No, this is not a joke.  No, we have not been hacked.  Yes, we are asking you to vote for your favorite piece of cycling ass.

A couple weeks ago, we invited you all to submit a photo of you (or one of your riding buddies) wearing cycling gear…..but we wanted to photo to focus on the butt region.  I honestly wasn’t sure how many of you would take us up on this, seeing as it’s sort of a touchy subject….but the response was fantastic.  Turns out that many people actually do like sharing pictures of their ass.  Or maybe it was the sweet prize pack from Twin Six that enticed them to enter.

We called this contest, “The Hottest Piece of Ass” and man did I hear feedback on my choice of title.  Here at Loving the Bike we’re a pretty clean cut website, so it’s no surprise that this stirred people up.  But that was sort of the idea.  We wanted to add a little shock value.

Okay, so we randomly selected 3 male and 3 female submissions and have posted them for you all to vote.  Like we mentioned last time, big or small…and anyone who pulls on a pair of spandex or cycling shorts is a champion to us.  We hope you feel the same way.

Vote now, and come back to vote tomorrow and Friday.  Then we’ll count up the votes and award the male and female with the favorite Loving the Bike butt.

Vote for your favorite Female butt

Vote for your favorite Male butt

Our friends from GoBicycleTouring.com are here to tell you about their brand new website, and how you could win yourself one sweet European Bicycle Trip.

Go Bicycle Touring

GoBicycleTouring.com is a new online and in-print directory of the best guided and self-guided bicycle tours in the world.  Whether you’re an urban cyclist, a road racer, a mountain biker, or a casual Sunday cyclist you’re sure to find a bicycle touring experience that will make your wheels spin at www.GoBicycleTouring.com

Bicycle touring, defined as the act of riding your bicycle for an extended time, allows you to combine your love of pedaling with the excitement of travel.  While bicycle touring can be individual and self-organized, many travelers enjoy a guided tour where the logistics of the trip (gear and support, food & lodging, safe and enjoyable routes, etc.) are per-arranged by a tour company of their choice.  An organized tour lets you fully focus on enjoying the cycling, the spectacular views and the local cuisine while getting the most out of your holiday.

Participation in organized bicycle tours is growing rapidly as people of all ages and backgrounds have begun looking for fun, physical and entertaining ways to:

• Meet new people and make new friends
• Enjoy delicious local foods and drinks
• See the world’s most amazing places
• And create experiences they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Created by Darren Alff: the famous bicycle traveler, author of four popular cycling books and the man behind the #1 Google ranked “bicycle touring” website in the world (BicycleTouringPro.com), GoBicycleTouring’s clean, modern design makes it easy and fun to search for incredible bicycle touring experiences all around the world.

The GoBicycleTouring.com website went live on January 1st 2013, yet it already boasts over 100 tour listings in 30 countries worldwide.  Define your search by location, price, difficulty, total tour length, and average daily distance and discover remarkable tours in exotic locations like Australia, Laos, Kenya and Hawaii!

To celebrate the official launch of the website in the new year, GoBicycleTouring.com is giving away 3 FREE European bicycle tours! Winners are selected in random drawings on February 1st, March 1st and April 1st. The prize tours include a “Taste of South Bohemia” tour in the Czech Republic, a “Camino de Santiago” tour in Spain and a “Challenge Tour” offered by Bike Switzerland.

Take a few minutes to fill out the entry form and enter for a chance to win all three bike tours! http://gobicycletouring.com/giveaway

We hope that you enjoy this new bicycle touring directory as much as we do… it’s certainly all about loving the bike, and loving it while traveling too!

Check out www.gobicycletouring.com to find your ideal bike tour today.

You’d think that selecting a lock and using it to keep your bike safe would be a fairly basic thing, but there’s a lot more to it.  The crew over at Kryptonite are taking it upon themselves to make sure that cyclists make informed decisions with their bike security, and we’re here to help push the message.

Depending on where you live, bike security can take on a whole new meaning.  I recently met some people from England who had their high end bikes taken from their house in the middle of the night…while they were in bed.  I many places, folks are having to resort to drastic methods, even going as far as installing a home security system to notify of any unwelcome intruders. While something like a Safemart home security system can easily deter a would-be bike burglar, sometimes it can be as simple as a good bike lock.

Making the Right Lock Choice

As you probably know, there are a lot of different options out there when it comes to selecting a lock. Chains, U-locks, cables, and a whole variety of combinations….but how do you select the option that is best for you and your cycling needs?

Kryptonite came up with this super helpful graphic that makes purchasing the right lock a piece of cake for any cyclist, no matter where you’re located and what the situation is:

Making informed decisions is a huge part of the bike security challenge. “Knowing is half the battle” – G.I. Joe

Kryptonite

So once you determine what level of security you need for your lock, you can head over to the Kryptonite website and browse the options based on the degree you need.  The Kryptonite bicycle lock product page has a navigation panel on the left side with each of the various security categories.

