For 30 years, MOOTS has been creating hand built bicycles that seek to strike a balance between liveliness and stiffness. This spring they will add a full suspension 26-inch and 29er to their collection. The MX Divide is a 100mm (4-inch) front and rear travel bike. At Interbike 2011 in Las Vegas, we got a first look at this new bike and Jon Cariveau from MOOTS talks about the main features on the bike. The MX Divide production models will be available in March 2012 and as of Interbike 2011 in September, the price had not been determined.
Author: Mike Prendergast
Google: Moving Sustainably for Commuting Employees
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt5sMxYMkGs&feature=player_embedded
Google has long been thought of as an innovator in the high tech industry, but most people who do not live in the San Francisco Bay Area are unaware that they are also innovators when it comes to their employees commuting to work. With 1000’s of employees, Google has grown what was a grassroots van pool in 2006 to a 70 vehicle fleet with 275 daily departures which can all be tracked online by the waiting employees. This program alone has reduced their yearly carbon dioxide emissions by 5,400 tons or the equivalent of almost 2,000 cars off of the road a day.
Realizing not everyone can or wants to take the shuttle, Google also encourages their employees to use other modes of transportation to commute to work. Along with reducing the carbon footprint and getting some exercise, employees who are part of the Self Powered Commute Program (ie. cyclists) also earn a charity credit for each day that they ride. In addition to encouraging employees to use alternative transportation to commute to work, Google also has 1,000’s of bicycles around that Mountain View campus that employees can use as needed.
Brendon Harrington, Transportation Operations Manager at Google, talks about alternative transportation and says that 40-percent of Google’s Mountain View employees commute via non-single car driving.
Though Google has not completely achieved the goal of being ‘carbon neutral’, they are making a valiant effort. What is your company doing?
Inspired by the USA Pro Cycling Challenge to Climb Some Colorado Mountain Passes?
After watching the great coverage on Versus or NBC of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (UPCC), you may be inspired to come out to Colorado and tackle some of the highest, paved passes in the country. One of the great cycling experiences in the state of Colorado is climbing in the mountains, but it is difficult to pick your routes with just a road map. The state has a tremendous selection of canyons, passes and mountains to ascend with some of the most breathtaking views imaginable. Over the years my wife and I have been drawn to climb many of the passes and “classic climbs” in the state. We started in the San Juan mountains of southwest Colorado climbing Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain.
(Video after the jump)
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