New Bikes and No Chain Links

Sorry about the no chain links. There just isn't enough time or cool news today. As for new bikes we have several. Here's a partial list:

Trek Surplus Police Bike, 19" frame w/ front shocks
Black Huffy Cruiser
Green Woman's Cruiser
Red Men's Cruiser
BMX Bike

There's also a blue cruiser and a $50 bike in the back that may be done by the time we open. We're also looking at buying a large lot of bikes. I'll keep you updated with what's hidden within.

August Contest OVER!

So today marks the end of our August Contest. 8/10 keys were returned and $40 in gift certificates were handed out. The bad news is that no one won the bike. We hid the winning key in "Gun Range" which is along one of the more technical portions of the Tom Brown bike path. One of the people who returned a key reported that the cache was "keyless" two weekends ago so i'm guessing someone picked it up and forgot about it. In case you're wondering, here's the complete list of where the keys were hidden (in no particular order).

1) Gun Range
2) Tweet Tweet
3) Goose Hunt
4) GovPark
5) Park-N-Grab
6) Guyte P. McCord Park
7) Days of the Week Cache - Wednesday
8) Times Up
9) Here Fishy Fishy
10) What's Behind Waverly

August 28th Chain Links

So today's barrage of work has been less than usual and interesting bike links have been piling up all day. Here's a quick rundown of five most spectacular. If this were Jeopardy and the category was "Bikes and related awesomeness" the questions would be a Bicycle Band from this Country for 200, a Careless Driver causes this % of Deaths for 400, a City with a Late Night Ride for 600, a City with a New Stoplight Actuator for 800, and a Man with a Awesome Bike Collection for 1000. I expect $3000 by the end of the category and you should too if you read the links.

First: Make way for the greatest band on two wheels! Careful not to trip over the accents.

Second: Blame not the bicycle nor the rider, blame the idiot driving the car. To ride a bike you need to be a little bit more aware than if you were driving a car.

Third: We need one in T-Classy. Anyone up for a midnight ride? No? How about 8:04pm?

Fourth: I wish big brother bought me one of these for my stimulus day. :(

Finally: I want to be this guy when I grow up... If I grow up...

(Photo Credit: Bike Wheels from bicycles-for-humanity.org)

New Stuff!

We've got an order of lights and a few jerseys on the way to add to our new stock! They should be in next Saturday. Just thought you might want to know.

August 27th Chain links

Because i'm going to be working my butt off tomorrow, here's a double dose of chain links. Today's theme is "Police programs, the good, the bad, and the ugly." I offer you four stories (two from my former home in Cleveland) about what police are trying to do to protect bicycle riders. Also submitted for your entertainment is a pair of links with bike porn. Mmmmmm... bike porn...

First: The Good! Here's a pair of links separated by half a planet. Cleveland PD is selling (and in many cases giving away) bicycle ID stickers. It's a good idea but the Israelis have a better one. Use the unique serial number on each bike (which is much harder to remove than a sticker) as bike DNA.

Second: The Bad! Not all not-for-profit bike shops are good for the community. This one in Colorado has created enough trouble that it's on the FBI's terror watch list!

Third: The Ugly! Only in Beachwood would such a stupid idea be implemented.

Fourth: We usually recycle our broken bike parts. I guess this could be alternative. Just don't store it in your bedroom if you need to sleep any time soon.

Finally: Please enjoy this second round of Bike Porn!

(Photo Credit: Berlin Police from joe-ks.com)

August 26th Chain Links

Thank god it's hump day. To help you get over that last bit of the hump here are three articles arranged in order of length (shortest to longest) covering subjects from bicycle insurance to sweat to fancy rides made of bamboo.

First: In a incy wincy tiny pokadot letter to the editor, citizen Richard Wingfield makes three good points. Bikers don't pay for sh*t, Bikers have fewer safety laws than cars, and they don't have to carry insurance. But at least some bikers have realized that they look hotter in helmets.

