Sorry I'm Late, All My Cyber Monday Packages Arrived At Once And I Couldn't Open My Front Door

Uh-oh, I'm worried, nobody on Outside's Facebook page has said they're going to stop reading forever because of my column about how driving kids to school sucks:

You also have to wonder that if even that crowd agrees we shouldn't drive our kids to school then why the hell do we keep driving our kids to school?

Well, obviously it's a rhetorical question, and the answer is that we're all massive hypocrites.

I did, however, open the door to the ol' Minnesota Humblebrag:

Fantastic article. Honest question though, at what age can you put your kids on icy roads? I commute year round in Saint Paul, MN (thanks to studded tires). I am the choir. However, I don't know if I would trust my 2nd grader to ride in the winter, even w/studs. Thoughts?

— Dale Gentry (@picoides) November 30, 2017

They never let you forget their winters are colder than yours:

Hey, my second grader takes the school bus, screw that--though we did have a pretty knarly shred sesh yesterday:

Of course we didn't actually ride, I just sat him down on that rock and lectured him on the importance of proper tire pressure for three hours, but that didn't make it any less exciting.

And with the holidays coming he's going to love his present:

If you're wondering why it's for kids, take a closer look at the scoop:

It's his only present this year and I don't think he's going to be disappointed at all.

Speaking of holiday gift ideas, do you like caps?  Well how about numbers?  Well, now you can order a custom cap from Walz with your very own number on it!

Not only that, but you get $5 off your order if you use the following discount code:

BSNYCCB

And...and...if you show up at my next Fondon't ride with a 46 on your cap I'll waive the entry fee:*

*[I don't charge an entry fee anyway but don't you worry about any of that.]

Wow, between the sealant kit and the cap I may have to curate a holiday gift guide.

In other news, at the risk of repeating myself (though isn't that what I've been doing here for the past ten years anyway?), I'd like to share with you a couple things I mentioned in the Bike Forecast this morning.  First is this Canadian editorial about why riding bikes causes pollution:

As a consequence of the idling traffic, pollution levels have risen, contributing to what is now deemed a toxic stew. Ironically, cyclists are especially harmed, and not just because the bike lanes they speed upon are adjacent to tailpipes. According to a study by the London School of Medicine, cyclists have 2.3 times more inhaled soot than walkers because “cyclists breathe more deeply and at a quicker rate than pedestrians while in closer proximity to exhaust fumes … Our data strongly suggest that personal exposure to black carbon should be considered when planning cycling routes.” Cyclists have begun wearing facemasks as a consequence. A recent headline in The Independent helpfully featured “5 best anti-pollution masks for cycling.” Neighbourhoods endure extra pollution, too, with frustrated autos cutting through residential districts to avoid bike-bred congestion.

Anyway, I mention it again here, because not only is the writer an oil lobbyist, but it also turns out he's an anti-vaxxer a "vaccine safety" advocate.  I suppose there is a certain logic to his worldview though, since if people spend their entire lives inside of single-occupancy vehicles then maybe we won't need vaccines after all:

I have a bad feeling that mentioning vaccines is going to do the same thing for my comments section that mentioning vehicular cycling did, though now that I've switched on the "moderation" feature my blog is essentially inoculated, so there you go.

The other thing I wanted to mention was this video, in which a cyclist takes an NYPD officer to task for blocking the bike lane:



On one hand I think he's kind of out of his mind for talking to them that way, but on the other hand I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment behind it, and when you see the police blocking the bike lane to get their coffee day after day it's only a matter of time before you snap.

Finally, here's someone looking to raise a bunch of money for oversized stem caps:


Yes, we've all been tormented by ordinary stem caps for far too long, and it's good to know that the end of their reign of terror is a mere $15,500 away.