Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Time for a TurnaroundWell, my friends, things are finally looking up, and good timing, too, since I’m sure you’re all sick of me bitching. Recent bike build, including wheels… fun! In what feels like a fairly short time, I’ve come from sitting around … Continue reading → […]
- This Raised My PulseHey, baby… wanna ride? I may be injured, but I’m not dead yet. I can still have racy thoughts. Here’s more info. In other news, UBI was an awesome success! I had a blast. I highly recommend it. Overhaul day…. … Continue reading → […]
- Time for a Turnaround
- Edgy Veggie
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Traffic skills for bikers: a class this Sunday
Here’s an announcement from Community Cycles about a class this weekend that many folks might find very useful. If you’re thinking about getting into commuting by bike, there’s probably no better way to get your information. Without further ado, here’s the copy-and-pasted announcement from their site:
Announcing: The League of American Bicyclists course Smart Cycling: Traffic Skills 101 (formerly called Road I) takes place Sunday, September 26, 2010. This is a 9 hour class for all cyclists, novice to advanced. The class will be held in Boulder at Naropa University.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: Learn how to fix a flat tire; Learn the importance of the ABC Quick Check; Learn how to shift to the right gear for your ride; Learn how to safely avoid dangerous objects and potholes as you ride; Learn where to ride in traffic for the most safety and visibility; Learn how to easily make difficult maneuvers in traffic, such as a left turn across four lanes of traffic; Learn about riding in all kinds of weather, day or night; and more! Be a part of the movement to standardize cycling education for everyone.
Half the time will be instruction and discussion in a classroom setting and half the time will be given to cycling drills and on-road riding. You will need a bike with breaks and gears and a helmet to participate. If you will have trouble bringing a suitable bike please let us know so we can help you find one. Helmets are required. Course materials and workbook are provided. There will be a lunch break in the middle of the day so please bring a lunch or plan on making a quick run out to grab something.
Conducted by LAB Certified Cycling Instructor: Dan Adams LCI # 2801
For more information, contact: Dan Adams, email ductmonkey@gmail.com or call 978-760-2186
Title: Smart Cycling: Traffic Skills 101
Date: September 26, 2010
Time: 8am – 6pm with an hour break for lunch
Place: Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe
Cost: $80.00
Register Now
Boulder’s bike corrals
It’s been about a week, so have you guys seen the new Boulder bike corrals yet? They’re on-street parking for bikes, which means less hitching your bike to whatever you can find, more bike awareness and more parking-per-spot for businesses (. You can spot them at The Cup (1521 Pearl St.) and Trident (940 Pearl St.).
What do you think?
The Cup has been clamoring for these for a while — and has built a temporary one on occasion.
If you’re surprised by them, check out other cities that have been building and using bike corrals.
A few weeks ago I asked where you would put bike share stations — so I’ll ask this: If you could add two more, where would you put bike corrals in the city?
CU grows campus by 14 percent, shrinks energy usage by 23 percent
It’s a good sign when the largest presence in town takes serious steps to reduce its energy use:
CU’s conservation efforts also are a move toward meeting Gov. Bill Ritter’s executive orders to decrease fuel consumption 25 percent, cut energy and paper use 20 percent, water use 10 percent and incorporate zero-waste operations statewide by 2012.
A team of CU leaders is focused on reducing water use 30 million gallons a year by 2012. So far, CU has installed 890 dual-flush handles for toilets.
Dave Newport, director of the CU Environmental Center, said the school’s next step is a 20 percent greenhouse gas reduction by 2020, and the school is on pace to achieve that goal.
City: Services will be cut if voters don’t replace Xcel fees
City of Boulder officials have unveiled a new contingency plan for the 2011 budget that incorporates additional cuts that would be made if voters do not replace fees Xcel has been paying the city with a tax on the utility this November:
In August, officials submitted a nearly flat budget to the City Council for 2011 that eliminates 19.74 full-time positions. The new contingency plan would cut spending by 5 percent, eliminating the equivalent of an additional 27.7 full-time jobs across all city departments.
“While there is clear support to replace the franchise fee with the utility occupation tax, it’s prudent that we take a conservative and strategic approach to 2011 in the event that the city cannot replace the franchise fee,” Brautigam said. “The contingency budget reflects careful analysis and difficult choices that must be made if we are required to cut the budget by $4.2 million.”
Naturally, the city is hoping to avoid that — City Council announced their support for 2B, the ballot issue that would replace the Xcel fees, in a resolution on Sept. 7 (PDF).
Where would you put Boulder bike-share stations?
Considering that the city is “finalizing” a contract for a Boulder bike-sharing program akin to Denver’s B-Cycle, it’s time to start nerding out with maps, which is my favorite part of any day.
So I’m asking you folks, here and on Twitter and Facebook, where would you put Boulder bike-share stations?
It’s pretty clear that there would be a station or two on Pearl, right? Let’s assume you’d have one on the east end, the west end and, for the heck of it, let’s say one on 13th.
Where else? Let me hear you.
Check out the B-Cycle map (PDF) for inspiration.
A partial map of B-Cycle stations in Denver.
Boulder bike-sharing program in the works
Edwin Chan, 50, of Hong Kong, rides a B-cycle he rented in downtown Denver. | Jeremy Papasso/ Camera
I haven’t personally tried B-Cycle down in Denver, but the Earth Day launch of the bike-sharing program had a lot of people in Boulder asking questions like, “Why did Denver beat Boulder to a bike-sharing program?” and “Does Boulder need a bike-sharing program?”
It looks like Boulder bike-sharing might reignite in a few months:
Martha Roskowski, the program manager for GO Boulder, the city’s alternative transportation program, said the city is working with B-cycle and Boulder Bike Sharing to finalize a contract. The bikes, she said, could be available by early spring.
“We are really excited,” she said of the prospect of bringing bike-sharing back to Boulder. “It’s not a done deal until the contract is finalized, but at this point, I am optimistic.”
In the 1990s, the city supported the “green bikes” program, which relied on donations and volunteers to maintain free bikes that were shared throughout the city.
And then there are sentiments like this one:
“I wouldn’t use it, since I already have a bike,” said Joshua Morriston.
Living wall: CU receives grant to develop amazing, energy-efficient walls
Air conditioners | photo by flickr user Todd Morris
You’ve heard “my body is a temple,” but how about “my house is a body?”
The wall, as the CU team of engineers and architects proposes, would use channels of advanced polymers to naturally heat or cool homes similar to how the human body regulates its temperature.
“What we are envisioning is actually having a wall that has a vascular network inside,” said Kurt Maute, an associate professor with CU’s aerospace engineering sciences department.
The team of engineers assigned think that the living wall could have commercial applications in 20 years.
