tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19742162683105852222024-03-13T09:42:20.342-04:00Baltimore Bicycle Works1813 Falls Rd. Baltimore, MD 21201The digitized bike shop news and opinions of the workers at baltimore bicycle works.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-35599462439961965092009-04-16T12:16:00.003-04:002009-04-16T12:22:19.476-04:00New Website and Blog ... Go There ... Never Return to this URL ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.baltimorebicycleworks.com/upload/slideshow/_DSC7424.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 455px; height: 315px;" src="http://www.baltimorebicycleworks.com/upload/slideshow/_DSC7424.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Hello Blog readers,<br /> Baltimore Bicycle Works has a new website and blog ... This blog is not going to be updated anymore, but please check out our new blog at our new website.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.baltimorebicycleworks.com/">www.baltimorebicycleworks.com</a><br /><br /><br />or if you just want to get the straight blogn' go to:<br /><a href="http://www.baltimorebicycleworks.com/blog">www.baltimorebicycleworks.com/blog</a><br /><br />PEACE BLOGSPOT!<br /><br />I am out.<br /><br />-Josh<br /><br /><img src="file:///tmp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-17971724876864963702009-03-23T09:13:00.002-04:002009-03-23T09:19:10.494-04:00BMX is intenseSo I just saw this video on The Come Up BMX blog, and since it features our friend and neighbor Ben Hittle, I figured I would repost it.<br /><br />Ben is the lad with the short hair and ear plugs, looking real punk rock. If that doesn't give it away, he is the one doing the really technically tough wall rides and clicked tables.<br /><br />The top level of BMX riding is crazy these days ... all of these guys are doing some great riding.<br /><br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3781810&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3781810&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3781810">TheComeUp Texas Trip</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/comeup">www.thecomeupbmx.net</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-54778322671816027122009-03-23T08:33:00.002-04:002009-03-23T08:39:28.442-04:00Trek Bicycle Company squeezing workersFrom Bicycle Retailer and Industry News:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/2499.html">Trek Furloughs 300 Employees</a> <br /><br />As BSNYC would put it "The Great Trek Bike Making Company" has decided to increase profit by squeezing its workers in Madison. The plan has workers temporarily laid off during these early spring months to increase profits. This is despite the fact that according to the same story, bikes sales are up over last year.<br /><br />I hope these workers are able to make ends meet with less money in their pockets.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-7724193025602347532009-03-15T09:40:00.003-04:002009-03-15T09:42:52.341-04:00Winter Clothing SaleWe currently have all of our remaining winter clothing on sale for 25% off of the listed price.<br /><br />Come in and pick up a long sleeve wool jersey, a pair of knickers, or a pair of knee warmers.<br /><br />We also have recently become an authorized Chris King dealer, some come check out their incomparable angry bee hubs.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-90432606634300476532009-02-24T09:10:00.002-05:002009-02-24T09:14:05.382-05:00Happy MealI am pretty sure that the food being sold through that drive through is more harmful to children/ society in general than the drugs.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/McDonalds-drugs-Edgewater/f7YalKera0OEdJKRY8EUHQ.cspx">http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story/McDonalds-drugs-Edgewater/f7YalKera0OEdJKRY8EUHQ.cspx</a><br /><br />" ba ba ba ba ba ... I'm lovn' it "<br /><br />found via <a href="http://baltimorecrime.blogspot.com/">Baltimore Crime</a>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-61203082956507249882009-02-22T20:53:00.003-05:002009-02-22T20:59:16.270-05:00Amsterdamize TVI just saw this on Amesterdamize TV. I made reference to it earlier. Some good stuff.<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/gdVN7rQGhkM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="414" width="500"></embed>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-29901132517129428952009-02-20T19:29:00.004-05:002009-02-20T19:34:29.872-05:00MASH ... I am sorry.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mashsf.com/_dev/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/screenshot-57.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 364px;" src="http://mashsf.com/_dev/_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/screenshot-57.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I was wrong.<br /><br />MASH is tuff as nails.<br /><br />Don't count out your fixed gear brethren ... definitely not these fixed gear brethren.