ebooks on the bus

It is our firm belief that people who consider riding the bus as a waste of time just haven’t yet realized all the ways that a bus commute can be productive. There is a long list of activities can be accomplished during your bus commute. We’ll post a few of our favorites over the next few weeks and would encourage readers to submit their own transit time productivity tips.

Reading is a pleasant way to pass the commute. It’s easy to pop off into another world for a few pages and let the miles roll by. It also keeps your mind off any delays. A good old paperback is a great bus companion. But we tend to forget such luxuries or don't have extra space in our pocket. If you already carry a cell phone, blackberry, or PDA, ebooks are a great alternative. You can download a lot of them free, too!

Here are a few resources for free ebooks that you can try out on your next bus ride (if your not too busy working on other things or enjoying the view).

Daily Lit will send a small chunk of a book to your email account on a regular schedule that you set up. If you have access to email on your mobile phone or PDA, you can get a transit trip sized reading sent to you every day. They offer about 200 books right now.

Manybooks offers tons of books in 15 different formats, so you are bound to find something that interests you and that works with your PDA. They have books in more than 30 languages and dozens of categories. They currently have just under 1,000 15,000 titles, but they seem to add 5-10 new ones every day.

Abracadabra! The story of the Beatles’ Revolver (PDF only)

Cory Doctrow offers up his scifi books in multiple formats.

You need to figure out which format matches the software on your device. We aren't providing a HowTo simply because there are so many options. If your phone or PDA doesn't come with some kind of ebook reader software, a quick search on Google should turn up a bunch of free options.

We use the mjbookmaker to convert ebooks into bite sized programs for java phones. It has a basic set of features and automatically saves your place on exiting. Quick and easy.
Palm offers the free PalmReader for Palm users.
Plucker is another Palm option.

grocery run

Homeless Dave points us to yet another way to get groceries home without a car, or without leaving the house for that matter.

Place an order online or by phone with Grocery Run and they will do your shopping, at your requested store, use coupons that you mail to them, and drop your order off at your door. You can send them to as many different stores as you are willing to pay for ($5/location). They cover any customer and any store within a 40 mile radius of Ypsi and deliver until 8pm on weekdays.

The costs of this service put us off a bit.
You can become a member for $40/year (you don’t have to be a member to order, you just pay lower fees if you do).
$100 in groceries costs $15 service charge and $5 delivery for members ($20/$7 for non members), so a non-member would pay $77 to have $50 in groceries delivered.

Another downside is having to place your order by 5pm the day before scheduled delivery.

If cost isn’t an issue, this may be a good option, especially if you buy lots of groceries at once (the fee percentage drops drasticallywith size of order).

pedestrian downtown map

How many times have you been walking around downtown and forgotten how to get where you are going? Probably not many as Ann Arbor has a relatively small downtown and pedestrians are not burdened by oneway streets. However, if you are new to the area or are like me and constantly forget whether Liberty is north or south of washington or whether First is west of Ashley, the downtown pedestrian map from the DDA might help.

The map covers the DDA area and includes landmark buildings, AATA bus stops (including the Link), and indicates university, retail, and government buildings. The map also includes parking locations and oneway street markers for those temporary pedestrians headed back to their cars. The link above brings up a jpeg file that you can load on your PDA or mobile phone (assuming you have the right software to read it). You can also pick up a dead tree version at the Chamber of Commerce.

A lot of improvements could be made to the map to make it more pedestrian friendly. Benches, sidewalks, alleys and other short-cuts are not indicated. Bike racks and lockers would also be nice additions. The YMCA still shows up in its old location, as does any more recent change in land use. Still this is a nice step in the right direction. Hopefuly future editions will add more pedestrian specific fearures.

bike light basics

Riding after dark is safe and enjoyable, assuming you have the appropriate equipment. Lights and reflectors are the best way to stay visible when riding at night. Reflectors are nice because they are often built in to bikes and clothing, don’t require a power source, and are lightweight. However, reflectors also require an outside light source to be effective. If headlights are not shining on your reflectors (when approaching cars from the rear or side or when approaching pedestrians), they won’t help. Lights maintain visibility in these situations and can also allow the operator to see their surroundings better.

Two lights are adequate for night rides. Ann Arbor city code requires that any bicycle operated from ½ hour before sunset until ½ hour after sunrise have a functioning headlight and red rear reflector or light. Thanks to LED technology, both can be purchased cheaply and are easy to mount (and remove to prevent theft), lightweight, and require little power. LED lights are recommended because they are much cheaper and lighter than halogen lights. They are also often much brighter although the light is not focused, so they are better for being seen than for seeing.

LEDs also use much less energy, so batteries will last a long time. Generators remove the need for batteries altogether, though they provide less light than powerful rechargeable systems but more than the smaller halogens. Rim- or tire- driven generators are least expensive and easiest to install; hub generators are most efficient and reliable, but cost $150-$250 (including the cost of building a new wheel around the hub).

