Me and Joe Breeze

Very nice post. Thanks for sharing.

Chris wrote: <snip>

Quoted message said:

I was impressed at Joe's genuine, emotional commitment to
his idea (which, obviously, we all agree with here) and
his presentation - the new company and the new bikes were
almost afterthoughts in his speech...he really was there
to pimp commuting, not subject us to an infomercial. Also,
the MD Secretary of Transportation was there, actively
participating, taking notes, and interacting with the
crowd, so that was good.

That's cool. Sounds lke he's a passionate guy. Passion is
great (when used for good and not evil).

I'm also impressed it wasn't just a sales pitch. I think
he's got the right idea as lifelong bike commuter myself.
I'm not necessarily sold on his bikes, but the idea (althugh
nothing new) is a message the masses should hear again. I
think they forgot.

Matt

"MattB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's cool. Sounds lke he's a passionate guy. Passion is
great (when used for good and not evil).

I'm also impressed it wasn't just a sales pitch. I think
he's got the

right

Quoted message said:

idea as lifelong bike commuter myself. I'm not necessarily
sold on his bikes, but the idea (althugh nothing new) is a
message the masses should hear again. I think they forgot.

Matt

His new bikes aren't going to appeal to most people here -
they are commuter specific - but they are all fully equipped
with lights (with a capacitor so they hold charge when the
pedals stop), custom racks, a bell, a rear-wheel-lockout,
reflective strips on the sidewalls, etc. Joe made the point,
to a smattering of applause, that cars all come with -most
of - these features, so why shouldn't bikes? Anyway, it was
a great time.

Chris

"Chris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"MattB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

point, to a smattering of applause, that cars all come
with -most of - these features, so why shouldn't bikes?
Anyway, it was a great time.

Chris

Not even one mountain frame??? Shame

g

Chris said:

So swinging by College Park Bikes (CP, Maryland...UMD
territory) last week I see the flyers proclaiming "Joe
Breeze - Free Presentation or Something - Fri. 7 p.m.,
City Hall." How could I pass up a chance to hear what
Breeze - the inventor of mtb (you heard me) and a hall of
famer -has to say? That's right, I couldn't.

So I left my apartment around 6:30, walking to City Hall -
it was dark, and riding on Rt. 1 is crazy enough in the
daylight, let alone after sunset. It was only around 4
blocks. Anyway I get there around 6:45, walk on up to the
council room dealie, and there's one guy in there fiddling
with a projector and a laptop...but he had a Breezer polo
shirt, so I knew I was on the right track. He sees me and
says hey, I mention I'm here for the presentation...and
something about "doesn't it start at seven?"

The polo guy comes up, extends his hand, and says "What's
your name?" I say, "Hey, I'm chris." He says, "Nice to
meet you Chris...I'm Joe Breeze." I say, "Damn! I really
feel like an ass for not recognizing you...of course, I
haven't seen a photo since Repack." He says, "Hey, it's
cool...I was a lot younger then...and there was more hair
on my head. Come give me a hand with this projector."

We then spent about ten minutes stacking trashcans,
chairs, pulling picture frames off the wall trying to
create an elevated-yet-stable platform for his projector.
People began trickling in, and to my dismay 1) I was the
only one under 30 there, 2) the total audience numbered
less than 30 people and
3) the only people I recognized as cyclists there were
guys that worked at CPBikes (excepting the crazy husband-and-
wife duo constantly chiming in to champion folding
bikes).

Joe was there to discuss why bicycle commuting is the way
to go, and, eventually, albeit less passionately, why his
bikes are the bikes to do it on. As everyone knows, Joe
is committed to the idea of a fit and efficient USA
brought about by mass bike commuting and he got genuinely
choked up at times - especially as he related biking to
national pride.

I was impressed at Joe's genuine, emotional commitment to
his idea (which, obviously, we all agree with here) and
his presentation - the new company and the new bikes were
almost afterthoughts in his speech...he really was there
to pimp commuting, not subject us to an infomercial. Also,
the MD Secretary of Transportation was there, actively
participating, taking notes, and interacting with the
crowd, so that was good.

It's not every day you get to abuse the College Park City
Hall meeting room trying to get electronics set up with
the inventor of mountain bikes. Word.

Chris -Okay, fine, lots of guys were slamming down Repack,
but Breeze put the fatties on first and, most importantly,
built the first frame just for offroad riding. So there.

That is really cool. I had a similar encounter a couple of
weeks ago when I was checking out this very new Scott DH
bike infront of SW Sound. The owner of the ride comes out,
we start BSing, and I realize it is Greg Herbold (sp?).
Perhaps not in the same category as Mr. Breeze, but fun
none-the-less.

--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove ".nospam" to reply)

"Chris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<u9idnaLSceeEl9DdRVn-
[email hidden]>... <snip namedropper jive>

Those bikes are very expensive and not made really well
either. If you want a commuter, get a good 'ol electrostatic-
welded Schwinn steel three or five speed on eBay for cheap.

