January 30, 2004
Reynolds Weld Lab, World's Fastest Bent
From our Mayors' Ride newsletter,
George Reynolds inventor of the world's fastest production bikes, the Reynolds Weld Lab speed machines has agreed to sponsor the Boston to New York City relay leg. And he may do the same island hopping run I did when I made that connection at the end of my 1986 TransAm. As such then he may take the ferry to Cape Cod and ride it south to the Post Road on the mainland where he will pick up the ferry at Bridgeport, CT. It will take him to Long Island where he will ride down to New York City. Of note, it was on the Cape that I birthed the idea of a National Bicycle Greenway as I rode a reconverted rail path almost the length of the island. It was here that found myself wondering the whole way why, if we could go to the moon, why we could not somehow create a coast to coast bike connection. And I've not stopped pushing for such a through way since......
January 23, 2004
Obesity cost taxpayers $39B in 2003
Obesity cost taxpayers $39B in 2003
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Obese Americans — those who are 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight — cost the country about $75 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2003, and taxpayers paid for about half of that, a study revealed Wednesday.
Almost 65% of Americans weigh too much. Extra weight increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, several types of cancer and other diseases.
Economists with RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared state annual medical costs for obese people with those for adults at healthy weights.
They found that the public paid about $39 billion — or about $175 per taxpayer — through Medicare and Medicaid programs for obesity-linked illnesses. The study, to be published Friday in Obesity Research, gives a state-by-state breakdown of weight-related costs.
The same researchers released a report in May that showed that the total annual medical bill for people who are either obese or overweight, weighing just a few to 30 pounds over an ideal weight, is as much as $93 billion. Their analyses include direct medical costs related to extra weight but not indirect costs such as time off work.
"If obesity goes up, these costs are going to continue to go up," says lead author Eric Finkelstein, a health economist for RTI International.
January 15, 2004
Trouble Finding Recumbent Parts?
OK, now you have your bent, maybe even a few of them. But your closest dealer is hours away and you just cannot justify a return trip there for tires and/or tubes. Or you need other bent specific parts, such as forks, seats, kickstands, or fenders, etc, that your favorite dealer just does not carry. If this describes you, Power On Cycling comes to the rescue!! Based in the Tampa area of Florida, where they have an actual store, as the number one source for bent parts, they are very busy shipping them all over the country.
Next time you're relaxing at your computer, pay them a visit at: http://www.PowerOnCycling.com
January 13, 2004
Flabbiest Cities need the NBG Mayors' Ride
According to Men's Magazine, as per a study of America's flabbiest cities, Chicago really does need the Mayors' Ride we are doing to their Windy City. The schedule can be found HERE.
According to the magazine:
No city in the U.S. has weather worse than Chicago's, but it just makes those stunning spring days (all six of them) more special. The Windy City also blows it in commute time, open spaces, and air and water (it's not only freezing, it's polluted). Smoking is still a popular pastime here, and obesity levels are nearly double those in Colorado. Blame the Cubs, or blame double-double cheeseburgers, deep-dish pizza, Eli's cheesecake and rainbow cones..{...}
And yet there again, Houston is #1 on the flab scale, while of the other cities we are visiting Philly is 4, St Louis is 5, Columbus is 8, Indy is 12, NYC is 15, Baltimore is 20, Miami is 24 and Washington DC is 25th.
There are no CA cities on the flab list list while on the fittest ranking, 8 out of the top 25 cities are here in the Golden State. One of America's top bike cities, Portland, comes in at # 6 while Seattle, the first 2004 NBG Day is the second most fit city in the US. And yet there again, you had to know that San Francisco is ranked as the 3rd most fit city in the US! Oakland across the Bay comes in at 15th and San Jose is 19th. And the NBG is now located easy bike distance from all of these last three population centers!!
If U want to see why the magazine ranked these cities they way they did, go HERE and click on the city in question!
January 10, 2004
New Exciting Long Wheel Base Coming!!
Cycle Genius has created quite a stir with the two new LWB recumbents they are coming to the marketplace with this Spring. Seems Interbike was very good for them as they are chock full of orders for the LTX and the RDX. And it's easy to see why. "Where else", as partner Danny Savitsky asks, "can you get a mostly aluminum recumbent with disc brakes for 999 bux?"
And Danny is excited about these bikes for good reason. The LTX, the one with the front and rear Avid mechanical disc brakes, for example, weighs in at a svelte 33 pounds. To achieve this, the frame, and seat frame are aluminum. Also on this bike, like on their hot selling $450 answer to the now defunct BikeE, the CGX, is their comfortable 6-way adjustable seat.
The LTX upgrade, the $1350 RDX, comes in at 31 pounds. Add an aluminum fork, TruVativ cranks, faster wheels and other component enhancements to the LTX excitement and you've got a bike that is far more about performance than the pricing discounts that Cycle Genius is known for!!
Do get a look at their site!!