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.

video: bike to work week and oak street improvements

as i wrote on fb yesterday, there are some big changes on three mere blocks of san francisco's 7x7 slice of earth.

so excited to see this green paint going up on one of the more precarious streets to bike on in SF. it is basically a one way highway for cars that bring people from the west side of town to downtown and other actually designated freeways. bikes share three blocks of this stretch of road.

one of our "reporters on the scene" took some video during his commute to work. oak street is getting some improvements. the actual ride is a bit precarious due to the construction. but nothing totally out of the complete ordinary on a workday commute.



have you noticed any bikey improvements going on in anticipation of bike to work day? SF's bike to work day is tomorrow, THURSDAY, may 9. when is yours in your town? SF tends to be earlier than normal. other than that in these parts of the interwebs bike to work day is everyday, of course.

guest contribution: with my own two wheels

this was a post passed on to us over by KT over at velo vogue. thanks KT!!



For many Americans, the bicycle is a choice. For countless others across the globe, it is much more. For Fred, a health worker in Zambia, the bicycle is a means of reaching twice as many patients. For Bharati, a teenager in India, it provides access to education. For Mirriam, a disabled Ghanaian woman, working on bicycles is an escape from the stigma attached to disabled people in her community. For Carlos, a farmer in Guatemala, pedal power is a way to help neighbors reduce their impact on the environment. For Sharkey, a young man in California, the bicycle is an escape from the gangs that consume so many of his peers.

My Own Two Wheels weaves together the experiences of these five individuals into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world - one pedal stroke at a time. Find out when it airs at linktv.org.

ViewChange: With My Own Two Wheels Airdates

(Times in Pacific time zone)
Friday, October 21st
05:00 pm
Tuesday, October 25th
08:00 pm
Thursday, October 27th
02:30 am
Saturday, October 29th
05:30 am

DIRECTV Channel 375 | DISH Network Channel 9410

crossposted over at velo vogue

Walker This Way

OK. So my DIY from yesterday has been one-upped. OK. 20,000 upped! As a woman who has spent a decade and a half with walkers and the elderly all I can say is that this guy is killing it! I also have to give huge props to his family for not getting in his way. Thanks to Ramona Wheelright for dropping this in our laps!

Once a life has been changed by cycling, the notion of not riding becomes a threat to all that is good and true. As demonstrated here by Super Grandpa, of San Francisco, no expense will be spared to accommodate the aging cyclist in her/his quest to be mobile. Do you know someone who exudes this sentiment and clearly will always ride? Do you know this man, whose image was captured on Dolores Street? I'd love to learn more about him and how he fashioned his bike support system, as I figure I will be doing the same in a few decades.

Old Town, Shanghai

Recently, a friend of the blog went to Shanghai to visit a friend. He likes riding bikes here, so naturally, it seems, he wanted to ride while abroad. His friend took a video of them riding. Take notice of the road...looks smooth as butta baby, and for quite some time.



Thanks for sharing.

me and my bike

when you ask for reader submissions, you get them! here's a video link from another reader and colleague of mine.

i have been off the bike blog interwebs for the past two weeks or so, so i apologize if it has already made the rounds....

via my colleagues in anti-oppression fun times y aquí

the sweetest thing

sent in by a reader and former classmate of mine:

"cupcake bike stand outside of a cupckae store of course. long beach."

as that oh so wise movie, clueless, said back in the day it's "so sweet it's giving me a toothache." groans all around? yes, no? heehee.

as always, we love reader submissions!! especially right now when we're getting back into the swing of things, why not show us what you are made of?!

much love,

CTX

mexico city bike share

a reader/guest contributor went to mexico city during the recently holiday break and sent in a picture.

"they've got bikes here"

we've heard of this mexico city bike share (link in spanish) for awhile now. glad to see some fotos in the flesh. ¡¡viva méxico!!

thanks for the submission, and keep sending them in guys!

reader submission

just a programming note, we'll be taking more submissions for the yehuda moon alleycat bikeku until the 13th. keep commenting away guys. i'm laughing while reading some of them, while others are pretty sweet and heartfelt.

here at CYLRAB, we love getting emails from our readers and friends. one of our friends, the schweeners, sent us a picture he took while he was on his way back from austria recently.

ya, okay. This was in the lufstansa terminal of the frankfurt airport which also featured a rad toy store and a solid ramen bar. The dudes on the bikes are airport employees, and the bikes are totally official, they're numbered and have little baskets for carrying papers on the front. which is adorable. so, rather than those motorized cards they have in US airports, there are these little bikes littered all over the place.

this would indeed be a welcome sight in US airports, and airports all over the world frankly.

thanks for sending this in sweeney, and if you guys have anything else to send, please do!

