Tag!

According to Marc, my bicycle is now truly Dutch.

 

While KT and I shared a bottle of sparkling wine at Etcetera, someone decided my basket needed to be tagged.  It is only White Out, so I can take it off but now that Ian has decided it stands for "sexy, young bitch" I am tempted to leave it there.

What do you think?  Should I keep my graffiti or not?  What does "SYB" stand for?

Yummy On A Bicycle.

A huge thank you to the Sartorialist for seeing, shooting and publishing the following image.

Holy smokes!  Take a look at this one, too, and these if you like.  Think we could get Scott Schuman to shoot for us here at the blog?  We pay in casserole!

The Corn In Our Side

The bicycle is an amazing thing.  It is, at its essence, one of the most simple machines possible, and like most simple machines, provides benefits that far exceed its complexity.  Unlike most things, the bicycle's grasp far exceeds its reach.  Like most things in this category, it is not adequately appreciated.  I think it is time we stopped and thought about this for a moment.

I try hard to not succumb to the easy arguments in life.  We should have to think about what we do, what we believe, what we buy, how we live.  But sometimes that thinking can make living harder, and that is why so many of us, even me when I am tired, avoid it.  Much of the time if you ask me why I bike I would probably tell you I enjoy it more, that I like the exercise, that it is faster and easier than driving in San Francisco.  Those are all true statements, but they are easy ones to make.  They form the ideals of most of us who chose to ride over drive.  The more thoughtful answer would be that I am tired of contributing to the suffering around me- the noise, the pollution, the forceful takeover of public space that marginalizes all those who are not in a car, the sucking up of resources that need to be used in a more thoughtful and equitable way by all the people of the world.

The more I think about these things, the more insane so many of them seem.  The list of items I find needless and destructive would not be appropriate in this forum, but one of them is very much in line with what we try to do here at the blog- the production and propagation of bio-fuel usage in the world.  The two great hopes of the transportation industry, in all its forms, are electricity and bio-fuels.  Even the American Military is looking at bio-fuel as a means of fueling its insatiable need.

It seems like such a great idea.  Using renewable crops to grow our own fuel.  Brazil is doing it in spades, and there are consequences to it most people do not want to think about.  We can not make bio-fuels out of just anything when we are talking about huge industrial quantities.  Reliable, high quality fuel requires consistent, high quality ingredients.  Currently, no matter where you go in the world, those ingredients are sugar cane and corn (along with wheat and soy and palm oil).  These used to be crops used to feed people and animals, and now the people and animals are having to compete for food with the bus fleets and old diesel vans of the world.  And it is getting worse.  Not only do these crops no longer feed people, they use up vast amounts of water, are grown with huge amounts of chemicals and they destroy the land they are grown in.

Not everyone in the world has the resources to grow enough bio-fuel for themselves.  Many countries have started buying farmland in other countries to start growing fuel crops.  The countries that are selling are poor (Rwanda, Ghana, Madagascar ...) and the countries that are buying are rich (South Korea, Saudi Arabia...).  "In response, the importing countries negotiated and in some cases leased land in other, more irrigable countries to grow grain and produce biofuels for themselves. Countries like Saudi Arabia, China and South Korea have all leased land in Africa, where the governments lease irrigable land for as little as $1 an acre.(source)"  Land needed to feed the growing population of the world is going instead to feeding our cars, our delivery trucks, our buses, and eventually, our war ships and airplanes.

So, that is what has become a huge part of why I ride my bicycle.  My life and the way I live it should not contribute to the hunger of others.  My needs are no more important than those of any one else. My share should not come to me because somewhere else in the world there are those desperate enough that they will give up theirs, or have it taken from them by those who are greedy and shortsighted enough to think their actions are justified.

