The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) in California requests comments for their draft of a Complete Streets policy to guide transportation planning and spending in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties. AMBAG is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Monterey Bay Region, and is responsible for allocating certain Federal and State funds to local agencies in this region. In August 2013, AMBAG adopted its Monterey Bay Area Complete Streets Guidebook. This guidebook does not establish policy, but provides design guidance for local agencies regarding best practic ..read more

You’ve seen the formula: 20 inch box fan ($30) + 20 inch furnace filter ($10) + duct tape ($5) = a quick, effective, DIY home air purifier for under $50. How effective are they? I measured my homebrew filter (made with a MERV11 filter), and it dropped the indoor air quality AQI from 57 to single digits in a 10 x 10 room inside of an hour. My home office indoor PM2.5 AQI as measured with a PurpleAir indoor sensor this morning. My filter — a box fan with a MERV11 furnace filter taped to the back — was turned on at 7:40 AM. pic.twitter.com/nr0h5VrGCm — Richard Masoner (@cyclelicious) September ..read more

In my part of California, we have at least another couple of weeks of unseasonably cool weather. After several years of heat waves and drought in the Golden State, I forgot how to kit up for riding when it’s 55 degrees Fahrenheit. My upper body is fine — a windproof vest or jacket feels about perfect, and a warm core helps to keep my extremities warm. My legs — which are the engines that power my ride — never get warm.My summerweight shorts aren’t quite enough, but my heavy fleece-lined winter cycling tights are far too warm. Should I look for my leg warmers that I haven’t seen in five years ..read more

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) will hold a public hearing to solicit community input on the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (DEIR/EA) for the proposed Coastal Rail Trail Segment 12 Project and Highway 1 Auxiliary Lane/Bus-on-Shoulder project. The proposed project includes construction of northbound and southbound auxiliary lanes between the State Park Drive and Freedom Boulevard interchanges on Highway 1, extends the bus-on-shoulder facility by 2.5 miles, widens the Highway 1 bridge over Aptos Creek and Spreckles Drive, reconstructs th ..read more

I routinely receive media invites to try various sports recovery supplements and almost deleted an invite to try “Chargel Gel Drink” when I noticed an interesting detail. This recovery drink comes from a Japanese candy company? Of course I have to try it! Morinaga is famous for its HI-CHEW fruit-flavored chewy candies. I love Hi-Chew candy, and the PR firm telling me about Chargel’s introduction to the US market completely buried this lede. As I suspected, Chargel (flavored with real fruit juice) tastes amazingly like a less sweet version of Hi-Chew candy with an interesting jelly texture th ..read more

David Byrne made a big splash with the Bike Internet when he arrived at the Met Gala last night on his Paul Budnitz titanium cruiser bicycle as he cheekily showed off his car parking valet placard to the paparazzi. Embed from Getty Images Byrne’s bike is smartly outfitted with a Gates carbon belt drive connected to a single speed hub for low maintenance and grease-free operation to avoid staining his crisp, white outfit. Custom wooden fenders also work to keep road schmutz from Byrne’s bespoke attire. Brooks leather saddles are known for their all-day riding comfort. Obvious wear and marks ..read more

Caltrans HQ is proposing new design guidance (titled DIB-94) related to “complete streets” to make design for walking and biking on certain state routes easier to accomplish. These proposed changes hopefully will allow Caltrans to use updated standards for vehicle lane widths, shoulder requirements, and bike lane widths that are not part of the Highway Design Manual. Caltrans uses their Highway Design Manual to determine the geometry of California State Routes, and includes details on lane widths, turning radii, shoulder width, vertical clearances, and so forth. Remember, a California State R ..read more

Happy USA Bike Month 2023! I intend to re-launch San Jose Bike Train Real Soon Now. This is a casual morning bike commute on the Guadalupe River Trail. We’ll begin in downtown San Jose from San Pedro Square Market for coffee from Voyager Craft Coffee, hit the trail, and ride north on the trail to River Oaks, with people peeling off along the way for their destinations that can include the Santa Clara County buildings, SJC Airport, and VTA HQ. The trail is mostly clear with some minor work still needed underneath Hwy 101. Please comment below for your thoughts on day of the week and start time ..read more

Welcome to the blog that discovers the cycling-adjacent weird and wonderful tidbits as I walk the aisles of the Sea Otter Classic 2023 Expo. Today, I talked with the two representatives of Jiangsu Snail Zhixing Technology Co.,Ltd , which manufactures solar-powered scooters. Photovoltaic panels cover the front and the deck of this scooter, which I’m told can charge the battery in roughly six to eight hours on a sunny California day. They’re trying to break into the shared mobility market with this scooter. They believe that solar charging can benefit scooter share companies that currently ..read more

I don’t usually like to republish press releases without editing, but this brand collab is too good to not pass along. I’m at the Sea Otter Festival 2023 where I’ll look for State’s Taco Bell goodies. Taco Bell is joining forces with Arizona-based bicycle company, State Bicycle Co., to bring the heat with a new line of limited edition custom accessories, gear and apparel today. This collaboration also brings a Taco Bell twist to State Bicycle Co.’s “DGAF” Klunker bike for the ultimate ride. The collection will be available to purchase starting on April 20 via State Bicycle Co.’s website ..read more