Back At It!!! BL Resumes Retail Hours

We will be open again for retail this Saturday, January 24th - 10am - 1pm. If you're looking for a bicycle, now is the time to get one. There are quite a few to choose from and no long lines!

Winter Bike to Work Day

Bike for Patriotism with Chicago's Winter Bike to Work Day

Heather Sperling, Chicago, IL

Mon Jan 19 10:00:00 EST 2009

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Bicycles | Biking | Chicago | Commuting | Eco-Friendly Travel | Electric Bicycles | Planet Green | Transportation

Do you love America? Then you’ll bike to work on January 20th. And if you’re in Chicago, you won’t be alone. On Tuesday the 20th—Election Day, mind you—Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance is sponsoring its annual celebration of trading four wheels for two, and cutting out CO2 emissions in the process. A car with a solo driver releases over a pound of CO2 per mile. An SUV releases over 1.6 pounds. A bike releases zero—and with the recent increase in carbon emissions, that’s what our country needs right now. Ft. Collins, Colorado hosts a winter bike day of their own. Last year participants rode 1,654 miles—that’s nearly two tons of CO2 that didn’t get shot into the air that day.

Most major cities across the country host a bike to work day in May, National Bike Month (google “your city + bike to work day” for more information). San Francisco is gearing up, if you will, for a May 14th ride, and Washington DC’s should be around the same time. But Chicago, Ft. Collins and Boulder up the ante with their winter date. And since Chicago’s been loaded with snow, it may call for some snow tires.

The Active Trans Alliance will be thanking participants with coffee and hot cocoa from 6:30-9am at Chicago’s Daley Plaza on Dearborn and Washington. And while you’re there, give them some thanks as well—their mission is right-on: “…to make bicycling, walking and public transit so safe, convenient and fun that we will achieve a significant shift from environmentally harmful, sedentary travel to clean, active travel.”

To quote a green-savvy high schooler, “…green is so simple; it’s not a radical concept. It’s just a simple switch to make a huge difference.” Braving the cold for the greater good of your country? It’s a simple sacrifice that makes a difference. And that is patriotic.

Notice of Agenda: JCCOG Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee

The Regional Bike/Trails committee will be reviewing the metro bike plan this Tuesday. I have to say that this plan, if implemented, would be a significant step forward for cyclists. Link to meeting agenda and draft plan details is listed below. (Check out the recommendation for Washington St. through downtown IC!)


The next meeting of the Johnson County Council of Governments (JCCOG) Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. in Meeting Room A of the Iowa City Public Library.

The agenda is available at www.jccog.org/resources/agendas.asp

Momentum Magazine at the BL

Copies of Momentum Magazine are now available for sale at the Bike Library.  Momentum magazine is dedicated to providing urban cyclists with a practical and fun resource to read about cycling life and culture. Some of the articles in the most recent issue (#37) include "Boston's Bikes Not Bombs," "How to Tame Motorists and Restrict Car Use," and "A Match Made in Bike Heaven: Bike Wedding Stories." The magazine is a great mix of advocacy, information, and entertainment.

Copies cost $1 each.

For more information about Momentum, check out their website.