This is a long post, and not quite as a light as some of you may have come to expect from me.  I think it is worth it, though.  There are a lot of links here and they will take time to read and get through.  I encourage you to do it.  I encourage you to start thinking about the choices that you are making.  Listen to the story broadcast on NPR that spurred me to write this.  Tell me what you think.  Does this make you want to ride more?  Does it make you angry enough to start making different choices?  Does it overwhelm you?

Hands On Learning

When you have kids that ride alone on major city streets you have to make sure they know what to do if something happens.  We have pointed out where all the bike shops along our regular routes are in case they have a flat or something.  We have taught them what to not lock up to (chain link fences are way easier to cut than the lock).  We have explained what to do if they get doored or hit by a car- call the police,  and let them deal with it.  I know enough about kids to know that if something happens they will not get the information right and they need calm, trained professionals to help.  We have taught them the information they should try to get, driver's licenses and insurance and plate numbers, but it takes a certain confidence and set of life skills to be able to do that when you have been knocked off your bike.

The other day, Cameron managed to get doored on Valencia Street.  There is a lot I could write about that, like how the bike lane on one of the most heavily used bike lanes in San Francisco is put 100% in the door zone,

or how often it is blocked by delivery trucks or taxis or construction vehicles....

but I will just tell you what came about with Cameron's dooring.

He got none of the information right.  After getting knocked off his bicycle, the woman who threw her door into him was more concerned about getting her door fixed than in giving Cameron her license or insurance info.  She didn't even ask him if he was OK.  He was only minorly injured and his bike was largely alright but Cameron was shaken up enough to forget everything we had taught him over the years.  He didn't even take any pictures (obviously not my son).  He wrote down her license plate number before she took off.

Needless to say, he got the plate wrong which we learned when we went to report the incident.

Unable to file a report because of insufficient information the really helpful Officer at the station told Cameron what he should do in a situation like that- call 911 and tell them you are a minor and that you need help.  They will be out ASAP and they can take care of what needs to be done (of course, if you are 18 or over don't tell them you are a kid) because opening your door into moving traffic is a crime.  Best of all, we were given the MAGIC PHONE NUMBER FOR ALL SAN FRANCISCANS-

415-553-8090

 

This number is the direct number to SF's 911 dispatch and can be used with a cell phone to bypass the cell phone 911 system which is run by the California Highway Patrol.  This allows you to speak  directly to SFPD without being patched through and gets you faster and more targeted response.  It also means you can be less specific about where you are and the person on the other end of the line can help figure it out (CHP dispatch in Vallejo can not do that as they are not in or from SF).

The phone numbers for-

 

Berkeley, CA 510-981-5911

Oakland, CA 510-777-3211

Daly City, CA 650-991-8119 (the DCPD asks that cell users call the non-emergency line until a system is created)

 

Go see if your city has a direct number to your local PD emergency dispatch!  Cameron and Úna both now have this number programmed into their phones as the first number in the directory.  Too bad it does not also magically impart the lesson that one should never ride in the door zone.

1939? Are You Sure?

There is nothing new under the sun.

Enough said.

Thanks to Kenneth Schwartzman for the tip directing us here.

Educating The Future

I am sure many of you have read about the Walker, Michigan high school Seniors who were suspended from the last day of school and then told they would not be allowed to walk the stage at the graduation because they rode their bicycles to school (with the Mayor!).  What a stupid situation that was.  My favorite quote from it so far has been School District Superintendent Gerald Hopkins-

"Superintendent Gerald Hopkins told the meeting that the district would have supported the bike ride if students had alerted officials ahead of time."

Who calls a school superintendent to ask if it is OK to ride a bicycle to school? What kind of power do they think they have?  A lot of those kids are 18 and are no longer required to ask anyone's permission to do anything.

Cameron in danger? He is a high school Senior.

Anyway, just when that whole idiocy starts to work its self out we get this next beautiful example of education and reasoned response to the needs of children and families in Gilbert, Arizona.