Second: Tired of pit stains? Want to commute but can't bring yourself to ride that fixie in a suit? Well, tough nookies. The bad news is you're doomed. The good news is that Cool Green Science has some tips for not being so gross at work after a hot bike commute.

Finally: I consider this porn.

(Photo Credit: Bamboo Bike from BikeRadar.com)

Volunteers and More hours

We've had many, many requests for us to be open more hours and while I'd love to be able to do so, there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to both add inventory, repair bikes, and work the sales floor. I'm only one man. Fortunately we have several volunteers who routinely help out. Justin, Lauren, Brian, Austin and Christine have been a godsend and without their help the project would have died an ugly death. However, most of us volunteers have full time jobs or school (or both) to deal with which makes opening the shop on weekdays troublesome. This is where we need your help. For us to be able to be open more we need more volunteers! Specifically, we need someone who can commit to one day a week (preferably Wednesdays) that they can spend in the shop. No experience is necessary but you must be willing to learn.

Here is a list of general activities a volunteer might be expected to fulfill:

1) Outreach: Put up fliers, attend sustainability/green events, coordinate events. This is a job for anyone who is passionate about reducing greenhouse gasses and has available time in spurts. This position involves putting up fliers near where bikers are, representing the GBP at green or sustainability events around town and helping to coordinate events like Save the Bikes.

2) Sales: Bike and accessories sales and cash register. This requires basic knowledge of bike mechanics and riding as well as a cheerful demeanor and a willingness to answer sometimes repetitive questions.

3) Mechanic: Repairing bikes that are not yet ready to ride. This requires the most training/skill but also produces the most benefits. Qualified mechanics can actually keep some of the revenue that their repairs generate in bike sales.

4) Buyer: Tracking bike leads and making purchases. This may be the most fun job (at least I think so) but also comes with the most responsibility. This position requires that you go out into the community to acquire the bikes that we repair. Mostly this consists of Garage Sales and auctions (as donations and trades tend to come to us) but also may entail attending FSU functions and flea markets.

You should volunteer if you...

-have a passion for reducing green house gas emissions one bike at a time

-want to learn how to repair bikes

-want to interact with people in the biking community

-love making a difference in people's lives

You should not volunteer if you...

-expect to make a lot of money

-are in it for the women/men

-want a free bike (try Krank-it-up)

-drank the koolaid

What are the perks?

Most of the perks come from knowing you're helping a project that makes life in Tallahassee better by reducing pollution and making the population fitter. All volunteers will also receive a GBP T-shirt and open access to shop resources. We also have food (sometimes) and drinks for volunteers working in the shop. Nothing overly special but it's our way of saying thanks for helping.

August 25th Chain Links

You all know how much I like a running theme. Today's theme is "Bicycle Safety" or "How not to be an idiot on a bike". Three stories from the depths of the interwebs on everything from helmets, to wrong way riders, to getting your bike free upgrades!

First: You should always ride a bike with a helmet. Always. In fact, if you don't ride with a helmet I probably won't ride a bike with you. Be warned.

Second: There are times when riding the wrong way, on sidewalks, or with a shotgun is a good idea. The examiner looks at two of these times and unfortunately ignores the third. Honestly, I'm still looking for a reason to do the third. Ideas?

Finally: I should send this article to all my friends and family just to prove that keeping receipts is a worthwhile endeavor. Hey, it may get you a free bike upgrade!

(Photo Credit: Gun Holster from anticipatethis.wordpress.com)

Trails in Tallahassee

I just wanted to pass along a link to what may the most comprehensive map of Florida trails (on and off road) in existence. Use it wisely.

http://www.geoplan.ufl.edu/website/ogtviewer/Run.htm

Accessories and the problems they cause

Soooooooooo, yea. We just purchased a ton of brand new accessories for the shop (sorry no locks this time). Our wholesaler has been on this price increasing kick lately so these may be as inexpensive as we see for a while. Fear not! For we always have used accessories in stock!

