Get Out Your Bicycles, NYC!

The transportation system in NYC is hosed, people!  I hate to say it, but it is going to be awhile before that system is back, too.  Salt water and electrical systems do not mix and all seven tunnels are flooded to platform level.

Soooooo.....

NYC it is time to pull your bikes out of you storage units and get pedaling!  No more squabbling over where to put a bike lane, 'cause your whole city is a bike zone now.

friday fun times: world series edition

yeah, yeah. you heard. the giants are in the world series. again.

you heard they won the first two games.

some of us were at game one. here's some pics. enjoy!

KT stopped by the bike parking corral, because getting to and from the stadium really is easier if you ride your bike.

it's fun being a tia/cousin, cause can get outfits like this for the little one.

Arthursday: Sunday in the Plaza Mexico

"Sunday in the Plaza Mexico" Relaxing in the plaza with books and bikes. This wonderful work is by Raul Lopez of Morelia, Michoacan. It was exhibited at a library in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico

-via Karen Elwell, a Textile Expert

We, we are huge book nerdy women around here :)
xxom

sf giants advance to world series

in case you didn't hear or don't follow sports, san francisco's own giants are going to the world series. ade and our friend KT over at velo vogue are huge giants fans. i work giants games sometimes parking bikes, and the energy is infectious.



here's some photos of giants inspired bike shenaningans taken by KT and me. congrats to SF giants and their die hard fans.

Bike Fair!

If you want to know what a healthy city looks like, look to see how many kids and families are out on bicycles.  If kids are getting around on 2 wheels, chances are things in that city are pretty good.  For myself, I will never live anywhere where children can not ride a bicycle.

To that end, the elementary school in my neighborhood, Sunnyside Elementary School,  is having a Bicycle Fair, this Saturday!  This school already has an incentive based program to get kids and families to do anything other than drive to school.  This program is beginning to be copied at other schools in the area. 

The families and staff at the school all recognize that things must change for these kids to have a good future.  We have annual Bike Rodeos to teach the kids how to ride. We sponsor Bike To School Day (30% of our kids participated this year!)

So, if you are in San Francisco on Saturday from 11-2 and looking for something to do with your kids come one by!  If you have a old bicycle, any size, any shape, any style, you just do not want, bring it to us!  San Francisco Yellow Bike Project will be there to help turn that old clunker into something shiny and new for someone who needs it!  They will be ready to swap out old for new-to-you and will have a free repair station going for those nagging little things that are just keeping you off your bike! 

The San Francisco YMCA will be out with their fantastic rodeo and training wheels classes.  The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will be giving its amazing Family Bike Class to get you and your kids out on the streets together!

And to top it off, bicycle based MamakSF and The Localist will be there slinging their wonderful food and showing us all you don't always need a delivery van to bring food to the people!

Arthursday: Boston Gets a Bike-Powered Farm Cart

Source: wired.com  

"Produce carts are common enough that they no longer garner much attention, especially around farmers markets. Aside from running them over during high-speed chase scenes, it seems easy to forget about them altogether. So one design firm redesigned the ubiquitous cart, adding pedals and a folding system of trays that can haul up to 150 pounds of fruit and vegetables. 

...The City of Boston ponied up a $4,500 matching grant to the Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition to operate and maintain the mobile farm stand and train the young riders who put the human in human-powered. The grant is part of a vigorous city campaign to promote fitness and nutrition to fight obesity and diabetes."

Read the complete post via wired.com/design here: 

›› Pedaling Produce: Boston Gets a Bike-Powered Farm Cart

sights and sounds from the south

birmingham, alabama

i went to birmingham, alabama recently and one of the first things i saw was a large billboard showcasing some bicycle marketing we've talked about here on the blog before. this time was advertising a bank.



they equated bicycles with efficiency. heh. i can dig it. also glad to see that bike marketing is permeating a city infrastructure which basically supports no bicycles. i'm not trying to be sarcastic either. maybe the marketing will seep through and begin to have some sort of influence on the city, or not, but gotta remain hopeful that change is coming. all over the US.

austin, texas

i also went to my hometown of austin, texas. bikes are everywhere there, and i can't help smiling when i see bikes all over the streets.

i went to austin city limits music festival again, and as i mentioned previously, they recommended pedal power to get to the festival. we definitely took advantage of their bike parking. and also got to see some great bikes.

the little blue cannondale is mine. got it as a christmas present last year. if anyone knows about this era of cannondales, please share! says it's made in the usa.









i miss texas, and can't wait to get back for a non-working vacation sometime in the near future. had a great time, but it's time to head back to san francisco.