<br /><br />picture via <a href="http://www.mashsf.com/blog.php">MASH blog</a>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-45248339098083855352009-02-20T11:32:00.000-05:002009-02-20T11:33:28.544-05:00every once in a while there is some good news<h3 class="entry-title"><a href="http://urbanvelo.org/ny-officer-famous-for-shoving-cyclist-during-critical-mass-has-been-fired/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to "NY Officer Famous for Shoving Cyclist During Critical Mass Has Been Fired"">NY Officer Famous for Shoving Cyclist During Critical Mass Has Been Fired</a></h3>Via Urban VeloBaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-54520052471414371892009-02-14T23:23:00.002-05:002009-02-14T23:29:20.126-05:00"The Starbucks Problem"A fellow worker in Minnesota writing about the possibilities of a wider revitalized labor movement, based on rank and file solidarity. Thanks to the ever impressive wikileaks we can now hear the adversaries of workers talk clearly about their rabid resistance to any force that could check their power.<br /><br /><a href="based%20on%20rank%20and%20file%20solidarity.%20%20http://tcsbuxunion.com/2009/02/13/the-starbucks-problem/">http://tcsbuxunion.com/2009/02/13/the-starbucks-problem/</a>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-47080465712785062552009-02-13T09:05:00.003-05:002009-02-13T09:12:48.131-05:00MASH to ride Tour of California... I still can't decided if this is a joke or not.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cyclelicio.us/2009/02/mash-sf-to-ride-fixed-in-tour-of.html">MASH SF to ride fixed in Tour of California</a><br /><br />... maybe they are planning on being some sort of low-tech first wave of foot soldier in the war against The Govenor of Califorinia, Shimano electronic shifting, and skynet. I hear people have seen Christian Bale riding a fixie.<br /><br />I think they underestimate how brutal a pro tour stage race is going to be. If the had a team in full skin suits, with new carbon wunderbikes ... I doubt they would finish stage one. Seeing as they are riding tight jeans, and steel fixed gears, I doubt they will finish the first climb.<br /><br />I have visions of a MASH domestique working his heart out to bring a water bottle to their number one guy ... so he can fill his bong without stopping.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-65643899660424935392009-02-13T08:41:00.002-05:002009-02-13T08:50:54.114-05:00on a lighter note about the looming ApocalypseShimano is going to be unveiling its new Dure Ace electronic shifting at this years tour of California.<br /><br />Which makes it official:<br /><br />at 10 am Febuary 14 Skynet will become self aware.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pagesperso-orange.fr/mdi/images/bckgrd/bckgrd_big/terminator_004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 341px; height: 254px;" src="http://pagesperso-orange.fr/mdi/images/bckgrd/bckgrd_big/terminator_004.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I am pretty sure this is a picture of the Governor of California at last year's race.<br /><br />I think we also now know why <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5VGFIQJ4ww">Christian Bale is so irritible</a> ... he is going to be busy trying to shoot the derailleurs of of lance's new black and yellow live strong Trek. Funded by the Kasak state ... just like Borat.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-49643272456692353772009-02-13T08:14:00.002-05:002009-02-13T08:29:46.718-05:00closely following bosses hoard their gold, to the detriment of society as a wholeAgain ... more good news from the <a href="http://www.bicycleretailer.com">BRAIN</a><br /><br />Turns out <a href="http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/2356.html">REI is firing people</a> and blaming our new depression. (we should really spend some time and figure out a name for this depression ... I can't believe they decided to call the last one "great" because it seems for everything I gather like it sucked real bad.)<br /><br />REI is a cooperative, but it is a consumer cooperative as opposed to the Baltimore Bicycle Works which is a worker cooperative. Being a worker cooperative gives people more control over their workplace because decisions are made democratically and because positions of authority and responsibility are accountable to all of the people who own shares of the business.<br /><br />A consumer cooperative gives the patrons of a store deals in exchange for their membership. Not a bad thing in the least, but it is ultimately a business model for a regular old hierarchical corporation.<br /><br />If the workers at REI got to vote on the direction of their company, I doubt they would vote to loose their jobs while simultaneously opening up new stores. Yet that is what they are going to do.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-61428849945988895792009-02-10T23:53:00.001-05:002009-02-10T23:54:37.458-05:00Old letter to the editor about bike industry<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49810-2004Dec8.