Obama Meets with Bike Industry Leaders

Bikeradar.com has a great write up of the meeting Obama had with the nation's leading bike promoters, including Greg Lemond, Leah Day, and others...

Now that Obama has his own spoke cards, has committed a big fashion faux pas on his bike, attended the Women's Little 500, and has a site dedicated to him being your new bicycle, he is part of the hip bicycle crowd.

"Bikes Belong, an umbrella organization representing the industry, had its executive director Tim Blumenthal divert a few days of his French bicycling vacation to spend the evening with Senator Obama and several members of his Bikes Belong board of directors, who were granted a private 20-minute meeting with the senator."

Obama Defends Bike Fashion Faux Pas

Did I do that?

Remember when Barack Obama went for a joy ride around Chicago's Lake Shore Drive on his Trek bike last week? If not, here's a reminder. Just afterwards, all the fashion magazines and blogs put their red siren to work, calling Obama's biking outfit, the biggest Fashion Faux-Pas of the year.

As expected, Obama has come back "in style" (?) and responded to this allegation (or smear?...hehe).

via US Magazine

"I got a hard time from all sorts of blogs who said I looked like Urkel," he told supporters at a fundraiser in his Chicago Thursday.

The senator admitted he had an "internal debate" before putting on his bike helmet.

"I knew that the A.P. was going to take a picture, and they were trying to portray it like [Mike Dukakis] wearing that tank helmet," he explained.

"But I wanted to make sure that the children who saw that picture knew that even the Democratic nominee for president wears a helmet when he goes biking,"

Custom Fixed Gear Obama Bike Ebay Auction

YEAH! This is hot. Animal New York commissioned some folks to design and build this custom Obama Fixed Gear bike. The bid is up to $700 already and the auction doesn't end for another week.

Auction and more photos here

Obama Bike Spoke Cards

Young America has two fixations (no pun intended) right now.

1. Barack Obama for President
2. Fixed Gear Bikes


Now you can get both in one place...yes, now available for $1.00 each, you can order your own Obama Spoke Cards for your bike (I just ordered 10). All proceeds go back into making more spoke cards. The Obama spoke cards feature the stencil art of Margaret Coble and are available for sale HERE. Or for orders of more than 10, send an email to obamaspoke@gmail.com

Barack Obama is Your New Bicycle

Looks like Obama is picking up speed in the picture above and with the Bicycle community. Here is one article about the swing voters. And another.

Still another is simply a PR game called BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle and goes through a series of almost LOLCat statements about what Obama is doing with you, for you, near you, or beside you.....

Examples include "Barack Obama Saved His Dessert for You" or "Barack Obama Parsed Your Error." and more.

I think they are pretty hilarious, but at the same time I think it's someone hinting at the fame Obama has garnered over the past few months.....Nevertheless, it is great PR for Obama and another layer in the bicycle spin vote. Thanks to my boy John Prolly in NYC for the tip.














Hopefully Barack Obama will care about Bike People.....

via Obama's Energy Policy
"As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account. Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Building more livable and sustainable communities will not only reduce the amount of time individuals spent commuting, but will also have significant benefits to air quality, public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

Obama Bike Ride Around Chicago

WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama joined family and neighbors for a bicycle ride along the shores of Lake Michigan on Sunday.

Obama, who last week claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, capped his victory with a quiet, long weekend at home in Chicago.

The Illinois senator and his wife, Michelle, rode to a neighbor's house with their daughters, Malia and Sasha, on Sunday and the group then headed out for the ride along the scenic lake shore. But the outing was cut short by a downpour.

Obama's brief respite from the campaign was scheduled to end Monday with a speech in Raleigh, N.C., and an evening fundraiser in St. Louis. The speech will launch a two-week tour of the country focused on economic issues.