From Community Cycles

Community Cycles Bike Collection Drive

Bike Collection Drive July 29, 30, 31 & August 1
Our popularity and programs continue to grow, so after for years of existence, we're setting out to do our first full force bike collection drive July 29, 30, 31 & August 1.

Bikes make our programs work and we need your help collecting a lot of them.

Our donation policy is quite simple, we'll take anything bike related in any condition. We're a non-profit so we provide receipts for tax-exemption.

Bikes can be donated over the four day drive at 2 locations:

Main Shop will be accepting donations:
Thursday July 29, 1-9p.m.
Friday July 29, 1-9p.m.
Saturday July 30, 11a.m.-6p.m.
Sunday August 1, 11a.m.-6p.m.

North Storage will be accepting donations:
Thursday July 29, 4-8p.m.
Friday July 29, 4-8p.m.
Saturday July 30, Noon-4p.m.
Sunday August 1, Noon-4p.m.

Since sometimes, it's easier to donate bikes closer to home, we're looking for folks to organize mini-collection drives out in their own community. You and/or your HOA, neighborhood association, workplace or place of worship can host a mini-collection. If you would like to organize a mini-bike collection, please contact us

MTBBikeAddict.com just interviewed Sonya Looney, here are some questions they asked her.

1. How old were you when you first started racing mountain bikes?

Read her responses at MTNBikeAddict.com

From APNews wire

DENVER (AP) - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood strapped on a bike helmet and took a leisurely ride through downtown Denver with Mayor John Hickenlooper Wednesday, promoting a bicycle-sharing program the secretary called "a model for America."

"People want a lot of different ways to get around the community," LaHood said before getting on a bike for a ride with Hickenlooper and other dignitaries. Organizers of Denver's B-Cycle program say it's the first large-scale municipal bike-share in the country, with 43 stations and 400 bicycles around the city. LaHood said Minneapolis has a program similar to Denver's but its on a much smaller scale. Des Moines, Iowa is also considering a bike-sharing program.

LaHood said he expects cities around the country to copy Denver's program, which began in April.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for Denver, as I said, to be the model for the country, which I think it will be," he said.

LaHood was in Denver to speak at a round-table on energy and climate change. He rode a bicycle a few blocks from a news conference about the bike-share program to an opera house where the round-table was happening.

The bike-share is supported through membership usage fees, with people paying $5 for a day or $65 for a year. Riders can only use the bicycles for 30 minutes at a time and then they have to drop off the bikes at a B-Cyle station.

The bikes themselves were purchased through grants and donations, said Brent Tongco, a spokesman for Denver Bike Sharing, which operates the B-Cycle program. Tongco said the plan is to expand to 50 stations by September and then 100 by sometime in 2011.

Mayor Hickenlooper said the idea of the program is to make transportation "multimodal."

"Oftentimes when you come in on transit, a bicycle is the perfect way to get to your office," he said.

Trips for Kids news letter is out, here are the topics

1. Summer Ride Schedule
2. Ride Program Update
3.Volunteer Shop Night: July 28 from 4-8 p.m
4.TFK Denver Shop Sale: August 21st
5.We couldn't do it without you!

From the Daily Camera Letter's to the Editor section

I don't see how having a license plate on a bike will eliminate bad behavior with many cyclist...

A system to hold bikers accountable

Licensing bikers would generate million of dollars in revenue for Colorado. Bikers need to be licensed, bear license plates and be accountable for their actions.

It is estimated that there are over 2 million bike riders in Colorado. None are accountable, yet some are clearly a threat to themselves, pedestrians and wildlife. If they were required to carry license plates they could be held accountable. Let`s hold them accountable, not privileged.

Case in point: If the biker who was running the fawn down on North Broadway, in Boulder, was licensed, they may have thought twice about their actions. As it is, the biker had a good ride and a young fawn is probably starving to death. Here is but on example of a biker`s callous disregard for life.

A mother deer and her fawn were slowly crossing Broadway, heading east. Mom crossed safely as her fawn dutifully followed behind. As the biker bore down on them at about 20 miles per hour, the fawn still some distance behind its mother, froze.

As the biker went between them, the fawn now separated from its mother and terrified, suddenly bolted, and began running for its life erratically down the middle of Broadway with the biker cycling about 5 feet from its side.

The fawn tried to outrun the biker; tried several times to get to the east side of the street and safety, but the biker stayed alongside. They enjoyed terrorizing the animal. Exhausted the fawn finally stopped, and the biker sped on.

Still in brightly colored spots, bewildered the fawn looked around and seconds later mounted an embankment four blocks away and disappeared into the brush heading west.

Do you believe that young fawn was reunited with its mother?

I`ve witnessed or experienced countless displays of ignorance, arrogance and callous disregard some bikers broadcast. Bikers should not be privileged, but accountable.

SHARON SHILLING