How to Lock Your Bicycle

There is a lot of great information on the Kryptonite website explaining proper locking techniques for each of the different styles of lock.  Click here for details on Chain, U-lock, and cable locking techniques.

In addition to this, we’d like to leave you with a few more all-around helpful bicycle security tips:

1. Always lock your bike, especially at home. This includes your garage, patio, yard, college residence hall, apartment building, when carrying on a car rack, etc.
2. Lock your bike in a well-lit area where there are other bikes.
3. Do not lock your bike in the same location all the time.
4. Make sure your bike cannot be lifted over the object it is locked to.
5. Create a snug fit with wheels and frame so that there is little space in the u-portion of the u-lock for a thief’s tools.
6. Do not lock your bike to itself – front wheel or rear wheel to frame.
7. Always position your u-lock with keyway facing down..
8. If you’re only locking one wheel, it is recommended that you capture the rear wheel as part of your lock-up. Replacement cost for the rear wheel can be up to double the cost of the front wheel.

Give us your suggestions of how we can get more people out on bikes, and win one of these cycling t-shirts with a fantastic message.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the guys over at Ban-T Shirts and asked if I’d like one of their new bicycle themed shirts.  I’d actually seen the design floating around social media and definitely thought it was something I’d like to wear.

It seems like all I ever wear is cycling t-shirts, and although I love being a walking billboard for the bike…..I’m also quite particular about which ones I put on.  A t-shirt has to be totally comfortable and feel good in order for me to wear it on a regular basis.  It can be the most super cool bicycle shirt ever, but if it doesn’t feel right I won’t wear it.

That fact is often a worry of mine when a new shirt is in the mail, but when this one arrived I was very happy with the fit and I’ve added it to my rotation.  As for what’s on the shirt?  Yeah, it’s pretty cool.  Would you like one of your own?

These t-shirts are manufactured and printed in the USA, made of 100% organic cotton, and if you don’t win one here you can get one of your own at http://www.bant-shirts.com/bicycle-t-shirt.htm.  They come in men’s and women’s sizing, and it’s also available in a hoodie.  Oh, and they’ve got a couple other cycling themed shirts over there as well.

Win a T-Shirt

Thanks to everyone who entered.  We’ve randomly selected a winner and the t-shirt goes to Michael Hayes.  Congratulations, Michael the shirt will be out to you soon.

They crew over at Ban-T Shirts want more people to get on bikes and they have this quote to help promote it: “Get on your bike, stay healthy and let’s keep our cities quieter and cleaner.”

Leave a comment below with your quote or suggestion for getting more people to ride bikes, and you’re in to win.  The contest closes on Monday at Noon EST.

We’ve got a pile of cycling socks to give away from the guys over at Darn Tough Vermont, and would like to tell you a little about them as well.

There’s no shortage of bike sock companies out there, but when I came across Darn Tough at Interbike I was impressed by the company and the quality of their product.

The crew over at Darn Tough told me all about the research and testing they’ve put in to provide a durable sock with the right thickness and comfort to satisfy us cyclists.  As far as I know, they’re the only sock company out there with an “Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee”:

“If our socks are not the most comfortable and durable socks you have ever owned, return them for another pair or your money back.  No Strings.  No Conditions.  For Life”

I’ve honestly never been too concerned with the socks I ride in.  As long as they’re comfortable and look cool, I wear them.

But just recently I had a pair of my favorite socks totally start to fall apart….and they were only about a year old.  So I took a closer look at what Darn Tough had to offer.“

Because they are made with 17.5 micron Merino wool yarns with 1441 stitches per square inch, they are soft, strong, and last like forever.  Okay, I won’t bore you with all the details of what makes these socks so darn tough…but if you’d like to find out more be sure to check out www.darntough.com/darntough.html.

If you could use another pair of great cycling socks, be sure to enter our giveaway below….or simply head over to your nearest REI and pick some up.

Win Some Socks

The Darn Tough giveaway is now over.  The response was awesome and thanks to all of you who entered to win.

We are totally buried in socks and want to give our readers the chance to try out a pair from Darn Tough, so we’ll keep giving them away until they’re gone.

Leave us a comment (including your sock size) about the worst pair of cycling socks you’ve ever owned and what made them so awful. Include a picture of them as well if you like.  We’ll randomly start sending out pairs immediately.

Darn Tough’s market is primarily the USA so they’re only able to send to those of you located here. Sorry to the rest of our readers, but winners must be located in the United States for this one.

I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that the next generation continues to work towards better harmony between cyclists and drivers, and that people continue to love riding bikes.

I’m not the biggest bicycle advocate out there, but I try my best to promote cycling as a way of life and how riding a bike can lead to a greater and more fulfilled life.  Today I want to celebrate the next generation of cyclists and give away a very tiny version of our Loving the Bike jersey.

