Fahrradsozialismus

A somewhat less sophisticated online bike building interface than BikeCAD, but it is fun nonetheless, and being Japanese, you’re practically guaranteed some delightful wackiness.

Just in case you get hungry on the way:

Why like most people today, by make a fashion statement about it of course! By wearing 100% original authenticated official cycle socialist merchandise not only demonstrates your unwavering devotion to the revolution, you’ll also be engaging in a social experiment of capitalist market economy which in the end would undoubtedly prove beyond any reasonable doubt that a centralised collective system is the only way for goods & services to be distributed.

Visit Cafepress to get yours today. Offer strictly unlimited - for a limited time only!

As I’ve only got a basic account, so only one item can be had for each type of product. If you see any design you like but would like it on something else, don’t hesitate to let me know.

There are already many ways showing you how to fix a camera to your bike when you riding, and it couldn’t hurt to have another. The parts are simple enough:

1 x Manfrotto quick release plate
1 x Bicycle light mount with padding

I initially thought about getting a small ball-head and clamping that to the bar, which would allow more control of angles, but decided that it was probably overkill for my purposes, as I doubt that I’d be shooting from the bike that often, and just wanted something small and not too obtrusive. A slight complication rose with the original camera mount screw on the plate which was too wide at the base, and thus could not be moved once the clamp is fastened, so I replaced it with one from an old flash clamp which had a smaller diameter. Haven’t taken the rig out for a extended ride yet, but it seems sturdy enough, at least for little compacts like this one. I’d advise against having the camera mounted for any extended period of time anyway, as I doubt most are designed to withstand shocks for such durations.

From Melba to Civic via Gungahlin, probably not the best commuter route to Civic if you live in Belconnen unless you feel like a bit of exercise, but it is a very pleasant ride with a gradient resembling the one through Bruce, though the distance is longer making the climbs easier. The cycle paths in these newer suburbs are wider & in better condition, and the ride along Gungahlin Drive is very scenic, with a long strech of well paved cyclepath for sprinting on. The route is also very good for commuting if you live in the Gungahlin area and want to get to either Belconnen or Civic on bike paths alone.

A short ride around Lake Ginninderra, not quite as scenic as Lake Burley Griffin, but a good start for some light exercise if you live in Belconnen. Also there are a few nice restaurants & cafés next to the lake.

There’s an article from the Socialist Left Party of Austria that carries the namesake of this blog (the only other result for Fahrradsozialismus as of 8 September 2007, incidentally), though my initial inspiration came from a term with a more sinister (ironically not in the Latin sense) connotation. Out of sheer curiosity, and armed with what little Germanic fragmentations left scattered in my brain and a dictionary, I was able to figure out the gist of the article.

It focuses on the diminishing number of free city bikes on the streets of Vienna due to theft, with the government claiming that basically people are simply not good/honest enough for the system to work. Whilst the article itself seemed a somewhat feeble criticism of capitalism whilst offering little constructive suggestions itself (apart from introducing an egalitarian distribution system, the answer to all your problems) as to how exactly the system can work. As fond of Utopian ideologies as I am, the article unfortunately did not make the inherent contradictions of capitalist economics any clearer to me. Having heard of such systems before, it did however made me wonder as to exactly how such system works. To my delight I found that the system was not a failure after all and is going strong, though it seems that it is no longer ran by the government, and now attracts a nominal fee (perhaps to the mortification of SLP that a capitalist venture came to the rescue).

The project itself, named Citybike Wien, is simple enough; there are stations around the city where bikes are stored. All you need to do is register an account linked to your bank or credit card either at the terminal or on their website, after which you can then check the bike out. Not unlike short loans in some libraries, the rent rate is free for the first hour, €1 for the second hours, €2 for the third, and €4 for every subsequent hour up to 120 hours, with a flat rate of €600 for bikes not returned after that time, thus making it more ideal for short distance commutes. There are over 50 stations in the city, each housing at least 10 bikes.

The system is of course not unique to Vienna, with similar programs either private or public in other European cities such as Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm, and apparently some cities in the United States.

