On a seemingly regular, recent Tuesday afternoon the small island country of Haiti was shocked and devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

In the days following the news of the massive quake, stories, images and videos of unimaginable destruction and unbelievable carnage swept across the newswires.

What accompanied these horrific developments was an immediate and unprecedented outpouring of relief aid, money, support and prayer.

Today’s Fast Facts Friday is meant to shine a light on only a few of the many good Samaritans and caring people across the world who have stepped up to help the people of Haiti cope with the devastation and rebuild their lives.

1) One electronic form of support brought $30 million in relief funds in a matter of days: text messaging.  Right after the quake, the Red Cross and mobile phone companies announced that they would take donations by cell phone. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and other major carriers all quickly jumped on the bandwagon, allowing donations over their text messaging network … with no hidden fees! Texting the word HAITI to 20222 will give a $10 donation to the Clinton Foundation. You can give $10 to the International Medical Corps (85944), the Salvation Army (52000), and the American Red Cross (90999) by simply texting the word “HAITI”. (ThePilot.com)

2) While people and communities across the US and the world are mobilizing and giving all they can to aid in the relief effort, governments have also been quickly prompted to action. The Obama administration has pledged $100 million in aid and the deployment of 10,000 troops. (NYTimes.com)

3) Canada’s military has deployed the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to provide “eyes-on” feedback and assistance to the catastrophic situation. The Canadian Forces has named this mission “Operation Helmet” and foresees it as an ongoing mission that will focus on supplying search and rescue teams as well as medical supplies to victims of this devastating earthquake. (MigrationExpert.com)

4) The Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans helped raise more than $34,000 for earthquake relief in Haiti prior to Thursday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. Fans donated more than $17,309, and the organization matched that bringing the grand total of money raised to $34,600. Overall, the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and other professional sports have stepped up in a major way donating millions of dollars, hosting relief drives, and sending countless aid care packages. (ThePittsburghChannel.com and BusinessWeek.com)

5) Finally, after nearly two weeks of sadness, an image of hope has emerged: One of a smiling young boy named Kiki being lifted from the rubble by American rescuers:

 

(DailyMail.co.uk)

My oh my – what a crazy-cool week for bicycling! Last week’s news discussed hot topics such as four-wheeled bicycles, cycling insurance, bike videos, a promotion for female cyclists and tips for how to become a “badass” on your bike. Need we say more?! Check out last week’s bicycling stories that made headlines, below!

• January 4, 2010: What good are two tires when you can have four?! Join My Quadracycle Gang (J.S. Holland, LouisvilleMojo.com)
• January 5, 2010: Did you know that bicycle insurance that is similar to auto insurance already exists in England, Australia, and New Zealand? Bicycle insurance: Coming to America in 2010?, nor sleet, nor gloom of night keeps Marshall cyclist from pedaling to 2 jobs (Lindsay Caron, BikePortland.org)
• January 5, 2010: “Empire,” is a yet-unfinished film about everything that is “fun, scary and exciting” about bicycling in the Big Apple without brakes. Cycling on Camera, in New York and Beyond (J. David Goodman, New York Times)
• January 5, 2010: One city looks at the multiple benefits of this investment in years to come by investing in bicycling. ENVIRONMENT: Cycling can boost the area’s riches (Scott Macrae, Rochester City Newspaper)
• January 5, 2010: What’s this season’s first competition on The Biggest Loser? – A bicycling competition where couples have to ride 26.2 miles on stationary bikes, the same distance as the marathon that finalists ran at the end of the previous “Biggest Loser” season. The Biggest Loser Has Even More to Lose (Cynthia B., Gather)
• January 5, 2010: The Social Bike Business program creates jobs through locally manufactured transportation bicycles for disadvantaged people. Led by One Street, a global bicycle advocacy organization, the program is underway in Prague, Budapest and Los Angeles. Brewery Broadens Social Bike Program (Press Release, PPOL: News)
• January 7, 2010: What are the ‘Three Ps’, you ask? – Priority statements, potential policies & potential programs, of course! The ‘Three Ps’ of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Beverly Majors, Oak Ridger)
• January 8, 2010: Great tips for beefing up your bike status! How to Become a Bicycle Badass (Scott Indrisek, Asylum)
• January 8, 2010: One writer’s opinions and ideas toward women and bicycling. COMMENT: Forget blokes, it’s women we want to get on bikes (Carlton Reid, Bike Biz)
• January 9, 2010: One way to combat trends of peak oil, declining material living standards in America (and much of the rest of the Western world), and global environmental stresses? Bicycling! Guest commentary: Bicycling safely into the future (Robert C. Cluster, Daily Camera)