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49810-2004Dec8.html</a>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-59469905289010007082009-02-10T23:23:00.003-05:002009-02-10T23:31:54.886-05:00"150,000 members"I saw <a href="http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/2257">this article </a>at this blog after doing google searches for bicycle worker stuff.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Getting back to the late 19th century, workers began to use this new tool for political purposes as well as transportation. Activists pedaled to workers who lived further away from town centers, allowing for greater inclusion in union meetings and other worker organizations. The Workers Cycling Federation was a political organization that distributed flyers and literature at public events. With over 150,000 members by 1913, the Federation “had a chain of bicycle shops, a bicycle factory, and a bi-weekly newspaper called The Worker-Cyclists, all owned collectively and run co-operatively.” The Socialist Wheelmen’s Club joined the fight for workers’ rights by distributing political literature between Boston and New York.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thus, the bicycle had a prominent place in workers’ lives both then and now. Class issues still divide bicyclists, with </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/shorts.html" target="_blank">“lycras”</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.usacycling.org/" target="_blank">racers</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> sometimes pitted against </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_messenger" target="_blank">messengers</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://commutebybike.com/" target="_blank">commuters</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Bicycling is still often thought of as transportation for the poor, and it often is! Cars are very expensive to own and maintain, putting them out of reach for many low-income folks. I’ve heard of die-hard bike commuters renting cars to go to job interviews because they were worried about the negative image of bicycle commuting. </span><p style="font-style: italic;"> Being poor in America (or anywhere) is tough, but the bicycle has definitely helped to make transportation more affordable for the working classes throughout the past century."</p> <p style="font-style: italic;"> </p><span style="font-style: italic;"> source: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content%7Econtent=a727785942%7Edb=all%7Ejumptype=rss">Biketivism and Technology: Historical Reflections and Appropriations.</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> Zack Furness.</span><br /><br />interesting stuff.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-28934090770425639622009-02-06T14:49:00.002-05:002009-02-06T15:03:14.457-05:00The TrapI have just finished the documentary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trap_%28television_documentary_series%29"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Trap</span></a> by Adam Curtis.<br /><br />I suggest it highly to people who care about freedom.<br /><br />If you don't want to spend money on it, it is available on the website<br /><a href="http://www.freedocumentaries.com"><br />www.freedocumentaries.com</a><br /><br />If you have more than three hours to kill ... I also suggest checking out his other recent works:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares">The Power of Nightmares</a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Century_of_the_Self">The Century of the Self</a></span><br /><br />Mr. Curtis has a very convincing argument to make in all of the films. They are all generally centered on the idea that the power elite in Britain and the United States are imposing (and have imposed) a flawed ideology on the people they govern with disastrous results.<br /><br />He is also narrates his films, and his British accent adds substantially to his <a href="http://www.wikiality.com/Gravitas">gravitas</a>.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-13199774418439073502009-02-04T11:44:00.003-05:002009-02-04T12:17:39.775-05:00Canadian bike shop bosses shell out to train workersI just got this article forwarded to me from mi amigo Kevin.<br /><a href="http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/580815"><br /><span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder_article_NavWebPart_Article_ctl00___Title__" class="headlineArticle">Wheels turning to train jobless as bike mechanics</span></a><br /><br />It is interesting to me for a couple of different reasons.<br /><br />One, it means that the people that own bike shops in Toronto, Canada are organized to a point that they understand common needs for their industry. They are combining to meet those needs, in a manner that places long term profits ahead of short term profits. I have never seen anything like this from the retail bicycle shops in Baltimore.