Slow News Day

It was a long weekend and nothing jumped out at me to write about. So, in the meantime, feel free to take some advice, or words of caution, from the back of my Bobike seat.

My Coffee Window On The Bike World

For those who know Meli, Cali and myself, the name "Four Barrel" is somewhat synonymous with us getting together. It has been the jumping off point for many excursions and our default meet up spot.

When Esteban, from Vélo-Flâneur, was in town for a bit we met him at Four Barrel.

My favorite part of 4B is the front window. I love to sit in it and take pictures of what goes on outside.

Because the café is located on Valencia St, near Market St, it gets a constant influx of bicycle riders (although it has NO bicycle parking which is my one HUGE complaint about the place). Every kind of bike rider passes by the windows and I can just sit and shoot away.

You can usually count on someone you know being there. Helpful when you are experiencing technical difficulties.

Most of the time, I just like to take pictures of the people riding by.

Sometimes, if the subject is just right, I am known to shoot other two wheeled conveyances.

Hey. I am married, not dead : )

Confusion

Found at "How We Drive". A visual representation of the choices that greet us all whenever we hit the road. Whatever your choice may be, make it safter and ride with a smile!

Beam Me Up, Raleigh!

There are many people out there who want you to think that bicycles are the way of the future- no oil, no pollution, gives you a great ass, provides street cred, may get you photographed by one of dozens of bloggers out there who have nothing better to do.....

They are lying to you. The true future of car free transportation is teleporting! For once, I am on the cutting edge!

Safter: Urban camo.

Sidestepper.

Let's remember that more than often it is very hard for cars to realize that we are not made of steel beams and fiberglass. I was happy to wait here, along with urbanista gal with a cool local made Freight camo-backpack, at the red light at 14th and Valencia.

There have been some instances recently, in which, has been quite late in the evening and I get pretty upset at my fellow riders near me, because they decide to jump the red lights and back to back - they almost got hit. These two instances happened near the Divisadero/Laurel heights area, and I was a tad sad when I got home because the thought of witnessing something gone wrong, just because the impatience bug wins, would have been just terrible.

I even came up with a new word, while trying to explain it to one of my friends.
Safter (Safer+Faster)
That it is safer to wait for the red light to turn and to make sure that everybody sees the same traffic flow. Of course same goes to cars, I have seen (most recent criminal) at Market near Church a car plain out ran the red light. It is an intersection full of all kinds of traffic and luckily no one got hurt.

Be careful out there. Have your lights and batteries at their fullest.
And remember, we are camouflaged bici angels in this beautiful city. Life is too short.
Mucho love. ♥xxo.m

Let's Go Ride a Bike: Summer Olympics

The ladies from LGRAB have started the Summer Olympics Games.
Here are the details:

How to play, you ask? It’s easy. There are three main categories, and six events in each category. Complete events in each category over a three week period, and tell us about it via blog post link, email or photo addition to our Summer Games Flickr Pool. Entries must include a story and a photo of each event you complete. If you enter via a post on your own blog, please link to our blog announcement in your entry, include one of our badges and let us know via email.

Anyone who completes at least two events in each of the three categories will be entered to win the Batavus BuB by random drawing. We’re also giving away prizes as readers complete each category.

May 17-June 6: Social Cycling
• Go on a group ride
• Leave a nice note on a bike, or say hi to a cyclist at a red light
• Schedule a bike date with a friend or partner — dress up!
• Recruit a non-biking friend for a ride
• Ride with your family

June 7-June 27: Learning Experiences
• Perform a maintenance task — big or small!
• Decorate your bike
• Read a book about cycling
• Carry a load on your bike — groceries, etc.
• Test ride a different type of bike than you normally ride

June 28-July 18: New Territory
• Ride a greenway
• Have a bicycle picnic
• If you don’t normally ride to work, commute by bike, or by bike/train or bike/bus
• If you do commute, take the long way home: add distance to your usual ride
• Explore a new part of town by bike

Go to LetsGoRideABike.com for more details. Good luck!!

Drawing autism.