Seattle cross.

"The devil made me do it."
-cyclecross love, sent to us by reader Michael W.
thanks!!

Meet the bike nerd

Last month we received an email from the "bike nerd" aka Seth Werkheiser. I think it's pretty adventurous and cool when people are able to pack and go. Just go. Go.

My name is Seth Werkheiser and I'm nomadic bike nerd without a zip code to call home, traveling from city to city with a laptop and toothbrush.
I left Brooklyn on July 31 and now I'm biking across Pennsylvania before heading South for the winter.



how to bike 30 miles with all your posessions

As told by Seth:

My story: I've been biking since I was like, 10 years old or something. I'm 34 now. Lived in NYC for almost six years. Lots of biking in the city. Then my hours got cut at work (I'm a freelance / contractor web-editor for AOL Music). Instead of trying to squeeze every penny and eat ramen noodles I decided to get rid of all my possessions and bike across the US with my laptop and clothes. I'm in NJ now. I'll be in PA this weekend for a few stops (Stroudsburg, Bethlehem, Philadelphia, Hershey, Everett, Pittsburgh) then onto Ohio and south from there.

Soooo I work M-F, 9-5pm. I log off, then ride and hang out with friends.

It's funny - when I got my hours cut I didn't now what to do! Like, I ALWAYS worked from 9am to 7 or 8pm. I was always checking email, even until midnight. I couldn't go out to dinner without looking at my iPhone every five minutes. Now? Now life starts at 5pm, and I've been biking more than ever! Losing weight and feeling good.

Check out my blog: thebikenerd.com

•• thanks bike nerd!! ••

Surprises From Friends

This is Tony.

Tony and I met for the first time at a Tweed Ride and then ran into each other as I was watching everyone's bicycles outside Pancho Villa after a Butter Lap. We started talking and I told him about the ride. He has since become a Wednesday night regular and I get to see him all the time.

Tony is irrepressibly friendly and engaging. So when he sent me this email, I was not surprised in the least.


-"Adrienne! I thought you might like these. On the way back from the beach I saw this Papa pedaling his cute kids on the back of their Yuba bike and I asked if I could take their photo. I hope you don't mind but I named dropped you, I told them I have a friend Adrienne who writes a wonderful blog named Ride A Bike Change Your Life and that these photos perhaps will end up there so check it out. After I took the pictures we rode along through the park and sparked a conversation about bikes and he told me how much he loves to go to the park with his Partners In Crime and play all kinds of games, this day was futbol I believe but that I should catch them when they come to the park and shoot their bows and arrows "just imagine this bike loaded with archery gear and two kids on the back" he said. I say awesome!"



According to Tony, these three are Adam, Haven and Ben. How great is it to have friends that willingly go out and find stories for us? Thanks, Tony!

Hey y’all, this bike changed my life.

hey guys, cali here. the following post is a guest contribution from one of my 2.0 friends, alex. he recently bought a bike, and i asked him to share a little bit about that with you guys. being the 2.0 kind of dude he is, he readily complied. here it is. enjoy.

Two weeks ago I bought a bike and y’all were right: my life has changed. I’m addicted to bike. Instantly, my commute turned into a joyously rowdy ride down Valencia and Market in the sun, rain and wind. I get on that bike and I feel like I’m riding around like I did when I was a kid, but now I’m rolling through streets I’ve never seen and stopping at places I’ve never been. Finding sweet short cuts, timing out stoplights and dodging doors and busses are now part of my everyday routine. And it’s awesome.

I’ve been reading this blog for a while, and should have expected that my life would change, but it happened quickly and thoroughly. The transition has been more like a reversion to myself as a little dude, getting into trouble, back in the day. Drenching myself in a torrential downpour on the way to work was a badass adventure compared to the drudge of being crammed down in a tunnel on BART. And blazing through the city up and down dominating hills with sandstormy headwinds is my new fave thing. Especially when finished with some cold beers.