With an unwavering cold snap tightening its grip on the nation, even the most dedicated of cyclists, skateboarders, in-line skaters and outdoor extreme sports enthusiasts can become inclined to stay indoors.

Rain, snow, and below freezing temperatures in many areas are threatening crops, causing deadly ice storms and delaying flights. But it’s not all bad in these frosty times – the cold weather is great for all the winter sports enthusiasts out there!

Skiing and snowboarding are two winter sports that get the most attention, but they’re not the only winter activities available for snow-lovers to partake in. There are many other exciting cold weather activities for people of all ages.

The winter months of December, January and February can also mean sledding, ice skating, and snowball fights. And how about winter bicycling?

Winter mountain biking has become an exhilarating way for the avid cyclist to push his or her limits and continue riding throughout the winter months. Biking.com suggests winterizing your bike with bigger tires for better traction in the snow.

Not quite ready to tread through the snow on tires? Snowshoes were thought to have been invented some 4,000 to 6,000 years ago, but only in the past few years have many American schools (mostly, but not exclusively in the Northeast) started offering snowshoe programs in their physical education classes to help combat obesity. Snowshoeing is also a preferred method of hiking to great powder for backcountry skiers and snowboarders. (Wikipedia)

Back in November we detailed The Necessity of Skiing & Snowboarding With a Helmet. Some other winter sports that require or suggest wearing a helmet include speed skating, ski jumping, bobsledding, snowmobiling, ice hockey, and luge.

In coastal areas where the elevation is too low to snow during the winter months, surfing is a big attraction for passionate surfers and spectators alike because of the large waves created by all the storms.

People flock to Half Moon Bay, CA, almost every winter to see daring professional surfers take on 20-50 foot waves at Mavericks – all for the chance to win $150,000! Also in the water, fisherman are in luck during the winter thanks to ice fishing and swimmers with guts can find enjoyment in ice swimming.

Still not satisfied? OK, well we’re officially out of ideas…But if you have one in mind – or if you have a favorite winter sport pastime – please feel free to share! All in all, no matter what hobby you decide to take on this winter, please stay safe and warm!

Source: Sun Valley Online photo of the day, courtesy of Jim Figge

We at Bell Sports hold bicycling – and safety – dear to our hearts. We publish these Fast Facts Friday (#FFF) blog posts with the hope of providing you with insightful information, and inspiring you to get out and ride. We also intend to provide you with factual information that encourages you to always wear a helmet when cycling. So, in the spirit of #FFF, today’s installment features some obscure bicycling and helmet facts meant to educate, inspire, and maybe even answer that nagging question that has piqued your curiosity time and again.

1) Despite the requirement for adults to use hand signals when riding in traffic, The American Academy of Pediatrics says Children shouldn’t use hand signals, because signaling may cause them to lose control of their bikes. (AAP.org)

2) Ever wonder why male cyclists shave their legs? Well, according to eHow.com it is it has nothing to do with aerodynamics, and more to do with road rash, massage, hygiene, vanity and tradition. Hairless legs are easier to clean, and it’s less painful to tear bandages off of smooth skin than hairy skin. Plus leg hair gets messy when slathered in massage oils, and it is easier for masseuses to work on bald legs. (eHow.com)

3) In China, bicycles outnumber cars 250 to 1, and in Tokyo, Japan a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes. (Strange-Facts.info)

