Author Archives: jm

Rueda Film Festival

The Rueda Film Festival was born in 2015, though their creators had pondered it for years. It started in Barcelona and several other cities have seen it such as Valencia. It is inspired by bikes, cinema, culture and environment. Hence, they invite you to think over energy, the collective power of people, participation and culture joy, always having in mind bicycles.

The Rueda Film Festival program is divided into sessions that last around 85 minutes and show a feature film or several shorts ones. You can see all the films by free thanks to the support of sponsors, strategic partners and collaborators. All of this is was created by a diverse group of people from different fields with a common denominator: Pedaling bikes contributes to solve major problems we face today.

As it name indicates (rueda in Spanish means wheel), it not only shows international films related to bicycles, but also organizes concerts, exhibitions and bike acrobats events. And what if I am interested in hosting the Rueda Film Festival in my city. As explained here, send the organizers an email so that they give you advices, the conditions as well as the package with everything you need to plan and promote your event. Just take advantage of their expertise.

Riding under the rain

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One claim that lazy cyclists from sunny countries affirm is stop cycling when raining, even if it drizzles. Though you should pay extra attention to the road and bike lines because of falling in curves when raining, it is not impossible to do it. Indeed, riders from rainy countries even enjoy and appreciate it. It is just a matter of mentality and use the appropriate garments.

Habitual clothes to deal with rain when cycling range from raincoat (better if it is long and allows you to pedal without problems) to waterproof trousers, boots or gloves. Waterproof garments have boomed partially because of the sportstores specialization in urban cycling as well as its resurgence in the last decades. Moreover, research in new materials has helped it.

On the other hand, some cyclists use umbrellas when raining. It is probably uncomfortable, specially to those who are not used to it, but could be effective with absent wind. Here you have an example:

Going a step further, some brands have developed a modified bike to incorporate a kind of umbrella which also protects from headwind:

And finally, other firms have put on the market something in between the two previous examples:

In this case, the biker should wear at least waterproof gloves and raincoat.

Advanced stop line

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Politicians who appreciate riding bikes as a transforming force towards sustainable cities use to support advanced stop lines on streets. An advanced stop line is a special infrastructure in those streets in which there is not bike lines, so bicycles and cars share them. It can also appear in roads with no segregated bike line. As you can see in the picture, bikes have a reserved area just before the traffic light so that cars can not occupy it while in red. The reserved area can be colored in green or red to highlight the place for bikes:

The ideas behind this, or why the advanced stop line is so important, are fundamentally four:

– Bikers become extremely visible to car drivers since these persons just need to open their eyes to see the riders.

– Bikers do not inhale pollution from the cars they have on their backs, or at least they do so at a much less rate.

– Conflicts between bikers and car drivers are reduced because this solution makes clear who is the first to start moving after the traffic light is green.

– Traffic is calmed due to cars can not reach an excessive speed the moment the traffic light is green.

Bicycle race (song)

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If somebody asked you what is the song related to bikes you remember first?, you would probably answer Bicycle race, by Queen. It was released in 1978 and from the first moment it become a hymn for every biker. Freddie Mercury wrote it inspired by a stage in the 1978 Tour de France when passing Montreux, where the rock band was recording Jazz at the Mountain Studios.

The video song was controversial at the time since showed a bicycle race with nude women at the old Wimbledon Stadium. In fact, it was edited and even banned in several countries. The group was forced to purchase all the bicycle seats by the renting company once it realized the way their bikes were used. Denis de Vallance filmed the video.

And here is the song

Water bikes

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The power of bicycles is so impressive that one can understand people use it in mysterious, outstanding ways. Everybody have in mind bikes are suitable for solid surfaces like roads or paths. But what Judah Schiller invented in the San Francisco bay was amazing: Water bikes.

The idea behind this was to create a sustainable way of transport competing with rowboats and avoiding sometimes unnecessary detours. The fact which allowed this was the need he had to cross the bay bridge between Oakland and San Francisco to go to work. He had done so on boat and was tired. The first product was BayCycle, a portable floating device to pedal on water.

This initial idea evolved into a mix of bike and catamaran in which pedaling has an essential role. When a person pedals, it moves a screw which allows sailing. On the other hand, the handlebars are used as rudder. If you want to stop, just use the backpedal brake similarly as the Netherlander bikes.

Moreover, their creator claims these bikes are folded in 10 minutes in order to easily transport them, and carry it comfortably. It is no wonder that this new kind of bike has enjoyed success and more companies have decided to produce their own water bikes.

Criteriums

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Criteriums are urban races where participants ride their bikes to spin and complete a established round. Such events use to be done at night because of less car traffic and are popular among fixie bike lovers. Racers highlight adrenaline rush as a motivation in these races that are presented in lots of cities.

A special case is Singapore. In 2013, the first criterium took place there thanks to the tenacity of Zul Awad. Eric Khoo Shui Yan helped him and Holy Crit was the race name. They organized eight races up until November 2014 on closed roads or with little traffic. But also without the required permissions. Authorities fined them even if they explained them their unique objective was to increase the number of bikers. They did not receive any payment, nor did they have sponsors.

Ding Jie Ng, a young producer, noticed their troubles with justice and felt the need of telling it to the world. Thus, he made a documentary, Fixied, with little resources and inspired by the criteriums. As a results, he filmed a documentary with the help of Zul at night which is worth it from a cyclist and human perspective.

