Reese Witherspoon+BIKE

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Reese Witherspoon may be seen on the big screen riding a motorized bicycle as a "pizza delivery girl" in one of her newest films titled "Penelope". Reports say it has been filmed in London and the USA and may be screened to the general public in 2007.

Via Cinamatical says:

"With production starting later this month, Reese Witherspoon has signed up for driving lessons because, well, driving around London on a bike with pizza strapped to the back is kind of freaking her out. Here's the best part: After said lessons, our Best Actress will be tagging along with some regular old pizza delivery guy so that he can teach her the ropes."

According to Askmen she was supposed to be a moped riding pizza delivery girl. And to make her acting convincing in this film she decided to get a job doing the job. They state:

Reese plays a pizza moped driver in the movie, and is so desperate to make it convincing she decided to do the job in real life...
Before filming begins, Reese is going to take lessons. Then she will spend time with a real delivery boy learning all about riding round London with pizzas in the back."

Very interesting indeed. I think it could be entertaining to see Reese playing the part of a bicycle pedalling Pizza Delivery Girl. And in one scene her shop could get the call to delivery a couple pizza's to the rolling cyclists and skaters duing the monthly critical mass ride/roll in London center(see video below). And there could be funny bits of her trying to find them and being on a cell phone making turns, catching glimpses of the mass in the distance. And then finding the mate that wants the pizza in the several hundred rolling cyclists. Ahhh, and at last she find the elusive pizza ordering mass rider. And they have some comedic exchange, fumbling with money, etc, and they fall in love, and ride their bicycles together into the sunset.

She could be driving a TGB pizza delivery mopde or a bicycle with a dominos insulatate pizza box on the back like the bicycle taken in China. or a special model of the Oxygen, an electric powered scooter.(see pictures on right)



If anyone has any confirmation of what kind of bikes whe will be riding, please let us know. And If you have pictures of her riding her pizza delivery bicycle/moped please share the link where we can find it or send to me. Thanks.

Motorino Electric Bike

This is a short video clip of a woman riding a "Motorino" electric bicycle.

The electric bicycle can be ridding in California like any other human powered bicycle. The laws regarding riding electric bicycles on public streets are in Subdivision (b) of Section 406 and section 24016 of the California Vehicle Code.

An electric bicycle, like all other human powered bicycles, requires no license plate, no drivers license, no liability insurance. Riding electric bicycles, like all other human powered bicycles, must obey all traffic law, and rules of the road, and can be ridden in bicycle lanes.



Related Posts:
- Hybrid Bike in Valley news report
- How to Install an Electric Hub Motor Kit on a Bicycle video
- Electric Bikes China news report
- Ebikes Public Parking/Charging Stations
- Touring Beijing by Electric Bicycle
- Ebikes Vietnam video news report
- Electric Bikes Vancouver video news report
- CarLess Santa Monica video news report
- G-Wiz Electric Car news report


Recommended Links:
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum
- Power-Assist community forum
- E-Motor-Assist community forum
- Electric Bicycle Laws wiki(wikipedia)

Motorino Electric Bicycle

This page has moved to:
Motorino Electric Bike

Ultralite and Bicycle

This is a nice video of the possibilities of fuel efficient flight using an ultralight aircraft and a small expose of a power assist bicycle hybrid that gets 200 plus miles per gallon.

Ebikes Italy

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I found an Italy based electric bicycle group, hosted on "Google Groups"(LINK). It is in Italian. You can read it and post to it using google's Italian to English translation tool (LINK)

The name of the group is "ebike epac bicicletta-elettrica pedalata-assistita pedelec electric".

on this post are a couple of the pictures that I found the most interesting. I particularily want to point attention to the electric bicycle attached to the rear of a micro sized italian car and the safety sign attached to the bicycle.

The photographer appears to be documenting a trip using the electric bicycle for hill climbing in the italiona alps. You can review the document here (Italian)(English translation)

If you know of any other group or discusssion forums based in other countries, please send the info to me or post in the links and info in the comments.

Thanks.

Team Hybrid 2

Team Hybrid released their latest Electric BMX hybrid bicycle video, with the speed tests, and additional info on modifcations on the motor, controller, etc.

Midnight Ridazz 7/2006

This video was taken 7/14/2006 at 10:32pm on Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Thi was probably was the Midnight Rdazz rolling through.

Collateral Damage

(WARNING picture is guesome. click on image to enlarge)

In the City of Angeles, one of it's winged friends was killed in action.(November 23, 2006).

On this day, sometimes referred to "Turkey Day", or playfully referred to as "bird day", or more traditionally known as"Thanksgiving", a day in which it is a tradition for the president of the United States to pardon the "National Turkey", a small, peaceful, and winged Angelino was not so lucky. (see picture on right). This angelino's life was snuffed out, under the tires of some anonymous car driven by an anonymous driver. The driver probably didn't know it happened.

This killing is nothing spectacular, unusual, or newsworthy, per se. It one of probably hundreds of lives that get snuffed out in similar fashion, hit by a car, and/or crushed under a couple tons of steel and rubber.

However, today, it is perhaps by coincidence that this photographer's eye saw the residuals of this incident, YOU, feathered friend, laying in the street, a fresh kill, on a day referred to as "bird day".

You may have been breathing, with warm blood flowing through your veins and heart only moments before the photo was taken. Your body may have even still been warm.(picture to the right)

Your passing could be called "collateral damage".

Surely, the driver of the car, was probably on a mission to have a celebratory dinner with friends and/or family on this day of thanks. And you, my friend, may have just happened to be in the way, an unintentional victim the pursuit of that mission, just as if you were hit by shrapnel in a military mission intended for some other purpose.

Most deaths, like yours, never make it into the obituaries or get mentioned in the newspaper. Often they are, at best, given comedic generic reference as "road kill". Or the subject may get broached in conversation, in which people may give nervous laughter or cringe just thinking about such a thing. They may reflect on little friends they have lost in such a way and pain and helplessness they felt. There loss may have been a cherished little puppy, kitten, little brother or sister, niece or nephew, son or daughter, or mother or father, or other special friends in their life.

Perhaps this post can serve as giving recognition to your spirit you shared with us while in physical for. And perhaps now your spirit still flies among us as we bicycle, skate, and walk in this land we call the city of Angels. Perhaps your spirit is now free to fly unencumbered by the dangers of being crushed.

(Angel Sculpture description: Angel statute is one of many decorated angels as part of the "Community of Angles" scattered through Los Angeles. This one is titled "Nocturnus Angelus" by Suzi Galloway. May you watch over and protect us as we ride our bicycles, skate, or walk the streets of our asphalt jungle, even the smallest of us.)

This post is in honor of you and all that were lost under the wheel. And it is in thanks to the spirit you have brought to this city. You, indeed, are one of the winged angels of our village. Rest in Peace.

Killed in action November 23, 2006, in a "vehicle accident" on Santa Monica Blvd, 1/2 a block west of Sawetelle blvd. Total number lost, unknown. (MAP)

Toyota RLV Bicycle?

The LA Auto Show appears to be giving the Santa Monica debut "AltCar Expo" a little pedal competion, at least with on of the "Design Challenge" entries referred to as the "Toyota RLV". RLV apparently stands for "Renewable Lifestyle Vehicle".

What is kicker about this vehicle is that it is rigged up with a set up pedals which the passenger and driver can use to proel the vehicle and/or charge the onboard electronic system. The pedal power assist system can proel the vehicle at lower speeds, and when the vehicle gets to highway speeds, the electric drive motors kick into action.

So I would call this a bio-electric hybrid, similar to the TWike made in Switzerland.

Cyclist Or Pedestrian?

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Is it a Bicycle or a treadmill? (see video below)

Several months ago Cycle Santa Monica! posted a story about a prototype that was submitted to he "Design Challenge" of last year’s Los Angeles Auto show. It was dubbed, "The Running Bus"(see pics on right). The bus can be configured with 10 treadmills in which the runners at each treadmill would be able to contributing power to propel the bus or power or recharge its on board electronics systems. You can find more details, including pictures, on that and other entries into the Design Challenge at CarConnection.com article. One of the other interesting ones was called the "GMC" "The Pad", which is like a home on wheels, powered by the sun and biofuels.

Well folks, someone did it. They created an actual working treadmill bicycle. It’s wild! See a video of it in action below.

I can imagine the technology will get better, such as reducing the friction in the treadmill drive mechanism. They may add gearing to allow for high and low gears for climbing, literally, up hill, or for speed, when on level ground or going down hill.

Someone will likely add an electric motor assist to the front or the rear wheel. And full suspension will be added to make for a smoother ride, and less stress on the ankles and knees.

We may see hundreds of these being used as a training tool for running competitions, like the LA Marathon.

It would be fun to see someone on one of these during a critical mass bicycle ride. Whee!

Police Encouters

This is an excellent video, titled "Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters" (45 minutes), produced by the Flex Your Rights Foundation, on how to protect and assert your rights during police encounters. It provides information on knowing your rights while at the same time being cordial with the police. It is narrated by Ira Glasser, the Executive Director, between 1978-2001, of the American Civil Liberties Union.



This video discusses how to handle three kinds of police encounters. One is when being stopped while driving a car, being stopped while waiting for a bus on the street, and the police coming to your home, It addressing your rights and provides information on how to assert your rights with the police in a lawful polite way. The narrator discusses, in some instances the rights may vary from state to state, and recommends that you contact your local ACLU office to find out what your rights are in you state. In the Santa Monica/Westside area, our local ACLU office is locate just west of downtown Los Angeles, California. There are also local chapters of the ACLU, with one covering the West L.A. area. The ACLU also has specialized chapters for particular minority groups. You can find out more about the chapters through the link to the ACLU.

The makers of this video give special thanks to the men and women in law enforcement who dedicate their careers and risk their lives to enforce the law while protecting the people and obeying the constitution.

Related Posts:
- UCLA Police Taser Student

Recommended Links:
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum

Citizens Guide Police Encounters

This page has been move to
"Surviving Police Encounters"

36volt 12volt circuit

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Here is a diagram of a possible 12volt, 36 volt circuit for a 36 volt electric bicycle using three twelve volt batteries in series. a second 12 volt circuit may be able to be made by wiring a second circuity by wiring up the batteries in parallel as shown in the diagram.

Some have argued that this configuration may cause a short in one or both of the circuits. And if a short would exist, it may be fixed through the use of diodes.

Do any of you have any comment on whether this configuration is feasable without and/or with diodes(not shorting)?

Skating Transportation

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January 18, 2000, a presentation was made at Transportation Research Board titled "Skating: An Emerging Mode of Transportation". You can download the report (PDF file).

It is one of the most comprehensive reports on the use of skates as a viable means of transportation in existance.

The report presents solid statistics, logic, and reasoning on why skates are a viable means of transportation in today's world, with existing and emerging technology.

Have a look at the report and comment on it.

Recommended Links:
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum
- Santa-Monica/West-L.A./Venice critical mass community forum
- Santa-Monica/Hollywood Friday Night Skate community forum

UCLA Police

11/18/2006 UPDATE: In AB 1237 a tasor used by law enforcemen can emit an electronic, Magnetic, or orth projectile. A "magetic projectile could damage electronic media, such as magnetic disks, data stored on cameras, recorders. It could essentially erase data, or perhaps evidence of the incident. It could also damage unreplacable property in addition to causing physical injury and possible death. It could also cause fires. A Taser Instructer Training video asks the volunteer that is being tased if they have any leg or knee conditions before tasing them in the leg. This is indicative that the tasing can cause harm and/or can inflict injury to parts of the body that are injured or that have been injured in the past.

You may have seen reports and video clips of a person being tazed by the UCLA police (see video of incident followed by a news report video below).

11/17/2006 UPDATE: According to the UCLA website, the UCLA Powell library clossed no later than midnight. That means that the whole library would be shut down in less than an hour from the incident. What is puzzling is why UCLA would create a policy of allowing the public to access the library up through 11pm and not just let them have access up through closing.

And UCLA police are not alone in these apparent violations of civil rights. The Santa Monica College Police have been caught on camera a few times allegedly violating civil rights of persons on the Santa Monica College Campus (see video below).

Although these situations do not directly involved bicycling issues, they do present a question of if civil rights can be violated by these law enforcement agencies, they could as easily direct the violation against those riding bicycles on the campuses.

And has been reported before, Santa Monica College is impounding bicycles locked to poles on the parking lots, even when locked in a fashion that they are out of the way. A further report on the impounding of bicycles at Santa Monica College by the Santa Monica College police will be posted in the near future. And if you have any information on this or any other stories about UCLA and bicycles, please send them in to Cycle Santa Monica! Thank you.

UCLA police use tazer at Powell Library





Santa Monica College Police





Related Posts:
- Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters

Recommended Links:
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum

Gas Moped Flames

Electric bicycles are given extra privlage as "motorized bicycles" than gas powere "motorized bicycles". Electric "mopeds" or electric bicycles as defined in subdivision (b) of section 406 of the California Vehicle code are not required can be operated without a drivers license, liability insurance or a license plate, as prescribed in section 24016 of the California Vehicle Code.

The video below, of a gas powered "motorized bicycle" (aka a "Moped") illustrates how dangerous a gas powered moped can be a why it makes sense to require more limitations on them than electric mopeds, which do not use flamable liquids, and are virtually as safe as any electric wheelchair.

DUI's On Bicycle

Some of you may know that riding a bicycle while intoxicated is considered as illegal as doing so while driving a car. Although driving a bicycle while in intoxicated might not be as dangerous to killing or injuring others, it does put you at risk of being injured, and is consdiered illegal. This video shot in Culver city discusses the effects of drinking alcohol while driving.

Clownin On Bicycle

This is a short film shot in the 1950's about bicycle safety. It is shot in color and delves into various bicycle safety issues in a story telling style.

Bicycling Los Angeles 1898

This is an archived film clip of pedestrians and bicyclists, electric trolley cars (presumably the infamous "Red Car"), and horse drawn carriages traveling down South Spring street in Los Angeles, California in 1898. In the days before cars.

French bicycles

The French and their bicycles. Film clip recorded in France 1895 of factory workers leaving the factory, with a few that travel by bicycle with some background music.

It was shot in black and white and was originally titled "La Sortie des Usine Lumiere"(english translation "The Exit of the Factory Light".

At one point a dog gets exited by the bicycle and nearly knocks the bicyclist down. I suppose that mysterious attraction dogs have to rolling bicycles was as common then as it is today.

NYC Santa Monica

YOu might think you have some buildup wax in your ears that needs to be cleaned out while listening these elected officials in New York.



Hear what Santa Monican's had to say about bicycling at the City of Santa Monica Bicycle Workshop recorded February 2005 (link 1, link 2)

Air Engine Animation

This video illustrates one type of compressed air engine.

Air Power Latest

Here is a new video documentary on Air Powered Cars, from France and Australia. The video addresses comparing the two technologies from these two countries. It offers new information, not seen before. It also address hybrids of air powered vehicles using gasoline powered engines to compressed air tanks similar to the Toyota Prius. This video is in two parts.

Part 1 (France)

Part 2 (Australia)


Related Posts:
- Air Powered Hybrid cars

Recommended Links:
- Cycle Santa Monica! community forum
- Air Powered Vehicles community forum

Electric BMX

This video demonstrates the performance of a standard BMX bicycle with an electric hub motor hub in the Front wheel. This hub motor has built in gearing which is uncommon at the moment, but provides higher torgque at lower speeds, and a higher top speed, with the same amount of imput voltage and amperage. It is filmed in the United Kingdom.

Giant Bicycles

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"...The Giant of Rotterdam who lived from 1923 and died at the age of 36 in 1959. His name was Rigardus (Rijn) Rijnhout, better known as The Giant of Rotterdam.

He was born as a normal baby, but after the age of 3 he began to grow faster than the other children of his age. Doctors tried to find out what was wrong with him and they discovered a deviation in the pineal gland, that was the cause of his enormous length.

