Tunnel Top Grips Now Available

175mm micro-knob, single density grips
Available in a rainbow of colors
MSRP $8.99
Call your local dealer today



Go here to see more details on the grips: http://www.freedombicycle.com/component/.../option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,58/

Community Foundations are great resources for improving various aspects of communities throughout the United States.  Most community foundations earmark a certain percentage of their annual philanthropic givings towards specific categories.  Some are very specific and others are a little more general.   However, the main point is this: foundations are looking to disperse capital every year to groups, schools, and non-profits.  This is good news for those of us who wish for safe places for people to ride their bicycles, walk, or skate.

In 2001, less than 16% of children between the ages of 5 and 15 walked or rode their bikes to school.  In 1969, 42% walked or rode their bikes to school.  More children are driven to school today than ever which has various negative health and environmental effects.  This information alone is what inspired the creation of the Safe Routes to School program (SRTS) (http://www.saferoutesinfo.org).  SRTS is funded through the federal government, however, in the case of the Greenways to School campaign, other piggy-backing programs could get the attention of community foundations.

The Greenways to School program has been given a $175,000 grant from the Marin Community Foundation (MCF) to help combat global warming.  If you visit the Marin Community Foundation’s website (http://www.marincf.org), you will see that Climate Change is categorized under Strategic Initiatives allocations.  Our hats off to MCF for supporting such a good cause like the Greenways to School Program. 

Let this be an example for anyone who wants to take action towards building a more sustainable community.  Look into your Safe Routes to School chapter or think about creating your own group.  Then, look into local foundations and research their specific areas of giving and steer your program to fit their categories with special consideration to environmental or educational programs.  With the right organization, you could be on your way to obtaining a grant and making your community a more sustainable community.

You’re out of milk and you have to run by the bank.  So, you grab your keys, get into your car, turn the ignition and make a 10 mile roundtrip errand. You’ve just emitted 9.5 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Most of us are guilty of it, but let’s put it into another context. How many trees will it take to absorb the CO2 emitted from that one trip during one 12 month period?

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that one ten year old conifer tree that grows at a moderate rate, will sequester 7.4 lbs per year. So, it will take approximately 1.3 conifer trees over the span of 12 months to absorb the CO2 emitted from that one trip. Ouch!!

The only way to truly (as opposed to purchasing credits) offset that is to plant 1.3 trees every time you travel 10 miles in your car, which would take about an hour OR ride your bike instead of driving, which would also take about an hour.  The latter will save on all of the externalized costs associated with burning one gallon of either domestic or imported oil to begin with.  Why not stockpile your CO2 savings and do both?

Sources:
www.epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05001.htm
www.urbanforestrysouth.org/resources/library/method-for-calculating-carbon-sequestration-by-trees-in-urban-and-suburban-settings

After a main cable broke on the bridge on October 27th, traffic throughout the entire Bay Area has been negatively affected.  Officials plan to re-open the Bridge by Friday evening…we shall see.

The Freedom ThickSlick made its debut appearance at Interbike this year and could be seen on bikes built by Foes Racing (foesracing.com) and Shorty Fatz (shortyfatz.com).

If you desire a fast rolling tire designed and built to provide for improved lifespan and durability, the ThickSlick might be your choice.  Not for the road racer, the ThickSlick is designed for the urban rider in mind or the rider clocking in serious commute miles.  The ThickSlick is offered with your choice of DuraStrip, a centerline Kevlar strip, or Urban Armor Casing, which consists of a combination of the DuraStrip and added sidewall protection.  Best of all, the ThickSlick fits in any budget with price points set at $19.99, $29.99, $39.99.  These price points hold throughout the Freedom tire line.  Additionally, Freedom offers a great variety of saddles ranging in price from $29.99, $39.99, $49.99. 

Demand Freedom at your local dealer!

Congratulations to Team Mountain Khakis to a victory at the USA Crit Race at Mandalay Bay as well as an overall victory of the USA Crits Championship Series.  Team Mountain Khakis ride on the Freedom Racine saddle.

The largest bike show in the world, Eurobike, is a week of walking countless halls checking out the newest of the new product lines offered by companies worldwide.  It’s both impressive and exhaustive.  When Gary Gleason, Jason Moeschler and I traveled to Germany to represent for Freedom USA/WTB USA, we decided to travel with our bikes to commute from Weingarten, the location of our hotel, to the halls of Eurobike, located in Friedrichshafen.  What we found was an impressive network of separated bike paths, small villages, and beautiful countryside.

It is no wonder that Germany boasts a bicycle ridership figure in the neighborhood of 20%.  Besides the first night returning to our hotel where we took a number of wrong turns, the result of jetlag, getting from point A to point B in Germany is mostly a matter of reading signs, following the arrows and pedaling your bike in the correct direction.  Of the near 35 mile roundtrip commute, less than a mile was on roadway shared by cars.  Most of the trip was on separated bike paths along with a few light dirt paths.  It seemed that bike ridership to the show was decent, but not overwhelmingly impressive.  As you can see from the bike rack photo, the bike parking was never full.  In fact we passed several traffic jams on the way to the show every morning, an interesting dichotomy to experience in one of the world’s most bike-friendly capitals. 

It was a pleasure to bike in Germany and I would recommend it to anyone seeking to explore Europe in-depth.  The mere act of commuting by bike to the show transformed our work trip into an adventure holiday.

Imagine a community that accommodated the bicycle as a mode of transportation as most communities accommodate the car. A community where bicycles rule, buses have their own lanes and roads are designed to decrease the volume and velocity of car travel. A community where local business establishments thrive because there are higher levels of foot traffic. Welcome to the Netherlands, where 27% of the population rides a bicycle for transportation. The city planners throughout the Netherlands had a common vision - incorporate the bicycle into every road construction project and building retrofit project. The pictures below show how the integrated system works.

Class I Cycle Track. Notice where parking is in relation to the cycle track and moving traffic	Bicycle lanes denoted with colored pavement, stripes and arrows. Notice the separate bicycle lanes for left hand turns.

Such infrastructure has been Freedom’s guiding light. We believe that integrating such infrastructure in our communities in the United States will inspire more people to ride their bicycles for transportation as well as recreation. This is the reason we have spent countless hours at city council meetings, lobbying at the state and federal levels, writing proposals for federal and state bills, and studying the Dutch method of traffic engineering. Our next big project – To incorporate Dutch road engineering standards in all federal, state and local road engineering projects in the United States. We are currently strategizing these efforts with our advocacy partners. - Words by Marcus Vyvyan

Within the past few years, these terms have found their way into just about every magazine, newspaper, website and marketing campaign in Western Culture. After decades of neglect and oppression, these terms have tugged, pushed, and pulled their way back into the consciousness of the mass western population. They are used as verbs, nouns, and adjectives. They are sleek and sexy. They are the new “Who’s Who” of the glamour world and counter-culture movement. They are a lifestyle. They are powerful.