Here's a partial list of what's here and what's coming:
MTB Tubes (presta and schrader) ($5)
RB Tubes (presta and schrader) ($5)
Water bottles ($3)
WB Cages ($5)
Cyclo Computers with cadence ($10)
Bike Gloves ($10)
Storage hooks ($2)
Multi Tools ($7)
Bike Racks ($20)

We also have a HUGE lot of BMX/Racing Bikes and gear. We're still getting into the bikes (so much to do so little time) but we do have full face helmets (mostly in kids/ small adult sizes) for sale for $7. These things aren't your run of the mill plastic junk they're reinforced to survive most anything. Red, White, and Blue are available.

August 24th Chain Links

Sorry about the outage last week. School eats your life even before it starts. To appease the bicycle gods, today's chain links is expanded with an EXTRA LINK! Today we cover everything from banks getting into the bike charity drives, to bike cop vs. bike rider, to bike racks, and back again. It's been a long and tiring Monday and all I can do is hope these links brighten your day as much as they did mine.

First: Bike laws vary from state to state but the general rule of thumb is "when in Rome do as the Romans do." I think that's even etched into the back of most bicycle helmets. In this case, when riding on the road, obey the same laws you'd have to obey if you were driving a car.

Second: Lesson learned: Bikes that go to the landfill are a tragedy. Bikes that go to a non-profit that fixes them up for reuse are AWESOME!

Third: I may be able to ride my bike with no handlebars, but I can't ride with no rack. Treehugger profiles some of the more... er... interesting racks out there.

Finally: News flash! Man likes his bike! More at 11. Honestly, just the title made me LOL. Talk about fluff.

(Photo Credit: Cetma Racks from Treehugger)

No Chain Links Today

I have "real" work to do today so no time to go surf. I hope you don't take it too hard. To soften the blow please accept this highly addicting game demo to pass the time.

August 19th Chain Links

Keeping with our long running theme of complete discontinuity today I present you with three stories that have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. A bicycle built for 7, a cyber stalker, and an indie film festival are all found below. Enjoy!

First: You've heard the classic term "a bicycle built for two" but how about "a bicycle built for 7?" Called a conference bike, this three wheeled, 7 seater not only looks big, it will also carry a load of over 1400 lbs! For reference, that's .63 metric tons or more than most compact cars can handle. That's good, because it's price tag of $12,750 is more than a lot of compacts too.





Second: I wish I had known about the Bicycle Film Festival when i was living in NY and was close enough to go see it. However, as I'm now in Florida (shucks) I'll have to settle for the shorts of some of the films on YouTube.





Finally: Facebook stalking is not a crime (well, sometimes), especially when it thwarts a would be bike thief from getting away with his crime. Internet savvy mothers take note, you too can be Nancy Drew... on Facebook!

(Photo Credit: Conference Bike from examiner.com)

August 18th Chain Links

Today we meander from the comfy confines of the environmentalist's approach to bike commuting, to strange state laws, to just plain free stuff. I promised to give you links, not be coherent about it.

First: Sometimes environmentalists get it wrong (I'm looking at you green peace) and sometimes they get it right. My favorite environmental blog, Cool Green Science, has a post up this morning about commuting to work. The author hits all the important parts but saves the helmet till the end!

Second: States make funny laws. Generally they're only known about to a handful of people responsible for enforcing them, but this one from Wisconsin seems important to know for every driver and biker alike.

Finally: Looking for a new bike? Have no cash? Well, you've got better than a 1/1,000,000,000 chance of winning a brand new cyclocross bike from Redline. All you have to do is enter!

(Photo Credit: Circular Bike from blog.makezine.com)

Weekend Chain Links

Not every one's perfect. Here's the links I missed while I was doing other things this weekend.

First: Q: When is a paddle boat not a paddle boat? A: When it's a bike! I get the distinct feeling that China is quickly catching up to the US in the all important "too much time on their hands" category.

Second: We have two tandems in the shop at the moment. Unfortunately that wouldn't be enough for this family of 5. They're taking an almost 3 year long bike ride from Kentucky to Alaska (via Florida and Arizona no less) on a quint! That takes balls... or too much time on their hands... USA BACK IN THE LEAD!