JD

JD said:

"Chris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<u9idnaLSceeEl9DdRVn-
[email hidden]>... <snip namedropper jive>

Those bikes are very expensive and not made really
well either. If you want a commuter, get a good 'ol
electrostatic-welded Schwinn steel three or five speed
on eBay for cheap.

Other better choices for a commuter: an old MTB with riser
bars, street-worthy tires, and perhaps a squishier seat;
various one-speed cruisers (if its a short commute); Townies
from Electra.

Joe Breeze can have all the enthusiasm he wants, but its not
new bikes that Americans need, its a new attitude and better
city planning. Want people to ride bikes in town? Start by
making it so riders don't feel like they're flirting death.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

On 2004-03-10, BB penned:

Quoted message said:

Joe Breeze can have all the enthusiasm he wants, but its
not new bikes that Americans need, its a new attitude and
better city planning. Want people to ride bikes in town?
Start by making it so riders don't feel like they're
flirting death.

Out of curiosity, what sorts of planning do you think would
help this problem?

A truckload of people bike around here. There do seem to be
bike lanes, and the sheer number of cyclists forces drivers
to pay more attention than they would in, say, the metro DC
area. But it still seems pretty risky to me.

--
monique

Monique Y. Herman said:

Out of curiosity, what sorts of planning do you think
would help this problem?

Bike lanes are good for a start, but there are places in
Germany when you can commute from quite a way off and
never set tire on a street with cars (lots of separate
bike paths).

Building suburbs that aren't way the hell out of town, and
zoning commercial so its not way the hell from the burbs
also helps.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

Monique Y. Herman said:

On 2004-03-10, BB penned:

Quoted message said:

Joe Breeze can have all the enthusiasm he wants, but its
not new bikes that Americans need, its a new attitude and
better city planning. Want people to ride bikes in town?
Start by making it so riders don't feel like they're
flirting death.

Out of curiosity, what sorts of planning do you think
would help this problem?

A truckload of people bike around here. There do seem to
be bike lanes, and the sheer number of cyclists forces
drivers to pay more attention than they would in, say, the
metro DC area. But it still seems pretty risky to me.

People plan on not being fat a lazy. Look at the stats
about obesity, good old Colorado is always the lowest in
the US. There are bike lanes on the front range because
folks want them, there are beltways in DC because that is
what they want.

In all seriousness, it is a great question, do you build it
and they will come, or do you need the support for bike
lanes before you build them? Same with close in trails, easy
acess to them and all that. Colorado simply has a more
athletic, outdoor attitude than any area I have seen on the
east cost, though I have not seen them all. That is one of
the reasons I live here instead of Binghamton NY or Reading
PA, two very poor examples for comparison sake.

--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove ".nospam" to reply)

"BB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 15:55:27 -0700, Monique Y. Herman
wrote: Bike lanes are good for a start, but there are
places in Germany when you can commute from quite a way
off and never set tire on a street with cars (lots of
separate bike paths).

I spent a few weeks cycling in Sweden, Denmark and the
Netherlands. It was really cool that I could ride a bike
everywhere! In fact in Copenhagen I took advantage of the
"city" bikes available for free. For about a buck you could
unlock a city bike (pretty crappy but it worked) and ride
anywhere in the city. If you went to another city bike rack
you would get your money back! I used mine to go to
Christiania and buy hash. Smoked and watched the kids on
freeride bikes hit ramps and do tricks. It was cool resting
against a ancient rune stone toking away with a free bike to
ride, watching kids on some killer freeride bikes (bullits,
jokers, dare's) jump doubles and.... the American tourists
tripping out at the very permissive and open way of life
there. I loved that, it gave me the same feeling when I was
young and riding freestyle in Boston going to see The Pixies
down in the combat zone.

BB said:

Quoted message said:

Those bikes are very expensive and not made really
well either. If you want a commuter, get a good 'ol
electrostatic-welded Schwinn steel three or five speed
on eBay for cheap.

Other better choices for a commuter: an old MTB with riser
bars, street-worthy tires, and perhaps a squishier seat;
various one-speed cruisers (if its a short commute);
Townies from Electra.

I built my commuter out of old bikes that had been thrown
out, Womble style. It works pretty well, but no-one's going
to want to nick it either.

Quoted message said:

Joe Breeze can have all the enthusiasm he wants, but its
not new bikes that Americans need, its a new attitude and
better city planning. Want people to ride bikes in town?
Start by making it so riders don't feel like they're
flirting death.

Agreed, but somebody has to start the ball rolling.

Just as an aside, I rode in to work this morning. Bike
paths almost the whole way - very pleasant on a cold,
frosty morning.

--
a.m-b FAQ: j-harris.netambfaq.htmOpen ↗

b.bmx FAQ: t-online.debmx faq.htmOpen ↗

Craig Brossman said:

In all seriousness, it is a great question, do you build
it and they will come, or do you need the support for bike
lanes before you build them? Same with close in trails,
easy acess to them and all that.

These things cost money - the support has to come first.
Portland (Oregon) has relatively good support for these
things, and typically ranks near the top (if not at the
top) of Bike Magazine's (or some such rag) list of bike-
friendly cities.

