TGIF!! Be a Pacifist

beer, bag, buttons, bell y bici by calitexican

Chic?

As some who read this blog know, I also contribute to a San Francisco blog called Vélo Vogue. VV is a blog inspired by Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

Some days I feel qualified to contribute-




Some days, not so much-



Not fishing for compliments. Just sayin'.

summer dress and flowers

Tennis, Anyone?

Bicycles are the perfect vehicle for getting to the tennis court.


By the time you get there, you are warmed up, loose and ready to crush your opponent with your amazing backhand.



Or, you could ride to the court and play bike polo, instead!

photo by Giorgio Vianini

Now, I've Seen Everything

I was actually shown this article quite a while ago, but somehow, forgot about it! Either way, read and enjoy : )

Meet Olive!

We received these lovely pictures from Kristi. It is wonderful to hear that a bicycle and its happy owner is the center of so many positive things weather is starting a blog, getting to know your neighborhood, conencting with your local community, globally meeting similar minds around the blogesphere and in the meantime, change so many aspects and views of your life around and forward. It is all so wonderful! Thanks Kristi for sharing this with us! /♥xo.meligrosa

I'd love to share a story about my new bike, Olive (see photo attached).

She was a beautiful surprise on my 30th birthday, handmade and painted by my very handy boyfriend. We met working at the same travel company which operates highend cycling trips around the world, based in Toronto, Canada.

Olive was the inspiration behind my blog: www.lovelyvelo.blogspot.com. In receiving comments from other bloggers out there, I discovered Change Your Life. Ride a Bike!

Olive has certainly made a difference to my life, pedaling with her to and from work is the best part of my day!

Lovelyvélo :)

Tuesday Injection of Fun: Bench polo

Invasioni di campo by Giorgio Vianini

Representing

Just who represents cycling? There are discussions about just that going on all over the place, these days. I was thinking about this as I rode around on Saturday.




Is it my family? An urban, international, professional, 30 something couple with three kids looking to find better ways to live our lives?



Is it the legion of young people who fly around the streets in the latest indy fashion and vintage bikes?



The DIY contingent could lay a claim to the title. Would they be right?




How about the stunt riders and BMX lovers? Are they less representative?



The messengers have been out there since the beginning, but they don't always get the credit for it. Are they less "cyclist" than anyone else on a bike?



Can we leave the beach kids, the ones without a care in the world, out of the picture?




Is it in the use, or not, of a helmet that represents us all?

When you look at it, we all represent cycling. It makes no difference if we are weekend road warriors, or utility cyclists, or single track riders, or bike messengers... when we are on our bikes, we each represent the rest, because it isn't about the bikes. It is about the people, the lovely, diverse, brave, pedaling people who ride, and they can not be pigeon holed. Nor should they be.

Ride on my fellow representatives! Show your pride. Shine with it. Ride with it.

summer time~

cute couple on a bike date

the whatchamacallit/ happy saturday post!

red hat guy had "I bike LA" shirt on. too bad(not really) I made a mistake.. :D


from Santa Barbara, CA


back to El Lay


have a great weekend! >.<

Beauty In Numbers

It is funny watching people ride around on their bikes. I am fascinated by watching people just ride through town on their daily errands and jobs and such. There is of course the fluidity of movement, and the beauty of the bicycles themselves, but that isn't what draws me to it. The pull comes from the pure normalcy of it, it's mundane nature and how often it is repeated by so many people.




A single cyclist is interesting, but hundreds of them are fascinating- how they flow about one another, how they ignore one another while remaining completely aware of one another's proximity. There is similarity between a school of fish and a pelaton (athletic or urban). Somehow, the one in front becomes the leader without vote or thought and those behind will follow the leader around the obstacles on the path.




Sometimes we group up deliberately, and sometimes we get swept up in it.



Go ride! Become a number! : ) Happy Friday!

What women want

Hi, heartbraker!

