Girl Wins Bike As Mother Loses Hers

It'll cost $1000 to replace her mother's bike.  I just hope she doesn't have to spend that much, or more, for therapy.

On Wendnesday, seven-year-old Nayaraq Alvarez was returning home with her father, Carlos--and her new bicycle.  It was a prize for a poster she made as part of an anti-bullying campaign sponsored by the Miami Beach Police Department. 

When they arrived, they saw a suspicious-looking man running from their apartment building.  They then discovered that thieves had broken in and stolen her mother's Cannondale Quick 4 bicycle.  "It's a shame because we have lots of good memories with it," Carlos said.  Though he plans to help her "look for a new one", he hopes "someone can find it for us."



Surveillance footage provided clear footage of a man with a backpack entering and leaving the building several times.  During one of those trips, he is seen wheeling the bike out.  

That Cannondale, like the bikes of many other residents in that building, had been in a storage room.  Since then, other residents have moved their bikes into their apartments.  Not surprisingly, Nayaraq's new bike is in her family's living quarters.  

Several other Miami Beach residents have reported their bikes stolen during the past couple of weeks.  Although the thief who took Nayraq's mother's bike may have been involved in one or more of those thefts, no one is saying that it's definitely the case.  But Mr. Alvarez is not only concerned with bike theft.  "He's carrying a big backpack, so what else does he have in there?" he wondered.  "[I]t could be a potentially dangerous situation for everybody," he says.

Hopefully, young Nayaraq won't have nearly as  much baggage from the incident.

Real Pedal Power?

I have to admit that I know nothing about molecular chemistry.  It's one of those areas, like much of physics, that sounds interesting but for which I lack the background, and possibly the aptitude (My math skills are, depending on your point of view, comically or frightfully bad!) to understand.

So when I read this article, all I knew was that scientists somehow managed to synthesize molecules that operate like the pedals of a bicycle. It sounded really cool.

 From what I understand, these molecules can be activated by light to act as "switches", moving from one structural state to another as they move like the pedals around a bottom bracket.  However, they do not perform a full rotation, but move back and forth in arcs around the "axle."

In contrast, other kinds of molecules exhibit large-scale rotation around one bond, and need much more space than the "pedal" molecules need in order to make the "switch".

Why is this important?  Well, "switching" is necessary in order to create the molecular structures necessary in a number of applicatons, from pharmaceuticals to computers.  I would imagine that it is also vital to much "green" technology.  

I once built a wheel that looked like this.  I didn't ride it, though!

As I understand, these molecules change their structure in a way analagous to that of water it becomes ice or vapor.  When water is heated, its vapor needs more space because it expands.  On the other hand, when water cools down to 4 degrees C, it contracts but, unlike other liquids, expands when it freezes. You can see this when a river or lake ices over.) Just as liquid water acts differently from vapor or ice when you try to combine it with other things, whether and how molecules bond depends on their structural state.  So, the necessary molecular structures for a number of things, from pharmaceuticals to plastics, can be created only when the molecules can reach the right state.  And that can only happen when the would-be "switches" are allowed to switch.  

If water in a pipe freezes, it will expand the pipe until it bursts.  On the other hand, if molecules in other environments are so restricted, they just don't move and therefore don't make the necessary "switches." That is the reason why researchers and engineers have been limited in what they can create.

The "pedal" motion, as it turns out, is more compact than other kinds of molecular motion.  This means the atoms that are part of the molecule aren't displaced much, if at all--which,  in turn, means that the molecule doesn't (and doesn't have to) move as much.  This could allow scientists and engineers to create new kinds of structures.

Of course, we as cyclists always knew that the pedaling motion was very economical and efficient--and, when performed even by people of ordinary ability, graceful.  Is it any wonder, then, that so much of today's technology--including that of automobiles and aircraft--came directly or indirectly from bicycles.  Now it looks like even more sophisticated technology will soon owe its debt to our beloved two-wheeled vehicles--in this case, our method of propulsion!

Telling Bike Stories In Portland

I have been called a storyteller--sometimes as a compliment, other times as a derogatory epithet, and on a few occasions as a statement of fact.  

Indeed I am one, for better or worse.  Students in one of my classes are reading Plato's Trial and Death of Socrates; I can only imagine what either philosopher would make of me,or this blog.  All I could tell them is that everything I tell is  true.  Really!

Still, I admit I have a weakness for a good story.  Whether it's fact or fiction, poetry or polemics, I like any story that stimulates, inspires or simply entertains me.  I'll also admit that I can be as taken with the person telling the story as with the story itself.

So, if I could get to Portland on Friday night, I'd go to Alberta Abbey.  It's hosting a bicycle-themed storytelling event called Live The Revolution.  Admission is $17 at the door; tickets still can be bought for $15 in advance. Proceeds will benefit The Street Trust's efforts to support cycling, walking and public transit. 

Oh, and there's a raffle.  Prizes include two Public C1 bicycles, a messenger bag, REI gear, a set of wheels from Sugar Wheels, a Thule trailer and gift certificates.

(The Street Trust was formerly known as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.)