4) Bell Helmets feature EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam liners. The purpose of the liner is to help prevent or reduce brain injury by absorbing the energy of an impact through its own compression or destruction. (BellSports.com)

5) And our Fast Fact“ee” of honor: At 25 years old Georgia native Fred A. Birchmore circled the globe by bicycle. The entire trip, through Europe, Asia, and the United States, covered forty thousand miles. Over the course of his tour, taken in 1935, he pedaled about 25,000 miles and wore out seven sets of tires. The rest was traveled by boat. And, Fred just celebrated his 98^th birthday this week! Happy belated birthday, Fred! (NationalGeographic.com)

What inspires you? Let us know what type of information gets you out on the road or on the trail spinning those wheels!

In the United States, Veteran’s Day takes place on November 11 every year and serves as a federal holiday in remembrance and observance of our troops. Well, in honor of the all the brave US soldiers who have served, fought and dedicated themselves to defending our freedom, we would like to dedicate today’s post to saying “Thank You” to our men and women in the armed forces.

Seeing as we’re in the helmet manufacturing business, we thought – what would be a more fitting way to show our gratitude than to highlight the military by providing some insight and historical context about the military helmet?

1) In 1981, Bell Sports introduced products for anti-ballistic military and law enforcement use. (Bell Sports)

2) The development and expanded use of steel helmets “saved the French” in WWI as it enabled them to disregard German artillery fire. (NYTimes.com)

3) During World War II, the United States designed and standardized the M-1 helmet, which became the symbol of the American soldier and was used afterward in the Korean and Vietnam wars. (ehow.com)

4) Thanks to generous donations, Operation Helmet has sent 46,009 protective helmet-pad upgrade kits to U.S. soldiers in the field. (Operation-Helmet.org)

5) In April 2009 Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Harvey received a Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge after being shot in the helmet and continuing to return fire during an enemy attack in Najaf, Iraq on Feb. 10. Harvey’s life was saved by his Advanced Combat Helmet. (Army.mil)

Thanks again to all the veterans out there for your service, and let’s not forget about the role helmets have had in the safety and protection of those who risk their lives for our freedom.

With flakes of snow already accumulating on mountain tops at ski resorts across the world (Mt. Baker, Washington received two feet of snow this week, and Boreal broke a personal record by opening earlier than ever in the resort’s history – Oct. 9, 2009!) we at Bell Sports thought it necessary to address the issue of helmets and safety on the slopes.

Issue? Well, there’s not so much of a helmet issue amongst skiers and snowboarders as there is a need for helmet awareness and acceptance. Many skiers and snowboarders do wear helmets, however the majority still do not.

One trend we’ve noticed is that kids who grow up skiing and snowboarding with a helmet on are more inclined to continue wearing a helmet as an adult.

As this generation of helmet-wearing riders gets older, helmets will likely become the norm. But for now, we’d still like to see more children and adults start wearing helmets on the slopes today.

While ski and snowboard-related head injuries account for very few of the overall injuries that occur on the slopes, they can be very serious when they occur. (PlanetSki.eu)

Knowing this fact alone, don’t you think everyone should be wearing a helmet while riding? Well…unlike when riding a bicycle, children are not required by law to wear a helmet when skiing or snowboarding, and many won’t. According to a recent story in the London Telegraph – more than half of British skiers will take to the slopes without a helmet this season. (Telegraph.co.uk)

Despite this, some ski areas taking a pro-active approach by requiring children and students to wear helmets during snowboard lessons or when riding in a terrain park. Ski instructors are also required to wear a helmet when teaching lessons. (OnTheSnow.com)

For those looking for snow-appropriate headgear this season, Giro (sister company to Bell Sports), offers an affordable collection of both ski and snowboard helmets. Giro also sponsors some pretty awesome riders including Gretchen Bleiler and Antti Autti.

