We all love the Thursday Night Ride: the camraderie, the bicyles, the ride, the destination, the beer. The only thing most of us don't like is the 11PM leave time. After talking with several people we've come up with a solution that we'll try this Thursday: 2 Rides.
The first ride will leave from the co-op at 9pm. Destination TBD.
The second ride will leave from 1688 Carruthers at 11pm. That address is Charles' place. He tells me that there will be people hanging out outside.
It's so simple.
I'll see you at the co-op at 9pm.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
BFF Planning Meeting (Open Invitation)
Hey everyone, it's time to start planning for the 2010 Bicycle Film Festival. We'll meet this Wednesday night at Otherlands on Cooper to share comments on last years festival and ideas for this years festival. This meeting is open to anyone so if you'd like to become a BFF team member please join us! If you have any questions please contact me at cort@bicyclefilmfestival.com or Alona at alona@bicyclefilmfestival.com.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Google Maps - Bicycling
Seen on Candy Cranks.
This is a pretty rad deal that will come in extremely useful for those looking for a route to work, especially on Bike To Work Day. The problem is that Memphis is not one of the "hundreds of cities" that Google has mapped out for cycling. I entered my home (in midtown) and job (The Peddler on Highland) and it suggested I take Poplar. Knowing my route (in its various incarnations) by heart I was able to drag and change the route. Most directly (avec traffic) my ride is 4.4 miles; indirectly (sans traffic) 5.2 miles. I went ahead and reported to Google that Poplar was not suitable for bicycles, but it probably won't hurt if when you get directions, you report the same. Hopefully with more people making suggestions Google will have a better bicycling sense for Memphis.
This is a pretty rad deal that will come in extremely useful for those looking for a route to work, especially on Bike To Work Day. The problem is that Memphis is not one of the "hundreds of cities" that Google has mapped out for cycling. I entered my home (in midtown) and job (The Peddler on Highland) and it suggested I take Poplar. Knowing my route (in its various incarnations) by heart I was able to drag and change the route. Most directly (avec traffic) my ride is 4.4 miles; indirectly (sans traffic) 5.2 miles. I went ahead and reported to Google that Poplar was not suitable for bicycles, but it probably won't hurt if when you get directions, you report the same. Hopefully with more people making suggestions Google will have a better bicycling sense for Memphis.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
cute bike/run/shop capris
I'm always looking for cute clothes to workout in, simply because it motivates me to exercise. Oh, and also because i love to shop and blow money on clothes. I ran across these adorable capri leggings that would be great for riding since they have reflectors. Unfortunately, they are sold out of my size. But, if they have yours, i would pounce. tres chic, dans mon avis.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Beauty and The Bike
I'm sure everyone who works in a bike shop or even rides a bike has a story about a girl who says that she can't ride a bike in a dress or skirt. Whenever I hear it I tell them that my girlfriend Emily (myshoeshurt) rides in dresses all the time. I'd love to post pictures but I'm usually out the door and on my bike before she wakes up. So until the day that I can capture her in a dress and on a bike here's a video titled Beauty and The Bike. I'll let Simon from Hipster Nascar explain:
Beauty and the Bike is a great film/book/project from the UK about encouraging young women to ride bikes more. Focusing initially on why British girls give up cycling once they reach a certain age, the film makes the case that bad infrastructure (lack of cycle lanes) and certain cultural notions (that bikes are for kids and men, not women; that roads are for cars and trucks, not bikes) are preventing young women from experiencing the fun and freedom that cycling can give. Taking their cue from the more cycle-friendly cities of mainland Europe, the project organisers have a two pronged approach to making cycling more appealing to young British women: fix the infrastructure to make cycling safer and less stressful, and combat the idea that young women can't or shouldn't be interested in bikes.
Of course, in many ways, changing the physical infrastructure of a town or city to facilitate cycling is much, much easier than changing people's cultural notions about women on bikes. Harass your town council enough and they'll probably put down a cycle lane or two, but try to convince people that women should be riding bikes more, that's a different story. However, by making cycling accessible, stylish and fun, the organisers of Beauty and the Bike show that it is possible to convince young women that they belong on bikes as much as anyone.
