Ghost Bikes

Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists' right to safe travel.

Vibram Five Fingers and Bicycling

Fan-frikkin-tastic! Not that I seriously considered pedal straps before but not sure why you'd need tham after riding with the Vibram Five Finger shoes.

The extra grip I gain with the freedom of movement in combination with the rubber treaded soul tranfer more response. Just as the Vibram's provide extra feedback walking, so goes biking.

I'm able to place the forfront of the foot in a more precise (and ultimately more powerful) position. It made me realize what cleats must do for the roadies.

I wear them in the rain because I have the KSO Trek model and have been doing everything in them for the past 3 months. This includes commuting on my bicycle (no vehicle), running, trekking, and even during snorkeling.

Various people seem to have their initial opinuion on them and am glad there are lots more curious than not. After all, its not as though I dont want people to return to our natural way of walking and runnning. I'm not Reebok and I'd prefer you didnt wear shoes...and even in our case, slippers. The kangaroos skin tbat's used for the trekk model keep it cool in combination with the polyester side walls of each toe (ventilation).

Wikipedia - Bicycle frame

There's a great entry on frames while I was reading around on Aluminum vs. Steeel:

Bicycle frame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The other components of the bicycle are difficult to see but can be enlarged

Wilder St. felt like a safe bicycle route

I rode this on a Friday night with parked cars in the evening. It felt safe and had sufficient space to ride along the moving vehicles.
I was going West:
http://tinyurl.com/wilderbicycle
I think this would be a recommended route when visiting Punchbowl via bicycle. Optionally, you can get off at Pensacola and ride up.

Bicycle Passengers Illegal?

Say what?

BikePortland.org � Blog Archive � Is carrying someone on your bike illegal?

Consumer Reports: Average gas prices--April 26, 2010

How 'bout that, yet another reminder why we should all move to something free of gas:

Consumer Reports Cars Blog: Average gas prices--April 26, 2010

You have the choice to make the conscious decision of freeing yourself of this ridiculousness. It sounds overwhelming at first, but adjusting your life to fit life on two wheels without a motor works out just fine...if you let it.

The biggest argument I hear is that transferring "stuff" will be too difficult. Well, tell me again, why you needed that 52" flat panel LCD screen in your room?

Oh, you think its cheaper to buy a crate of spam at Costco instead of investing in a more local organic and self-sustaining alternative?

Yes, I might be visiting the local market more often during the week but so what? I stock less (if anything at all) in the freezer, I eat what I cook because I stock less and I'm less likely to look for bulk because bananas will only live for so long.

I don't live off the grass in the front yard (its actually still growing) but try to make conscious decisions to lead by example. I start with the bicycle.

Banana Pancakes for two...

I was out getting breakfast and came across the Trek T200 tandem bicycle parked infront of the Big City Diner on Wailae Ave.

I've never seen one from Trek yet and its great to see that these two folks went to the diner with their health in mind :)
To be honest, I was there to eat at the diner as well! Yup, cinammon bread french toast with a side of hash brown - its my binge day.

Why would you want to ride a tandem bike, you ask? Well, if you have a significant other who's scared to get on two wheels solo, this could be the ticket to convert them. Otherwise, its a great way to get those that are less fortunate involved.

If you're trying to help someone get into shape via bicycle, this is definitely an option. Depending on whether your geographic location provides flat lands, this could be a great way to enjoy the scenery together.
Ever been to the Redwood Forest in Humboldt County, California? I was told that that best way to experience the Redwoods would be via motorcycle - I find this to be a great alternative. Avenue of the Giants is a 32-mile drive through a forest ofo mountainous trees that are older than Jesus Christ himself.

Live in South Carolina? I bet this would be a sweet ride through Myrtle Beach to the nearest sweet potato casserole!

Its a great community option if you live in a student house. If you have similar schedules and its convenient enought to 'carpool,' then why not? People are already using the BusCycle.

Meet Shirley, My Mule

I recently road the beautiful coastlines of Oahu with my fine mule here! My REI Quarter Dome T2 tent came along for the ride too so more pictures to come. Making this post is just committing to getting all the video done too.
Anyway, this is her, resting on that gorgeous red dirt.

