Research | Evolving Consumer

Bike Friendly

The League of American Bicyclists has announced its latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC).

“This round of applications overwhelmingly confirms what we heard from local elected officials at the National Bike Summit this year — riding a bike embodies the quality-of-life aspirations of communities across the country,” said League President, Andy Clarke. “Making this healthy and active transportation mode safe and easy is of growing importance to the 8 million residents of New York City and the 6,000 people in Franklin, Pa. alike. We’re excited that these communities have made the smart and vital investments to become a designated Bicycle Friendly Community.” Continue reading Bike Friendly

Bike Theft Report

While we noted today how many states are becoming more bicycle friendly one sad part of more people on two wheels is that more bikes will be stolen. According to the latest FBI Uniform Crime Report, from 2007 to 2011, bicycle theft in the United States rose (on average) 14 percent each year. On average, over 188,500 bicycle thefts are reported stolen each year in the United States, a statistic that in itself is staggering when one also considers the number of bicycle thefts that go unreported.

While some US cities are starting to fight back against bicycle theft, much more could be done. In San Francisco, the city issued its first ever official look at the bike theft problem in 2013 and issued a goal to reduce bicycle theft in the city by at least 50 percent over the next 5 years. The city also created a bike registry to help combat the 70 percent rise in bicycle thefts since 2006. Continue reading Bike Theft Report

Bike Friendly States

This month the League of American Bicyclists released its 2014 Bicycle Friendly State ranking. For the seventh year in a row the state of Washington has lead the nation, but is closely followed by Minnesota and Wisconsin, as Utah and California have moved up in the top 10.

“We’re excited and encouraged to see real progress in states like California, Minnesota and Utah,” said League President Andy Clarke. “Overall, we still see a lot of opportunity to realize the huge potential of bicycling to promote health, economic development, and quality of life in all 50 states.” Continue reading Bike Friendly States

Axe And You Shall Receive

Two years ago Baden Sports introduced the Axe Bat to the world of baseball. It was meant to refine the way that batters gripped the bat.

Since that time Vijay Gupta, professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California Los Angeles, along with a team of researchers have performed a study that shows that an axe-shaped bat handle offers players significantly more bat control, power transfer and acceleration while significantly decreasing the risk of injury compared to traditional bats with round knobs and handles.

The study, which used NCAA Division I baseball players and slow-motion video analysis, applied principles of dynamics and biomechanics to compare bats with axe-shaped handles to those with traditional round knobs. The analysis extended to comfort, bat control, transfer of power to the ball and injury potential.

“Looking at both handle types from a biomechanical standpoint, the angled knob with a flush backside offers many compelling advantages,” said Gupta, who authored the study. “This includes a more stable grip and a more even distribution of swing forces on the hand and palm, resulting in a safer, more comfortable, and more controlled swing.” Continue reading Axe And You Shall Receive

Speed Machine

The above photo isn’t a pill you take to give you super speed – instead it is a concept bicycle that could enable a rider to break the record for the fastest non-motor paced bike. The ARION1 is now being developed by students at University of Liverpool and inside the bean-shaped shell is a full set of wheels and bicycle drivetrain.

With the ARION1 the University of Liverpool Velocipede Team hopes to break the world record of 83.13 mph, which was set last September. The ARION1 will gets its chance to try for the record at the September 2015 IHPVA event. Video after the jump

Taking Action

The League of American Bicyclists looks to take action. It has addressed the “Vision Zero” campaigns for cities including New York and San Francisco.

There is only one acceptable number: 0.

While cities like New York and San Francisco have set decisive “Vision Zero” targets to dramatically reduce bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities, the U.S. Department of Transportation has just released proposed safety measures that have no goal, no accountability and no attempt to reduce the 16% of all fatal crashes that include people who walk and bike.

League of American Bicyclists Action Center Official Website

Smart Thinking

Researchers at the University of Oxford found that the human brain can notice symbols faster than it notices generic lights, and with this in mind a group from the school developed Brainy Bike Lights, which feature an LED “cyclists” symbol instead of just a row of bulbs.

In tests the team found that people were able to quickly identify that it was a bicycle and more importantly reacted more quickly to it. Those in the study reacted about 100 milliseconds faster, which for a car traveling at 30 mph could mean the distance of 1.34 meters. That could make a difference for those on the bike!

The lights are reportedly visible from a distance of 20 meters and provide a field of view of almost 180 degrees. The headlight version can run for about 50 hours while flashing, and the tail light can run for 200 hours. That should be plenty of time to get noticed.

Brainy Bike Lights Official Website

Bicycle and Walking Commuting on the Rise

More people are walking or bicycling to get to work, and this is in turn making people safer. These are two of the conclusions presented in the 2014 Benchmarking Report published by the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The report, published every two years since 2003, is one of the Alliance’s key initiatives.

