Bicycle Products Sale

自転車商品セール

Wiggle’s UP TO 50% OFF SALE is still going on! More lines have been added , so please shout out as soon as possible! Furthermore, we are pleased to announce that our Giro d’Italia store is open!
Wiggle is the only Official store of the Giro d’Italia. People can buy exclusively selection of official products, so don’t miss out the chance to promote us!

Thousands of products Up to 50% Off Wiggle Sale

Giro d’Italia Exclusive products

Santini Giro d’Italia Leaders Short Sleeve Jersey
LIST PRICE £74.99
SAVE 10% = £7.50
£67.49

Santini Giro d’Italia King of the Mountain Jersey
LIST PRICE £74.99
SAVE 10% = £7.50
£67.49

Giro d Italia Luxury Pink Umbrella
LIST PRICE £85.00
SAVE 10% = £8.50
£76.50


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Bicycle Products Sale

自転車商品セール

Wiggle’s UP TO 50% OFF SALE is still going on! More lines have been added , so please shout out as soon as possible! Furthermore, we are pleased to announce that our Giro d’Italia store is open!
Wiggle is the only Official store of the Giro d’Italia. People can buy exclusively selection of official products, so don’t miss out the chance to promote us!

Thousands of products Up to 50% Off Wiggle Sale

Giro d’Italia Exclusive products

Santini Giro d’Italia Leaders Short Sleeve Jersey
LIST PRICE £74.99
SAVE 10% = £7.50
£67.49

Santini Giro d’Italia King of the Mountain Jersey
LIST PRICE £74.99
SAVE 10% = £7.50
£67.49

Giro d Italia Luxury Pink Umbrella
LIST PRICE £85.00
SAVE 10% = £8.50
£76.50


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Pope Francis Praises Beauty of the Bicycle

自転車の美しさを褒め上げるフランシス法王

Pope Francis recently warned about the pitfalls of fast cars and, at the same time, extolled the virtues of the bicycle.

"Be joyous and loving while resisting fly-by-night commitments, catty gossip and fast cars," Pope Francis told future priests, brothers, and nuns.

His Holiness was speaking recently to more than 6,000 seminarians and men and women from 66 nations who were in Rome on a four-day pilgrimage as part of The Year of Faith celebrations.

Amen.

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Only in Kyoto: Bicycle Parking News

大学悩ます放置自転車

Only in Kyoto. Or perhaps Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Munich, Tokyo, and perhaps Davis, California. The key factors are: 1. robust cycling culture, 2. large number of universities in an urban area, and 3. thousands of abandoned bikes.

In a recent article in the Asahi Shinbun, Japan's paper of record, the problem of graduating students leaving their old bike in bike lots run by the university they recently left is causing a massive headache for many of Kyoto's universities.

The end of March is graduation season in Japan, and in urban Japan many of those leaving the city where they studied abandon the beater of a bike they used for four (or more) years.

In Kyoto, which is home to 30-plus universities and is densely populated, the problem of this huge pile of old bikes is serious.

Doshisha University, one of Japan's leading private universities, has been scrambling to create bike lots close to its Imadegawa main campus. The full-lot crisis is so severe that students unable to find a place to park are arriving late for class. (Great excuse!)

To combat this, many schools are implementing a registration system for bicycles, bike sharing on campus, and/or charging for parking spaces.

Parking facilities for bikes not near universities remain for the most part user-friendly and easy to find and use.

Bicycle Goods

2013 Zipp Wheels Clearance Sale
Top end ranges with amazing price!


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Traffic Symbols from Copenhagenize

コペンハーゲンからの居住性のガイドと交通標識

In the Copenhagenize Guide to Liveable Cities blog, there is an amusing assortment of traffic signs and graphs that a graphic designer/biker has created.

We especially like the "Motorists Dismount To Cross Roadway" sign.

In Kyoto, the majority of signs aimed at cyclists are of the "stop!" "don't park here!" "slow down!" variety.

The one at right is typical: it reads (in red) "Stop!"

Below that, for those who failed to get the message, "Bikes Stop!"


New 2014 Castelli range Now in Stock Castelli Prologo 3 Short Sleeve Jersey
£70.00


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Cycling Kiyomizu Temple Kyoto 自転車で清水寺へ

Cycling Kyoto Kodaiji Temple

日本語ご希望の方。

In the Higashiyama area of Kyoto is some of the best touring to be found in the city. There are hills, small and very doable, but the views and sites gorgeous.

Down the road from Kiyomizu Temple, down the sloped Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka - beautiful old style roads - is Nene no Michi.

Nene no Michi (The Path of Nene) is drop dead gorgeous.

On the north side of Nene no Michi is Kodaiji Temple, which was established in 1605 by Nene, the wife of the late Toyotomi Hideyosh. The temple is also stunning.

