Have you heard of ghost bikes? They could be considered morbid, depending on your point of view, but these days when any road death or murder sees bouquets of flowers everywhere around the site, they probably have a place.
What is a ghost bike? It’s simply a bicycle that has been painted white and left chained to street furniture to act as a memorial to a cyclist who has lost their life in a road accident nearby.
They are not a new phenomenon, the first one appeared on the streets of St Louis, Missouri in 2003 and today there are thousands dotted around the world, in places as far away as Singapore and the Ukraine. The United Kingdom has over 100 of these memorials, London alone has ten.
Do think they’ll catch on here? I hope they never have the opportunity.
Sprint Bonuses
- Folding -bike company Dahon are expanding into other cycle-related markets, next week at Eurobike in Friedrichshafen, they will be showing a line of commuter cycling clothing called BioLogic and also Ecosmo, a novel method of bike storage for the smallest of spaces. Among the 19 products that make up the BioLogic line is a handlebar iPhone mount.
- News that Canadian frame maker Cervelo will not be running its Cervelo TestTeam pro- team in 2011 will come as a surprise to many. A likely increase in team budgets for next year is cited as the reason for Cervelo’s withdrawal. However it is joining forces with Garmin-Transitions to become the Garmin-Cervelo team in 2011. See this years team video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6bHhj2R1sg
- Oxylane, parent company of industry giant Decathlon, is planning to make a second attempt to break into the United States. Despite having business interests in Europe, Asia and South America, it doesn’t do business in the States, although an attempt was made in 1999 with the acquisition of a chain of sports stores.
- A new high wire record on a bicycle was set recently by Nik Wallenda at Paradise Island Atlantis in the Bahamas. Wallenda, a seventh generation member of the Flying Wallendas circus troop, beat his own Guiness World Record set in 2008, by riding at a height of 260 feet above the ground. The new record awaits ratification. See how its done and dont try this at home! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU45MnxTqXI
- Car manufacturer Skoda is sponsoring the Bike Arena section of the 2011 London Bike Show which runs from 13th to 16th January at ExCel.
- Police in London are sinking beneath a tide of unclaimed stolen bikes. They have even enlisted the help of television newsman John Snow, who in the past year has had two bikes stolen, and Mayor Boris’ London Transport advisor Kulveer Ranger. The message that these two worthies are putting out is for London cyclists to get their bikes security marked, because once they are marked it’s an easy job for the Police to return them to their rightful owners. As it stands at the moment, any unclaimed bikes are destroyed, sold or donated to charity.
- Launching at Eurobike is the Eco Index; this is a tool which gauges sustainable practices in the sports and outdoor industries. The idea behind the project was first mooted by boot manufacturer Timberland at the 2006 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. In 2007, Levis became the first non- Outdoor Industry Association member to join.
Find out more at: http://www.ecoindexbeta.org/content/about-project
And Finally,
Copenhagen has solved the problem of people leaving their bikes all over the place. In what appears to be a very successful scheme, ‘Bike Butlers’ collect the mis-parked bikes, they pump the tyres, lube the chain and park them in an official bike rack nearby, with a polite note advising the owner to use the rack in future.
Arthur Lamy is a freelance writer and tourist guide: www.cycleinjersey.com
