The Meat of the Story

Posted on Jun 15th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

It’s been close to a week since we closed out the 5th annual Bacon on the Bike Path as part of Wisconsin’s Bike to Work Week. As I sit at my desk on this rainy day, I can’t help but wonder how we can make it bigger and better next year. For now though, let me reflect on this year’s edition. The […] read more...

Cross Country

Posted on Jun 14th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Last week I received an email from a bike industry pal in Milwaukee about a fellow named Lowell Smoger. Lowell is a recent grad who wasn’t quite ready to join the work force yet. He had a grand plan to cycle across the U.S., stopping in at any bike related company that would have him (and dropping off his resume). I w […] read more...

Our frig runneth over…..with bacon!

Posted on Jun 8th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Our frig runneth over…..with bacon! Our friends at Nueske’s came through again this year for the 5th annual Bacon on the Bike Path. This year, our frig is loaded with 35 lbs of the world’s most sizzalicious and delicious bacon. Come join us on Thursday from 7-10am! […] read more...

Who’s getting stoked?

Posted on Jun 7th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Events,

We are! Bacon on the Bike Path is just a few short days away! Check out the PRO setup that Chris and Heath dialed in for our test run last week.

Learning to Ride

Posted on Jun 2nd 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

This kid has got the right idea, enthusiasm for bikes!

Making a Mark

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

I’m ready to make my mark on the bicycle commuting population in the United States and there’s no better time than National Bike Month. I hereby declare May 27th as National Work in Your Chamois Day! You may be asking yourself “do you have the authority to do that?” to which I respond yes, yes I do. Please join me tom […] read more...

Spring cleanin’

Posted on May 23rd 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

With an unusually slow Friday afternoon, I took it upon myself to clean up the Planet Bike bike parking garage/work area. It wasn’t pretty, but the job got done…our daily commuter bikes are much happier now. The garage housed quite a few gems that have gone unused for years. Two such gems are the formerly prized PB ad […] read more...

Catch and release on the bikepath

Posted on May 18th 2011 | Advocacy, Bike Life, Blog, News,

For many years, Planet Bike has sponsored light give-aways throughout the US to raise awareness of the need for bike lights when riding at night. Volunteers and sometimes police go to popular bike paths after dark and hail bikers without lights. They are offered a free set of lights and while they are being installed […] read more...

The Crop

Posted on May 13th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Farmer Billy decided the asparagus growing in the PB back 40 was ripe for the pickin’. Look at the size of that!

Brompton World Championships

Posted on May 4th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

This looks like a hoot! Might be a good one to put on your bucket list. […] read more...

April Fools!

Posted on Apr 4th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

As a lot of you guessed, the below post was our April Fool’s joke. Thanks for playing.

The Last Lap

Posted on Mar 28th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

If you’re a regular reader of our blog, or a follower on facebook, then you’ve likely seen Kristin’s past blogs on Women’s Adventure chronicling her pregnancy. Kristin’s last blog before she becomes a mom is up. Always a great read. […] read more...

Kristin’s Women’s Adventure Blog

Posted on Feb 8th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog,

Kristin has been blogging about her pregnancy over at Women’s Adventure Magazine. In her latest entry she documents a vacation to San Francisco and hiking, biking, and walking around the city. Back at home in Madison it’s still winter though and there is a lot of snow on the ground which means the cross country skiing […] read more...

Restless Collective

Posted on Feb 8th 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

This looks like an amazing project. The Geography of Youth from Restless Collective on Vimeo. […] read more...

Ride the Divide

Posted on Jan 31st 2011 | Bike Life, Blog, Video,

Chris, Billy, Heath, and I were lucky enough to be able to see Ride the Divide last Friday as a screening of the documentary came to Madison. It is definitely one not to miss, so if you have the chance, don’t miss it! Ride The Divide Movie Trailer from Ride The Divide on Vimeo. […] 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.

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.

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 varie […] 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...

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 […] 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 […] 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 […] read more...