alternATIVe

Coupon Code for Arkel bicycle panniers - $10 off until 12/31/09

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:31:35 -0500

Quality bicycle panniers are a great Christmas gift for bike commuters and tourers. So we are offering a $10 savings on our Arkel panniers and bags. Enter the redemption code below on the product page of the bike pannier you'd like to buy in our online store:

ARKELXMAS

The discount is applied when you view your shopping basket or checkout.

Valid in the continental United States until 31/12/09.

2010 Bicycling through France Calendar

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:32:56 -0500

We have returned from our cycling trip in Europe and have developed a 2010 Calendar with pictures bicycling through France. We hope it inspires other cyclists to ride their bikes or even take a trip to Europe to tour beautiful France.

We used the Arkel XM-45 panniers for our tour. They were large enough so we did not need front panniers, provided sufficient heel space, made us highly visible, and are waterproof.

Learn more about the Arkel XM-45 pannier

New e-Motorbike from Germany

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:37:47 -0500

1 hour charging, speeds of around 30mph, 25 mile range, and a 1.3kW motor turn this bike from a bicycle into a street-legal motorbike like a scooter (you'll need a license, insurance, etc.). This motorbike looks like a lot of fun but out of range for many at over $8,000.

Check out the video below.

End of Summer Sale - Get $250 off an entire kit

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:58:39 -0400

Back from vacation we are now offering our big end of summer sale. You can now purchase a complete kit for only $499 (instead of $749) while supplies last.

Offer only available in the continental US.

Petition for Google to add a "Bike There" option to Maps

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:02:26 -0400

I just heard about this petition to get Google to add a "Bike there" option to Google Maps. They already have over 38,000 people that signed it. It's set up by googlemapsbikethere.org which provides a lot more information about the project and I love their transportation hierarchy graphic - pedestrians on the top!

This is fantastic and would help so many people that are trying to change their life style and are just starting to bike.

>> Read and sign the petition now

You can also help push this petition up on Reddit, so more people will find out about it.

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Truly green bike panniers from 100% recycled plastics!

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:15:05 -0400

Taking bike commuting to the next level: We are now offering Arkel's Sakaroo large and small panniers. They are made from 100% recycled polyester yarn for truly environmentally friendly bike bags. The 600 denier polyester fabric is made with 40% post consumer and 60% post-industrial recycled plastics.

The price for these high quality bags is surprisingly low at $80 (small) - $115 (large) for the pair. Shipping takes about 2-3 weeks.

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bike, bicycle, pannier, recycled, 100% recycled, green pannier, environmentally friendly, bike bag

There is hope: San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:44:05 -0400

SANDAG is developing a regional bicycle plan and is currently in phase 1 of the planning process. They are actively trying to get data. The workshops they offered were announced on their website and we heard about them via the SDCBC.

People who currently don't ride because of the perceived danger of riding and the lacking bike facilities in our city would never know about this great opportunity to share their concerns. Unfortunately, I have not seen any awareness campaigns around this to get more people and especially non-riders involved.

Please help spread the word.

On www.sandag.org/bicycleplan, you can do the following:

complete a survey and let SANDAG know what's missing or where it's dangerous for you (deadline is August 31st) - this is your chance to get your voice heard!

download bicycle maps to see the existing and proposed bicycle facilities

easily map your own commute and let SANDAG know what you have to deal with every day and which roads are the most important to you - simply include the term SANDAG in the title when you save each route

spread the word - email the links to anyone you know and especially those, who are scared to ride because the city has not provided the necessary bike facilities that make everyone feel safe to ride!

FYI: The bike route tool is Bikely.com and it's extremely easy to use. Don't forget to add SANDAG in the title.

