This week’s edition highlights stories by Peter Flax, Abigail Edge, Jesús A. Rodríguez, Henry Wismayer, and Elif Batuman.
bikes
Molly’s Last Ride
“Twelve-year-old Molly Steinsapir crashed onto the pavement from a Rad Power e-bike and never woke up. With a poorly regulated e-bike industry, who is responsible when a child dies?”
Does Cycling Have a Drinking Problem?
“Bikes and booze have been linked for decades, but research shows there is no such thing as a healthy amount of alcohol.”
The Wheel, the Woman, and the Human Body
How the newly evolved bicycle helped liberate women and modernize America’s concept of fitness.
A Spiritual Journey West: A Man and The White Dragon Horse (His Bicycle)
Zilong Wang cycled 3,400 miles west across America to San Francisco on his bike, the White Dragon Horse. At Bicycling, John Brant recounts Wang’s enlightening adventure: how he befriended kind strangers along the way, found an appreciation for life in his solitude, and lost — but later found — his bike at the end of the journey.
Zilong Wang and the Cosmic Tale of the White Dragon
“Zilong Wang’s journey seems more fable than narrative. With little previous experience on a bike, he pedaled into cycling’s heart. Raised on no religion, he somehow found America’s soul.” An account of Zilong Wang’s 3,400-mile bike ride and spiritual journey across America.
The City Opens Up At Night: How LA’s Underground Bike Scene Took Off
For the original eight, the fountain tour was something of an epiphany. As the Mommas and Papas explored downtown, they realized something: At night, the city opened up to them. They suddenly had free rein on the roads, the freedom to discover L.A. on their own terms. They could pass through the richest and poorest neighborhoods in a single evening.
A trip through the “bike-crime underbelly”—and the futility of new technology when it comes to preventing it: The purpose of stealing a bike, after all, is to sell it. SFPD’s McCloskey estimated that 90 percent of bike thieves are drug addicts. In America’s rough streets, there are four forms of currency—cash, sex, drugs, and bicycles. […]