Patch Kits are in!

Posted on Jan 27th 2011 | Blog, Product,

As Ben Franklin once wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” We would also like to include to the list: “an occasional flat tire!” With the reality of flats in mind, we have come up with the PB Patch Kit. The kit includes 6 SKAB™ self-adhesive patches, abrading square, an […] read more...

Bike Winter

Posted on Jan 26th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Dave passed on a great winter cycling resource, Bike Winter. There’s some great info on benefits, safety, and clothing tips for winter cycling.

Road Wrap is here!

Posted on Jan 20th 2011 | Blog, Product,

Our new Road Wrap Handlebar Tape harkens back to the days of Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi. The velvety black and grey tape has retro stitching and perforated holes to create vibration dampening air pockets. – Center raised ridge increases control – Retro stitching and holes add vibration dampening air pockets – […] read more...

Mission Accomplished!

Posted on Jan 19th 2011 | Better World, Blog,

Four years ago, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz proposed a challenge: reduce Madison’s carbon footprint by 100,000 tons by April, 2011. The Mpower Campaign hoped to achieve its goal by buying renewable wind and solar power; increasing the efficiency of current energy use; installing solar systems. Planet Bike was one of […] read more...

Pregnant on Skis

Posted on Jan 18th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Normally at least a semi regular winter commuter, Kristin has given up biking outdoors this season as her due date looms. It may be cold and snowy in Wisconsin but there are still ways to safely be active while in the third trimester of pregnancy. Check out Kristin’s latest blog entry for Women’s Adventure Magazine. […] read more...

Iceman

Posted on Jan 17th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

PB warehouse guru Chris has been putting the miles on his Surly Pugsley this winter. This morning was no different as he did an early morning tour of Madison along some of the town’s great bike paths.

Corky Grips

Posted on Jan 13th 2011 | Blog, News, Product,

For 2011, we have some new products coming down the pipeline. One or two are top secret for now, but some we already have in our warehouse. One of the in stock newbies are the very stylish Corky Grips.By way of the Cork Oak forests of Portugal come our stylish and comfortable Corky Grips. These 100% natural cork grips […] read more...

Elite women, U23 & junior men’s squads named for ‘Cross Worlds

Posted on Jan 12th 2011 | Blog, News,

Here’s some great news for Planet Bike sponsored racer Katie Compton and former cyclocross team member Kaitie Antonneau. USA Cycling made the teams public on January 7. The men’s team will be announced later this week with Planet Bike rider Jonathan Page looking like a pretty good bet for a team selection.Colorado Spri […] read more...

Gasoline Tax Myth

Posted on Jan 11th 2011 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

A very interesting read on how roads are funded. Thanks to the guys at bikecommuters.com for turning me on to this one! Give it a read. […] read more...

Warm Feet Revisited

Posted on Jan 10th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

As we all get settled into our winter commuting routines, I figured now is a good time to revisit our winter riding footwear choices. Here’s a little review we did last year on what works for us. One of the first priorities to be concerned with while riding or commuting in the winter is warm feet. We’ve tried a variet […] read more...

Shreddin’

Posted on Jan 7th 2011 | Blog, Video,

I don’t know about you, but this video really makes me want to go earn some turns. As Dave would say, “it’s totally blower!” [scattered flurries] from felt soul media on Vimeo. […] read more...

Recycle-a-bike

Posted on Jan 6th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Ever wonder what happens to all those unrepairable bicycle tubes and worn out chains that make their way through bike shops? Many times, shops will send them away for recycling. However, there are some very creative individuals out there finding clever uses for worn out bike parts. Andy Gregg from Marquette, MI makes s […] read more...

Something Completely Different

Posted on Jan 5th 2011 | Blog, Video,

As an aspiring banjo player, I’m always searching for tips. I came across Chris Daker’s YouTube site. This kid has some serious talent…and imagination. […] read more...

A very Euro Xmas.

Posted on Jan 4th 2011 | Blog,

Well folks, I’m back. In addition to being a Planet Bike employee, I’m also a professional cyclist. I use professional loosely as I’m not paid to do it but I do hold a professional license. My coworkers were kind enough to cover for me as I went on a nearly three week trip to the heart of cyclocross country. The racing […] read more...

Tis the season

Posted on Dec 17th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

The holidays are fast approaching. If you live in Portland and have yet to get a Christmas tree you can actually get one delivered by bike to your door. Trees by Bike is a small group of folks from PDX in their second year of using pedal power to get Christmas trees to folks who don’t feel like tying a tree down to the […] read more...