...is to ride bikes. Duh. My women, my women let's go my beautifulsss!!! /♥xo.meligrosa



Why not match your tank top with your bike?!


She wasn't on a bike per se, but she was so happy that all bikes and people were having so much fun. Isn't she and her skates and those furry-warmer things, just super awesome?!


oh heyyyyy....


green and red

relax.

have a lovely day, you! :)

12 Minutes On Valencia Street

I decided to sit out on the sidewalk and shoot whoever went by as I had some coffee in front of Ritual Roaster. I love the beauty in repetition!

Tuesday Injection of Fun: OH HAI!!!

by beachcruiser


Big brotherS are watching you!!!! by Iam sterdam

Hey friends of bike luv around the blogesphere. Like every Monday, us bike caffeinatistas here in the CYLRAB San Francisco HQ, choose a picture of the week.
This week, I didn't even wait for Adrienne's vote, because it was pretty sweet to be next to her the moment she shot (the page banner, above) picture. Anyhow, I have made a little archive that is going to be updated when the Picture of the week is. Which is every Monday. (or so I try). There's a little Black&White square on the side menu that links to it. But here it is too. So you can see the past pictures. By the way, we love pictures. All of them are so great. Thanks so much for sharing. OKTHXBYE!!!

what traffic?

wilshire blvd. and westwood


two ladies, riding on one of the busiest streets in town!!

Subjective Safety

There is a lot of talk out there in the bicycling world about "subjective safety" and how your level of it will determine how much, or if, you will ride. I hear people say that San Francisco is too busy, too crowded, too unsafe to ride. Perhaps for some it is, but for these folks, this is not the case.



Some can let go of the reigns from time to time.



Some can let themselves just enjoy the ride from the front seat.




Others are able to let themselves be comfortable anywhere, anytime. Some are lucky enough to be able to stay in the moment and not worry.

Ride on, everyone! Embrace the adventure!

kthxbai

♥!! /lolcats

hey, whatcha carrying?

this person is a rockstar!

(inspired by Adrienne's post yesterday)

two wheels, yes. but, not quite..

(oops!!)

TGIF!! & weekend.

What do you look forward to do on the weekends? As a city girl I never take for granted there's a ton of events going at once. Sometimes I wanna go to all of them and the day only has 24hrs - whyy!!?? Anyways. Let's wrap up the week and unveil a fun weekend. Whatever your deal, is have fun, ride your bike and drink coffee or scotch, or grape juice. Cheers. ♥/xo.meligrosa

Farmer's market pair bike buddies. Saturdays (and Tuesdays at the Ferry Bldg.)

What I Can Carry On My Bike

Recently, I have been following along at Urban Simplicity. One of the regular posts is "Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike". Now, I don't own a Yuba Mundo, and I rarely use our Xtracycle, but I carry a fair amount of stuff on a daily basis. Here is what I carried on Wednesday-




3lb pineapple
2 lbs of shrimp
U-lock
cable
water bottle
purse
four year old boy
Thomas the Tank Engine

Smokin'

photo by Iam sterdam

holding hands while riding

Ahoy, Matey!

photo from Cyclelicious

Yakota Fritz would like to know, do you think that Sarah, of the (pirate themed) San Jose Bike Party, is Cyclelicious?

My vote? Hell yeah! (and yes, that is an innertube garter : )

A new love is born.

My friend muffin, has been my 6yr. 'project' we have been friends for that long, and we have only bike together twice. One of them I told her I'd meet her for happy hour drinks downtown, and I ended up picking her up on a tandem for critical mass, she had no choice.

from February ♥Bikes and the City: Double Trouble

Might sound odd but we are the perfect example of opposites attract on a high friendship level. Anyhow, so this is not her story *yet, this is her story in-the-making.