From Book By Its Cover - Drawing Autism post
by Jillian Mullin

"Mostly paintings, drawings and collages, there is a wide range of styles, from realistic landscapes, to obsessive cataloguing drawings, to colorful collages. Gregory Blackstone, who I wrote about before is one of the artists featured in the book. Each artist is also interviewed about their work and their very candid answers are refreshing."

Thought I'd share. I love Books. Humans. Talents. We are all connected.
-via (Book By Its Cover)

tuesday injection of fun: brain exercise

so, meli and i were walking down the street one day when we happened across this rather puzzling brain exercise. we walked past, looked at each other, (figuratively) scratched our heads, then went back to take pics:

um, does anyone have any ideas as to what this could be? please share cause i'm still scratching.

Stretchy

Sometimes a couple of bungee cords are all you need.

Wind In My Hair

Let's take a moment to contemplate the wind.

Are you done? The Bay Area gets some ferocious wind this time of year. San Francisco gets hit really hard because of all the wind tunnels created by our hilly terrain. Yesterday, it was the whole Bay Area and it should not have come as a shock as the weather report was

Weather Conditions

Partly Cloudy/Wind

It was breezy on the way down to San Mateo, but pleasantly so. I started to think that maybe the report was wrong. Wrong!!!! Coming back to SF, I was actually stopped in my tracks on a couple of occasions by the wind. One moment I am going 4 MPH into the headwind from hell and the next I am going 0 MPH and waiting for the gust to end while keeping my Bat from crashing to the ground.

Wind is funny. We all hate having to ride into it, but it can be a good challenge, too. If you just find your cadence, change gears accordingly to maintain it, and let the wind dictate your speed you will make it through without too much trouble. It is when you fight it and try to get through it faster that it drains you of all your energy and leaves you spent and shaky.

Another example of bicycle ride as life. Find your cadence, adjust to maintain it, realize that you can only ever move as fast as your environment will allow.

friday fun times: casual friday panda

it is a bright and beautiful day here in san pancho, califas, usa.

today's version of running into someone on the market street bikeway: paraphrased convo.

scene: on the way to werky times today. running late edition.
calitexican?
oh hai. sssup.
i read yr blog.
i read yr blog.
[bikestuffbikestuffblogstuff]
[pedal around stupid car making dumb decisions behind a bus he shouldn't have been behind anyway cause he was supposed to turn, but DIDNT and a rush of bikers surrounded him on all sides]
ok, here's my stop.
bye!
laters, see ya around!

Not into Spandex?

I love how often than not, in the States, most people relate cycling to fast speed-tight clothing-and all things fastfastfast and bloody like Lance. I personally have nothing against lycra, nor nothing against Lance - I think he is great. Say, I just don't wear it because it really is possible wearing your normal clothes and trolling around town. Getting from home to work, school Etc.
The times that I have not 'liked' people in lycra is wen they think I'm cutting 2 seconds off their time training or they probably think I don't know what I'm doing. Shoot, I dodge doors, skip monster potholes, master the art of going over train rails and climb our beloved San Francisco hills, everyday – not just on weekends to train for some race, or show off my expensive bike. And I am very happy most of my bikey friends feel that way.
However, I must also say that I have met some really really nice people in their whole complete lycra outfits. So there.

That said, mostyl, if you are reading this blog, then you know what I mean, I just wanted to share this article I came across today in the NBC Area Blog-Local News:

Not into Spandex? Cycling Can Still Be Your Thing
by Kirs Sanchez
"...Hildebrand says an added bonus to taking up cycling rather than other sports, is that it is an activity you're likely to be able to enjoy longer in life than running, tennis or other higher-impact sports."

I live, ride and am part of a community that knows how to be "being normal" and how to dress the way you would, if you went to go buy milk at the corner store. I consider that cycling, and even thought the article makes me want to explore more foresty trails, mountains and dirt paths, I am a happy person in my city. It is a jungle of its own.
Here are some recent cycling photos from our Flickr pool:

San Jose Via Velo by richardmasoner


Our friend Kate with her Mercian. by AngloMex




Per a totes les edats by Bart Omeu


Ella pedalea con distinción by Quiltro Elemento

GUAOOOO

*Spanglish for -wow-
Feels like Fell and Divisadero....