Rising From Ashes

We always talk/read about the good outcome +the why of how bicycles benefit and make our life better +happier. As I was watching this trailer for an upcoming documentary, this quote came up:

"You cannot be a cyclists without going through an incredible amount of pain..."

That hits the nail right on top for me, and not for physical reasons but a tremendous emotional hurricane of grief, loss and memories that hit me anytime I think or consider being back on the saddle and return to ride a bike on a constant basis.

1+minute of the trailer and it really made quite a lasting impression on me and, hope you like it.
Here is the trailer and I cannot wait to watch it once it's released:
Rising From Ashes from T.C. Johnstone on Vimeo.

xxom

---
via urbanvelo

friday fun times: tall bike edition

a bunch of people came into town to critical mass a couple of weeks ago. including people who came from mexico city on a TALL BIKE. not a touring bike, but a tall bike.

image from johnny payphone.

as i shake my head at wondering how hard this must have been to do, they were quite the sight to see all over town. have you seen how to mount those things? not to mention stopping.

if you are not familiar with a tall bike, it is a bike that constructed out of two (or more) frames stacked on top of another to have the "tall" look and feel of it.

here are a few that made it to ocean beach from whereabouts unknown. requesting donations to get them shipped back to those places...

am not sure about if they got help to go back home, so if anyone reading knows, we'd love to hear about the continuing adventures of those tall bikes.

am in austin, my lovely hot and humid hometown for the ACL festival. we will be using pedal power to get to the festival. duh. also can't wait to be riding my austin bike again! we both have older mountain bike frames that we have converted to be more commuter friendly, but we also want to ride some trails while we're here! hope we have time to do so!

have a great weekend everyone!

Arthursday: The Ghoda Cycle Project

Source: itsnicethat.com 

Found these awesome fun illustrations by Sameer Kulavoor.

The Ghoda Cycle Project The word “ghoda” means “stallion”; the name alludes to the sturdiness, heaviness, and durability of these vehicles that sustain businesses and livelihoods alike, and which become customised and personalised according to the needs and whims of each owner. 

-via It's Nice That ‹– further info, more illustrations +full article.

Source: itsnicethat.com 

Source: itsnicethat.com 

* All images via It's Nice That

critical points of view...

i meant to put this up last week, but i had to attend to some family matters.

i wanted to share some pics i took of critical mass from a couple of fridays ago. you can be en masse with your bikey posse one second, and the next second lose all of them completely as the slow moving molasses mass moves around you like lava, hot and with determination.

also, critical mass was not just one day of celebration, but a week long event with something new each day. the last day was on sunday, a bittersweet day for me, which ended with a lovely bike ride to the beach to hear some music from musicians using the rock the bike sound system.

ade already spelled out a few reasons why she hopes not to need critical mass in a few years, and i happen to agree with her. so this will just be a picture post.

enjoy.



kiddical mass showed up!







what do you call a bikey marching band.



you've got mail, chevron.





sunday's closing event took place at ocean beach.









sunset. and life continuing on.

street alert: Ru Paul rides a bike

Arthursday: Matte Stephens

Source: etsy.com 

Source: etsy.com 

Source: etsy.com 

Source: etsy.com 

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// All of above images: © Matte Stephens and found via his etsy shop. //

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*The Arthursday posts are a share of visual finds wanderlusting around town as well as the internet. None of these posts are sponsored and all that Etc.

Unfiltered eye sharing from me +cylrab, to you.
xxom

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CC: Shell Oil, BP, Arco...

It's been real, but now it's over. Have a nice life.