It all started with an email from Dave in combination with her recent trip to Europe. She told me that I'd be so proud of her because she biked every hwere around Berlin for a few days. All she could talk about was bikes and bikes and Berlin and Berlin. Oh my, I thought, has my long-term poking and influence about bikes finally soaked in a little?

click to view it larger

The above photo, she took in Munich. She said that she had to do a double-take because it could have been me and the frenchie out there! haaa, I could see that.. If there was a coffee shop around, that is. Anyhow, I have yet to see more pictures she took while in Europe, but more on that later.

Dave, who is our flickr™ friend, (Frisco Bay Sting Rays) had this bike:

picture by Dave

Fast forward two or three weeks, and it is in hands of a very, very happy owner, who is so eager to get it up and going (it is in pretty good shape, just a little TLC is needed ;) We are hoping to get some work done this Saturday to make the Schwinn appearance for Sunday Streets, but we will see. It is a nice addition to the mixte little family within a family we have here in the city, and can't wait to see how her story of new experiences around the city, unfolds. ♥Ride on!! /xo.meligrosa

in the mixte


shiny happy people

At Last! Summer!

The wind is still from the north, but the sun is out in all corners of the City! Bust out the dresses and let's get pedaling!


Kick off your shoes, take a break in the grass!



Summer doesn't last long here in San Francisco, so get out there and soak it up!

boys, bags, bikes

(armyISH kind of bag)
(LV purse or murse :D)

at peace.

~yoga and biking~


meet this awesome person/ yoga teacher Crystal. :)

Family Day

As I sit here thinking about what to write about my Sunday with my family, I find I have little to say. It was a Sunday spent together in San Francisco, riding in Golden Gate Park, drinking coffee, climbing trees- the kind of Sunday we don't fully appreciate until we are older.



Declan got to race around on his Crocodile bike. He thinks he is something else on that bike!




Úna got acquainted with the new bike that she and her Dad built together. Cameron was a little jealous because her bike is more stable than his, so she was able to figure out how to ride without holding on.



James got the chance to hold hands with his youngest.

A quiet day, spent together. The best kind.

And On The 7th Day...

there was trike!

smile, smile, smile

happy saturday everyone!

click on it, view it LARGE!

TGIF! shiner that pineapple

Happy Friday everybody, /xo♥m

New basket on the Crescent commuter uploaded by natan

Update On Andrew Bennett

For those following this story, I have an update from Andrew-

Thanks to all for your kind words and wishes for a speedy recovery. Things could've been much worse; my son was not physically harmed by the driver and that fact is a salve to my considerable wounds. My orthopedic doctor told me today that I will be in a brace for six weeks at a minimum, three months at most and that I'll be unable to do the work of my chosen vocation for many months. There is a possibility that this injury will prevent me from being able to return to my work at all due to its extremely physical demands (being the head rigger or head carpenter on cirque de soleil, Bob Dylan, the Beastie Boys and such is difficult if you can't lift your own body weight) . Time will tell.
In the meantime, the SFPD have started to investigate this crime and need help in tracking the vehicle down. Attached you'll find a press release- the only thing that I would add is that people should be on the lookout for a light grey or SILVER suv with a vanity plate that includes a heart symbol. Unfortunately, it would appear that SFPD can only search the database for plates using alpha-numeric characters. The symbols allowed on vanity plates don't read. This is a shame as they are the rarest characters on plates and statistically increase the odds of finding the driver exponentially- a space filled by a letter has 26 choices, a number- 10 choices, but a symbol- it's one of three (star, heart, hand) not counting the few punctuation marks allowed on a plate.

Here is the release from the SFPD (which I am happy to see finally happen). I know, for myself, that I am keeping my eyes wide open all over SF for this individual. As she has not come forward to this point, I can say with certainty that she no longer deserves her driver's license and should never be allowed to drive again.