Saw this yesterday morning, via smashenger

Segway To Work Day

At least it isn't a car parked in the lane! I wonder what our friend David thinks about this? He is the guy on the Dutch bike with the green jacket.

photo by Paul Chin

See the whole SFGate slideshow here.

Sometime Today, Al!

I saw a reference to this over at EcoVelo. A little national coverage for the cause is a good thing. I'll even let the "helmet is absolutely necessary" comment go (if you want one, get one. if you don't don't. it's all good.)

Super props to Al for being the biker! Meredith would have looked way better on it with that dress, but having the opportunity to run into his college English professor made Al a great choice!

It doesn't have to be bike day or month or year. Remember, it is all about Bike To Life! So get out there and bike!

Can I Ask You A Question?

What if riding your bicycle really made a difference? What if every time you got on your bike to ride to work or get a beer or do the shopping there was an actual positive effect?

What if just riding your bicycle could help bring a long absent species back to your city? Would you ride more?

What if just riding your bicycle helped lower the noise pollution so that we could hear the wind in the trees? Would you find a way to ride more?

What if just riding your bike could bring the smell of honeysuckle back to your neighborhood?

What if riding your bicycle gave you more reasons to keep riding your bicycle?

Would you ride more?

Wrap It Up!

Wicker bike! I want a wicker bike! When this gentleman pulled up next to me ( I think his name was Eric, but if not, and you know him, let me know and I will correct it) I was instantly covetous of his fine ride.

I was completely enthralled by just how thoroughly wickered his bicycle was. Everything was meticulously wrapped. Even the rack, which he said was his favorite part.

Look at how perfectly it is wrapped!

I particularly liked the seat. It can't be easy to get all of the contours right. I didn't think to ask him if it was comfortable.

Val thinks they may come from Viet Nam. I'll buy that. I wonder if David Hembrow would make one of these with an Old Dutch? Either way, I have declared this to be the Bike to Work Day bike of 2010!

Just think, if it breaks down you could turn it into a rocking chair!

The Mixte Gallery

If you hit the bike blog circuit then you have more than likely read the many, many comments out there by "Doohickie". I always look forward to them here at the blog. Recently, "D" asked me to add S.A.M. to his mixte dedicated blog "The Mixte Gallery". I was happy to oblige. He put in a slideshow of shots I have taken of S.A.M. and it turns out I am a little obsessed (he is a back up bike, afterall).

Go take a look!

Oil spill post.

Over the weekend, I came across this post from the blog HiLobrow. As devastating as the oil spills are, and because I don't watch much TV, photographs and the internet have kept me posted and quasi-up to date. Too depressing.
Here is a great post about the current situation on the other side of our coast, in Boston.

"Carrying our bicycles above our heads we trudged with great difficulty along the submerged pavement of Dartmouth Street and entered the open door of the John Hancock building, which was all but deserted. The once-gleaming marble floors of this temple of finance were entirely blackened with oil. Ascending via emergency stairwell, after an hour of stiff climbing, we stepped out into the building’s observatory level. From it we could see the streets of Back Bay radiating in every direction, while below us the road was yellow from side to side with the tops of the motionless taxis."

Check out the complete post:
City on a Spill by Joshua Glenn »


greader via karen s. - thanks!

So watcha up to this weekend?!

Here in SF, while riding around doing my saturday thing (no plans, coffee, bikes, and more coffee) I had already encounter a flood of drunk pirates invading the streets. I thought, maybe there was a big game or is school out? um, no - it's Bay to Breakers tomorrow, and people are already nuts and wasting no time to party. Ok, have fun drunkies

In the meantime I leave you all with a much more pleasant, and work-safe photo for what some people do over weekends other than getting hangovers - Moving.
Thanks to Ted for sending the link!

Photo property of/by: eight one seven photography

Criminy!

via Other Fun Bikes

Well, at least they take away the focus from the helmet debate.