<br /><br />Two, it means that the retail segment of the bicycle industry in Toronto is experiencing significant growth to the point where the bosses are not just hiring new workers, they are paying to train workers to do the job.<br /><br />Three, is a question of the nature of these jobs. What is their pay? Is the work full or part time ... or is it seasonal? What are the conditions? Will these workers be able to maintain a life of dignity with the wages they are paid for their work?<br /><br />It reminds me a of a quote I found when doing research on unionization in the early American bicycle industry (though the quote is in reference to the English bicycle industry).<br /><br /><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=8YgkoW4ZDE4C&dq=%22bicycle%20worker%22%20skill&lr=&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a&pg=PA514&ci=234,173,723,276&source=bookclip"><img src="http://books.google.com/books?id=8YgkoW4ZDE4C&pg=PA514&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U2kPBcRMnPJvnXAsT4AYZCJCr0BJg&ci=234%2C173%2C723%2C276&edge=1" alt="Text not available" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=8YgkoW4ZDE4C&dq=%22bicycle%20worker%22%20skill&lr=&as_brr=1&client=firefox-a&pg=PA514&ci=234,173,723,276&source=bookclip">The Economic Journal The Quarterly Journal of the Royal Economic Society By British Economic Association, Royal Economic Society (Great Britain), JSTOR (Organization), Ingenta (Firm)</a><br /><br />I think this program will be a good thing. Give people training in an industry, especially one that is growing. Give them jobs. This is what we need to be doing especially now.<br /><br />The only thing is that we need to be defending and improving these jobs. We need to make sure that work is dignified, reliable, high paying, and not subject to the whims of the bosses.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-18550923176384672462009-02-04T10:08:00.002-05:002009-02-04T10:09:58.204-05:00Obama is being unfair to the poor CEO'sI saw this on the Huffington post and I had to share.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a9O1h4.cb0Kg&refer=us">http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a9O1h4.cb0Kg&refer=us</a><br /><br />... these people don't know what they sound like to the rest of us, do they?BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-63083643234150533702009-02-03T12:07:00.003-05:002009-02-03T12:10:23.701-05:00Bikes I Dig<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am going to start a segment here on our blog called “bikes I dig”.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So here goes our first segment of bikes I dig.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cleverchimp/430532322/in/photostream/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9AeRmyiwADpgiubPPyBmHSKm65SKqUhFoBjB0uwgyzt2fv4Ay-ImZf5CCFdyT7-iB_Kr2sllgXdwQbwc1GpPmipK49PMYWS-br0adUgdR4pg-QIOWxOyjStzTq9hPa3uC9ztIv_3Xooy/s200/bigdummernuvinchi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298616597161734066" border="0" /> photo via CleverChimp<br /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This is a <a href="http://www.surlybikes.com/bigdummy.html">Surly Big Dummy</a> equiped with a <a href="http://www.fallbrooktech.com/08_bicycle_home.asp">NuVinci continuously variable transmission rear hub</a>.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Big Dummy is a long wheel based cargo bike. It is like a fully loaded touring bike on steroids.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The NuVinci hub is one of the most interesting designs I have seen on a bicycle component ever. Really interesting. I only barely understand how it works and it makes me want one real bad. I am thinking about putting it on my steel peugot.<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kVPjhmTThPo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kVPjhmTThPo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Check the video.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>I hope there are alot more bikes that look like this in the future.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-17135207933203270582009-02-02T11:43:00.002-05:002009-02-02T11:51:18.284-05:00This is lame<a href="http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=6782719&page=1">The bosses that run the banks in this country are really starting to irritate me.</a>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-68367213509715460062009-02-02T09:54:00.002-05:002009-02-02T10:39:15.355-05:00CPSC delays enforcing lead regulation, Trek lawyers rejoiceJust off of the presses of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (otherwise known as "The BRAIN") is <a href="http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/2302.html">a story</a> about the CPSC, lead, and stuff that kids are going to be handling.<br /><br />A little back story.<br /><br />(from the CPSC website)<br /><br /><div style="font-style: italic;" align="center"><p><b>CPSC Overview</b></p></div><p><span style="font-style: italic;"> The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years. </span><br /></p><p>So ... these are the people that make sure that you don't get asbestos toothpaste and chromium teddy bears.