Now, we're not talking about completely subverting gender paradigms here. It's very much about making women on bikes feel attractive in relatively normative ways. However, it is, I think, an important first step to show young women that they can "look good" and ride bikes at the same time. After all, in the 19th century the very idea of women on bikes was revolutionary, because cycling constituted a physical activity (the sovereign sphere of men) felt to give women too much independence (through mobility). Thus a whole range of cultural norms were conjured up that attempted to curtail female bike riding by suggesting that the activity was undignified at best, unladylike at worst. Are these cultural norms, formulated in the repressive era of Victorian sexuality, the root cause of the reluctance of young women in Britain today to ride bikes? Maybe. Are the people behind Beauty and the Bike directly challenging the notions of femininity and beauty that undergird society more generally? Maybe not. But, by making cycling appealing to young women in 2010, they facilitate something that might be every bit as revolutionary as it was in 1899. As the American civil rights leader Susan B. Anthony said, "I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance."
More details about Beauty and the Bike here.
I've also added another blog to the list: Copenhagen Cycle Chic. It updates regularly with photos and videos of stylish people on bicycles; because not everyone wants to be as fast and aerodynamic as possible.
Beauty and the Bike is a great film/book/project from the UK about encouraging young women to ride bikes more. Focusing initially on why British girls give up cycling once they reach a certain age, the film makes the case that bad infrastructure (lack of cycle lanes) and certain cultural notions (that bikes are for kids and men, not women; that roads are for cars and trucks, not bikes) are preventing young women from experiencing the fun and freedom that cycling can give. Taking their cue from the more cycle-friendly cities of mainland Europe, the project organisers have a two pronged approach to making cycling more appealing to young British women: fix the infrastructure to make cycling safer and less stressful, and combat the idea that young women can't or shouldn't be interested in bikes.
Of course, in many ways, changing the physical infrastructure of a town or city to facilitate cycling is much, much easier than changing people's cultural notions about women on bikes. Harass your town council enough and they'll probably put down a cycle lane or two, but try to convince people that women should be riding bikes more, that's a different story. However, by making cycling accessible, stylish and fun, the organisers of Beauty and the Bike show that it is possible to convince young women that they belong on bikes as much as anyone.
Now, we're not talking about completely subverting gender paradigms here. It's very much about making women on bikes feel attractive in relatively normative ways. However, it is, I think, an important first step to show young women that they can "look good" and ride bikes at the same time. After all, in the 19th century the very idea of women on bikes was revolutionary, because cycling constituted a physical activity (the sovereign sphere of men) felt to give women too much independence (through mobility). Thus a whole range of cultural norms were conjured up that attempted to curtail female bike riding by suggesting that the activity was undignified at best, unladylike at worst. Are these cultural norms, formulated in the repressive era of Victorian sexuality, the root cause of the reluctance of young women in Britain today to ride bikes? Maybe. Are the people behind Beauty and the Bike directly challenging the notions of femininity and beauty that undergird society more generally? Maybe not. But, by making cycling appealing to young women in 2010, they facilitate something that might be every bit as revolutionary as it was in 1899. As the American civil rights leader Susan B. Anthony said, "I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance."
More details about Beauty and the Bike here.
I've also added another blog to the list: Copenhagen Cycle Chic. It updates regularly with photos and videos of stylish people on bicycles; because not everyone wants to be as fast and aerodynamic as possible.
Cooper St. Bike Lanes
Here is a recent article from The Lamplighter regarding bike lanes for Cooper. This is a wonderful step forward for a neighborhood that so many of us frequent (being that Revolutions has made its home there).
Please read the article and make plans to attend the meeting on March 23rd from 6:30–8:30 pm at Peabody School.
Please read the article and make plans to attend the meeting on March 23rd from 6:30–8:30 pm at Peabody School.
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