Gear up for Winter

Winter is finally here!


It's all pretty and nice outside with all the snow, but it comes with it's own challenges to us cyclists.
The reality of cycling to work in winter is "It's not fun!".
But here's a few tips for you to continue using you ebike during winter with minimal pain.

1. Don't leave your ebike outside, if you have to, don't leave your battery outside:
   Here's the deal. You actually shouldn't leave your ebike parked with it's battery in it at anytime. There's no need to tempt thieves.
   But in winter it becomes crucial for your batteries life. Cold stored batteries tend to last shorter.
   If you still want to enjoy the great range of your e-Bann's battery, please keep the battery indoors when not used.
2. Buy a vest:
   
   A fleece vest that you'll wear under your coat will save your life in winter.
   It's a small investment, but very crucial.
   It'll also help you to avoid wearing puffy and ugly winter clothes. No one wants to look like a penguin at work!
3. A windbreaker will save you from frost bites:
   Even though it doesn't feels unbearably cold when you're walking outside during winter, riding your ebike is a completely different experience. With your e-Bann ebike you're going to reach high speeds. Which means you'll feel the cold wind blowing in your bones. Usually it feels around 5 degrees C colder while riding your ebike.
   
   A windbreaker will save you from this cold air running through your body and keep your suit clean!
4. Gloves:
   If you're anything like me, you usually have cold hands. And winter only makes it worse.
   So many times I've lost the ability of sensing anything with my fingers while riding my bike.
   Woolen gloves are great but once you start riding your ebike, it has no protection at all as the win blows right through it.
   I personally advice every cyclist to invest in a pair of thin but good quality leather gloves.
   
   While choosing your gloves, please remember that the more stitches it has the more wind will blow in it!
5. Mud Guards:
   
   If you own an e-Bann, your ebike will come with high quality and durable mud guards as standard. But if you own any other brand which doesn't comes with mudguards, we'd advise you to install a pair of mudguards.
   This way you'll avoid getting your clothes dirty.
6. Earmuffs
   
   
   
   Same reason as before, cold wind is very effective. Cover up your ears!
   Some of them even comes with built-in headphones!
7. HELMET!
   
   You should be wearing your helmet no matter what the season is. But icy roads, cold commuters, and all makes commuting with your ebike in winter a bit more dangerous.
   Please, please wear your helmet!
8. SLOW DOWN:
   
   Just because your ebike can reach high speeds doesn't means you're supposed to ride it full throttle.
   Slow down, remember, ice is usually invisible...

Meet the future, JAPAN!

We are absolutely thrilled when we hear urban development news about cycling, but this one blew our minds! Especially because it involves our favorite nation of all times, JAPAN and solves the theft & parking problem in the cities.

The system is manufactured by a company called Geiko Seisakusho Co., ltd. who are already building these parking systems in a bigger scale for cars all around Japan. Idea is simple, efficient and awesome! Below you shall find the statement from the company and a video that shows how this system works.
"Bicycle is an easy-to-ride transportation. Recently it is getting a lot of attention as a no emission vehicle. Despite the fact, many things are still left unsolved in Japan. Bicycle roads are not popular, yet. Land values are too high to develop appropriate capacity bicycle parking. That is why nuisance parking is found anywhere at footpath in urban area. Those parked bicycles would spoil surrounding sight and bother ambulance access and fire-fighting operations. It is considered to be a social problem.
Eco-cycle is an anti-seismic mechanical underground parking lot. Giken aggregated own long term experience of press-in technologies and developed the Eco-cycle with the design concept of “Culture Aboveground, Function Underground”. If bicycle parking is available near final destination, people use the facility more often. It eventually eliminates nuisance parking at footpath. Such space at footpath can be utilised for cultural activities."

Sources:
http://www.giken.com/en/developments/eco_cycle/
http://laughingsquid.com/eco-cycle-robotic-underground-bicycle-storage-systems-in-japan/

Dear dealers, see you all at Interbike

e-Bann is attending to Interbike as an exhibitor as in last year.