</p><p>So congress got this law passed last year that said that manufacturers who were putting lead into children's toys (which includes bicycles and helmets) needed to stop. Well, no, that would be crazy. What it really says is that these bosses need to reduce the amount of lead they were putting in their products that they were selling to kids to 600 parts per million.</p><p>But what is all the fuss, what did a little lead ever do to a kid?</p><p>(from The Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning www.leadsafe.org)<br /></p><h1 style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">About Lead Poisoning</h1> <p style="text-align: left; font-style: italic;">Lead poisoning is the number one environmental hazard threatening children throughout the United States, affecting an estimated 310,000 children under the age of six. Children under 6 and pregnant women are at the greatest risk for lead poisoning because lead inhibits the proper physical and cognitive development of in children and infants. Even low levels of lead poisoning can cause hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, learning disabilities, lowered IQ, speech delay and hearing impairment. High levels of lead can cause severe mental disabilities, convulsions, coma or even death.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Lead poisoning is completely preventable, yet hundreds of children in Maryland are diagnosed with elevated levels of lead in their blood each year and thousands of children go untested. Because of lead's effect upon a child's brain, thousands of Maryland children fail to reach their full potential and hundreds of communities are prevented from the benefits of the child’s long-term productivity. Studies have shown children who are lead poisoned are more likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system and that lead poisoned children are seven times more likely to drop out of school before graduating. Because of lost wages and the burden on taxpayers caused by anti-social behaviors and increased special education needs, it is estimated that that general public loses millions of dollars each year.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Lead poisoning causes irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system as well as the heart and red blood cells resulting in:</p> <ul style="font-style: italic;"><li>Learning disabilities </li><li>Lowered I.Q. </li><li>Hyperactivity </li><li>Attention Deficit Disorder </li><li>Speech Delay </li><li>Hearing Loss </li><li>Slowed or reduced growth </li><li>Behavioral Problems </li><li>Violent or Aggressive Behavior </li></ul> <p style="font-style: italic;">High Level Poisoning can result in: Serve Cognitive Disabilities, Coma and Death. </p> <p style="font-style: italic;">The harmful effects of lead poisoning are permanent. The ONLY cure is prevention.</p><p>Oh .... I guess that is what lead poisoning does.</p><p>So this is the story from the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News ... With snippy interjections by yours truely.</p><p><br /></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><div class="resourceTitle"> <span style="font-style: italic;">CPSC Delays Testing Deadline </span></div> </td> <td style="float: right; font-style: italic;" align="right"> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="float: right;" align="right" nowrap="nowrap"> <br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> BETHESDA, MD (BRAIN)—The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Friday pushed back the testing deadline for lead content in children’s products, spurring a collective sigh of relief from manufacturers in the bicycle and other industries.</span><br /><br />*Collective sigh of relief on part of manufacturers spurs collective groan from those not making profit poisoning kids*<br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The requirement for third-party testing and certification to verify children’s products are meeting a strict new lead limit was scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 10 as part of the Consumer Product Safety Information Act, but will now kick in one year from that date at the earliest.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Manufacturers are still required to meet the new lead limit of 600 parts per million, but won’t have to pay for costly third party testing, an expense that posed a threat to smaller companies.</span><br /><br />*costly third party testing = effective third party testing*<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Bob Burns, head of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association’s legislative committee and Trek’s legal counsel, praised the Commission’s decision.