Dahon Folding Bicycle Forum: Bicycle Advocacy

Safe Sidewalks

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:28:57 -0600

Remember when they said not to ride through water deeper than you can see through?
It was good advice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtmFM3nsYlQ...player_embedded
Steve

Dahons Damaged In Accidents?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:11:36 -0600

I was knocked off my bike in London recently - not too badly injured but the impact was on the left side of my 2007 Dahon Cadenza. The rear wheel was buckled and the gears/chain were a bit messed up. I was wondering whether there is any advice from other riders or Dahon themselves as to whether I should ask the insurance company to pay for replacing the frame given the importance of the hinge integrity on folding bikes.

Bicycle Day In 17 Greek Cities- Dahon In The News

Tue, 19 May 2009 14:17:37 -0600

Sunday 10th May saw a large gathering of 1500-2000 bicyclists in Athens and many more in 16 other cities.
Attached photo taken in front of the parliament at Syntagma (constitution) square (and the Tomb of the unkown soldier, with the Evzoni guards) has a coworker and me lifting our bikes alomg with many others.

Dahon SL stands for Sure Light?

http://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=3317

BTW Dahons were well represented

Chase Bank Doesn't Like Bikes

Thu, 14 May 2009 20:00:09 -0600

I saw an ad today, it seems to imply that cyclists are second class citizens who are in financial need.

Taipei's Bicycle Rental Program

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:08:42 -0600

Taipei recently kicked off the trial phase of its bicycle rental program. I went to check it out this past weekend and ended up making a little video about it.

It's easy to register and check out a bike to use. The bikes themselves are sturdy and fun to ride. I really hope this program proves successful. Right now, it's limited to the chief financial sector of Taipei, but hopefully, it'll spread to more areas.

Here is the link to the video:
http://webiketowork.blogspot.com/2009/04/t...al-program.html

-E

Bicycle Diaries

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:09:50 -0700

I hope this is not a repeat but I just listened to this on the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/document...s_progone.shtml Great stories which begins with the Paris Velo Lib.

Rental Bikes In Barcelona

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:02:09 -0700

Saw this today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/world/eu...ycle&st=cse
Interesting concept.
Steve

Paris Velib, Rent-a-bike's Crown Jewel

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:22:27 -0600

No one here has yet described any experiences with Velib; still it receives a lot of newsprint. I might just go to this program next week, if I have the time. At the very least I'd like to meet NYC's transpo commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn, she's really become a Livable Streets star, as strange as that sounds. There's so many bike lanes being painted here, I expect to come home one day and find white lines and arrows on the floor of the hallway of my apartment building.

Columbia, Md- Usa (bike) Pathway System

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:01:45 -0600

Here is a map of the pathway system in my hometown, Columbia, Maryland - USA. I have found it very practical for commuting to the gym and to various places where I do business. Most of the trails are paved. There are under/overpasses negotiating crosses of many major highways. Kudos to Howard County and the Columbia Association for having the forsight to develope this system

My New Ride

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:40:13 -0600

Hi all,

I bought a Dahon Vitesse 2008 so I can catch the train to work even though I have to "pay" for the bike (not if its in a bag )

Anyway, I ride an Avanti Giro road bike normally (through the Adelaide hills etc). So just for fun, my first ride on the Dahon was up a hill with some cycling mates (about 400m of climbing). Here is the photo at the top

Anyone from Adelaide would probably think this is funny.

So hows the Dahon to ride? Well, its great but I dont think I will be riding it through the hills again!

Just posting this pic for fun,

Happy folding

Automatic Bicycle Parking

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:41:44 -0600

Check this out. When may we expect to see this more widely available?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8083000632.html

Steve

My Little Blog Post On Bicycle Commuting

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:13:24 -0600

I recently wrote a rather long post about bicycle commuting in Singapore, a kind of quick guide from my experience of riding daily to work for a whole year.

http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2008/07/mrbrowns-quick.html

It was fun and the response from my readers was rather overwhelming. Nice to know people in my car-mad country are interested in trying it out.

