Foiled!!!

After many years of non-eventful bicycle life in my family, the last couple of months have been unusual.  Today was just the topper.  Cameron called to tell me his bicycle had been stolen from in front of his summer job at the State Building.

Of course he was very upset and he was looking for a ride home when he called me.  There was no point in doing the Twenty Questions bit over the phone so I got in the car and headed to Civic Center to bring him home.  Civic Center in San Francisco is the black hole to which, as some comedian used to say, every freak, weirdo, drug addict, cult member and actor would eventually be drawn.  Cameron just wanted to go home and feel sorry for himself but I wanted to look around.  It seemed a good idea to just ask some folks if they had seen anything.  It was obvious most had been there all day and Cameron's bicycle is unusual, not in the least part because it is HUGE (he is 6'5"+).

I approached a group of teens who spend the day in the area skateboarding and jumping their BMX bikes.  They see everything because no one thinks kids are paying attention.  I gave them a description of the bike and told them it was worth $150 if they found it.  One of them took me up on it.  Two of his friends kept whispering to each other, they knew something.  I had a feeling we may just be in luck.

Next we looked for a police officer. The beat cops in Civic Center know all the bike thieves.  Just as we had hailed a police car and started filing a report I got a phone call.  I almost didn't answer it but boy am I glad I did!  The boys had found the bike, two blocks away!  The officer got in his car and said he would meet us there and Cameron and I took off across UN Plaza with a fire under us.  Somehow the officer missed the spot (it turned out that even though the bicycle was in full view, it was at an odd angle from the street and its more distinguishing features were not obvious) and I wasn't willing to let Cameron's bicycle get away.  The guy sitting in front of it was obviously under the influence of something, a lot smaller than I and very much in the wrong.  He had put a seat bag and a Kryptonite cable on the bike to make it seem more legit.  He had also covered it with dirt so it would look more like him.

Much like Andre the Giant, I can be the Brute Squad if necessary.  I wanted Cameron's bicycle and I was going to get it.  So I stepped over the guy, grabbed the bicycle saddle and said

-"Thank you for watching my bicycle!".  The guy looked at me and said

-"That's my bicycle.  I bought it 9 months ago." I  leaned on the top tube and said

-"No you didn't."  I wanted to keep him talking so the cops could show up and nab him. His next statement was

- "Can you prove it is yours, lady? 'Cause I just bought it from someone."

-"Oh yes?  That would be hard because it is mine."

-"Well I am not going to argue with you.  You can have it but you have to pay me."  He started trying to pack up his bag and get up, so I pulled out my phone to start taking pictures (my good camera got slammed into the ground last week when I got caught in the train tracks on Market St) and I told him

-"No. I am just taking my bike.  You are getting nothing."  The three boys who found the bike and several people from inside the dollar store we were in front of were watching at this point so this guy was getting frightened.  He tried to grab the bike to take it back and I got in his way. I let him take his little bag off of it to slow him down, taking pictures of him the whole time so he would keep putting his hands in front of his face.  As he started to run off, Cameron got in front of him and got a shot of his face, at which point the guy pulled a knife.  Cameron let him walk off (although Cameron is blackbelt in Hapkido and well versed in knife defense and disarming people he knows the best defense is just walking away).

The only picture that kinda came out.

Of course he got away before the officer could catch up with us, BUT WE GOT CAMERON'S BICYCLE BACK!!!!! All of its parts, all of its pieces, everything. We had to buy a new lock on the way home (we are not sure how the guy broke Cameron's Bulldog U-lock in broad daylight in front of a high security State building, but he did), but that is OK with me.  I had already gone straight to the ATM to get the boys (Adam, Mateo and Isaiah) their money.  I parted with it happily as bicycles big enough for Cameron are hard to find.  The boys were thrilled to get the money.

I told them if they hang out there like that they should make a business of bicycle recovery.  They said even though they are there everyday I was the first person to ever ask them for help.  Never underestimate the power of a motivated teenager or two!  They see everything.

Hopefully Cameron learned something today about not giving in or letting things like this just happen to you.  We got lucky we found his bike, but there would have been no luck if we hadn't tried!

Sunshine, Sushi and Road Lessons

Finally, just when we all thought we were going to become walking mushrooms from lack of light, San Francisco has sun!!! Oh glorious sun from which all life springs, you have finally seen fit to visit us with light and warmth!! For a few days there will be no thought of taking a sweater, or two, when leaving the house. I will not have to wipe fog from my eyes or contemplate wool. No boots, no socks, no sleeves!

When it gets this warm, I stop cooking. On Tuesday we decided to have a family sushi night so we could ride in the warmth to the restaurant. Declan was very clear that he wanted to ride his own bicycle, not on the sidewalk. It was quiet out, and with four of us to buffer him, why the heck not?

I am quite sure that people seeing us pass thought I was completely nuts for letting my kids, especially one so young, do something as radical as ride a bicycle on a street (godforbidbutatleastheiswearingahelmet...) but that's fine with me. I had the great joy of seeing my three monsters pedaling away, joking with one another, keeping tabs on each other and enjoying the amazing evening.

It is always a little difficult when he decides he would rather skid to a stop than slow down and come to a gradual one, but other than that, we just enjoyed a real summer evening on our bicycles. Something about sunset light, and summer heat, and bicycles and the prospect of sushi make a Tuesday night quite nice.

Townsend Means Bicycles Begin

Making sure to capitalize on the momentum, today the City of San Francisco started striping the first of the, tragically, delayed bike plan lanes at Townsend and 4th St. I hear the Mayor was there, as were several other notable folk (I was not among them). It is only a symbolic start, just a few feet long, but it is the beginning of a lot of painting.

Cameron and Úna were the first kids to be observed on the lane, and just to make it an official San Francisco bicycle lane, they were stopped by the first person to double park in it.

I am really looking forward to the day that the kids will be able to get all the way across San Francisco in a bicycle lane. They may not be the safest form of infrastructure available to us, but they are the beginning of the change we all really want to see.

Cameron As Pickup Truck

When Hubby the Bike Man and I decided to purchase a cargo bike we decided we wanted one that could be used by either of us or our oldest son, Cameron. Cameron is 15, 6'3" and quite strong. Now was the time to learn how to ride a loaded long tail. For a variety of reasons, Cameron will not be getting his driver's license next year, nor will he be getting a car for college (even though when I bought my car new in 1999 it was with the thought of passing it to him when he was old enough). Instead, when Cameron goes to college in 2 years he will get to choose what type of bicycle he would like to have, including a cargo bike if that is his preference.

Here is what Cameron had to say about his first Xtracycle hauling job : )

Today was something different. Instead of riding my usual Rockhopper, I learned how to ride the Xtracycle, otherwise known as the F.U.B. We use it all the time for shopping trips or to carry Declan. It was a Salvation Army trip today. Compared to what my dad pulls, that's nothing, but it was my first haul. Here I am pretending to feel a sense of accomplishment (that came later).

At this point, we were entering the Mission District. You ALWAYS have a car on your left, and the F.U.B. is a bit wider than your general bike when it is loaded up with cargo. Compared to my Rockhopper and my touring bike, the F.U.B. is too wide. I was a little paranoid about stuff falling off, or clipping a parked car, or getting clipped by a driver. Otherwise, the cargo makes downward slopes easier, and makes headwinds a complete pain, or so I'm told. The headwinds we faced were after taking off the cargo.

The balance is also a little weird.

Now we're on Valencia Street. As you probably know, it's flat here. Still a false sense of accomplishment, but I was getting more comfortable. The highlight of this stretch was Úna's comment and the ensuing conversation. I quote from a mostly accurate although very possibly askew memory of said conversation:

"Cameron, that seat makes your butt look big," says Úna.
"Úna, the only person whose butt doesn't look big on that seat is your father's," replies my mom.

It's true. My dad is pretty skinny. Very skinny. Bone thin. But anyways, what's your opinion: Does the seat make my butt, or anyone else's for that matter, look big? I guess that's just retribution for not having to pay for gas.

The fact that Xtracycle is pretty much a pickup truck on its own, I guess is part of why I'll never need a driver's license:

A bike works just as well.