With all due credit for whomever coined this simple phrase, and for the German cyclist who toured through our fair town in January, bought several of our patches at the 8th Ave Bike & Coffee House, and then custom ordered this patch to bring back home to friends in Stuttgart . . . this patch is dedicated to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

From his blog today:

“Today, I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.

We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.”

You hear that? You got VOICE. So use it!  Sing to your neighborhood, your city, your county, your state, your country, your continent, your planet. Write letters and blogs and  scripts and songs. And if you’ve got something you want to say with your bike riding backside . . . we’ve got you covered.

They’re more than completely adorable. They’re great friends of ours. And while this town has been a little less awesome since they up and moved to Boulder last summer, we are glad to report that Mr. & Mrs. “Stevel Knievel” are doing fan-freakin-tastic. Stevel found a job making stuff that gets launched into space. And Lindsay has taken a hiatus from brain cancer research to join the team at SparkFun.

Lindsay and I crafted together every Tuesday night for a year. During that time she witnessed prototypes gone hilariously wrong –  a hot pink jumbo garter/headband jumps to mind – but also got clear on my vision for the Tried & Trued line.

So she knew better than anyone that I’d flip out over LilyPad – a line of SparkFun products designed by Leah Buechley. They are “sewable electronic components that let you build your own soft, interactive fashion.”

Ok. Officially putting this on our Spring “To Do” list:

1. Plant Garden.
2. Drink Nettles Tea.
3. Play with LilyPad.

While we develop a Tried & Trued interpretation of “interactive fashion,” check out Buechley’s tutorial for a turn signal bike jacket:

turn signal biking jacket – More DIY How To Projects

Old Florida Medicine Man Mike Hetrick, co-owner of Mr. Goodbike, served as ad hoc vision keeper for Cotter Industries last month, challenging our company ethics with a questionable choice of epithet for our latest Tried & Trued offering: reflective nametags!

Make no mistake, there are some things we just won’t stitch.

Mike was content with his second choice: “Mike.” Remaining Goodbike employees were treated to a reflective rendition of their shop names: Warlock, Turd Whisperer (or “T-Dub” for short), Ruthless, Meat Gazer, and Iron Fist.

Our creative laboratories had to juice up the Iron Fist. Short for Aaron “Iron Fist” Kunkel, where “Kunkel” has plenty of leg to stand on, we couldn’t resist a merger. Drawing upon the logo of a Toy Machine skateboard once possessed by BikeManJim, we reconciled the traditional five fingered fist to carry Kunkel’s surname.

It was Hound Dog – who can often be found at Goodbike, but who does not technically work for  Goodbike, who first pointed out, in our creative laboratories, that “Kunkel” is the anagram for “Knu[c]kle.”

He he.

Got a name? Need a tag? Hit us with your best shot.

Aaron “Iron Fist” Kunkel at Mr. Goodbike

Don’t have one? Don’t worry. You can do this.

Duct Tape Thimble – More DIY How To Projects

True, population growth is a challenge for our planet. Yes, natural resources are in limited supply. But we don’t think its fair to intentionally reduce the rate of reproduction amongst cyclists by promoting safety apparel that makes people look like total dorks.

That’s why we’ve begun the “Be Safe. Be Seen. Be Sexy” clothing campaign. Beautiful reflective attire for beautiful reflective people. Because making the choice to preserve one’s life should not have to compromise one’s chances of creating another.

Catch 22 is an annual underground mountain biking event wherein East Gainesville cyclists infiltrate West Gainesville trail. In 2009 it happened to fall on September 19th – International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

The salty dogs who ride this event could give a flip who finishes first. But 13th Place went to “Jack Rabbit” – after suffering a string of mechanical and orientational calamities. (Cotter Industries’ own “BC” was a contender. A bolt in his back hub sheared off early in the ride. But since he was able to borrow a sweet 29er Villin, he wasn’t unlucky enough).

Well a woman who’ll kiss on the very first date is usually a hussy. And a woman who’ll kiss on the second time out is anything but fussy. But a woman who waits ’til the third time around, Head in the clouds, feet on the ground! She’s the girl he’s glad he’s found–she’s his Shi-Poo-Pi!

Shipoopi! Shipoopi! Shipoopi! The girl who’s hard to get.

Shipoopi! Shipoopi! Shipoopi! But you can win her yet.

Lake Mary High School’s performance of The Music Man is reprised at this year’s Maw-Maw Menagerie as the foundation fabric for our newest bike-friendly corset. Upcycled from t-shirts with reflective and decorative accents added, this comfortable, form-fitting top is a match made in heaven for the night-riding Shipoopi.

Tried & Trued “Racy Jerseys” are an adaptation of Natalie Chanin’s t-shirt corset, as seen in her Alabama Stitch Book. Our version of the corset functions as a cycling jersey, with a longer torso to keep your sacrum area covered while you ride, and back pockets for easy access to cell phones, keys, cash, or cards. Reflective details meet the national standards for high visibility safety apparel.

Belief. It’s as fundamental as lymph. You can throw religion to the birds. You can screw a lid on science. But can’t be alive without believing something.

Years ago, an old medicine man told me a story: A man and a child were lost in the same snow storm. They both needed to get home. The man wandered around searching for the numbers on the street signs to match the numbers of his address. The child looked for a house with a light on. The child survived.

We believe that life is best navigated with the compass of a fearless heart.

Same medicine man also told me a story about a sailing ship. It meant to sail in a straight line, but caught an unexpected wind in its sails and got blown miles off course.

I don’t remember where he was going with that, but the story reminded me of a bike wheel, and how one wonky spoke can bring a wheel out of true. Life is a balancing act. Seems to be that staying in your heart makes easier work of it.

With this – our first patch – we honor the wisdom of your heart, and trust it will guide you safely down all dark paths.