</span><br /><br />*I guess the great Trek bicycle making corporation was one of those "smaller companies" threatened by the prospect of not poisoning kids*<br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> “We view this move by the CPSC as a very positive sign,” Burns said. “They were handed a poorly-thought-out-knee-jerk-reaction law by Congress and they were given no additional funds to administer that law. The CPSC’s decision to delay the testing requirements shows that they are a practical federal agency that knows how to balance the need to protect consumers with the realities of the world.”</span><br /><br />*"Realities of the world" should be read in this instance as a substitute for the words corporate profit.*<br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The Commission voted 2-0 to delay enforcement of the certification and testing requirements based on “substantial confusion” among manufacturers about the law. </span><br /><br />*Nice ... a 2-0 vote by the commission overturns the intention of a law passed by congress ... democracy inaction*<br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> “The Commission has received literally thousands of e-mail, telephone and written inquires as to how to comply, when to comply, what is required in support of the various certifications, what form the required certifications must take and who must issue them,” according an announcement written by Lowell F. Martin, an attorney for the Commission. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> The BPSA filed a petition last week asking the Commission to exempt lead contained in steel, aluminum and copper alloys from the law because small bike parts like valve stems and spoke nipples made of those metals exceed the lead limit. That petition is pending.</span><br /><br />*The BPSA is the corporate lobby group, the Bicycle Product Supplier Association*<br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> For the latest on the CPSIA read the March 1 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> —Nicole Formosa<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>So, congradulations BPSA, Trek, and all of you other guys who value profit over the wellbeing of our children and society as a whole. You have won the day.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-39557126705287308692009-01-29T10:09:00.002-05:002009-01-29T10:31:54.943-05:00How we look to others and post season crossingSo I just saw <a href="http://bikeportland.org/2009/01/27/baltimores-bike-improvements/">this article</a> thanks to Barry Childress of <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org">Baltimore Spokes</a> it is an article by the managing editor of <a href="http://www.bikeportland.org">BikePortland.org</a> Elly Blue about Baltimore's progress toward being a bicycle friendly city. It is an interesting perspective from someone who is from what many think of as the urban cycling nirvana: Portland (cue angelic chorus).<br /><br />I also wanted to make sure to shout out Jim who lives here in Baltimore, but works for Proteus Bicycles down in College Park. He is organizing<a href="http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=7342"> a cyclocross race</a> down in College Park, MD at another bike shop that will go unnamed (alright, it's <a href="http://www.proteusbicycles.com/">proteus</a>) and it looks to be a real nice event. So for all of you who just haven't gotten all the suffering out of your system this cross season, this race is the equivilant of that one last hit of cocaine/heroin/marijuana/caffine/jenkem or whathave you before shipping off to the Amy Winehouse Memorial treatment center.<br /><br />I am not going to be able to go, I am going to be sitting here working. But I wish the organizers and participants well and that the event goes off well.<br /><br />Alright you cats, get out there and ride in this awful slosh.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-91018804369688515162009-01-28T12:11:00.002-05:002009-01-28T12:42:29.576-05:00Commuting to work todayI saw this video this morning on the <a href="http://www.drunkcyclist.com/">Drunk Cyclist blog</a>, and I think it is how most people feel if they commuted to work down the hill today.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/1120280/mud_wrestling_downhill_mountain_bike_racers_what_a_mess_and.swf" wmode="transparent" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="345"></embed><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br /> <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1120280/mud_wrestling_downhill_mountain_bike_racers_what_a_mess_and/">Mud Wrestling Downhill Mountain Bike Racers- What A MESS!!! (and - video powered by Metacafe</a></span><br /><br /><br />I didn't actually take a spill this morning, but I was riding so slow that I was going backwards for a minute there. It was weird, I think that the earth's rotation was messing me up.<br /><br />Makes a guy want to invest in <a href="http://bikemag.com/gear/accessories/nokian-350.jpg">Nokian Tires</a>.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-59794201169552808312009-01-22T23:35:00.007-05:002009-01-22T23:51:17.835-05:00Another Used BikeThis is a recent used bike added to our line up. We've had a few go out the door since the last post, but we've kept up to date on saying what has sold. Check out the other used bikes <a href="http://baltimorebicycleworks.blogspot.com/2009/01/these-photographs-are-of-our-current.html">HERE</a>...