ATTENTION HIPSTER DOOFUSES:

Lance Armstrong to challenge USPS about what it knew

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is".

^{More birds flocking together.}

Now that the federal government has decided to sue him for fraud, Lance Armstrong plans to argue that the case against him is too old to pursue and that he never submitted a false claim to the government, according to a person close to Armstrong's defense team.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, also told USA TODAY Sports on Monday that Armstrong's legal team will argue that the government knew or should have known about doping on the U.S. Postal Service cycling team – but did nothing to stop it.
USA TODAY

Aunt Nanna is that you?

All I wanted was a 20 oz. soda water but all I have now is a hope for change.

Aunt Nan

Don't do this and don't do that

Your coffee is next.

Birds of a feather

Statue of Aunt Nanna.  Ellis Island needs to be shut down as long as Michael Bloomberg is mayor of New York City. 

A Useful Idiot.  Ironically Guy Fawkes is now a tool of the Nanny State.

99% of these folks are voting for the nanny state.  I wonder if they could go to a polling place without I.D.?  I bet they rode their fixies to City Hall.

The 5 Best Bike Computers For 2013 According To HRWC - SFGate

The 5 best bike computers for 2013 have been named by the Heart Rate Watch Company. Garmin Edge 810 and Edge 510 lead the pack with an interesting new iPhone enabled bike computer called the Wahoo RFLKT in the mix.

Bozeman, MT (PRWEB) February 23, 2013

#1 Garmin Edge 810
 #2 Garmin Edge 510
 #3 Wahoo RFLKT
 #4 Magellan Switch Up
 #5 Timex Cycle Trainer 2.0

The 5 Best Bike Computers For 2013 According To HRWC - SFGate

Yakima Recalls Bike Racks to Fix Faulty Bolts

Yakima is recalling about 7,000 bicycle racks used on vehicles with rear-door spare tires.
Documents posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website Friday say that mounting bolts can break and the bikes can fall from the vehicles and cause a hazard.
The recall affects SpareTime two-bike racks made from Nov. 1, 2011 through Oct. 30, 2012. The manufacture date is printed on a white label on the rack’s mounting plate. Yakima says that only bolts without markings on the heads are affected by the recall.
Yakima found the problem after getting complaints from two customers. It’s asking dealers for a list of buyers and says it will send new mounting bolts free of charge.
The company said Friday that the problem hasn’t caused any injuries.
Customers can call Yakima at (888) 925-4621.


Yakima Recalls Bike Racks to Fix Faulty Bolts

Hand cyclist leaves Gainesville, continues bike tour | WUFT News

        Parapalegic biker, Rich Dixon, left Gainesville Monday morning to continue his Florida bike tour.

Rich Dixon

Dixon traveled 30,000 miles around the country hand cycling, with his wife Becky and service dog Monty following him on his journeys. Dixon began hand cycling after a fall while hanging Christmas lights left Dixon paralyzed from the chest down more than a decade ago.

Hand cyclist leaves Gainesville, continues bike tour | WUFT News

Planners mulling more bike, pedestrian lanes in Waco area | Wacotrib.com

Jerry Larson / Waco Tribune-Herald

A bicyclist rides in a bike lane on South Fifth Street near downtown Waco.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization is holding public meetings this week to gauge residents’ interest in seeing more bike lanes and pedestrian paths throughout the Greater Waco area.
The MPO seeks input from residents on whether new lanes for bicyclists, runners and walkers are needed in cities that border Waco, and where the features would get the greatest usage. Suggestions for installation of new sidewalks also are welcome.
The meetings are scheduled in Waco, Hewitt and Lacy Lakeview, but also target residents from neighboring cities like Bellmead and Woodway.
The feedback could help the MPO map out a network of bike lanes that would allow cyclists to move easily between each city.
Waco has about five miles of bike lanes, mostly in the downtown area, plus new lanes along Park Lake Drive between North 19th Street and Lake Shore Drive.
“Just like the road network stretches from city to city, if there is a desire for a bicycle network, it should not just stop at the city limits of Waco,” said Felix Landry, a Waco city planner who also works with the MPO. “If people in Hewitt want to ride into Waco or vice versa, it can be a seamless transition.”
Planners mulling more bike, pedestrian lanes in Waco area | Wacotrib.com

