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...

Ditch the Van Tour

Posted on Oct 28th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

A couple of months ago we got an email from Ben Sollee’s crew wondering if we’d help them out with some product. The basic idea was to do a US music tour…by bike! What an idea. We were, without a doubt, in to help them out. Check out their latest video! Ditch the Van Bike Tour – Chapter 10 from marty benson on Vimeo. […] read more...

Get your freak on your bike and ride

Posted on Oct 25th 2010 | Blog, Events,

Heather Fortune, of Madison’s Saris Cycling Group, on local TV pitching the upcoming Saris Gala and Planet Bike Costume Ride, an annual fundraiser for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin: This is always a major good party, with all you can eat food and free beer from New Belgium Brewery. Also featured will the Saris’ […] read more...

NYC Settles in Critical Mass Civil Rights Lawsuit

Posted on Oct 19th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, News,

A $965,000 settlement has been reached and was made public by the court on Monday in a civil rights lawsuit brought against the City of New York by 83 cyclists who were among hundreds arrested by the New York City Police Department on the nights of Critical Mass bicycle rides beginning just before the 2004 Republican […] read more...

Actively Expecting

Posted on Oct 18th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

Kristin Wentworth is the sole female staffer at Planet Bike, a professional road and cyclocross racer, and now, a mom-to-be. Dave came up with the idea of Kristin writing about her experiences with staying active and biking while pregnant. We passed the idea by her and she was more than happy to. She will be contribut […] read more...

Cru Jones

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

Check out this custom Trek singlespeed made for Colorado’s Rad Ross Schnell! If you’re a fan of old school BMX, this one should strike a chord. Just so happens that my brother is a graphic designer for Trek and had the pleasure of laying out the graphics for this beauty. […] read more...

Forget bottles. Kan it.

Posted on Oct 13th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

I just picked up some Klean Kanteen products and they are great! The insulated coffee mug / soup container will be awesome in the cold weather to come. The big bonus is discovering the snug fit our button cages provide for these burly stainless containers. […] read more...

100,000 Americans sign bike pledge

Posted on Oct 11th 2010 | Advocacy, Blog,

Planet Bike ally peopleforbikes.org is on a mission to sign up 1,000,000 Americans in support of better biking in the US. We are well on our way with more than 100,000 pledges made. Here’s the meat of the pledge: “I am for bikes. I’m for long rides and short rides. I’m for commuting to work, weekend rides, racing, rid […] read more...

Free Upgrade!

Posted on Oct 7th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog,

Our office mail box got a free upgrade the other day, courtesy the USPS. You can see our old box on the left and the new one on the right. In the two years I’ve been here, we’ve used that same old cardboard box. Sometimes the little things in life can make your day. […] read more...

Fall is in the Air

Posted on Sep 27th 2010 | Bike Life, Blog, News,

The 2010-11 cyclocross season went off with a boom this past weekend at the U.S. Grand Prix Planet Bike Cup held in Sun Prairie, WI. Saturday and Sunday racing catered to all levels of racers with the marquee events coming at the closing of each day with the pro women’s and men’s races. Planet Bike team member Katie C […] read more...