So yeah, thanks for the inspiration, thought I’d share these photos. Say what’s up if you see me riding through.

Gazing lustily at the waves

Racing on some butter in Golden Gate Park

Chillin' with the homey Nature's Mistake on Page

thanks alex for submitting a post about your recent adventures. so much jam packed into two weeks of riding! and agreed, nothing better to top off some riding with a nice cold beer...or your beverage of choice, of course. ahem. sssssup.

Howdy, Ma'am.

From Val, our "Bikedude" extraordinaire! We love when he sends us stuff. I always picture him riding off into the sunset after making the range a more bikeable place!



Today, as I was walking through the local grocery store, I had to pause for a moment to give a couple of very young girls a chance to consolidate themselves to one side of the aisle. They looked to be 3 and 4 years old, out shopping with their dad. The older one (who had the task of carrying the basket) looked up at me as I passed and said "Cow..boy". I get this a lot from the small ones, and I always just walk away proud, thinking "Yep, well spotted, kid". This time, as I walked away, I heard the dad telling her "No, no - that's that dude on the bike, you remember, you've seen him...". Now I'm thinking "Oh HELL yes!" Say what you like, but I seriously believe that the cowboy hat makes me much more visible, and therefore keeps me safer, than any bike helmet.

Birth Of The Bicycle Nation

This was too funny not to share! Thanks to Amsters@m The Wicked Reflectah for letting me put it here!

"If you have ever been to the best city in the world, you'll know that we do almost everything on our bikes...we travel on them, we eat, we drink coffee, we smoke...sometimes we even make love on them and give birth to the occasional bike-baby, like the one you see in this picture...those bike-babies usually get born directly into the tiny extra-seat attached to most bikes and spend their first years firmly strapped into it, only to learn how to walk and survive in non-bike situations many years later...and that is why the King of Amsterdam spends so much time rolling through Amsterdam, watching over them, ensuring their safety and correct tire-pressure :))"

He has a really cool book he put together of his photos. You should take a look.

Blister Butt Boys

A few days ago, one of our wonderful readers sent us the link to this wonderful article by Mont Hubbard and published over at Bike Davis blog. All of us here at the blog love stories of bicycle adventure, so this is right up our alley, but for me it very special. I grew up in the exact place these kids are from (so did Gary Fisher when he was little). Reading this reminded me of being a kid in the Sunset District of SF in the 1970's. At that time, I got my speed fix coming down those hills on my roller skates (!!!!!!), but even as young as 5, I remember being able to ride my bike to any point in the Neighborhood (15 square miles!) with my gang of neighborhood kids.

Enjoy the freedom of youth reading this article, then get out there and ride!

Published on February 26, 2010 in Davis Bicycles! Column.

By Mont Hubbard

Published in the Davis Enterprise, Feb. 26, 2010

San Francisco, early 1930s. In a time of much greater freedom and responsibility, a group of young teenagers called themselves the Blister Butt Bicycle Boys. My father-in-law Mal Taylor, 13, and his older brother Wally were founding members.

The bicycle was both emblematic of their independence and the key to it. They lived on their bicycles, the anvils on which the steel of their characters was forged.

The purpose of this column is to share some of the joy and excitement that youth in days gone by were afforded through their bikes. Modern equivalents must be happening in Davis today, and likely more can, but I just hope all of them are a bit safer.

Mal and Wally Taylor grew up in the Sunset district of San Francisco. Wally was born in 1920, and Mal the following year. Then as now, cycling in the city of San Francisco was considerably more challenging than in Davis. Hills, big hills, steep hills! How was a kid to get a heavy one-speed bike to adequately serve for transportation in such a situation?

Easy! With ingenuity, initiative and scavenged construction rebar, they carefully handcrafted a hook (see photo) and waited for an unsuspecting passing truck. (Kids, don’t try this at home!) The good news was that 75 years ago the trucks climbed very slowly up SF’s famously steep hills. The bad news was that they often accelerated going back down!

Mal Taylor, top, and his brother Wally are pictured in the mid-1920s in San Francisco, hinting at the fun they would have as Blister Butt Bicycle Boys.

