Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson
Last night, New York City Dept. of Transportation Senior Policy Advisor Jon Orcutt spoke to the New York Cycle Club. He had several vitally important messages for cyclists:
– The NYC DOT is 100% behind improving bicycle infrastructure. There are wonderful projects in the works and we are going to see a huge growth in cycling AS LONG AS the Bloomberg administration is in office. For example, the new bike share program is going to be huge and run by experienced international vendors. The bike parking plans are everything we could hope for. And much, much more.
– When Mayor Bloomberg leaves office, there is no assurance that the next mayor will be in favor of cycling (during the last election, Bloomberg’s opponent said he planned to remove bike lanes). Furthermore, a VERY vocal minority is speaking out against cyclists.
Therefore, in order to maintain the advances, cyclists _MUST_ get involved in local politics and advocacy and actively work to protect cyclist rights. We CAN NOT AFFORD to sit on our asses and passively accept the favors. Active engagement includes: writing letters to the media; on-street protesting against laws that hurt cycling; community advocacy; joining and attending community board and city council meetings; joining and funding advocacy groups (such as Transportation Alternatives and Bikes Belong); observing all street laws; doing anything else you can think of that promotes cycling, STOPS backlash, and helps solidify gains.
– The New York police dept. has been directed to ticket cyclists regularly. No one wants to hear this. But the status quo, of cyclists riding however they please, is entirely unsustainable from any perspective, especially the political and practical. The administration, which supports cycling 100%, can not be seen to condone or coddle law breakers. Also, in the political realm, it is impossible to argue that cyclists should not be ticketed until after all the motorists start driving properly; it’s not going to happen. Orcutt did not give a time table for this, but presumably this more aggressive stance starts immediately and we’ll see abundant ticketing in the spring, as cycling picks up.
– All this goes for New Jersey cyclists as well. YOU MUST GET INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS. NOW!
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
RIGHT NOW: Stop bitching about the unfairness of it all and how motorists do the same stuff and get away with it. This accomplishes nothing and creates a culture of apathy. THIS WILL KILL CYCLING.
TODAY: 1) join Bikes Belong and Transportation Alternatives and pay at least double the basic joining fee, if not more; and 2) make a commitment to get personally involved in grass roots advocacy.
TOMORROW: 1) write your local city council member and mayor in support of cycling and bike infrastructure; 2) find out when your community board and city council next meet and make a commitment to attending the meeting in order to personally, face to face, voice your support of cycling.
THE NEXT DAY: 1) write your local news organizations in support of cycling and safer streets; 2) Volunteer with a cycling advocacy group to help their efforts.
FOREVER: Obey the road rules, engage in the community. (Law breakers will never gain the hearts of the community, which is what we need to do.) Never let up. Once a month, _DO_ something that supports cycling in the political and public realm.
Links:
Orcutt’s bio (he’s also a cyclist).
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/about/orcuttbio.shtml
NY Cycle Club meeting summary
http://nycc.org/node/48887
(Hey, look, it’s Robert Matson in the red shirt, front row.)
Bikes Belong: http://www.bikesbelong.org/
Transportation Alternatives: http://transalt.org/
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson
Chris Malloy, publisher of Recumbent Journal (http://www.recumbentjournal.com/) is looking for a few good women and men to crew for him during the Race Across the West. I’ve never worked with him, but I have spoken with him and he sounds like a good guy. Consider it.
If you’re interested, drop him a line. He sent me this note where he summarizes his needs.
Race Across the West (raceacrossthewest.org) is an 860 mile non-staged race with a 90 hour time limit. I am racing in the Solo Recumbent category, the only one so far. Racers need at least three, preferably five people for crew support during the race. The time would be June 13th in San Diego to about June 21 to leave Denver. The race starts June 15th. I have a crew chief and could use a mechanic and general crew members. This is very much a team effort. The crew is just as sleep deprived and overworked as the rider, but their legs don’t hurt as much. I can pay expenses during the race if you can get yourself to San Diego and home from Denver. Reply to Dinotrail500@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Chris Malloy
Bozeman Montana
Let me know how it goes.
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson
Hi Folks,
I’m trying to keep studded tires in stock for your winter riding pleasure. My favorites are the Schwalbe line up. There’s just nothing better. However, the USA warehouse is back-ordered on several models. Long and short, call or write and ask me what I’ve got in stock before you drop by.
This is a photo of the inimitable Neile Weissman, ride leader extraordinaire, on a winter ride on his mountain recumbent. Could he be scouting a ride for the New York Cycle Club (http://nycc.org/)? His bike is the original Rans Enduro that was discontinued for some mysterious reason. Great bike for mountain riding. Closest we have to it are the HP Velotechnik Street Machines or the Volae 26×26 Expedition series bents. It takes some work to set up the Volaes with fat studded tires AND fenders (just studs, no problem). And however much I love Street Machines, which easily take studs and fenders, I’d prefer a dual 26″ for mountain riding. Still, this is a good example of the SM’s flexibility and another reason it’s one of the world’s best bents.
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson
If you think your bike rack works well for recumbent bikes and/or trikes, please send me photos, brand and description so I can post it.