The Board of the charter Edu-Prize School in Gilbert has banned children from biking or walking to school!!!!! I am sorry, but who the hell gave a charter school board the power to  say anything about anything that happens outside their school, outside of school hours when kids are with their parents?!!!  The school's chief operating officer (just that title should let you know this is coporate, not education) Barbara Duncan is quoted as saying-

"All have put children at considerable risk, and our board has acted to keep children safe before there is a predictable event," Duncan said in an e-mail. "The streets are marked with bike paths but are not wide enough for children or parents to safely use them."

So all of the parents have had to sign an agreement that they will drive their kids to school- mistake number one.  I am a parent in a school that tried to prevent me from letting my daughter walk 3 blocks home by herself after school.  After pointing out that they had no problem with her walking to school alone everyday and then providing them the name of my attorney should they feel the need to push this further, Úna was never again prevented from walking home on her own.  Parents can and must fight this kind of idiocracy.

Mistake number two?  If the Charter Board of Edu-Prize School wishes to throw their power around, do something to make your streets safer!!!  That is what we are doing here at many schools in San Francisco.  We are returning the streets around 181 of our schools to the 15 MPH spaces they are supposed to be, we are expanding our bicycle lane network and working for even more (and with this and other changes our elementary school had 31% of our student body participate in Bike To School Day even though it was raining), we are using our Safe Routes To Schools money to make needed changes, and most importantly, we are not letting the world just keep on trudging along running over our children.

Children in imminent danger?

Obviously these kids will be killed any moment.  Yeah.

Schools are supposed to be places that teach kids how to think.  Schools are not there to police a parent's transportation decisions.  Forget the "my kids get great exercise" argument.  How about the "I am out of work and the car isn't working so we will be using those bicycles we all got for Christmas" argument?  Or the "We live three blocks from school so we are walking"  argument?  Or my personal favorite "My kid is still having trouble reading because you are too worried about her using her scooter" argument.

If this we Gilbert we would be rebel outlaws!

Kids have to take classes in critical thinking to graduate and go to college.  I think some "educators" could do with some brushing up in that area, don't you?

This Is San Francisco : Outside Lands

As you saw yesterday, we have stared a little cross pollination project between us, Vélo Vogue and Wheelright.  It is always interesting to see things from varying perspectives and so here is mine, just a little late.

I grew up in what people have, once again, started calling the Outside Lands.  Its official name is the Sunset District.  On the day we were all out there the Great Highway, the road that has physically separated the neighborhood from the shore line for decades, was closed to traffic for Sunday Streets.

This road was the terror of the neighborhood when I was growing up.  Six lanes of unregulated, high speed traffic with zero areas for people to cross on foot to reach the beach.  In 1983 most of the road and the adjacent sand dunes were destroyed by massive waves that crested over the road (20 feet above above and 30 feet in from the high water line) and the whole thing had to be rebuilt and reinforced. It is a constant battle, to the tune of millions of dollars, to keep this road safe for car traffic.  The whole road is built on sand dunes (most of which are a protected bird sanctuary)!  I am not sure why anyone thought that was a good idea and every year we are reminded it wasn't.

 At that time the road was redesigned with traffic control and crossover points at every street.  Pedestrian paths were created along the sides of the highway and we all thought it was great!  It never occurred to us to want more.  The whole Outer Sunset was in the throws of deep decline and anything we got seemed like manna from heaven.  Now, I think there are many, many people who not only dream but work toward shutting this highway down and turning it into open public space.  I think they will succeed and I look forward to that day.

 Today, when it isn't closed to traffic, bicyclists have to share the side path with joggers and dogs and walkers.  It is a beautiful path but it isn't enough.  The whole coast should be open to people to roam freely, to ride a bicycle or fly along on their skates or teach their children how to kite board.  I don't say this because I hate all cars, I say it because I have lived with this road and its impact on the neighborhood for 40 years.  The Outer Sunset deserves better.

In the meantime, there is always the beach. Miles and miles of beach to love and live on and be a part of.

