Monday bike roundup

Question: Do you know the origin of Panda Portraits?

Momentum Magazine #48 is “The Photo Issue.” They mention “Panda Portraits” in passing. Who knows where the name “Panda Portraits” — those goofy on-bike self-portraits — comes from? No prize for this question: this one’s for fun.

A supporter of Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has his bicycle decorated with her picture near the house where she is held under house arrest in Yangon November 12, 2010. Rumour and speculation about the imminent release of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi swept across Myanmar on Friday but there was no word from the country's secretive military rulers about whether she would be freed.  REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun (MYANMAR - Tags: POLITICS)

A supporter of Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has his bicycle decorated with her picture near the house where she is held under house arrest in Yangon shortly before her release.

 

GUANGZHOU, CHINA - NOVEMBER 11: Chinese people ride bicycles near the Guangzhou TV Tower and a pagoda ahead of the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 on November 11, 2010 in Guangzhou, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Chinese people ride bicycles near the Guangzhou TV Tower and a pagoda ahead of the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010.

A man carries people on his bicycle taxi on a street in Havana November 14, 2010. Cuba's President Raul Castro promised to improve the daily lives of Cubans and has focused on economic improvement, including major reforms announced in September to cut a million government jobs and expand the private sector by granting 250,000 new licenses for self-employment. REUTERS/Enrique De La Osa (CUBA - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY)

A man carries people on his bicycle taxi on a street in Havana.

A resident walks with his bicycle next to water pumps in a flooded street of Swalm November 13, 2010. Several rivers burst their banks due to heavy rain, flooding several towns and villages in Belgium, according to local media. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir  (BELGIUM - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT)

A resident walks with his bicycle next to water pumps in a flooded street of Swalm November 13, 2010. Several rivers burst their banks due to heavy rain, flooding several towns and villages in Belgium, according to local media.


More bike news, more bike fun.

Cool travel story:

When I told people I was visiting Los Angeles for a week without setting foot in a car, one word came up more than any other: “Impossible.”

Seven days and six nights without a car turned out to be not only possible but in many ways afforded me a more unfiltered view of Los Angeles

More: Exploring Los Angeles by bicycle.

Update on that flag waving boy with the US Flag: Stanislaus County boy allowed to keep U.S. flag on bicycle.

Denver Post follows up on Eagle County case: Tragedy in the truth of hit and runs. Dr Milo wasn’t the only cyclist hit by a hit-and-run driver in Eagle County that day. And guess what? District Attorney Mark Hurbert hasn’t filed any charges in that other case as well, in spite of the Colorado State Patrol saying they have solid evidence tying a suspect to that hit and run.

EcoVelo on frame geometry and bike fit.

That Contrail thing is making the rounds again in eco- and bike-themed blogs. Contrail is the bike-attached chalk depositing gizmo that converts your bike into a spontaneous paintbrush, with your road as the canvas. And now, they’re asking for money.

My Bike Lane photo gallery of bike lane obstructions.

Bamboo bike trip From the Arctic to Antarctica. Wow.

Aiken, South Carolina bike patrol school.

Pedaling through the winter practical and fun in Milwaukee.

Measure 2B — a sales tax increase — passed in Fort Collins, Colorado. This means bike education funding

Cyclists as wreckless scofflaws. Because if it bleeds, it leads.

Thief on probation steals a bike to get home after his probation hearing.

Bandits on bikes rob a gas station.

BIke & Pedestrian plan for Orem, Utah.

Arlington, VA police say 384 bicycles stolen in this last year.

Bike vs motorcyclist in Brewton, Alabama. A guy on a Yamaha rear-ended a cyclist on Huffy bike. The motorcycle rider was killed; the 16 year old bicyclist was treated for his injuries at a local hospital.

Bike Friendly New Orleans.

Cozy Beehive w/ Matt Appleman on Carbon Fiber.

Another collection of goofy interesting bike designs.

Don’t forget the Panda Portrait question. Oh, and there’s another Virtual Alleycat coming up soon, so stay tuned!

6 Comments

  1. Regarding Panda photos, this is as I remember reading quite awhile ago, without looking anything up.

    It started from a Flickr photo pool, somehow related to bikes. One person was frequently sharing some self portraits while riding; either including herself or just the bike. Her user name on Flickr was (is?) Panda…. something. Thus, they became known as panda photos.

    Or thus is the internet lore as I remember.

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