Sprocket man

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Back in the 70’s, thousands of university students in USA rode their bicycles, without respecting the basic civility in some cases. Then, a new superhero appeared: Sprocket man. His objective was to show how to ride bikes in a respectful way regarding others actors on the streets, including pedestrians. In those years, Stanford was part of the Great American Bike Boom and their students were activists in social movements such as feminism, racial injustices or homosexual discrimination. Moreover, national problems influenced students like the Watergate or the Vietnam war. As a result, the massive cyclist movement debated on the need of biking infrastructures, and allowed publishing historical documents (Bikeway Planning in 1972, Bikeways: State of the art in 1974). Among those, there was Sprocket man.

Sprocket man was a 28-pages, colored cover and black-and-white pages, fresh magazine. Authors were inspired by the Elton John song Rocket man. As you can imagine, he used massive sprockets as a shield. He transmitted a clear message from the first page: The impressive figures of bikes in Stanford show that days in which bicycles were considered just as toys have ended. Or: The anarchy on streets can not be evaded for longer: Here you have some tips and guidelines for survival. It included advises about mechanics, how to drive, avoid thefts, accessories, etc., which persists today. The magazine was published in 1975 thanks to the support of the Stanford Public Security department. Louis H. Saekow was the cartoonist, Julia Molander coordinated it and Vince Darago headed them. Vince has been a dedicated champion of the sustainable movement for ages. He organized classes to teach riding bikes, and coordinated workshops about electric cars creation 40 years ago.

Unfortunately, Sprocket man only saw the light once. Nevertheless, it appeared again in a Seattle council TV ad, and in merchandise issues.

7 tips to diminish heat when riding a bike

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1- Get up early: Starting your ride early in the morning has the advantages of lower temperatures and less road traffic. If you hate it, just give it a try and you will discover it is worth it.

2- Check your bicycle: This tip is useful for every day. Pump up the wheels, lubricate the chain, fit the brakes… In essence, tuned-up your bike. This way pedaling will cost you less effort.

3- Determine your energy: To sweat is necessary to your body. Basically, this natural behavior allows reducing the body temperature. However, if you sweat too much, you can hit the wall as a result of a loss of energy caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. Ration yourself and take into account your limits. In other words, instead of competing against others, better compete against yourself. Always have in mind that the most important is enjoying.

4- Hydrate: A valid tip not only for cycling, but for whatever physical activity specially in Summer. Drink water before, during and after the exercise. Do not wait until you feel thirsty. A rule of thumb is drink water every 15 minutes. If you drink cold water, do it slowly. How do I determine my hydration state? After riding your bike, the easiest way is looking at your pee. If it is too dark, you should drink more water the next time.

5- Plan your route: In a city, the shorter path does not necessarily means the ideal one. Usually, taking an indirect route on small and quiet streets means taking advantage of shadows produced by buildings. If you plan a mountain route, decide on those which have less slope.

6- Choose appropriate garment: Breathable fabrics are your ally in Summer. Moreover, use light clothing not to attract too much sun. Furthermore, sunglasses improve your eyesight, and avoid blinding and mosquitoes on the eyes.

7- Protect your skin: Sunscreen is basic when riding in Summer months. Select on sunscreen with high sun protection factor, at least 30. If you plan a long route, it is better bringing a small cream jar along, and use it conveniently.

Bicycle architecture biennale

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Architecture is everywhere in human settlements, cities and villages, and has been developing since human beings left caverns according to needs, available resources or their being styles. Regarding bicycles, architecture plays an specific role in easing displacements in bikes. It had to be tortuous riding from one place to another centuries ago, where there should not be proper roads as we know them now. Thanks to architects, engineers and intelligent people infrastructures have been improved and they are still evolving.

Similarly as architectures specialized in buildings or bridges, some of them have decided to redirect their careers into bike infrastructures. They deal with problems such as what road surface is better for bicycles riding on it, bike line on the sidewalk or on the road (better on the road), how to connect two bike lines at different height, and so on. Analogously, bike-specialized architects hold events to share the best projects on this subject. For example, the Bicycle architecture biennale took place in June 2019 by the hand of BYCS (the organizer) as part of the mission 50by30, which aims at reaching 50% of shifts by bike by 2030. On this occasion, improvements on roads were taken into account as well as on buildings. Yes, it can sound like an utopia the fact of allowing entering bikes into a flat from streets with particular improvements having with bikes on mind. But it was also an utopia for cars in the past century. Who knows if it will popularize in this century.

Finally, architects, designers and urban-planners debated about an eternal issue: What is better: functionality or aesthetics?, without coming to an agreement.

Mad boats race

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Although a bicycle could be seen like a static vehicle, one can image a myriad of ways of using it differently just by looking at it closer. A “mad boat race” is a race of DIY kind of boats by using whatever people have on hand. It does not matter whether you utilize rubber rings, airbeds, wood strips and so on. They key point here is to have a good time not only during the building process, but in the race itself. Moreover, participants dress thematically up together with their boats, so a complete combination is reached. Finally, the race takes place usually in a linear or slightly curve trajectory, or in a circuit between two or more buoys.

What does that have to do with bikes? Well, an ingenious way to provide the needed energy to move such boats is through pedaling. One or more bicycles can be implemented in a boat to win the race by easy adjusting them. Here you have an example: