March 2013

Shaun Palmer: The Miserable MTBer

by editors on March 14, 2013

Aside from all the amazing things Shaun Palmer did for snowboarding, he also changed the face of downhill mountain biking and, it could be argued, made it what it is today. Here is the mountain bike section from the Palmer dock The Miserable Champion. You decide.

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Strava Cyclist Gets Manslaughter Charge

by editors on March 8, 2013

When allegedly Stravanating cyclist Chris Bucchere, 36, slammed into and killed 71-year-old Sutchi Hui while he was crossing the street with his wife Bucchere had reportedly already run two red lights and a stop sign, according to a story in the LA Times. Now, a Superior Court judge has decided that Bucchere should face the felony charge of gross vehicular manslaughter.

Superior Court Judge Andrew Y.S. Cheng ruled Thursday that Chris Bucchere, 36, should face the felony charge, believed to be a rarity for a bicycle collision that resulted in a death. . . . Ted Cassman, Bucchere’s attorney, argued during the preliminary hearing that the charge should be reduced to a misdemeanor.

We feel for the Hui family and our thoughts are with them, however, had the tables been turned and Bucchere been on a bicycle hit and killed by a car being driven by Hui, do we really think the charge would have been the same? A dump-truck driver in Denver hit and killed a cyclist (his second violent act against cyclists) and his charge of “careless driving resulting in death” comes with only a maximum one-year jail term and a $1,000 fine. And that is just plain wrong.

[Link: LA Times and The Denver Channel]

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Volvo Creates Cyclist Alert System

by editors on March 7, 2013

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Volvo isn’t just sitting back while thousands of cyclists worldwide are hit (and often killed) by cars, they’re doing something about it according to a story on BBC News.

The auto firm says vehicles fitted with the system will be able to detect threats including a cyclist suddenly swerving out into a car’s path. . . It said that if a collision risk was detected an alarm would sound and the car’s brakes would be fully deployed. . . he technology is an enhanced version of Volvo’s pedestrian detection system which it launched in 2010. . . Like the earlier release the innovation uses a radar in the car’s grille and a camera located between its windscreen and back view mirror to detect collision threats.

Now, if we could only get this technology installed on all Ford F-150 trucks, cyclists the world over might finally be safe.

[Link: BBC va Boing Boing]

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Knog Brightens Up Road Ahead

by editors on March 4, 2013

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Aside from their rubber straps repeatedly failing (and being replaced by our local bike shop), we’ve loved our Knog lights both front and rear. Now, we’re set to be even more stoked on the company a they announce their Blinder Road series of lights featuring 200 lumens of light up front and 70 for the rear.

According to a story on Road Cycling UK the lights feature the following:

The front light uses two Cree LEDs in separate lenses, one with a narrow, focussed 15° beam, and the other with a wider 22° beam to flood the road. That makes the Blinder Road visible at up to 1,000m, according to Knog, while the front light also uses a thermal management system which automatically regulates light output for optimum performance when the bike is stationary and in motion. The front light has four lighting modes, with a claimed battery life of one hour on the brightest mode and up to six hours in eco-flash mode.

Not sure what the US pricing is going to be but keep on the look out. These lights shine.

[Link: Knog via Road Cycling UK]

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The 2013 Tour de France Official Trailer

by editors on March 4, 2013

Yeah, we’re looking forward to summer for certain. . .

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