On fall days, this area is very crowded.

We recommend parking nearby and walking.

Ride Kodaiji ride.

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Total Distance of Bike Lanes in Japanese Cities

自転車レーン距離東京、千葉市、さいたま市、京都市

According to an interview in the Huffington Post (Japan), Tokyo has but 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) of bike lanes.

9!

That is in one of the world's great cities, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world - and in an area almost completely dependent on its power needs from nuclear plants in rural areas outside the city like Fukushima.

One of the major issues of this Sunday's Tokyo gubernatorial election for the powerful position of head of Tokyo is energy. A former Prime Minister, Morihiro Hosokawa, has jumped into the race - backed by yet another former PM,  Junichiro Koizumi - and pledges to shut down all nuclear power plants.

Yet, no major plans in the city's bicycle infrastructure have been discussed.

In comparison, two smaller suburban cities not far from the capital are leading the way in bike lane construction.

Chiba City, a commuter town east of Tokyo, has 300 kilometers (186 miles) of dedicated lanes.

To the west, Saitama City has 200 kilometers (124 miles) of lanes in place.

We would guess that Kyoto has around the same amount of lanes in terms of distance as Tokyo.

Perhaps 10 km?


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Kyoto Eco Taxi for Bicycles

京都エコロタクシー、自転車積載可のタクシー京都

While Kyoto buses still do not accept bicycles - nor are they equipped to carry them on the outside of the vehicle - trains and even some cabs do.

Information on train policy can be found here. Simply put, trains including the fabled shinkansen bullet trains will accept trains if they are collapsed and placed in a protective bag. There is no fee for this service, however at busy times - in urban Japan, this means 7 - 9 am, 5 - 9 pm (later on some lines) - the railways reserve the right to deny entry to those with a bike.

Moreover, a small number of taxis in Kyoto are equipped to carry bicycles on the rear of the car - for no extra fee.

Ecolo taxi is a small minnow in the big sea of Kyoto taxidom, but can be contacted here.


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Bicycle in Makino Shiga

マキノにある自転車

On a recent visit to a restored farmhouse in Makino, Shiga, there was a bike parked unlocked in front of the house.

Makino is about one hour from Kyoto Station on the Kosei Line. It is however a world apart from urban Japan.

It is the last large town on the northeast end of Lake Biwa. For those riding the Lake Biwa circuit, it signals the entry to Oku Biwa, or Deep Biwa, the lightly populated wild part of the lake.

Makino is well known for its beaches and mountains. In summer, bathers come out for the clear waters and sun; in winters, heavy snows bring skiiers. The owner of the home told me that snows of 2-3 feet are common - about the height of the bicycle in the photo.

Cycle Sale

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Two Bikes in Arashiyama

京都嵐山にある自転車二台

On a chilly fall Sunday, we rode via Nishi Kyogoku - home to Kyoto Sanga, the city's soccer team - along the bike path to Arashiyama.

It was blustery and overcast but many were out.

The local farmers were busy in their fields; nearby college students were barbequing.

Not far from Matsuo Taisha, a little league baseball game was taking place. Parents huddled in small groups and cheered on the boys.

When we got closer to Arashiyama, much of the debris from the September storm could be seen. Branches, dirt, and trash were piled up in mounds along the banks of the river.

Once in the touristed areas of Arashiyama though, foot traffic was so thick that we turned back without crossing the Togetsukyo Bridge and heading into the main drag of the neighborhood that runs in front of Tenryuji Temple and a bit further up the famous bamboo grove.

This coming weekend will be even more congested as the leaves should be out in all their glory.


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Potential of Shifting Trips from Car to Bike

車の代わりに自転車で移動した場合の効果

The blog Copenhaganeize gathered data on the effects of shifting trips from automobile to bicycle.

51% of trips in the EU made using carbon fuels could reasonably be made on a bicycle.

Of those trips, the highest potential is for shopping.

As e can attest, many many trips in Kyoto are on the bike to the supermarket. All supermarkets in Kyoto are equipped with large bicycle parking lots and attendants.

To see all of the cool graphics, click here.


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Enact a US Law to Protect Bicyclists from Driver Harassment

自転車に車の運転士のたずらを違反行為へ

Elizabeth Jones commutes by bicycle (and train) daily from Baltimore to work in Washington, D.C.

In Change.org, she writes:

I am urging you to enact a lifesaving law to protect bicyclists from driver harassment. Each morning I am forced to risk my life in order to choose a healthy, environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible mode of travel in Baltimore City...

To read the entire article, click here:


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Volvo debuts world's first cyclist detection system with full auto-brake

ボルボ、前方の自転車との衝突回避する技術を2014年モデルから導入

Here is another reason to love Scandinavians.