The report is compiled from data from all 50 states, the 52 largest cities and, for the first time in this report, 17 midsize cities. It looks at the rate of walking and biking, accident and injury rates, the level of spending on biking and walking projects and issues, and the level of advocacy support in various regions and communities.

A key figure is the percentage of commuters who bike or walk to work, and although the number is still tiny, the report shows a steady increase: In the 2005-2006 report, the Alliance showed that nationally 0.4 percent of the population biked to work. In the latest report, the number is 0.6 percent. In large cities, the percentage biking to work has grown from 0.7 percent to 1 percent over the same period.

Alliance for Biking & Walking 2014 Alliance Benchmarking Report Official Website

Three Feet Enforced in Texas!

Texas is increasingly becoming a more bicycle friendly place and KHOU in Houston recently reported that police started an undercover sting that targeted drivers who endangered cyclists. In Houston police have been donning bike attire and hitting the roads to go after drivers who aren’t following bicycle safety ordinance.

“What that simply means is that there are officers out there on bicycles, dressed as normal citizens, who are just riding around town,” Mark Eisenman, an HPD assistant chief, told KHOU.

This followed the March 25 announcment by Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who worked with the city and BikeHouston to create a new Bicycle Master Plan for the City as part of the Goal Zero Fatalities Bike Safety Campaign.

“As the name of this program implies, the goal is to end cycling fatalities,” Parker said. “Whether on a bike or behind the wheel, we have to abide by the rules of the road and learn how to share the road safely. Unfortunately, a spate of recent bicycle fatalities on Houston streets indicates there is much work to be done in this area. As a first step, I am dedicating $50,000 toward the cost of a Bicycle Master Plan that will guide our future decisions regarding placement of dedicated on-street bike lanes and infrastructure.”

[Via GearJunkie: Undercover Cops Sting Drivers Endangering Cyclists]
[Via KHOU: Undercover stings target drivers endangering bicyclists]

Weekend Reading List (04.12.2014): Sport Studies, Name Game, Weight Loss

Sport Studies

From Sport Techie: #SportsInSTEM Series: Applying Sports to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Issues
In recent years, the United States has fallen behind other nations with educating students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Only 16 percent of U.S. high school students are proficient in math and actively pursuing STEM careers. In a world run by technology, where the majority of jobs in the near future will require advanced education in technical fields, these trends are troubling and must be reversed. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (04.12.2014): Sport Studies, Name Game, Weight Loss

Weekend Reading List (04.05.2014): Bike Decline, RIP Hobie, Total 360, Old Timers

Bike Decline

From Bicycle Retailer: The single biggest issue facing the bike industry (A blog by Jay Townley)
As we finish the first quarter of 2014 the U.S. bicycle business is preparing for its April gathering of industry leaders at the Bicycle Leadership Conference and the IBD Summit. We have noticed that the U.S. bicycle business continues to separate the meetings of the specialty bicycle retail, or bike shop channel of trade suppliers from the retailers and the separate agendas for these two important annual gatherings still do not mention or pay attention to the most important single issue facing the U.S. bicycle business today!

The following chart (above) is a graphic presentation of the 18-year history of U.S. bicycle riding participation from 1995 through 2012. The data is from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). The overall trend is a slow decline, from the peak of 56 million in 1995 to flat overall bicycle riding participation at 39 million for the last three years. 2013 bicycle riding participation will be available in early April, but we don’t anticipate any significant change from the history you see here. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (04.05.2014): Bike Decline, RIP Hobie, Total 360, Old Timers

Staged Crash Scene

This might seem like a not-so-funny April Fool’s joke, but it is a very serious effort to raise awareness to a serious problem. The BBC reported that last month the police in Belarus staged what appeared to be a crash scene with a “dead cyclist” to raise awareness regarding a dangerous stretch of road.

The scene was set up to resemble a “hit-and-run” complete with mangled cycle, tire tracks and a dummy that stood in for an injured (even dead) cyclist. The sad part reported the BBC is that just nine people out of 186 cars that drove past actually took the time to stop!

[Via BBC: Police stage cycle crash in road safety campaign]

Royal Attire

The new skinsuit developed by King’s College London is far from “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” This special skinsuit, which was developed with help from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), could help counteract the degradation of bone and muscle mass during long term exposure to microgravity.

The conditions of space can be harmful to the backs, and can result in a slipped disc back on Earth.

“Here on Earth we are constantly resisting gravity, meaning that even by sitting and walking around we’re exercising our muscles and bones,” said Phil Carvil of the Centre of Human & Aerospace Physiological Sciences (CHAPS) at King’s College. “In space the loading effect of gravity is removed and as a consequence, astronauts’ bones and muscles aren’t getting the natural forces they need to keep them healthy.”

The skinsuit could also be used on Earth to counteract the effects of ageing on bone density and muscle mass.

[Via King’s College: ‘Skinsuit’ to help astronauts avoid back problems in space]