There have been some awesome innovations in biking technology this year. Check out these cool lighting systems someone came up with. Or how about this nifty accessory to have your iPhone available while you ride. One of the positives of the poor economy lately is that it is forcing people to turn to alternative modes of transportation. Naturally, with more people biking comes more technological advancement.

One good thing about Europe’s high gas prices is that it turns people away from cars. Never thought I’d say it, but perhaps our gas prices should be higher. People get very power happy with their hands on a steering wheel and foot on a gas pedal. We become so accustomed to it that we forget that it’s a huge, powerful piece of metal that we are pushing along very fast. Every day I see hundreds, if not thousands, of cars driving along with only one person inside. This is ridiculously inefficient. Many of these people aren’t even going that far. With the terrible traffic here in the Bay, especially the East Bay stretch of freeway from Richmond to Emeryville, the time difference between cycling and driving is probably not even that significant. Your body will thank you for it.

In an overweight nation, changes must be made. Sitting all day at a computer is bad enough, but compile this with driving home to a TV screen along with eating fast food, and we are creating a recipe for our own demise.

But, as I said, things are improving. I have high hopes for 2012. Forget about that end of the world nonsense. We’ve witnessed and survived plenty of “raptures” in the past. However, I do believe a more collective consciousness is developing, and it will prove to have positive benefits. We shall be the beneficiary and bicycles may be the benefactor. I have been focusing more on my breath recently, breathing strictly though my nose in order to create and maintain an internal heat. Every breath, especially when I ride. I intend to ride more this coming year, especially now that I am occupied with an office job. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, in preparation for an awesome year!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving” ~ Albert Einstein

I was just digging through some old boxes of my dad’s and discovered some really awesome headband/ear covers that are super crucial for this brisk air. I definitely ride with gloves on so my hands don’t go numb, but my ears are often still forced to endure extreme wind chill. These headbands should make a world of difference!

At least the rainy season has yet to begin. How do you protect yourself in the rain? Some sort of fender over the back tire to prevent mud splashing onto your back is a great idea, especially if you’re on the way to work in nice clothes. There are also numerous options for waterproof pants or shoes. There are even capes available that allow for ventilation to avoid the swampy humid feeling that arises when pedaling aggressively under several layers of clothing.

But more importantly, we must calculate the additional road space required to stop on wet asphalt. As I ride, I tend to assume that everyone else on the road is going to make a maneuver that endangers me. If that sounds paranoid, just this weekend I was riding with a friend, my buddy moved directly in front of me very suddenly and I had to skid a little bit to avoid a collision. It was nothing serious, and I made no point of it to him, but these little habits of caution are the type of action that avoid escalation into larger incidents.

One day after work last winter, I had to ride home in a sudden torrential downpour. Luckily, my house was only a couple miles away. Even so, I ended up completely drenched from my waist down. I had worn a waterproof jacket on top, but regular jeans and sneakers on bottom. My socks were literally saturated, which has to be one of the worst feelings. I was reminded of Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump, who was adamant about the necessity for clean, dry socks: “There is one item of GI gear that can be the difference between life and death: Socks.” I tend to agree with his sentiments, and love the feeling of a fresh pair of warm fuzzy socks. When I finally got home from my rapid ride though the squall, I was lucky my dad had a fire roaring. I immediately changed into dry clothes and made myself cozy by the fireplace.

Weather is an extremely powerful phenomenon, and humans have generally done a pretty awesome job of adapting to it in order to thrive in places like the Himalayas.

There are times, however, when an alternative route probably should be taken.

Like this:

I’m new to Emeryville, but I have some city pride, already! I’m volunteering on a candidate’s campaign for City Council (she wants more bike paths!), and I support local businesses. So when I found out about MonkeyLectric, I was super excited. They’re local Emeryvillians (who are not, despite the “villian” part, evil) who make the coolest bike lights I’ve ever seen. Seriously.

Check it out:

The lights are super rad–and they’ll help cars see you from the side, something a traditional blinky light doesn’t do very well.