A front light is most important and legally required. It is usually mounted to the handlebars or to the rider’s head or helmet. Mounting to the rider instead of the bike makes it easy to direct the light in the direction the rider is looking. Some front lights also have a “halo” ring of light, which makes the cyclist more visible from the side. A decent front light will set you back $20-30.

Rear lights are required to be red. They are generally small, round and really cheap ($5-15). They can be mounted on the seat post, seat stays, or on your body with a clip. If you mount it on your body, make sure it is visible when you are in riding position.

Always make sure your lights are functioning and clean (dirt on the lens can drastically cut down on the effectiveness of the light) before setting out on a ride that will end in the dark. To avoid running out of power and fading lights on a ride, change batteries regularly. If you change them every time you do other basic maintenance (lube chain, refill tires, tighten cables) you will avoid batteries dying during the trip. Rechargeable are always a better option.

much of this info was taken with permission from WBWC carfree wiki.

fenders

The simplest way to outfit your bike for water protection is by adding fenders. Whether you are riding in the rain or through standing water and puddles, fenders keep a large majority of the water off of both you and your bike. For the best protection, install both front and rear fenders. Most of the tire spray comes from the water that your tires pick up from the road, pulling it up the back of the tire as it rolls forward. This means that fenders that cover the more of the back of the tire (both front and rear) will be more effective.

ท Front fender/mudflap: keeps your feet dry and helps keep water and salt off your frame, chain, and shifting cables. The front fender can also help block side splash when riding through standing water. Without a fender, the water goes out and up from where the tire hits the road right to the level that your pedals pass after the tire, making for cold, wet feet.
ท Rear fender: keeps you from getting a muddy stripe on your back, as well as helping to protect your bike and any panniers or other bags in which you transport things.

The style and brand of fender that will work best depends on your bike. Local bike shops can help figure out what works best. If others have brand recommendations, they can post them here as comments.

Much of this info was taken, with permission from the WBWC carfree wiki

today is World Carfree Day

While there is no officially registered celebration in Ann Arbor, don't let it keep you from going carfree today, and maybe celebrating a little on your commute. Join millions of people in thousands of cities around the world in recognizing that there is mobility beyond the automobile

Happy World Carfree Day!

AAFF bike-in movie

The Ann Arbor Film Festival throwing a fundraiser outdoor movie night on Sunday. They are showing "Still We Ride", a great documentary on Critical Mass. It's showing first, so you can bail early if you're not into the Goonies.

From the email we received:

BIKE-IN!
(A Bike-In is a drive-in movie, replacing cars with our favorite 2-wheeled mode of transportation.)

Here's the plan:
Ride your bikes to the Frieze Building side parking lot, give a donation to the AAFF, peek at the witty helmet-promoting bumper stickers, peruse the AAFF merchandise, grab some Michigan Theater FREE popcorn, settle in and watch:

STILL WE RIDE (2005) ~ 37 min
(Andrew Lynn's bicycle documentary)
and
THE GOONIES (1985) ~ 114 min.

Date: This Sunday, September 24th
Location: FRIEZE BUILDING PARKING LOT (on Huron between State St. & Thayer)
Time to arrive: 7:30pm
Time screenings begin: 8:00pm
What to bring: Cash, warm schtuff, bike, snacks, friends

Yes, we're in Michigan. Meaning, it might be chilly. Wrap yourself like a cute nugget in blankets, sweatshirts, hoodies, gloves & cross-country ski socks. Nothing will prevent you from cheering on Chunk et al!

There will be a place to park your bikes.

** FREE homemade bumper sticker to whoever wears their helmet during the screenings! Recommended donation $5.

See you Sunday night!

yes, we too note the irony in handing out bumper stickers as a reward for wearing a helmet.

kingsley lanes lofts

We tend to scoff at recommendations to move downtown as a solution to carfree living. If you want to start living carfree, that's one hell of an initial investment. And if you are already going without (or infrequent) use of a car, an explanation of how to load your bike on the bus is generally more practical than downtown real estate tips.

However, if you are looking for new digs close to downtown, Kingsley Lane condos has some unique carfree features that make it the premier carfree location in Ann Arbor. The lofts are located close to lots of downtown amenities. The purchase price includes walking shoes and a new bike. Most importantly, you don't have to buy a parking spot. Kingsley Lane only offers parking for half of the units. They encourage residents to either purchase parking at a near-by city structure or eliminate their car instead. That means your unit costs less and you are not paying for parking that you don't use.

The website also has a (basically self-promoting) blog with some posts about carfree and "car-smart" living. This article describes what they mean by "car-smart".

carfree living in Edmonton

We haven't had a lot of local carfree news lately, but a quick search on Google news shows that carfree banter is ramping up in anticipation of World Carfree Day on September 22. Most of the press revolves around saving the planet or your pocketbook. We don't post most of it because, frankly, we are pretty tired of the carfee martyr spiel. We believe that the carfree lifestyle is a blessing, not a burden that we struggle with in hopes of saving the world.

