As I have said before, I am a Jedi Master of Sloth. Laziness is one of the few things to which I can claim Gold Medal Caliber. As a result, I must develop strategies which will allow me to avoid the dirtiest word in the English language: work. On my main commuter bike I replaced the single-rail rear rack with a dual-rail rack (similar to the Tubos Logo Evo Rear Rack). With a single-rail rack, you hook your panniers to the top rail and fasten your rack bag to the top of the rack. To remove the panniers, you must first remove the rack bag. Not only is this more work, but if you have a quick release system on your panniers ...

The first time I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a in movie called Brick: a weird homage to film noir set in a modern day high school. Instead of a private detective, Gordon-Levitt's character is a high school student investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend into the underworld of stoners. Instead of a corrupt district attorney, there is an assistant principal, and so on. Imagine a 16-year-old Sam Spade in a present-day California suburb. After seeing that film, I thought I'd keep my eye on Gordon Levitt. That didn't last long. His films turned out to be hit-or-miss according to my tastes -- not a sure thing. When I saw the trailer for Premium Rush, I felt justified losing interest in his career, because ...

Obtaining these Vaude Roadmaster Rear Panniers coincided with an odd turn of events in my life, which must be duly noted before I can continue with this review. I've had a trusty Xtracycle for an undisclosed number of years.  It was a college graduation gift from my brother and the family "truck."  This Xtracycle happened to be mounted to my very first mountain bike -- a very well-used Bridgestone MB5. The "vintage" Bridgestone had recently begun to deconstruct itself and had morphed into a one-braked, one-speeded, free-wheel-sticking monster of a machine that no one ever bothered to fix. Meanwhile, the Xtracycle bags were finally starting to succumb to the mighty meatball of a Tucson desert sun.  But that setup was trusty enough, and my husband and ...

Funny thing about Abraham Lincoln (as others have pointed out) is that he is a magnet for the One of Us phenomenon -- whether based in fact, conjecture, or only in the imaginations of those who want to claim some Abe cred for themselves. Abraham Lincoln was a bartender Abraham Lincoln was gay Abraham Lincoln was an environmentalist Abraham Lincoln was an atheist Abraham Lincoln was a wrestler Abraham Lincoln was an Internet nerd But did you know Abraham Lincoln was a cyclist? Last year about this time I was doing what I could (without completely shirking my job responsibilities) to cajole a nominee or a presenter at the Academy Awards to show up by bike. It was the second year I tried this. My efforts got mentioned in ...

In making the transition from car to bike as my vehicle, I found that many of the things that applied to my car now apply to my bike. My car had a good windshield so I purchased a good set of Oakley Goggles. My car had studded tires for the winter, so my bike does too. A music player lets me enjoy some good music while on the trail. And now my bike has a heater: A'ME MTB Heated 1.3 Tri Grips that add a whole new level of comfort to my winter commute! Made in the USA & Good for the Environment I was excited when my heated grips arrived. I picked up my package at the post office and rode my bike ...

Alison Lucien knows her accessories. With ten years of fashion-industry experience behind her, she understands that the right bag or earrings can take a vintage dress from kitsch to cool. And the same goes for bikes. She rode her vintage Schwinn—which she brought all the way from her Ohio hometown—to work for years in NYC, but she couldn’t find high-quality, fashionable accessories to add style to her ride. Lost in a sea of unflattering spandex bike shorts, heavy metal baskets, she was inspired to start Eleanor’s - Stylish bicycle accessories for ladies. Last year, an article on USA Today's blog highlighted this trend and described the positive impact that dogs can have in corporate settings.  The idea that the workplace environment is improved ...