Today Show

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:22:50 -0600

Just in case you missed it. The Today Show (July 14, 2008) featured a Dahon as the first alternative transportation for going green. Chris Balish’s new book How to Live Well without Owning a Car was on the show.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25609661/

Here's The Idea For A Bike Friendly World

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:18:37 -0600

Here's the idea...

Public transportation shuttles bikes to the outskirts, and from there people take off on the bike. Similar to Curitiba model, in which of a web of roads spread out from the city center, but with accomodation for bikes. The best bikes for that are the foldable, which can be taken inside the bus.

Then all we need is a visionary mayor like that of Curitiba, something hard to find around here.

Curitiba and its visionary mayor
Residents of Curitiba, Brazil, think they live in the best city in the world, and a lot of outsiders agree. Curibita has 17 new parks, 90 miles of bike paths, trees everywhere, and traffic and garbage systems that officials from other cities come to study. Curibita's mayor for twelve years, Jaime Lerner, has a 92 per cent approval rating.

(many good ideas here, for mayors and non-mayors alike)
http://www.globalideasbank.org/site/...hp?ideaId=2236

And here are many more ideas...

COMING OUT OF THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote1

Do You Feel Discriminated Against?

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:17:38 -0600

Everytime I go to my girlfriend's hotel on my bike, I get this feeling: "What is this monkey doing here?"

They already told me not to lock it in the front. Why it matters I don't know since this is a casual beach area and the hotel is not 5 stars either. So now I'm locking it in the back...and I still feel watched, and sometimes followed by the hyenas working for the lion. It's a matter of time before they tell me, and then they would send me to the parking lot where there are a few safe places to lock to. And there's no bike racks in this hotel! (or any other hotel)

The SUVs (trucks in disguise) are proudly parked in front of the best hotels and they are not harassed...

WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING A MONKEY???

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/4...81e0f6baf8.jpg

Evolution Or R-evolution?

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:04:41 -0600

I've been arguing for evolution toward a bicycle-friendly world, something that may take as long as 100 years. But this guy says it with such force that it almost sounds like R-evolution!

On Jun 5, 4:47 pm, "pba...@worldonline.nl" wrote:

> No no: read this:
>
> http://www.phys.uri.edu/~tony/bicycle/bikehist.html
>
> "evolution"!
>
> Got it? :-)-

Got it, it almost sounds like r-evolution!

I just took spin now in the greatest piece of technology human ingenuity has created...

http://www.hummerguy.net/wp-content/2007Vi...merH2_4copy.jpg

Nah, just testing your attention. That's a product of human stupidity.

This is what I rode...

http://www.dahon.com/us/curved3.htm

It was a blast on packed sand. Four miles of fun, and catching a lot of glances. And I'm 6'1", 210lbs...

High tech, 3 speed internal gear, comfortable, even sexy!

Does anyone have an idea why you need a Hummer, other than to show you've got money to burn?

VELORUTION!
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote91

Some Sunday Morning Preaching

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:20:45 -0600

(I'm using some metaphoric language here, just like the Christians use Adam and Eve, just that the terminology is Tefflon and cast iron. These are some highlights that led to the metaphors that can change the world --or not)

> > Gemini, the official cookware of the Banana Revolution is cast iron.
> > The Banana Republic has been using Tefflon, but that feeds some
> > corportation and gives off toxic fumes.
> > Everything back to basics and natural, "raw" sometimes...

On May 31, 1:07 pm, "Keith MacNevins" wrote:
> Yea, but if there are any complaints they tend not to stick.

Not only that, while Tefflon (Banana Republic) wears out, cast iron (Banana Revolution) is "forever." But you have to keep "curing it"...

In other words, we should live under a permanent state of r-evolution, making corrections along the way.

It's what made humans out of monkeys. The Christian lion though denies evolution both in the past and present. Proof of othat is how it sticks to their SUVs in the face of oil crisis, while denying space to the "smart" bicycles. If they studied life at the time of the dinosaurs, they'd find out that's a recipe for disaster, which they call "Armageddon." No more preaching for today.