This year we're showing more models, have a bigger booth and all of the visitors would have the chance to try out our models at the demo track.
Our booth number is 32173, please note that our booth is not in ebike section, as for some reason they decided to put us outside of the ebike section.
What is Interbike?
North America’s Largest Gathering of the Bicycle Industry – to celebrate, educate and conduct the business of cycling.


The 2013 Interbike International Bicycle Exposition is set to be unveiled this Fall at its new home, the Mandalay Bay Convention Center (MBCC) in Las Vegas, NV. The move to the MBCC allows for a great deal of new and exciting experiences for retailers, exhibitors, media and more.

Thriving to be the best cycling city! Meet Oslo...

There are around 3.2 million bikes in Norway, which is about twice the number of cars in the country. And a third of the bikes you'll see on our roads are manufactured in Norway. However, it's the same old story when it comes to road planning: cycling still comes second to driving for the ‘powers that be'. Nevertheless, the country as a whole is pretty switched on to pedal power.
Oslo is a great city for bicycling, with modest distances between major hubs and attractions. For distances of up a few kilometers, bicycling is often faster than public transportation.

Whether you want to discover attractions, explore nature, or just get a little exercise, Oslo's bicycling options range from relaxing rides with almost no inclines to difficult cross-country cycling in the hilly forests around the city.

Bicycling in the city centre

Many of the city's streets have separate bicycle tracks or bicycle lanes on the roadway itself, making two-wheeled transport a safe alternative.

Markveien, Torggata, Rådhusgata, Ullevålsveien and Frognerstranda are examples of streets and roads that have been adapted for bicycle traffic. Many intersections also have separate traffic lights for cyclists. You can also use pedestrian streets, but here cyclists are required to show consideration for pedestrians.

The route north along Akerselva River is worth mentioning, as it is probably the finest method of getting out of the centre of Oslo.

Bicycling in the forests and countryside

If you prefer longer, more demanding trips, you don't need to travel any further than Sognsvann metro station. From there you are connected to a huge network of gravel roads and forest trails, offering many miles of bicycling pleasure.

An extra motivational factor for cycling in the countryside are the sports cabins; places such as Ullevålsseter, Kikut and Rustadsaga serve coffee, pastries and other refreshments.

Other good starting points for cycling in the forests include the metro stations Grorud, Ulsrud and Skullerud on the east side of town. You pay the price of a child's ticket to bring your bicycle on Oslo's public transport system.

Bicycling maps

A good map to start with is "Greater Oslo" (Stor-Oslo, scale 1:25,000, published by Cappelen) covering an area from Bjørndal in the south to Frognerseteren in the north. The map shows useful features such as pedestrian streets, tram lines, many hiking trails and cycling routes and the most important sights of interest. Two other useful maps are "Nordmarka sommer" (1:50,000) and "Østmarka", (1:50,000), both published by Statens kartverk.

A simple, free cycling map of Oslo is available at the Tourist information centre by the City Hall.

Season

The length of Oslo's cycling season varies, but the asphalt roads are usually clear and safe between 1 April and 1 December.

In the countryside around Oslo, the gravel roads and forest trails are not usually dry until May or June.

Bicycle hiring and sightseeing

The simplest way to hire a bicycle in Oslo is getting a City Bike card from Oslo Bysykkel. An annual subscription gets you access to over 100 bicycle stands around the city with over 1,000 bicycles that can be borrowed for three hours at a time. Tourists can rent a card for one day at the Tourist information centre. The bikes are available from around Easter to about 1 December.

If you prefer cycling in the hills around Oslo, Ski & Guide has good mountain bikes for hire at Holmenkollen in the summer season (May-September). Ski & Guide also offers guided group tours on bike.

Viking Biking offers quality bikes for rent along with maps that help you see the top sites in a bike-friendly way. In the summer season, Viking Biking and AlternativOslo Bike Tours offer guided bicycling trips for groups and individuals.