Finally: Bike inflation in the us has become rampant, particularly in Portland. Freakonomics takes a look at how the price of bikes relates to the price of cars in several major cities. While I haven't collected data on Tally, my bet is that bikeflation is happening here too.

(Photo Credit: AquaBike aka "Eye candy" from www.jesolo-ok.com)

Bikes in the shop

Sneek preview of coming attractions! We got a HUGE donation of BMX bikes last week. While we haven't had a chance to play with them yet, we will be doing so Wednesday during some special work hours. Justin and I will be rearranging things a bit and hopefully getting a few of them ready to ride. Here's a rundown of the bikes in the shop off the top of my head.

1) Trek 7500 hybrid
2) Fuji touring bike (RB)
3) Panisonic RB
4) Hoop D (Classic reproduction)
5) Raleigh Women's Hybrid
6) Raleigh MTB
7) Jamis MTB
8) About 10 Schwinn BMX bikes
9) Laser tandem Bike
10) No-Brand tandem road bike
11) Mongoose Dual Shock MTB

Depending on how ready the BMX bikes are, we may be able to price them as low as $30!!! Yay for donations!

More Keys Found!

We got 5 more keys turned in this week. I don't have the list on me but the important bit is that the bike is still up for grabs!

August 17th Chain Links

With the fall semester just a weeks away, today's chain links focuses on choosing new bikes. If you're relatively new to biking the links below can help. However before you buy anything, make sure to do your research. A local not-for-profit bike shop is a great place to start!

First: The Dothan Eagle takes a stab at helping out those in need of a new bike. While we can't fault them for trying, the helmet should be mentioned sometime BEFORE the last sentence.

Second: The Buffalo Examiner (that still exists?) has a list of questions to consider before making your purchase. And before you ask, riding a bike will not give you chronic 80's hair like the woman in the picture at the beginning of the article. No promises about THIS hair though. Stache not included.

Third: Wired has a review of a sweet bicycle from Swobo. Note the non-flip-flop hub. If I had $1000 I was going to throw away I'd so buy this bike!

If none of the above links helps, there's always wikihow.

August 14th Chain Links

With school starting hundreds of bicycle riding teens and 20 somethings are descending on the capital city. What does this mean? More bikes to steal! While FSU students are providing more opportunities for thieves, Drexel students can feel a little safer. If you're a potential thief and use the Internet to improve your stealing abilities I'd recommend avoiding wikihow.

First: Bike theft affects us all. Whether it's our bike or someone we know, all who bike have a story ends with a bike that's gone forever. Well, students at Drexel University can rest a little easier knowing that at least one thief has been caught.

Second: Thieves in the know use a pen cap to crack most Kriptonite locks. Thieves trying to learn might use a trick they learned from wikihow. Let's just say that if you see someone lugging a car jack toward a bike rack you might want to call the cops. (NB: They're still looking for someone to explain how to "pick a bike lock.")

Finally: I love bike cops as much as the next person, but I still find this article hilarious. My favorite line "Among the tips they've picked up: your chin strap can choke you in a fight, it's not good etiquette to ditch your bike in front of your partner and it's important to stay in shape — if you arrive at the crime scene out of breath, you're not much use." This is what they came all the way from Canada to hear?

(Photo Credit: "Cop on Child's Bike" from txroadrunners.com)

Friday Take Apart

I don't care if Monday's blue

Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm involved

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart

Oh, Thursday doesn't even start

It's Friday, I'm involved

Saturday, wait

And Sunday always comes too late

But Friday, never hesitate...

To come and take apart.

(Stolen and butchered from The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love")

This Friday from 6-9pm we're having a party! Yes folks it's that time. We've sold, given away, and even forced them upon our unsuspecting friends, family, and even customers but we're not quite done. There are 30 bikes left that have gone unclaimed and now are doomed to the recycler.

Fear not, they will live on in everything from baseball bats to buildings to even other bikes. Some of them will even wind up in (I'm sorry to say) cars. However, every pound we recycle is one less pound we have to dig out of the ground.