Jamie Neal, Garret Hand Missing: Calif. couple vanishes during Peruvian bike tour - Crimesider - CBS News

(CBS) SACRAMENTO - The U.S. State Department is getting involved in the search for a Bay area California couple who vanished in Peru almost a month ago.
Pictures: Calif. couple missing in Peru

According to CBS Sacramento, 27-year-old Jamie Neal and her 25-year-old boyfriend Garret Hand were last seen in late January in Cusco. Neal's family says they're working with the U.S. Embassy in Peru to find out what happened to the couple, who were reportedly on a bicycle tour through the country.
"I'm completely worried about her. I understand there are some dangerous areas and the places they were visiting have some warnings right now, for American tourists," said Kim Jerge, owner of the bike shop where Jamie worked, CBS Sacramento reports.
A friend of the couple, Max Hunter, told The Seattle Times that the two regularly posted on Facebook during their trip, but that the last post came on January 25. He said that was also the day Neal and Hand stopped using their credit cards.


Jamie Neal, Garret Hand Missing: Calif. couple vanishes during Peruvian bike tour - Crimesider - CBS News

Vehicle vs. bicycle results in fatality on U.S. Highway 101 - Times-Standard Online

My guess is another driver with his head inserted into his own pelvis.

Vehicle vs. bicycle results in fatality on U.S. Highway 101 - Times-Standard Online

A champion for fitness and cycling advocacy!

eh!

Hipsta

Tearing up the concrete trail

You have a pretty mouth.  Now squeal like a pig.

Bicycles in the Military

From Wikipedia,

American Bicycle Corps at Fort Missoula in 1897.

Bicycle infantry are infantry soldiers who maneuver on (or, more often, between) battlefields using bicycles. The term dates from the late 19th century, when the "safety bicycle" became popular in Europe, the United States and Australia. Historically, bicycles lessened the need for horses, fuel and vehicle maintenance. Though their use has waned over the years in many armies, they continue to be used in unconventional armies such as militias.  Numerous experiments were carried out to determine the possible role of bicycles and cycling within military establishments because bicycles can carry more equipment and travel longer than walking soldiers until in 1894 a turning point occurred due to improved resilience of pneumatics and the shorter sturdier construction of the frame.^[1] To some extent, bicyclists took over the functions of dragoons, especially as messengers and scouts, substituting for horses in warfare.^[2] Bicycle units or detachments were formed at the end of the 19th century by all European armies and the US armed forces.

View of a bicycle company, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

The United Kingdom employed bicycle troops in militia or territorial units, but not in regular units. In France, several experimental units were created, starting in 1886.^[3] They attempted to adopt folding bicycles early on. In the United States, the most extensive experimentation on bicycle units was carried out by a 1st Lieutenant Moss, of the 25th United States Infantry (Colored) (an African American infantry regiment with white officers). Using a variety of cycle models, Lt. Moss and his troops carried out extensive bicycle journeys covering between 500 and 1,000 miles (800 to 1,600 km). Late in the 19th century, the United States Army tested the bicycle's suitability for cross-country troop transport. Buffalo Soldiers stationed in Montana rode bicycles across roadless landscapes for hundreds of miles at high speed. The first known use of the bicycle in combat occurred during the Jameson Raid, in which cyclists carried messages. In the Second Boer War, military cyclists were used primarily as scouts and messengers. One unit patrolled railroad lines on specially constructed tandem bicycles that were fixed to the rails. Several raids were conducted by cycle-mounted infantry on both sides; the most famous unit was the Theron se Verkenningskorps (Theron Reconnaissance Corps) or TVK, a Boer unit led by the scout Daniel Theron, whom British commander Lord Roberts described as "the hardest thorn in the flesh of the British advance." Roberts placed a reward of £1,000 on Theron's head—dead or alive—and dispatched 4,000 soldiers to find and eliminate the TVK.^[4]