Volvo announced that the car company will introduce the world's first cyclist detection system in its upcoming line of vehicles.

The cars are equipped with full auto-brake and sensors.

The technology - Cyclist Detection - employs a "sonar-like sensor system" to scan the area ahead of the car.

Kudos and a deep bow of thanks.

To read the entire article, click here.


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Commuting by Bicycle in Japan Statistics

自転車で通勤通学

According to the Cascade Education Foundation, 25% of the U.S. population cycles. The definition of "cycles" is not unfortunately spelled out.

Moreover, 60 million Americans bicycle at least once per year.

In contrast, in Japan 15% of commuters bicycle to work. That however compares poorly with the Netherlands, where 50% of commuters do so by bike.

Back in the USA, though, only 1.6% of American commuters bicycle to work.


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Toyota Lexus Bicycle 1,000,000 Yen

トヨタ１００万円自転車、独に対抗１００台限定

The Toyota motor company has just released a "Lexus" bicycle.

It is priced at a cool 1,000,000 yen (about $10,000).

Sales will be limited to 100 units.

Components and parts on the bike are made from the same materials as the famed Lexus LFA automobile.

The transmission and derailleur are made by Shimano.

Toyota's foray into the high-end bicycle market follows BMW.

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Cycling Infrastructure in Britain

イギリスでの自転車のインフラ

Maybe things aren't as bad as we thought here in Kyoto.

In Britain, in addition to what appears to be quite a bit of tension between cyclists and motorists, the infrastructure itself is lacking.

Read more.

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Kyoto Eco Station Bicycle Parking

京都エコステーション２１

Kyoto's bicycle parking infrastructure is excellent.

Parts of downtown remain desert-like, only a few oases (plural of oasis?) of legal parking lots to be found.

However, the city as a whole has ample, well organized, and inexpensive parking options for cyclists.

A new addition to that are the 30+ "Eco Stations" located throughout the city.

They vary in cost and size, but in general you can park from one to three hours for free. Thereafter, you will be charged a small per hour rate.

Kyoto Bicycle Parking Map (Eco Stations are noted in red)


View Kyoto Bicycle Parking Lots Map in a larger map

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Book Review The Bicycle Wheel 3rd Edition

自転車の書評

Engineer Jobst Brandt has long been a consultant to the bicycle industry and is rightly lauded for his work on Avocet's line of road tires.

The Bicycle Wheel is the 3rd Edition of Brandt's series.

In the series, Brandt uses engineering data to make an argument for the what he considers the best materials and construction methods for bicycle wheels.

This work is dense in places, but for any avid bicycle rider it will be a pleasure to read.

For those who want to build their own wheels, there are detailed instructions.

An excellent work.

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No Parking Bike Sign and Fence Osaka Shinsaibashi

駐輪禁止大阪心斎橋

Along a narrow north-south side street in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, an Italian restaurant is fighting the scourge of bicycle parking congestion.

Osaka is more intense than Kyoto, in every way.

In terms of cycling, it is paradise and hell.

The city is flat and compact: perfect for biking. And everyone does.

That means that sidewalks and any open space are clogged with parked bikes.

This restaurant, a few blocks east of the Daimaru Department Store in Shinsaibashi took measures into its own hands.

The fence is an architectural allusion to the "inuyarai" - elegant curved bamboo fences to keep the dogs away - that front many of Kyoto's famed machiya town houses in Gion and elsewhere.

In Kyoto, the purpose is to prevent dogs and drunken salarymen from urinating on the house. In Osaka, it is to prevent cyclists from parking (and drunken salarymen from urinating on the building).

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Bicycle Book Review Best Bike Paths of New England: Safe, Scenic and Traffic-Free Bicycling

自転車の書評

As we have often noted, Kyoto has few cycling lanes (there is one real lane in the city, for those counting). Cycling in and among traffic is not pleasant.

For those who prefer bike paths, and are in New England, we have a book for you.

"The Best Bike Paths of New England: Safe, Scenic and Traffic-Free Bicycling" is a bike book for beginners, those just getting used to touring - but who want to take scenic rides.

In the US, the rails-to-trails - converting unused railway lines into bike paths - is creating a serious network throughout the country.

These are free of cars, red lights, and cars.

TV personality Wendy Williams has written a guide to such paths in New England. "The Best Bike Paths of New England" organizes paths by state and is comprehensive.

It includes:

1) A map of each state showing you where the path is
2) A detailed description of the path, including mileage
3) General background, including the history of the path and any useful tourist information
4) The level of difficulty, type of scenery, and condition of pavement
5) Availability of food and bathrooms
6) Directions, including the most accessible parking area

An excellent work.

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