FutureBuilt and the Norwegian Cyclist Association have initiated the competition. International ideas competition: How to make the Oslo region one of the best cycling regions in Europe?

South American Jewel: Curitiba, Brazil!

Curitiba is perhaps the most well-planned city in the world, and bicycle integration is at its core. The city has been pushing cycling as the go-to mode of transportation for more than 40 years and the result has been the ubiquity of bike lanes. Brazilians have made a commitment to alternative fuels and eco-friendly transportation methods. In addition to the infrastructure, a vibrant bike-oriented activist community exists to promote bicycle riding as an alternative to auto congestion.

With the creation of planned new bike lanes to be integrated into the current network of 120 kilometers, which is already the second largest in the country, Curitiba’s cycling paths will reach 400 kilometers. The expansion of bike lanes on city roads comes under the Cicloviário Master Plan, which was prepared by IPPUC (Curitiba Institute for Urban Research and Planning).

“We want to encourage the use of bicycles not only as leisure or sports activities, but as an alternative means of transport. This is a priority for the City of Curitiba in our Mobility and Accessibility Program. The projects have already been defined and some new extensions have already been built in town,” said the president of IPPUC, Clever Almeida.

One of these new connections is path along Av. Marechal Floriano Peixoto, which already has eight kilometers (4 miles in each direction) from the viaduct of the Green Line to the border with Pinhais. Another piece, a connection to the edge of town with Pinhais, will be done in partnership with the state government with funding from the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) Cup.

In total, Curitiba has 22.5 km of cycling infrastructure in progress. The upgrading project of Eduardo Pinto da Rocha, with completion scheduled for later this year, will reflect the implementation of bicycle paths along traffic lanes for 5 km. Also, south of Curitiba, the Axis Road Integration CIC / Tatuquara will have 1.8 km of bike paths.

The largest bike path is currently under construction on Av. Fredolin Wolf. The road project was begun by the City this month. At the end of the work, there will be a 7.6 km extension to form alternative access among the neighborhoods Santa Felicidade, São João, and Pilarzinho promoting integration with Tanguá and Tingui parks and the Wire Opera House, some of Curitiba’s finest tourist attractions. The work on Fredolin Wolf will form, along with Toaldo Tully Street (already operating), a cycling route of 13.1 kilometers along the main West/North road, enabling a connection from the BR-277 with the option of entering Centro Cívico or Barreirinha.

Following Fredolin Wolf on the bike path, a cyclist can follow the St. Lawrence neighborhood and reach the waterfall, or the City Centre, Tarumã, and even Xaxim. Heading west, by Toaldo Tullius, bicycle paths will connect the neighborhoods Santo Inácio, Bigorrilho, Campina do Siqueira, Portão, Fazendinha, CIC and Capão Raso. Barigui Park will also have a new path of about 10 kilometers, linking the neighborhood CIC to Santo Inácio.

The design of the Green Line North foresees the implementation of shared service in its 8 km length, continuing the already deployed 10 km south on the Green Line. The first section of paths on the Green Line North, extending 1.8 kilometers, links the Botanical Garden to Tarumã. Eventually it will cross the city from north to south for almost 20 kilometers, south to Atuba.

IPPUC is still designing the deployment of 10km of cycling infrastructure in Comendador Franco (Avenida das Torres). The projects comprise the upgrading of the Corredor Aeroporto/Rodoferroviária, funded by the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) of the 2014 World Cup.

Provided for in the Master Plan, the project provides for the implementation of cycling infrastructure on both sides of Avenida das Torres, in opposite directions, totaling 20 km in the stretch to the border with Pinhais.

The map of cycling infrastructure guidelines on the Master Plan includes the extension of Guarapuava Avenue Viscount, Viscount Nacar and Saldanha Marinho, fostering links with the existing network. The project to revitalize the Viscount Guarapuava median with a bike lane will be done by the Municipality in partnership with the government of the State.

“With the help of the state government, we will remove the poles and complete the path to the city as an exclusive channel for cyclists to move safely while improving the urban landscape with the elimination of overhead wires,” said the president of the IPPUC, Clever Almeida.