This past summer we did a run of jerseys and kits and now have several cyclists around the world proudly sporting our brand as they ride through their hometown.  These kits were designed by our very own, Stevie, and they look amazing.  The folks over at Champion Systems took the design and created one hot kit….and I swear that it makes me windproof when out riding in it.  Probably bulletproof as well.

Both of my boys have one of these, and now I’d like to give away a jersey to someone else who has an up and coming cyclist…or who knows of a child out there who would look great wearing one of these.

I only have one extra to give away, so unfortunately the size of the jersey is limited.  The dimensions are as follows, and likely suitable for someone around 3 years old (give or take a few months).

A: 12 ”

B: 16″

C: 9″

D: 16.5″

Enter to Win:

The contest is now closed.  Congratulations to Tom who receives a cute little Loving the Bike jersey for the young cyclist in his life.  Thanks to all of you who entered.  Oh, and thanks to those of you who added the great pictures as well….we need all those kids in Loving the Bike kits.  Watch for another order run  in the Spring.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling us about your little cyclist and why they are deserving of this Loving the Bike jersey.

Social Media Bonus:

Receive one bonus entry by posting the following on your social media networks (maximum of 4 entries if you leave a comment and do all of the following):

Twitter – “I just entered to win a hot looking kid’s #LovingtheBike jersey: http://wp.me/p1oH5M-2PW”

Facebook – “I just entered to win a kid sized Loving the Bike jersey and want to tell the Facebook world all about it: http://wp.me/p1oH5M-2PW”

Google+ - ”I just entered to win a kid sized Loving the Bike jersey and want to tell the G+ world all about it: http://wp.me/p1oH5M-2PW”

Contest closes on Monday at Noon EST and we’ll select a winner soon after.

We currently don’t have any more kids or adult size jerseys and kits available, but if we have enough interest in them we can always do another run.  Contact me if you’re interested.

There’s no shortage of people out there to totally dig Coffee and Bikes…actually, who are addicted to them is more like it.  So it’s no surprise that the two often get mixed together.  Many bike shops have been offering coffee to their customers for years….but it’s only recently that the “bicycle cafe” idea has exploded.

Look Mum No Hands was one of the first bicycle cafes that started the whole buzz (pun intended) when they opened up their London cafe in 2012.  Since then they’ve been popping up all over the place…and I for one am totally stoked to see them emerging on the scene.

I think the idea is so cool that I’m actually jumping into the bicycle cafe business myself.  Yep, I’ve been keeping things mostly under wraps but I’ll soon be the co-owner of Mocha Spoke which will be located in Grenada, West Indies.

Our bicycle cafe will provide all the goodness of your favorite coffee shop and we’ll also be doing bike tours, rentals, repairs, and selling accessories.

We won’t be selling bikes (at least not right now) in and of themselves….but this place is going to rock, and you better be thinking of booking your flight to Grenada right now as you read this.

Create a Tagline and Win

Okay, so we need your help.  We’ve already got a great logo together for the bicycle cafe, and I’ll be sharing it with you all very soon.  But we need to come up with the greatest tagline of all time.  A tagline that describes what Mocha Spoke is in a short statement or group of words.

The selected tagline wins the following prize pack:

IMPORTANT: We want people to know that Mocha Spoke offers bike related products and services, but we also don’t want to scare off people who aren’t cyclists by thinking it’s only a place for bike people.  Know what I mean?

My Wife came across a great tagline for another bicycle cafe so we can’t use it, but just to get your creative juices flowing here’s the one she liked: “Ride it, Eat it, Love it”.

We’ve also have some great ideas come in through Facebook and Twitter, but the winning entry has yet to be submitted.

Give us your idea by submitting it in the comments section below.  Entries submitted by Monday, October 8th will be used in the selection process and a winner will be announced soon after.

*Loving the Bike and Mocha Spoke will be given full rights to use selected tagline.  Upon submission you are giving up any rights to the phrase.

We’ve got a winner….actually, winners.  Congratulations to @shinyredthings for supplying us with the winning tagline which was derived from a suggestion by Julie Starling.  Since they both had a part in the winning tagline, we’re going to split the prize and give them each something great:

Adventure is Brewing

We’ve talked about the earphone products from Far End Gear a couple of times in the past, and today we’re talking about their brand new product called Brite Buds and how you can win some for yourself.

The Far End Gear company provides earphone based products for outdoor enthusiasts like us.  Seeing as it’s founder is an avid road cyclists and outdoorsman, they know first hand what’s important to their customers.

If an effort to allow people to listen to music and maintain alertness to their surroundings, Far End Gear provides specialized earbuds that mix both channels of audio so you get stereo quality coming through a single ear.

