D.C. Bike Sharing Kicks Into High Gear

Declare the District's urban-cool inferiority complex officially over...the city [has joined] the ranks of Paris and Barcelona with the launch of the first high-tech public bike-sharing program in the United States, forcing such cities as San Francisco and Chicago to look here to see chic alternative transportation in action in America.

Read more here.

Brainwear for smart people

Make your helmet look like a hat! Check it out at Yakkay.

Your Ode to Biking had one Flaw

Responses to a recent Washington Post article about summer cycling

I'd like to offer an addendum to the fine Aug. 2 Style article "Cycling Back Around," which promoted the joys and benefits of commuting and doing errands by bike: Wear a helmet! I cannot emphasize it enough. This should have been repeated throughout the article, not just mentioned toward the end of it. I'm in the midst of a month-long recuperation from a serious accident that happened while I was running errands on a bicycle. I don't even remember the ambulance ride that landed me in an intensive-care unit for 36 hours. Without my helmet I would probably be dead, not recovering from a brain bleed, a concussion and broken ribs.
-- Mary D. Gorman, Chevy Chase

I was surprised and disappointed to see you glamorizing riding without a helmet. Not only did the text describe women with their "hair flowing helmet-free," but a photo illustrated this very risk. Even my 9-year-old had no trouble pointing out the stupidity of depicting a helmet-less woman riding a bike in traffic.
-- Melinda Kelley, Potomac

Because I love cycling, I was appalled by your positive references to pedaling without a helmet. Helmeted cycling is still joyful, and even if it's a little less so than riding without a helmet -- well, so what? All sorts of ill-advised things feel good, but we learn not to do them because the risks to ourselves and others aren't worth it.
-- Lennie Magida, Potomac

A bit of variety

Time to update your style? Check out nutcase helmets for some options.

Safer drivers, Safer bikers and Safer roads.

As More Cyclists Take to The Streets, Dangers Persist...Bike Safety Hits Close to Home.

Sticker sighting at this year's RAGBRAI

Just traded a sticker for this picture.