But just this evening I was riding up to the trailhead; part
of the ride is along a paved ridgeline road that is popular
with roadies. As I was climbing the last bit of hill, two
roadies came zipping down the opposite direction. A woman in
a BMW passed between us, shaking her head in dismay. THIS is
bike-friendly in the USA.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

bomba <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

BB said:

Quoted message said:

Those bikes are very expensive and not made really well
either. If you want a commuter, get a good 'ol electrostatic-
welded Schwinn steel three or five speed on eBay for
cheap.

Other better choices for a commuter: an old MTB with
riser bars, street-worthy tires, and perhaps a squishier
seat; various one-speed cruisers (if its a short
commute); Townies from Electra.

I built my commuter out of old bikes that had been thrown
out, Womble style. It works pretty well, but no-one's
going to want to nick it either.

I put together a commuter out of an old Giant Rincon frame.
All the parts were either too worn out for dirt duty (like
chainrings, partial cassettes, tires, or wheels with some
serious boogie), or garbage picked (like the giant cushy
spring saddle sofa with the foam sticking out). The bike's
highlight was that nothing matched. The cranks were
different, the pedals, shifters (Suntour and Gripshift),
everything. It had a big basket on the back for groceries,
and was humble as a homemade shoe. Some peckerhead ripped it
off. I was almost equally annoyed and amused. /s

Craig Brossman <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Colorado simply has a more athletic, outdoor attitude than
any area I have seen on the east cost, though I have not
seen them all. That is one of the reasons I live here
instead of Binghamton NY or Reading PA, two very poor
examples for comparison sake.

Tell me about it. Buffalo is scary that way. And you're
right about Colorado. Colorado has the best looking women in
the country, IMO, and I think that culture of athleticism .
(I was tempted to say "of anyplace I've ever been", but then
I thought of Munich. Sigh.)

You are very fortunate to live in Durango.

CC

Corvus Corvax said:

You are very fortunate to live in Durango.

CC

Don't ever stop reminding me of that, sometimes, in my own
stupidity, I forget.

--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove ".nospam" to reply)

bomba said:

Just as an aside, I rode in to work this morning. Bike
paths almost the whole way - very pleasant on a cold,
frosty morning.

There are a few people I know of in Germany (and I'm sure
thousands I don't know of) who can bike to work by taking
paths almost the whole way. Makes me very jealous.

Bike paths are fantastic - there's one from my neighborhood
to a big grocery store a couple miles away. Its so much
nicer not having to ride with cars. I realize land in town
is very expensive, but people don't realize what it provides
them - that small stretch of path is almost always in use
(bikers, runners, walkers).

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail
address, at least)

BB <[email hidden]> had this to say
"]news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

bomba said:

Just as an aside, I rode in to work this morning. Bike
paths almost the whole way - very pleasant on a cold,
frosty morning.

There are a few people I know of in Germany (and I'm sure
thousands I don't know of) who can bike to work by taking
paths almost the whole way. Makes me very jealous.

Bike paths are fantastic - there's one from my
neighborhood to a big grocery store a couple miles away.
Its so much nicer not having to ride with cars. I realize
land in town is very expensive, but people don't realize
what it provides them - that small stretch of path is
almost always in use (bikers, runners, walkers).

ya'll would really dig Peachtree City then. 40+ miles of
cart/bike paths. there is no business that can't be accessed
via the paths. And the city takes a "no big box" type stores
allowed. Well, not exactly "not allowed" but they put some
many restrictions on them that they just don't bother trying
to develop there. Wal-Mart & Home Depot are the only two,
and that was after many years of trying ot get the proper
zoning. And they even had to share the same lot, one that
was much smaller than any they've gotten in the past.
They've only been here for a year now as is. (And it is
accessible via the path's 🙂

Dave W said:

BB <[email hidden]> had this to say -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de

Quoted message said:

bomba said:

Just as an aside, I rode in to work this morning. Bike
paths almost the whole way - very pleasant on a cold,
frosty morning.

There are a few people I know of in Germany (and I'm sure
thousands I don't know of) who can bike to work by taking
paths almost the whole way. Makes me very jealous.

Bike paths are fantastic - there's one from my
neighborhood to a big grocery store a couple miles away.
Its so much nicer not having to ride with cars. I realize
land in town is very expensive, but people don't realize
what it provides them - that small stretch of path is
almost always in use (bikers, runners, walkers).

ya'll would really dig Peachtree City then. 40+ miles of
cart/bike paths. there is no business that can't be
accessed via the paths. And the city takes a "no big box"
type stores allowed. Well, not exactly "not allowed" but
they put some many restrictions on them that they just
don't bother trying to develop there. Wal-Mart & Home
Depot are the only two, and that was after many years of
trying ot get the proper zoning. And they even had to
share the same lot, one that was much smaller than any
they've gotten in the past. They've only been here for a
year now as is. (And it is accessible via the path's 🙂

Here in Salida, the bike path goes right behind Walmart, but
doesn't connect to the parking lot. Last I looked, there was
a fence preventing access. Might have to work on that.

Shawn