 World Wars

Danish soldiers on bicycles, April 9, 1940

During World War I, cycle-mounted infantry, scouts, messengers and ambulance carriers were extensively used by all combatants. Italy used bicycles with the Bersaglieri (light infantry units) until the end of the war. German Army Jäger (light infantry) battalions each had a bicycle company (Radfahr-Kompanie) at the outbreak of the war, and additional companies were raised during the war bringing the total to 80 companies, a number of which were formed into eight Radfahr-Bataillonen (bicycle battalions). In its aftermath, the German Army conducted a study on the use of the cycle and published its findings in a report entitled Die Radfahrertruppe^{[citation needed]}. The British Army had cyclist companies in its divisions, and later a whole division became The Cyclist Division.

Photo showing Italian Bersaglieri during World War I with folding bicycles strapped to their backs. 1917.

In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops. Early in World War II their southern campaign through Malaya en route to capturing Singapore in 1941 was largely dependent on bicycle-riding soldiers. In both efforts bicycles allowed quiet and flexible transport of thousands of troops who were then able to surprise and confuse the defenders. Bicycles also made few demands on the Japanese war machine, needing neither trucks, nor ships to transport them, nor precious petroleum. Although the Japanese were under orders not to embark for Malaya with bicycles, for fear of slowing up amphibious landings, they knew from intelligence that bicycles were plentiful in Malaya and moved to systematically confiscate bicycles from civilians and retailers as soon as they landed. Using bicycles, the Japanese troops were able to move faster than the withdrawing Allied Forces, often successfully cutting off their retreat. The speed of Japanese advance, usually along plantation roads, native paths and over improvised bridges, also caught Allied Forces defending the main roads and river crossings by surprise, by attacking them from the rear. However there were one or two cases of Australian troops turning the tables on the Japanese by isolating cycle troops from their accompanying motorized forces after blowing up bridges over rivers.

German bicycle infantry on the northern Soviet front in 1941

During the Polish Defensive War of 1939, each Polish Infantry Division (nearly all of them, if not all; all standing units and most likely all reserve divisions) was assigned a squadron of mounted scouts, cavalry, as well as a company of bicycle—riding scouts. In spite of late mobilization due to the pressure from France and Great Britain not to mobilize, except for one bicycle scouts' company, all companies received all their equipment before engaging the enemies (Germans, Soviets, Slovaks, Soviet proxies, ethnic Germans, Ukrainian nationalists). The equipment of each company included 196 bicycles, 1 motorcycle with the sidecar as well as some horses pulling 9 supply carts and 3 to 6 anti--tank rifles besides standard infantry equipment such as MG's, rifles, pistols, and hand grenades.^[5]
The Finnish Army utilized bicycles extensively during the Continuation War and Lapland War. Bicycles were used as a means of transportation in Jaeger Battalions, divisional Light Detachments and regimental organic Jaeger Companies. Bicycle units spearheaded the advances of 1941 against Soviet Union. Especially successful was the 1st Jaeger Brigade which was reinforced with a tank battalion and an anti-tank battalion, providing rapid movement through limited road network. During winter time these units, like the rest of the infantry, switched to skis.
Within 1942-1944 bicycles were also added to regimental equipment pools. During the Summer 1944 battles against the Soviet Union, bicycles provided quick mobility for reserves and counter-attacks. In Autumn 1944 bicycle troops of the Jaeger Brigade spearheaded the Finnish advance through Lapland against the Germans; tanks had to be left behind due to the German destruction of the Finnish road network.
The hastily assembled German Volksgrenadier divisions had a battalion of bicycle infantry, to have some mobile reserve.