Rack on!
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2011 Robert Matson
David D. wrote me the other day:
Robert,
I have been enjoying my [Cruzbike] Quest bike. I wanted to give you some feedback on what I discovered about bike racks to carry the quest. Thule has a hitch carrier that has a spring loaded upside down U-shaped arm that will hold the front wheel and I believe that it has movable wheel wells. This carrier functions to hold the bike in a similar fashion to carriers I have seen on the front of some buses. I don’t know the model number but I was able to mount the bike on one at a show room.
The rack I did buy was somewhat less expensive but seems to work quite well is made by Hollywood Engineering Inc. (www.hollywoodracks.com). My rack is Model HR1000R – two bike capacity MSRP $319.99. It works pretty well, will hold two recumbents securely with minimal mounting effort. To use it for my Quest I remove the two finger nuts which hold the seat to the horizontal bike tube. I will take a photo of the bike on the rack and forward it later.
Photos of David’s rack:
David D. writes: “As promised here are photos of the Quest [26] on the rack. Notice the seat is released from its attachment to the horizontal bar so that the padded arm from the rack can capture the bar to secure the bike. Also the crank extension bar is shortened maximally. The wheel wells are movable and have attachments to adjust for very small tires if necessary.”
“Attached are the pics of the bike on the car. My kids spend about 3 hours on saturday mornings at a kind of extra-school thing about 15 miles from home, and I drove there with the bike on the rack so I could go for a ride. You’ll see the pic that we took with it on the rack in brooklyn, with the seat, and then one I did at home without the seat. I found that I needed the seat off to accomplish the most interesting picture … the SMGTe as one of FOUR bikes on the rack. I think that this was only do-able because my kids bikes are small (16 inch wheels), and that once they move the bigger bikes I’ll need to take everyone’s wheels and pedals off but it should still work. The recumbent’s handlebars are the biggest problem. I also attached a pic of how I attached it to the rack … with the seat off and needing to fit all 4 bikes, the center of gravity is WAY off and it was stressing that rubber safety belt. I used some sailing line that’s meant for heavy loads and tied it with a square knot (gets tighter as pressure is appplied but still easy to untie), so that it was that line rather thant he rubber belt was taking the weight.
“I smudged out my license plate number in case you want to send the pics to customers who ask whether the bike can go on a rack. I can’t endorse that the method is for every rack, car, or person, but it worked for me! Also, my wife’s car – the MDX – is particularly wide. If I try to put it on my car, which is small, I may want to angle it differently so that it doesn’t “stick out”….”
– Tim M.
One of my customers loves this brand. I like them too because they don’t require a lot of upper body strength to hoist the bike onto the rack. Made in the USA.
To ride in the winter, here’s what you need: studded tires, windproof coat and pants, merino wool baselayer, warm gloves, hat and socks. Easy.
Winter tires. Carbide steel studded Marathon Winter tires. Manufactured by Schwalbe. Great tires. They grip icy, snowy slippery streets. Keep you riding safely all year around. Don’t yield the streets and the bike lanes back to the cars. Worth every penny. They fit most mountain, touring and hybrid bikes.
Get them. Contact me. I’ve got them. And I’ll give you the best price simply so you can keep riding all year around.
If it’s cold fingers, toes and nose that’s getting you down, you need:
– Warm hat: North Face or Outdoor Research micro-fleece polar-tech, windproof hat.
– Icebreaker merino wool balaklava — get the 200 weight.
Warm gloves: Outdoor Research windproof, insulated gloves.
Warm socks: Icebreaker or Smartwool socks made for winter trekking or climbing. A thick wool sock is a good sock.
Do you need an easy way to stay warm while wearing your normal office clothes? Get a good Gortex rain/wind jacket and rain/wind pants to wear as an outer layer (and keep your office clothes clean). Since it’s often the windchill that makes you cold on a bike, a windproof outer layer does miracles.
If you’re still not warm enough, get Icebreaker merino wool 150-weight tops and bottoms (base layer) to wear under your clothes. Merino is an amazing fabric. It’s comfortable and won’t cause you to boil while sitting around your office, but it’ll keep you warm on the bike, esp. when you put on your windproof outer layer.
For all these things, contact Tents and Trails (NYC), Moosejaw (Mich.) or Eastern Mountain Sports (NYC)
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2010 Robert Matson
From today’s New York Times:
SCIENCE
U.S. Rethinks Strategy for the Unthinkable
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: December 15, 2010
“The Obama administration wants to convey how to react to a nuclear attack but is worried about seeming alarmist.”
“Suppose the unthinkable happened, and terrorists struck New York or another big city with an atom bomb. What should people there do? The government has a surprising new message: Do not flee. Get inside any stable building and don’t come out till officials say it’s safe.
“The advice is based on recent scientific analyses showing that a nuclear attack is much more survivable if you immediately shield yourself from the lethal radiation that follows a blast, a simple tactic seen as saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Even staying in a car, the studies show, would reduce casualties by more than 50 percent; hunkering down in a basement would be better by far.”
