What do you get when...?

What do you get when you combine the following in a German Engineer's stirring pot:

Air
An alternative fuel (biodiesel, BTL, synfuel, etc)
2.2L of sparkplug-free engine displacement
Two turbochargers
A splash of urea
A 7-speed transmission
4 wheels (with all-wheel drive)
And a few other bits and bobs

????

Short answer: Gina's future "mom car," the Mercedes Benz GLK.

Long answer: You get an engine that pulls like a train, has cleaner exhaust than L.A.'s air, has dual stage turbochargers (so you can still have fun), and is quieter than any diesel you've ever heard. And you get that engine with a 7-speed transmission put into a body with all-wheel drive that will tow toys, lug the kids/bikes/dog/skis/etc around, (or if you're the typical American it'll just be lugging you around alone) while already beating the fuel economy standards of the year 2020 (35mpg). The best part? It comes out this fall, so start saving your Benjamins, you'll need about 380 of them, give or take.

VW and TDI marketing

VW has kind of lacked on the marketing for TDI's (diesel engines) in my opinion, but then again I can kind of understand why... They don't need to advertise when most TDI's are sold before they even reach the lot and used ones hold their value so well. Why advertise when more people are trying to buy a TDI than there are TDI's available? Well, they are finally upping the production of TDI engines in multiple models in the near future and more specifically the new Jetta TDI wagen (dubbed the Sportwagen) is set to appear on US roads this fall! So, with the increase in TDI production, they have a reason to start marketing it. I can't wait, if only I could afford one!

And here is the web page that sparked this post And that's right, a true 40-50mpg out of a car that literally hauls! Not to mention it is cleaner than nearly all other cars currently on the road today.

And here they are... t-shirts!

Eddy Merckx (From G)



The "Made by Michelle" Special



The commuter special (Thanks Rich!)



And of course... From Gina

Christmas update coming soon!

I got some sweet cycling shirts for Christmas so I'll post them up soon!

Bike Lane Changes

I have seen this in pictures of Amsterdam and other cities on that side of the pond, but this is the first I have seen of it here in the US (although I'd like to know if it exists anywhere else in the US). Portland recently announced that they are going to revamp an intersection that has been notoriously dangerous for cyclists. See pic below for the proposal.

If you have ever ridden a bike on a road where the right hand lane can either turn right or go straight, you know how dangerous it can be. The main thing that makes it dangerous is motorists not using their turn signals. I will NEVER pass a car on the right if they have their turn signal on. If they have their turn signal off, I will pass them VERY cautiously if there is a bike lane. The "very cautiously" part is what most cyclists forget about. Motorists frequently don't use turn signals and they will dart right into the bike lane without giving a second thought that there might be a cyclist there coming from behind. Obviously, this happens more often than not at an intersection and the situation becomes more confusing if the cars are allowed to either turn or go straight (as opposed to only being able to do one of the two). I don't know why UDOT doesn't build every new intersection like this. There's not much of a reason not to. If you make the center median skinnier, then there will be enough room for the bike lane, that's all it would take.

The blue color is to allow motorists to easier visualize where a cyclist may be riding. If the motorist knows where to look for cyclists, they are more likely to see them.


***UPDATE***
I emailed the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committe (MBAC) chairman about the cycling lane design. He was very quick in getting me information and also forwarded my email on to the S.L.C. transportation engineer who also left a very good impression on me. He said that between State St. and Main St. on 2nd South in SLC, one of the possibilities that they are planning is making the right hand lane (going Eastbound) a shared lane. This would entail possibly painting it blue and letting motorists know that cyclists are welcome in that lane also. Way to go SLC!

Welcome Old Man Winter!

I am so excited that it snowed today! It has been too long since we've had any snow, so it was about time. The resorts need it, the valley needed it to blow out the inversion, we all needed it! I got so excited I just had to snap some pics on the way home today. So enjoy...

What I should and shouldn't do...

I know I should be working on my essays for medical school, but I couldn't help myself when I watched this video.

How cool is that?! And yes, it's a bike ala cargobike

Thanks to The Bakfeits Cargobike blog for the video. So go over there and poke around a bit, it's a great blog.

Hmm, I wonder which one rides?

I just love shots like this. Anybody care to make a wager at which one might be the cyclist?

Bloggers I want to know

I just posted about bloggers that I know, now here are the bloggers that I'd like to meet!

1001 Albums
Clever Cycles
Bakfiets Cargobike
Bakfiets en Meer
Copenhagen Cycle Chic
Energy Rush
Engadget
Fields of Fuel
Hug the Trees
Inhabitat
Kate Benson Photography
Land Living
MassTransit Mag
Moco Loco
Modular Cabin
Need a Carectomy?

Again, if you would like me to remove your link from my blog, let me know.

Bloggers I Know

****UPDATE****
Some of my friends that used to be listed here have since become worried about who sees their blogs. This is a valid concern, and I want to help them as much as possible to maintain their privacy. So I have removed all the links to my friends' blogs unless they want their blog to appear here (please comment if you want your blog linked in this post). The main reason that I have removed them is that when I created my blog, I wanted it to be a public place to show off my photography and my other interests. I still want my blog to be public and I love when people that I don't know make relevant, respectful comments on my blog. I hope anyone who visits will comment on at least one post. That being said, if any of my friends (you know who you are) want your blog linked here on my blog, just let me know because the more the merrier! I have edited the rest of the post below to reflect this.

****Original Post (adjusted accordingly to reflect the update above)****
You will now see one link on the side of my blog referencing the "Bloggers I know." That link will take you to this post and I will update this post as more of my friends enter the blogosphere in the future. First off, if you got to this blog (Brad's) and thought you were going to Gina's blog, please go here.

Now here's the (drastically shortened) list of "Bloggers I know":

in the eternal words of Michael Scott, "drum roll... rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Christmas!!
Cyclesmith
NetDocuments
Wifey