Bowery Lane Bicycles

Top Town Bikes & Bicycles bring you 

Bowery Lane Bicycles

 

More classic bikes from the east coast of the United States, today I discovered the Bowery Lane, made entirely of steel NYC proudly American and patriotic, as they say on their website: "pay a little more than a bike made in China but you can sleep better knowing they are made by well-paid American workers in a factory that respects the environment "as they like talk to some, anyway.

Its offer consists of 3 models basically two high bar and low bar one, which put on photo Broncks Raw is the model that is special that reveals the color of steel and welds, yes it is covered by a layer of transparent paint to protect it, the truth is that these bikes have a pretty original geometry a box too small and contrast the seatpost and handlebar stem very high.

 Standard springs have a classic saddle normalito, that do offer the option of putting a leather brooks, no changes are coaster brake and comes equipped with its famous wooden transportation box weighs about 14 kilos, which is surprisingly little, and are priced at 595 USD, can be purchased on sites like Etsy , at least in the United States.

http://www.bowerylanebicycles.com/

Would Bike-Only Boulevards Be All Bad?

Top Town Bikes & Bicycles asks

Would Bike-Only Boulevards Be All Bad?

Photo courtesy frankh via flickr and Creative Commons license.

While the debate rages on about whether New York's bike lanes are working right or hardly working at all, out here on the west coast in Bike City, U.S.A. (aka Portland, Oregon) there's a different question to ponder as the New Year approaches. Portland has moved ahead with thousands of sharrows, miles of new bike paths and somefriendly neighborhood greenways. Yet even though we'd like to take back the No. 1 bike town crown stolen from us by Minneapolis we aren't exactly galloping ahead in the innovation department. To really leap frog ahead of other bike-friendly cities, perhaps Portland needs a bolder move, like some bike-only boulevards.

Car-centric advocates aren't going to like talk of turning over an East-West and a North-South city street (one set on both sides of the river, please) to strictly human-powered transport. Home and business owners along the routes will probably balk. It is bound to have some negative ramifications (such as tighter parking on the side streets that would intersect bike-only boulevards). It may even intensify the bad biking behavior (i.e. cycling too swiftly for conditions and abandoning common courtesy) that many people complain about in Portland, and that this blogger says is beginning to reach a tipping point.

We should do it anyway, and here are three reasons why:

1) Neighborhood greenways are great...they are just not enough. Portland's traffic has outgrown its infrastructure, and Portland's Bureau of Transporation thinks the best way to get more people out of their cars and on bicycles is to make biking seem less scary. O.K., so far, so good. The city has 15 different "neighborhood greenways" (formerly called bike - but not bike-only - boulevards) where traffic calming measures (see the video below) and pretty painted sharrow flowers are supposed to do the trick. I'm all for neighborhood greenways, but it is not quite enough. The same people that were biking before are biking now, and all of my friends and neighbors that I have tried to coax out for rides are still saying they are nervous. Those "interested, but concerned" cyclists (an estimated 60% of city residents) need a road where they feel like they don't have to battle cars.

2) Ciclovías have proven to be the best thing since sliced baguette. Bogotá, Columbia, originator of the Ciclovía, now has approximately two million people (cyclists, pedestrians, skateboarders, etc.) using the more than 100 kilometers of city streets closed to car traffic each Sunday. Every other city that has done some variation of the Bogotá original has seen people swarm to the streets. The reason ciclovías are popular is for the exact same reason that a human-powered boulevard would be - they make people feel safe enough to come out and use the streets.

3) We've got a big goal to achieve, why not try something wild and crazy? Current bicycle mode share in Portland is 7%. Yes, it's the best in the U.S. However, the goal for nine years from now (2020) is 25%. How do we nearly quadruple the number of people (and especially, women, children, and people of color) that ride bikes? We know interested but concerned prospective cyclists are out there. We need to show them, instead of just telling them. Cicolvias demonstrate the fun in walking and cycling. But then don't translate into increased walk-to-school and bike-to-work numbers the day after they are over, because of the safety issue. If we really want Safe Routes to School and lots of commuter cyclists, testing out a bike-only boulevard (with sidewalks dedicated to pedestrians, of course) is a way to make every day a ciclovía. Could it hurt to try?

More about city urban biking:
6 Ways to Boost Your City's Bike Mojo
Cycling Chic: Five Fashions Fit for Urban Biking
Why Women Bike and Why They Don't

More from treehugger here

A Guide to Winter Bicycling

Top Town Bikes & Bicycles

Do you want to be as happy this winter as Mr. Snowman?  Ride your bike!  There’s nothing like spending time outside engaged in physical activity every day, enjoying the crisp air and scenery while everyone else hibernates.

