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Soul Side Down

Author: meredith :: Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:31 am Soul Side Down Quote: Soul Side Down is the peoples forum, the bike freak, commuter, activist, mountain biker, fixed, singlespeed, roadie, cruiser, the everyday person. Soul Side Down is not about profit margins & share holders, the latest fads/trends, or profiting off the backs of cyclist. We don’t have strict guide lines, weight or physical requirements. All we care about is, do you love to ride a bike? Whether it’s a $5 thrift store find, a hand-me-down, some entry level or big dollar whatever, we want you. Soul Side Down doesn’t want to hear about what the pros are doing or how much money they make, we don’t care about sponsors. Why? Because you sponsor yourself, and we feel you have a far more interesting story to share, be it through writing, pics, or some small local event you’re having. Do you own one bike or far too many? Than Soul Side Down is for you. (0) Replies

Life on Two Wheels

Author: meredith :: Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:06 pm Life on Two Wheels Quote: Call me odd, eccentric, crazy, weird, out there, nuts, off my rocker or just plain insane, but I have decided that I don’t really need a car. I hate driving. The rush hour, the gas prices, drivers and just cars in general drive me nuts. I’m not an angry person, but driving brings it out in me. I hate stupidity, what can I say? The more I drive, the more idiocy I see. Couple that with some of my personal financial issues-poor, starving liberal arts major who works 2 jobs at the moment- and I have decided a car-free or car-lite lifestyle is the right choice for me. I’m not a hippie, by any means, and vote rather conservatively. This has been a slow process for me and will continue to be until September. I had entertained the idea as a possibility for grad school in the distant future, but as gas prices rose, I started looking at my life now. Nearly everything I could need would be within a 5-6 mile radius of me if I moved into an apartment in the Victorian Village/Southwest OSU campus area. Groceries, work, school, bars and restaurants as well as a very capable bus route. For those times when biking, busing or walking won’t work I plan on using Zip Car car share or chipping in for gas if my friends pick me up. I hope to keep this as a journal of my experience and inspire others to entertain the possibility of alternative transportation. (9) Replies

My Two Mile Challenge

Author: meredith :: Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:31 pm My Two Mile Challenge Quote: A while back, I was searching for information about the Xtracycle and I came across the Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge website. The fine folks at Clif Bar were challenging people to ride their bicycles on any errand that is less than two miles for their houses. While I am normally apprehensive about corporations and their causes (after all, most corporations are only worried about the bottom line) this one really struck a cord with me. According to the 2 Mile Challenge website, about 40% of automobile trips are less than two miles. If one million people replaced a 2 mile car trip with a bicycle ride once a week, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 50,000 tons per year. To put that into perspective, the average person creates 7.5 tons of emissions in a single year. So here is my map. It is my goal for 2008 to ride my bicycle to any place that falls within my circle. (7) Replies

An Alaskan blogger!
Author: razzmatazz :: Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:24 pm I saw this blogger from a Bike Hugger email!! How totally cool! Bicycles and Icicles: The rants, ravings and random wanderings of a bicyclist in the frigid north. (0) Replies

The StoryTransect : Biking China

Author: meredith :: Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:24 pm The StoryTransect Quote: The StoryTransect expedition is an ambitious 20,000 kilometre bike journey collecting biographies, experiences and portraits of people in some of the least-known and most remote parts of the world. Passing through South East and Central Asia in an overland journey from Hobart, Tasmania, to Helsinki, Finland, the expedition is an attempt to see, present and begin to understand the countries, cultures and peoples traversed through locals’ eyes. By the end of the expedition a transect of stories spanning half the globe will be complete, providing a unique view of a journey and a continent. The StoryTransect journey is a project of Nick McIntosh, a young New Zealander based in Tasmania, Australia. The journey is entirely self-funded from his work as a bushwalking guide. This guiding work combined with experiences as a medical student, travelling, and a stint studying filmmaking, have given him a fascination with learning how people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds live their lives. (0) Replies