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bicycle plan, sandag, san diego, bike facility, bike lane, bike path, transportation plan

Li-Ion 36V Battery for Electric Bike Conversion Kit

nospam@example.com (econver) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:28:47 -0400

We are happy to announce a new product that we will be carrying. It is the Li-Ion 36V battery for Crystalyte Electric Bike conversion kits. Here are the specs compared to our standard 36V NiMH battery:

Type Weight (lbs) KeyLock Capacity Kit Price Price *price subject to change

NiMH 14 Yes 10Ah $695 $349

Li-Ion 8.4 Yes 10Ah $899 $549

This Lithium Ion battery is great for bicycles that don't have a lot of space in the frame, for specialty bikes like recumbent bicycles or if you want the lightest possible electric bike. The new Li-Ion battery uses a 36V 12A controller, which provides less overall power than our 36V 20A controller, but greater range. Here is a YouTube video of the Li-Ion 36V Electric Bike Conversion on a recumbent.

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battery, electric, bike, bicycle, li ion

Plastic Challenge and Rise Above Plastics Pledge

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:00:32 -0400

Surfrider foundation is running a "Rise above Plastics" campaign where you can pledge to avoid plastic bags and use reusable drinking containers. I found two of their data points quite stunning:

For each reusable bag you use, another 400 plastic bags will be kept from being used. Every reusable water bottle will keep another 167 plastic bottles from entering the environment.
You can pledge to Rise Above Plastics

Update on our own No Plastic Challenge
Last month has definitely been a challenge. We learned a lot and made mistakes but we changed our behaviors and also influenced others around us which raised awareness about this problem. Some of the things where we couldn't get rid of
plastic:

Toiletpaper is wrapped in plastic and Toothpaste comes in plastic tubes

We were fooled several times by packaging that is paper on the outside but has a plastic lining or another plastic bag inside

Fruit and vegetables, including organic, usually have plastic stickers

Many magazines or some mailers are wrapped in plastic bags

Many products unnecessarily have a plastic window in their packaging

Jars often have a plastic strip for safety - why don't they use paper like many other products?

Here are some tips if you are taking it on:

We have better success avoiding plastic if we explain what we are doing and why - most times, the person behind the counter is not annoyed but becomes interested and uses paper instead of plastic.
Always mention the challenge before you order anything in restaurants - drinks usually come with straws or stirrers, sometimes salad dressing on the side is in a small plastic container, etc.

We are continuing the challenge since we have seen the positive impact on our health (can't buy junk food or highly processed food anymore) as well as the significant reduction in trash we produce. We are also realizing our responsibility as consumers - with every dollar we are spending we are making a choice. We are choosing no plastic!

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Gas Prices Hit $4.00 a Gallon

nospam@example.com (econver) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:54:37 -0400

Gas Prices just hit $4.005 a gallon, according to AAA's website. Crude prices, which have

surged 40% this year, are much to blame for the spiking prices. High gas prices also appear to be having an effect on driving habits, Department of Transportation showed a 4.3% decrease in driving in March of this year.

Fortunately, there is a good alternative out there for high gas prices. Our electric bicycles provide an effective commute option for distances from 0-15 miles. ATIV Crystalyte kits are a great way to beat those high gas prices. Stop giving away your pay check to the oil companies, checkout our calculator to see how quickly you can pay for your electric kit purchase and start saving thousands of dollars each year.

Our kits are fast, reliable and inexpensive, check one out now. Go to Crystalyte Kit for more information.

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gas price, gallon, cost, drive, electric, bike, bicycle, cost calculator, transportation

No more plastic bags - Bring your own containers for bulk foods at Whole Foods

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:17:14 -0400

Our weekend shopping trip was very exciting and a step closer to no more plastic in the trash. We had been using ziploc reusable containers for a long time now for lunches or storing foods. This weekend, we checked with Whole Foods and learned you can bring your own container for the bulk foods! Just stop by the customer service to get your containers weighed and you are good to go. Too bad that's not advertised anywhere.

I am learning more and more about the plastic problem and I can't see myself buying plastic again even when this month is over. Check out this video and you might join us in our challenge:

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plastic, no plastic, plastic bag, whole foods, bulk, responsibility, ocean, plastic debris

Take easy challenges to reduce carbon and global warming

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:53:55 -0400

Our No-Plastic Challenge is moving along (I unfortunately had a small plastic wrapper on my yogurt jar lid) and some of our friends are inspired as well to reduce their plastic bag consumption. This is awesome!