07/08/09 09-065

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

July 8, 2009
09-065

---

Subject:

San Francisco Police Seek Public's Help In Bicycle Collision Hit And Run

San Francisco police are seeking the public’s help in a bicycle collision hit and run that occurred on Wednesday, July 1, at the intersection of Valencia and 18^th streets shortly before noon. This incident involves a 42-year-old San Francisco man, who was proceeding northbound on Valencia riding his bicycle with his four-year-old son in the bicycle seat behind him.

As they proceeded through the intersection on a green light, a motorist traveling westbound on 18^th Street ran the red light and struck the bicycle, causing both the bicyclist and his son to fall to the pavement. The driver did not stop to render aid to the injured bicyclist or to exchange identification. The bicyclist suffered a fractured back. His son was not injured. Both were wearing helmets.

Witnesses describe the suspect vehicle as possibly a gray SUV or gray Chrysler PT Cruiser, with a possible partial plate of KAY_ [heart symbol] _. The driver was described only as a female, late 20s, with dark hair. No one else was in the vehicle. There may be front-end damage to the vehicle.

Anyone who may have witnessed this collision is urged to contact Inspector Jim Custer of the Hit and Run Detail, 553-9516, or to call the Confidential Tip Line, 415-575-4444. For more information, please contact:

Public Affairs Office

553-1651

Give Me Bicycle, Or Give Me.... More Bicycle

By nature, I am a bit of a hermit. Despite being quite social and being able to meet people easily, I am perfectly happy on my own. When confronted with too many people for an extended period of time, I can become quite surly and anti-social. In other words, I need lots of space.

Monday was the first time I have been alone for the day in weeks. All three of the kids were off doing their various activities and I awoke to an apartment free of noise. For me, this was like a minor miracle had been placed in my lap to enjoy and ogle at like a newborn. So after a slow start that involved getting ready in a home free of television or radio noise, I headed out of the house to just go ride around town.



Deciding I was hungry, I headed over to Café Gratitude. Now I subscribe to neither the vegan nor the macrobiotic way of eating, but the food in this place is pretty good and it is not a restaurant I would normally take the kids. All of the food is named by some type of personal affirmation- a latté with almond milk is called an " I Am Loved" and when served this is what you are told as you are handed your coffee, "You are loved". This is a bit over the top to me, but again, this was about being somewhere I would not normally bring the kids. At Café Gratitude, there is a daily question (just as there is a daily special), and Monday's was "What are you liberating yourself from?". I had to chuckle as this is the question I have asked the Flickr group- how do you find liberation with your bike?




My bike gives me the opportunity to liberate myself from the crowd, and on occasion, my family. Even if it is just a trip to the store, that short ride is all I need, sometimes, to recharge.



A good, long ride can help me liberate myself from my own, frequently, heavy mind. Concentrating on the road, making sure I notice my surroundings, I am able to drop the noise that thunders through my head.




Sometimes, my bike just gives me enough time to enjoy my coffee on my own terms. There is not enough I can say about how healing that can be.




Usually, though, it ends up being about just taking advantage of having the liberty to ride. I find that that is, almost always, reason enough.

Introductions!

Meli and I are happy to announce a third member of the "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" team. Caryl is a SoCal photographer that neither of us has met in person. Through a series of coincidences, Caryl met my stepfather, Richard, while the two of them were shooting in Balboa Park (Los Angeles). As they were talking, bicycles came up and Richard suggested she talk to me about what to buy and gave her the link to my Flickr account. Since then, Caryl has joined the Flickr group and has been shooting some simply beautiful shots of the many cyclists that can be found around Santa Monica. It became obvious she belonged here with us! Please see the previous post for her debut.

Welcome!

sunglasses/ shades, anyone?

thanks for having me post pictures here Adrienne and Meligrosa ^_^

Tuesday Injection of Fun: An arm & two legs!

Glamour ride 2000 b uploaded by funny cyclist


Jamie's new bike tattoo uploaded by METROFIETS

I Am Seeing Triple

A Time For Pause

I am not sure what to say about this. We all want to put the face of happiness and health on the face of bicycling, but every once on awhile, we are reminded of just what we face when we leave the house each day-

From sf.streetsblog.org/2009/07/02/bicyclist-young-son-injured...