From Home to Home

Author: laura :: Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:07 pm my good friends ryan and erica flew to southernmost point of south america (Buenos Aires) and are biking and working their way back to cbus. it's been over a year and they are finally out of south america! when they get back in town i'll be sure to have them over for a meeting to talk about their adventure. From Home to Home Quote: We have talked for quite a few years of taking an extended cycling trip. Two years ago we made the final decision and have worked towards our goal ever since. After saving enough money, purchasing the necessary equipment and lots of planning we are finally making it happen! Our first leg of the trip will begin on July 9th, 06 from Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, the town where Erica was raised, to Madrid, Spain. The start of our trip will be even more special as Erica's mom will join us for the first few days. In order to fully enjoy the ride and adjust to our new life on the road, we are allowing ourselves two months to arrive in Spain. At the end of September we are flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina where we will volunteer for at least one month and acclimate to South America. After our stay in Buenos Aires we plan to fly south to Ushuaia, Argentina from where we will slowly bike north to Quito, Ecuador. Our plans are open after this - we might stay a while in Ecuador - we may continue north to Ohio from Panama City. This decision will be made later. In general, we have told ourselves that the only guidelines will be the weather and our will on each particular day. We are not restricting ourselves to bike every mile of our trip and if the need or desire arises we may travel some distances by bus. If we are able to continue cycling after Quito we will head north from Panama through Central America and Mexico. Our goal will be to bike into Columbus, OH, Ryan's hometown. People wonder how we can afford this, sometimes making the assumption that we are independently wealthy . But just like so many other travelers before us, we will be going on this trip with little means, trying to make it as far as possible with what we have. You may see us living under a bridge one day, but at least we'll have a story to tell! (6) Replies

One Less Car

Author: graphixgeek :: Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 2:13 pm here's a blog from a couple of guys in chicago, illinois. check out their shirts, some of them are hilarious! i haven't had time to really go through their posts, but they sound like a couple of bike messengers spreading the gospel of bicycling One Less Car Quote: One Less Car is two brothers (and friends) obsessed with bicycles. We wanted t-shirts that were bike related, had a message and were unique; not just a t-shirt plasterd with advertising. After several beers (for one of us anyway), and throwing out ideas, we decided to just do it ourselves. So thats it, just a couple of guys (and a girl or two) in the back of a tattoo shop with a screen printing kit and some pretty damn good ideas, trying to make shirts that other bicycle enthusiasts might like, and hopefully purchase, so we can continue our bicycle addiction. (0) Replies

XingColumbus

Author: Walker :: Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:34 pm I just wanted to add this great blog to the links page... It's a central-ohio-based transit blog that covers all sorts of transit news, opinions, and information ranging from bikes to cars to busses to the future. XingColumbus / XingColumbus Bike Quote: The transit decisions we make in the next 10 years will define the way our city will grow for decades to come. The way we get around town directly impacts our wallets and quality of life, and for that reason, there may not be a more important public policy area. X-ing Columbus is a citizen-based blog whose mission is to facilitate conversation and spread information about local, state, and national transportation policy and options. Our hope is that by opening up a dialog, sharing knowledge, and getting up from behind our keyboards to action will set Columbus on the right path as it grows. ENJOY! PS: This is a community-based blog with multiple contributors who are advocates for all types of transit discussion and ideas. If anyone is interested in contributing some opinion peices on a semi-regular basis (no pressure) drop me a note and we'll set you up an account on there. (1) Replies

bike commute tips blog
Author: laura :: Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:33 pm this is a very interesting blog highlighting different bicycle legislation and news throughout the world: Bike Commute Tips Blog (2) Replies

Columbus Rides
Author: meredith :: Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:45 am Columbus Rides is run by Ray George, who posts info on rides about town. (0) Replies

Elephants on Bicycles

Author: meredith :: Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 8:14 pm Elephants on Bicycles Quote: Elephants on Bicycles is edited by me, Andrew Miller, and inspired by my views and perspectives. The aim of this site is to provide a creative and philosophical outlet, and heck, if I sell a few t-shirts or other bits of paraphernalia along the way well then all the better. I currently live in Ohio with my wife and our new daughter. My household world-view is very cheery these days and I aim to keep it that way. Much of my time at home is devoted to staring at Sophie and marveling over every little thing she does. When I am able to break away from her cuteness I spend my time working on art, cooking dinner and other delights, reading, or getting outside. For my livelihood I am an analyst for the State of Ohio which is an interesting job that I hope to maintain for the long haul. I find this to be somewhat significant because throughout my late teens and twenties I moved around a lot, both in jobs and in physical location. I�m feeling much more settled these days and I enjoy that. I believe in lifelong learning and to that extent I am earning my business degree(s). While I don�t think formal education is the only way to learn something new I do believe it is an important part of life. To illustrate this point I�ll just say that I�ve made it this far in life without a degree; however, I am looking forward to no longer having this distinction. I try to follow a more sustainable lifestyle and I think it is important that everyone try to do their part. I am an advocate for bicycling and urban farming. Someday I hope to be in a position in my community where I am able to integrate these lifestyles into the mainstream. The amazing thing is that these were, at one time, very mainstream ideas in our country. Oh, so one last thing, probably curious where the name �Elephants on Bicycles� came from. Well, I like elephants (just not right wing ones) and I love bicycling, and an elephant on a bicycle is just plain amusing. If you don�t agree, well, this might not be the website for you. (0) Replies