Before they can be recycled, we will endeavor to reduce and reuse every bit possible. To do so we must pull all the usable parts and separate out the non-metal pieces for specialized recycling. This requires disassembling of all 30 bikes! EG: THE FUN PART! If you have no clue how a bike works, this is a wonderful opportunity to learn without worrying about breaking something!

This Friday from 6-9pm (and every Friday till we're done) we will be stripping these bikes down to bare frames. We'll be cranking the music and rocking out while stripping down (the bikes). Pizza and soda will be provided.

(Picture Credit: Atomic Zombie's AfterBurner Chopper Bicycle from Instructables)

August 13th Chain Links

Going to Montreal, London, or Boston? Don't worry about renting a car. Those three cities provide free (for 30 min) bikes for anyone with a credit card to use! However, if you're going to Portland you may want to bring cash or check to pay for your bike permit. No money to spend on bikes? If you're down on the gulf coast make sure to bring plenty of gator spray!

First: Several weeks ago I linked to the Bixi project in Montreal. The idea was to have dozens of self sufficient checkout stations for renting bikes. Well, the idea worked so well that Boston and London have signed up! Expect 10,000 Bixis roaming the streets of London in the next few years (Boston is still negotiating).

Second: Portland has always been on the bleeding edge of bike awareness. Now they're redoing their bicycle master plan for 2030 (it's never too early to be thinking about bike advocacy!). BikePortland is doing a multi part series on the project. (Via BikePortland)

Finally: I've heard of odd riding gear but this is ridiculous!

(Photo Credit: "Bixi" from trendwatching.com)

August 12th Chain Links

We have a new feature here at the GBP Blog. We call it "chain links." In this section we'll be posting links to fun or interesting bike stories around the world. All the links will be SFW (unless noted) so make sure to click through to get all the tidbits the bike world has to offer.

First, what do you do when you're a nature lover, bike lover, and unemployed? How about ride 4000 miles to raise money for the Nature Conservancy? Nathan Winters is doing just that, and of course blogging, twittering and uploading to youtube along the way. (Via Cool Green Science)

Second, while Nathan's motives may be true, cockeyed.com took a slightly less altruistic approach to Google's "Chad Bikes America" trip back in 2001. The outcome is amusing (to say the least) and NSFW if your boss frowns on sporadic laughing fits.

Finally, Clean Technica has a gadget designed for those of us who can't live without our Iphone or crackberry. (My Iphone is currently sitting forlornly looking out the window hoping for even the merest signal. I'm not a fan of my Faraday Cage of an office.) The only drawback is it takes 2 hours to fully charge (if you call 2 hours on a bike a "drawback"). (Via Clean Technica)

...and the sign said closed!

I've gotten several emails from people wondering why the shop was closed on a Wednesday at 2pm or a Friday in the early evening. I kind of don't have the heart to tell them the world doesn't revolve around you so all I say is "Our hours are Saturday 12-5." We're working on pushing those hours to earlier in the day or adding another day, but for the moment it's not in the cards.

In fact, we've been forced to keep the doors shut this weekend due to a surprisingly heavy demand last Saturday. We're down to 4 bikes (from 12 at the start of the day) and just don't have the inventory to open up. Actually, it's quite a nice problem to have. We're ordering parts for some of the long term projects and taking some time to get all the work we've been putting off done. Here's a preview of some of the things you'll see in the shop when we reopen on the 15th.

-A police surplus TREK hardtial bike! It's a 19.5" monster with a brand new wheelset! No price yet but it's a beauty to behold.
-A 54cm lugged frame Panasonic road bike (previously referenced)! We're pricing it at $150.
-A high end dual-shock mongoose MTB. It's a welded aluminum frame with a mechanical front disk break. We also haven't priced this bike but it'll likely sell in the low end of the premium range.
-A tandem cruiser bike. I've never had one of these in the shop before but i'm excited to get it up on the stand. Price is TBD but it will be less than 1/2 of what a new one would cost.
-A tandem road bike. We're still working on this one. I hope to have it ready on the 15th!
-We also will have one more "special" road bike in stock. No more hints.