Bicyclist, Young Son Injured in Hit-and-Run Crash on Valencia Street

by Bryan Goebel on July 2, 2009

A San Francisco bicyclist is asking for help locating witnesses who
may have seen a hit-and-run crash Wednesday on Valencia Street -- one
of the city's most popular bicycling corridors -- that left him with a
broken back. Andrew Bennett wrote about the crash in an email he sent
to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition:

Yesterday, at approximately 11:30 am, I was riding my bicycle
northbound on Valencia with my 4-year-old-son behind me on his add-on
tandem. While crossing 18th on the green light, a silver Chrysler PT
cruiser gunned it through the red light, striking me and my 4-year-
old, sending our bikes flying. It's a miracle that either of us are
alive and even more so that my son's injuries were not life
threatening. I sustained injury to the spine and now have a broken
back. The driver did not stop.

Bennett said there were several witnesses but no one was able to
provide a more thorough description of the car or license plate number
to the SFPD. He believes several witnesses left the scene on the
assumption that other witnesses were providing information.

I believe, based on several things said at the scene, that there
will be zero effort put into the solving of this crime by SFPD ( due
in large part to incomplete info) and I need help from the community
in tracking this criminal down. We're likely to be bankrupted by
medical costs even with insurance: I want to do everything legally
possible to bring this person to justice. I owe it to my family and to
my community.

An SFPD spokesperson said the department typically does not release a
lot of information about "injury accidents" for "litigation reasons."
The crash on Valencia Street is the second one we've heard of in the
last two weeks.

Bennett is also trying to contact some bicyclists who were on the
scene. "I would like to reach them both to express my thanks and to
inquire if they have any information that might get this driver off
the streets before someone dies."

Anyone with information is urged to call the SFPD's hit-and-run unit
at 553-1641.

Perhaps the time has come for those of us who ride in SF to get together and have a little sit in and hat passing. This family needs to see us out there supporting them, and this motorist needs to see that there are many eyes out watching. This time, we don't need a ghost bike, thank goodness, but that does not mean we shouldn't speak out

What do you think?

Happy 4th of July weekend!

Happy 4th of July 2 by dickdavid

From the States, with love. Claim Independence day, on your freedom machine. Here are some bike patriotic shots from our flickr pool. Enjoy the fireworks tonight! /xo♥m

more bikes by Jef Poskanzer


07470 Contingent 105 by geekstinkbreath


I Heart Bike B&W by AlongtheTrailPhoto


I heart my bici by calitexican

Learning and changing views.

We are pretty excited to hear about new experiences, especially when they start from the very beginning, such as learning to ride a bike. We thank Amna for getting in touch with us (via CCC) and make sure you follow her journal. She will do an 89 mile ride later this year to which she says:

Day 0: I can’t ride a bike. And I have signed myself up for a 89 mile bike ride for charity in September. Oh dear.

Thanks Amna for sending us your link, and can't wait to see how your bicycle view blossoms :D Check her blog at: Learning to ride a bike //xo♥m

An amusing picture from my mini break to Malta.

Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Parenting is always a mixed bag. There is a never ending list of ways that you can completely screw up, doom your children to a life time of neurosis. No matter how much you try, read, seek advice there is nothing you can do except cross your fingers and do your best.




So when I looked at my son, Cameron, waiting at the intersection, it hit me that at least in this respect, Cameron has been raised right. He is comfortable in his skin, comfortable in his intellect and comfortable on his bicycle. The three things are intimately related.

Now. If we could just get him to clean his room.

We Have Created A Monster!

One of our group members, Val, submitted his very first Panda shot to our Flickr group a while back (June is Panda month for us). For the record, Meli and I take full responsibility for letting this cat out of the bag, or "Bike Pilot" out of the corral. -Push play and enjoy his set.