So while I left the Sunset happily in 1984 to live in the Mission District, there is always a part of me that lives there.  There is always a part of me that misses the salt air and the fog horns and the never ending barrage of sand blowing into my home even with the windows closed.  I miss the kites flying above and the crazy surfers who head out daily to freeze in the violent surf and the pot smokers and the teenagers having bonfires as the sun goes down.

A little video of a regular day on the Great Highway.

The Best Always Comes Back Again

I took this picture in April 2009.

And KT got 'em again over at Vélo Vogue. It is because they are just too awesome for one blog!

Correction- Ramona Wheelright is the VV awesomeness on the other end of the link : )

The Face of Evil

Ever wonder what bicycle thieves look like? In SF, a couple of them look like the two below.



Please call 911 if you see them. If you have any more info you can contact Police report # 120/171/670 Officer J Lopez #373 Officer J Felix #2027 Mission Station 415-558-5400 415-601-4145 cell

Thanks to MissionMission for the heads up!

Inappropriate Wednesday Fun

Don't watch this at work. Unless you work somewhere where this kind of thing is OK. In which case, pump it up!



Those of us in SF will have a little bit of a chuckle over this.

via SFist

Underground Railroad Bicycle Route

Exploring the Route to Freedom, put on by the Adventure Cycling Association. "To further our goal of encouraging people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds to explore the landscapes and history of American by bicycle, Adventure Cycling began a partnership with the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh in 2004. With America facing a national health crisis, Adventure Cycling and the Center for Minority Health saw a natural alliance born from common goals."

february is black history month. while i might scoff at one month per year to celebrate any one group of history, had it not been, i might not have found out about that terrific bike project of ACA. there are several routes to choose from that follow the historic underground railroad route where slaves worked there way north to freedom before the end of the civil war and the awesomeness that is juneteenth.

there are two main routes. the first one travels from mobile, alabama up to ontario, canada. there's also a brand new, and how i discovered this 5 year old project, detroit alternate route which takes you from oberlin, ohio to owen sound on lake huron's georgia bay.

this looks like it was an amazing undertaking with a lot of people on the advisory board in order to get this route just right.

via ACA flickr page

here are some pics from the supported tour in 2007:

via ACA flickr page

many thanks to the many hands that had a say in this project. looks like an amazing route, full of history. history and bikes?! my two favoritessssst interests combined. pretty spectacular.

all other pictures are by dennis coello.

a big huge hat tip to the fine people over at outdoor afro, one of my favorite blogs ever. why? because it features african-americans in outdoor settings. if there's a US latino equivalent to outdoor afro and someone knows about it, please please please post the URL in the comments.

DIY

Just a few days ago I was invited to join in the fun over at Mission Bicycles.-

"You could sit at home and watch a YouTube video and try to figure this out. It's doable. But why not come out and learn, once and for all, how to change a flat tire with a little human interaction.

At this hands-on workshop, we'll start with the basics, then give you the tricks and secrets of fast and easy flat fixing.

At the AM session, we'll get jacked on Fayes coffee and Pepple's vegan donuts. At the PM session we'll savor fresh Firebrand pretzels and ice cold beer (Anchor Steam and IBC).

We'll even send you home with a set of our favorite tire levers.

We end the session with a group ride - a tour of the Mission District's 11 bike related businesses. One last thing. No spectators allowed. Nobody admitted without a bike. Come prepared to get your hands dirty"

The 2-18 class is full but there is one on March 10th. Even though Todd taught us how to patch a tire parked next to dog poop in the past, and I used to patch my own tires sometime in the last century, I look forward to a hands on lesson on a room full of people who are less likely to laugh at me than my husband.

RIP Don Rafa, owner of 16th St. Cyclery

We have written before about Don Rafa and his store over on 16th near Mission street in SF. I went in a couple of times, but since is not close to my house, nor do I work near there, I was an infrequent visitor. I definitely appreciated his presence in the latino community as a bike store that caters to what some people call the "invisible cyclists." That term makes me think of fingernails on a chalkboard, and I'm glad that the store will live on through his daughter.

