The Hat Trick – Why Helmets Do More Than Good Head

I like to imagine that a cyclist riding without a helmet must be some deluded philanthropist on a kamikaze mission to donate their organs to all the deeply distressed, diseased and dying individuals in need that day. It’s more likely a high grade, bike douche arrogance that makes them feel immortal from the kinds of serious accidents no cyclist is immune from. We thank you for your organ donations nonetheless.  Read on…

Damage Control and Revenge of the Tiny Neon Cyclist

There’s no perfectly safe way to ride a bicycle. Even when you’re done contending with the obvious: cars, pedestrians and other cyclists, there’s nothing like trolley tracks to derail you or unleashed dogs to knock you down (yes, it happened to me and not an uncommon occurrence according to Bicycling‘s Bob Mionske. So, whoof!) You can only do so much you can do to protect yourself but if you’re looking for an extra coat of armor here are a few suggestions from the city’s newest Tiny Neon Cyclist.  Read on…

Harsh Reality of Biking – Bike Theft

There is a sinking feeling of walking up to a bike rack and noticing that there seems to be one less seat post in the air and realizing that missing seat post is yours. When it happened at a restaurant only three blocks from home that realization was rattling.  Read on…

Bike Buying for Smarties

Buying a bicycle is about more than just dishing out the dough. It’s also making an emotional commitment to riding it for what it’s worth: making time for it in your life and space for it in your garage or even studio apartment. We determined its worth based on planned frequency of use and the cost per rental over time. We became bike fanatics and made bank on our investment. But we had no idea what we were doing, where to even buy a bike or what kind of bike to buy when we got there. Things were not as simple as they used to be. Read on…

Riding in the Rays: Sun Protection While Cycling 

Sun damage and wrinkles are never attractive, on or off the bike. Excluding beach vacations, cycling can easily be when we are most vulnerable to UV rays, as anyone who’s ever had a bad case of “sunglass tan” after riding would agree. We don’t cycle inside a toaster, so just because there’s cloud cover and cool temperatures don’t assume you won’t get burned. What you don’t see can hurt you.  Read on…