SOAR Blog

I pledge to reduce my greenhouse gas emissions by 450 pounds during May, which many U.S. cities, including Salt Lake City, recognize as Bike Month.

I have the farthest commute of all the SOAR team members (about 30 miles), so I’m not going to attempt to commute the entire way by bike. But I will take the bus two to three times per week, and stop asking my husband to drop me off and pick me up from my home bus stop (I learned at the Bicycle Leadership Conference that 40 percent of trips in the U.S. are just two miles and are the most polluting). If I do this during the month of May, UtahCommuter.com tells me that I can reduce my vehicle trips by 450 to 680 miles and my greenhouse gas emission by 380 to 575 pounds.

Me prepping for the Momentum bike fashion show at Interbike

I first started using mass transit because it was cheaper than buying snow tires for my 1988 California-raised Volvo. Even though the threat of snow is gone (let’s hope), I still try to commute by bus twice a week. The entire commute from point to point takes about 30-40 minutes longer than it would if I drove by myself, but I think it is worth the extra time spent. One-way bus fare cheaper than a gallon of gas and the time I have on the bus to read Newsweek and study Portuguese is priceless. Plus, I get home to my husband in a much better mood not having fought traffic for 45 minutes.

I’ll also reduce my green house gas emissions by biking around town more. I’ve been assessing every road I drive on for its bikeability and often think, “I could totally bike this. Why am I even driving a car?” I see bike trips to the gelaterie are in my not-so distant future.

You can learn how many pounds of carbon emissions your commute reduces by registering at UtahCommuter. com (hint: if you only commute by a car alone, your commute reduces NONE! Think about it.)

Nothing too remarkable about his time, per sé, except he sent more than 20 Twitter updates from his cell phone while completing the 26.2-mile course.

CNN.com Digital News Producer, Peter Wilkinson

According to Wilkinson he decided to tweet during the marathon as a way of boosting his personal celebrity/visibility to help raise money for Amnesty International.

For the record, you can follow Pete on Twitter via @Peter_Wilkinson or visit his Twitter page at www.twitter.com/peter_wilkinson.

Check -out this short interview of Pete being interviewed by CNN before today’s race.

“My bikes goes hard, don’t need no car” says the scraper bikers of the San Francisco Bay Area hyphy movement.

The scraper bike movement that originated in Oakland, Calif. is now sweeping the world. “Scrapers” in the hip-hop world are huge cars with rims so big they scrape the inside of the wheel well. According to a NRP story aired last year, Tyrone Stevenson Jr. (better known as “Scraper Bike King”) first thought to apply the aesthetic of the scraper car by fitting large wheels on small bike frames and painting the frames to match the rims, accenting them with colorful foil wrappers from food like Oreos, Doritos and Lemonhead. I saw several scraper bikes on display at the Oakland Airport on a recent trip to my hometown in the South Bay. They’re works of art as much as they are vehicles.

Stevenson made his first scraper bike because he couldn’t afford the car version. Now he makes a living designing them, while giving teenagers in his community creative and healthy ways to channel their energy.

Click here to watch the YouTube rap music video that started the now world-wide scraper bike phenomenon.

New agreements with DIRECTV, Verizon, Warren Miller Films and SKI Magazine likely spell success for soon-to-launch The Ski Channel

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Millions of active lifestyle buffs will get an extra present under the tree this December 25 as The Ski Channel confirmed via news release that it will reach more than 15 million households when it goes live next month on Christmas Day.

Owned by Atonal Sports and Entertainment, The Ski Channel just announced it has signed long-term agreements with DIRECTV, Verizon, Warren Miller Films and SKI Magazine. (The company also announced it has closed a “significant” round of funding.)

Programming on The Ski Channel will focus on destination travel, equipment, instruction and real estate through a combination of news, weather, magazine shows, movies and events.

In addition to its newest partners, The Ski Channel also counts the following among its corporate partners: Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Brighthouse Networks, Verizon, Panasonic, Marquis Jets, Fender Guitars, Mirage Resorts, Rage Films, Ride Guide, World Heli Championships, Teva Mountain Games, Level One Productions, Skiers World and Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Moseley.