Gotta Be

happy bike to work day...everyday

we're smack dab in the middle of bike to work week, and hopefully this has propelled some of you to jump in that saddle and ride to work

or, in the alternative, bike to life.

for others who already ride, maybe you've volunteered, or told your workplace or encouraged friends to get on that bike and ride around.

community building is my personal favorite part of this week...

if you are in SF, please stop by to see our very own model blogger, meli, in a fashion show during the SFBC bike away from work party tonight at the rickshaw shop from 6-10 pm.

happy riding everyone!

Bike To Life

As anyone other than those under rock dwellers that exist out there know, Thursday is "Bike To Work Day". It is a great way to acknowledge those who already do and encourage those who do not to try. Last year I volunteered at my neighborhood commuter station, but this year I have not. I feel vaguely bad about that but I find that my current volunteer efforts are enough and that anymore would burn me out. I will be out on the streets early that day, though, taking pictures and hopefully picking up some keifer grains in the East Bay.

As my profession these days is "housewife", I don't really have a commute any longer. At least not a bike one. It would look strange if I rode the Bat between the living room and the kitchen. But I do ride it for all of my errands and picking up Declan from pre-school. So I will be celebrating Thursday as "Bike To Life Day".

After picking up my new fabulous poster at the post office (I rode over the mountain to get in a little training)

I went to get Declan from school. He usually chooses which path we will take home. We have a pretty good choice of the fast way home (40 minutes) or a path around the lake or the route through Golden Gate Park... there is always something to see. Today he chose the "fast way" along Sunset Blvd. which is lined on either side with trees and grass and houses a number of birds. Today, we found a heron!

When we first stopped to watch him, we thought he was just walking around. Then he plucked a mouse out of the ground and ate it! Super cool!!!!! We decided to just stay and watch for a bit. The heron decided it would stick around and watch us, too.

In the middle of the City, right at the beginning of rush hour, along one of the busiest, high speed transit corridors we have here, a little Wild Kingdom can be found from the saddle of a bike!

We would never have seen this any other way and I am thankful for it. Bike to Life is a pretty good way to go. We should celebrate it!

Tuesday injection of fun: chopper.

found via: likecool

The Road Of A Hundred Miles

It should always begin with a restroom stop.

More to come.

Happy Mother's Day

Here in the States we celebrate Mother's Day the second Sunday in May. In Mexico, it is always on the 10th of May, so my mom is used to two celebrations. Yea sure why not.
Hola MOMMMMM!!

Here in our little blog, only one out of 4 of us is a mommy. Congrats Ade to you and your lovely family. We love you Ade –

And to all our lovely mothers on wheels, we'd like to say ♥Happy Mother's Day♥ enjoy your day with your family loved ones!

music

happy weekend everyone! :)

johnny legs

i didn't know that john leguizamo was pretty into riding his bike. luckily for us, cnn.com did and got footage of him running around nyc on his bici. check out his helmet stash...and watch him nearly get doored by nypd.



i'm particularly a fan of his reasons for why he rides. it's not just him "sav[ing] the world" as the cnn title suggests (although that is totally valid...). his reasons sound a lot like the ones we here at CYLRAB have said before: less stress, faster, enjoyable, etc. this makes me think he's the real deal. bummer to hear his wife does not join him after she nearly got hit by a car. puro sad face, #nobueno.

and here's the behind the scenes:



nice to see a latino celebrity-type talking about this stuff.

have a great weekend and happy riding. gonna be beautiful here in the yay. enjoy!!

thanks to CI for the forward on facebook :)

Follow Directions

"You may go to hell and I will go to Texas"- Davy Crockett.

How long would it take to bicycle to Austin from San Francisco? 6 days 18 hours according to Google. Do you think they intend for you to pedal the entire time?

Over Hill, Over Dale

It is so hard to get a true sense of a hill in a photograph. Steiner St. is vicious, and even on my best day, I can ride maybe 1 block of it. I was just thinking I wish I had a level to take a picture of next to the bike when I was given this wonderful garage door to help make my point.

I forget where I read it, but one of the original guys at American Cyclery is said to have asked a prospective bicycle buyer " do you need to ride up all of the hills, or is it OK to push some of the time?". I subscribe to the latter and will push without reservation.

How about you? Do you have to ride every hill, or is it OK to push some of the time?