Who'll Make the TransAm Touring Bike?

Though it shares its name with a city in North Dakota occupying very un-Great Divide-like terrain, the Salsa Fargo is another terrific bike designed for off-pavement bicycle touring.

As I read Josh Tack's October 1 "Touring Gear and Tips" post titled Interbike Roundup Part 1: New 2012 Touring Bikes, I was fascinated to learn that Co-Motion Cycles of Eugene, Oregon, is producing an off-pavement touring bike called the Divide. (It's not cheap, by the way.)

"The trail traverses the continent along its spine, crossing desert, alpine meadows, [and] mountain streams; over packed snow, hardship and triumph," reads the copy at Co-Motion's website. "This is the bicycle that will take you there."

In my recollection ? though I could be forgetting something here ? the Divide is the first production bike named in honor of an Adventure Cycling route.

While I think this is exceedingly cool, in my mind it also begs the question: Why hasn't any bicycle manufacturer designed the ultimate road-touring bike and dubbed it the TransAm? If they did, I predict they'd sell a ton of 'em.

Happy Halloween!


Photo by Michael McCoy.

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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling?s media specialist, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that ? just about anything, as long as it?s related to traveling by bicycle. Mac also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to more than 42,000 readers worldwide.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/10/wholl-make-transam-touring-bike.html

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Freire Has Stage Victory Invalidated at Basque Tour

Just when you think you?re witnessing one of the least interesting stages of the summer, a 179-kilometer (111-mile) up and down grinder in the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, with the predictable break away being dangled on a 2-minute string by the big named teams who will inevitably bunch it over the last climb to [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/freire-has-stage-victory-invalidated-at-basque-tour/

pro cycling magazine

Carrying shopping on your bike

Over time I?ve investigated a number of options for carrying my shopping from the supermarket to my house. I started off simply loading the shopping on my handlebars. This, as you would expect, often turns into a bit of a disaster and makes for some very wobbly steering. I?ve also tried a big gym bag [...]

Source: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/tips/carrying-shopping-on-your-bike/

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Giro d?Italia Recap of Stages 11 and 12

Stage 11, Wednesday, 18 May, Machado Finds No Level Terrain The profile for the route, covering 144 Kilometers (89 miles) on the east coast of Italy, looked like the cutting teeth of an abused crosscut saw and probably felt like it for the racers. The jagged, irregular climbs ? four category 4 mountains – kept [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/giro-ditalia-recap-of-stages-11-and-12/

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Fewer Cars = Safer Routes to School

Late last summer I read about a Tennessee mother who was threatened with arrest for letting her 10-year-old daughter bicycle a mile to school. "The officer informed me that in his 'judgment' it was unsafe for my daughter to ride her bike to school," Teresa Tryon is quoted as saying, at the Bike Walk Tennessee website.

This blew mind at first; I bicycled a mile to school myself when I was that age. But then I began wondering about the nature of the road the young girl was riding on. My cycling to school took place in the early 1960s in a small Iowa town, a time and place where things were a lot slower and less clogged with cars than they are now.

However, I sincerely believe that even ? or especially ? in the 21st century every kid in America should have a safe route for walking or bicycling to school. That's why I found it very rewarding on Friday, October 14, to take part in an early morning ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new pathway in Driggs, Idaho.

Tim Adams, executive director of Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, did the ribbon-snipping. My wife Nancy and I and another volunteer served as guards at the three street crossings between Driggs City Park, where the ceremony was held, and Driggs Elementary School, helping the group of young cyclists and pedestrians navigate their way safely. Ironically, the most obvious danger for the kids riding bikes over that half mile was the traffic congestion at the school itself; all the cars and trucks driven by mothers and fathers and grandparents, delivering their kids safely to the front door.

Later we helped Tim run various classes through some bicycle safety training.

You can get more information and inspiration at the website of the
National Center for Safe Routes to School.

Photos by Michael McCoy.

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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling?s media specialist, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that ? just about anything, as long as it?s related to traveling by bicycle. Mac also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to more than 42,000 readers worldwide.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/10/fewer-cars-safer-routes-to-school.html

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The Tour de France Opens Dramatically

The Tour de France Opens Dramatically (But the Shack Make a Great Showing) For Team RadioShack supporters the expectation of our favourite team must be immense; the year to date has been a good one for the Team. Latterly Levi Leipheimer took the Tour de Suisse by riding an exceptional final stage time trial, Chris Horner [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/the-tour-de-france-opens-dramatically/

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Cycling Photos from Around the World

This is a collection of cycling photos from around the world. Thanks to all photographers who kindly granted permission to use their photos. By khalilshah Punjab, Pakistan. A misty morning and a lift to school   photo by Lomokev .Brighton, England early morning. An evocative scene.   photo by Rohit in the Punjab. No rush [...]

Source: http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/articles/cycling-photos-from-around-the-world/

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California and Colorado bicycle tour dates announced

Is your 2012 bike tour going to be a Rocky Mountain High? Or are you California Dreamin'?

In either case, you have a dozen multi-day bike tours scheduled this summer in Colorado and California from which to choose.

Some are mass bike rides with hundreds of cyclists, such as Ride the Rockies presented by the Denver Post. Others are more intimate affairs with fewer than 20 riders offered by Adventure Cycling Association.

I'm updating the list of Across-State Bicycle Rides for 2012, so there are dates and host cities ...

Source: http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2011/11/2/4930870.html

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