We won’t claim that winter cycling is always a big party, but it’s certainly not the nightmare scenario that most seem to imagine.  As with any activity, knowledge is power: the more you understand about biking in the winter, the more comfortable you’ll be and the more you’ll enjoy yourself.

As we enter our third winter of biking and blogging, our archives offer a wealth of information for new and experienced winter cyclists alike.  Hence we bring you the LGRAB Guide to Winter Bicycling.

Seriously?

Yes!

What should I wear?  A spacesuit or footie pajamas with ski goggles or what??

That’s the easiest question to answer: absolutely, but only if you can rock it.  Otherwise, you may want to stick with your normal winter clothes.  Once you see the basics of how to dress for winter cycling, you’ll say, “aha” and move on.  You may even find that dressing for winter cycling can be effortlessly chic.

Like all superheroes (be prepared: co-workers will call you that), you will have a weakness.  For example, freezing fingers, but it is possible to keep hands toasty warm.  Embrace your weakness and then overcome it.

What about the awful weather?  Rain, snow, wind, ice, freezing cold?

Take it one day at a time.  Some days fluffy snow creates a winter wonderland and bike paths are perfectly plowed.  Other days the snow is dirty and nasty and in the bike lane.  At the extremes, you may set out on your bike and then give up due to ice or extreme cold. No shame in trying!

Your winter may consist of a lot of cold rain, but luckily women don’t get Jane-Bennet-ill from cold rain anymore, especially if you know what to wear.  Just make sure that your brakes are in good shape.  Then on the rare days when it snows, riding could be a fun adventure.

If the weather on a particular day is really bad, simply choose not to ride that day.  The most important thing is that you honestly differentiate reasons from excuses.

Or maybe you live in Southern California.  If so, #@!% you.

I slip walking down the sidewalk.  What chance do I have on a bicycle?

A really good chance, actually.  The roads, maintained by the city, are in much better condition than sidewalks.  Once plows come by after a snow, main streets in the city are generally clear and dry.  Depending on your city’s climate and your preference for sidestreets and bike trails, you may benefit from studded tires.  Or if there’s just a bit of ice, you could simply walk your bike through the slick patch.

Doesn’t it get old, riding in the dark all the time?

Sometimes riding home from work in the dark everyday is a drag, but sometimes it makes everything seem quiet and calm.  Just make sure you are cognizant of safety and security concerns and have good lights.

I see you have fancy bikes.  I don’t.  So…?

While our Dutch bikes (WorkCycles and Batavus) are great for winter riding, due to enclosed brakes and chains, a fancy bike is not necessary for winter riding.  In fact, some people intentionally use old beaters for winter.

Most bikes in good condition would make decent winter bikes, although some may require more caution and more maintenance.  Be aware of what kind of brakes and tires you have and ride with caution in bad weather accordingly.  If you have old steel rims, seriously consider replacing them.  Decide whether you would benefit from studded tires.  Remember that fenders are your friend and install some.

If you plan to ride extensively in the winter, investing in a solid bike is worth it.

Will I be the only crazy person out there?

Maybe you’ll be the only bicyclist out there, maybe not.  You may find and appreciate a whole winter cycling community or just enjoy the alone time.  Even if there aren’t many other winter cyclists, you’re bound to meet colorful characters and bloodthirsty dogs simply by spending a lot of time outside.

But can I really do it?

If we did it, you can!  For inspiration, check out a retrospective of the first winter biking.  Is winter cycling a simple act or sheer will? Both!

Hey, it’s really cold.  Why am I doing this again?

Because winter bicycling will change your life.  You will better appreciate the differencesbetween summer and winter cycling (for example, not smelling like B.O).  You will feel the yin, the yang, etc.  By season’s end, you will shed grateful tears over the first buds of spring, the first delicate bird’s nest.  Also, for hot legs.  Obviously.

How can I verify that you’re not lying to me for kicks?

You really can’t – welcome to the internet!  But other resources are out there pretty much verify our advice.  See, Bike Winter. Also, those other bike blogs listed to the right.

Anything else I should know?

The secret to bike commuting (hint: it’s not that bad).

Thanks to Dottie at letsgorideabike.com

If you have questions or would like to leave your own winter bicycling tips, please share in the comments

Bicycles Instead of Bombs ? - Please read

Bikes Not Bombs

MISSION STATEMENT

Lasting peace and social justice require equitable and sustainable use of resources. BNB provides community-based education and assists development projects with recycled bicycles, related technologies and technical assistance, as concrete alternatives to the militarism, over-consumption & inequality that breed war and environmental destruction. Our organization is part of a worldwide movement for peace and responsible stewardship of the earth.