The safety concerns of riding in the snow without a helmet, combined with a great selection of stylish and comfortable ski and snowboard helmets, leads us to believe that helmets will make a big splash on the ski slopes this season.

If you need more reasons to wear a helmet on the slopes, consider that the fact that many helmets come with a removable inner lining that is designed to keep your head warm. Other helmets come with built-in headphones so you can listen to your favorite tunes while riding. Like this one:

Have fun this season, but please think twice before riding without a helmet!

The Great Cyclist/Motorist Debate: Over the past few years there seems to have been a brewing debate between motorists and cyclists over who commands control of the roads. We all know that cars and bikes are supposed to “Share The Road” with one another in theory, but it has proven to be harder said than done. Cyclists get mad at motorists for speeding past and driving too closely to them. Motorists get mad at cyclists for riding too slow or coming dangerously close to their lane.

In order to protect cyclists and help ease the tension between the two groups, there have been laws passed in recent years in cities throughout the country. While there may or may not be bicycle/automobile laws in your area, we wanted to share a few examples of what’s happening in cities across the U.S. to both inform and inspire you to do something productive around this issue in your neighborhood. 

1) In Austin, Texas, a new city ordinance recently went into effect requiring motorists to give at least three feet clearance when passing cyclists in the same lane.  Trucks and larger vehicles must allow six feet. (News 8 Austin)

2) Austin might have got the idea from the state of Colorado, which passed a statewide law also allowing bicyclists at least three feet of space when vehicles pass. In turn, motorists enjoy more freedom to safely pass a bicyclist by crossing the center line only when safe to do so. (BicycleColorado.org)

3) Starting on Sept. 29, 2009 and lasting for six weeks, San Francisco closed six blocks of busy Market Street to personal vehicles. Busses, taxis, and delivery vehicles are exempt, and of course pedestrians and bicycles are encouraged. (SFExaminer.com)

4) In New York City the Bicycle Access to Buildings Law goes into effect on December 11, requiring many building owners or managers to provide bicycle access by freight elevator so they can be stored in the employer’s leased space. The law applies only to commercial buildings with at least one freight elevator where tenants have requested access. (NYC.gov) 

5) While all helmets are made according to regulations put forth by safety laws the Bell True Fit Helmets are made not just for safety, but for comfort and ease, too! And Bell offers more than 30 different style True Fit helmets. (Bell Sports)

These are only a few examples of laws and ordinances designed to accommodate bicyclists and make the roads safer for all. To be perfectly clear, the best way to be safe on the road is abide by your state, city, or town’s helmet laws.

Are there any interesting or new bicycle laws in your area? Are there any being proposed? Leave a comment below and let us know if there are! And of course, you can always find us in real time on twitter @BellTrueFit.

BOO! For all the soon-to-be goblins, witches and vampires out there – this week’s post is for you! In honor of Halloween, we’ve decided to share some facts around popular costumes, trick-or-treating and (of course) bicycle rides/events that you may want to keep in mind while gearing up for this year’s All Hallows’ Even.

1. According to LIFE magazine, some of the best selling/most popular Halloween costumes and ideas in 2009 are Bernie Madoff masks, Kate Gosselin wigs, Star Trek uniforms, and everything Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) and Transformers. (Life.com)

2. Bell Sports has helmets that are perfect for enhancing every outfit, especially if you’re planning to be a cyclist this Halloween! (Bell True Fit)

3. More than 93% of children go trick-or-treating each year, more than 90% of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ Halloween trick-or-treat bags and around 62% of adults will be handing out candy because it’s a “personal favorite” or “household tradition”. (Halloween-Safety.com)

4. Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you. You never know what types of tricks might be hiding in your child’s treat bag. Make sure all candy is sealed and safe to eat. (Halloween-Safety.com)

5. In Massachusetts, bicycle enthusiasts have been gathering on Halloween every year since 2000 for an 18-mile Halloween Bike Ride that meanders through the streets of Boston, Brookline and Cambridge. (HalloweenBikeRide.net)

There are also many helmet-related costumes available, such as a firefighter, astronaut and a soldier. On that note…If you or your child are going to be riding a bicycle in costume (or at all on Halloween) be sure to cover your noggin with a bicycle helmet! Whether you have children to take trick-or-treating or you’re heading off to costume party, safety should always be your No. 1 priority.