They just recently added Brite Buds™ Reflective Cord Earbuds to their offering mix and are the first to offer this sort of product.  They describe the Brite Buds as being developed “with the nocturnal athlete and outdoorsman in mind” because of how the cord makes you more visible in the dark.  But the product most definitely can be used at any time of day.

Win

The contest is now closed……thanks to all of you who entered.  Congratulations to Melinda and David B who both win a set of Brite Buds.  A big thanks also goes out to Far End Gear for supplying us with such a wonderful product.

I want you to try these Brite Buds out for yourself.  The guys from Far End Gear are offering up two sets to give away (and you can choose either the single earbud or stereo set if you win).

To enter, leave a comment letting us know why you like having music with you on a ride and how the Brite Buds are going to help you enjoy it.

Leave your comment by Noon on Friday and we’ll announce the winners soon after.  We’ll randomly pick two winners using random.org.

Other Products from Far End Gear

I have been promoting and talking about Far End Gear for over a year now because I feel they offer a great product with a good purpose…but up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never actually tried them out for myself.  As I’ve mentioned several times, I like to ride with my iPod even though it can be a heated topic among us cyclists…..and Far End Gear has all sorts of options for people like me.

I personally prefer having earbuds in both ears, so their standard earbud options work best for me.  But the Brite Buds are also available in their stereo model or a single sided, stereo-to-mono version mixing both channels of sound from a stereo audio device into a single ear.

Another cool product that they offer is the BuDLoKs.  These replace the stock, in-ear budtips produced by other manufacturers and allows you to lock them into your ear with a soft silicone wing.  If you’ve ever had problems with your earphones falling out of your ears, you’ll want to use these for sure.

More information on all of the products from Far End Gear can be found at www.farendgear.com.

Send us a photo of your cycling inspired breakfast, or a description of what fuels you best….and Win.

This is a fun little contest suggested to us by our friends over at Bike2Power, and I thought it was a pretty dang great idea.  I’m a firm believer that a great breakfast starts your day off on the right track and I’m looking forward to the fun photos and breakfast ideas that you all have.  I also believe that All Cyclists are Champions….so this is a perfect combination for a contest.

Get creative and have fun with your creations…photos will be judged on level of creativity, design, and how it portrays cycling.  Written submissions should describe your idea of the ultimate breakfast and why you feel it helps your cycling.  Recipes can also be included as well.

Contest Details

• Send us a photo of a unique cycling inspired breakfast that you created (just like in the example above) OR send in a short description of what you feel is the ultimate power breakfast for cyclists.
• Photo can be taken using any kind of camera.
• Photos must be your own and not peeled off an internet site somewhere.
• Only one submission will be accepted per person, so be sure to choose wisely and select your absolute favorite.
• Feel free to use any type of post-process editing to help give the photos a little something extra.
• Make sure the photos you submit are of descent resolution.  The higher the resolution the better, but images of 750px wide would be ideal.
• We welcome submissions from all over the world, but only able to submit winning prizes to those located in North America.
• All photos submitted give Loving the bike irrevocable, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, and display the submitted photos.
• Only photos and submissions that meet these rules and regulations will be considered.

Prizes

Entry Submissions

Photos and/or written submissions can be sent in via the comments section below, or can be e-mailed to Darryl.  You can also tweet out your photos using instagram….just use the hashtag, #LovingtheBike with it so we can track them.

In case you have no clue as to what a Bike2Power LightCharge ultra light dual-mode charger is, I thought I better provide a little information on it so that you know what you’re in the running for with your entry.

LightCharge Product Features

“LightCharge is a compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient bicycle usb charger for LED bicycle lights and mobile devices.  Italian-made and designed, LightCharge was conceived with a performance cyclist in mind.  It is exceptionally lightweight, weighing less than 2 ounces (50 grams with cable).  The product comes with a bottle dynamo cap that reduces friction and drag effect to a minimum.  This hyper-efficient bike charger begins charging at easily achievable 8 mi/hr (13 km/ hr); with a dynamo cap, at 10 mi/hr (16 km/hr).

In addition, the built-in overvoltage protection makes LightCharge a safe and efficient bike phone charger option.  LightCharge can be used to charge bike lights and mobile devices.  Easily switch between charging a bike light or a mobile device with a push of a button; bike lights can be hardwired or simply plugged into a USB port, depending on a rider’s preference.”

Cycling Breakfast Photo c/0 Bill Wurtzel via www.dansplan.com

Pimp My Bike

As you already know, I’m heavily involved with the Week of Riding that’s happening over at bing.com now through July 29th.  As part of their kick butt promotion, they’re giving away 5 special edition Public Bikes…..the sweetest urban bike in the world in my opinion.

Ride on! Five lucky winners will score $1,500 to build a sweet bike from Public Bikes and hook it up with special add-ons and accessories.

ENTER NOW: Click Here