The self-fashioned hook was critical to quickly and effectively latching onto whatever part of the rear of the truck could be used for the tow, and then the hook ensured the essential quick release before the truck’s descent. Even with the “safety” features provided by the hook, Mal recounted one incident in which a rope dangling from the truck to which he had hitched became entangled in his bike’s front wheel, winding tighter and tighter. Fortunately, before the downhill slope it somehow unwound, freeing him before catastrophe could occur. The truck driver remained oblivious to the drama unfolding behind him in his blind spot.

Mal Taylor and his brother Wally used this hook fashioned from rebar to snag a truck that would tow their bike up the hills of San Francisco.

Not only did the bicycle provide freedom and transportation across the entire city, it enabled their escape into wonderful adventures beyond. At ages 13 and 14 they planned and executed the first of many long and complex bike treks. From their homes in the Sunset district they rode to the ferry, across the Golden Gate (during construction of the bridge), onto Highway 101 and thence to Camp Taylor (later to become Samuel P. Taylor State Park) for a five-day outing.

They had convinced their parents that the 6 cents a day it cost to support each of them at home should instead be devoted to financial support of their trip. That, together with their wages from odd jobs such as mowing lawns, helped to bankroll these expeditions.

The next summer the club decided on a 150-mile, five-day expedition to the Russian River. Having found homemade saddlebags too clumsy, they paid 63 cents (a substantial sum during the height of the Depression) to mail their packs to a nearby general store and made the trip to their camp in one day. This was one of many such trips: south to Big Basin, and by ferry to the East Bay hills and points north of the Golden Gate.

Little did they know that the independence, ingenuity and can-do spirit their bikes fostered would help them, a short decade later, to develop into the saviors of freedom of the Western world, as members of America’s Greatest Generation.

Although our 13-year-olds grow up in a completely different world today, they could still benefit from some of the unparalleled advantages that bicycles afforded the Blister Butt Bicycle Boys: physical and mental conditioning, initiative, self reliance, a bit more independence, and an unmatched sense of freedom and potential.

These are qualities that are not developed or enhanced by being driven to and fro in automobiles by parents. Bikes also provide a great introduction to mechanical devices — a vanishing area of knowledge for our youths in the age of video screens and electronic devices.

After hearing these stories, my wife Lyn, Mal’s daughter, feels extraordinarily lucky to have been born at all. But she observes that, even with modern improvements such as gears, helmets, lights and our excellent bike infrastructure, it’s reassuring not to have to use the truck hitching hooks in Davis.

— Mal Taylor (1921-2010) lived in Sunnyvale and enjoyed sharing the tales of his youth and biking with friends and family. Mont Hubbard is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UC Davis and a member of Davis Bicycles! He does research on bicycle dynamics and control and lives with Lyn in South Davis where they have raised four children and are trying to increase their bicycle travel mode share. To offer a Davis Bicycles! column, write to Joe Krovoza at column@davisbicycles.org

Canary Is To Coal Mine As Tree Is To Traffic

For a nice change, we bring you this interesting view of the road from our frequent commenter, Val! We all have a road like this in our communities (unless you are reading this in Denmark or Holland or Japan or Sweden or.... in which case we give you this opportunity to see just what you are missing out on!). How do you see yours?


The neighborhood I live in is a somewhat isolated suburb, on top of a steep ridge. There are only three routes up or down this ridge, and all are crowded and challenging to ride. Here's one:




It doesn't really show, but that's a 10% grade there, with a 40mph limit that almost all the traffic exceeds. This is a section where I frequently use the sidewalk, especially coming up (and, yes, if I'm doing that, I'm going at pedestrian speed, yeilding to people, and smiling as I pass them - politeness always helps).

Further down the hill, the street is lined with cherry trees:




It's very pleasant for those of us not sealed in high speed boxes, and you can see that February is turning out to be quite nice here in the Puget Sound area. As we proceed along this stretch, however, we see that not all of these trees are standing straight:




In fact, quite a few seem less than vertical:





What could cause such a thing? Perhaps this is a clue:



Or, if that is not enough, how about:




If the sight of a truncated trunk lying on the ground with its bark torn off still doesn't tell the tale, I direct your attention to my final exhibit:




That's right, what we are seeing here is automotive damage. The combination of a steep hill, crowded road, and people in a hurry leads to motor vehicles going off the road in this area with alarming regularity. I shudder to think of anyone who may have been walking when these things happened. The trees, at least, can adapt and survive, usually. There are several blank spaces in the row that have been left by trees that were too damaged.

