Yes, the Dutch Master Bicycle is not only hot but it was designed and made by a woman.  Hellllllo awesome!!!

Check it out at Core77 online or you can visit it in NYC!

Check this out!  A bicycle tour through Mimo.  Now, I will recommend that you wear some sunscreen because it's been HOT HOT HOT in Miami!!!

Get more information by visiting the blog...

Wow.  This is amazing!   There is a bike rental shop in Copenhagen, and the proceeds from the rental are sent to the "Baiselkeli Projects." in Africa.  Just another reason to go to Denmark!

COPENHAGEN BIKE RENTAL

In one sentence: We collect second hand bikes in Denmark and send themto Africa where the bikes generate work, education along with cheaperand better transportation. We finance the project through renting outsome of the bikes we collect.

Bikes that change the world.

When you rent a Baisikeli bicycle, the money from the rental goesstraight into one of the Basisikeli projects. We deliver bicycles toAfrican villages where they are converted to ambulance bicycles,bicycles with containers to gather water, and bicycles for children toattend school. The Baisikeli bicycles make it possible for for peopleto seek employment.

While I love Maine, I am really missing Europe.  This is probably because you have to drive your car to SO many places here!  It can be a bit of a bummer.. so encapsulating.  I miss riding my bicycle everywhere!
So I was researching bicycles in Europe when I came upon the "Bike Tours Direct" website, which offers bicycle tours through Europe.
While I am not a big tour person- I tend to explore on my own- it's always nice to visits sites such as this and get a little help and information along the way.

Check it out!  Click on the link to get to the website for the many, many tours!


My favorites?

From Marmaris to Fethiye
Turkish South Coast by Boat and Bike
Description You will spend a week discovering the southern coast of Turkey from Marmaris to Fethiye with a Bahriyeli ship (pronounced: Barijeli). Your charming and stylish swimming hotel is built to the highest of standards. You will get to know the Turkish coast and back-country between Marmaris and Fethiye with the aid of a trek or mountain bike. Your tour guide will point out the unique natural wonders and historical cities which grace the area, allowing you to be transported back in time. Admire the famous graves of Kaunos, which were cut into the cliffs between 4 and 2 BC by the Lykian coastal inhabitants, or let yourself be mesmerized by the breathtaking Sakklikent Canyon. Spend your evenings in the deserted bays and let yourself be rocked to sleep by the ocean or make the most of the pulsating night life in the port cities and their many cafes and bars. This journey is accomplished parallel to our trekking bike tour.
Starting and destinations of the stages do not differ. However you ride by MTB partly different distances off the asphalted roads.

Or what about this one?

Explore Four Central European Countries
Prague-Vienna-Bratislava-Budapest
Description This unique CZ EuroTour cycle tour has been prepared particularly for American clients. Its romantic routes are designed to enable visiting and discovering the most beautiful landmarks of UNESCO heritage and the most beautiful places along the entire route. The tour leads through 4 countries of Middle Europe – the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. We will visit 6 most renowned UNESCO landmarks, various urban listed preserves and southern part of the Czech Republic, which with its landscape and beautiful castles and chateaus is the cleanest area in Czechia.

Program of this tour includes 18 days including free days to give everybody enough time for landmarks, relax, and entertainment. A 12-night program from Prague to Vienna is also available.

So this is a funny article in the NY Times about a video from Slate V Magazine about "The Stupidest Bike Lane in America."

well, I'm not in Miami right now- but as soon as I get back, I'm filming OUR worst bike lane and sending it in!  If you live in South Beach- you know where it is... when you go over the bridge towards the Standard and the Venetian Islands.  You're happily riding your bike in the lane.. until it just STOPS- between two car lanes!  Ahhh!!

Anyhow, check out the full article at the New York Times

or watch the video here!

Well, I try to stay on bicycles here, but this is really interesting!

The CARS bill goes into effect today.  Basically, if you have an old clunker that gets less than 18 mpg and you have been clogging up our roads and our lungs, then the government is going to help you get a new, more fuel efficient car!

Of course- we would promote that you just get rid of the car and use your bicycle.  But, sometimes cars are necessary- so use one that's better for the environment and helps us lower our dependence on oil!

This is great as many people have cars that wouldn't even be worth this much in a trade-in.  Most importantly- this ends in November 2009.  So get on it!

Check it out here at the CARS website.

Important Things to Know

• Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date
• Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify
• Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
• Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in
• You don't need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase
• Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
• The vehicle that you are trading in is required to be destroyed. Therefore, the value you negotiate with the dealer for your trade in is not likely to exceed its scrap value. The law requires the dealer to disclose to you and estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in vehicle.

Check this site frequently for the most recent updates from the government.

All of this rain is reminding me of Holland and making me miss Amsterdam.. so I went for a visit to one of the websites I like to frequent, Amsterdamize!  It's a great blog based in Amsterdam, full of pictures and facts about the city.
There was also a great link posted with Thomas Edison- he created a montage of bicycle tricks!  Pretty cool.  It could use a little musical background, though- but hey- it was 1899!

Check out the website:

AMSTERDAMIZE

And Thomas A. Edison had a keen eye for trends and put it together in a montage.

Dear Rain Clouds,

I am very happy that you have been around long enough to make our gardens grow.  The trees are green and my plants are happy. 
There is a small problem, though.  I'm sorry to say, but I think you have overstayed your welcome a bit.  It's rained 24 out of 28 days here in Maine, and it's starting to get a bit depressing!  My bicycle doesn't really love the garage, though there are many new friends in there now.  My bicycle and I would really like to meet up and go for a ride to the beach, warm up in the sun, and feel the salt breeze.
Yes, I know- I am not made from sugar.  I will not melt if I ride in the rain, as our Dutch partner reminds us daily.  But, we're not in Holland!  It's not as if we can hop on the bike to go to a cute cafe!  We miss Amsterdam and Rotterdam very much, and a bit of sunshine would remind us how beautiful Maine is in the summer time.

So, Rain Clouds, thank you for your visit and we can't wait to see you again in MIami during hurricane season.  Until then, please go away and make some room for the sunshine!!

xoxo

Caroline and her bicycle.

This is just a reminder to make sure that you take advantage of the WHOPPING tax credit (insert rueful yet happy and sarcastic face here) that cycling commuters receive.  $20 a month starting in January 2009!
There was a lot of "pork" in the stimulus package.  At least something worked out for us!
My friend sent me this link form a super cute bicycle-friendly website called CANDY CRANKS.  How cute!  As we are promoting the bicycle culture here at no bikes allowed- we love to give props to other cool blogs, too!

Check it out online here.

Wow!  This is great.  When we were wandering around the city yesterday hitting local bike shops, we decided to stop into Topshop to look for button suspenders.  Alas, only snap suspenders (soooo not as cute, btw.) BUT- we found something even better!

There we were, just trying to be good consumers- when we found the Top Shop Bicycle Club!

This is SO fantastic!  We were just beside ourselves.  We had a nice chat with Emily, who works with the PR company.  They "rent" out the bicycles to people to bike around town.  And we we say rent- we mean FOR FREE!  Top Shop is promoting the bicycle culture, and for that- we totally dig you!

This is great for us because we really didn't feel like carting our bags around town, ending up hot and messy.  In fact, we were actually looking into renting bikes to go from shop to shop. So, imagine how psyched we are about this!

Thanks, TopShop!!!  We'll be taking lots of pics and loving our city tour! 
Now get on over to TopShop.  Click on the pic for a link to the website!