Riding for two in the cold and dark

Posted on Dec 15th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

I’ve been sharing my attempts at staying active throughout my pregnancy with Women’s Adventure Magazine. Now that Wisconsin has been slammed with some significant snow I’ve hung up the commuter bike for the year but I was still able to get plenty of cold and dark riding in during November. In my latest blog I go throu […] read more...

Making Bicycle Commuting YOUR Norm

Posted on Dec 14th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

Ask ten different bicycle commuters why they choose the mode of transportation and you’ll likely get ten different answers. It boils down to a personal decision and no one reason is better than the next. I’ve found the toughest part of bike commuting to be making it the norm, a routine if you will. If you don’t commut […] read more...

Cycling Conservatives

Posted on Dec 13th 2010 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

Our friends at commute by bike have an interesting article on how to talk about cycling to a conservative, written by a conservative. Definitely and interesting and insightful read. […] read more...

Fall 2010 Super Commuter – Ross Hirsch

Posted on Dec 10th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Super Commuters,

Los Angeles, CA – Safety is a big concern for the everyday commuter. Bicycle advocates across the country spend countless hours fighting for legislation and city planning, among many other things, that will improve the safety of riding bicycles. One such advocate is 40 year old Los Angeles attorney Ross Hirsch.Bic […] read more...

Copenhagen Bicycle Superhighway

Posted on Dec 8th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

It’s no big secret that we’re big believers in the power of bikes. We’re happy to hear of the steadily increasing number of commuters in the States but we know we’ve got a long way to go to get to the level of Copenhagen. They currently see 37% of suburban residents and 55% of city residents use bikes as transportatio […] read more...

DIY studded tires

Posted on Dec 3rd 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Learn,

Here in Madison we’re about to get our first snow of the season this weekend. Time to winterize the bike and get ready for riding in the snow! Most of us here at Planet Bike have our studded tires ready to put on but here’s a pretty ingenuous way to cheaply and easily get some traction without having to buy studde […] read more...

The Freak

Posted on Nov 23rd 2010 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

One of my favorite bike advocates is Kevin “The Freak” Freeman. Kevin has spent an enormous amount of time and effort making his community of Fayetteville, TN a more bicycle friendly place. From trail building to promoting a cyclocross series he pours his heart into helping others lead a healthy lifestyle. Kevin forwa […] read more...

District Hardware and the Bike Shop

Posted on Nov 22nd 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

In what I hope will become a regular blog topic, I sent out a request for Planet Bike dealers to get in touch for a bit of a profile. The first to respond was Jarrett over at District Hardware and the Bike Shop in Washington D.C.District Hardware and the Bike Shop has been in business since 1971. That’s almost 40 years […] read more...

Thanksgiving Parades

Posted on Nov 18th 2010 | Blog, Video,

I want to see these guys marching in this week’s parade! Happy Thanksgiving. […] read more...

Sometimes, you just have to leave it all behind.

Posted on Nov 17th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, Product,

That’s just what Chris and I did yesterday. Loaded up the camping gear and hit the road. Actually it was the Glacier Drumlin trail which is almost right outside our office door. This makes for a fun time and a great time for a little product testing. This trip included some prototypes of some new lights, shoe covers, g […] read more...

WBR

Posted on Nov 15th 2010 | Better World, Blog, Video,

Planet Bike is a proud supporter of World Bicycle Relief. If you are able to contribute, they can always use your Support! […] read more...

More Cowbells and More Smiles

Posted on Nov 11th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

Kristin’s blog #2 is now posted on the Women’s Adventure website. Check it out here!

Around the World

Posted on Nov 5th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

Today, eighteen year-old Erin Nelson will begin her attempt to set the world record of becoming the youngest person, as well as the first African American female, to bike around the world. She intends to bike 19,000 miles over the next 24 months. Erin first got the idea to bike around the world after reading about Ali […] read more...

Fixing Sprawl 101

Posted on Nov 2nd 2010 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog,

Most Americans live in cities built primarily for the automobile, and yet we ride our bikes. It took 50 years to build ourselves into this mess and it’s going to take some time to rebuild our cities and neighborhoods back into sustainable places in which the car is just one of many options for getting around. But how […] read more...

Giving lights instead of tickets

Posted on Oct 29th 2010 | Advocacy, Blog, News,

Madison, WI police have been working hard the last few years to incorporate biking into their policing efforts. This includes using bikes to patrol the city and engaging bicyclists as the legal vehicle operators they are. In Wisconsin, bicyclists are required to have a front bike light between dusk and dawn. Many rider […] read more...