Phase 3... Sooo Excited!!

Welcome back! I hope you all had a good Chriskwanzica! I for one have been busy!

First off, we have sold three of our World Bicycle Relief fundraiser pictures! Thank you so much to our generous donors (we will have those off mid-January) and if you are still waiting for your scarves, fear not! They are finished and will be in the mail on Saturday.

Second, I would like to introduce Phase 3 of our fund raising challenge. From the very beginning of this blog, Meli, Melyssa, Caryl and I have been happy to keep this an ad-free zone. The few times we have considered the possibility of it, it has never felt right. Well, things are about to change. After testing the waters with a few local business people we know, we have started a program where local, small bicycle related/friendly businesses have been approached with this idea-

A $150 dollar donation made directly to World Bicycle Relief gets them 3 months of advertising on the blog! We already have 2 takers! This has put us in the over $1000 zone!!!!

Zero Per Gallon is a small company owned by our friend Kit. He makes all kinds of fun shirts and stickers. The sticker on my Bobike seat is one of his. It is a small business run by a man who truly loves bicycles and the people who ride them.

My Dutch Bike is a growing family-owned shop that specializes in sales and repair of Dutch bicycles of the upright, practical, cargo/kid carrying, dignified style. MDB proprietress, Soraya is a wonderful woman with a passion for getting anyone on a bicycle.

That's Soraya on one of her Workcycles. As lovely as she is on the outside, she is more so on the inside and her business is a reflection of that!

So, in the next few days look for a side bar with company logos that will link to various businesses here in the SF Bay Area, but hopefully also from other spots around the country! All of us here at the blog would love to just shout THANK YOU!!!!! to Kit and Soraya for helping us jumpstart this project! If this goes well, just imagine all the good that could come from it!

Also, let us know what you think!

Upside Down, and Round, Round

It is Boxing Day! Hope your Christmas was lovely! Time to start thinking about the new year. Maybe try to see things a new way!



Photo by Brenton Salo and submitted to the CYLRABFlickr group

black and white saturday

one reindeer, two reindeer, three reindeer...


:) :) :) :)

Phase 2

The donations keep coming in! We are over $450, which means $900 with the dollar for dollar matching at World Bicycle Relief! Holy Cow!!!

With that in mind, we have come up with, what I hope is, a great new incentive to give to this amazing organization. Caryl and I have each chosen some of our photos to have professionally printed in a very limited addition with just 5 of each available. Each will be signed and numbered by Caryl or myself. Each will be printed to a size compatible with an 8x10 frame.

Change Someone's Life. Buy Some Art!

$20 gets you one, $40 gets you 2 and $60 gets you all three! Every penny of that purchase goes directly as a donation to World Bicycle Relief. And if you donate before Dec 31st, WBR is able to match that donation dollar for dollar. Twice the bike love, people!

Interested? Donate here, write "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" in the box for "In honor of", and the blog address in the little box provided (cylrab@gmail.com). If you wish to have one of the photos then forward the thank you email they send you with the amount you donated so we know how many pictures to send you along with an address of where to send your photos.

Photos will be shipped mid-January and we will ship overseas, so if you are on the other side of the world, don't be shy!

happy holidays!

we here at the blog want to wish all of you a happy holiday this 2011/2012 season. there's a lot to be thankful for, especially all of you who have helped with our world bicycle relief donations. i can't wait to find out the results of how much we've donated. many thanks to ade for the great idea!

we hope you have a great time with family as 2011 comes to a close. maybe some newer family members of yours will receive presents like these so they can change their life by riding a trike.

i normally have more lights on joanie's basket, but wasn't feeling completely into the spirit of things this year. so i kept it to merely two strands. heh.

i tried to keep the foto old school when i realized recently that this bike is older than me.

much love from all of us here at CYLRAB!!

We Did It!

We have reached 10!!! Not only that, a couple of our readers gave way more than $15 so we have exceeded our initial goal (I am working with WBR to find out exactly how much we are raising!) Thank you so much!!!!

The scarf giveaway is done (I can only knit so much!), but I think we can keep this going in a different way. World Bicycle Relief is matching all donations dollar for dollar through the 31st of December. Maybe I can come up with a new giveaway (I have some surprises up my sleeves).
If you are still on the fence about sending a donation think about this- girls in Africa are expected to complete all household chores before doing anything else, which frequently includes heavy animal care and fetching water from wells far from home. This all has to be done before going to school, usually several miles from home. Imagine fetching enough water for a family of 5 from 5 blocks away by foot everyday. Imagine then walking 4 miles to school . All before 7 am. All when you are 12 years old. Could you do it without help? A $15 donation could make that help happen.