Samson Riders Bicycle Club

Considering the plethora of well-established mountain biking cultures that exist worldwide, it is telling that Trips for Kids (TFK) would establish its first international chapter in Israel. In addition to the typical complexities that challenge childhood, Israel’s youth faces the challenge of developing tolerance for the variety of ethnic, educational, socio-economic and immigrant groups in their communities.

I imagine this is true even in Beit Shemesh, Israel, where Trips for Kids Israel- Samson Riders Bicycle Club (TFK Israel-SRBC) has been established.  This community in the heart of the Judean Plains merits a group like TFK Israel-SRBC that encourages young people to understand and unite with their peers of all backgrounds. Before Samson Riders Bicycle Club became the foundational group for TFK Israel, it had already been successful in bringing Jewish and Arab youth together to ride, learn about each other, break down barriers, discover new interests and respect the land. The club’s new relationship with TFK will make it possible to expand this program, Riding for Co-Existence, to give more underprivileged youth in Israel a chance to experience mountain biking and involve youth from other local ethnic communities in the bike ride planning and implementation.

Come late November, riders with TFK Israel-SRBC will take their first tour of the monasteries, water springs and olive groves as an official chapter of the Marin County, Calif.-based non-profit organization. For many of them, it will be their first time exploring their historic surroundings. For some, it may be their first time riding side by side with a peer who claims a different culture than their own.

You can learn more about Trips for Kids at www.tripsforkids.org.

Arien O'Connell: Fastest time doesn't lead to "win"

How would you like to post the best time in a race and not be deemed the winner?

That was the dilemma facing Arien O’Connell after she demolished the 20,000-runner field by finishing more than 11 minutes faster than her nearest competitor in Sunday’s running of the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco.

Unfortunately for O’Connell, Nike and the sport of marathoning, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-special needs teacher did not register for the race as an “elite” runner - she said she didn’t know what being “elite” runner meant. I guess she does now, as do many in the running world.

As a result, the 24-year-old started with the rest of the pack instead of getting a 20-minute headstart in front of the hoi polloi. And that’s the rub.

Continue Reading »

If you ever need a boost of inspiration about the potential of diet and exercise (specifically cycling) to overcome one’s weight challenges, you’ve got to read yesterday’s story on The Gear Junkie: “Large Fella on a Bike” (4-18-08).

In summary, Scott Cutshall went from 501 pounds to 232 pounds by strictly following a self-imposed regimen of cycling and a 1,200-calorie per day diet, and he did so in a little more than two years.

I won’t go into more details here, but major, major props to Cutshall for his shining example to all of us, weight-challenged or not.

In addition, thank you “Gear Junkie” Stephen Regenold for bringing Scott’s story to light. I loved it!!!

Burke challenges bike manufacturers to actively support advocacy efforts, including boosting donations to advocacy organizations to 0.5 percent of annual sales

SAN DIEGO, January 20, 2008 — John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle Corporation, started his closing keynote presentation at the Bicycle Leadership Conference by stripping off his sweater to reveal a No. 4 Brett Farve jersey and show his passionate support for the Green Bay Packers. 

He closed his speech by quoting President Abraham Lincoln who said his pastor had not delivered an excellent sermon because “He did not ask us to do anything great tonight,” and then Burke delivered an impassioned challenge to BLC attendees to do something great and increase their support of bicycle advocacy programs to half-a-percent (0.5 percent) of their annual sales.

Continue Reading »

In spite of a brutal travel day (departing from Salt Lake City for San Diego at 6:40 a.m. and landing back in SLC at 11:55 p.m.the same day), Chip and I had a great Friday in southern California.

The purpose of our trip? Checking out ASR 2007 — the Action Sports Retailer show which attracts top manufacturers in the surf, skate, snow, swim, style, moto and youth industries and the shops/dealers (and distributors) that sell/distribute such goods. (ASR is a Nielsen Business Media show, the same company that produces Interbike and Health+Fitness Business Expo, two SOAR Communications clients.)