Read more about how to protect ourselves from those who hate us — and sell us oil — by reading the original article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/science/16terror.html
Next, we need to learn how to protect ourselves from those who hate us and loan us money.
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2010 Robert Matson
I’m no fan of the silly debate about which bike is better: a bent or a diamond frame (“DF”) “standard” bike. As far as I’m concerned, people should sit on whatever they like, as long as it’s not a car seat.
Still, from time to time, I find myself lured into an annoying conversation where I feel compelled to defend the performance of bents, usually to male standard frame riders of a certain age. They don’t buy the comfort angle; they want to know how fast they are on the hills.
The results from the 2010 Race Across America, in which bents are permitted to race alongside diamond frames (over mountains and hills), illustrate how bents perform against DFs. All things being equal — and they never are — they’re pretty much equal. However, in RAAM 2010, there were very few bent riders overall, so it’s noteworthy that bents placed in the top of several categories.
Meanwhile, sadly, I find no mention of drug testing on the race’s website (maybe it’s there, but not anywhere obvious). Doping can decide a race and, without drug testing, ultimately, race results are meaningless. If there is no drug testing at RAAM, then I personally would assume that some athletes are doping.
Summary:
In the four-person male under-50 (years old) category, a bent team holds their own in a field of 11 teams, taking 3rd place, with standard frames taking 1st and 2nd place.
Times, from 1st to 3rd were:
1: 6 days 2 hours 39 minutes Avg. speed: 20.49 mph (Team: Bandwidth.com Inc.)
2: 6d 6h 59m Avg. speed: 19.9 mph (Team: Team doc2doc)
3: 6d 9h 35m. Avg. speed: 19.57 mph (Team: Bent Up Cycles)
Does that tell us anything meaningful? Maybe the idea that bents aren’t inherently slower (or faster) will help convince a few pain-ridden standard frame riders to get onto something a little more comfortable.
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2010 Robert Matson
Last Thursday, the New York City Council’s Transportation Oversight Committee held a hearing (read: charade) on whether new bike lanes are being installed too quickly and without enough oversight from City Council and Community Boards. Some Councilmembers seemed blissfully — even gleefully — ignorant of the fact that the City Council and the Community Boards already weighed in on the topic many years ago and approved a master plan of bicycle paths. The current Department of Transportation is implementing this plan, which the previous DOT commissioner failed to implement (Failed due to Incompetence? Political machinations? Too much oversight? Too much candy and donuts? You decide.).
The result of these failures to install bike lanes, along with other failures to take strong measures to improve safety on New York City streets, has resulted in the deaths of thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers who have been killed in motor vehicle accidents.
James Vacca, Chairman of the Transportation Oversight Committee, began the hearing with a diatribe against the rapidity of the DOT’s work and the evils of cycling. Then DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan presented, and was grilled.
Then came the testimony. Some 72 New Yorkers signed up to speak for two minutes each. The first six speaking slots were given to those who object to bike lanes, particularly on Prospect Park West, and apparently prefer streets where motorists drive with murderous intent. (Fortunately, most Park Slope residents like the bike lanes. See http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/12/08/2010-12-08_most_like_bike_lane_only_22_would_dump_it_poll.html.) And in a true lesson of City democracy, they were allowed to exceed their two minute time limit allowed for delivering testimony.
I showed up at 8:30am for the 10am hearing. And at about 3:15pm I delivered the following two-minute testimony. At the time, only one councilmember was still present (friend of a livable Brooklyn, Councilmember Letitia James), Chairman Vacca being on break. By this time, and for the last hour and a half or so, the testimonies and audience members consisted only of those who support bike lanes and the DOT’s aggressive approach to creating livable streets. Little surprise. Ultimately, bike lanes are better for the city. We can hope that good sense will prevail.
###
Robert Matson
|
County
|
2009 traffic fatalities
|
2008 traffic fatalities
|
|
Bronx
|
43
|
42
|
|
New York
|
47
|
58
|
|
Queens
|
90
|
81
|
|
Kings
|
66
|
95
|
|
Richmond
|
20
|
16
|
###
If you attend a community meeting about bike lanes and street safety and you aren’t sure what to say. Use the testimonial above. Our political leaders must take responsibility for the daily fatalities on our streets. Hundreds dead every year, in New York alone, is not an acceptable price to pay for motorists to drive badly and illegally.
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2010 Robert Matson
Greenspeed Scorcher Tires…great tires!
Greenspeed has a series of 16″ and 20″ Scorcher tires with smooth, fast, puncture resistant Kevlar treads and wire beads. There is also a tire with a non-Kevlar tread and a folding bead which makes a nice lightweight tire that is perfect as a spare. The Kevlar 20″ has reflective sidewalls. Prices are comparable to equivalent grade Schwalbe’s, at apx. $41 or so per tire. Not bad.
Naturally, these are great for any recumbent trike or bike. But they’re also a nice choice for a fast Bike Friday or Swift folder. Contact me for prices and availability.
Best,
Robert
————
Robert Matson
New York City Recumbent Supply (TM)
The Innovation Works, Inc.
copyright 2010 Robert Matson
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