Category: Other cycling

Before reaching first-name-only cult status as a pro baseball player, Ichiro Suzuki was just another kid riding his bicycle to school.

But unlike the fate of most of those kids’ bikes, Ichiro’s bicycle is on display in the four-story Ichiro Museum his parents own and operate in Toyoyama, Japan.

Seattle Times sports writer Geoff Baker paid a visit to that museum recently in advance of the Mariners heading to Japan to open their season against the Oakland A’s. Baker describes the museum in “Shrine to Ichiro, baseball greatness is just a mom-and-pop operation.” He writes:

“But that celebrity stuff is kept largely to the side. More front and center is the bicycle Ichiro rode to high school …

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Here's a whimsical moment of two generations sharing some fun on bicycles.

The photo — entitled “Flying” — won the People Powered Movement photo contest from the Alliance for Biking and Walking announced Thursday.

Spokane photographer Rachel Schell snapped the image at Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane, Wash. As the overall grand prize winner out of 1,700 photos submitted, she wins …

When the Hollywood glitterati take their walk down the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards on Sunday, imagine that they've arrived by bicycle.

It's doubtful they did. I think the limousine is still the transport of choice to such events.

But if publicity photos from Hollywood are any indication, the stars do enjoy taking an occasional spin on two wheels.

Philadelphia film critic Steven Rea, an avid bicyclists himself, has been providing these archived photos at his Rides a Bike blog …

This stolen bicycle case from Chico, California, is notable even though more than a quarter million bicycles are stolen every year.

Police have arrested a man they believe is responsible for the theft of an estimated $125,000 worth of high-end bicycles in northern California.

They found 30 such bicycles whole or disassembled for resale in a storage locker.

The Chico Press-Enterprise says that police believe the 28-year-old man already sold more than a dozen stolen bicycles …

Recently, I discovered the world of railroad velocipedes — bicycles that ride the rails.

What led me there was a TV reality show, “American Pickers.” One of the buyers is Mike Wolfe, a bicycle enthusiast who occasionally dredges up vintage bikes; I guess that's what originally drew my interest.

Recently, he dragged a vintage railroad handcar out of a building. It was a 100-year-old one-person machine used to inspect the railroad tracks.

It occurred to me that this might be a cool way to travel on some abandoned railways that hadn't been converted to rail-to-trail bike paths. ….

Time-lapse photography demonstrates the life-expectancy of a bicycle on a New York City street — about 270 days.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised it lasted that long.

The demise of the bicycle locked up in the Soho district by the staff at design company Red Peak doesn't start until about 180 days into the experiment when the water bottle disappears.

Oddly, the U-lock disappears …

George Carlin was one of my all-time favorite comedians, and I loved to hear him ridicule our institutions.

So I was seriously distressed to hear what he said about bicyclists in this short piece posted on YouTube a few years ago.

It wasn't the profanity that got to me, it was his apparent unbridled animosity toward bicyclists.

So I was …

By now, just two days before the New Year, the interest in the top stories for 2011 at this blog must be reaching a fever pitch.

While many other blogs already have divulged their top stories, I've been holding back until I show my hand.

Unfortunately, my site stat database only shows month-by-month results. Since I'm too lazy to add them up, here is a monthly look at the stories blog readers found most interesting this year. [Photo above from 2011 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.]

January

“Computer snafu ties up registration for Cascade Bicycle Club.”  Unfortunately, this story was updated so many times …

The Christmas tree lights already are shining in many town squares, but I was glad to see at least one city is using bicycle-power to keep its árbol de Navidad illuminated.

The warmth generated at the Mexican city park might not come from the Christmas lights on the tree, but the 15 volunteers who are pedaling at its base.

Visitors are pedaling to keep the tree lit in the city of Puebla, which is hosting a “Sustainable Christmas” fair this year.

The bicycles are attached to generators that charge two batteries ….

A kid with a fishing pole riding a bicycle is an iconic American image. It's so vivid in my mind's eye that I was surprised there was no such illustration in the Norman Rockwell database.

But the bicycle can be used for hunting, too. I'm not into hunting so it never occurred to me, but if you use a bicycle for transportation, there's no reason you can't use one to get closer to your prey.

It's easy to see why. Who hasn't surprised wildlife along the trail? This fall I surprised some turkeys on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in eastern Washington, and I've scared up browsing deer.

A Corning (CA) Observer reader asked recently whether it was legal to hunt from a bicycle ….