News Release

Contact Mike Vanderscheuren Adam Ziskin
Banjo Brothers O2 Rainwear
612-310-7795 952-543-1894
mvander@banjobrothers.com adziskin@rainshield.com

For Immediate Release

Minneapolis Bike Industry Companies 02 Rainwear, Twin Six, Handsome Cycles and Banjo Brothers Team Up Again for Cutters Ball III “Return of the Moocher” on February 18th at 7pm.

The Annual Party Features Free Food, Free Booze and a Healthy Dose of MPLS Bike Culture for Local Cyclists and Visiting Bike Shop Personnel Who Are In Town for an Industry Tradeshow

February 1, 2012 – Minneapolis, MN— For the third consecutive year four of the cycling industry’s emerging new brands, Handsome Cycles, 02 Rainwear, Twin Six and Banjo Brothers partnered to host the Cutters Ball. The Cutters Ball is an underground, unsanctioned celebration of Minneapolis Bike Culture for local cyclists and a free social event for visiting bike shop staff that are in Minneapolis for an annual trade show. The free party takes place in South Minneapolis, in the workspace of custom frame builder, Peacock Groove.

The event was the brainchild of Handsome Cycles’ founders Jesse Erickson and Ben Morrison who recruited the other local companies into the mix. For those not familiar, the “Cutters” reference is in homage to Breaking Away, 1979 Academy Award -winning cycling film. Like the “Cutters” from the film the four brands involved have all bootstrapped their respective companies to success with a combination of street smarts, hard work and a commitment to game-changing products.

The annual event which is by all accounts, “just a damn good party,” does create a venue for like-minded cyclists to brave the normally frigid February temperatures ton seek out free food from Jimmy Johns, beer from Pabst Brewing and music. For those in town from other cites, it presents a unique opportunity to dive head-first into Minneapolis cycling culture. For the four brands involved, they hope the long game will result in better brand awareness and a deeper network of industry contacts.

To raise the profile of this year’s event, the brands are going a step beyond their normal use of social media and bike-friendly websites to promote the event. One hundred select dealers, culled from the customer lists, media contacts and sales targets from the four brands, will receive a one-of-a-kind screen printed seat cover designed by industry pioneers Twin Six. The item is bound to become a collectible. The seat cover’s hang tag will come with it a Top Talent VIP distinction and details of the event.

The Cutters Ball takes place Saturday, February 18th from 7pm-?? at 2718 East 28th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event is free. Host sponsors are Twin Six, Banjo Brothers, 02 Rainwear and Handsome Cycles. Other sponsors include Hed Cycling, Peacock Groove, Kurt Kinetic, Jimmy Johns and Pabst Brewing Co.

About Twin Six
Twin Six is a fashion-forward cycling apparel company located in Minneapolis who offers finely designed cycling lifestyle apparel and a whole mess of other good stuff.

http://www.twinsix.com

About Handsome Cycles
Handsome Cycle Co. was started a few years ago by a couple of guys in Minneapolis who wanted to create classically styled, versatile bicycles for a price within reach of the many—not the privileged few.
The Handsome line of bicycles have been crafted from steel because of its comfortable ride and its tried and true reliability. But steel is not handsome—people are. Handsome is about people riding bicycles that reflect the individual’s style and riding needs. So, please take a long, handsome look—better still, a handsome ride.

http://www.handsomecycles.com

About 02 Rainwear
Developed by Rain Shield, Inc., O2 Rainwear is a national biking apparel line offering affordable protection from the elements for anyone who rides — from serious cyclists to casual rec riders. We’re based in Minneapolis, one of the most active cycling communities in the country. Our own passion for cycling means we get it: we understand why you’re out there, rain or shine, and we know what you need from your gear to keep you going back for more. Since 1997, we’ve been creating O2 Rainwear products to help you make the most of your ride.

http://www.o2rainwear.com

About Banjo Brothers
Founded in 2003 by Mike Vanderscheuren and Eric Leugers in Minneapolis (not brothers), Banjo Brothers make a line of high quality, well-built and affordable panniers, waterproof backpacks, grocery bag panniers, handlebar bags, seat bags, messenger bags, and more for bike commuters, recreational and urban cyclists.

http://www.banjobrothers.com

About Breaking Away
Breaking Away is a coming of age story which follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high school. Breaking Away was acknowledged as the eighth best film in the sports genre by the American Film Institute.