Why post this here? For me, this street is a constant graphic reminder of some of the contrasts between bikes and cars. When I am riding, I can appreciate the cherry trees, which are barely noticeable from a sealed environment going 40-50mph, and I know that no matter how out of control I get, I will never knock one over. We hear about illnesses caused by exhaust fumes, we read the statistics about deaths in traffic, and we know that driving increases stress in drivers, but constant visible damage like this has another sort of impact. Every time I see these trees, I am glad to be riding.

Do you have a ride you would like us to see? We would love to view the world through your eyes. A favorite road? A place that leaves you wondering? Something that makes you want to become an urban planner? Share with the world!

Into The Sunset!

This just in from John Romeo Alpha at "One Speed: Go!"- "My older daughter asked me to go for a ride just before sunset tonight. A last taste of freedom before she goes back to school tomorrow, I guess."

Sometimes they complain, and sometimes they fight it, but after all is said and done, our kids love to spend time with us. They love to spend quality time with us best, and it doesn't get anymore quality than a sunset ride with Dad : )

Neighborhood Bike Share

Our latest contribution is in! On New Year's Day no less. I love this story from Travis who blogs about bikes and family (great combo, I think). A bike with history for a whole neighborhood. The story is opportune as we just put the first bicycle, that Cameron, Úna and Declan all learned to ride on, out on the corner on Christmas day for someone to pick up and give to a child who needed it. I will never know where it went, but I can think of it the way this little blue bike has lived out its life- being loved by children all over the neighborhood : )




My eldest son, Kael, found the next owner for the little blue neighborhood bike—Nick and his son, Cale. And as it turns out, we know Nick although we did not know it. His wife knows us through school and being that our sons have similar names, the hook-up was inevitable. Have you noticed how often people in Portland mention the small world thing?

My sons were down the street at a friend’s house helping with what Kael calls a “free yard sale”. This is when you have items out on your median strip for anyone to grab for free. Nick stopped to ask if there were any small bikes. This is when my son spoke up.

“Sorry, there are no small bikes here, but I have one at home that you can have.” So up the street they went. This is when I got involved. I met Nick and he told me that his son is ready to move on up to a big bike with training wheels, giving up his tricycle.

Nick, you came to the right place and I am pleased that my generous son was around at the right time. You see, we were looking for the next owner of this little blue bike. This bike has had several users.

Forrest was the first user. He lives two houses down from us. He is the patriarch of the neighborhood boys and is going into 9th grade this year at Grant HS and will commute to school by bike. His bike is not blue, nor is it little, but his everyday use of bikes is likely connected to that little blue bike. Forrest learned to ride two-wheeled style on this bike, on a hill, in Nehalem Bay State Park.

From here the bike went to Palmer across the street, the eldest son of that family. Palmer tore around the bike and would ride up the drive, and then down the steps. Over and over.

Then back across the street to Mason, Forrest’s younger brother. At age four, Mason insisted that he was ready to ride this bike without training wheels. With his brother’s encouraging words as he ran beside him, “He’s riding! Mom! He’s riding”, Mason rode the bike off.

Next, the bike came to us and we learn of its history. Our oldest son, Kael, was especially fond of catching what he believed to be huge amounts of air off a bike jump.

Bennett, Palmer’s younger brother, gets it next so across the street it goes. Bennett takes good care of the bike and rides it strong, with intent.

Back to us. Soren’s turn. He likes the training wheels and even though he has the skill, he is reluctant to give them up. In the fall of that year, I take the training wheels off and he quickly takes to two-wheel motion.

Now, the bike has the unique situation of staying with us for two children. Asa, our youngest, and the last user in our family, rides the bike. The original training wheels have flat spots by this point so my father gets new ones. Less than a month ago, Asa, age 4, rides off without training wheels. His oldest brother, Kael, taught him one Saturday morning.

And now Cale. You are the 8th user of which I know.

And the great thing, the topper, the twist to this tale, is that this bike came from the Community Cycle Center, a neighborhood bike shop who, among many other things, refurbishes bikes and sells them at a low cost to increase the access people have to the benefits of bikes. Who knows how many users your bike truly had, Cale.

So Cale, newest user of the neighborhood blue bike, enjoy and many happy hours biking around. And Nick, when the bike is handed down through your sons and is no longer of use, pass it on.

It would be great to think that this bike continues to bring youthful freedom.

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.