The Cultural Corridor is a project of IPPUC, in partnership with the Universidade Federal do Paraná. The corridor provides a connection with bike paths from the rectory to the historical building Santos Andrade of the University and from there to Teixeira Soares in João Negrão. The cultural corridor is an axis that will physically integrate the existing cultural facilities of the City, such as the Reitoria (which has a chapel and an auditorium); Teatro Guaíra, the Capela of Santa Maria, the Teatro da Caixa, and the cultural centers of the historic buildings of UFPR and the post office.

The first stretch of the Blue Line subway of Curitiba, between CIC-South and City Centre, will also open space for bicycles. Some of the Pinheirinho/Santa Candida route will be transformed into bicycle paths.

Along the route of the Curitiba subway, where buses are circulating today, there will be a large promenade, called Via Park that will include cycling infrastructure. The first stage will be 14.2 kilometers long. The final stage of the subway, from CIC-South to Santa Candida, will be 22.4 km long with 13 stations for entering and exiting the subway, with parking for bicycles.

Sources:

http://curitibainenglish.com.br/government/urban-mobility/curitiba-to-have-400km-of-bike-lanes/
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/cities-of-exuberance/curitiba-story-of-a-city
http://www.askmen.com/top_10/travel/top-10-bicycle-friendly-cities_4.html
http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/photos/10-bike-friendly-cities-around-the-globe/curitiba-brazil

COPENHAGEN: BICYCLE CULTURE

With around 52 percent of all Copenhageners commuting by bike on a daily basis and the busiest cycle lane in the world, it’s no wonder that cities around the world are talking about Copenhagenizing when they try to increase usage of this CO2 friendly means of transportation.
Every day Copenhageners in total travel 660.000 kilometers by metro but cycle 1.2 million kilometres - almost double the amount. Maybe that’s why biking lanes in Melbourne, Australia are called Copenhagen lanes.



Copenhagen has more than 300 kilometers of biking lanes and an additional 50 kilometers are on the way. With more than one third of the population in Copenhagen commuting daily by bike, 1.1 million kilometers are ridden on bicycle in Copenhagen - every day.
The International Cycling Union, UCI, appointed Copenhagen to be the first official Bike City in the world from 2008-2011.


Though cycling is the cheapest mean of transportation next to walking Copenhageners love their bikes no matter their financial income. Many middle class families with kids in Copenhagen don't even own a car. They use their bikes to commute to work, bringing the kids to kindergarten etc. In fact 25 percent of all families with two kids in Copenhagen have a cargo bike.
Even top politicians ride their bike every day to parliament. A majority (63 percent) of the members of the Danish parliament, located at Christiansborg Castle in the middle of Copenhagen, commute by bike.
As a first time visitor in Copenhagen the amount of bicycles on the streets can be overwhelming. But you will soon realize, that life in Copenhagen is based on bicycles as a very important means of transportation.
With 390 kilometers of biking lanes and traffic lights especially for bikes, the city's infrastructure is build on the fact that a bicycle is not only the cheapest, healthiest and fastest way to get around the city, it is also a very important factor in reducing carbon emission. Therefore bicycle culture is a vital part of the city administrations ambition to become the first carbon neutral capital in the world by 2025.



With more than one third of the population in Copenhagen commuting daily by bike, cities around the world are being inspired by Copenhagen to increase usage of bicycles as a means of transportation. Biking is mutually beneficial. Bikers save money, get exercise and spare the environment for co2 emission. Reasons to promote cycling are various.
Copenhagens ambitious goal for 2015 is that 50% of all who work in Copenhagen will commute by bike according to the City of Copenhagen's environmental plan, ECO-METROPOLE OUR VISION 2015, which together with other green initiatives, works towards making Copenhagen the world's best biking city.
Around the world Copenhagenizing has now become a phenomenon in the process of getting more people to leave the car and take a bike.