As California natives now living in Utah, it was fun for both Chip and me to A) soak up the wonderful early September weather in San Diego, as well as B) reconnect with our skateboarding/surfing roots.

One of my pastimes as a teenager was riding on a three-foot long wooden skateboard, what today would be considered a “long board.” Conversely, Chip learned to surf in the Pacific swells off the southern California coast.

Although we both got a real eye-full at ASR, five “new” products caught my eye at ASR.

1.    The carbon fiber surfboards from Aviso Surfboards are very cool. Certainly more expensive than a typical surfboard, but dramatically stronger, lighter and more durable.

2.     The Spinners from Skubs take the concept of those crazy spinning rims from expensive wheels/cars and bring them to the skateboard and skater worlds.

3.    Yoga Stick-e Socks from Libby’s Luxuries are a patented new look at sock for wear while practicing yoga (naturally), as well as in any other exercise or sport where going barefoot is appropriate but wearing socks would be better.

4.    The brand new Si-Boards from Si-Boards take a whole new approach to balance
boards.

5.    And finally, the AquaSkipper from Inventist, which is probably weirdest-looking personal watercraft I have ever seen in my life. (They call it a human-powered hydrofoil.) Inventist also was showing off some wheeled products at the show:

• The Wheelblazer;
•  The Swerver Ultimate Carving Streetboard;
•  And a new type of skates (no page available on the Web site).

Okay, this is part two of my morning-long visit to the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007 show in downtown Salt Lake City.

Again, there were tons of exhibitors so this is by no means conclusive, but it certainly shows the extent of the show and the fact that there were exhibitors there representing all kinds of stuff. Here’s the second half of what I saw while strolling along.

GoPro HERO camera. You’ve probably seen all those homemade stunt and extreme sports videos on the Internet or in your e-mail, well these guys are facilitating these videos. The HERO cam is currently available with wrist attachments and will be available later this year with attachments for your head — or helmet. In this picture, Neil Dana, was kind enough to model the upcoming head and helmet mounts for the HERO camera.

This really is a cool concept and can provide almost an hour of TV quality recording on a 2GB memory card.

Next up is another ‘green’ product. the SOLIO hybrid solar charger is a must-have for anyone who hikes and has a bad sense of direction or is being led by the Cheshire Cat. This gadget uses solar panels to recharge various portable consumer electronics, from iPods to cell phones and maybe more. Their current, classic, model is already on the market but they will soon be launching the H1000 that appears to be more rugged and durable and has a carabiner clip to hook to your belt, backpack, etc.

(Photo Credit: Atomic MPC)
Suzanne informed me that not only is the SOLIO a green way to recharge your devices in the wild, but it is also made of very green materials.

In the world of the incredibly-shrinking gadget, Industrial Revolution’s grilliput was definitely cool. Ever thought that a portable BBQ didn’t have to be the size of your kitchen sink? Well these guys’ grill fits into your pocket, practically.

Another cool gadget from Industrial Revolution was the Spork. Now this is different from the cafeteria creation of a spoon with fork prongs on the end. This spork may in fact be a true spork. And I thought it was a nice touch to put the serrated edge on the fork, who couldn’t use that already?

And last, but not least, some of my fellow statesmen, Adventure Trading Inc., from Washington State were selling Hacky Sacks and other Guatemalan imports. If you thought the Hacky Sack craze was over, you’re dead wrong. General Manager Luke Lawson told me he braces every year for the drop off in popularity and every year it doesn’t come; I guess there’s just something catchy about a little woven bag with beads in it you bounce off your foot.

Their display was, by far the catchiest most creative one I saw while walking around, wall-o-Hacky-Sack!

Well, that’s it for Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2007. There were definitely some cool products and exhibits for vendors, media and other attendees to peruse. I can’t close without mentioning the schwag we got, I’ll simply list them.

Keep2go (product), Hi-Tec (shoulder bag), Eagle (poster & badge holder), Patagonia (stickers), Crazy Creek (stickers), scarpa (stickers), H2O Guides (cool stickers)