We encourage you to read more at

                                          bikesnotbombs.org

Thanks for your interest from Top Town Bikes and Bicyles

What does the federal investment in bicycling buy?

Top Town Bikes & Bicycles is always searching to bring you new info,

One of the most wonderful things about bicycling is the multitude of benefits it brings. We know that bicycling improves our health, economy, environment, and society. Sometimes it can be difficult to quickly and effectively tell this story, particularly when we're talking with a member of Congress or a staffer who has yet to recognize the gains generated by the federal bicycling investment. To help advocates communicate the value of biking to federal policymakers, we developed a series of 10 case studies on U.S. bike facilities with success stories.

This project, titled "The Federal Investment in Bicycling: 10 Success Stories," describes a geographically diverse group of bike facilities -- ranging from bike lanes to singletrack trails --that were built at least in part with federal funding. It aims to pinpoint what federal spending in bicycling can buy, and show bicycling as a cost-effective investment. Economic benefits are listed for each project, including an estimate of jobs created, as well as environmental, health, and socioeconomic outcomes of the facilities.

The series is designed to be easy to read, with magazine-style layout and large photos of the facilities. We plan to add to this presentation in the future, eventually creating a library of case studies that help paint a picture of bicycling as a worthy investment at any level -- local, state, or federal.

You can view the project on our Federal Funding & Policy section, or request a printed copy by emailingkate@bikesbelong.org

.

Help with your Christmas shopping :-) x

Toptownbikes.com brings you some help today with your christmas shopping, from Cafemakeup.com Weekly Beauty Reads… Posted: 11 Dec 2010 01:12 PM PST Have the stores gotten a little too crazy for you? Although I love the crazy holiday crowds (as long as there is a Starbucks stop somewhere in there), I try to get stocking stuffers nestled with a cup of cocoa in front of an iPad.  Sometimes, online is the only way to go.  By the way, how sweet is this Louis Vuitton iPad case? (Santa, are you listening?) If you’re like me, try some beauty shopping from home and see what these beauty gals have tried, tested and recommended for you this week. We’re sure you’ll find something you fall in love with. Meet Alex Chantecaille at Best Things in Beauty and find out what’s new coming in over the next few months. The next blockbuster palette will feature sea turtles and Charlestongirl will be the hare, not the turtle, in ordering it! Sometimes, we wonder if at-home skin-care treatments really work. Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews shared with us her experience using the Personal Microderm kit, and the results looked professional. The kit may allow you to skip your next trip to the dermatologist. Holiday beauty collections are enhanced by the product and the packaging. Gaia from The Non-Blonde showed us one of her favorites of the season with the Clarins Baracco Eyeshadow Trio. This beauty is definitely worth a look! Love for the holiday beauty collections continued for Kari at Fab Over Forty. This week she showed us the lipstick from the L’Wren Scott for Lancome Holiday Collection. Is this a shade will brighten your holidays? Carla from Product Girl is in a contest, and if she wins you could win big too! Check out her Make Up For Ever’s Lips to Love contest and vote. If she wins, she can give away 10 train cases with Make Up For Ever beauty inside! Are you a fan of Edward Bess lipsticks and glosses? Well, you can’t help but fall in love with his newest set of three lipstick and three lip gloss collections. Sabrina from The Beauty Look Book shared them with us. The shades are lovely, and her swatches are spot on! Debbi has some tried-and-true products that she’s featured recently at DivaDebbi. This week, she shared with us a foundation she loves, a mascara she likes, and a shampoo and conditioner that, well, sadly disappoint. Do you have several holiday parties to attend, but don’t want to spend a lot of money on all new clothing? Chelsea from BeautyXposé showed us a new, affordable way to wear designer clothes to all those parties! Here at Café Makeup I’m already thinking about spring! It may be cold outside, but the new Chanel Eyeshadow Collection Côte D’Azur Promesse can give us thoughts of warm sun, the sparkling ocean, and sandy beaches. Speaking of the beach, Jane from Daly Beauty experimented with Tigi Foxy Curls Contour Cream to give her hair a beachy look. She shared with us her results and images of her celebrity “beach hair”! Happy Holiday shopping! And a Merry Christmas to all from Toptownbikes.com

Train to be a Hypnotherapist- December offer- check them out !

