The Ride To Montauk 2010..........................................My Favorite Century!

The Ride to Montauk

Beautiful Flat Routes for Beginners & Experts

TO BE DETERMINED

•No fundraising required •

“ We didn’t invent pedaling to Montauk... we just made it a lot more fun.”

Ive been doing this ride for the last 25 years.
Its a great test for speed strength and endurance or just a very pleasant day out cycling as long as you don't over do it.

Ive done it both ways I have to admit I like to put myself to the test. My fastest time was 4hrs 30mins on my Easyracer Goldrush Recumbent with full bodysock!!! Yes its flat and all but the headwinds out on the south fork are not fun after you've already riden 75 miles!!

The first time I did this ride I realized it was possible bicycle anywhere. That lead me to start bicycle touring and still haven't stopped. I've cycled Mexico,Alaska,Northern Ca,Southern Ca.,France,one third of the U.S.and Lots of trips from NYC to Martha's Vineyard! I've also been a bicycle commuter in NYC for the past 30 years! My wife laughs at me because I have no idea how to use the NYC Subway system !

Since I can't take these long trips anymore my family and I have been going on  
Car free cycling vacations to Martha's Vineyard.

If I can get it together I may offer a Ride to Montauk  Extension to Martha's Vineyard,

seems pretty natural!

And here it is......
The Ride to Martha's....

http://urbanmobilityproject.blogspot.com/p/ride-to-marthas-comming-soon-june-20.html

The Granery Gallery,West Tisbury,Martha's Vineyard

Aero-Tweens Breaking Recumbent Land Speed Records !

Aero-Tweens
Recumbent Family Cycling


This is an amazing account of the annual (click here>> Human Powered Speed Championships at Battle Mountain.
Tanya Markhum is just amazing and quite modest about her incredible ride.

In 1979, Fast Freddy Markham her dad became the first person to exceed 50 mph on an unassisted bicycle. He was also the first over 60 mph. In 1986 Fast Freddy won the DuPont prize for speed exceeding 
65 mph.
That bicycle, The Gold Rush, is now on permanent display in the Smithsonian Institute.Since Streamlined bikes have gone over  
80mph!



This is part one of three.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIko6Qo6skE&feature=player_embedded#



Once you get to youtube you can find pt 2&3

Ride Like A Girl , I Wish !

Cruzbike Sets a New Record!

Cruzbike’s Maria Parker has set a new women’s 12 hour record aboard her Cruzbike Silvio at an even this weekend in North Carolina.  One of our most prolific message board posters, James Artis, provided some excellent play by play coverage on his blog including a bit of video.  Maria racked up 241 miles in the alotted time despite a pretty nasty crash and some other health related setbacks.
Great job, Maria and congrats to Cruzbike!

Love Your Bike

by Bonnie Alter, London

Love Your Bike is a campaign set up by Manchester City Council and Friends of the Earth to encourage bicycle riding. Its inter-active website serves as a comprehensive directory to every aspect of bicycle riding in Manchester, England. The colourful site includes information on where to ride, where to buy, health tips, surveys and videos. The Council has arranged a discount on the purchase of new bicycles and they are selling those green fluorescent jackets with the campaign logo on the back—very fetching. There is a fascinating inter-active map that shows good routes, bad routes and even potholes to avoid. An excellent diagram shows the names of all the parts of the bike—always useful when trying to describe that missing part. Some fascinating facts about the benefits of cycling: Cycling at least 20 miles a week reduces the risk of heart disease to less than half that for non-cyclists who take no other exercise. A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat in a year. The average UK resident spends approximately 9 days every year in a car. Regular cyclists enjoy a fitness level equal to that of a person 10 years younger. :: Click Here - Love Your Bike

My Way Or The West Side Highway - Muscle Powered Commuting

Driving to Work in NYC is INSANE

Really sick of the Road Rage,Ridiculous Horn Honking and watching grown up people getting out of their cars to Duke It Out!!


I spent years bicycle commuting from Fort Lee, NJ to my office on west 37th street in Manhattan about 12 miles each way. Over the GW Bridge and down the West Side Bikeway everyday. Riding to and from work was the highlight of my day Rain Shine or Snow. I always felt extremely privileged to be out on my bicycle all alone on the bikeway in such beautiful scenery along side the Hudson River.
I always felt really sorry for all the automobile commuters bumper to bumper going about 4mph. Once I  got to the stretch of road that rides alongside with the west side highway on my left I was just flying past the traffic!!