Militant Cyclist's Blog

Author: MilitantCyclist :: Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 1:18 pm The War of Cycling Quote: Ah, yes. Me? Um, well, I ride a bike. Every day. I love cycling more than anything else. I love food. Not as much as my bike, but then i cant eat it. Ill eat anything. Well no, I’m a lifelong vegetarian (thanks to those hippie parents), so ill eat any vegetable. I haven’t found one i don’t like yet. This seems to be complicated for people, so ill explain what the term vegetarian means. NO PORK. NO BEEF. NO FISH. NO BIRDS. NO EGGS. NO SEAFOOD. THESE THINGS ARE NOT PLANTS! So don’t tell me that you are vegetarian too and follow up with some asinine comment about having ate some wonderful fish the other night. I hate that. I love music. I own over 2500 cd’s and 800 record albums. Ill listen to anything except pop radio and country music. Bloody awful those two. Mostly i listen to hardcore, punk, and metal. Although, I do like this post-punk revision that is happening now. Editors, yes. Interpol, yes. Bloc Party, yes. iliketrains, yes. My favourite metal bands are In Flames, At the Gates, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, God Forbid, and Chimaira. Ive traveled the world over and i cant get enough. That partly explains my fascination with cycling. It is the ability to get places quickly and under your own power, just you the machine and the road. My favourite places are of course England and India. Eventually I want to claim all the continents. I am stuck in the states for now, far from home. Its not all bad but Britain beckons from across the waters. I am also an artist and graphic designer. My “fine” art consists of paintings and calligraphy, and my design work is photoshop based work. My favourite bike I am riding right now is my new TREK XO1 cyclocross… (0) Replies

Pedaling.com

Author: 2wheelsgood :: Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:26 pm Pedaling.com Quote: Free Self Guided Road Bike Routes and Mountain Bike Trails including Maps, Cue Sheets and Trail descriptions. Resources for local Bicycle Shops, Bike Safety Information and Community Bulletin Board for Cyclist to share trail, road and Cross Country Bike Trip Knowledge. Information about Guided Bicycle Tours, Cycling Gear and Bicycles. This site looks like a good planning resource, especially if you may be traveling or vacationing by bike. (0) Replies

Bike Columbus

Author: meredith :: Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 8:37 pm Bike Columbus Quote: The number one thing I hear when people learn that I commute by bicycle every day is 'Oh, I wish I could do that.' Well, you can. Think of it this way: if you put as much effort into finding ways to actively DO something as you put into coming up with excuses why you CAN'T do it, you'd probably have it done by now. Think of ways to facilitate your cycling, not reasons to avoid it. (1) Replies

Two Wheeling

Author: meredith :: Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 8:36 pm Two Wheeling Quote: I am a 50-year-old guy who lives in Columbus, Ohio, your average Midwestern city. Like most Americans, I obtained a driver's license at age 16 and owned and operated automobiles until one evening four years ago when my 16-year-old daughter totaled my late-model Acura. For some inexplicable reason, I decided not to replace my car...in fact, I decided never to own an automobile again. I bought a bicycle and have used it to commute each day from my home to my office and back home...a 20-mile round trip. I have kept a journal of my observations and thoughts as I bicycle to and from work. I have come to believe that our "everyday" transportation system -- which requires every person over the age of 15 to use 3,000+ pounds of metal, rubber and glass to get around town -- is wasteful, unhealthy, and unsustainable. Hopefully, you will find Two Wheeling entertaining... Perhaps it will inspire you to lose two of your wheels, so you can be a Two Wheeler, too. (0) Replies