Rigardus (Rijn) Rijnhout ate 5 times as much than a normal man. For his family was this a financial stroke because they weren't a family who had much money to spend. This problem was luckily solved thanks to the help of Social Security in the local tradesmen in Rotterdam. To earn some money, companies could rent The Giant as a walking bill board. Shortly after that, the Giant, with the length of 2 meters 36 (7' 9"), a shoe size of 62 (normal shoe size is about 44) and a weight of 460 pounds, became a well known man in Rotterdam.

When he fell off his bike, the Giant of Rotterdam had to spend his time in a wheelchair. After this was happened, he sold cards to tourists for the upcoming few years but his health began to give him some problems.

He became very ill and he had to be brought to a academic hospital in Leiden. A crane was needed to bring him down trough the window of the second floor from the place he stayed. Six months later the Giant of Rotterdam died at the age of 36..."

via Land of Giants

Repair Santa Monica?

This video is about a phenomena sprouting from Portland Oregon, by the name "City Repair. I am imagining many places where "City Repair" could be feasable and beneficial. In particular, segments of Pico neighborhood, the Pico Coridor, Mid Cities, Ocean Park, Sunset Park, among other places. You have any ideas on how City Repair, building our villages, would be like?

F0r one, I think the Pico Corridor would be a great creative community building opportunity to enhance quality of life, by providing more opportunities for communication, and relationship building among neighbors.



Video Description:
City Repair is the story of a quintessential grassroots startup in Portland, OR who transform space into place. With paintbrushes and potlucks, these passionate villagers challenge the grid architecture that dominates our cities and suburbs and inspire us to reclaim public space as a way to build community relationships.

Bicycle Theft

This story in the Santa Monica Daily Press (11/08/2006), titled, "They go in cycles
HOT WHEELS: Bike thefts problematic" is kind of interesting.

And as the writer points out. It is not new in Santa Monica. And has been written about many times before.

They Go in Cycles, HOT WHEELS: Bike Thefts Problematic
BY MELODY HANATANI
MELODYH@SMDP.COM
Daily Press Staff Writer

DOWNTOWN — A customer walked into the Performance Bicycle Shop on Monday to replace a bike that had been stolen on the beach earlier that day.

“He said he turned his back for five minutes, turned back around and saw the bike was gone,” said Operations Manager Phillip Wilson.

It’s the type of story heard in bike shops across Santa Monica, where bike thefts seem as common as parking tickets. With shiny cycles and Lance Armstrong wannabes around every corner, sporting rides that cost thousands of dollars, Santa Monica is a hot spot for bicycle thieves.

“We get at least one or two people every day who say their bike got stolen or they’re getting a new lock because their friend’s bike got stolen,” Wilson said.

The Santa Monica Police Department does not currently keep statistics specific to bike thefts, which falls under the category of misdemeanor thefts, but according to Capt. Alex Padilla, the department does recover a substantial number of looted bicycles every year.

“A lot of people don’t report their bikes stolen because they figure they’ll never get it back,” said Padilla, adding that recovered and unclaimed bicycles are auctioned off.

Thefts are more common in Santa Monica and its surrounding areas than in other parts of Los Angeles County for a number of reasons, but mostly because of the prevalent riding culture and the price tag that comes along with the shiny rides, said Scott Eisiminger, service manager at Triathlete Zombie on Santa Monica Boulevard.

“Santa Monica is affluent and people have expensive bikes,”Eisiminger said, pointing to a row of bikes in the store that cost between $6,000 and $8,000 apiece.

The bike theft industry works similarly to the car “chop shops,” where thieves dismantle the automobile and sell its expensive parts.

Similarly, bike parts are also expensive and very desirable,Wilson said.

Some of the common bike parts stolen and resold are wheels and lights, which can easily snap off, even if the bike is locked,Wilson said.

“They take the bike, paint it and sell it the way it is, or sell it piece by piece,”Wilson said.

Though it’s never safe to leave a bicycle unattended and unlocked, regardless of the location, there are discernible hot spots where bike theft tales are a constant, such as: the beach, from Malibu down to Venice; low pedestrian traffic areas, like alleys; and high vehicular traffic areas, such as Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, where many thieves know they can find a bike left on top of a car roof or inside one.