It’d be interesting to see a similar system introduced in cities like Canberra. Hubs are located at major shopping centres & bus interchanges, but with a modified time-frame. The free period is perhaps 4 hours, targeting the tourists & leisure riders, and a nominal fee of say $2 (anything less than a single adult bus fare) for 12 hours usage blocks, for the occasional commuters, allowing people to comfortably cycle from the various bus interchanges to work & back.

This of course needs to be a government-funded or subsidised program, as it’d offer very little if any financial return, but is done as a public service, plus it’d look rather good in any pollie’s portfolio.

It is true that most Australian households already have bicycles, but still relatively few use them for commuting, so the question is that even if such a program is initiated, with such firmly entrenched car culture, are people more likely to cycle to work? That is difficult to answer, but I do know that although most of the bikes are fine for the occasional Sunday outing, but they are not the utility/city bikes designed specifically for commuting. Perhaps such program cannot be introduce alone in places like Australia, but more crucially must be part of a wider scheme designed to alter the perspective Australians have toward commuter cycling.

One of the major issues of commuting by bike is its relatively small cargo capacity, especially for grocery shopping - until now. Introducing the Cart Bike. Trolley riding shall no longer be the exclusive pursuit of bored drunken students, and the days where you need to battle those energetic geriatrics for the last one is history.

Of course in reality it’d be a rather harsh ride with those wheels, let alone steering & weight issues (a conventional trolley wasn’t exactly designed to be light). Besides, bikes such as these already cater for this portion of the market, albeit at some considerable expense.

It is a truth unilaterally acknowledged that a pretty girl in a dress on an old bicycle fitted with a woven basket sporting a straw hat is one of the most pleasing sights on Canberran roads, as scarce as such a mode of transportation may be, since it is not technically legal (though some might argue that anything after the word “pretty” is somewhat redundant, but that’s beside the point).

Need some proof? Visit the “social documentary in high heels”. Real snaps of real people riding real bikes in a real city. It emphasises an aspect of cycling no longer taken for granted by many Australians - that cycling should still be a legitimate form of transportation, and can be done with style, and more importantly, without fear of intimidation from other road users. Granted that the subjects are rather selective on the part of the photographers, but it is no surprise that there are a lot less obesity in Denmark than in Australia. It is common sense that the more you move the more energy you burn, and incorporating exercise into daily commutes gives you very little chance to talk yourself out of doing it - you gotta get there somehow! After a while it will no longer seem like a hassle, and you’ll start to enjoy it.

On a side note, to me, there’s something intrinsically elegant about the classic step-through ladies’ roadster. It is somewhat out of fashion these days - or at least so in Australia, where it is difficult to find one new regardless of make. There’s one based in Melbourne selling Indian ones, and also Swedish makes such as Skeppshult & Kronan are also available, but the better alternative might be keeping an eye out on eBay & your local classifieds, especially if you are just starting out or want something to customise with, you can pick one up second-hand for well under $100 in pretty good nick, usually with full mudguards & rear rack, and full chain guard if you’re real lucky. Designs such as these are perfect cases where aesthetics triumphed along with functionality, regardless of any structural and/or performance disadvantages it may have compared with modern women’s bikes, which are conceptually identical to men’s bikes with subtle differences in sizing. Take these for example:

Okay, okay, it IS after all Audrey Hepburn AND a puppy, and Audrey Hepburn AND/OR a puppy driving a Hummer would probably still be cute - but it certainly won’t be nearly as graceful. If pictures like this makes cycling more popular, then we need a lot more of them. Sure, like all forms of propaganda, it is just a carefully choreographed idealisation, but apart from visual appeal, it is what is embodied (or envisaged) in such idealisations that makes it beautiful, looking sexy is just an added bonus. Besides, I don’t see any harm using such method of promotion as the aim is actually quite beneficial for the individual & the community in general - and nowhere as misleading & misrepresented as ads for fashion, sports cars, fast food, soft drink, alcohol, cosmetics, electronics, laundry products, ad infinitum.

But some would call that cycle imperialism.