From RgRemarkable.com

  

 If you have been thinking of becoming a Hypnotherapist or a
Hypnosis Instructor there has never been a better time than now
to get started.  Our end of the year Holiday Specials feature the
best prices we have had on our training programs to date. 
You also have the added advantage of being able to claim the cost
of your course as a business tax deduction thereby saving you more
money as you go into 2011.

5 DAYS LEFT
Hypnotic Holiday Specials

$200 off 6 Day Group Live Hypnosis Certification Training.

$200 off 3 Day individual Live Hypnosis Certification Training
(If you have been considering being trained in a one on one 3 day
situation by Rene & Raluca this is the time to do it for the
biggest savings available.  After this sale is over the 3 day
certification course will be considerably increased from what it
has been in 2010.  Reserve your low tuition now with a down
payment and schedule for later when you are ready to attend.)

$150 off of our Hypnosis Instructor Certification Course
(This is the only discount we have ever offered on the Trainer Program)

$60 off of our Hypnosis Home Study Course

All four specials include our “Lowest Tuition Guarantee”.
To learn more or to register now go to: http://www.choosehypnosis.com

1 DAY LEFT
on our Introductory Special of the

NEW Comedy Hypnosis Certification Course 

Only $149  regular: $199.

When the price changes back on this page it is over:
http://www.choosehypnosis.com/store.htm

NEW INSTRUCTORS

Vili Brence, Celje, Slovenia
Steve Masourian, Atlanta, GA
Bobby Kent, Tornado, WV

Please help us to Welcome our new instructors to the group.

To contact these instructors or to see who is in your area go to:
 http://www.choosehypnosis.com/locations.htm

OUR HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU

     You may have all heard the term "thoughts become things"
before. I would like to speak to you about a topic that is a
little beyond this term.  It's about how "thoughts precede things".

                    Thoughts Precede Things
                          by Rene Bastarache, CI

     If you take a moment to think about it, everything was first
a thought before it could exist.  You would think of a recipe first
and then you would create the meal.  You would think of how to
build a house and then you would build it.  You would think of a
complement and then you would say it.  In fact I even had to
think about this article before I was able to write it. It had to
begin with a thought or a blueprint in the mind before it could
be created.

     So your thoughts become things in your mind before they
materialize in your reality.  Your mind, being the world of
thought, the subconscious world, the ether or what can even be
called Source Energy.  In other words there is a world of thought
that exists before the world of reality can.

     We as humans are creating machines.  Whatever we focus on or
think about becomes reality whether we want it to or not.  It's
as if the subconscious mind is an "Out-of-Control Genie".

     Focus on positive things and you will feel great.
     Focus on negative and you will feel bad.
     Focus on what you want and you will get it.
     Focus on what you don't want and you will get it.

     The reason for this is that one of the traits of the subconscious
mind is that it does not understand negative.  So when you are
focusing on wanting to be wealthy, you are beginning to
immediately attract wealth to you.  When you are focusing on not
wanting to be broke, your focus is on "being broke" and that is
exactly what you are attracting. 

     So are you focusing on having a wonderful marriage or not
getting a divorce?  Are you focusing on being successful in business
or not being able to pay bills?  Are you focusing on being healthy
or not having a specific disorder?  Either way, you will always
get what you are focusing on.  That is the nature and one of the
main purposes of the subconscious.

     What if there is "no focus" happening?

     What if something has "not" been thought of by anyone?  If
that be the case, then it cannot exist!  Why?  Because thought 
always precedes the thing.  No thought or focus equals no thing.
Therefore you cannot be sick unless you focused on it either
positively, negatively, in passing, in wanting it or not wanting
it.  There had to be a thought or focus first.

     The same goes for wealth, relationships happiness etc.  This
is why it is so important to constantly monitor your thoughts.
Whatever you think becomes your reality.  That is why it is said
that "a belief is simply something you keep thinking about over
and over".

     You are the creator of your reality.  Since everything you
think about or focus on is your reality then if you believe in
everything you just read, you are right.  But… if you don't
believe what you just read, then that would mean that you are
also right.  Interesting concept isn’t it…

                                Our Gift to You

     Realizing that thoughts become things… this holiday season
Raluca and I are focusing on the thoughts of wishing you all the
very best of success and happiness in the coming year.  We have
just created it with our thoughts and now it is up to you to
accept and enjoy it!

                     Happy Holidays

       from the American School of Hypnosis

American School of Hypnosis, P.O. Box 168, Biddeford, ME 04005, United States

The Ultimate Bike Lane Snow Clearance Blogpost!

Top Town Bikes & Bicycles - http://bit.ly/f2ZM3Q
This looks really cool !