Hawai'i Bicycling League

I figured out recently during some research that the Hawai'i Bicycling League is literally blocks from where I live! According to their website, The mission of the Hawaii Bicycling League is to promote cycling for health, recreation, and transportation through advocacy, education, and events. I've been browsing around on their site and am really interested in their education programs and am am starting to understand why the Google Maps Street View doesn't show a storefront (webstore).

I'm sure I'll be able to learn a lot about the local bicycle culture in addition to advocacy programs and even bills on the city level.

Ride of Silence - Bike Hugger

I'd never heard of this but now you know too - remembering those that have passed on...

Ride of Silence - Bike Hugger

Bus Bicycle Rack - HowTo in Honolulu

For the first of many to come in this HowTo In Honolulu series, we'll demonstrate how to take your bicycle on TheBus.

I'm starting this chronicle literally right now. I did a search for any How-to videos, hoping to show my brother how to bring his the bicycle on TheBus. Here in Honolulu, between a bicycle and TheBus, its way too easy to get around the island. I ended up coming across the video below, which is actually from San Francisco's MUNI bus. The bicycle mounting workflow is exactly the same as the racks used by TheBus here in Honolulu.

IMPORTANT NOTE

You'll notice that they demonstrate how to first lower the rack by releasing the lever, then fold down. Then the subject proceeds to put the bike on the rack and hooks on to the wheel. I wanted to point out two important factors that will aid you in your speed of mount/dismount:

1) Notice that the subject spins her bike when first approaching the bus, then releases the lever. The reason that she spins the bicycle around is because the front wheel is what requires the hook - only one side has the hook. This leads to, 2) when you lower the rack, you will see a note on the bars that indicate which side is the front wheel. What I like to do is to lift my bike onto my shoulder as the bus is approaching the curb, then use my open hand to lower the rack. In the case of the video, I'd use my right side to hold the bike, left to lower the rack, then immediately place to bike on the rack and hook in.

When you get off the bus, dismount the same way. Continuing with the video below, use your right arm to hold the bike as you use the left to raise and lock the rack back into the folded position...I think I should just make my own video.

I'm also going to add a page that has Honolulu specific information. Update:  I put the HowTo in Honolulu page up and will be adding to it as these types of posts come up.

Great video - Overview on bicycle anatomy

I just came across this great video that breaks the bicycle down and names all the major components involved. I think I'll start to aggregate some of these videos on the videos page

Some great finds...

During some brief browsing online, I found some great sites on bicycle culture, some awe-inspiring engineering and somewhat cooky but brilliant community forms of transportation.

WorkCycles philosophy:
The bicycle is a perfect example of the beautiful minimalism the world should adopt to continue forward. We promote everyday cycling amongst individuals, families and enterprises by supplying the most practical, beautiful and affordable bicycles possible and by providing an unmatched level of service.

http://www.workcycles.com/

About the Buscycle

The Busycle is a 15-person pedal-powered bus that travels in neighborhoods throughout the United States. The Busycle runs solely on the energy of its passengers. Anyone willing to pull their weight and pedal can be a Busycle passenger. The Busycle requires individuals to use their own will and physical strength to come together as a group to go from point A to point B.

http://www.busycle.com/

About Bike Hugger

Bike Hugger is bike culture blogged. As a group blog, with different voices, we cover diverse topics, but all focused on bikes.

Straight up, we’re about the cycling lifestyle. You won’t find a marketing box to put us in. We’re like the Boing Boing of bikes.

http://bikehugger.com/

Gathering my thoughts

I was searching around the wonderful web space for bicycle culture in Honolulu, Hawai'i and have really been surprised.

Let me back up a bit and mention that I just moved to Honolulu three days after the New Year (2010). My move toward a more minimalist life drove me to the ideal of living without a vehicle - this is just one item of many I no longer live with. I'm not positive that I'd ever want to live in a cave but am moving toward a more primal blueprint - welcome to the blog...

I'll just say now that I absolutely LOVE my freedom machine. This blog will mindfully record the bicycle culture here in Honolulu and hopefully inspire those that live here - the idea is not to 'influence' but simply provide insight and information to an alternative form of transportation/living/freeing yourself from gas prices and "insurance" policies.

I know I'll be learning A LOT and will be enjoy sharing this information of my new home...or am I just returning home?

Thanks for reading and hope to hear your feedback and thoughts on bicycle culture...