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Ok, so I didn't take this pic, but I'm not exaggerating, it was like this on Saturday.

Aloha from the downpour in Honolulu, my Bikey Commuters… Of course it is I, Mir.I.Am, with Diary of a Wimpy “Winter” Commuter hailing from my desk at work!  Today’s commute was an ill-prepared twist of fate for yours truly, as the sunny “winter” weekend kept everyone in bikinis and barbeques during the day, and under covers and blanket during the breezy eves.  All of those lunchtime ocean dips from yesterweek disappeared like the last Taco Bell Baja Chalupa at 2:56am on a Friday night.  Sneak-attack rainstorm hit me from all directions signaling the official end of the weekend on my morning commute today.  However, optimistic rainbow ponies had me convinced that a tank top, cardigan, and Vanya Chrome pants was all I needed for my commute AND my office attire for the day.  ”Come along, pretty princess, rainbows and magic pony power will keep you dry on your way to work!”

The worst of Winter Woes in Honolulu - Pony Attack!

YOU’RE NOT MADE OF SUGAR – WHAT’S A LITTLE RAIN?  Since moving to Chinatown, my commute has been shortened from 25 miles RT down to 3 miles RT (don’t judge, peeps) keeping most rainy winter commutes to a short fifteen minute ride on my fenderless Bumblebee bike.  So, one can imagine my shrugging shoulders when I exited my apartment building stairwell in a tank top despite the light drizzle underway.  Nothing more than a Mr. Mister, so I grabbed my booq “Mamba” backpack (review in near future!) and clipped in… Two blocks later, I was caught in puddles and soggy socks!  What’s the rush? I thought, as I pulled over to clip on some front and rear lights and fully embraced the cyclist-in-a-wet-cardigan look and decided that the more drenched I arrived at work, the better!  And, to no one’s surprise, I arrived with everything drenched except for the spot on my back protected by my backpack… great way to start the week, boss.

BIKE COMMUTE OFFICE STASH:  Luckily for me, I keep a stock of clean (ish) and dry work clothes stashed at my desk at the offizle.  A quick dry towel usually reserved for aforementioned lunch time swims was helpful in toweling off my hair and wrapping my shoes and socks for a (fingers crossed) drier commute on the way home.  My Vanya pants  + no fender = Bikini change-O to solve our soggy bottom issues before throwing on a work dress.  A comb, a pair of heels, and some Witch Hazel for good measure made my wimpy winter commute nothing more than a pony’s daydream…  Tonight I’ll make sure to pack my reliable pink rain jacket for good measure!  Time to restock the office clothes pile to save me on some other day when I leave the apartment decaffeinated and less-than-prepared.  My wardrobe change and Cycle Lady bathroom arsenal debunks the myths that cycling to work is unprofessional.

Stay Dry, Bike Commuters, and enjoy your winter however warm, cold, wet, or windy it may be!  Take it slow, enjoy the ride, and ride on, my little ponies.  For some really BAMF articles on real, non-wimpy winter commutes, check out this snowy article by Elizabeth!

Last Chalupa Standing - Here's to you, all-weather Bike Commuters!

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Here are a few things that we are looking for:

1. Post 1-2 articles per week.
2. Able to write; if not, use spell check or have someone in your home who can spell better go over your work.
3. Likes to take photos.
4. Likes to talk about your rides, how you fixed something and all that fun stuff.
5. Share your ideas on how to save money on biking or where to find the best deals.
6. Most importantly, you need to be RELIABLE. We don’t want flakes.

What’s in it for you? Absolutely nothing. We don’t pay, but we occasionally get products from various companies who want us to test their goods. Oh, I have to mention that you do get Internet stardom. Just look at Jack Sweeney and myself. Due to our work, we get recognized all the time! Yep, you could be big time like us…

If you’re interested in becoming a Staff Writer for BikeCommuters.com, then let us know: info@bikecommuters.com. Please provide us a sample of your writing skills. If you have a blog, send us a link of your best article you’ve posted.