I don't know how to post a poll here, but I'd ask the following questions...

OPTION 1- Yep, they makes more sense than Adam and Eve
OPTION 2- Nope, Adam and Eve make more sense
OPTION 3- We have to evolve into bicycles

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The revolution starts when you ride a bike. You think of it as a kinder, gentler vehicle that will help keep Peace as well as save the Environment, and make you Sexy."

http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution

The Dilemma Is Clear: Bikes Or World War 3!?

Sun, 25 May 2008 09:29:36 -0600

"In the Third World they have one priority: SURVIVAL. Basic food and basic transportation, ie the bike. Their elites, though, carefully groomed by the First World, drive SUVs...

So we can emphasize there that they won't have to work as hard as in the First World, or that THE BICYCLE IS THE VEHICLE OF FREEDOM."

On May 23, 1:43 pm, DennisTheBald wrote:
> From a global perspective the best numbers I can come up with are a
> good twenty years old:
> 400,000,000 automobiles (roughly half in the USofA)
> 1,200,000,000 bicycles
>
> Even if you incorrectly assume that all the motoring people have not
> also a bike (which seems very unlikely to someone that owns several of
> both) There is still about 3.5.billion people that ain't got no wheels
> what so ever. No wonder peoples are starving, they ain't got no means
> with which to haul their ass to the office at all. Well I guess they
> ain't got to office to which to have their ass hauled to anyway - but
> there is still significant hauling that could be accomplished by a
> bloke with a bike that isn't happening due to lack of wheels.

All of this makes so much sense. But I guess the Harvard and Oxford educated Third World leaders don't know about it. Somehow they think SUVs helps more globalization than biking. Afterall, like you correctly say, China is moving away from bikes and getting into the SUV fever...

>
> IF they had bikes in E.Africa they wouldn't be 'walking to Johhny' and
> dieing on the way, they'd be pedaling there and some of 'em might
> actually make there - So I guess the inhabitants of Johannesburg may
> have a vested interest in keeping bikes out of those impoverished
> places to their north. I can't really see the motivation for the rest
> of the world. It seems the best interest of the global economy is
> served by building more bikes and fewer cars - just the opposite of
> the trend in China... We must nuke China for the good of the planet
> and the planet's inhabitants.

China is a big player in the game, though not necessarily bad... See, they just follow America, and their hunger for oil is driving prices up, and making bikes more desirable in the West. And, when things get real bad with oil, they may become America's enemy in WWIII, and then the two models that promote the Law of the Jungle will annihalate each other. Of course, there's going to be a nuclear fallout all over the world, but nothing's perfect.

>
> Or maybe we could just mail our old Huffys and what not to Haiti and
> Zimbabwe, uh would you settle for JAMAICA and MOLDOVA instead?
> This outfit: Pedals for Progress:http://www.p4p.org/index.html,
> might be just the ticket for ya.
> They're not the only game in town, well I guess it matters what town
> you're in. From the city with broad shoulders:http://workingbikes.org.
> Hey you can google fer yourself can't you?
>
> Just be careful that your old cycle doesn't end up in Latin America
> where in might become a mechanism to promote illegal emigration,
> dang... I sound like them fat cats in Johannesburg don't I?

It sounds funny, but the dilemma is BIKES OR WWIII!

But I'm optimistic today... I just went for a ride on my bike along the beach, and everything beautiful out there. Life's a beach!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The revolution starts when you ride a bike. You think of it as a kinder, gentler vehicle that will help keep Peace as well as save the Environment, and make you Sexy."

http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution

Would You Like The Govt To Promote Biking?

Tue, 20 May 2008 10:04:48 -0600

You know biking must be very low on their priority when you are honked at, yelled at, pushed around and even spit at for doing the right thing and riding a bike.

It could be another way, you know. Like cyclists getting respect --and even admiration-- if one of our presidents spoke thus...

