Carbon fiber bridge

Carbon fiber: it's not just for bicycles anymore! This bridge in Maine is mostly carbon fiber. See this NYT article.  The bridge is lighter and resists corrosion.

The World's Smartest Human on the Chicago Olympic Bid

Cecil Adams, nom-de-plume of a columnist for the Chicago Reader and "The World's Smartest Human", on Chicago's Olympic bid:

"... we face the prospect of hosting a giant world athletic competition involving billions of dollars of expenditure that nonetheless poses no financial risk. Perhaps 50 people in town can honestly claim to understand this. These individuals are operators. Chicago is their natural home."

It almost seems as if there is a local conspiracy to forget 1976 -- no, not the Bicentennial of American Independence, but the financial debacle of the Montreal Olympics.

"The Olympics were a financial disaster for Montreal, as the city faced debts for 30 years after the Games had finished. The Quebec provincial government took over construction when it became evident in 1975 that work had fallen far behind schedule; work was still under way just weeks before the opening date, and the tower was not built. Mayor Jean Drapeau had confidently predicted in 1970 that "the Olympics can no more have a deficit than a man can have a baby", but the debt racked up to a billion dollars that the Quebec government mandated the city pay in full."

Aunt Bertha's a Cyclist?

from I Can Has Cheezburger

September 13: North Shore Century Bike Ride

This is our 25th North Shore Century, which each year raises over $10,000 for bike related causes: we've donated dozens of bikes for AIDS support workers in Africa, supported CBF, ATA, LIB, LAB and Rails to Trails, bought handcycles for rehabilitation programs, and supported bicycle education programs in many area communities.

Plus it's fun! Come on out. More info here.

Bike Parking?

Actually, it's an Independence Day celebration in Indonesia.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,643333,00.html

How long do bike decorations last?

As a practical joke, my daughter Abby wrapped my road bike in celery green crepe paper.



We started to wonder how long it would last. Kids' bikes on July 4th have lots of decorations, but these are ridden slowly. How would this stuff stand up to normal commuting speeds of 15-16 miles per hour?

Here we are after 7 miles. The stuff around the wheels is going (had to take a threatening piece out of the rear derailleur). Stuff on the body is in good shape.



After 14 miles, the wheels are about bare, but most of the decoration is still on the body.



At this point, I called the experiment over and removed the rest.

Cool job: Google tricycle mapper

Courtesy of Joe Ferguson, I was informed of this job:

Google is mapping the paths on and around college campuses and is doing so with a tricycle equipped with their sophisticated camera technology. The mapped colleges will allow new students a way to familiarize themselves with campus before they ever arrive at campus. It will also allow parents to see what the campus is like by allowing the parents to take a “virtual tour” of the college campus...

The major benefit of mapping the paths with the tricycle is it will allow mapping and photographing of areas that can not be done with Google Mapping cars. The Google tricycle will eventually allow for some amazing “streetviews” of bicycle trails around the world.. This will allow you to be able to look at a trail before you ride it.

Story here with nice picture.