I’m at odds over fixie culture. Sure, it’s great that bicycles are receiving so much attention from young trend setters (or followers, be that as it may). But, laying a big skid mark isn’t really a “trick” or “cool.” Maybe, when I was 5, sure, skids were cool. But now, when I know that skid just significantly reduced the lifespan of a $50 or more tire… well, waste isn’t “cool” in my books.
And, when it comes to racing through traffic and ignoring all rules of the road… give me a break. As someone who has been involved in “extreme” sports for more than 15 years, I can tell you that if what you’re doing poses major risks to people who are not involved with you… then your behaviour is simply reckless and irresponsible. I may have put my life on the line for a stunt or two and been kicked out of more spaces than I can remember, but not once was anyone other than myself at risk of serious injury. When you blow between cars and act like the road is your own personal obstacle course this isn’t “sport,” it’s foolish.
That said, this commercial for Hutchinson tires is really pretty:
The above photo by Martin Reis is of a bike box that briefly existed at Harbord and Bathurst in 2008. I’m not sure what happened, but I certainly have not seen a bike box at this intersection this year. (Turns out this was a project by the Urban Repair Squad and not the City of Toronto)
Bike boxes are a great piece of infrastructure that give red light priority to cyclists. Currently, most bike lanes end a few metres from an intersection in Toronto. There are exceptions here and there, but the current way of dealing with one of the most dangerous sections of roads seems to be “let’em figure it out for themselves.” And, this results in angered drivers, squeezed cyclists and simply a lack of common sense at many intersections. I see it every morning on my commute.
While bike boxes may sound like bike lockers, there’s obviously a major difference. Here’s how the Urban Repair Squad explains bike boxes:
While a previous video explained the NYC bike boxes along one-way streets, this newer video explains how a bike box works on a two-way street:
Bicycle helmets can be really ugly. And personally, I think the super-vent, NASCAR colour versions that are saturating the market all sit too high on my head. While I’m using a skate-style helmet now, I’m not too sure how my ears are going to hold up once the temperature drops.
A project commissioned by the City of New York has set out to encourage the average commuter to wear a functional, and in my opinion, pretty good looking helmet.
Designed by fuseproject, cyclists can customize the look and function of their helmets by adding and removing visors and full covers depending on the weather.
This looks like something that could really take off outside of NYC.
What do you think of the NYC Helmet?
Joe T.
Duncan H