 I could never understand how they do it every day.I guess they probably saw me and had the same reaction. Poor guy can't afford a car and he has to do all that work!!

During that period I was in amazing condition and would and was always able to do the "The Ride to Montauk" (100 mi) century in about 4hr 30mins on my Easyracers Goldrush Recumbent.

I now live in Manhattan and wish I lived a little father away from the office.

My Way.......

Or

The Highway

Which do you choose??

Making Things that Go Recumbent in New York City !!!

We have a playdate over ,,so I've been ridin the web and finding some pretty amazing and fun stuff.....

A couple of our  friends Chris Spollen and John Tetz put on a exhibition at the Staten Island Museum in new York City called Making Things Go.....(link)

This Streamliner is completely home made........and very Fast!! 
Ive ridden with John many times and in spite of our age difference I still can't catch him!!!

True Muscle Car and its Recumbent

Human Powered Mobility

I saw this car at an art show on Urban Mobility in NYC, this really pushes the limits!!
Funny!!

Watch it on Youtube -click here>>>>>Pedal Powered Buick 

Happy Thanksgiving - Urban Cycling Fanatic's

Happy Thanksgiving For Trikes

Hope I get to ride before the big meal!

Cycles Maximus Pedicab, Battery Park City a great but expensive machine.

Urban Cowboy -Times Sq,NYC with our Zigo Leader

Quest ,,,Velomobile on the Vineyard

A true Urban Mobility pioneer and family cycling legend from Martha's Vineyard just got his Quest Velomobile.
Waiting for the story!   Its gonna be a  L O N  G  winter ......
He hopes )))))))))

Dave's Quest....>>>>

 

 Quest with some Bicycle Advertising

 

UrbanMomas

 Urban Momas Portland, Oregon
They know how to get around!

http://www.urbanmamas.com//urbanmamas/the-mamas-behind-the-site.html

More on Winter Cycling from Alaska!

Photo Credit Michael Oryl MobilBurn.com
NO NO NO, Not like THIS?

Check out this great Website called IceBike.They have tested just about every thing that's related to winter biking.These guys are up in Alaska so I pretty much trust anything they say. I got the idea to get my Bear Claws to keep my hands toasty from them.They also turned me on to riding with sandals all year round. In extreme temps I could put about 5 layers of socks on with a gortex ski sock as the last one,really works way better than shoes!

Alternative Solution:

Believe it or not in some cases less is more.
There are a number of cyclists, not always in the coldest of climates, but plenty chilly never the less, that swear by SPD Sandals, either from Shimano, or those pictured at right from Lake.
What's this, you say, are they Daft?   Not at all.  
Sandals adopt quickly to the addition of another layer of socks, Gore-Tex Oversocks, or neoprene booties.  When out in the cold wet, you won't have wet shoes, as no water accumulates, it all runs off. 
Further, you may not need to change upon arrival at your destination.  All you do is strip off a layer of socks (or two), cinch up the straps, and you can wear them around the office or the house.
Cyclists in rainy Cold-Wet climates like Seattle swear by them.

If theres anything you want to know about winter riding this is the place!!
http://www.icebike.org/Default.htm
Hope this keeps you going all winter!!
Urban Mobility Project

Bicycle Gangs of New York

I was involved with the production of this great cycling short click to see a preview>>> Bicycle Gangs of New York.

It was shown at The Bicycle Film Festival and Tribecca Film Festival. I got the producers in touch with the messenger group and the Recumbent riders.Some of the Critical Mass and Williamsburg Bridge footage was shot from the rear seat of my Longbikes Recumbent Tandem.
Thanks To Cheryl Dunn a great local Photgrapher!

Something in Common with Varna?

 HPV'S 
Two Great Bicycles one of them holds the Human Powered Land Speed Record @ 82mph, Guess which one?

Cargo Bikes NYC

 

These cargo trikes make moving light cargo a snap in  big city traffic,never a fuel surcharge or time wasted looking for a parking spot!


WORLD BICYCLES

 

After seeing how far around the world this blog reaches I thought I should expand a little and involve more of the world cycling community.

The benefits of being a fit cyclist are extremely rewarding. I've worked with Revolution Cargo Couriers in NYC. Revolution Cargo is run by a very organic minded fellow Greg Zukowski. There I learned that I could pretty much haul anything under my own power.

Lots of people probably wonder why I ride everywhere and insist on carrying very heavy loads(including my family) ,the fact is that if you are in an urban center you can pretty much haul almost anything provided you have the right cargo bike. I also find that its lots of fun and an amazing way to stay fit. The thought of being in a gym just does not appeal to me. At any rate World Bikes seems to have a great message have a look at their website, just click >> World Bikes !