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But today’s morning bike commute got me reconsidering the backpack. Truth be told, I’ve been thinking about getting another bike commuter specific backpack for a while now. It was seeing that bike commuter this morning sporting a hot pink Chrome rolltop bag that reignited the spark and interest in a backpack. Talk about hi-vis! I could see this hot pink pack from a block away and it actually brightened my mood on this otherwise gray Friday! (sorry I missed the photo op)

Also, just yesterday another biking friend emailed me about his collision with a pothole last August that resulted in him fracturing many ribs and a having a collapsed lung. The staff at the trauma center told him that if he had not been wearing his small backpack he would have been paralyzed. Saved by the backpack?

So – my meandering commute this morning not only took me in a less than direct path to work, but also has me looking back into backpacks again. What goes around comes around, right? This time around I think the options in commuter backpacks have come a long way.

If you commute with a backpack, what’s your preference? (Note: finding a pack that isn’t too big is an issue for me = is there one that’s “just right” for me?) I’ll be trying to figure that out.

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You have probably heard that the Petri/Johnson/Lipinski amendment to restore dedicated funding for bicycling and walking lost narrowly by just two votes in this morning’s Transportation Committee meeting in the House of Representatives. The bi-partisan amendment and vote took place against the backdrop of a very partisan and rancorous mark-up of the legislation – the two Republican sponsors of the bike/walk amendment, Reps. Petri and Johnson, deserve a huge “thank you” for taking on this challenge on behalf of the cycling and walking community.

You also deserve a huge “thank you”. The League’s on-line advocacy center reported yours was one of more than 18,000 e-mails sent to Members of Congress on this issue – a stunning number, and surely part of the reason we were able to put up such a good fight today. We are meeting this evening with our colleagues in the America Bikes coalition to determine our next steps, greatly heartened by your incredible support. If nothing else, today’s vote has shown the leadership of the House and committee chairman Mica that we are a force with which to be reckoned.

Notwithstanding other developments, we expect the transportation bill will be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives very soon: February 13th. As soon as we have decided our strategy for this next critical phase, we’ll be in touch again. Meanwhile, you can check the League’s website, or America Bikes for more information; and please follow us on Twitter and Facebook for real-time updates.

As you can see, more debating ensues on the House floor early next week, so there may very well be more calls to action from the League and/or your local bike advocacy group in the coming days.

From BikeCommuters.com, thank you for taking action with us.

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The proposed bill eliminates dedicated funding for bicycling and walking as we feared, and it goes much further and systematically removes bicycling from the Federal transportation program. It basically eliminates our status and standing in the planning and design of our transportation system — a massive step backwards for individuals, communities and our nation. It’s a step back to a 1950s highway- and auto-only program that makes no sense in the 21st century.

The bill reverses 20 years of progress by:

• destroying Transportation Enhancements by making it optional;
• repealing the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school;
• allowing states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles;
• eliminating bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs; and
• eliminating language that insures that rumble strips “do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled.”

On Thursday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee will mark-up the bill and Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Johnson (R-IL) will sponsor an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Representatives Petri and Johnson can only be successful if everyone with a stake in safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways contacts their representative today.

The LAB has created a handy letter and contact tool so you can voice your concerns with your representative(s). Simply click on the Capwiz link, enter your zipcode and the system generates an editable letter for you.

Make your voice be heard…while we understand that the Federal Government cannot be expected to pay for everything, and that the states should be responsible for the bulk of bike/ped infrastructure, this proposed Act sets a dangerous precedent that jeopardizes decades of progress.

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1) Long Beach is aiming to become the most bicycle-friendly city in America. The article at The Atlantic Cities illustrates the achievements and future plans of Long Beach in making good on this proclamation. You may recall that we visited Long Beach back in 2008 for their Bike-To-Work Day. Also, former BC writer Russ Roca took photos of Long Beach’s bike share program when it launched in 2008. Take a look at those here.

