “Complete Streets”) picked up real momentumin the mid-2000’s. A “complete street” is a streetthat is safe, comfortable, and accessible for all roadwayusers including the most vulnerable, such as bicyclists andpedestrians. Advocates now had additional tools to helpthem have streets designed to include the needs of nonmotorizedtransportation from the beginning, or to havethem included when a road was resurfaced or retrofitted.Complete street elements could include a wide variety ofitems such as narrowing lanes to slow traffic, accommodationsfor public transit, bike lanes, improved intersectionsand crosswalks, street trees, curb extensions, etc.Advocates found themselves aligned even more stronglywith transit advocacy groups as a result of the CompleteStreets movement.The last several years has witnessed the public debateon Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) and global warmingas well as the obesity epidemic here in the U.S. Pressureon consumers from rising energy costs is causing somepeople to once again rethink their transportation choices.A new term is now being used within the circles of nonmotorizedadvocates—“Active Transportation.” Thisphrase accurately reflects the changing attitudes of manybicycle advocates who see how bicycling is just one componentin a much larger effort to get us out of our carsand back in to an active lifestyle.If not already incorporated into some part of the workthat they do, bicycle advocates these days find themselvesincreasingly working alongside pedestrian, transit, andpublic health advocates. Doctors are beginning to actuallyprescribe bicycling and walking as a way to work withhealth issues such as obesity and diabetes. This phenomenonactually has a name—“Active Prescription”—and it’sbeing picked up by many of the major healthcare providers.In perhaps the strongest pointer to the direction thatbicycle advocacy is headed, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federationrecently changed their name to the Active TransportationAlliance. Will other advocacy groups follow? Infact, many groups now simply incorporate more than bicyclingin to their organization name such as Walk OaklandBike Oakland (www.walkoaklandbikeoakland.org) andBike Walk Connecticut (www.bikewalkconnecticut.org).The Future of Active TransportLooking into the future, I see Active Transportationadvocates becoming intimately involved with land useplanning. I envision stronger ties to healthcare advocatesand healthcare organizations. As this country ages thedemand for safe and accessible streets and facilities willcontinue to increase. I predict that money to help bicycleinitiatives around GHG, global warming, the obesity epidemic,and intelligent land use will become increasinglycommon and part of the work that we do.We are now at the end of the second reauthorizationcalled SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, EfficientTransportation Equity Act—A Legacy for Users), and areheading into what we hope will be a third. In March 2010 atthe National Bike Summit the current Secretary of Transportation,Ray LaHood, announced while standing on atable in front of a sea of hundreds of bicycle advocatesthat, “This is the end of favoring motorized transportationat the expense of non-motorized.”74 URBANVELO.ORG

Red Hook CritWords and Photos by Ed GlazarSpectators gathered as racers snaked through the Otsego chicane. The 2010 Red Hook Criterium drew a large amount of spectators that could be heard cheeringon racers from several blocks away.Roode Hoek was a village settled by Dutch colonistsin 1636, named for its red clay soil and pointof land projecting into New York’s East River. Twohundred years later it became Red Hook, one of the busiestports in the country. One night per year this postindustrialneighborhood becomes a new Brooklyn legend,as 50 cyclists race fixed-gear bicycles at breakneck speedsthrough its pitted and cobbled streets.76 URBANVELO.ORG

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Crihs Thorman and Dan Chabanov lapped slower racers coming into the chicane.Race organizer, David August Trimble, started the RedHook Criterium as a sort of birthday party for himselfthree years ago as a way to bring cycling obsessed friendstogether in social context. “Most of my cyclist friendswouldn’t come out to a social event unless it involved achance for personal glory on their bikes.”The Red Hook Criterium is a bastardized alleycat orhybridized crit race depending on perspective that pitssome of the world’s best street riders against talented localroad and track racers. The course hurls racers through78 URBANVELO.ORGnarrow city streets with infrequent, but inevitable, cartraffic in the dark of night. With average lap speeds in thehigh 20’s the race demands handling skills and a powerfulengine.Two previous winners, Kacey Manderfield, formerstate track champ, and Neil Bezdick, former bike messenger,have both gone on to sign pro racing contracts.This year’s winner, Dan Chabonov, wears two helmets: hemakes his living as an NYC bike courier and competes onthe local road and cross circuit.Check out www.tedwardglazarphotography.com