In the meantime, I am off to knit!! Maybe someplace like here!

Half Way

3 of 4 colour choices (cream not pictured)

We are more than half way to our World Bicycle Relief goal! Six wonderful people have come forward and sacrificed a week's coffee budget for the purpose of getting someone in Africa a life changing bicycle. A huge thanks to you 6! Your scarves will be going out this week (the first 3 today, the next three over the next few days as I finish knitting them!) .

One of our donors was able to get her employer to match her $15! So while I don't count that to our goal, it is still fantastic! And even better? Now through Dec 31st, all donations to WBR are being matched dollar for dollar!!! So everything we do goes twice as far!

If you have been thinking of giving, now is the time! $15 donated in honor of "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" and verified to our address (cylrab@gmail.com) will not only get you a hand made by me scarf, it will be turned into $30 by WBR and it will help change someone's life in ways we can scarcely imagine.

For more info read here and here.

And So It Begins!

We have 4 contributions in our World Bicycle Relief Giveaway! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! That makes us almost half way to a bicycle in the hands of someone who really, really needs one. For this Holiday season, we can give someone dignity, opportunity and independence!


We only need 6 more $15 contributions to make this happen. Remember, a $15 contribution made in the name of "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" and confirmed to our email address, cylrab@gmail.com, will go way farther than that same $15 could ever get you in the coffee shop you would have blown it in anyway! And for those who contribute, we have a gift- a hand knit, and quite useful if I do say so myself, scarf from one of us here at the blog!! I will be posting pictures of the various colours in the morning, so keep a weather eye out! And if you want to give and not get, let me know and we will make sure that scarf gets into the hands of someone who needs it here in San Francisco.

lessons learned from bike thieves

'tis that time of year. the air turns chilly, more ugly sweaters surface at parties, and the scramble for presents begins. for some, that means maybe stealing to get what you need to give to others. or maybe they are just an asshole who steals bike parts.

the title of that picture is "what is wrong with this picture?" my response was "nothing, unless that is your bike and you are missing a seat post/saddle."

sigh. our friend to the blog, TDN, had this unfortunate experience the other night on market street. i have mentioned before on the blog how i've outsmarted bike thieves before who coveted my saddle i worked very hard to pay for with my own money. i'll be goddammned if they are going to take that saddle without a fight.

TDN updated his network by saying, "Urban Cyclist Protip: Your local bikeshop has tiny ball bearings and plumbers putty to jam into allens of things you don't want stolen."

agreed. or you can take it a couple of steps further and make sure you also strip the nut that can also be taken off.

there is indeed a ball bearing in the place where the hex/allen wrench goes. we didn't use putty, but rather hot glue. and also notice that the nut is stripped. is it a pain to adjust? it sure is. and you have to make sure you do it in the two places (for saddles at least, but this is applicable to any place where an allen wrench can be used) where it attaches to the bike. for saddles, this is where the saddle attaches to the seat post and where the seat post attaches to the bike in what sheldon brown calls "the seat cluster."

dont have those tools yourself? find someone who does, or go to your local community bike shop with work tables and DIY. or just ask your LBS if they will help you strip the nut. they will think you are a lil nuts, but you say it's for theft prevention, and who knows, they just might say "sure, why not?"

it just takes a little extra and added patience to work on the bike. but you know what? i still have my saddle. that's worth protecting to me.

Scarves For Bicycles

So, with much trouble and frustration with my camera (!!!!!!!) I was able to get a couple of shots that are in focus! The WBR Giveaway can begin!

These scarves are large triangular ones that button at the throat. Instead of wrapping around a million times, coming undone, getting caught on the handle bars, these wrap around once and fasten shut. They taper down the front and fully cover your chest (or back if you wear it backwards).

They can be tucked into a jacket with minimal bulk, they keep out he wind and I find they let me shed a layer easily and still stay warm. If worn with arm warmers they make a great way to layer on and off in the crazy micro-climates of places like San Francisco. They come in gray, dark blue, dark red or cream. They are made of a wool/acrylic blend that can be machine washed and dried, they are completely hand made (most likely by me, but it is possible yours could be knit by one of my bikey friends).

