Bandit cross • bicycle insurance • four rechargeable blinkie lights

URBAN
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surlybikes.com

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Kick Ass Local Bike Shop

Circlesと呼ばれるバイクショップがある。東京からは るか遠く
南西へ３５０km離れた名古屋と呼ばれる重工業を中心になりたつ９００万の人々が住む街にそれはあり、名古屋といえば世界有数の大企業”トヨタ自 動車”の街であるということと、彼らのソウルフードとでもいえよう”味噌煮込み”が大層うまいということで有名な街でもある。
しかしながら名古屋の一番特 別なことはなにかと問われるのならば答えはまさしくそこに存在する人間である。そこには力みなぎる自転車コミュニティーが有り、それはしっかりと Circlesというバイクショップを中心に取り巻かれ、そこからは強い意志と活動の息吹もしっかりと感じられる。
そして自転車通勤や純粋なレースシーン において、また単純に一人になるための道具として存在する自転車に対し、Circlesで働くすべてのスタッフ達は”真実はすべて鉄にある”と信じてやまないということも付け加えておくべきだと思う。
www.circles-jp.com

Sponsored by Surly

SUB
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IBE
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Urban Velo, PO Box 9040, Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Issue #41

April 2014

Brad Quartuccio

Editorbrad@urbanvelo.org

Jeff Guerrero

Publisher

jeff@urbanvelo.org

Contributing Editor: Krista Carlson
Contributing Web Editor: Scott Spitz
On the cover: David Joachim has authored more than 40
cookbooks and regularly rides his bicycle wearing a unicorn
mask. See more from Bilenky Junkyard Cross on page 62,
and visit Dave at www.davejoachim.com. Photo by Brad
Quartuccio
Co-conspirators: Anthony Benavides, Rob Rovira, Rie
Sawada, Steve Smith, Kelly MacWilliams, Matilda Hedberg
Dowdle, Takuya Sakamoto, Cara Eddo and Andy Singer
Urban Velo is a reflection of the cycling culture in current
day cities. Our readers are encouraged to contribute theirwords and art.
Urban Velo will be published five times in 2014, on the evenmonths from April through December. Issues are available
online and on iOS, Android and Kindle platforms. Print
copies are available at 350+ bike shops across the USA.
Bike shops, check out urbanvelo.org/distribution
Printed in Pittsburgh by JB Kreider - www.jbkreider.com
Subscribe at www.urbanvelo.org/subscribe
All contents © 2014 Urban Velo, no unauthorized reproduction (online or otherwise) without written consent.

ridingdefines
you…

let nothing take that away

Contents: Gene Oberpriller gets rad behind One on One Bicycle Studiojust shy of his 53rd birthday. Read about Shopbike Shootout on page 17.
Photo by Brad Quartuccio

contents
8

Editor’s Statement
Brad Quartuccio

10

Publisher’s Statement
Jeff Guerrero

12

I Love Riding in the City
Readers share their tales of city cycling.

16

News & Views
Marathon Crash report, Shopbike Shootout and
more.

18

Product Spotlight
New gear for the urban rider.

22

City Report: Pittsburgh
Jeff Guerrero
The Steel City is becoming a bicycle town.

26

Bandit Cross
Steve Smith
No entry fee, no prizes, and unlimited fun.

32

Gallery: NAHBS 2014
Brad Quartuccio

38

Product Reviews
Pure Fix, Cateye, Bern, NiteRider and more.

46

Bicycling Art in a Melting Pot
Matilda Hedberg Dowdle
Tahlia Lempert finds inspiration in a bicycle metropolis—New York City.

50

Anything Could Happen
Krista Carlson
How bicycle insurance is protecting cyclists from theunexpected.

56

Cetma
Krista Carlson
An interview with Lane Kagay.

60

Multi-Speed Chain Length
Brad Quartuccio

62

Outro
Brad Quartuccio
Bilenky Junkyard Cross.

Editor ’s Statement
By Brad QuartuccioI

t has been an exceptionally long off season aroundthese parts. Dropping the winter issue for greater
distribution of the spring through fall issues ofUrban Velo was planned, but we could not have anticipated the never ending winter that accompanied thechange. Our part of the world is just emerging froma deep freeze that kept many a bicycle wheel indoors
for months at a time, or used sparingly on those precious few days where the cold barely loosened its grip.
Even the most die-hard commuter and winter time riders saw their ride time impacted by the below normal
temperatures and above normal precipitation. It took
some effort, but we still managed to get out and turnthe inspirational gears.
With our 41st issue we are introducing our new
City Report section, featuring our hometown in thefirst installment with more to come as the year goeson. Urban Velo has always been focussed on the people
that live in the cities of the world and the way they use
bicycles to navigate them, and our latest section shines
a spotlight on the urban centers that people simultaneously use as home and playground. There is nothing like finding the secrets of your hometown, and few
things better than showing them off to a visiting friend.
We’re not looking to unveil every secret of our town
or yours, but hope to pull back the curtain enough tomake a two wheeled visit that much more enjoyable.
This promises to be a big year for cycling, withbikeshare expanding to more cities than ever and dedicated bike infrastructure becoming more normalizedwith each passing day. I look forward to the local andnational changes in store by the next time my tires
touch snow.

We want your words. Send your editorial contributions to brad@urbanvelo.org

8

URBANVELO.ORG

Photo by Brad Quartuccio

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publisher’sMaybe I’m just getting old, but this winter seems
like it was the hardest I’ve ever experienced.
Along with a near constant barrage of ominously named winter storms, the Weather Channel
kept reminding me that it was something called thePolar Vortex that was keeping the air temperature far
below zero, not to mention the wind chill factor.
And so here I am writing this a few days before thevernal equinox, lamenting the added pounds aroundmy waist and the lack of snap in my legs. Taking thelong way home has been a wretched thought the pastfew months, whereas the lure of takeaway curry andkung fu movies on Netflix has become increasingly
hard to resist.
But while there aren’t quite any buds on the dogwood trees and the greasy snowbanks along Liberty
Ave haven’t fully melted yet, there’s no doubt thatspring is in the air. And for cyclists in some cities, thearrival of spring comes on the heels of another exciting
bit of news.

Statement
By Jeff Guerrero

The national organization PeopleForBikes hasannounced that six US cities will receive funding for
not only physical bike lane implementation, but for the
study of protected bike lanes. The Green Lane Project
has had a significant impact on the proliferation of protected bike lanes nationwide, with the number growing
from 80 to more than 140.
“Drivers like knowing where to expect riders, andpedestrians report fewer bikes on the sidewalk,” posits PeopleForBikes, “The lanes make roads safer for allusers, reducing bike, auto and pedestrian injuries by
up to 50%.”
Cyclists in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Indianapolis,
Pittsburgh and Seattle have been abuzz with this news,
and rightly so. The cycling infrastructure improvements in my city have undoubtedly improved my quality of life, making commuting a safer, more convenient
option. The notion that things could get even better isincredibly exciting.
Learn more at www.peopleforbikes.org

Urban Velo issue #41, April 2014. Print run: 7500 copies. Issue #40 online readership: 55,000+

10 URBANVELO.ORG

Photo by courtesy of PeopleForBikes

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iriding in the city

NAME: Roz Patterson
LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY
OCCUPATION: Graphic Artist at Sommerville Sports
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I live in Brooklyn, New York. I’ve biked in dozens
of cities all over the United States and New York is
unique to any other city traffic. In most cities cars are
pretty passive and will avoid being close to cyclists. In
New York, cars hold their lines and go much faster,which in my opinion is much better. They are way morepredictable and are not just going to randomly shootover lanes, unless it’s a cab coming to pick up a fare.
There are also local races in New York. Park races areheld multiple times per month in Central and Prospect Park so you don’t have to venture far for a race.
There is also races every week at Kissena Velodromein Queens. It’s nice having so many races so close to

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home and not having to drive two hours or so out tothe middle of nowhere.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
I love riding in Boston because there is never a correct way to get somewhere, just a new or different
way. So you never get stuck with the same route to andfrom. It makes the rides a bit more interesting.
Why do you love riding in the city?
I love riding in the city because of all the different
bike people you can meet.
Check out pedalporn.tumblr.com
Photo by Anthony Benavides

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iriding in the city

NAME: Eric Mott
LOCATION: Denver, CO
OCCUPATION: Application developer
Where do you live and what’s it like riding in your city?
I live and work in the Lowry neighborhood of east
Denver. I ride to the office every day no matter what.
On evenings and weekends I cruise the city’s extensive
grid bike routes and river trails while exploring theold neighborhoods and historic landmarks, then I finda microbrewery and relax before heading back home.
It’s hard to lose weight biking in Denver because eachride results in a search for beer.
What was your favorite city to ride in, and why?
Besides Denver, the place I grew up: Mason City,
Iowa, because kids like me could go anywhere in town
by bicycle, be safe doing it, and your mom wouldn’t
care unless she had a premonition about a river. About

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thirty-five years ago the Winnebago River swallowed
my green Schwinn Stingray with the banana seat. It’s
probably reached the Gulf of Mexico by now—if you
find it, let me know.
Why do you love riding in the city?
When you drive you plan your route in advanceand worry about where you’re going to park. Whenyou ride you plan on getting lost and worry about notremembering all the cool new hangouts you spottedalong the way.
Or just say whatever you want about riding in thecity… Poetry anyone?
Spandex sucks. Flannel is cool.

News & Views

Event organizer, Roadblock, and his megaphone. Photo by Rob Rovira

Marathon Crash Report
Every Marathon Crash event comes with its own
surprises, and this year had its own unexpected circumstance. From the very first one being an impromptu
event, announced upon discovery that the longstanding bike tour was no more, to the false start of 2012
and the sudden cancellation of the 2014 race and lastminute reinstatement of the ride portion of the event.
Who knew that several hundred cyclists would
show up to a guerilla street race at 3 am? Five years
ago, that was the lesson to be learned. Five years later,
and the Crash Race Ride continues to be educational.
Perhaps the biggest lesson this year is that the passion
to ride is a powerful force. That’s what the City of Los
Angeles learned, when more than a thousand cyclists
showed up to ride on the morning of March 9th.
Even though the race was cancelled, local and visiting cyclists who had marked their calendars for thisnight long ago weren’t willing to call off their plans justbecause they didn’t have the city’s support. After all
the ground that race organizer Don Ward (aka Roadblock) had gained over the years, the City Attorney
saw the the Crash Race as too big to continue existing
without the requisite red tape throwing an event in Los
Angeles requires.

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Here’s how things went down the night of: There
were no dog tags, but everyone won (unless you were
gunning at a chance at earning a pair of dog tags forrisking life and limb in the most chaotic street race
—hundreds of riders of novice, amateur and pro status competing for space and speed on semi-closed
streets—and couldn’t let go of your dream without
bitterness). Competition junkies were able to get their
fix on Saturday night, at Hernan Montenegro’s Plan B
Alleycat, which provided all of the shenanigans a goodrace should.
The Crash Ride was easily half the size of the previous year’s, although the number still broke 1000
cyclists. The cops protected every intersection along
the route, so riders never stopped once—although
the course was somewhat abridged and skipped thesection through the downtown area. The Santa Anasblew hot, so this early morning ride was surreal in its
warmth—a warmth that describes more than just theweather, as the feeling was familial, with nothing atstake but Sunday agendas.
The ones who trained could still claim all thestrength and skill and personal improvement they had
gained, and those who feared the dangers of the racing clusterfuck could breathe a sigh of relief. Some ofus stayed up all night, and got a hand up from Daylight
Savings, which washed away 2 am in the blink of aneye. Others set alarms for the oddest hours, rollingup to the start still foggy-eyed. To train harder and eat
healthier in preparation, or commit to making a marathon out of the night itself, with antecedent adventures
and another round to kick off at the edge of the sea, as
the sun rises and alcohol wears off.
“Thanks everyone for coming out!” announced
Roadblock, sporting a grin big enough to swallow all
the anguish of the days preceding. At the end of theline, where the land met the Pacific, he spoke througha megaphone, a high-rise human among a sea of cyclists
who just came out to ride, “Who wants to go to thebeach?”
And without a doubt, the sunrise was the sweetest reward, as if the ride itself wasn’t a boon enough. I
can’t even tell you how many cyclists posted “Best lifeever” in their statuses throughout the following day.
–Krista Carlson

Indianapolis Radder Day Rides

Back alley madness in Minneapolis. Photo by Brad Quartuccio

Organizer
Nathaniel
Tact has begun throwing
monthly, casual bike ridesaround downtown Indianapolis called Radder Day Rides.
Simply for the love of riding
and communing with othercyclists, these rides are notbilled as Critical Mass, alleycats or any other such
association. They do, however, give you the chance totake home raffle prizes from local businesses—just for
showing up! Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but
I really like the idea of a no-stress bike ride that still
gives everyone something to take home.
If you’re in the Indy area or just passing through,join in on the fun. Check out the Radder Day Rides
Facebook page for all the updates and prize offerings.
–Scott Spitz

Getting Rad at Shopbike Shootout

Drive With Care Campaign

When there is a party in the back alley of One on
One Bicycle Studio, it is not to be missed. Over theyears 117 N Washington St has become the hub of Minneapolis bike culture and beyond. I first met Gene andhis right hand man Hurl as a teenager, and it was an eye
opening experience that I look back on as one part ofmaking it all click together for me. An early 2007 visit
to One on One is truly what set the wheels in motion
to making Urban Velo happen—we owe much of ourinspiration to interactions with Gene Oberpriller over
the years.
A frigid weekend in February was the the first Shopbike Shootout held in the alley behind One on One andHandsome Cycles. Put on by the big brains at Chrome,it was a cold weather party and short track race on theicy pavement. Think barrel fires, sidehack BMX, andbrakeless freewheel bikes. Rip it over the snow bankand around the short course, winner takes all. The
party ran late, the riding was treacherous, and Gene
pulled off a wallride as his 53rd birthday approached(see page 6). Good times as always in the alleyway, withimages all that remain. –Brad Quartuccio“Drive With Care.”That’s the message to drivers coming from this Bike
Pittsburgh campaign. 2012
was a particularly harshyear for riders in Pittsburgh and this campaign
was born out of a desire
to humanize bike riders
in the face of multiple hit
and run incidents and open
hostility. As the campaign
states, “The people behind
the windshield and under the helmet are our nurses,
carpenters, children, and sports heroes, but the overwhelming perspective seems to be that bike riders arein-the-way nuisances who have no right to the road.”
A successful but relatively short billboard and bus stop
promotion was well received in town and around theweb, and now an Indiegogo campaign has been launchedin an effort to increase the reach further than before.
Learn more at www.bikepgh.org. –Brad Quartuccio
URBANVELO.ORG

17

T
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PRODUCT

Fietsklik began simply enough when a group of school
friends dropped a case of beer from the back of a bike.
The Amsterdam based Fietsklik team is familiar withbikes as daily transport, and felt they could design a
better modular system for getting beer and other dailyneeds home safely.
At its most basic Fietsklik is a plastic base that fits
on most standardized rear racks that then allows various side bags to snap into the sides, and a large cargobox to fit on top. Each accessory securely snaps into
place and can be locked down with a barrel style key toprevent the whole bag or box from going missing. Even
without the keyed lock, the bags and box are securely
fastened in place. The box is sized perfectly for a caseof 24 bottles, and features a handle and wheels for use
in the grocery store. If you don’t have anything at all
to carry, the box collapses flat. A child carrier is in theworks, but the next round of safety testing is expensive.
It’s a pretty slick system, and not priced outrageously like some other system solutions can be. $99
gets you the Klik rack adapter and a single bag or cargobox, with various tiers for other bag and box combinations. www.fietsklik.com

18 URBANVELO.ORG

The Cinelli Bootleg Hobo touring bike features
Columbus steel tubing and a Tange steel fork. The 31.8
drop bars are outfitted with bar end shifters. Component highlights include Tubus front and rear racks,
Vittoria tires, a San Marco saddle, FSA cranks, and Shimano Deore drivetrain components. Available in sizes
46-61 cm (the 46 cm features 26” wheels). Retail priceis $1850. www.cinelli-usa.com

The new Fix It Sticks Replaceable Edition looks alot like the original version, but the body is made ofsteel instead of aluminum, and it features interchangeable magnetic bits. A total of eight bits are included,
as well as a carrying case made from upcycled innertubes. The expected MSRP is $36, and it’s possible that
powder coated version may become available, as well.
www.fixitsticks.com

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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
The new Surly WorkRide pants
sound like some no-B.S. trousers.
The all cotton duck-cloth pantscome in black or brown and havea number of bike-specific features.
Articulated knees, reinforced
wear areas, a U-lock keeper anda pair of snaps on the right leg tokeep the cuff out of your drivetrain. Available in sizes 30” and32” x 32” inseam, and 34-40” x
36” inseam. Retail price is $95.
www.surlybikes.com
Up until the advent of disc brakes track ends were thegold standard for single speed use, but disc brakes cancomplicate wheel removal if the disc interferes with thecaliper when sliding rearward, and aligning the caliper
and rotor can get complicated, and easy to do improperly in a rush. The new All-City Nature Boy Discsports the pictured sliding caliper design that has anintegrated chain tensioner for perfect caliper to rotoralignment every time. If you’re really looking to nerdout on the design of this dropout head on over to the
All-City blog for detailed posts by lead engineer Anna
Schwinn complete with napkin sketches and CAD renderings. www.allcitycycles.com

Meant for those bent on taking their road bikes offof the blacktop, the Panaracer Gravelking is clearlytargeting the burgeoning gravel race scene though it
should go over well with real-world riders looking fora serious tire with more flat protection than standard
road rubber. The pictured 28c version weighs just 267g.
Available in 700 x 23, 26 and 28 sizes for about $50
each, with larger volumes promised in the pipeline.
www.panaracer.com

20 URBANVELO.ORG

Chrome is getting into the commuter adventurer
pannier game with the Knurled Welded Waterproof Rolltop bags. Waterproof and lightweight are
the key features of commuter and touring bags, andthese are submersible up to the opening to protect
whatever it is that you need to carry on a daily basis.
Loops on the outside allow you to carry bonus gear
and accessories, and an included quick release railsystem allows the bags to securely snap on and offof the bike. Guaranteed for life. Retail price is $160.
www.chromeindustries.com

PITTSBURGH
By Jeff Guerrero
Photos by Rie Sawada

Cyclists can enjoy car-free cruising along Pittsburgh’s North Shore, with views of the stadiums and downtown.

City: Pittsburgh, PA
Nickname: The Steel City, the Iron City, or the Cityof Three Rivers.
Claim to Fame: Pittsburgh is home to the six-time
Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a drinking town with a sports problem, or vice versa.
History in 100 Words (or less): Pittsburgh began asa fort during the Seven Years’ War between the French

22 URBANVELO.ORG

and British. The British won, and Fort Pitt became acity, which in turn became famous for the productionof iron, then steel, then the development of aluminum.
Pittsburgh played a significant role in the development of nuclear power, and today stands as one of theworld’s foremost medical and technological centers.
It’s also a big time food city, owing to an early influxof eastern European immigrants, followed by the more
recent proliferation of Asian cuisine.

Top Shop(s): Hands down, the most famous shop in
Pittsburgh is Kraynick’s. The top two shops for urban
cyclists are Thick Bikes and Iron City Bikes. But Pittsburgh has more than a dozen individual shops, severalof which have numerous locations, such as Trek ofPittsburgh.
The no-cost, do-it-yourself area of Kraynick’s bike shop.

Random Fact: Mr. Rogers is from Pittsburgh. His
neighborhood is a fictitious amalgamation of Pittsburgh
neighborhoods, but the show featured a who’s who ofPittsburgh citizens, including regular appearances bystoried jazz musician Joe Negri as Handyman Negri.
City’s Terrain: Pittsburgh is hilly with narrow streetsand lots of bridges. As part of the Rust Belt, road maintenance takes a backseat to other public interests, butbike lanes continue to pop up as the economy continues to rely more on the education, technology andmedical fields. As a relatively small city, Pittsburgh
is very “bikeable” as long as you’re either young orstrong, or you stick to the bike lanes and the bike paths
which are flat and run along the rivers.
Weather Forecast: Pittsburgh sees the best andworst of all four seasons, but the climate is generally
pretty mild. Expect snow and ice in the winter, andhot, humid summers, but it’s seldom as extreme as theconditions in cities like Minneapolis or Tucson.

A Primanti Brothers sandwich and the most popular local beer.

Best Watering Hole(s): In this writer’s opinion,
Kelly’s Bar & Lounge is the finest dive bar in Pittsburgh,
but we would be remiss to overlook Over The Bar
Bicycle Café, which now has two locations. D’s Six Pax& Dogz, a hotdog shop located right next to the mountain bike trails of Frick Park, is a beer lover’s dream.
Also, the Church Brew Works is a stunning repurposing of an old church that now serves craft beer that’s
brewed on site.
Authentic Local Food: It’s hard to talk about Pittsburgh without mentioning Primanti Brothers, hometo the greasiest, messiest, most delicious sandwich
in America. You don’t get fries with it, you get fries
on it. As well as coleslaw and cheese. French fries andprovolone cheese are common toppings for salads in
Pittsburgh, and if you order a fried fish sandwich, beprepared for the filet to extend way beyond the bun.

Over The Bar Bicycle Café has good beer and lots of bike parking.

URBANVELO.ORG

23

Best Time to Visit: The spring and fall are beautiful, but nobody loves fireworks like the residents ofPittsburgh, so come on July 4th and party outside withthe locals.
Need For Speed: Pittsburgh has a rich history of bike
racing, including the infamous Dirty Dozen hillclimb
race. There are regular crits during the summer, andmore mountain bike races than you can shake a stickat, as well as cross races and alleycats. Pittsburgh also
has a storied BMX history.
Bicycle Heaven is Pittsburgh’s bicycle museum.

Best Coffee Shop(s): Pittsburgh has numerous highquality coffee shops, but the most notable is Tazzad’Oro, who sponsors weekly group rides dubbed
Team Caffeine and Team Decaf. There are also several
local coffee roasters, including Prestogeorge in theStrip District.

Two Wheeled Celebrities: Pittsburgh’s most notable bike celebrity is known as the Bumper Bike guy.
He has several bikes, each with an automobile bumper
lashed to the handlebars, making for an unusual but
unforgettable sight.

Must See: The Pittsburgh skyline is beautiful, andthe city plays host to a number of cultural attractions including the Andy Warhol Museum and its many
professional sports complexes. There’s also a bicycle
museum just a stone’s throw from the casino.
Must Ride: If you only have an hour or two, you’ll
want to take advantage of Pittsburgh’s most famous
bike path, locally known as The Jail Trail. It runs fromdowntown to Oakland, where you’ll climb out of Panther Hollow up to the University of Pittsburgh. Stopand eat some fries at The O, then head into the East
End, or back down and across the river to the Southside for drinks.

Dave at Prestogeorge knows coffee like the back of his hand.

Top Tourist Attraction(s): Sports, sports, sports,
sports, sports. The Carnegie Museums are world class,including the aforementioned Andy Warhol Museum.
The city hosts numerous gallery crawls, a large annualarts festival, a regatta, and countless theatrical, musicaland other cultural events.
Advocacy: Pittsburgh’s advocacy organization,
BikePGH has been named the national advocacy organization of the year. With strong support and equallystrong leadership, the local non-profit has made bigchanges in a city that’s deeply rooted in car culture. To
date there’s an ever-increasing number of bike lanes,
and bikeshare is scheduled for summer 2014.

D’s serves up high end beer with gourmet hot dogs and fries.

24 URBANVELO.ORG

Locals Only: The city has three rivers, and theirshores are an excellent place to congregate on warm
summer nights. Locals can show you secret party
spots, rope swings and more.
Check out www.bikepgh.org

VX Race

The VX Race is our top of the line XC and Cyclocross pedal. Built
around a forged and heat treated CNC machined cromoly axle, top
quality oil seals, roller bearings and dual sealed cartridge bearings,
the VX Race is a smooth turning, durable, and user-serviceablepedal system guaranteed to see you through as many epic rides
and full-on hammerfests as you can handle.
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SPD® compatible, 60mm aluminum bodyHeat treated steel VX bindings w/ adjustable release tension
Forged, heat treated, CNC machined cromoly steel axle
High quality oil seals for superior longevity
Roller and double sealed cartridge bearings
Rebuild kits available
Lifetime warranty

Learn more about our full rangeof SPD® compatible pedals.
www.vp-usa.com/vp-vx-series©2014 VP Components Co LTD.

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sb

ke t .

co m

MDomestically, outlaw bike races haveenjoyed an off-road, off-stage spotlightsince the days of the Repack events on
Mount Tamalpais back when Saber Tooth Tigers
and Woolie Mammoths roamed the earth. Alleycats have been an urban cycling mainstay foralmost two decades. In that time, roving bandsof cyclists have eschewed traditionally organized
events with insurance coverage and astronomical entry fees. The Bay Area has long been thehome for off the grid events in every discipline ofbike racing, and having a long and sordid history
with these races, I was intrigued when Minneapolis resident and All-City Brand Manager Jeff
Frane began organizing his own cyclocross series
through the network of roads and trails along
little traveled banks of the Mississippi River. Having watched the development of his races fromafar, I was thrilled that one was to coincide witha previously scheduled trip to the Twin Cities.

URBANVELO.ORG

27

Bandit Cross organizer Jeff Frane

The Tenets of Bandit Cross
NO ENTRY FEE

Attitudes tend to be much better at free events.

NO PRIZES

Kindness shows through with only bragging rights
on the line.

REQUIRE A WAIVER

Legal counsel has advised that a waiver can help
out in a pinch.

HAVE FUN

Don’t wait for somebody else, make it happen.

To a casual observer, the planning stage often
happens with rapid-fire spontaneity with promotion
always occurring though word of mouth and a single
heavily circulated flyer. Too much planning can result incritical eyes being directed to the effort and pulling one
off stealthily is always the call. Behind the scenes however, a very different picture exists, as Jeff methodicallyplots the course in his head and then in real time as
he arrives long before the impending revelers. As hecarefully marks the course with natural features, andtakes care of light trail work in an effort to minimize
any impact, the fruits of his efforts begin to take shape.
In response to wanting to race cyclocross, but beingturned off by the high entry fees, and occasional dour
attitude of some fellow competitors he encountered,it was three years ago when Frane finally decided thatthe best course of action was to simply organize his
own events. After years of hosting alleycats and various
messenger races, putting the Bandit Cross events on
was a simple transition. So far the premiere race has
been the only one that has had an entry fee required,the funds from which were ultimately invested in trail
care equipment. Secondly, the idea of riding a crossbike on the local courses of finely manicured parkland
never was of interest, however riding one on sketchy
single track, and through rocky creek crossings added

an element of excitement and adventure that was infectious. Harkening back to the days of “Jungle Cross,”
Frane found inspiration and applied it in the natural setting of the local trail network.
With a background solidly set in a more punk rock,
DIY aesthetic, the motivation for these functions is tonot simply rest on any laurels and wait for someone
else to create an event for you to attend. And Jeff’s notalone in this mind set. Fed up with traditionally organized competitions, people the world over are taking
the proverbial bull by the horns and embarking on theirown visions of how they think a fun event should be
realized.
URBANVELO.ORG

29

The Bandit Cross participants were of every skill
level and on nearly every kind of bike. There we were
all racing our bikes together and at the conclusion ofwhich was a social time for taking on various forms
of nourishment and talking with fellow competitors
about favorite aspects of the course. Everybody ishere for the exact same reasons and without exception, egos were checked at the door.
Post race, participants and spectators alike stooden mass around a hollow in the forest commiseratingon the course, life, loves and all topics in between.
Voices echoed through the trees, and the sounds

30 URBANVELO.ORG

of excited laughter resonated in all directions as thesun set on another successful fiasco.
With a crisp fall bite in the air, Jeff and I walked
through the woods together after my inaugural Bandit
Cross, clearing course marker tape and traffic cones
and he said “I always get stressed out before thesego off, but then people come and the race happens,there’s no trail conflicts, and everyone has a fun time.
Really, and I know it sounds corny, but these things
just give me faith in humanity, you know?”
After having finally seen it for myself, I totallydo.

NAHBS2014
by Brad Quartuccio

presented bywww.panaracer.com

Clockwise from left: Peacock
Groove, Independent Fabrication,
Broakland, Cherubim, Sycip

32 URBANVELO.ORG

Check out www.urbanvelo.org/nahbs

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GRAVEL KING
ALL-ROADS
ALL-CONDITIONS

ALL-WEATHERPANARACERGRAVEL KING
700x23, 26, 28

www.panaracer.com

NAHBS
2014
by Brad Quartuccio

34 URBANVELO.ORG

Check out www.urbanvelo.org/nahbs

presented bywww.panaracer.com

Clockwise from left: Sunrise Cycles, Airtight Cycles, Don
Walker Cycles, Six Eleven Bicycle Co, Breadwinner Cycles,
Argonaut Cycles, Alternative Needs Transportation
URBANVELO.ORG

35

NAHBS
2014
by Brad Quartuccio

36 URBANVELO.ORG

Check out www.urbanvelo.org/nahbs

presented bywww.panaracer.com

Clockwise from left: Lundbeck Cycles, Cykelmageren,
Engin Cycles, Ti Cycles, Zukas Cycles, Retrotec Cycles
URBANVELO.ORG

37

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Pure Fix Kilo
The fixed gear bandwagon pulled out a few years
ago, and in its wake left a number of inexpensive complete options. Long gone are the days of retired trackframes and hard to find parts, today there is no shortage of of complete bikes to choose from at most any
price point. Pure Fix sells complete fixed gear bikes
consumer direct and through shops complete for $325($400 as shown with glow in the dark paint), making
them an attractive entry point for price conscious buyers such as students, first time adult bike buyers, andpeople looking for a secondary city bike.
The bike looks the part with aggressive lines,
deep section rims and riser bars. Where some color
matched complete bikes can be garish, I’ll give PureFix credit with having choices that match the aesthetic
seen on much more expensive builds. Good looks
aside, the bike remains an entry level bike at an entry
level price with a high tensile steel frame and mostly
no-name parts spec to match. Both a freewheel and

38 URBANVELO.ORG

fixed cog setup are included, but only a front brake,leaving single speed riders to budget $25 for a matching rear caliper and lever. The bike isn’t a lightweight—
the hi-ten frame, deep rims, steel chainring and otherparts mix mean that our 58 cm Pure Fix weighs in at
25.75 lbs. The frame has a single bottle mount and has
mounts for a fender, though the fork does not havedropout eyelets. It was nice to see the frame ship withchain tensioners to aid keeping the rear wheel justright, and reasonably sized 28c tires for city riding. Fivesizes between 47-61 cm are offered, making Pure Fix
an economical choice for people of a wide variety ofheights.
In the name of a proper test we handed off thePure Fix Kilo to Jet Messenger rider Shane Montgomery for a few weeks of daily duty, figuring a month ofcourier work is worth a year or more of riding froman entry level consumer. “Overall, the geometry felt
pretty good. For the fun-ride or short commute andPRODUCT REVIEWS
casual rider, it’d be a great ride. Wheels roll as theyshould, and the BB is actually buttery for a no-name.
I had to replace the brake as the quick release cameoff in my hand as soon as I opened it to swap thebrake pads for more reliable stopping on the nonmachined rim (accompanied by a crowd-splitting,loud squeal). Glowing worked well as long as it was
set under bright lighting just before night riding,though the paint had a few pock marks and was easily chipped.”
While Pure Fix does have a number of dealers
and recommends professional assembly, there is
no doubt that many of the bikes are going direct toconsumers for unboxing and assembly. In that light
it is worth noting that the rear triangle of our test
frame seemed askew—it was difficult to place therim evenly between both the chainstay and seatstay,
no matter the placement the rim was off-center in
one or the other part of the rear triangle. A skilledmechanic would catch this upon assembly and it
would be covered under warranty, but a consumerpurchasing direct may fail to notice.

As a starter bike meant to give the single speed or
fixed gear world a try, the standard Pure Fix bikes canprove a reasonable choice, especially with professional
assembly. Lowering the barrier to entry into bikes is agood thing all around, and alignment and brake quick
release issues aside if the Pure Fix Kilo can handle a few
weeks of harsh courier use it can handle more entry level
riders. It’s easy to point towards bikes “only” $100-150
more that are undoubtedly better, but that is not an insignificant sum as compared to the $325 base Pure Fix price.
In fact, Pure Fix themselves now offer a $450 option
with a 4130 chromoly frame, and nicer fork, wheels,and tires for those looking for upgrades out of the box.
www.purefixcycles.com

URBANVELO.ORG

39

PRODUCT REVIEWS
Red taillights are an important piece of dusk and nighttime riding safety. Some would even argue for their use in daytime
hours, just in case. Rechargeable lights are increasing popular choices for daily commuters tired of purchasing batteries,
with USB becoming the near universal power interface. Runtimes listed are as claimed by manufacturer, your experience
will vary with use and condition.

Planet Bike Superflash USB
Price: $35
Modes: Steady / Superflash
Runtime: Up to 36 h in SuperFlash
Mount: Clip and bike mountCharging: Mini USB
Weight: 50 g (with seatpost mount)
Features: Low battery flash pattern for last 20 min of
charge.

Cateye Rapid X
Price: $40
Modes: High / Low / Flash / Rapid Flash / Pulse / Vibration
Runtime: 1 / 5 / 30 / 16 / 16 / 8 hMount: Silicone band
Charging: Micro USB
Weight: 24 g
Features: Mounts to 12-32 mm diameter tubes, auto
low battery 1 h flash mode, smart button.

When the Planet Bike Superflash was introduced it
instantly became the gold standard by which otherblinkies are judged. This year it has been updated toa USB rechargeable model while retaining the familiar Superflash form. The clip mount isn’t as elegant
as a built in band, especially when the bike mount isleft behind empty, but it does allow you to clip it toyour clothing or bag and is compatible with aftermarket rack mounts. The side recharging port helps
to keep the electronics away from tire overspray.
www.planetbike.com

The Cateye Rapid X is a featherweight contender andby far the lightest of these four lights. Coupled withthe low profile design, the Rapid X is as at home on
sleek road bikes as on the evening commute. Given
the mounting style, it is however impossible to change
the angle of the light for optimal visibility though thecurved lens body provides a wide angle of view. Whereother lights boast of side visibility, the Rapid X is nearlyas bright from the sides as from the back. Leave theband on even when removed from the bike and you’ll
be sure to not lose the rubber back panel that covers
the body and USB port. www.cateye.com

40 URBANVELO.ORG

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Portland Design Works Aether Demon
Price: $49
Modes: Steady / Dance / Breathe / Group Ride
Runtime: 3.5 / 8 / 8 / 175 h
Mount: Clip and bike mountCharging: Mini USB
Weight: 53 g (with seatpost mount)
Features: Epic Group Ride mode runtime at 10%
power, smart button.

Knog Blinder Road R
Price: $60
Modes: Steady / Fast / Chaser / Peleton / Eco-Flash
Runtime: 3.5 / 4 / 5 / 13 / 20 h
Mount: Seatpost silicone band
Charging: Male USB plug, includes cable
Weight: 53 g
Features: Completely submersible, cordless charging,smart button.

When it comes to ultimate run time, the PDW Aether
Demon wins hands down with its seemingly never ending Group Ride mode. Helpful to not blind your friends
behind you, it’s also a great bail out mode to havewhen you know you haven’t recharged as recently as
you should have. The smart button prevents accidental
pocket battery drains, and is easy to find and operatewith gloves on. Just make sure the USB charging port issecurely plugged before riding in the rain as it is in lineof the tire spray. The Breathe mode is maybe the mosteye pleasing and Dance the most eye catching—nicecombo. www.ridepdw.com

No matter the weather, the Knog Blinder Road R willcontinue to shine—it can go through an entire charge
submerged in water. The Blinder does not need a cord
to recharge, it plugs directly into a USB port, though
it can be a tight fit in some configurations. The silicone mount and metal clasp make it easy to remove forcharging or lockup, and are very durable as long as you
don’t overstretch, though have no adjustment for better viewing angle. The battery indicator comes on toolate to be much use and the button is hard to operate
while riding, but this remains my most used taillight.
www.knog.com.au
URBANVELO.ORG

41

PRODUCT REVIEWS

Bern Morrison
Bern has been a mainstay in the urban cycling scene
for some time now, and they’ve been successful in theskate, snow and watersports markets, as well. So it
only makes sense that they would eventually branch
out within the bike world with the $99 Morrison,
their first mountain bike specific model. Essentially thesame as the new Allston (with a visor), the Morrison isdesigned to be lighter and more ventilated than previous models.
Bern’s signature Zip Mold Plus construction pairs
a PVC shell with liquid injected polyurethane foam, as
well as six nylon ribs molded into the foam. Their latest
design allowed them to shave some weight off without
sacrificing strength (it meets ASTM F 2040, CPSC and
EN 1078 standards).
The Morrison features a removable rubberizedvisor and comes in a variety of color schemes. Touches
like contrasting or color-coordinated chin straps show
Bern’s commitment to aesthetics as well as safety.
After all, a good looking helmet encourages people
want to wear one.

42 URBANVELO.ORG

I’ve always had good luck with the fit of Bernhelmets, but they’ve switched up their sizing for thismodel. I started with a L/XL Morrison, which felt greaton the showroom floor but proved to be a bit too tightin the fore/aft dimensions (side to side it was OK). I
wound up needing the largest of the three sizes, XXLXXXL. The dial at the back of the helmet doesn’t seem
to offer as much adjustment as I might like, but since I
have a pretty big head, I don’t need to snug the helmet
down very much. It’s kind of interesting that the chinstrap does not adjust at the ear junction, yet it doesn’t
seem to negatively effect the fit.
At 451 g the Morrison is a bit heavy compared tocomparable mountain helmets. On the bike, the helmet feels well balanced, and the weight and coverage
actually lends to a feeling of security.
The construction quality is top notch, and I
especially like how the main part of the helmet liner
connects via snaps, not just little tabs of Velcro.
www.bernunlimited.com

USB Rechargeable
Safety Light

www. ilumenox.com

PRODUCT REVIEWS
NiteRider Lightning Bug 100 USB

WOHO Ninja Ninja Deluxe Gloves
WOHO’s Ninja Ninja gloves feature a smooth,breathable Lycra shell with a synthetic suede palmmaterial. The palms feature a non-slip silicon coating
and SBR foam padding which feels thin until you grab
the handlebar, then it feels quite substantial. Overall
they’re a very comfortable pair of gloves. I also likethat these don’t use a Velcro wrist closure—unless it’s
a compression strap for wrist support, it just seems
unnecessary.
One of the major features of the long-fingered
Ninja Ninja gloves is the use of touch-screen friendly
fabric on the index finger tip and thumb. In fact, thismay be my favorite feature. It’s a simple conveniencethat’s probably going to be ubiquitous in a few years.
Another interesting feature that’s only on the fingerless version are small pull tabs on the middle two fingers. This seems a little less necessary to me, personally, but might make some people quite happy.
I do feel that the Ninja Ninja gloves run small, so
you’ll want to double check with WOHO’s size chart,and perhaps order one size up if you feel that you haverather large hands.
The Ninja Ninja Deluxe gloves come in a variety
of solid colors, all accented with color-matched elastic bands with a subtle silicon logo. The long fingered
gloves retail for $31 ($28 for short fingered) and comein sizes S-XXL. www.wohobike.com

44 URBANVELO.ORG

The Lightning Bug 100 USB is NiteRider’s idea ofa high-quality light for the practical commuter. Meaning that it’s affordable at $39, yet powerful. It features
trickle down technology from their Lumina and Makolines, yet retains the simplicity of the original Lightning
Bug.
As the name implies, it features a 100 lumen maximum output. There’s also a half power mode, and aflashing mode intended for daylight safety. The 800
mAh battery charges in 2.5 hours via USB, and provides an equal amount of runtime on high mode (6 h on
low, 26 h flashing).
The simple, tool-free silicone mounting system isconvenient and easy to use, even with gloves on. You
don’t need to stretch the band terribly tight to makethe light stay put, which bodes well for it not snapping after extended use. The whole unit feels like it’sbuilt to last, which is generally the case with NiteRider
products.
The beam pattern is pretty soft and wide, which
I personally appreciate. Of course in this day and ageof 1000 lumen commuting lights, the humble Lightning Bug isn’t nearly the brightest light on the road.
But many of us remember when 100 lumens was considered super bright, and it’s still enough to get you
around town at night. www.niterider.com

REAL BIKES THAT FOLD.

TMMONTAGUE
R

Performance

Portability

www.montaguebikes.com 617.491.7200

46 URBANVELO.ORG

Bicycling
Art
In A Melting Pot

Bicycle artist? Perhaps not an obvious profession. But Tahlia Lempert is just that.
And finding inspiration is not difficult in a bicycle metropolis like New York City.

By Matilda Hedberg Dowdle
Photos by Takuya SakamotoAn anonymous door below a green marquee with
the number “35” in modest letters marks ourdestination. It’s a cold winters morning in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and we’re happy to get inside. Up
old industrial stairs to the third floor, and we knock on
the door. The clock has just chimed eleven.
Until the 1960s, this was an old toy factory. Today,
the third floor houses a huge studio and apartment.
With dented doors, dusty windows and old wooden
beams lining the ceiling, this is where Tahlia Lempert
lived together with her boyfriend. Both bicycle enthusiasts, she’s an artist and he owns a bike shop over in
Manhattan.

The bike is such a central part of our society. It’s avery interesting form of transportation, Tahlia says.
We’re seated at a huge wooden table in the middleof one of the rooms. The smell of oil and paint is lying
thick in the air, and light manages to find its way into

the building through the old windows, getting somehelp from a couple of lamps. Just next to us is a great
deal of Tahlia’s artwork. While Tahlia also makes jewellery, it’s paintings and screen-prints that today are on
display. In the middle of it all, a large painting of a red
Crescent catches our eyes. Next to it, a grey mountainbike with a thick frame is waiting to be the next victim.
It has been sent to Tahlia from a guy in Boston.
Many people send me their bikes so that I can paintthem. It’s how I like to work. I want to have theobject physically in front of me, not a photograph.
Growing up further north in New York state,
Tahlia headed to the Big Apple during the 1980s. She
studied to be an artist at New York University andstarted bringing the city’s atmosphere into her work.
When she bought a bike and left her Metro Card at
home, her new form of transportation became a central part of her art.
URBANVELO.ORG

47

I focused a lot on painting portraits of people at the
beginning. Then it was people with bikes, and now
I just paint bikes. I showcase my art at bike festivals
and markets; it’s a way to get my art out there.
The city of New York is a great place for inspiration, and it’s not difficult to nurture your interest if
you’re a fan of the bicycling culture.
You could say that the sport is more popular in
New York than you think. Bike rounds focused on
women, projects to get young people more involvedin the sport, there’s a velodrome in Queens that’s
very popular. And alley cat races are huge here.
And when taking a tour of Tahlia’s apartment, you
can really tell that her and her boyfriend’s interest in
the sport of cycling is huge. Not just because of thelarge Crescent painting, or the pile of screen prints.
But when we move into another room, it becomes
more apparent.
Bamboo frames, tires to infinity and a collection ofold bottles from various cycling teams. Huge old gears,
worn out straps that one day held down leather cycling
shoes. Away from all of the paintings and prints, there’s

48 URBANVELO.ORG

a room filled with bikes. This is a gold mine: there arebikes from the early 20th century to present time.
Tahlia shows us around and picks out different thingsfrom piles and points of different models. Bob Jackson,
Hampsten, some unmarked. Many of the bikes are soentangled in each other that it’s difficult to see whatbrand they are, or how old they are.
Most of the bikes belong to my boyfriend. Somehe has put together himself. We both collect bikes,
work with them, I use them in my art. They’re very
interesting, especially the really old ones.
Interesting is just the start. But I can’t help but
wonder if this is forever? Art can surely be changed;
will bikes always be the main focus in Tahlia’s art? The
answer I simple.
Well, as long as I’m interested in it, I’ll continue
painting bikes.
We say our goodbyes, preparing to head off into
the chilly winds and, despite the bitter cold, brightly
shining sun. The heavy door closes behind us. The smellof oil and paint still lingering over our heads.
Check out www.bicyclepaintings.com

St up o r B o w l X V I I - a t w o -d ay h a ng o v e r, a l i f et i m e o f me mo r i e s .

FA ST IS FOR EV ER .

$3,500

claim isThe most common
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oup rides
occuring during gr

ke insuredbiAverage value of

VERAGEes sense when
Bike insurance mak$750+
a bike is valued at

00 bikeCoverage for $3,5

ly$200 to insure year
le$100 deductib

e clients insure
25% of Velosuranc
more than one bike

ADDITIONAL CO

ge forWorldwide covera
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international trave
Liability - $74

covers the$5000 of medical
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insurance for $46

contact$25,000 in vehicle
protection - $46

ANYTHING

COULD

HAPPENHow Bicycle Insurance is Protecting Cyclists from The Unexpected

By Krista CarlsonFor many, bikes occupy a huge chunk of their lives.
More than just a means of transportation, ourbikes give people a way to move around, connect
with their communities, and stay healthy. As a resultof spending infinite hours in the saddle, cyclists often
treat bikes like children: We name them, we groom
them, and we protect them with our lives—but justlike any good parent, you can’t always be there for yourbike.
When Jonathan Matz had his bicycle stolen outside
his Manhattan office, he knew he’d be able to replace
it. Valued at $3000, his VeloOrange Polyvalent was alabor of love, composed of hand-picked components
to perfectly suit his needs and taste.
Infographic by Scott Spitz“Someone beat a New York Kryponite lock,” hesays. “It’s still a mystery to me to this day, but I’m notsure I would have been able to contemplate replacing[the bike] if I didn’t have the Velosurance policy.”
Studies have shown that many bicycle theft victims
do not buy a replacement, and that fear of theft may
actually discourage bicycle use. Despite the deep connection between bikes and their riders, bicycle insurance typically exists in the periphery of their minds,
after the wish list of shiny new parts and visions of ideal
infrastructure improvements.
“Everybody understands why you get car insurance,” says Matz, who purchased policies on both of
his bikes last year when he found out about bike insurURBANVELO.ORG

51

THINGS THATARE COVERED•You hit a dog and have to pay
vet bills.
•A riot breaks loose and yourbike is set on fire.
•The shop bike you are borrowing is stolen (locked properly).
•You’ve been in a hit and run
and have a broken leg and a
totaled bike.
•Your brother rides your biketo the store and brings it backwith a broken fork (family byblood or marriage living at thesame residence are covered).
•You pack your bike up all niceand safe and the airlines manage to brutalize it anyway.

THINGS THAT ARENOT COVERED•You shotgun a 12 pack and ride
your bike into a tree (as withdriving a car, DUI for any controlled substance disqualifies).
•Your bike is confiscated while
you’re camping on BLM land.
•You’re a courier and you gethit (commercial use is not covered).
•Your GoPro comes loose fromyour handlebar, falls off andgets run over (digital equipment affixed to your bike may
not be covered).

52 URBANVELO.ORG

ance. “I know people who havewrecked their bikes on rides, andobviously bike theft is unfortunate
but a very real thing. It seems foolish to think that neither of themwould ever happen to me.”Not only is bike theft a realpossibility, but it’s more likely thanhaving your car stolen. The International Crime Victim Survey foundthat bicycle owners are more than
twice as much at risk of having theirbikes stolen than car owners theircars. As sales of new bikes increase
and commuting by bike becomes
more popular, bike theft has seen
an uptick as well. According to the
FBI Crime Statistics Report, biketheft rose 3% in 2012. Additionally, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
reports an increase in collisions
involving bicycles and cars.
“There’s never a day I don’t geta report,” says Velosurance CEO
Dave Williams. “There’s always abicycle accident somewhere.”
Until recently, cyclists seeking to insure their bike had to relyon patchy coverage from policies designed for other purposes.
While some protection is provided
through homeowner’s, renter’s,
auto and health insurance, dedicated bicycle insurance can provide
much more comprehensive protection.
“Homeowner’s insurance doesa very poor job at insuring bikes,”says Williams, adding that coverage under these policies is typicallylimited to fire and theft. “Very few
bicycles are going to burst intoflames.”Restrictions on where the theftoccurs is also problematic. Other
types of insurance, such as healthor auto, may provide coverage for
injury or liability, but not both.
The bigger problem, however, isthe lack of protection against uninsured and hit and run motorists,
which until now has been unavailable to cyclists who are not also car
owners.
“This is a patently unfair situation,” says BikeLaw attorney Bob
Mionske. “Is there any rational reason that one cyclist has access touninsured motorist coverage, simply because the cyclist owns a car,while another cyclist does not haveaccess to that insurance? Of course
not—the requirement to own a car
is entirely arbitrary.”

How It Works
When Matz found his bikemissing the first thing he did wascall Williams. “He said ‘Actually,
you should call the police.’”
Theft is just one instance inwhich insuring your bike can mitigate financial loss. On any given day
the best case scenario is a perfectbike ride: No flats, mechanicals,
crashes, or run-ins with cars, perfect weather and no coming out ofa store to find nothing but a broken
lock. Bike insurance can’t protect
against bad weather, but it can easethe sting of mechanical failures, hit
and runs, and crashes, which are
likely to hurt financially as well as
physically.
“Now a cyclist can not only
protect their bicycle but can protect themselves from the unfortunate risks when riding,” says Craig
Dawson of Spoke. “Cyclists sharethe same rights and responsibilities
as other road users but didn’t sharea lot of the same benefits until
companies like Spoke came along.”Specialized insurance for bicycles has been available in Australia,
South Africa and the UK for sometime, but has only come available to
the U.S. public since 2013. A few of
the carriers covering cyclists in the
U.S. today are Spoke Bicycle Insurance, Velosurance and Markel.
“Markelisconstantly
approached with new ideas for
new products, and we received
significant interest from the cycling
community to look into bicycle
insurance,” said Lauren Hernandez,
product manager for bicycle insurance at Markel, a company thatspecializes in insuring recreational
sports. “Markel Bicycle addresses
the unique needs of riders such as
coverage while racing, theft awayfrom home, rental and event fee
reimbursement and coverage forriding apparel and spare parts.”
Getting insurance on a bicycle
is a lot like insuring a car. Under atypical policy, a bike can be insured
against theft, damage, liability,
medical, and uninsured motorists.
Optional endorsements vary fromone company to another, but generally include roadside assistance,
trip interruption and worldwide
coverage.
“Our policies cover anything
accidental in the United States or
Canada—if you’re taking a trip to
Italy and you’re insured for worldwide coverage you don’t have to tellus,” Williams says.
Every policy is specific to aparticular bicycle; multiple bicycles
can be insured under umbrellatype policies and insurers may
offer secondary policies for lower
premiums. Typically policies havea minimum $100 deductible. As
with auto insurance, a higher policy

54 URBANVELO.ORG

deductible lowers premiums. Bikes
are insured based on a stated value,
which should equate to either theamount paid for a bike, the amount
it would cost to replace it, or theamount an individual would accept
to purchase a replacement.
“The average homeowneris really purchasing the peace ofmind that if something does gowrong, they are protected—and
this peace of mind is exactly what
cyclists are looking for when theypurchase bicycle insurance,” says
Mionske. “The peace of mind that
if something does go wrong, they
are protected, whether it be froma personal liability claim against
the cyclist, from damage to theirbike in a crash, or from being left
stranded after a breakdown—orbeing injured by an irresponsible,
uninsured driver.”Rates are calculated based on acyclist’s region of residence, financial responsibility and insurance
history, their bike and their riding
habits: commuter, recreational,
competitive, or professional. Policy
premiums average roughly sevenpercent of the value of a bike, says
Williams.
“In Wisconsin it might be five
percent; in Miami in might be eight.
If you’ve got a bad insurance score
it could be nine percent,” says Williams, describing how the country is
broken up into three tiers that are
based on how many months out of
the year there is reasonable riding
weather (higher in the Southwest
and lower in the Northeast).
Matz’s insurance for both his
touring/commuting and road bikes
totals $360 altogether. “It’s reallyjust a matter of figuring what it
would cost to fix or replace yourbike,” he says. “There are components that cost almost as much—changing my crankset is going to
be not much less than my $180 tocover one bike.”
Policy premiums start at $100
through Velosurance; as partners,
Markel and Velosurance offer thesame policies and rates—the maindifference is that Velosurance
handles bike insurance only and isoperated by cyclists. “When you
call here you talk to someone who
really speaks the same language,”says Williams.
Spoke Insurance, which is abranch of Sports Insurance Solutions, has established a yearly set
premium for all bicycles valued
at $2000 or less. “If a cyclist was
to take full coverage it would cost
approximately $22 per month,”says Dawson. “We offer the option
to break up the coverage—for
example, theft and damage only or
liability only—but the differencein price is so small that it is moreadvantageous to take full coverage.”
It becomes economically feasible to insure a bike at $750, says
Williams. He says that while hit andruns are covered, there are few
if any claims based on them, andnotes that just like theft, a police
report must be filed in the event ofan accident in order to file a claim.
As for Matz’s disappearing PolyValent, “When it was all said anddone I had a reimbursement for thefull value of the bike and was able
to purchase a new one,” he says.
“It took about five weeks, though
it was entirely down to the NYPD.
I had to get a copy of the report.
That held it up for maybe a weekor two. All things considered it waspretty quick.”DESIGNEDFOR YOURJOURNEYK W IC K T EN D RIL EN D RUA NC E | The
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CETMAAN INTERVIEW WITH LANE KAGAY
By Krista Carlson
What’s the first thing you do when you’re getting readyto build a cargo bike?
A lot of frame builders have this ritual where they’llmeet with the customer and take their measurements
and get them fitted for their bike; all my bikes are thesame, which makes it easier to produce and more efficient—but the first thing I do is all the bending; I try to
do all the bending for the bikes all at once. I have thisstuff systemized, and we’re almost at the point now
where we can get a bike done in one day.

L

ane Kagay is the owner and fabricator behind
CETMA, and builds racks and cargo bikes in
Venice, California. He recently took in his first
apprentice, to share his skillset and improve his own
production process. It all began 8 years ago when hebuilt himself a rack to ease his work as a bike messenger. Since adding cargo bikes to his line, they havebeen embraced by parents and business owners tomake their lives go a little smoother as well, including
the University of Kentucky’s mobile bike shop, a bikerental and delivery business in Austin called Bikes on
Bikes, and a coffee delivery business in Montana. We
visited the CETMA shop recently to chat with Lane
about his bikes; here’s what he told us:

56 URBANVELO.ORG

What ways are you expanding your operation this year?
I have an extra brain and extra hands to help me; that’s
how I’m expanding. From the beginning I’ve neverintentionally tried to go into business, or deliberately
tried to expand.

The way this whole thing got started was I built a rack
for myself in my garage, and people at my work wanted
them. I was a bike messenger in San Francisco, so
other people started asking me for them. Same thingwith the bikes; I built one and put it online and people
wanted them, so it just naturally grew into a business. It started as a weekend hobby, but I’m expanding
because demand is going up. If people stop buying bikes
and racks from me then, fine, I’ll make something else.
I don’t have big inventory, I don’t have a bunch of shit
made in China, and I don’t have a warehouse full of
stuff that I have to try to sell to people. It doesn’t workthat way here—somebody makes an order and thenwe make the bike for them.
Photo by Cara Eddo

ROPERCROSS. EVERYWHERE.

RALEIGHUSA.COM

You’ve lived in Chicago, San Francisco and Eugene.
What drew you to L.A.
Being a bike person in the bike industry, I was attracted
to move to L.A. because it’s like “Of course L.A. Why
shouldn’t bike builders move to L.A.?” That’s whereshit needs to be energized, where the traffic is theworst and people drive more than anything else. That’s
where bike builders need to be.
What are some of the trial and errors you’ve had building racks and bikes?
One advantage to building each bike one-at-a-time isthat each one can be improved from the last one, as
opposed to having a factory somewhere make a thousand bikes for me. If there’s something that needs to be
improved I don’t have to wait for the next batch; I can
implement those improvements immediately.

Earlier this year I changed the head tube angle slightly
on the bikes because I realized the handling needed to
be engineered more to suit my most popular customer
base. Originally I wanted my bikes to be for messenger
use, for riding fast, but I realized that most of my customers are families, parents riding slow—not necessarily cyclists—so I changed the engineering a little bitso that the bikes can handle better going slowly. Asidefrom that the bike has pretty much been unchanged
since its origins.
Do CETMA bikes fold?
They don’t really fold, but they bi-part in the centerof the frame. There are a lot of benefits to it, but it’sreally about the shipping. It’s also really useful for traveling. If you’re gonna go on a car trip for the weekend
you can easily bring the cargo bike with you.

It’s easy for me to deliver these bikes too. I had acustomer buy three bikes from me in Austin and theprice to ship was almost the same as driving it there,
so that’s what I did. I was able to shake the guy’s handand put the bikes together and answer any questions
he had in person.

Mike Gould took that, chopped it up, and used it as thefirst prototype. I owe a lot to that guy, Mike. He hasa background in engineering, he’s a real smart fabricator—so he went home and worked on the design—he’s
really the brains behind the original design of this bike.
That was it, we worked on that together and I took
pictures of it and put it on bike forums and started toget a lot of interesting feedback from people. Originally
we weren’t gonna make full cargo bikes; we were justgonna make fronts. The idea was that a customer could
bring me an old mountain bike that they liked and wewould modify it and turn it into a cargo bike. But thenpeople online started saying “Why don’t you just makerears? Why don’t you just make the whole thing?”
Where does the name CETMA come from?
CETMA is a goofy acronym that I invented, for “TheCenter for Electron Travel and Molecular Alignment”—when I first started I was a messenger in
San Francisco and I was just a nerd in a garage with awelder, and people wanted to know what I called myracks. I wanted to come up with a name that would
imply a big organization, so I called it something reallylong and silly. It refers to welding at the molecular level.
Do you get a lot of feedback from your customers?
Yeah, quite a lot. There’s a family who just received
their bike in New Jersey, and they have three kids. And
they’re selling all of their stuff. They have two cargobikes—one from me and one from another company—and they’re selling all their stuff and their going
to travel the country on cargo bikes and they’re justgonna have a fun time with their kids and hopefully
settle down in Portland. They have a blog about it atwww.dayswiththegrays.com

It’s also good if the bike is damaged. If there’s an accident—if only one part of the bike is damaged you don’t
need to replace the entire bicycle; you can just repair
or replace the portion that’s been damaged.

That is really brave.
It’s tremendous. It’s a real victory for me, to makethese bikes here in the shop, and put them all together
and build a shipping crate and pack them carefully, ship
it off and then get these pictures from families who are
now unpacking it and assembling it with their kids, andthey’re gonna use it for years and years. That’s easily
the most gratifying part of what I do. I love making
stuff, working with melding and welding. I love all thatshit, but that’s the part that’s really cool.

Did the first bikes you made have the bipartiblefeature?
The first prototype was a WalMart mountain bike.

Check out www.cetmacargo.com

58 URBANVELO.ORG

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Multi-Speed Chain Length
By Brad Quartuccio

Determining chain length on a single speed drivetrain is straightforward
enough, but proper chain length on a multi-speed derailleur system isn’t asbrainless. Too short of a chain on a multi-speed system can lead to binding
and potentially a broken chain or other components—it’s important to haveenough chain to wrap around the largest combination of front and rear teeth
with space for the rear derailleur. One popular way to determine chain length
is to wrap the chain around the large chainring and largest cog, without going
through the rear derailleur, and pull it tight. Note the shortest length it could
be joined and add two links (one inch) of chain to account for the rear derailleur. If you are using a master link be sure to account for its length in yourlink addition.

60 URBANVELO.ORG

More than 40
tech articles areavailable online at
urbanvelo.org/techGIVE A

BIKE!

88Bikes provides a simple, direct
way to donate bikes to kids who arechallenged to be their own heroes.
Join us on our journey at www.88bikes.org

www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org

life changing.

OutroCostumes encouraged, partying mandatory, rules optional. Bilenky Junkyard Cross is a less-than-formal bike race throughthe junkyard behind Bilenky Cycle Works in Philadelphia. The 8th annual event was held in conjunction with the Single Speed
Cyclocross World Championships, acting as a qualifier for the main event. Ripping through the aisles of the junkyard, over a
car and through a van riders raced in heats of about 15 a piece to vie for spots in the men’s and women’s SSCXWC main event.
A near perfect event, though you may not want to jump your ‘cross bike over the junked car. Photos by Brad Quartuccio

62 URBANVELO.ORG

Christina Peck, messenger Godspeed Courier, two-time NACCC Champion, San Francisco, CA

abus.com

I TRUST MY U-MINI 40.