 Great article from Treehugger
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/bicycle-cargo-chapter-three-extended-frame-bikes.php

American Cargo Bikes - No Need to Go Dutch !

 Bicycle Urban Mobility With Your Kids


As always I plan on riding through he winter I thought this would be a good time to show off the some of the American bicycle company's that have taken the lead in family cycling urban mobility.
I've seen some child carriers on the road mostly from the Netherlands.The American machines are much cheaper and are built really well.
I've gone riding with the family in Winter ,the cold is just not a big deal to kids. The rider always stays warm all you need for the kids are sleeping bags or blankets to wrap themselves in. I started out with a Burley trailer,then Topeak child seat then the world famous Burley Picolo  trail a bike next was a Organic Engines Recumbent  Pedicab and Longbikes Recumbent Tandem then on to The Zigo Leader.

  We went to a kids birthday yesterday in Soho .I was going to use the pedicab but just as we got out it started to rain so we came back upstairs and got the Zigo Leader.We rode through the rain ,no problem.As we arrived all the other family's were getting off the bus,we felt really sorry for them.
I dropped my son off and went for a two hour ride through lower Manhattan. When I picked him up it was pouring.Jackson was very happy playing with his party favors on the way home.

The weather protection worked well and kept him completely dry!

In spite of the rain and all the prepping to ride, it was well worth the effort to bicycle to the party!

Taking the lead from the Netherlands these American  cargo bike company's have sprung up around the states over the past few years.

These bicycles are great alternatives to the horrid NYC mass transit system.

Most of these company's offer weather protection for winter rides. The most accommodating for New York City would probably be The Zigo Leader ,it can separate and become a lone stroller that you can just roll up to your apt. and yes in spite of what you may think ,it will fit. When I use it I simply lock the bicycle rear outside and just take up the trailer with my son in it!

These bikes are lots of fun to ride and are not slow at all.

Don't forget all the groceries you can carry while getting plenty of exercise,it also makes shopping a great adventure!

I'll update the info and list the American company's soon!

Ride Your Bikes!

84-Year-Old Bikes 150 Miles for MS

by Deborah Dunham (Subscribe to Deborah Dunham's posts)
Oct 29th 2009 5:00PM

Photodisc

Lan Yin Tsai is not your typical long-distance cyclist. At New Jersey's recent City to Shore 150-mile ride for MS, the 84-year-old Tsai completed the distance with a style all her own. Forget the Lance Armstrong-style spandex, clip-on bike shoes and fancy road bike with multiple gears. Tsai prefers simplicity, riding her one-speed bike in a dress and high heels.


Just as she has done for the last 26 years, Tsai rode her purple bike with a wire basket in front earlier this month to help raise awareness for multiple sclerosis. She sat tall and proud in a green turtleneck dress, embroidered jacket and high-heeled pumps. "I went to church, so I always dressed up and would ride my bicycle," she told CNN. "So that's why I do it that way -- I do it that way naturally. That's the way I ride my bike."


Every year, the National MS Society holds 100 different fundraising rides across the country to gather support to help fight this disease. In an economic period where volunteering and donations are down for many charities, Tsai vows to continue her efforts. "I always try to tell people, whatever you can do, keep doing it, keep doing it. And that's why I do MS. When I start something, I don't want to just quit."


Tsai's grandson, Alan Sim also participated in the ride with her. Even though his grandmother is usually last, Sim, along with many other cyclists, wait hours for her to cross the finish line. "She'll just ride in, and people are cheering, taking pictures, asking for autographs," says Sim. "It's like being with a celebrity."


When she's not out riding, Tsai practices the art of shiatsu massage on MS patients. She plans to continue her business and her riding for as long as she can. Determination, guts and commitment -- it's no wonder she's known as the "superstar of the ride." Plus, she offers the best motivation of all to her grandson. "I have the most pressure out of anyone on the tour," says Sim. "I know I can't quit, because my grandmother's behind me somewhere!"


Want to ride with Tsai next year?

Island Trikes on Goveneurs Island ,Manhattan Is and MV Island!

Fun on Governors Island

 Easy Racers EZ 3 Recumbent Trike!

Greenspeed GT 3 Recumbent Trike From Australia /Oak Bluffs  Martha's Vineyard,Ma

EZ 3 Recumbent Trike / Zigo Leader Child Carrier,American Cargo Bike

Yes those kids are climbing in ! 

Govenors Island ,NY