Bicycle used by the Polish companies of scouts assigned to Infantry Divisions during the Polish Campaign

Allied use of the bicycle in World War II was limited, but included supplying folding bicycles to paratroopers and to messengers behind friendly lines. The term, "bomber bikes" came into use during this period, as US forces dropped bicycles out of planes to reach troops behind enemy lines.
By 1939, the Swedish army operated six bicycle infantry regiments. They were equipped with domestically produced Swedish military bicycles. Most common was the m/42, an upright, one-speed roadster produced by several large Swedish bicycle manufacturers. These regiments were decommissioned between 1948 and 1952, and the bicycles remained for general use in the Army, or transferred to the Home Guard. Beginning in the 1970s, the Army began to sell these as military surplus. They became very popular as cheap and low-maintenance transportation, especially among students. Responding to its popularity and limited supply, an unrelated company, Kronan, began to produce a modernized version of the m/42 in 1997.

  Later uses

Although much used in World War I, bicycles were largely superseded by motorized transport in more modern armies. In the past few decades, however, they have taken on a new life as a "weapon of the people" in guerrilla conflicts and unconventional warfare, where the cycle's ability to carry large, about 400 lb (180 kg), loads of supplies at the speed of a pedestrian make it vastly useful for lightly equipped forces. For many years the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army used bicycles to ferry supplies down the "Ho Chi Minh trail", avoiding the repeated attacks of United States and Allied bombing raids. When heavily loaded with supplies such as sacks of rice, these bicycles were seldom rideable, but were pushed by a tender walking alongside. With especially bulky cargo, tenders sometimes attached bamboo poles to the bike for tiller-like steering (this method can still be seen practiced in China today). Vietnamese "cargo bikes" were rebuilt in jungle workshops with reinforced frames to carry heavy loads over all terrain.

Modern times

Bicycles continue in military use today, primarily as an easy alternative for transport on long flightlines. The use of the cycle as an infantry transport tool continued into the 21st century with the Swiss Army's Bicycle Regiment, which maintained drills for infantry movement and attack until 2001, when the decision was made to phase the unit out.^[6]

LTTE bicycle infantry platoon north of Killinochi in 2004

Finnish defence forces still train all conscripts to use bicycle and skis.
The LTTE Tamil Tigers made use of bicycle mobility in the fighting in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan army also has a bicycle unit. They are mainly stationed and deployed in high security zones in the capital city Colombo. The theory and the basis of their usage is still not well known.
Although in the United States, bicycles are not used any more for combat, the long tradition of mixed terrain bicycle travel championed by the military has been transformed into civilian adventure travel. Mixed Terrain Cycle-Touring has seen a resurgence in popularity often adopting a military style ultralight and flexible approach to long variable terrain routes.

Bike Violence on the Rise

Keine Fahrräder!

This seems to be a trend.  The bicycle is getting angrier and more dangerous.  Bike violence is out of control.  Bikes are attacking law enforcement , blowing up people in India and targeting SUV's.  This just serves to renew my quest to get the bicycle banned.  It will be easiest in the United States because it doesn't say anywhere in the constitution that Americans have the right to keep and ride bicycles plus we are just getting over this whole Darth Armstrong thing that has destroyed many lives.  If we can save just one life.  Even if cycle rights were in the constitution we could push to get ideologue judges appointed, leaders could write executive orders and then use the congress to bypass the will of the people through the use of procedural tactics.  Every time I read one of these stories I think of the movie Maximum Overdrive.   
Who is controlling these infernal machines?  It's either the Illuminati or the E.T.'s.


Humble bicycle turns into lethal explosive carrier - The Times of India

Bike on Child Violence!

Bikes are attacking law enforcement

Florida Bicycle ban

Who made Who?

This bike caught on camera trying to get away to do evil and wreak mayhem.  

North American Handmade Bicycle Show | Road disc brakes a theme

Finally but the purist will complain.   It's too dangerous, there is more maintenance and there are too many choices.  Change is good and especially a change of wheelsets. 