The Ultimate Bike Lane Snow Clearance Blogpost!

via Copenhagenize.com - Building Better Bicycle Cultures by noreply@blogger.com (Mikael) on 12/4/10

I spotted one of our lovely street sweepers/snow removers at work the other day. It really is the loveliest sound on the streets during winter. We've had about 45 cm of snow at time of writing but these working class heroes keep the bike lanes clear. The cities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg salt before snow falls and, after the snow is on the ground, the bike lanes are cleared before the streets. During snowstorms I've seen these bike lane sweepers roll back and forth past my flat six times before any snowploughs cleared the street. I live on a busy crosstown artery. In the above photo it's a bus stop island getting an extra sweep. That's the bike lane to the right of the sweeper.

(As an aside, we have many of these bus stop islands in Copenhagen. If there is one present, disembarking passengers have to wait before crossing to the sidewalk. Bicycles have the right of way. If there is no island, bicycles have to stop for passengers.)

Then the sweeper came back on the other side of the street. Shoving the snow onto the street - and covering parked cars. The sidewalk and the bike lane are clear of snow.

I've blogged many of these snow clearance photos before, but here they all are in one place. The bike lane sweepers, because they run constantly during snowy weather, are only equipped with a heavy-duty brush. Snow is rarely left for long so a snowplough attachment isn't necessary. You often see people riding Keirin-like behind them.

Another Keirin ride. This was taken during a heavy snowstorm. When such weather is upon us, many other sweepers and - in the case of the photo above - snowploughs proper are enlisted to keep the bicycle infrastructure clear.

Like this one. Not a regular feature in Copenhagen, this tractor was drafted during a storm last year. Brush at the front and salt spreader at the back. This was taken at 22:15 one Saturday evening. If there is snow falling, it's getting cleared. At all hours.

I rode behind this one during a storm last year. But he was a bit slow, so I ended up overtaking him, leaving him to eat my flakes.

With the early snow this year there are, however, some issues with budgets for snow clearance all over Denmark. Last year was a nasty winter with regular snowstorms and many municipalities spent more than they snow clearance budget. Many have saved up in case this winter was the same and so far it is - it's started much earlier, though, so budget grumbling is heard across the land.

Here's another sweeper and salt spreader. No new snow on the infrastructure, but it was forecast, so they do an extra run to clear it and spread salt. Yes, salt is a pain in the ass. There has been talk of gravel but the Copenhagen sewers, they say, wouldn't be able to handle it. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of research going on into a replacement for salt.

Last winter a number of municipalities ran out of salt. A ship sailed from Sicily with salt for many Danish cities. Even the City of Copenhagen was running very low. So low that they issued a statement saying that the last salt reserves would only be used on the bicycle lanes and not the streets. Nice.

Another sweeper and salt spreader. Personally, as a bicycle user, I take the salt with... a grain of salt. It's a pain in the ass but if it helps me and the rest of the bicycle traffic rolling on cleared bicycle infrastructure, then I'll take it.

It's not just Copenhagen. This is a sweeper and, in this case, gravel spreader in the small town of Höör, Sweden. Population about 7,000. Keeping the bike infrastructure clear for the citizens.

The result? Clear channels on which the bicycle traffic can move. Prioritizing the bike lanes is, of course, a great and necessary way to encourage people to ride bicycles all through the year. On the other hand, it is also a practical necessity. If the bicycle lanes weren't cleared, a whole lot of people on the day after a snowstorm wouldn't ride. Tens of thousands. They would seek alternatives. Cars, perhaps, but mostly public transport. Imagine the complications of having tens of thousands of people suddenly show up at train stations and bus stops. A logistical nightmare. So keeping the bike lanes clear is an important factor in keeping Copenhagen moving.

(As an aside, note the plastic protectors in front of the trees. This is common all over Copenhagen in the winter. Protecting the trees from salt and grime and slush. Sometimes they're plastic, sometimes wicker fences.)

Here's a good result photo after a spot of snowfall last year. Sidewalk (at bottom) is cleared somewhat. Not entirely, but enough, by the super in our building. The bike lane is cleared to perfection. The streets have been ploughed. Repeat on the far side. Copenhagen is kept moving.

When the going really gets tough, The Slow Slinger is called in. Once the snow drifts get too big from all that pushing snow out of the way, this machine eats them up for breakfast, spitting the snow into dumptrucks.

The groovy snow sweepers serve other functions all through the year. They're designed for use on the bicycle infrastructure. Here is a shot of one sweeping up leaves in the autumn.

Copenhagenize the planet. And have a lovely day.