Another post on the subject of bike maps? Well, as my two milk-crates full of accumulated maps will attest, I’m a bit of a map junkie. So, humor me.
This time it’s the City of Milwaukee in the spotlight, with their free online bike maps of the Cream City. Hardcopies are distributed free at Milwaukee area bike shops. Hoo Rah!
If your city has free bicycle maps, please drop me a line, and I’ll spread the word. Because, in case you didn’t notice, I really like maps.
Xtracycle Co-founder Kipchoge Spencer is stepping down from his role as Xtracycle president, to follow his long-time dream of taking the show on the road. His band, the Ginger Ninjas, and fellow bike musicians SHAKE YOUR PEACE!, along with an 8 person support crew, are going where none have yet pedaled (as far as we know). Setting off from Xtracycle HQ in the Sierra Foothills, they’ll make their way to southern Mexico over the next four months, carrying all of their instruments and their state-of-the-art 800 watt human-powered sound system — on their bikes, sans auto, going slow and promoting the bicycle as toy, tool, solution, trusty steed, and liberator. They invite you to connect with them in your town, send suggestions about places/people of interest, follow their progress and learn more about why??
The general consensus at DRHQ is that Pittsburgh is a great town for the bicycle minded. However, our beloved burgh is hilly, and those pesky three rivers preclude the typical urban grid street pattern—and that makes navigating a bit difficult ’round these parts. If I had a nickel for every time I heard: “you can’t get there from here,” I’d be set for life.
Well, the folks from Bike Pittsburgh – a local non-profit bicycle advocacy group – have just made life a bit easier by publishing the first updated Pittsburgh bike map in the last 15 years. Their map is designed with the commuter and urban explorer in mind, in the hopes that folks can learn some safer routes between neighborhoods, as well as explore some new territory.
Bike Pittsburgh’s map contains a cartoon depicting a safe commute, and locations of major hills, landmarks and trails. The maps also identifies and marks unavoidable stretches of road that are hazardous where people are to ride with “Caution.” For these areas, the group provides information on who to contact to lobby for safer streets.
Best of all, the map is being distributed free at local business, including many area bike shops. You can read more about the map, find out where to pick up a hardcopy and download a PDF version via the Bike Pittsburgh website. You can also pick up a copy at the official Map Launch Party on Friday, November 2nd, 2007 from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM at the Edge Studio, 5411 Penn Ave, Garfield (across from the Quiet Storm Coffee Shop). The party is free!
Welcome to The Bicycle Industry, the place where no good idea goes unpunished. Where the status quo is sacrosanct, and changes are no good.
At least that’s the way it seems to me sometimes. Case in point: Wes Williams had to resort to running around Inertbike in a cowboy costume, snapping a pair of cap guns in the air, just to get The Industry to pay attention to his “bigger is better” philosophy for mountain bike wheels. Finally, after much weeping and gnashing of teeth, the so-called 29″ mountain bike is here – dare I say – to stay.
Now it appears that the nay-sayers have set their sights on the 650B mountain bike wheel. The blogs and forums are already polluted with the usual hackneyed recidivism: “choices are confusing,” or “it’s just marketing hype,” or “no real advantages.” The same shopworn clichés that the Sayers of Nay chorused in response to suspension forks “oversized” headsets, and indexed shifting.
Just for once, could we please allow the innovators to innovate? Could the folks who say it can’t be done kindly step out of the way of the folks who are making it happen? Or at least – and here’s a novel idea – could we try out an idea before we pass judgment on it? Just a thought.
We received the following email from Quality Bicycle Products, a company that distributes bicycles and parts to bike shops. While portions of the email are aimed at QBP’s bike-shop customers, much of the message is applicable to the general cycling public, and is worth sharing:
5,000 Ways to Make a Difference
In Zambia, a nation where a raging HIV/AIDS crisis is exacerbated by crumbling roads and infrastructure, bicycles are an increasingly critical mode of transportation. That’s why QBP is working with vendors, dealers, employees, families and friends to provide 5,000 bikes to World Bicycle Relief’s Project Zambia.
When you donate $109, QBP will purchase a bicycle that enables caregivers to travel much farther than on foot, visit more patients and carry a lot more material. And because these super-sturdy bikes will be assembled on-site in Zambia, they also provide an opportunity for more than 400 local mechanics to learn maintenance and repair skills and improve their livelihoods. The cost includes spare parts and distribution, and training for the mechanics.
Tax-deductible donations to the 5000Bikes campaign can be made at www.5000bikes.com. Or you can make donations in $1.00 increments simply by adding the WBR part-number to any parts order you place with QBP. Our goal is to raise $545,000 by February 17th, 2008.
With Thanks
We are grateful for each and every contribution our friends can give, and we thank you for helping us. As an added challenge, we’d like to invite you to give at World Bicycle Relief’s premium level. If you donate $545.00—enough to purchase five bikes—by the end of our campaign this February you’ll receive one of five limited-edition photographs. These beautifully framed images vividly illustrate the impact bicycles are having in Zambia. Display yours proudly, knowing that your generosity is helping to keep dreams and hope for a better tomorrow alive in Zambia.
A Little Help from Your Friends
Of course, you don’t have to foot the bill for an entire bike. Contribute $5, $10 or $15—whatever amount works for you. Take up a collection around the shop. Every donation counts!
Spread the Word
You can make a difference just by spreading the word. Pass this information on to your friends and relatives. Reach out to those who can help. Our campaign is just getting under way and already people are stepping forward from unexpected places. In Seaford, Delaware, five middle school social studies classes are raising money for bikes as part of their African studies curriculum. So send this message on. You never know who it might touch and inspire.
World Bicycle Relief - Project Zambia
Thanks to the efforts of World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit organization that provides bikes to aid workers in communities stricken by disaster or poverty, thousands of caregivers are able to provide life-saving care to more people than ever before. With Project Zambia, World Bicycle Relief focused its efforts on the hard-hit African nation, committing to provide 23,000 bicycles to volunteer caregivers, disease prevention educators and vulnerable households throughout the country.
