Even though vehicles are more often the responsible party in cycling fatalities, the police department in the college town of San Luis Obispo, California is out to teach cyclists a lesson by ticketing them for minor infractions in a special education operation, according to a story on KEYT.
“A lot of [cyclists] don’t realize the potential of injury from each of these collisions; if they were to run a stop sign and be struck by a moving car, the chances of being injured are greatly increased because obviously the vehicle’s moving at a certain speed, and the pedestrian has no safety other than hopefully a helmet,” explains Officer Kevin Phillips from the San Luis Obispo Police Department.
Wonder how many three-foot rule violation tickets officer Phillips has written? Has the SLO police department ever focused a stakeout on reminding drivers that it is their job not to hit people on bikes? We would guess the answers to these questions are: none, and never.
It’s October so that means Sockguy has their latest version of their annual spooky socks up on the website for a limited time. What better way to sock out Spookycross? To grab a couple pairs, click the link.
It is hilarious listening to Bradly Wiggins defend his “UCI approved” use of performance enhancing drugs in an interview Sunday with the BBC. In a story on the interview on Cycling Tips, he is quoted explaining why his use of performance enhancing drugs was different from many others (including the BLOAT) who were caught using Triamcinolone acetonide.
“It was prescribed for allergies and respiratory problems,” he told journalist Andrew Marr on BBC television on Sunday morning. “I’ve been a lifelong sufferer of asthma, and I went to my team doctor at the time. We went in turn went to a specialist to see if there’s anything else we could do to cure these problems.”
Doping is doping. We agree with what Tom Dumoulin said in a story in The Advertiserregarding medical exemptions to banned performance enhancing drugs:
“It’s not something they do with normal asthmatics, let alone athletes who only have exercise-induced asthma,” Dumoulin said. “Apparently Wiggins’ injection worked for weeks — so in my opinion you should be out of competition for weeks. It stinks.”
Exactly. Anything else is doping by dopers and Wiggo (and Froome) should probably be treated just like everyone who had an unfair, drug-induced advantage. For more, please click the links below.
Pioneer would like everyone to know that their SGY-PM9100 Series Dual Leg Power Meter is now compatible with Shimano’s Dura-Ace R9100 Hollowtech II crankset. And if you already have Dura-Ace 9000 or Ultegra 6800 cranks, Pioneer can retro fit them for you with their SGY-PM9100C Power Meter Kit.
“Our technology has been put to the test, meeting durability and performance standards required by pro riders competing at the highest levels and the most adverse real world conditions. For more than three seasons, UCI WorldTour® pro teams have been riding with Pioneer’s Dual Leg Power Meter system. The new Shimano DURA-ACE R9100 power meter is manufactured to the same specifications and will deliver the same benefits and results,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president of marketing and corporate communications for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “We are excited to expand our dual leg offerings with the highly-anticipated Shimano DURA-ACE R9100 HOLLOWTECH II crankset and are on track to be one of the first manufacturers to ship a power meter with the flagship crankset.”
All this tech talk makes us even more apprehensive about riding with power. Have to be an electrical engineer to keep all this stuff running. For the official word from Pioneer (including all the tech details), please follow the jump.
We weren’t the biggest fans of Otto Designs smartphone based rear derailleur tuner (reviewed here on DigitalTrends.com), but their new product, the Ottolock looks like a really smart way to secure a bike when you have to leave it for a short time (to get coffee, or run into a store for milk). We haven’t tested it, but it definitely looks like a step in the right direction. It’s light, doesn’t require a key, and can easily wrap around more than one bike. What more do you need?
If you’d like one, click the link to help them out on Kickstarter.
Portland, Oregon’s Speedvagen hand built steel bike company is rolling out a new experience for 2016 that stretches their already stretched creative bike design with a special paint scheme that you won’t see ’till you get it. It’s called the “Surprise Me.” Speedvagen’s Owner Sacha White explains:
“With our Surprise Me offering, we promise “No Hints, no regrets”. We’re known for our color work. Dating back to the early years, our customers have a lot of trust in our design sense. They provide a little direction and turn us loose, which is how to best harness our creativity and excitement,” White says. “We took this one step further, giving people the option to pick a flavor and let us run with it.”
This year’s SM offering incorporates new patterns, big blocks of gradient tones, and hits of vibrant contrasting color. Speedvagen controls the build process for each client: fit, design, fabrication, paint and build executed in-house. This level of attention to detail means the bike is tailored to each rider, balanced perfectly underneath, providing a sublime ride. For more info, click the link.
Taylor Phinney has been through the fire and come out the other side after breaking his leg at 2014 USA Road Nationals. Now, as he prepares for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, the Lululemon ambassador shares his thoughts on cycling, life, and what it all means.
With the popularity of Smith’s Forefront and Overtake helmets for MTB and road (we ride them both) came the need for some helmets that are a little less serious for people who might not be racing their bikes every weekend.
“The Route and Rover helmets represent a movement within Smith to bring the award winning technologies found in our popular Forefront and Overtake helmets to the everyday rider.” said Graham Sours, Smith Helmet Category Manager. “We ride on the road, in the dirt, and commute by bike and these new models exemplify all of us as cyclists in our own unique way.”
Think of them as an affordable, yet functional helmets for those who don’t feel like spending for top of the line Smith helmets. For the official word from Smith, please follow the jump.
In the latest iOS update to their cycling and running tracking app (version 4.18), Strava has announced that they will no longer support several devices that have worked well with the app in the past saying:
Sadly, we are no longer supporting the following devices: Magellan Echo, Timex Run x50+, Wahoo RFLKT/RLFKT+. Please contact us with questions by going to FAQ & Support in the app.
According to Strava support, users of the RFLKT can still use their devices with Wahoo’s fitness app and then upload to Strava. User of the other devices are out of luck.
“As the Strava app evolves, we continue to assess the work needed to support all the various accessories, sensors, watches and operating systems,” said a Strava representative. “Sometimes, it is necessary to cease supporting some devices so we can redirect those development resources elsewhere. Thank you for understanding, and please reach out to our support team directly with questions and feedback.
Guess the bottom line is, if you’re using any of these devices it might be time to upgrade to something else. . . maybe a Garmin 735xt for instance? If not, then you probably shouldn’t hit the update button.
In the latest iOS update to their cycling and running tracking app (version 4.18), Strava has announced that they will no longer support several devices that have worked well with the app in the past saying:
