the magazine for #41 self-propelled people futurebike to the diy with inner tubes + philadelphia $4.99 USD/CAD SEPT/OCT 09 #41 cycle chic 0 5 0 781565 924795 momentumplanet.com // Only $599.99 // Maintenance-free internal Shimano 3-speed hub. // Innovative locking headset prevents bicycle from falling over. // Heavy duty steel racks hold up to 25 lbs. front, 40 lbs. rear. torkerusa.com Torker-CargoT-ad.indd 1 8/12/09 1:13:47 PM Editorial 5 Bike to the Future Letters 7 Though they may seem like The Messenger 13 a blast from the past, bikes The Advocate 29 are the vehicles that will D.I.Y. 38 take us into the future. Mitey Miss 42 22 Gleanings 48 Arts & Culture 30 artist adam turman artcrank books: Bicycle Diaries Food 32 savory chicken sandwiches saint-urbain bike lane Gear 40 globe bikes joe bike + ecospeed Marketplace 43 ifny lachance of free geek, momentum Distributors 45 ethical computer recycling freegeekvancouver.org photo by clancy dennehy Philadelphia The Cycle Chic "City of Bikerly Love" is Subtle shades positively bursting with bike and clean lines culture and creativity. characterize these bike-specific designs. 34 25 photo by michael mcgettigan photo by kris krüg on the cover momentum magazine reflects the lives of Michelle is wearing Two of Hearts top, American Apparel grey tights, people who ride bikes and provides urban cyclists John Fluevog Mattie silk boot, Nutcase Sun Burst helmet, Bike: 2010 with the inspiration, information and resources Raleigh AlleyWay. Styling by Sarah Murray, thehoneymustard.com to fully enjoy their riding experience and connect Photo by Kris Krüg www.staticphotography.com with local and global cycling communities. sept/oct 09 ı #41 1 It was a great day. COMPONENTS WITH SIMPLICITY IN MIND. ENJOY YOUR BIKE AGAIN. 8-Speed gearing solutions with the appearance and simplicity of having only one gear. Nexus and Alfine hubs feature robust designs, smooth gear changes and minimal shifting effort. Great for urban and city bikes for their all-weather reliability and dependable performance. Besides the latest technical expertise from research and development, Shimano has invested more than 80 years experience in its bike components. The results are state-of-the-art shifting and braking performance plus best durability and reliability. Thanks to our wide product range, all cyclists benefit from Shimano components. No batteries! Shimano Hub Dynamo’s quietly generate 6V-2.4W of power while you ride with very minimal resistance. Providing enough power for most front and rear lighting systems. Available in various levels and styles, visit shimano.com to find the right one for you. © 2009 Shimano Canada Ltd. It was a great day. COMPONENTS WITH SIMPLICITY IN MIND. ENJOY YOUR BIKE AGAIN. 8-Speed gearing solutions with the appearance and simplicity of having only one gear. Nexus and Alfine hubs feature robust designs, smooth gear changes and minimal shifting effort. Great for urban and city bikes for their all-weather reliability and dependable performance. Besides the latest technical expertise from research and development, Shimano has invested more than 80 years experience in its bike components. The results are state-of-the-art shifting and braking performance plus best durability and reliability. Thanks to our wide product range, all cyclists benefit from Shimano components. No batteries! Shimano Hub Dynamo’s quietly generate 6V-2.4W of power while you ride with very minimal resistance. Providing enough power for most front and rear lighting systems. Available in various levels and styles, visit shimano.com to find the right one for you. © 2009 Shimano Canada Ltd. THE ART OF care free raleighusa.com/circa www.momentumplanet.com editorial Bike to the amy walker publishers creative director Amy Walker [email protected] future finance & distribution director Tania Lo [email protected] we are at a crossroads. Faced with the current devastating effects and future calamity of climate change, marketing & advertising director Mia Kohout people are shifting their patterns of consumption and energy use, though admittedly [email protected] not fast enough. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if our managing editor/books editor Terry Lowe emissions remain at current levels, the Earth’s atmosphere will reach its capacity for [email protected] carbon dioxide (450 parts per million of carbon) within eight years. On Aug 8, 2009 assistant editor Sarah Ripplinger the New York Times published a story entitled, ˝Climate Change Seen as Threat to [email protected] U.S. Security.