<div> </div><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Bianchi Pista Fixed Gear - 55cm</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwGb7x3_w9G0q48g1xrdPUMiZyVEwFZwRNxGwgF0Fc4rpLsISQ4glUaFnTCaVA_UB0OBvxfYAtDZshwsJsEEDHoYB4qRzme0UwH9Iy259vxiPo9XOpmjJVeBfDGY5TLzvpYIBLQQb820M/s1600-h/pista.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwGb7x3_w9G0q48g1xrdPUMiZyVEwFZwRNxGwgF0Fc4rpLsISQ4glUaFnTCaVA_UB0OBvxfYAtDZshwsJsEEDHoYB4qRzme0UwH9Iy259vxiPo9XOpmjJVeBfDGY5TLzvpYIBLQQb820M/s200/pista.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294344982410012146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkH4WiAsvkbvxoZhIHm7Y4J0GJkfi0F_3BjHd1KO1kebwj-1yvw6wOJbmNUE5vRoEaUCrMq5ULRZxFXrwMT0Y9CldyENpqtpGAJTJ41E_r8fvw3QVzPGKuCH7DL46KFNCU0lJ9I8WlMM4/s1600-h/pista_front.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkH4WiAsvkbvxoZhIHm7Y4J0GJkfi0F_3BjHd1KO1kebwj-1yvw6wOJbmNUE5vRoEaUCrMq5ULRZxFXrwMT0Y9CldyENpqtpGAJTJ41E_r8fvw3QVzPGKuCH7DL46KFNCU0lJ9I8WlMM4/s200/pista_front.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294344976539006050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4p4JL9B9FYMYSIaIeYUy4O8XOay7-M2hrVQM0XDsz-9Xs8j-F3C-HMK98yCFaxgyzu9OSXxzdov06P0zIqSV_eFw21dI6JLr3Wbo2SXyGMcDMULYHsLtElpVxYJKjNAUwhPhAQpVk5j9/s1600-h/pista_back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4p4JL9B9FYMYSIaIeYUy4O8XOay7-M2hrVQM0XDsz-9Xs8j-F3C-HMK98yCFaxgyzu9OSXxzdov06P0zIqSV_eFw21dI6JLr3Wbo2SXyGMcDMULYHsLtElpVxYJKjNAUwhPhAQpVk5j9/s200/pista_back.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294344976623044114" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyk2KildXj1I5Q67T_dQk4wgNkHo3mp7UDxDOpCQtyFGLzKquC7NWcmuqzJmdjVah0X9z68Azmrxg7lvJRpQ1kE85SbuzflvfH6j9A7sWFqb82XIRfZSjjc8kIXri5VBpRE62-Lrna01D/s1600-h/pista_bar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyk2KildXj1I5Q67T_dQk4wgNkHo3mp7UDxDOpCQtyFGLzKquC7NWcmuqzJmdjVah0X9z68Azmrxg7lvJRpQ1kE85SbuzflvfH6j9A7sWFqb82XIRfZSjjc8kIXri5VBpRE62-Lrna01D/s200/pista_bar.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294344977257216450" /></a><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Bianchi Pista fixed gear in a 55cm frame size. Color is Bianchi gang green. Bike has a brand new, never ridden wheelset with a fix/free flip flop rear hub. Comes with bull horn bars and equipped with a front brake and bar end lever. White Turbo saddle. MKS pedals and toe clips with brand new leather straps. Gatorskin tires with plenty of life left in them. Bike is in fantastic shape and is in 100% working order. Come on by and check it out in person.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">$400.</span></div></div>BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-35375012323424120302009-01-22T09:54:00.004-05:002009-01-22T09:56:52.457-05:00New New Bikes in stockWe are thrilled to announce that we have just received a mess of bikes from our newest brand : <a href="http://www.jamisbikes.com">Jamis Bikes</a>.<br /><br />We have mountain, hybrid, road, touring, cyclocross, commuting, and kids bikes in stock.<br /><br />We will put up pictures and more thoughts soon.BaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1974216268310585222.post-42116072597727406682009-01-21T02:48:00.005-05:002009-01-21T02:54:53.712-05:00Everything old is new again<img style="width: 414px; height: 302px;" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=Q8EUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA308&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1o_iJMlKaby74PFg_FUNtd0BJQ9A&ci=49%2C795%2C938%2C661&edge=1" alt="OUR UNION LABEL SEE THAT THIS LABEL IS ON YOUR WHEEL The union label of the bicycle workers Is bound to cut more or less figure in the bicycle business this season So many cheap wheels are being thrown together by inexperienced workmen boys and girls that some sort of certificate of good workmanship is needed to assure the purchaser that he is receiving what he Is paying for The union label guarantees that the bicycle upon which it appears is the product of experienced first class workmen who are well paid for their labor To have it upon his product a manufacturer employs none but members of organized labor in each and every department of his factory When purchasing a wheel or recommending one to your friends don t forget the union label the trademark of the International Association of Machinists the Metal Polishers Buffers Platers and Brassworkers International Union and the International Union of Bicycle Workers " border="0" /><br /><br />Did you know there was an American Bicycle industry?<br /><br />And that it featured unionized workers?<br /><br /><br />from:<br />http://books.google.com/books?id=Q8EUAAAAYAAJ&dq=machinists%20bicycle%20union&lr=&pg=PA308&ci=49,795,938,661&source=bookclipBaltimoreBicycleWorkshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06177119696698861758noreply@blogger.com0