"My fellow Americans, in light of scarce oil as well as the threat of Terrorism and Global Warming, the days of the hungry dinosaurs are over. Yes, no more SUVs, starting with my own. Instead, we will go back to the smartest, cleanest and simplest vehicle ever created: the bike. You shouldn't look at it though as a sacrifice, but as the means to enjoy more free time. Yes, you won't to work your life away to keep a Stupid Unnecessry Vehicle. And to top if off, you can be as sexy as me..."

And then the President rides off in his lycra suit... Well, the last part may not be such a great idea, but the rest is. So do you agree that the goverment can do more, far more, to make bicycling part of the American landscape?

Here's what I would do if I ever were president...

"Bicycles should the first line of development, then public transportation, then alternative vehicles..."

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
(beware of the lion)
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote

It's Like A Jungle Out There For Bike Riders

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:43:30 -0600

"The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry."

It's like a jungle out there for bike riders. And the attack comes from the top and from the bottom... Lions on SUVs*, given to zigzagging around and yapping away on the cell phone, threaten them from the top, and rats from the underworld steal their wheels if not their bike to support their crack addiction. And then you report it, and it goes into oblivion. So it is that cyclists must stay in constant alert for predators, like the monkeys of the jungle.

*"Have you ever wondered why sport utility vehicle drivers seem like such ***? Surely it's no coincidence that Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Dem-ocratic National Committee, tours Washington in one of the biggest SUVs on the market, the Cadillac Escalade, or that Jesse Ventura loves the Lincoln Navigator. Well, according to New York Times reporter Keith Bradsher's new book, High and Mighty, the connection between the two isn't a coincidence. Unlike any other vehicle before it, the SUV is the car of choice for the nation's most self-centered people; and the bigger the SUV, the more of a jerk its driver is likely to be."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/...2.mencimer.html

Life in the jungle ain't easy...

RIDING A BIKE COSTS PEANUTS

http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote88

WHY THE BANANA REVOLUTION?
(T-shirts to help you survive in the jungle, no kidding)

http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution

Bike At A Hotel

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:20:26 -0600

Look what the W hotel chain is doing. Puma had a street poster campaign around Union Square for these bikes. I wonder if they or the hotel came up with this idea.

Congestion Charging In New York - Up For A Vote Soon, Call Your Legisl

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:20:30 -0600

We've added a new link to draw attention to the upcoming vote on Congestion Charges before the New York State Legislature on the Dahon homepage, and a detail page with links to important information and how to contact your representative, if you live in New York.

Congestion Charges in New York City have passed the City Council and will soon be before the State Assembly for a vote. We at Dahon, strongly support Congestion Charges in general and specifically Mayor Bloomberg's plan as a way to:

Reduce commute times and increase bicycle safety
Build more bike paths
Improve air quality
Add more money for alternative transport
And most importantly transition New York to a more environmentally sustainable development plan

Take a look, and make the call if you can help!
Dahon Supports Congestion Charges

Ride on,
Matt

-------------------
Matthew Davis
Dahon
Manager - Global Sales and Marketing

Bike Advertising

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:18:33 -0700

All over NY, especially Manhattan, we see outdoor advertising for movies, concerts, new tv shows, CDs, lately a very wide campaign for Epson printers, too--and a few weeks ago I noticed a few wall bills near Union Square for a line of bikes from Nike. The posters go up and they come down. I don't know the term of advertising art for these posters, which are usually on plywood fences surrounding construction or renovation areas. ("Post no bills" means don't put these up here.)

I know the bike industry is always very pinched for advertising $$. Folding bikes really need to grab some mindshare in places like NYC. Has Dahon ever thought of trialing a small campaign, to see if it has any effect on local interest?

Winter Bicycling On Tv

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:27:27 -0700

This evening's edition of "Chicago Tonight" on WTTW profiled a number of bicycle commuters who ride through the winter. It was a very favorable presentation, but they completely neglected a small but very significant segment of the bicycle-commuting community: US.