Came across yet another article addressing a driver’s attitude towards cyclists on news.com.au. Whilst no longer too surprised at such apparent display of what can easily be regarded as hatred, it is somewhat curious to observe that from what little data I can discern sieving through the author’s predilection towards vibrant decoratives, the cyclist did not actually infringe upon any road regulations, for as I understand it the cyclist is allowed to use the full width of the road if no dedicated path is available. Whether this is something courteous, safe or indeed wise to do on a busy city road is a different issue altogether. Whilst I applaud the lone rider on his tenacity & audacity in defending his right, I fear many cyclists like myself would not be nearly as confrontational, regardless of road skills. It is simple physics that if any collusion happened, regardless of who is responsible, the cyclist will almost always walk away worse off, if he/she is still able to walk at all.

Cycling is often regarded as being reckless dangerous for both the rider & other road users, whether this is a result or the cause of the decrease in cyclists is unknown, but it is certainly does not encourage any potential cyclists. I personally would think if anything, cyclists, especially those riding alongside traffic would be far more cautious & defensive then car drivers, for the same reason given above.

It is somewhat sad to see that the mentality of regarding cyclists as road vermin, combined with caution/cowardice such as mine to avoid road usage forming a sort of vicious cycle with the latter enhancing further the conviction of the former by the representative lessening of what is already an under-represented road usergroup. With the commuter cycling population being as low as it is, it is difficult to see the situation improve anytime soon without significant changes in road planning & public awareness in these cities.

It is articles like these that make me again thankful for the superlative cycling infrastructure (as opposed to public transportation) in Canberra, which includes extensive shared cycle/footpath all over the city (in addition to the dedicated cycle lanes on many artery routes, sometimes on the same route), thus reducing the need to use car lanes to a minimum. Canberra drivers also seem to be a lot more accommodating towards cyclists, but being a smaller city, Canberrans are more laid back to begin with. Indeed occasionally drivers would slow down or give way even when they have right-of-way, often resulting in confused scramblings from both side (far more ridiculous-looking if you are on a bike).

It shouldn’t be an us vs. them sort of thing, god only knows we get enough of that from every aspect of human interaction, and perhaps it is simply instinct to behave so, but at least we are given the ability to discern & isolate such emotions, and can to a degree check these primordial drives. You can indeed say I am a dreamer, but I know, and sincerely do hope I am not the only one. Man may have brought many unspeakable evils unto the world, but tolerance is something uniquely human, too.

Article here.

A fully featured Java applet that allows you to design your own bike.

Here’s one monstrosity of a Farthing-Penny I knocked up earlier, giving you a pedestrian 9381.9 gear-inches, meaning that for a leisurely cadence of 60 rpm you’d be travelling at a sauntering 2120.6 kph (just under Mach 2) - if you’re superman on steroids.

Something actually useful for the first post, none of that self-indulgent, introspective, wise-cracking tripe you’d usually find in an initial post - there’ll be plenty of time for that later.

A few routes for getting around on a bike in Canberra, so far all the routes start in Belconnen, but I’ll be gradually adding more for the whole region. As these are mainly commuting routes, most are on shared cycle/walk paths, and are therefore suitable even for those just starting to commute without having to deal with traffic, especially during peak hour.

Routes from Melba to the City via Bruce, passing UC & AIS and directly under the new Gungahlin drive extension. This is one of the shorter routes into the City from Belconnen, but there is a bit of a climb coming back from O’Connor to Bruce, and segments of the path through O’Connor are really sidewalks. Kangaroos & bunny rabbits are common sights going passed the AIS.

Another way is going through Kaleen, again under the Gungahlin drive extension (though of course at a different point). The paths are much wider with fair streches of flats where you can get considerable speed. The gradient is also a bit smoother. It is however a bit longer.

Melba to Kippax. Smaller alternative (in the literal sense, they don’t have specialised goth/emo grocery) shopping centre to Belconnen Mall if you live in Northern Belconnen. The scenery is rather pleasant as the route goes along Ginninderra creek.

Melba to Belconnen Mall. Good for starter commuters, especially if you were catching buses from the suburbs.

The loop around Lake Burley Griffin from Civic, possibly the best scenic & leisure route in Canberra. Most of the touristy spots are either on the route or within a short distance from the path. A must for any cyclist visiting Canberra.