Clearance, Versatility, Power

A recurring thread at this year’s NAHBS is the use of road bikes fitted with disc brakes.
We noticed a few builders during Thursday night load-in setting up bikes with discs.  According to Dave Wages of Ellis Cycles, moving the brakes off the rear stays and front forks opens up the crown area for a wider selection of wheels and tires.  This gives the rider one frame that can go from roadie to fat-tire cross with a quick change of wheel sets.

NAHBS | North American Handmade Bicycle Show | Road disc brakes a theme at NAHBS | #NAHBS

Feds to Sue Armstrong for Defrauding Postal Service

I was recently accused of being obsessed with Lance Armstrong but I have to post this story.   If I don't post this story my pencils will need to be sharpened and my socks WILL HAVE TO BE arranged in neat rows.  After all, this is real news.  Even though I have no journalistic integrity, my arguments are ridiculous and I can barely read the story must be told! 

Sith Cyclist

 The U.S. Justice Department has joined Floyd Landis's whistle-blower lawsuit against disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.

If Darth Vader had another son he would look like Lance Armstrong

According to Armstrong's lawyers, the "lawsuit alleges the former Tour de France champion concealed his use of performance-enhancing drugs for over a decade and defrauded his long-time sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service."

Armstrong tried to reach a plea deal with the federal government, but his lawyer, Robert Luskin, told the Associated Press on Friday that the two parties failed because they disagreed "about whether the postal service was damaged."

Because the Justice Department has joined the lawsuit, it will be unsealed.
Armstrong, after denying for years that he had doped, admitted last month to Oprah Winfrey that he had used performance-enhancing drugs to win all of his Tour de France titles.


Feds to Sue Armstrong for Defrauding Postal Service by Doping

so....

North Portland Greenway sacrifices for the kids

A classic case of wanting your cake and eating too.  Typical!  Do it for the kids you heartless SOB's.  The comments are the best part of the story.  

Kids Playground

PORTLAND -- The 12-story sequoia tree that has become the center of a controversy over a city trail project will be "re-purposed" and turned into a nature playground after it is cut down, according to Mark Ross with Portland Parks & Recreation.
The City of Portland plans to cut down the giant sequoia in Pier Park, in order to make way for a pedestrian and bicycle greenway.

Possible Solution

Protesters crossed over caution tape and their presence halted the chopping down of the sequoia on Thursday, along with other, less iconic trees close by.  But the project will still move forward, Ross said, and the tree will come down.  Then, it will be used to build PP&R’s first Nature Play area at Westmoreland Park.
"It will help kids connect with nature, and provide a sustainable, natural playground in the first such endeavor across our system," Ross said, in a post on PP&R's Facebook page. "We will mitigate the loss of the sequoia by planting seven giant sequoias in neighboring Chimney Park, where there are much fewer trees."

Moots bikes from Steamboat Springs has made this trail maintenance bike that can even carry a small chain saw strapped on its back. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

WARNING: The opinions expressed in theses comments do not necessarily reflect the views of (the network or Fred's Bike) except "it was wonderful to see Lance go down"
 
Some of the best comments:

"I hate cyclists. I live in Austin and it was wonderful to see Lance go down. Every cyclist here idolized him it seems. They all dress like him and think it's great to clog up our roads while ignoring our traffic laws. Screw these guys."
REPLY:          "Well YEE HA! yall Texican buckarinos! "

"Those darn bikes are SO DIFFICULT to navigate and control around trees! They should just ban bikes, instead. I can't wait to this issue skewered on Portlandia."

"This could get real ugly, real fast. You could see slapping, you could see scratching.........."

"Since they're so interested in "health", why not just get off their asses and WALK the bike around the tree? "

"LOL. Killing the tree will help children "connect with nature!" Maybe Portland should hire a logging company to cut down all the trees so the kids feel even more connected! Kim Upham will love this."

"I propose a bike path through city hall. We must chop it down." 
 
"This may take more than one cup of Chamomille Tea to resolve."

"It's kind of ironic that they want to chop down a tree to build a nature playground."