˝ If the US and Canada were to take their military defence budgets, brain trusts and muscle and turn them on the problem of climate change, we might stand a arts editor Stephen Irving [email protected] chance of mitigating its effects. Maybe. We have the knowledge and tools to provide for the well-being of all people, and to gear editor reduce our destructive impact on the earth. But our fate rests on the choices we make as [email protected] consumers and as nations. What we need now is wisdom. To change our direction and food editor Diane Eros live lightly on the earth requires a shift in consciousness. It also requires relinquishing [email protected] some of the conveniences and luxuries which we have so aggressively promoted copy editor Paloma Vita throughout the last century, which have provided wealth for the few and are the cause of our environmental damage. We will not abandon technology, nor should we, but we webmaster Wendell Challenger can change our relationship to it and use it in more responsible ways. [email protected] Wikipedia defines Appropriate Technology as: ˝… technology that is designed with photo editor David Niddrie special consideration to the environmental, ethical, cultural, social and economical [email protected] aspects of the community it is intended for. With these goals in mind, Appropriate office assistant Talia Fanning Technology requires fewer resources, is easier to maintain, has a lower overall cost and less of an impact on the environment compared to industrialized practices.˝ designer Chris Bentzen The bicycle is a form of technology that is appropriate and accessible for people all www.thisisplanb.net over the world. Bikes – and pedal power – are great tools for the future. What other cover photo Kris Krüg forms of technology will we bring with us? How do we decide whether a tool or www.staticphotography.com technology is appropriate and sustainable? And how will we make household, business writers and legal decisions to reflect this? We certainly don’t have all the answers, but like you, Sal Ciolfi, Mark Emery, Hurl Everstone, we are asking these questions – and we are optimistic in our search for solutions. Dan Goldwater, Elizabeth Obreza Hurst, Stephen Irving, In this issue we visit Philadelphia, where cyclists face familiar challenges, such Dena Jackson, Ian Kowal, Terry Lowe, David Niddrie, Troy Pieper, Steven Rea, Ulrike Rodrigues, Ron Richings, as bike theft and road rage, but also enjoy the advantages of flat terrain, bike-able Kristen Steele, Jeremy Towsey-French, Amy Walker streets, trails and a colorful, creative cycling culture. We learn that wide avenues, advocacy efforts and fashion shows are encouraging ridership in Salt Lake City. We photographers & illustrators Chris Bentzen, Marjon Bleeker, Brad Click, Michael Cook, look at the new line of Globe bikes from Specialized for everyday riding, and the Clancy Dennehy, Mark Emery, Matt Giraud, Rick Jacobsen, Portland-designed Joe Bike for hauling cargo. Plus we have included some fashionable Kris Krüg, Kat Marriner, Michael McGettigan, photos of our own. As a way of introducing everyday cycling to the mainstream, Fiona O'Connor, Ulrike Rodrigues, Terry Sunderland, Kyle Thomas, Jeremy Towsey-French, Keri Towsey-French, looking good on two wheels has never been more appropriate. Adam Turman, Amy Walker, Kandy Watson proofreaders Terry Lowe, Sarah Ripplinger, Lindsey Wasserman We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of this magazine: what you like and what we could improve upon. If there’s a story that we should be covering – please Send correspondence to: momentum magazine let us know. momentum is a vehicle designed for you – and our evolving bike culture. Please Suite 214 – 425 Carrall Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 6E3 help us make it the best magazine for self-propelled people in North America. office 604 669 9850 | fax 604 669 9870 [email protected] to carry momentum in your store Contact [email protected] congratulations to subscriptions subscription prize winner Six issues per year karen james $19.95/year Canada + US | $39.95 international of vancouver, bc who will www.momentumplanet.com/subscribe receive the park tool sk-1 Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the home mechanic tool kit authors and do not necessarily coincide with those of thanks to parktool.com the publishers, sponsors or anyone else for that matter. publication mail agreement #40565523 sept/oct 09 ı #41 5 letters letters serendipity “serendipity” is the best word to describe montreal article my discovery of your magazine. I uncovered a missed "bicycle bob" copy of the May/June issue that was in a stack of reading material at lunch time today and I i eagerly read Austin Macdonald’s article, am impressed! I only wish I had been fortunate “Montreal,” (Issue #40, July/Aug 09) because enough to find your magazine earlier my family and I had just returned from glorious As a bike commuter and an employee of the rides in this year’s Tour de Nuit and Tour de San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, l’Isle. I enjoyed Austin’s piece, but as a former I’m always heartened to find others who seek Montrealer, I was disappointed that it did not alternatives to the automobile.