alternATIVe

Quality bicycle panniers are a great Christmas gift for bike commuters and tourers. So we are offering a $10 savings on our Arkel panniers and bags. Enter the redemption code below on the product page of the bike pannier you'd like to buy in our online store:

ARKELXMAS

The discount is applied when you view your shopping basket or checkout.

Valid in the continental United States until 31/12/09.

We have returned from our cycling trip in Europe and have developed a 2010 Calendar with pictures bicycling through France. We hope it inspires other cyclists to ride their bikes or even take a trip to Europe to tour beautiful France.

We used the Arkel XM-45 panniers for our tour. They were large enough so we did not need front panniers, provided sufficient heel space, made us highly visible, and are waterproof.

Learn more about the Arkel XM-45 pannier

1 hour charging, speeds of around 30mph, 25 mile range, and a 1.3kW motor turn this bike from a bicycle into a street-legal motorbike like a scooter (you'll need a license, insurance, etc.). This motorbike looks like a lot of fun but out of range for many at over $8,000.

Check out the video below.

Back from vacation we are now offering our big end of summer sale. You can now purchase a complete kit for only $499 (instead of $749) while supplies last.

Offer only available in the continental US.

I just heard about this petition to get Google to add a "Bike there" option to Google Maps. They already have over 38,000 people that signed it. It's set up by googlemapsbikethere.org which provides a lot more information about the project and I love their transportation hierarchy graphic - pedestrians on the top!

This is fantastic and would help so many people that are trying to change their life style and are just starting to bike.

>> Read and sign the petition now

You can also help push this petition up on Reddit, so more people will find out about it.

Technorati Tags:
google, maps, bike, bike there, bike routes, bike map, petition

Taking bike commuting to the next level: We are now offering Arkel's Sakaroo large and small panniers. They are made from 100% recycled polyester yarn for truly environmentally friendly bike bags. The 600 denier polyester fabric is made with 40% post consumer and 60% post-industrial recycled plastics.

The price for these high quality bags is surprisingly low at $80 (small) - $115 (large) for the pair. Shipping takes about 2-3 weeks.

Technorati Tags:
bike, bicycle, pannier, recycled, 100% recycled, green pannier, environmentally friendly, bike bag

SANDAG is developing a regional bicycle plan and is currently in phase 1 of the planning process. They are actively trying to get data. The workshops they offered were announced on their website and we heard about them via the SDCBC.

People who currently don't ride because of the perceived danger of riding and the lacking bike facilities in our city would never know about this great opportunity to share their concerns. Unfortunately, I have not seen any awareness campaigns around this to get more people and especially non-riders involved.

Please help spread the word.

On www.sandag.org/bicycleplan, you can do the following:

• complete a survey and let SANDAG know what's missing or where it's dangerous for you (deadline is August 31st) - this is your chance to get your voice heard!


• download bicycle maps to see the existing and proposed bicycle facilities


• easily map your own commute and let SANDAG know what you have to deal with every day and which roads are the most important to you - simply include the term SANDAG in the title when you save each route


• spread the word - email the links to anyone you know and especially those, who are scared to ride because the city has not provided the necessary bike facilities that make everyone feel safe to ride!

FYI: The bike route tool is Bikely.com and it's extremely easy to use. Don't forget to add SANDAG in the title.

Technorati Tags:
bicycle plan, sandag, san diego, bike facility, bike lane, bike path, transportation plan

For each reusable bag you use, another 400 plastic bags will be kept from being used. Every reusable water bottle will keep another 167 plastic bottles from entering the environment.
You can pledge to Rise Above Plastics

Update on our own No Plastic Challenge
Last month has definitely been a challenge. We learned a lot and made mistakes but we changed our behaviors and also influenced others around us which raised awareness about this problem. Some of the things where we couldn't get rid of
plastic:

• Toiletpaper is wrapped in plastic and Toothpaste comes in plastic tubes


• We were fooled several times by packaging that is paper on the outside but has a plastic lining or another plastic bag inside


• Fruit and vegetables, including organic, usually have plastic stickers


• Many magazines or some mailers are wrapped in plastic bags


• Many products unnecessarily have a plastic window in their packaging


• Jars often have a plastic strip for safety - why don't they use paper like many other products?

Here are some tips if you are taking it on:

• We have better success avoiding plastic if we explain what we are doing and why - most times, the person behind the counter is not annoyed but becomes interested and uses paper instead of plastic.
• Always mention the challenge before you order anything in restaurants - drinks usually come with straws or stirrers, sometimes salad dressing on the side is in a small plastic container, etc.