Do you have some unique or interesting costume ideas? Know of a Halloween bike ride planned for your area? Share them with us by leaving a comment below, or sending us a tweet @BellTrueFit.

Hope you all have ghoulish good time tomorrow night!

We recently posted a survey asking people whether or not their children ride bicycles to school, if they wear their helmets, and a few other bike and helmet-related questions. We also offered a free Bell True Fit helmet to one lucky survey participant. Today we’re announcing the lucky winner … and sharing the survey results!

While many of the participants had similar responses, there were also some interesting variations too.

For example, the majority of survey participants said their children do not ride bicycles to school, with the number one reason for not riding their bikes to school being distance, as the majority of respondents live more than one mile from their child’s school. Another common reason that participants’ children do not ride their bikes to school is because of age. They think their child is too young. The mean age of all survey participants’ children was 6 years old. And for those of you in that pack with children on the younger side, respondents whose children do ride a bike to school said their child first began doing so around age 6 ½.

And when survey participants were asked, “Are there clearly marked bike paths on your child’s route to school?” the survey was about split, with 46% responding “yes”, and 54% responding “no”. We believe that this could also be a factor in deciding whether or not to allow a child to ride a bicycle to school.

Overwhelmingly, most respondents had never heard of a walking train or bicycle train. Of those respondents that were familiar with those terms, one respondent said, “… we do a walking ‘bus’ occasionally.” And for that majority out there that does not know, a walking school bus and a bicycle train both consist of groups of students accompanied by adults that walk or bicycle a pre-planned route to school (SafeRoutesInfo.org).

Other survey results that were pretty lop-sided include 78% of respondents saying “yes”, their child rides a bike 3 or more times a week, outside of riding to school. And, 23% said no, their child does not ride a bicycle that often.

Finally, participants gave a resounding “YES” to the question “Does your child wear a helmet when they ride a bike?”. That’s relieving.

Thanks to those that participated by taking a minute from their day to take the quick survey! And, drum roll please, the lucky winner of a shiny new Bell True Fit helmet is the survey is Silicon Valley-based Kimberly aka @tippytoes on twitter.

twitter is quickly becoming one of the biggest micro blogging platforms out there, and of course (as you likely already know), Bell True Fit loves to be a part of all the chatter around bicycles and helmets! We’re there too, letting you know about the cool giveaways, bike trails and fun things to do outdoors. This week, however, we’d like to recognize some of the purely more entertaining tweets out there. The “twitterverse” is full of very funny folks, and some of these tweets are too good not to share!

Here are just a few of the many bicycle and helmet tweets out there that we found to elicit a good chuckle on our end!

• @dwippo: Deer on creek bike path this morning on way to work. Deer not wearing bike helmet. Bad deer.

• @ivortossell: Forgot bike helmet by Al Waxman statue. Returned to find it strapped to his head. Best city ever! http://twitpic.com/5ypyu

• @geraldromine “Life is like riding a bicycle – in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

• @KiyoRay: want to go bicycle shopping today…does Mercedes make bicycles?

• @KramCostello: ‘s son Finnegan insisted that Kram wear a bicycle helmet while reading the newspaper.

• @kylieriot: why is bicycle pronounced “bi-sickle” instead of “bi-cycle”?

• @Davesegal: In case the bike thief follows my Twitter, it was a blue Trek touring bike with blue helmet. Give it back and I’ll totally #followfriday you.

• @heidibrianne: Attention bike riders! Having your head smashed open will mess up your hairdo a lot more than a bike helmet will.

Seen any funny or interesting bicycle tweets recently? Or maybe a few of your own make you chuckle? Please, tweet, tweet, tweet away, below! And don’t forget to leave your twitter handle, so we can follow you!