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!

Dark Is Upon Us

Time to light up, people!

Not only is it a safe idea, it makes for great photographs!

fall weather means fall outfits

it doesn't really ever get COLD cold here in sf, but there is definitely a chill in the air.

a couple of days ago, on one of those chilly days, i was riding behind a woman and her great outfit...

tweed jacket, rad bag, jeans and boots?! love it.

btw, she's doing one of ade's bag and foot down (AKA the SF STAND) observations.

happy friday y'all!

--CTX

as you already know, we love reader submissions y'all.



sent in by a reader. via this lovely french fixed gear blog.

Domingo En Merida

Just last week an old friend of mine returned from a trip to Mérida, in the most wonderful part of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula. While she was there, she snapped some shots of the locals and their bicycles out for a Sunday ride about town. She knows I love this stuff (both Mexico and bicycles which I would happily combine any day of the week as they are two of my favorite things!).


What a lovely place to just putter around! I would ride all over the place all day long. I wish Guadalajara had been this accommodating when I lived there in 1992. I hear it has really changed since I was last there. Copenhagenize has ranked it on a global scale and it beat out SF! That blew me away! Viva México!!


I wonder if these are part of a bike share? If so, they put Mérida firmly ahead of San Francisco on that front (we still can't get it together here!).

I love those recumbent pedicabs! Power assist, nice seating, comfortable for the operator... I would ride those all over the place instead of a taxi any day! I don't know if they are for rent as they have no signage, but man they are cool!


The city of Mérida closes some of its streets every Sunday for several hours to allow the public to frolic in the peace. Nice for the tourists, but even nicer for the locals who get a regular break from the cars and the fumes.

So now I want to get back to Mexico even more than I did before! How about you? Ever ridden a bicycle along Mexico's cobbled streets? Do you commute in a city of my southern neighbor? Tell us about it!

*Stupid Blogger won't let me upload any more pictures right now, but when I can I will put up the shot she sent of the local plaza wit bicycles lying about waiting for their riders. A truly civilized scene, I assure you.

The 300

Ever wonder what 300 people on bicycles look like passing you at night?

Now you know.

happy friday! panda style...

these two pandas were spotted recently riding in SF.



watch out. they are ready to have fun in a place near you!

happy friday y'all. have a great weekend.

celebrate el dia de los muertos

today is el dia de los muertos. there will be scenes just like this one over parts of north, central and south america(s). this is a picture from chiapas taken in 2003 from flickr user jjjttt.

consider bringing your bike to a dia de los muertos celebration near you.

enjoy the day, remember how those who have passed on made you cry, laugh, scream, and most importantly, love. celebrate and embrace it all...

c/s,
CTX