" Hayak's Dilemma: when intellectuals succeed in overthrowing Liberty the "greater good" is open to debate. Once the default is no longer Liberty it is unclear which utopian scheme has precedence. Inevitably paralysis and chaos give rise to a despotism."
REPLY:          "what the hell or you talking about?"

"New war brewing: Tree Huggers vs. Cycling hipsters.
Red Vs. Red.
I'm going to open a bag of popcorn and watch the fireworks!"

"The solution is obvious...leave the tree in the path and let the leftist loons run into it."
REPLY:           "They're afraid they may have to turn to the right to go around it."

"It's bushes fault."
 REPLY:        "It is a bushy tree?"         

"Has anyone thought to ask the tree how it feels about this? A good story for Portlandia to take on."

"Leave the tree alone! Ride around the tree idiots!"

"This is right out of a Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy" the Vogons have returned and the bypass must go through. No we're bureaucrats, rather then amend the design to leave the tree which is +/- a thousand years old, cut it down to make a bike path? I love liberals, the single most destructive[green agenda types] ever to breath oxygen[which is what trees produce]. I'm glad you people support abortion fewer of you as time goes" forward". Living proof the idiots will inherit a dead world."


Rest of the Story:
City: Chopped down sequoia will become nature playground | kgw.com Portland

How cycling can be dangerous to your health

I am not sure what to think about this article.  I believe I am going to forget that I ever found it and I'm just going to move on.

By Marlys Harris 

"Ya know, lady, ya can get knocked down too!"

As a kid, I loved to bike. On my two-wheeler, I could zoom far beyond my neighborhood to deliciously unsavory places where my parents forbade me to go. When as an adult I moved to Manhattan, where driving a private car is problematic, I again took to the bike as a convenient mode of transportation free of subway and bus schedules.
But several incidents over the years got me off the streets. First, there was the taxi driver who swerved in front of me as I toiled up Manhattan's 6th Avenue during my fifth month of pregnancy. "Ya know, lady, ya can get knocked down too!" he bellowed out his window. Then there was the time that another cyclist veered right up to me in Central Park and pinched my bottom, really hard. I gave chase but drove over a pothole, toppled and wound up with a bad case of road rash.
All that made me realize that bikers, especially klutzy ones like myself, are out there, unprotected -- from the elements, from drivers and from other bicyclists who sometimes, in their war against the wind, the snow and the traffic, take on the ethos of a Mad Max.

How cycling can be dangerous to your health | MinnPost

Is it too dangerous to cycle?

A ghost bike, erected where a cyclist has been injured or killed in a road accident. Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer

Rob Penn, writer and author of It's All About the Bike: the Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels

It depends, of course, on where we're cycling and who's pushing the pedals. Is it dangerous to ride along a disused railway line in the Peak District? No. Is it too dangerous to ride down the Euston Road at rush hour? Not for me, but I've ridden a bike most days of my adult life.
I found the report this week about the rise in "cycle deaths" in 2012 very upsetting. But the news emboldens me to cycle more, and encourage others to do the same, rather than lock my bikes away in the shed and drive a car.
Is it too dangerous to cycle? | Comment is free | The Observer

Man threatens police with bicycle

I am pretty sure this is the bicycles fault.  I am considering a personal ban of bikes and maybe trying go to my congressman to propose legislation to completely get rid of the menace we call bicycles.

A Leavenworth man was arrested Monday after he allegedly threatened police officers with a bicycle, a police spokesman said.
The incident was reported shortly after 2:30 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of Osage Street. Police were called to the area for a report of a domestic disturbance.

Maybe we should ban bikes?

When police arrived, they met with a 36-year-old man in front of his residence. The man, who reportedly had been involved in an argument with a woman, refused to follow officers’ instructions, according to Maj. Dan Nicodemus, deputy chief of the Leavenworth Police Department.
“He initially took up a fighting stance against the officers,” Nicodemus said.
The man then allegedly ran from the officers.
“He ran up toward the residence and grabbed a bicycle,” Nicodemus said.
The man allegedly moved toward officers as if he was going to throw the bicycle at them.

