Author Archives: Robert Brum

Cannondale: It all started above a pickle factory

Joe Montgomery and a small cadre of innovative thinkers started their bicycle brand in humble quarters, not far from the railroad station that gave the company its name. What began with bike trailers grew into a premium global brand. Here’s my latest feature for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group, which covers Wilton – where CannondaleContinue reading “Cannondale: It all started above a pickle factory”

Are Bike Paths the Road to the Future?

“I think in this country, cars still win. It’s very hard to change a mindset. … We’re socialized into where cars and trucks come first, and all the rest of that is like litter on the side of the road.”

Quiet backroad with a twisted backstory

Here’s a tour of one of my favorite cycling roads, part of a hilly loop I often ride from home. Inningwood starts with a tough climb but it’s worth it for the scenery along with way.

Drivers: Can you give us 3 feet?

‘ve been buzzed, berated, beeped and barked at by passing motorists (and their dogs). Told to get the *%&@ up onto the sidewalk or the bike path. I don’t carry a tape measure with me when I ride, and yeah, I know everybody’s driving SUVs named after huge ships and mountains. But passing a 3-foot passing distance law – and actually enforcing it – definitely gets the point across: Share. The. Road. New York’s latest effort to follow the lead of 35 other states is mired in Albany politics, as usual. How many more years will it take to make this happen?

Does cycling have a race problem?

My latest article for The River Journal previews a program that raises questions about equal treatment under the law, as well as access to transportation and recreation opportunities. Photo: Innocence Powell and son on the Empire State Trail in Kingston, NY., by Matthew Fass/courtesy of ScenicHudson.org

Saluting the man who launched Nyack’s bicycling craze

Jim Skelley started Nyack Bicycle Outfitters in 1973, long before the village became a destination for cyclists and tourists.