Hear ye, hear ye, we have received a small fill-in order of Classic Wool Knickers from our factory, and all current sizes (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, & 40), are now in stock and shipping promptly. If you've been waiting to order, wait no more; this is your best window of opportunity. The supply will diminsih quickly, and we will nto be making more for at least a month.

If you're up in Portland, Clever Cycles has placed their own fill-in order which we will be shipping tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 25^th), so ride on over this weekend and get yourself a pair!

Hollywoodians, don't forget Orange 20 over by LACC, and those of you downunder can usually find a pair at Chainring Transit Authority and save a bit on shipping.

And whatever you wear, keep on riding!

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:43:01 -0800 [link]  

We've expanded our T-shirt line with some sweet vintage images from the Lewis Lightweights and Schwinn 1939 catalogs...excellent drawings, superbly printed by graphic artist and cyclist Chuck Schmidt on good-quality shirts made of 100% US cotton. Great for casual rides or just sitting around the coffee bar!

And it looks like our order of Classic Wool Knickers will be in by Friday, so our inventory will be topped off for a while. Good time to order for fall!

Hemp City Knickers are still in good stock, and over-the-knee Knicker Socks are being knit as we write! Expect them in three or four weeks, followed shortly thereafter by the James Black Hat.

All good stuff to keep you on your bike where you belong!

Richard Risemberg on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:10:34 -0800 [link]  

Reasoned voices are hard to find anywhere on this poor, sweating planet these days, but here's a surprising and clever article promoting World Car-Free Day (September 22^nd, from Helena, Montana, of all places. To quote:

The United States, with one car per driving-age citizen, releases more carbon dioxide into our planet’s atmosphere than any other nation. I was raised to take personal responsibility for any damage that my actions cause. When I sent a baseball through my neighbor’s window, I knocked on the door, apologized for what I did, and then raided my piggy bank for the money to fix it. I didn’t care if 100 other kids sent baseballs through windows and then ran and hid. I bet that you were also raised to stand up and do the right thing. Well, through no evil intentions (we were just playing ball), we have been breaking the Earth. We had no idea. But now we know, so what are we going to do?

Read all of Jonathan Matthews's article in the Helena Independent Record.

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 06:55:47 -0800 [link]  

In Australia, Melbourne's mayor sniffed and huffed and then vetoed the city's participation in World Car-Free Day closures on September 22^nd, but fortunately for the city's (and the planet's!) future, the rest of the citizenry is not so unimaginative. Writes University of Melbourne architecture prof Nicholas Low:

The first Australian city to go car free will gain a huge competitive advantage. Melbourne should not be looking for a single iconic building to win fame. Its whole central grid of streets and lanes is its icon.

Melbourne's civic spine is Swanston Street: it connects two great universities, the State Library, Melbourne Central Station, the main shopping precinct, the Town Hall, St Paul's Cathedral, Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, the Yarra and the Arts Centre. Change must start with Swanston Street.

The first stage should be to close Swanston Street to all traffic except trams (and bikes), remove kerbs, repave the whole area so that it can be seen as a pedestrian precinct, and allow vehicle access for delivery only between 8pm and 8am.

The car parks must be closed. The land is too valuable to waste on car parking.

Read the entire article at theage.com.au.

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:59:07 -0800 [link]  

Not the most earthshaking news we've presented, but sometimes you just gotta have fun, so we want to direct your attention to the first of a new line of cycling T-shirts we are coming out with.... All you fans of vintage or fixed-gear bikes, take a look at our new Old-School Fixed T-shirt, available now!

There will be more showing up in the next week or two, so keep an eye on us!

Ride on....

Richard Risemberg on Sat, 08 Sep 2007 08:23:57 -0800 [link]  

Just received, in an email from my co-editor and publisher at New Colonist, an interesting quote from David Owen, writing in The New Yorker. He says:

New York City is more populous than all but eleven states; if it were granted statehood, it would rank fifty-first in per-capita energy use.

A dry-sounding statement on the face of it, but when you think for a moment, you realize it means that NYC is one of the most energy-efficient regions in the country.

More populated than all but eleven states, yet if it were a state, it would rank lowest in per-capita energy use!

Why? According to Owen, "Eighty-two per cent of Manhattan residents travel to work by public transit, by bicycle, or on foot." That's one big reason.

Likewise, all those apartments mean more energy efficiency: having only one or two walls exposed to the outside, rather than all four walls and a roof, means less heat gain or loss through those walls. And of course the reduced footprints of taller buildings means everything can be closer together, and that in turn means that regardless of transport mode used--subway, bus, foot, bike, or even car--you need not travel as far to get things done.

And it's a wealthy and exciting city with plenty of good food--what more could you want? I mean, if it were so awful to live there, then a 600-square-foot apartment wouldn't cost as much as a four-bedroom house in LA, would it?

Read the entire article (PDF): Green Manhattan

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:05:51 -0800 [link]  

BikeLoveJones
BikeSnobNYC
CycloCulture
Kent Peterson
LADOT Bike Blog
Lovely Bicycle!
Saddle Americana
Streetsblog
Velobakery