BOOK REVIEWTHE LOST CYCLIST80 URBANVELO.ORGBy Lynne Tolman“The Lost Cyclist” by David V. HerlihyWhen David V. Herlihy was researching his encyclopedic2004 volume, “Bicycle: The History,” he kept comingacross dispatches from Frank Lenz, a young bookkeeperfrom Pittsburgh who set out in 1892 to tour the world ona newfangled “safety” bicycle with inflatable tires.Lenz wasn’t the first or the fastest cycling “globe-girdler,”but his trip took a disturbing turn in Turkey, andtherein lies the tale of “The Lost Cyclist,” Herlihy’s newbook, due out in June from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Herlihy traces Lenz’s travels across North American,Japan, China, Burma, India and Persia. To his credit,the author avoids making this a tedious recitation of thecyclist’s itinerary. Instead, he highlights episodes that illuminateLenz’s habits and character traits—informationthat later becomes crucial in exploring the rider’s mysteriousdisappearance.The book also chronicles an earlier global bike trip, byWilliam Sachtleben and his college chum Thomas Allen.Sachtleben ultimately gets sent to Turkey to investigatewhat became of Lenz.Part travelogue, part murder investigation, “The LostCyclist” is a clear-eyed look at bicycle travel in the daysbefore paved roads and automobiles. Herlihy mines myriadpress accounts, not only to track the trips but also toexplain the sometimes testy relationships among cyclingclubs, the media, government officials and the riders’ ownfamily.Cyclists are not the only ones who will enjoy thisstreet-level view of a world undergoing dramatic socialand technological upheaval. Historians of photography willbe intrigued by the methods and results of Lenz’s amateurpicture-taking, well represented among 32 pages of illustrations.Political scientists will gain insight into the workingsof the Ottoman Empire and international reaction tothe Armenian massacres.In the end, Herlihy does not seem satisfied that Sachtlebenreally got to the bottom of the Lenz case. But theauthor’s meticulous research and smoothly cadenced narrationshould move the story of the lost cyclist into the“found treasure” category.

An Interview With The AuthorQ: Why did cyclists like Lenz and Sachtleben capturethe public imagination?A: They were heading to places that had never seen aWesterner, let alone a bicycle—routinely braving hostileelements and natives. Both were emulating ThomasStevens, who in the mid-1880s had cycled some 13,500miles across three continents on an old-fashioned highwheeler.Q: How did they take their photographs?A: Allen and Sachtleben used an early Kodak, a relativelylight wooden box camera that took low-quality circular“snap shots.” Lenz insisted on carting a more conventional25-pound camera on his back. His first modelsactually used glass plates, though he switched to film forhis world tour. He also devised a timer so he could takephotos of himself and bicycle among the unsuspectingnatives.Q: What sources did you use besides Lenz’s own reportsin Outing magazine?A: It took me five years to collect and cull through allsorts of documents, from newspaper accounts to filesfrom the U.S. State Department and Ottoman archives.Of course the Internet proved a great ally, leading me toquite a few grandchildren of key figures, many of whomprovided valuable assistance. I’m sure even more informationwill emerge once the book is out. Maybe even achest full of Lenz’s letters home.

Freewheel RemovalBy Brad QuartuccioSingle speed freewheels can be a royal pain toremove from a hub. Between the right hand threadsthat are constantly tightened with pedaling forcesand a shallow removal tool interface, freewheels canbe pretty stubborn when it comes to changing them.Leverage is key, as is getting that removal tool to stayin place.82 URBANVELO.ORGBefore getting started, remove the axle nut andinspect the freewheel removal interface. The vastmajority of available freewheels have four notches forthe removal tool to key into. If your freewheel has adamaged interface, two notches, or none at all you willlikely have to resort to destroying the freewheel inorder to remove it from the hub.Photos by Brad Quartuccio