I also learned about a site called carbonrally.com - it lists many different simple challenges that reduce CO2 output. For example, pledge to reduce your shower time by 2min for one month and you'll reduce your emissions by over 15lbs. You can accept a pledge on your own or as a team and track how much CO2 you are saving. It's a worldwide competition that even shows an impact map.

Try it now and take on one challenge

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environment, challenge, no plastic, carbonrally

Eat healthy by avoiding plastic while shopping

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:12:26 -0400

Shopping yesterday started as a disaster - Trying to simply buy some slices of cheese at the supermarket deli counter without plastic was impossible, even though I begged several times NO PLASTIC PLEASE. It's incredible how ingrained the use of plastic is: fresh pair of plastic gloves, one piece of plastic foil between each slice, one to show you the slice thickness, one to wrap the slices, and one to wrap up the cheese in the counter again.

Whole Foods is the only store in the area, where I can now go shopping and even there I ended up with one thin piece of plastic.

I just received a presentation that shows the dangers of plastic bags and learned about this link Feds want to survey, possibly clean up vast garbage pit in Pacific.

On a positive note - our simple choice of avoiding plastic helps support organic growers, plastic free waste, and - we are eating healthier.

Take a look at this timely video

Explaining food vs. nutrition: Michael Pollan talks at Google

Technorati Tags:
no plastic, health, food, michael pollan, google, omnivore dilemma

No Plastic Challenge

nospam@example.com (econver) — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:04:38 -0400

Two weeks ago I signed up for a Creek cleanup with the folks at Save Rose Creek and had a surprisingly good time cleaning up trash in our local (San Diego) watershed.

I was amazed by the amount of plastic that the creek was infested with (and the lack of aluminum cans). We ended pulling out 3600 lbs. of trash in 3 hours, much of it plastic. What would it be like if we didn't use plastic at all?

We decided to make May a plastic free month. We were pretty sure we wouldn't starve, because we found a lady in Vancouver who has been going plastic free for two years.

Here are the ground rules we came up with:

1. Do not buy anything made of plastic.

2. Plastics that can be reused are okay (storage containers, etc...)

3. Plastic we get inadvertantly or out of necessity we have to hold onto until the end of the month.

In our first week we've noticed a few things. We went on our first grocery outing and had our first slip ups. Here are a few things we noticed:

We were buying much more paper and glass products.

Buying anything online can be fraught with plastic (right down to the tape the box is held together with).

Anywhere you eat you have to make sure to ask for no plastic (the simplest things like a glass of water can come with a plastic straw).

Plastic is much more common in convenience foods and highly processed foods.

We are buying a lot more raw and unprocessed foods.

Purchasing bulk items is a necessity if you want to buy cereal or pasta.

We create less trash overall.

We are not sure whether we plan to keep this up, but we believe the experience will give us a much greater insight into the plastic in our lives and how it effects us and our environment.

With a patch of trash in the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas I'm starting to wonder if we can't do without a great deal of plastics we use everyday. Cleaning up Rose Creek felt good and the enormity of the problem was definitely felt by everyone.

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no plastic challenge, no plastic, plastic bag, rose creek, patch

Bike to work day is coming up! May 16 in San Diego

nospam@example.com (Silke Fleischer) — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:44:56 -0400

May 16 is Bike to Work Day in San Diego. With gas prices hitting the $4 mark, it's a perfect time to start riding to work.

For a comfortable and safe commute, we recommend:

Use a Bike Map and find a good route - you can receive a free San Diego Bike Map with all bike paths, lanes, and routes from ridelink.org.
Tune up your bike and test ride your route the weekend before Bike to Work day, so there are no surprises.
Review commuter tips and rules of the road. The League of American Bicyclists offers many resources and is a great organization to support/join.
For Cargo and Packing, we offer high quality rear racks and the superb Arkel commuter bags.
Encourage your organization to support bike to work day - you will find many resources at www.bicycle2work.net including printable posters, online banners for your intranet, and gift ideas for bike commuters.
Contact the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to present the How to Guide - Bike to work at your organization - it's free.

Enjoy the ride and make a difference!

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bike, bicycle, bike to work, bike to work day, bike map, commuter tips, bike rules, bicycle coalition