I have sent the following to the station:
Great overview of winter bike commuting! One category you should have included, though, is the folding bicycle. Many folks live too far from work to commute all the way. Folding bicycles permit the use of other transportation modalities to cover greater distances; they fit in car trunks, on buses, CTA and METRA trains to name a few. They also store easily at the workplace. I commute in from Mundelein to the UIC College of Dentistry where I am a faculty endodontist. My daily on-cycle distance is about 7 miles, though I have made the 100-mile round-trip on Bike-to-Work Day several years in a row. As for winter biking, I have not missed a single day this winter, in part because of the studded tires on my bike which have prevented me from falling on ice. Last Friday I rode from Union Station to the dental convention at McCormick Place. By the way, another advantage of the folder and the shorter distances it facilitates: I don't get stinky, which is important when I treat my patients! I'll be happy to provide more information if you would like it.

Thanks, again, for the favorable presentation. If more car drivers are aware of the reasons people bike to work, it surely will help safety on the street.

Keep riding; Spring is just around the corner!
Steve

Driver Kills Bicyclist...

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:22:18 -0700

This is disgusting.
http://www.kgun9.com/NewsArticle/tabid/111...20/Default.aspx
Thank goodness the call was recorded and the judge heard it.
Steve

Folding Bikes In Office Buildings

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:22:34 -0700

This is my city... kind of embarrassing. Go to Streetsblog and scroll down to "You Don't Ride a Bike to a Corporate Office Building." A short film by "The Gal From Down Under" (who knew?) about trying to bring a folding bike into toney (so they'd like to think) midtown office buildings.

So far my experience has been good with the bike, but all my visits have been to smaller office buildings on the fringes, not the uptight corporate HQs.

Bbc Road Rage Documentary

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:19:21 -0700

Here's an hour-long BBC show about pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists contending for the use of crowded roads, in particular in London. There is one North London parking cop in this show who deserves some kind of Lifetime Patience Award.

Uk Ex-mp Thinks Beheading Cyclists Is Funny...

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 13:37:23 -0700

Anyway, surely the correct answer to "What's smug and deserves to be decapitated" would begin with 'D' and end with 'avid Cameron' although that's only an illustration, and should not be taken as incitement to commit an offence, which is itself an offence although you'd think an ex-mp writing in the Times would be aware of that...

Mind you, Cameron's a cyclist, and Letwin rides a Brompton, and then there's Boris "my bike is my office, oops ouch, sorry!" Johnson...

Rental Bikes In Vancouver

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:50:42 -0700

hello. i read in a local newspaper that city of vancouver (canada) is considering a plan to set up a bike rental scheme, like the one in paris, wherein you pay and return a bike on designated depots. the city just posted an ad requesting for interested parties to study the plan for $50,000. hope this thing flies here in vancouver.

Bike Lanes

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 10:29:54 -0700

I want to commend all local governments who are forward thinking enough to plan for bike paths, sidewalks, and rails to trails projects to encourage people to cycle or walk (or run) instead of being compelled to drive a car to get anywhere.

Many neighborhoods have been planned with no safe way to get to other places without a car; sometimes you are forced to risk your life in order to try to get a little exercise and save some gasoline. We need to change our way of looking at street planning to allow for alternative ways of traveling instead of forcing everyone to drive just to be safe. When your destination is only a mile or two away, walking or cycling is a natural alternative which has great benefits to us all not only in giving us an opportunity to get exercise and fresh air, but also to lower the demand for gas which will help lower the price for us all, as well as lessening the congestion on the roads, with its delays and frustrations, as well as dramatically lessening the air pollution and greenhouse gases emitted from our cars. Only by making our streets more bike and pedestrian friendly can we get people to consider these alternatives.

I want to commend Upper Providence Township, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, for recently taking their first steps to plan in this direction with a comprehensive study to explore bike and hiking paths throughout the township where practical, and then take it to the next level of starting the process of getting these paths and lanes and sidewalks designed and made and maintained. Kudos to Upper Providence! I hope other towns can follow this great example.

I also want to commend Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for creating bike lanes along certain streets.

Please add other towns and cities you feel are deserving of commendation for making bike friendly routes.