All it takes is a $15 donation to World Bicycle Relief! If you make a donation to WBR in the name of "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" (and have them email us a confirmation to the blog address cylrab@gmail.com) I will mail you a hand made scarf. Should you chose to donate to WBR and not take a scarf, I will donate that scarf to a local program to help clothe the homeless!

If 10 readers donate $15 each that will be enough money to build one bicycle and train one bicycle mechanic somewhere in the world where that kind of thing can completely change a person's life. So come on people! Let's change someone's life with a bicycle!!! That's what this is all about, after all!

ATTENTION PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Which part of this says "Parking Space"? The posts, the green paint, the sharrow markings, the "No Stopping" signs or the sidewalk? Hey, United States Postal Service, YOU CAN'T PARK HERE!!!

And while I am at it, San Francisco Department of Public Works, just in case you didn't get the memo, YOU CAN NOT PARK IN BIKE LANES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ADJACENT TRAFFIC IS DRIVING MORE THAN 50MPH!

Just because you are "official" does not give you the right to be "officially" blind, selfish and discourteous. Enough said.

Aaarrrrgh!!!

I have spent the day trying to get my digital camera to work so I can take pictures of the giveaway but my camera is not co-operating. In the meantime, a photograph taken with my 35mm awhile ago to remind us that some people rely on their bicycles for a whole lot more than just getting to work.



Stay tuned! I will prevail with my technology!

bike hacks for the rain

SF is not quite the pacific northwest when it comes to rain, but we do get our fair share. the SF rainy season is on the tiptopverge of starting, and as such, has apparently kept some riders unprepared, or some who have long adjusted to the rain and have accommodated their bikes.

unprepared, yet creative!

this homie knows what time it is in SF:

i love that umbrella placement!

as i've discussed before on the blog, this year my rainy season preparation has started with swapping out my steel rims for some aluminium ones. they are a noticeable improvement.

what do you do in order to prepare for the rain? what do you do if you are caught unprepared?

Me And My Shadow

Sometimes you wait alone.

Although, a shadow can be more than enough company.

Monday is my last final for the semester, so I will be able to catch up! Look for details of our little World Bike Relief Giveaway on Tuesday!

You Just Know

We don't even need to see the whole thing anymore. Instant recognition.

Is it?

Is it what you think it is?



Happy Friday! Go do something on your bike that makes people look twice!

Photo by Hubby the Bikeman

more fun with fotobooths...

to follow up on KT's post from yesterday over at velo vogue, here's another one from winterfest's always fun fotobooth.



i love that foto! i like our camera one too over at velo vogue.



here's a fotobooth foto from a couple of years ago. i tell ya, that fotobooth rules!

la cumbia de la bici

ahhh!! i love me some cumbia y'all! and here's a youtube made by mexican musician david aguilar in May 2010 about la bici!

i LOVE it. <3 also in finding this video, i found more tributes to la bici en espanol, so i'm sure i'll be sharing those with you in the upcoming weeks.

until then happy wednesday y'all. i'm fighting some lame sick thing. you know you are truly not feeling well when you're still not tired of being in bed after 2 days. i'm not even stir crazy. imagine that. weird. i'm sure i'll be back to my 10millionthingstodo-self in a couple of days. :) and that's when i will have to show y'all joanie's holiday lights upgrade!

via here.

Drop 'Em

Not everyone needs a bike rack.

I prefer a kick stand. I think it provides my bikes with more dignity, but I am open to other ways.

A Dream Realized

Today I utterly failed to complete the San Francisco Super Market Street Sweep. I had $200 and a cargo bike and hill 3 killed me and left me no recovery time to let me finish in time.

However, I did live out a dream with a complete stranger! Bike surfing!!!!

It wasn't easy, but we worked it out. He was a complete stranger and when I told him what I wanted to do he was ready right now! I hope to find his card because he has come up with a really great way to carry adults on the back of your bike. All I remember is his name is Gerard.

black and white saturday

Vintage View Of Vintage Activities

A little view from my old Pentax. It is more difficult to shoot people riding with it because it is a 100% manual camera of the 1970's variety.

These two were really cute. They had matching folding bicycles and her helmet, sweater and shoes were all pink.

He just looked so peaceful sitting there. A lovely view at twilight.

The never ending flow of traffic along the Embarcadero.

Because I have been having to focus manually, I have been spending more time looking for the less mobile moments in bicycle life I encounter on my travels. I find those to be equally beautiful subjects.

