A Bike Lover’s Gift Guide: Etsy

Confession: Internet shopping is one of my favorite pastimes. I know it’s not right, but somehow filling a virtual shopping cart with crap I don’t need and then closing the window at the last moment, without checking out, is just as therapeutic as actually making the purchase.

Know what else is therapeutic? Passing the finds on to someone else. In that spirit, and because it is the season of gift-giving, we will be sharing some of our favorite bikey finds with you over the next few Saturdays. First up are some items from one of the places I find near impossible to resist: Etsy.com. If you haven’t heard, Etsy is a fabulous online marketplace where people (like  our friends at cyclemumbreeze!) sell handmade or vintage goods. All of these unique gifts are under $50, by the way.

Row One: Bicycle Key Rack, Custom Leather U-Lock Holster, Vicious Cycle T, Screen-Printed Bicycle Glasses

Row Two: Bike bag, Heidi Cycle Cap, Bicycles Only (Russian), Letterpress Pink Bike

Row Three: The Bicycle (cards), Schwinn Breeze photo, Bike Drawstring Pouch, Bicycle Quote shirt

Row Four: little steel bicycle, Go By Bike Carryall, Going to See My Baby print, Sparkling Grey Legwarmers

Love all of these, but my favorite has to be the Vicious Cycle t-shirt. It’s just so very punny.

How about you?

(p.s. Etsy mini-gallery inspired by the oh-so-tempting collections of Miss Nightingale at Beyond the Pale.)

What a Difference 100 Years Makes

I was intrigued by these photos of a Nashville intersection on Shorpy.com.

Here, the intersection of 3rd and Church in 1910, almost 100 years ago. (Is it weird that I find it weird that 1910 was almost 100 years ago? Because I do.)

Original caption: "George Christopher, Postal Telegraph messenger #7, fourteen years old. Been at it over three years. Does not work nights."

Glad to hear you don’t work nights at 14, George! I totally covet your bike. Maybe it’s just the white tires but it reminds me of either the Batavus Fryslan, or the bike I would be riding if I were a man: the Pashley Guv’nor. The days of bike messengers aren’t completely gone for Nashville, but the streets definitely don’t look the same:

How Many Bromptons?

We may never know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop, but the folks at Gizmodo have posted a picture that shows how many Brompton folding bikes can fit into one parking spot. I won’t give the answer away here, so click over to find out and see the photo. It’s pretty amazing.

Link List

Today Elisa of Bike Skirt linked to an interesting article on cyclists and traffic laws. Should they always be obeyed to the letter? Check out the post and add your opinion to the comments (I shared mine).

And if you’re in Nashville and are interested in making our city more walkable and bike-friendly, take this survey and share your opinions with the planning commission.

Check out this very cool project, the Thought You Knew Calendar, featuring Chicago women and their bikes. The proceeds benefit the Chicago Women’s Health Center (of Our Bodies, Ourselves fame).

If you’re in Chicago, check out the Bike Winter Art Show, running February 13-27.