Bike commuters have more equity in their homes than you do!

A report on NPR yesterday noted that the burst housing bubble is at its worst in bedroom communities across the land. Homes in suburbs that require as much as a one-hour car commute are losing value faster than any other homes in the country. And certain urban areas near the downtown districts of Philly and D.C. are actually increasing in value.

Oh, and this: People also seem to be hoarding food.


The more I read the papers, the more I think Thomas Malthus was right, that grumpy old bastard.

"The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world."

Oddly enough, that Apocalypse of Malthusian Destruction sounds uncannily like the last Critical Mass ride I was on, when I could not find a Taco Bell to save my life!

From the Mailbag: Why Americans ride normal bikes, wear funny clothes

I wanted to draw your attention to a most astute comment received in the mailbag from Matt, a PFN loyalist and bike-commuting blogger in his own right. Having attended the Handmade Bike Show out in Portland, he is uniquely qualified to address a couple of questions that have recently been simmering on the old Pinch Flat News potbellied stove: Utility bikes and Danish bike-fashion police.

Whilst busy wetting myself at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show I did visit Clever Cycles and tried out both a load-carrying upright and one of the Bakfiets. The
upright had a beefy front rack that mounted to the downtube, not the fork, so it didn't affect steering. They loaded me up with a bag of chains on the front rack and two panniers full of chains on the rear and off I rode. It rode just fine, with an 8-speed Nexus hub and roller brakes, and I briefly thought about bringing one home ("Look honey! A 50 pound black bike that only cost me $1700!") but decided to wait until the kitchen makeover has finished running over its budget. There is a regal, indeed statuesque, bearing to the rider of these things that's hard to describe. And the Bakfiets, loaded with my riding buddy in the front box, was a total hoot! ("Look, honey! Only three grand! But I can bring loads of manure home from the garden center!") Some of the snarkiness about how we just don't ride in regular clothes doesn't recognize that our climate is both hotter and colder than Copenhagen's or Amsterdam's or even Portland's. At the NAHBS, Portland held an organized "Worst Day of the Year Ride" with a couple of thousand cyclists. Their Worst Day of The Year was 50 and sunny. Wussies.

As we say at the old dayjob, thanks for the consumer insights, Mr. Matt!

Higher than the Hancock: Winter bike sales in Chicago

Sales in Chicago bike shops were up this winter by as much as 40 percent, indicating that Chicagoans are not the winter-biking wussies they were once thought to be. Living as they do in the shadow of Minneapolis-St.Paul's rabid winter cycling scene, the kids have undoubtedly caught on to how cool and fun cycling through the cold and dark months can be.



But I suspect the weakness of the dollar and the cost of fuel have also helped cycling in the Windy City. Bike culcha may well be one of the only silver linings in the dark clouds of this thundering recession -- the way hoboing and jumping freight trains was such a culturally rich consequence of the Depression.

I'm not sure whether it's inspiring or depressing, but I expect to see fewer bindle sticks and more trash bikes in coming months.

Apocalyspe Averted: Sweet relief is on the way

Here's something to buoy your flagging spirit: The reverse-fixie-conversion, courtesy of my new idols at BikeCommuters.com

I sense a real trend to guide fixie nation into its long overdue twilight. Not talking about the utility bike (those are great, but they can be less delightful to ride) but the upright commuter.

Also, this brings to mind my own dream of building the perfect track bike with a coaster hub -- thus eliminating those cable lines that interfere with "the clean" beauty of a brakeless and gearless bike, while not gambling on my physical welfare.

Will this dream ever be realized? Doubtful. The truth is, it had been fueled by a misguided lust for the Masi Speciale, long since dismissed as unworthy of my unrequited admiration.

Great myths of urban cycling: the winter fixie

The Raleigh bike company has been doing some interesting things in the past couple of years. What was -- or at least seemed to be -- a moribund brand has got a shot of fresh blood somewhere amongst the beancounters and the mouse jockeys on the management team. Their recent efforts seem not so much about making money, as about re-establishing credibility.

That's the only explanation we have for something like the One Way, Raleigh's new singlespeed/fixie commuter. While we don't like the lines of the fork (that's a bit too much rake, compared to the gold standard), we're intrigued by any ungeared steel bike that comes stock with fenders. Anyway, what caught our eye this morning was a quick summary by Fritz over at Commute By Bike, who writes,

The reason I own a fixed gear bike now is that I’ve been a year-round bike commuter for over 20 years and I’ve lived in places with snow and ice in the winter. Ice is not compatible with derailleur equipped bikes — ice jams things up and salt destroys what it touches — hence the simple fixed gear bike is often considered the perfect bike for urban winter cycling.

The perfect bike for winter riding? A fixie? The question is really who, precisely, believes that silliness and why do they believe it? We get the whole ice/derailleur argument, just not the part about how riding without brakes and having to pedal through icey corners is "the perfect" winter ride. We prefer a singlespeed with a heavily greased freewheel and studded tires. Brakes and fenders, too.

The effort to break the (Howies) commuting world record

One of the fellers at Howies is trying to set a new personal record for his half-hour bike commute. First, he attempted the feat with a LeMonde fixie. Then he switched to a fully geared freewheel. Now he's begging Trek to loan him a TT bike.

Can he do it?

We certainly hope he can, and we'd love to see more of this kind of low-level corporate sponsorship for mundane but highly personal achievements.

Bridging up

Never mind your alleycat races, with your disgruntled messengers grumping about having their culture co-opted by hipsters on fixies. If you want in on the ground floor of a sub-sub-subculture that no one else will ever join, consider the commuter folding bike race scene! They even have a LeMans start, and rather than beer handups, you get your morning newspaper.


Earlier: Pinch Flat Poll: Which would you prefer--riding a folding bike, or wearing your underwear on the outside of your pants?