So here is my question to you all out there, how do all of the images of people in the world that you can find on all of these blogs effect you? Do they make you want to ride more, or work for better riding conditions where you are? Do they make you want to travel with your bicycle? I know they make my trigger finger itchy!

nyc bicycle balancing act

whoa. i opened up my inbox today to see this glorious photograph taken by stanley kubrick, better known as the director of the shining, a clockwork orange, and full metal jacket, among others.

and you thought you had balance when you ride your bike with no hands. whoaaaaaaa.

also...what composition! amazing.

happy tuesday everyone! SF is expected to get gusts of wind up to 50-70mph (if a certain local news outlet is to be believed). not sure if that means i'll be muni-ing it or braving it out there. get ready for it y'all...

foto via here.

Relief Is A Bicycle

Times are hard around the world these days. No one knows where the economy is going and jobs don't fall from the sky like they used to. But let's face it, if you are reading this blog post chances are you do not have to get water from a well you had to dig in the first place. My guess is you were able to go to school without difficulty as are your children. I bet malaria does not plague many people in your community. I could be wrong, but I bet not.

With that in mind I would like you to watch the following video from World Bicycle Relief.



It does not take much to help. It really does not. 15 readers donating $10 each gets one person a bicycle that could bring them, and their families out of a kind of grinding poverty that those of us with reliable internet connections can not imagine.

To further entice you to donate to this cause, I will have some kind of giveaway for those who can prove they have donated. I am not sure what it will be, but it will be bicycle related, probably made by me and sent to you free of charge (other than your generous donation to WBR). I will announce the giveaway by the end of the week, so keep a look out!

Who will be first?

22nd St & Valencia

Lazy Day

Today is feeling more like an observation day than a doing day.

There is always someone else riding to make me feel like I am participating.

bike basket tgiving bounty!

last night i did some thanksgiving shopping for the veggie sides i'll be making tomorrow with my family. i give thanks for my bike basket that is able to carry around the awesome groceries! it took a minute, but there's a jacket, two bike locks, my personal bag and a bag's worth of groceries in there.

have a great tofurkey day everyone!! be sure to ride off that feast over the long weekend. i'm sure i'll be doing that if the weather cooperates. if not, well, i'll probably be riding anyway!

Danger Panda!

I have never been this cool in a bicycle.

Panda shot + danger + ghost riding + galoshes + fantastic smile = !!!!!!!!!!!

(pic by Hubby The Bikeman)

Bike By Dads

From back in June

From this afternoon

Lookin' good San Francisco!

Grab Your Camera!

We don't do a lot of product endorsement around here. None of us here at the blog are gear people. For myself, one messenger bag is really not much different than the next and the one I won in a raffle 3 years ago works just fine the three times a year I use it. Saying that, when I saw the press release below in my in box the other day, I didn't think much about it. That is until I saw it was a film contest! Your fixed gear adventure could win you something you might like (or that someone on your holiday list might like!) while entertaining the rest of us!

So what do you think? Should I film me learning how to ride the Mid-Life Fixie? It could be amusing to see a middle aged mother making a fool of herself!

From Chrome-

"Here's your chance to earn some bragging rights!...Chrome presents the "Hey, Check Me Out!" fixed gear freestyle video contest. Log on to Chrome and upload the link to your best 60 seconds of footage for a chance to win the one of the largest prize packages ever from Chrome. Submissions close on November 23rd at which point Chrome's own Ed "Wonka" Laforte will spend his Thanksgiving weekend reviewing all videos and will announce the winners on Monday, November 28th. Get out there and get some clips! Good luck!"


Good luck and let us know if you enter!

Shake It Up

I find that riding my bicycle everyday has brought it into the circle of all things we find indispensable. Invisible and ubiquitous. Although, tied with my camera as my most indispensable and treasured possession, I give it little thought, neglect it's maintenance and expect it to simply work no matter what (my camera receives much the same consideration). So now, like in all long standing relationships, things need to be shaken up and a new way to see must be found to maintain a proper sense of appreciation.

Now I am looking for new ways to "see" so that I can find ways to share with you. New ways to appreciate what I have and all the beautiful changes that are coming to my City and the rest of the country.

How do you keep from forgetting how lucky you are to ride your bicycle? How do you stop yourself from not seeing what is around you? 'Cause things are just starting to get interesting!

ciclavia 3.0

happy sunday!