The Edmonton Journal bucks the trend with a great article on families who went carfree and never looked back. We like it because it doesn't dwell on the potential savings and planet-saving. It doesn't paint carfree people as heroes or earth-conscious elite. The article also scores points for pointing out the trials and difficult choices involved in carfree life instead of side-stepping obstacles with broad-stroke recommendations like "shop locally" and "move downtown". Like any lifestyle change, going carfree impacts every aspect of your life and this article hits that.

Enjoy, and don't forget to add a little celebration to your carfree trips on friday for World Carfree Day!

DIY studded bike tires

Winter roads are generally pretty well cleared in Ann Arbor, but if you are riding on trails or the morning after a big snow dump studded tires can help with acceleration, braking, and turning on snow and ice. The problem is that these tires are quite expensive (about $40/tire) and aren’t much use once the studs wear down. To save money, a friend has come up with an easy way to add studs to old or cheap tires to put on a winter beater bike. It works best with knobby mountain bike (26”) tires. It takes some time, but works like a charm.
a. Turn the tire inside-out
b. Using a tiny drill bit, drill a guide hole from the back of the tire through the large knobs on the side of the tire
c. Screw small (38th” length) screws through the guide holes until they are flush with the tire. Make sure they are coming out in the center of the knob to prevent tearing the tire.
d. Line the inside of the tire in a layer of duck tape to prevent the screw heads from poking or pinching the tube
e. Mount the tire and tube on the wheel as normal- just be careful not to poke yourself on the new studs.
f. The studs should be on the outside of the tire, adding traction for turns and reducing surface contact when riding in a straight line.
The new studs will be sharp at first. Obviously you have to be careful and riding on sidewalks and around pedestrians is a big no-no. But the points will wear down to dull bumps quickly. We can get two winters out of a set of these.
If you only have the patience for one tire, I recommend putting it on the front since front tire skids are the most dangerous.
We have also found that an extra-thick tube eliminates the need to line the tire with duck tape.

Contributed by: Scott TenBrink

those comments are hardly "recent"

Bruce and Dave have a legitimate gripe regarding the "recent comments" section of the sidebar. It is extremely useful to know who has added new comments to which posts, especially when frequent posting forces discussions off of the front page. From an administrator's perspective, they also make your blog look more popular.

That assumes, of course, that recent comments actually show up when they are posted. Blogger has always had a bit of a delay in recognizing new comments. It seems that that delay has become permenant now. We've had a bunch of new comments that haven't showed up on the side bar.

Unfortunately, I don't know what the problem is. Hopefully I'll have more time to investigate it this week. For now, this is just a note to acknowledge the problem and let you all know that I'm working on it. In the mean time, I'm open to suggestions on fixing/improving this feature.

Thanks for caring enough to complain.

bike buddies

In a comment on a previous post we wistfully suggested,

It would be great if we had some volunteers willing to ride with people to show them how to do this and build some confidence. I'd like to support a "riding buddy" list on this website. Even better if a couple of police folks would sign up!

C.I.C.L.E. bike blog reports on the kind of thing we were imagining, matching up bike "students" with volunteer "coaches". Courses, class, and manuals are all great, but nothing beats "expert" advice on your own commuting route.

Maybe this is something that could be organized for Curb Your Car Month. Any volunteers?

walk to school day 2006

From the Michigan Safe Routes to School program:

Henry David Thoreau said, "An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." On Wednesday, October 4, 2006, we are hoping hundreds of Michigan schoolchildren will be joined by parents and other community members and start their day with an early morning walk to school.

The website includes classrom activities, program ideas, and a registration form to sign your school up for Walk to School Day.

Washtenaw County currently has four schools registered to participate. In Ann Arbor, King and Logan elementary schools are signed up. To get your school signed up, check the website or call 1-800-434-8642.

cycling for slackers

Bicycle fixation has a great article on how to ride without breaking a sweat. It completely debunks the myth that only macho athletes who are totally committed to biking would ever cycle to work. As the author explains, you don't have to dress up like an underwear pervert or invest your life-savings in a bike, in order to pedal around town. In fact, such bike-snob accouterments are more likely to get you sweating than just dressing comfortably.

This is not to say that there isn't a place for day-glow, skin tight, spandex outfits; only that such a place may not be at work, the post office or the supermarket.

successes in bike culture

A couple of feel-good stories about biking have popped up recently. They are good reading in preparation for World Carfree Day on September 22. Hopefully they brighten your day a little.

In Cape Town, a cyclist won a cross-town, rush hour race against the Mayor's limosine in a test to prove the efficiencies of urban cycling.

The Christian Science Monitor reports on how the cycling community has won public approval in events like Critical Mass and support for improved cycling infrastructure. Thanks to the efforts of the San Fransisco Bicycle Coalition, cyclists have moved beyond the bad image that plagued early Critical Mass rides.