We are in week two of the Go By Bike Pledge event with 4.5 million miles pledged by 14,000 people. (I haven't looked at the site since this morning so we're likely well beyond those numbers). The best thing about this Go By Bike Pledge event is the comments I'm getting from all over the world. What is the theme of most of the emails? "I've been wanting to do this for a long time, thanks for giving me a kick in the pants!"

Well, those aren't exactly the words but that captures the spirit of the most common response coming by this desk. And is it me or am I seeing a WHOLE LOT of news stories about "going by bike?" CBS ran a very thoughtful piece yesterday on its Sunday morning show. In the story the city of Portland gets props that it rightfully deserves; over 6% of its population is "going by bike."

Speaking of Portland, that's Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Portland, with bow tie) in the above photo posing with a 1World2Wheels jersey, yours truly, and from left to right, Patrick Seidler of WTB, Mike Mercuri of Sram and Chris Kegel of Wheel & Sprocket, a Wisconsin Bike Retailer. We were all at a bike advocacy reception and I couldn't resist bringing the jersey with me to see who I could get in a photo. The reception was across the street from the Oprah Studio in Chicago and I got the bright idea to show the jersey to Oprah. I walked over and knocked on the door but the cleaning person didn't seem to want to unlock the door and let me in. So much for shameless promotion.

So we have more bike winners from week 2. Each of these people has won a Trek 7.2FX bike. I'll post more winners in a week so check next Monday to see if your name is on the list.

Monday, July 21: B. Phifer
Tuesday, July 22: Jeremy Woodhouse
Wednesday, July 23: Samuel Johnson
Thursday, July 24: Pat Scanlon
Friday, July 25: Cindy Crawford
Saturday, July 26: Greg Christie
Sunday, July 27: Sanjdy Kimerer

The Go By Challenge on the 1 World 2 Wheels website caught fire last week. We launched the promotion on Thursday and by Friday afternoon needed to add a digit to the home page to accommodate the number of miles being pledged.

The comments sent this way from the pledgers are inspiring and back up what we’ve been thinking for some time now: the time is right to go by bike.

Speaking of which, we pulled names of pledgers as part of the contest. Starting last Thursday, Trek is drawing one name a day from all the pledgers to win a 7.2 FX bike. Check here to see if you are on the list, and check back often as the list will be updated frequently.

July 17 - R. Miller
July 18 - S. Schindlbeck
July 19 - T. Williams
July 20 - S. Vybrial

New winners announced in a day or so. I heard that the Trek site crashed. Is that because the bike revolution has begun? Stay tuned for more from 1 World 2 Wheels.

A prototype Trek Stop Cycling Convenience Center was assembled on June 30 just off the bike path in Madison, Wisconsin.

Trek Stop is a 24/7/365 convenience center for cyclists which provides access to cycling products, information and a safe place to work on your bike. Need a tube at midnight? Need some air on the way to your morning commute? Not sure of the best route to get where you’re going? Need a poncho, some wetwipes, or a power bar?

Trek Stop’s got you covered . This full service vending machine is stocked with bicycle products, food and cold drinks, and features an information center which includes maps, a message board, and advertising space for local events and announcements. There’s also a covered maintenance area with a work stand, free air, and even how-to videos a cyclist can play with the push of a button just in case their having trouble fixing that flat or repairing their chain.

The idea for Trek Stop came about a few years ago, when the Advanced Concept Group (ACG) at Trek Bikes, a crew of industrial designers led by Mike Hammond, began thinking of ways to make bicycle commuting more viable.

“Motorists have it easy,” says Hammond. “Gas stations, convenience stores, auto parts stores, tow trucks—you name it. The support network for cars far outclasses cyclists. The Trek Stop aims to change that by breaking down some of the ‘worries’ attached to cycling.”

“We got a budget together and started sketching out ideas. At that time, we found out that Aaron Goss and his wife (of Aaron’s Bicycles in Seattle, WA) had already set up a vending machine so that was encouraging,” added Hammond.
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Trek Stop’s construction consists of a regular vending machine, a small air compressor and a PC which runs the two video screens. All of this is housed in a weatherproof box made locally by Hoffman Manufacturing Corp. Add a repair stand and aesthetics, and you’ve got one very cool, very functional Cycling Convenience Center, a.k.a. Trek Stop.

Trek Stop was designed to be an extension of a real bike shop, not to replace one. Cyclists will still need the services and products found at local bike shops, but will have the convenience of 24 hour access to specific products and information.

For more information on Trek Stop contact Mike Hammond at mike_hammond@trekbikes.com or Rebecca Anderson at rebeccca_anderson@trekbikes.com.