There are only a few places in the world, where you will find traffic lights specifically for cyclists. But in Copenhagen, you'll see the miniature traffic lights many places, especially at heavily trafficked crossroads. The clearly marked blue bike lanes also increase traffic safety for the cyclist.
To get a more safe and smooth traffic for the massive amount of cyclists and their fellow road-users the Danish government has from January 1st introduced more expensive fines for violating the traffic law which means that cyclists now will be fined 1000 DDK for crossing a red light and 700 DKK for driving on the pavement or without any lamp, as well as many other fines for other traffic offences.




Sources: http://bit.ly/15AHZco

Electric Bicycles: Environmental Benefits

Gas-powered cars are the primary source of air pollution in the United States. In addition to their effect on our health, exhaust gases and particles from cars do extensive damage to crops, vegetation, and wildlife. In particular, motor vehicles are a significant source of water pollution. Oil, antifreeze, and small tire particles accumulate on roads and highways; during the rainy season, they are washed into our streams and waterways, causing damage to aquatic life. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the leading sources of metallic pollution in the bay is copper from auto brake pads. Finally, noise pollution from automotive traffic additionally stresses our lives.

Even after counting emissions from power plants, electric bicycles are factor 10 less polluting than gas vehicles. For every 500 miles an electric bike is used in place of a car, an average of 25 gallons of fuel is saved - and this much pollution is prevented:

• 3.42 pounds of hydrocarbons
• 25.28 pounds of carbon monoxide
• 1.77 pounds of nitrogen oxides

[Calculating emissions is an inherently tricky business. There are so many variables that there are no exact numbers in this game. The numbers here were calculated by David Swain, an engineer at the US EPA's Ann Arbor Mobile Emissions Laboratory. An alternative emission factor, listed as the "EPA Mobile 4.1 Model," that cites Carbon Monoxide levels emitted by the average car as 65.3 grams per mile. Using this number the CO savings after 500 miles would be approximately 70 pounds!]

Or you could go pollution free by fueling your Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) with electricity purchased from a "green" power company. Some electric companies supply most or all of their power from wind, sun, or falling water ("green" power). Starting April 1, 1998, Californians can choose their electric utility. You and I can "vote with our dollars" for green power. Here are two websites that review green power companies: http://www.ceert.org/links.html and http://www.nrdc.org/worldview/fwguid.html [The editor chosewww.greenmountain.com.]

Your investment in an electric bike can pay dividends beyond U. S. borders. Your purchase supports the growth of an industry that could make a big difference in developing countries. For example, as its economy prospers, China is in the unique position to skip the polluting gas moped and scooter phase altogether and leapfrog directly from human-powered bikes to clean electric vehicles. The pollution savings are staggering, far beyond what the U.S. could alone.

Scientific opinion is clear and close to unanimous that global warming is already happening. CO2 is the main culprit. For every mile a car travels, approximately one pound of CO2 enters the atmosphere. For background info on global warming and the process scientists used to conclude its truth, checkhttp://www.law.pace.edu/env/energy/debateintro.html.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988, to assess scientific information about climate change relevant for international and national policy formulation. More information on the IPCC structure and process is available from the IPCC web site (http://www.ipcc.ch) and the Working Group II web site (http://www.usgcrp.gov/ipcc/).

The Federal government's EPA site focuses on the science and impacts of global warming or climate change, and on actions by governments, corporations, and individuals that help address global warming issues. The site also features climate change related news, events, publications, reports, presentations, and links to other sites.http://www.onlineuniversity.net/earth-science/global-warming/

**** Building one car uses as much material as it takes to make 100 bicycles. (CA Bicycle Coalition)****

Short trips account for most of the cars on the road and most of our air pollution. So, for the health of the planet, leave your car at home and ride your electric bike. "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."Information on other sustainable businesses:

The Sustainable Business Network (SBN) is a focal point for the sustainable business community on the Internet. It includes The SBN Journal, Library, Sustainable Business Opportunities and, Green Dream Jobs. http://www.envirolink.org/sbn

Source: http://www.electric-bikes.com/envbenefits.html