Bicycle thefts can also be prevalent at Santa Monica College, where many students opt to travel via two wheels, rather than by car.

There are theories about how thieves operate in Santa Monica. The Performance Bicycle Shop customer whose bicycle was stolen on Monday believes there are thieves who sit along the beach waiting for people to leave them unattended.

Eisiminger believes there are thieves who drive along Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards, waiting for someone to leave their bike on top of a car, or inside one overnight.

“Somebody probably drove by here [in the past five minutes] looking for a bike,”
Eisiminger said.

“Bike theft” are two words commonly heard in Triathlete Zombie, where customers have talked about stolen riding equipment, and where three store bicycles on display just outside were stolen within the past year.

It’s often the source of local complaints.

“We literally hear about it every day,” said Jeff Botello, manager of Helen’s Cycling on Broadway. “Sometimes multiple times a day.”

Bike owners can take precautions such as using a steel U-shaped lock instead of a chain, which can be easily broken.

For even more security, Botello suggests tying the bike using a U-lock and locking the wheels to the frame with a chain.

But even the mighty U-lock won’t provide 100 percent protection.

Videos posted on the video web site YouTube show demonstrations on how to break through a top-selling U-lock using nothing but a plastic pen.

Perhaps the best way to prevent a theft is to keep a watchful eye on the bike at all times.

“Nobody here leaves their bikes unattended for a minute,” Eisiminger said. “Sometimes they have their friends watch the bike for them.”

Budapest Bikes

This is a vidoe from a Critical Mass bike ride in Budapest, Hungary in which 30,000 cyclists took part (Sept 22, 2005). It is edited in music vidoe style. Entertaining.

Electric Bicycle Laws

I found this great info for those who ride or are conisdering riding electric bicycles. It includes a summary of the laws that apply to electric bicycles, followed by a list of the specific code related to various points of law pertaining to electric bicycle and electric mopeds in California. found this info at www.electricscooterparts.com

Motorized bicycle/moped, tricycle, quadricycle and skateboard laws in California.
California Electric Bicycle Law Summary:

• A driver's license is not required to drive an electric bicycle.
  
• No insurance, registration or license plates are required.
  
• Driver shall not operate a motorized bicycle if under 16 years of age.
  
• Driver must wear a bicycle helmet.
• Bicycle must have fully operative pedals.
• Power output must not be more than 1000 Watt.
• On level ground must not travel faster than 20mph on motors power only.
• Electric motor must disengage when brakes are applied or when throttle is released.

California Moped Law Summary:

• A driver's license or learners permit is required to drive a moped.
• No insurance or yearly registration are required.
• Driver must wear a DOT approved motorcycle helmet.
• An electric moped is not required to have pedals.
• On level ground must not travel faster than 30mph on motors power only.

In California operating a moped on public roads requires a drivers license or learning permit, license plate, and registration card. A moped license plate and registration card costs $6.00 and never expires or needs to be re-registered.

California DMV Motorized
Bicycle/Moped, Tricycle, Quadricycle, Skateboard and Law Links
(All DMV links open in new windows)

MOTORIZED BICYCLE/MOPED
Bike trails, 21207.5
Crossing at grade, 12509
Darkness, operation during, 12509
Dealer plates, 5034
Defined, 406
Equestrian trails, 21207.5
Equipment requirements, 24015
Fees,5036
Freeways, operation on, 21960
Helmet, 27802
Instruction permit, 12509
License plates for, 5030-5039
Licensing requirements, 5030-5039
Lights, 21201.3
Modified, 23135
Passengers, 12509, 27800
Recreational trails, 21207.5
Registration exemption, 4020
Safety and equipment requirements, 24016
Vehicular crossings, on, 23330
MOTORIZED TRICYCLE
Defined, 407
MOTORIZED QUADRICYCLE
Defined, 407
MOTORIZED SKATEBOARDS
Prohibitions, 21968

For more information on California's electric bicycle and moped laws view the:
California DMV Motorcycle Handbook

Human Car??

It's called the "Human Car", a prototype design, seating 4. For more info see: www.humancar.com

Joy Ride

In Holland, kids get the front seat, with a front seat view.