Man threatens police with bicycle - News - The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

Bicycle bills approved by Senate committee - Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — Two measures aimed at increasing bicycle and moped safety passed in the Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee on Tuesday.

Both bills would modify state traffic code by amending provisions relating to overtaking and passing bicycles and mopeds on the highway.
HB294 would allow motorists to cross a double yellow line to the left of the center of the roadway when overtaking and passing a bicycle or moped proceeding in the same direction, including in a no-passing zone.


Bicycle bills approved by Senate committee | Deseret News

Orp Smart Horn by Toren Orzeck

Inspired by the high number of cyclist accidents in his native Portland, Oregon, designer Toren Orzeck developed the Orp combination horn/light to make cyclists not only more visible but “hearable.” The USB rechargeable, weatherproof design adapts to any standard handlebar and focuses on the concept of “here and hear” to provide a strobe-adjustable light and sound ranging from a friendly 76 decibels to a piercing 96 decibels to alert drivers of the cyclist’s presence.

Orp Smart Horn by Toren Orzeck » Yanko Design

Behold the Budnitz Bicycle Builder

Cycling the mean and obstacle-laden streets of NYC is a bit too nerve-wracking for our delicate constitution, but like many design lovers, we adore bikes. Our own ride–in leafier environs–is an old orange Cannondale, but we’ll gladly take Trek and can’t say enough great things about Rob Forbes‘ PUBLIC, maker of snazzy urban cruisers. Bianchi bikes, in their toothpaste hues, appear frequently in our dreams (Un giorno sarà mia, Impulso Dama 105). And so we’re excited to report that Budnitz Bicycles has launched the Budnitz Bicycle Builder. Part of a website overhaul for the company, founded in 2011 by Kidrobot King Paul Budnitz, it allows users to customize a bicycle and watch it change in real time. Time flies when you’re deliberating among colors (Ultramarine, Racing Green Special, Butterscotch Glitter) and swapping out components, so be ready to invest some time, and cash–the built-to-last-a-lifetime bikes, available in titanium- and steel-framed models, start at $2600.
Behold the Budnitz Bicycle Builder - UnBeige

LeMond plans re-entry to bike market

DENVER, CO (BRAIN) — Tour de France hero Greg LeMond said he expects to begin selling bicycles again, possibly showing prototype models as early as this year's Interbike.

Greg LeMond

"I've got quite a few different ideas," LeMond said in a Skype interview with BRAIN this week. "Ultimately I'm looking at coming back into the bicycle business, integrating some technology and stuff that I have used in my cycling career."
LeMond, who was still wearing a back brace as he recovers from a car accident earlier this month, said he had decided to avoid a licensing agreement like he had with Trek Bicycle, and instead look for a "partnership" with a manufacturer, with a goal of eventually bringing manufacturing in house.
"I want to build a company that can be around for more than a few years; I'm still young," he said.
LeMond sold Seattle-based LeMond Fitness, which sold stationary bikes and trainers, to Hoist Fitness last fall. Then he and investors set up a new company, LeMond Inc., that bought back the trainer business from Hoist. Hoist is focused on selling LeMond stationary bikes into the health club market.

All Time Coolest Shades in Cycling.

The new company, based in Minneapolis, is selling the trainers and will expand from there. Among its employees is sales director Gene DiMenna, who is a former regional sales manager at Trek, involved with the sales of LeMond bikes when Trek still sold the line.
Trek began licensing the LeMond name for bikes after LeMond's retirement from racing in 1994. The relationship ended badly with a suit and countersuit that were finally resolved in 2008. Since then LeMond said he has received several licensing offers from bike manufacturers and had considered re-entering the bike market with a consumer direct sales option, but has since swung around toward selling through bike shops.
"There was a period when I needed to digest the whole end of the relationship with Trek and decide where I wanted to go and whether I wanted to get back into the bike business," he said.

LeMond plans re-entry to bike market | Bicycle Retailer and Industry News