2) Fullerton, CA to get a bike-sharing system…this one’s near and dear to our hearts as the West Coast HQ of Bikecommuters.com is in Fullerton. Currently, the city is seeking bids from contractors for a pilot installation of 150 bikes at 15 stations around the city. Details can be found at the OC Register.

3) A need for a bigger tax subsidy for bike commuters — here’s one that popped up in the Google newsfeed the other day — a comment on TaxProf Blog that links to an article in the St. Louis University Law Journal. If the Federal Government can encourage more people to use two wheels to get to work, I’m all for it…and the paltry tax break employers can currently (but don’t have to) offer is hardly enticing.

4) Most of you already know that we love “Portland East”, or “MPLS”, or The Mini Apple…we’ve mentioned something positive about their bike scene about once a month ’round these parts. Well, there’s more good news coming from the city…take a look at the D.C. Streetsblog’s coverage of Minneapolis’s first ever “Bicycle Account”, a compilation of cycling data.

Alright, that should give most of you a good bit of reading for the day. Enjoy!

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Biking usually clears my mind. As daily bike commuter Phil Day from Chicago’s PBS station WTTW said in this updated segment about winter biking: “All you think about is what’s right in front of you.” ….and nothing else matters.

He’s right. Yet I often find my mind straying to random tunes or to thoughts of the tasks I have to do or any other number of meanderings. Most of the time the thoughts are fleeting and gone by the time I arrive at my destination.

Unfortunately all it takes is one such thought to distract me and cause a split second of lost focus. In fact just last week I nearly wiped out when my front wheel evidently caught a crevice in the road and I found myself suddenly struggling to recover my balance and stay upright…. My mind had wandered to my work “to do” list and thoughts about the impending winter weather and pondering just how frozen the roads felt below my bike tires; my last thought before I was in recovery mode was “it would probably really hurt to go down on this frozen ground”. One moment and one bad move = a close call.
We’ve posted about making such mistakes in the past and I even alerted cyclists to stay alert back when I was profiled (I could use some of my own advice sometimes).

Yet, I will continue to daydream, hopefully not about what I have to do at work that day or what I have to do when I get home. RL has listed all of his random thoughts while bike commuting. I’ll just keep singing wistful songs to myself. Who needs an iPod and headphones when I can entertain myself? In winter, I don’t even have to worry about someone in a car hearing my off-key humming; their windows are closed up tight.

What do you “muse” about during your bike riding commutes?

Fellow bike commuters: We’ll be calling this and future such posts “Friday Musings”. Every once in a while on a Friday we’ll post some light-hearted musing for your TGIF enjoyment. (kind of reminds me of the concept of “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey“)

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[The report] provides a look at commuting by cycling and walking in the U.S., how safe those commutes are, and where transportation funding is going — or not going — to promote these alternative means of local travel.

The report ranked states and cities on bicycling and walking levels (how many people commute by bike or foot) as well as fatality rates. Boston had the highest level of such commutes, and Fort Worth, Texas, the lowest. Vermont and Boston had the fewest fatalities and Florida and Fort Worth the most.

Some more brief (and sobering) highlights:

From 2000 to 2009, bicycling commuters in the U.S. rose by 57%. But the largest 51 cities in the country saw an average 29% increase in bicycle fatalities since the group released its 2010 report. That number may change if the planned 20,908 miles of bike facilities and 7,079 miles of pedestrian facilities across the country are funded.

It can be dangerous out there for those who travel by bike or foot: 12% of trips in the U.S. are taken via cycling or walking, but 14% of those involved in fatal traffic accidents are bicyclists and pedestrians.

Read the LA Times article by clicking here, visit the Alliance website here, or download the full (242 pages, 24MB) report by clicking here.

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Hitler Advocates Bicycling in Jacksonville from Abhishek Mukherjee on Vimeo.

You may not identify with Hitler as a bike advocate, but if you’re a Florida resident, you can certainly identify with the anger and frustration at a state that simply falters when it comes to workable, intelligent bicycle infrastructure.

In other Bike Jax news, the 1st Annual Bike Jax Tweed Ride will be taking place on Sunday, March 4th:

Full details at the Jax Tweed Ride page.

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