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Four Notch Method1Fit the removal tool into the notches and secure it in place by lightly attachingthe axle nut over the top of the tool enough prevent the notches of the toolfrom coming free. Do not overtighten the axle nut, you will need the freewheeland removal tool to move slightly as the freewheel unthreads in Step 2.2Clamp the removal tool in a bench vise. Looking down on the wheel asshown and with your hands at roughly 3 and 9 o’clock, turn the wheel counterclockwisejust enough to loosen the freewheel. It may take some oomph, butdon’t turn the wheel more than a few degrees once it is free or you risk strippingthe threads of the hub as the axle nut will not allow the freewheel and tool tomove outward away from the hub.3With the freewheel now loosely threaded onto the hub you can remove theentire assembly from the bench vise and remove the axle nut. At this pointyou should be able to unscrew the freewheel the rest of the way with minimaleffort.Destructive MethodWith damaged, shallow or non-existent removal notches your only optionis to take apart the freewheel and use a wrench or vise on the inner freewheelbody, essentially ruining it in the process. Don’t fret—if the freewheel does nothave four removal notches it is most likely of the lowest quality available and notworth saving.1Using a pin spanner, remove the bearing cone. This is a left-hand thread, soturn it clockwise to loosen. As you remove the cone, tiny bearings will falleverywhere.2With the cone removed and the internals of the freewheels exposed you cannow pull the toothed outer freewheel body off, hiding another line of tinybearings behind it that will then fall out everywhere, possibly along with the pawlsand springs that make it all work.3Clamp the inner freewheel body in a vise or use a pipe wrench as shown toturn the remains of the freewheel counterclockwise on the hub to remove it.Clean and grease the threads on the hub before installing your new freewheelto make this process that much easier next time.84 URBANVELO.ORG

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Get A GripBy Brad QuartuccioHow To Make Sure Your Grips Don’t SlipGrips that slip can be more than an annoyance, they can bedownright dangerous in certain situations. When it comes to sliponrubber grips there are as many different methods to get them tostick as there are grip designs—every mechanic out there has theirown secret sauce. Results may vary depending on the finish andcleanliness of the bars.86 URBANVELO.ORGPhotos by Brad Quartuccio

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Dry – Many people swear by installing grips dry, using anair compressor to blow them on by inserting the air hoseinto the hole at the end of the grip, or under the edge ofit for open-ended varieties, and covering the opposite endof the bar with their hand.Rubbing Alcohol – Applying rubbing alcohol to theinside of the grip and then quickly sliding them on the barworks similar to the dry method above, but without anair compressor. Once the grip is on the bar the alcoholevaporates more or less completely and leaves a clean anddry interface between grip and bar.Hairspray and Solvents – Aerosol hairspray is theclassic method—spray the inside of the grip and slide iton as fast as possible. Once it dries, the hairspray actslike glue to keep the grip in place. Some hardware storesolvents and cleaners (acetone, WD-40 etc) achieve thesame end, but can over time degrade the rubber of thegrip from the inside out.Paint – This is my personal method, using clear spraypaint to adhere the grip to the bar. It works similar to thehairspray method, but in the case of heavy rain or dippingthe grip in a puddle during a crash the adhesive natureremains.Glue – Dedicated grip glues are out there, and some peopleuse strong spray adhesive. This can be especially useful,or even necessary, when using classic cork grips.Wire – Many grips feature grooves on either end of themold to fit bailing wire. Twist it tight, clip it off and pushthe end into the grip. It’s a fine line between too tight andnot tight enough. This method is typically used alongsideother adhesives for those particularly prone to twistingtheir grips off the bars.No matter the method, it’s important not to twistthe grips like a gorilla during installation, you don’t wantto stretch them out as it doesn’t take much before noamount of glue will hold them tight. The methods that usesome sort of adhesive sometimes mean that you only getone shot to put the grips on, as they may require a utilityknife to come off in the case of switching a brake or shiftlever. If you find yourself frequently changing your controlsor plagued with constantly twisting grips lock-on designswith allen bolts to secure them to the bars are an option,as is wrapping the grip area like a road drop bar.88 URBANVELO.ORG

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90 URBANVELO.ORG Check out www.andysinger.com