critical mass riders in NBA playoffs, CTX does not root for them

how can this be? not when they are of the MIAMI HEAT! as you may recall a few months ago that lebron james, dwayne wade, and mario chalmers rode critical mass not too long ago. he threw up those pics on instagram with the hashtag #bikelife. brought to you by meliBROsa.



normally i would be rooting for the bike...but, well, they are playing my SAN ANTONIO SPURS.

i didn't easily find any pics of the SAN ANTONIO SPURS on bikes...but as you all know i'm from texas. and i want them to BEAT THE HEAT.



so it's all well and fine that critical mass participant and bike commuters are in the NBA playoffs, and hell, maybe their bike helped get them there...but this time, i hope they lose. cause really, we're so close to winning the NBA FINALS!

GO SPURS GO!!

just keep playing like this!

one day cost of nyc's bike share is at nyc prices.

the frugal traveler checks out NYC's bike share prices for visitors. the day rate became available this past sunday. the cost? well, seems more than the cost of a subway trip and a transfer. since these bikes are meant to be transportation alternatives, and not for recreation, this seems a little strange. but it is new york after all, where things are going to be expensive. london, a city some say is even more expensive than nyc (i've never been to london, so i can't say for sure), costs £3, or about $4.50. nyc? $10+

foto by flickr user ngolebiewski

maybe since these bikes come with their own locking mechanism when you park them, it's worth it? makes me wonder what SF will do with its own pricing whenever we get bikeshares of this magnitude.

hmm. not sure what to think about this development right now, but check out the article for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments!

two for tuesday: mexico city and nyc bike share programs

SF has a bike share program, but it is nowhere to the extent that mexico city and the newly introduced new york city programs. the sf program has been discussed since before ade and meli started this blog, but we haven't seen much progress due to delays, politics, delays, delays and more delays.

well, in the meantime, mexico city introduced its ecobici in 2010. as regular readers know, i went to mexico city late last year, and my boyfriend and i were very excited to try it out. we didn't realize at the time that we needed to live in mexico city in order to use them. disappointed, yes, but we were pleased to see that the bikes were used often. we also saw trucks at night redistributing the bikes among various stations. not to mention physically separated bike lanes and a diverse bike community. there are group rides every day.





as you may also know, i lived in nyc for quite some time. 8 years to be exact. i rode my bike while i lived there, but i didn't ever consider it a viable transportation option since legendary stories of bikes being stolen are bountiful. bill cunningham has had a bike stolen 28 times (at least of the time of his documentary--hope that's it though)! so i rode, but just casually.

as has been plastered everywhere in the media lately, NYC introduced its own bike share this past monday. i wish nothing but the best for this program. since i've lived there, over 300 miles of bikes lanes have been introduced, and nyc streets are slowly changing in order to accommodate less cars, more bikes.



incidentally on my old evening commute, i would ride by a spin class and i would always glance in...but i digress.

bitchcakes, whose blog is sadly on infinite hiatus, is still on flickr and shared some pictures of her citibike trip.



that picture reminded me of the bike i rode in DC last year.



can't wait to see how this citibike share goes. if interenet pictures are any indication, this will be a well documented event.



i don't know what it is going to take for SF to finally introduce its own widespread bikeshare program. in the meantime, i know of some extra bikes for tourists and newbies to borrow. heh. or maybe it'll take going to mexico city and learning something about efficient public transportation and bike infrastructure...kinda like what city leaders are doing. hmm.

friday fun times: oakland's clitoral mass ride is tomorrow!

and to celebrate the ride (12pm in oakland, details here) we're gonna kick off this three day weekend with a trailer from one of the BADASS inspirations of the event, las ovarian psycos! they are doing community and bikes RIGHT.

The Ovarian Psycos (Official Trailer) - A feature documentary from ovarianpsycosmovie@gmail.com on Vimeo.

have a great weekend everyone. i'm sure i'll take a ton of pics on saturday. hope to see you there!

Arthursday: marie desbons

marie desbons is a french illustrator i found via pinterest. i spent some time looking at her work and i found it very fun, sort of a lighter hearted jamie zollars, or at least zollar's style of a few years ago.

desbons' light hearted color palette and whimsical scenes immediately draw you into her fantasy world, where you can lose yourself in her imagination for awhile.



i also like how the bike rider seems to be a recurring character.



you can see more for yourself on her blog (en français) or on facebook.




we kept the theme with a female artist as a slight nod to the clitoral mass rides that are happening this weekend in oakland and LA. there'll be more information about them tomorrow.

guest post: FAST - biking for change

the fine folks over at FAST - biking for change reached out to us and asked us if they could be a guest poster. we're never ones to say no to that, so here we go.

it's been awhile since we've heard of some animal activism other than my explanation to my new coworkers of why i've been vegetarian for 20 years every time we go out to lunch. here's for the next generation keeping that tradition strong of changing lives through biking.

FAST, or Five Activists Standing Together is a bicycle touring team that aims to bring the message of animal rights to the entire world through our advocacy tours. We distribute literature that brings light to the hidden horrors of modern day animal agriculture, and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Periodically during our travels, we hold a small street exhibit called “Change 4 Change”. Change 4 Change will explain our mission and hopefully help us acquire donations to fund our trips (i.e literature and food).
The team consists of five people: Kevin Cooney, John Jungenberg, Mary Jungenberg, Rachel Shippee and Jamie Jungenberg. The five friends decided to form FAST because they all share the same love of biking and activism.

We have completed one tour so far-we traveled from our homes in Northern Illinois, to Madison, Wisconsin, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and back. This trip was a tremendous success, and we were able to distribute 7,000 leaflets that promote veganism.

People may ask us, "Why do you do all this just to save farmed animals?" Farmed animals are some of the most oppressed beings on the planet. Ten billion are killed each year for the meat, egg and dairy industries alone. They live in hellish conditions, forced into cages so small they can't even turn around, separated from their families, and deprived of everything that makes life worth living. We know that their lives are worth something, that they have the right to live peacefully and freely and to do as they wish. We have the utmost respect for all species of life.

Thanks to FAST for reaching out. Good luck and safe times on your travels. Be sure to check out their facebook page for more information.

Arthursday: Dr. Sketchy's 5th Annual Cute Girls on Bicycles

last week our friends over at dr. sketchy's SF version of their anti-art school had their 5(!!) annual cute girls on bicycles. dr. sketchy's hosts monthly events where they have a really fun themed live drawing get together. the month before this one featured luchadores. need i say any more?

all images link back to where i found them, via the individual artist. go forth and find out more about them!