Mission Local has the info:

Rafa Macias, who was known to many as Don Rafa, has passed away.

The owner of Don Rafa’s Cyclery at 2929 16th St. suffered a heart attack while driving home from his daughter’s house on Jan. 20, according to another daughter, Lupe Macias. He was 60 years old.

He had worked on bicycles for most of his life, first in Mexico and then in the Bay Area.

In the late 1990s, Macias moved to the United States and started working at local swap meets, renting space and fixing bicycles on site.

Here's to a new generation over at 16th St. Cyclery! We extend our condolences and wish the family well.

the man who lived on his bike

i came across this video in my RSS feed. my favorite is when he's doing the crossword while riding.

the director, Guillaume Blanchet, writes, "I love being on a bike. It helps me feel free. I get it from my dad."

THE MAN WHO LIVED ON HIS BIKE from Guillaume Blanchet on Vimeo.

enjoy!

via laughing squid

Half Way

3 of 4 colour choices (cream not pictured)

We are more than half way to our World Bicycle Relief goal! Six wonderful people have come forward and sacrificed a week's coffee budget for the purpose of getting someone in Africa a life changing bicycle. A huge thanks to you 6! Your scarves will be going out this week (the first 3 today, the next three over the next few days as I finish knitting them!) .

One of our donors was able to get her employer to match her $15! So while I don't count that to our goal, it is still fantastic! And even better? Now through Dec 31st, all donations to WBR are being matched dollar for dollar!!! So everything we do goes twice as far!

If you have been thinking of giving, now is the time! $15 donated in honor of "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" and verified to our address (cylrab@gmail.com) will not only get you a hand made by me scarf, it will be turned into $30 by WBR and it will help change someone's life in ways we can scarcely imagine.

For more info read here and here.

And So It Begins!

We have 4 contributions in our World Bicycle Relief Giveaway! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! That makes us almost half way to a bicycle in the hands of someone who really, really needs one. For this Holiday season, we can give someone dignity, opportunity and independence!


We only need 6 more $15 contributions to make this happen. Remember, a $15 contribution made in the name of "Change Your Life. Ride A Bike!" and confirmed to our email address, cylrab@gmail.com, will go way farther than that same $15 could ever get you in the coffee shop you would have blown it in anyway! And for those who contribute, we have a gift- a hand knit, and quite useful if I do say so myself, scarf from one of us here at the blog!! I will be posting pictures of the various colours in the morning, so keep a weather eye out! And if you want to give and not get, let me know and we will make sure that scarf gets into the hands of someone who needs it here in San Francisco.

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?

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!

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



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

We Will Fix It With Glue, Glue, Glue

About 5 days after I got The Bat, it was knocked down by a drunk woman in the Mission. The fall managed to crack one of the hand grips, and over the next few weeks, it completely fell apart. After looking around at options for replacement (I hated the "ergo" grips it came with ) I decided upon the cork grips they sell at Rivendell. I really liked them because they were not the composite cork grips you find in most places. Rivendell cork grips are made in rounds and glued together to form the grip.

Why don't I want composite cork grips? Because, when they get smashed they turn to little bits of fly away powder. There is nothing to do but replace them. In my case, that would mean replacing them fairly often as the Bat gets blown down in the wind all the time. I would have to order them by the case. This seems silly to me. With the Riv grips the only part that gets broken is the ring that gets hit, and if it gets hit right you can fix it!

So, as you can see here above, the end of my grip was completely knocked off when it smashed into the ground (my front rack was bent, too). The end piece came off cleanly so all I had to do was glue it back on.

All I had to do was glue the ends that would make contact with one another. I use Super Glue. Never use Gorilla Glue. It expands as it dries and makes things all wonky.

All you need to do after that is press the two pieces together for a few minutes and then let it dry.

Now my grips are pretty disreputable right now. They get smashed and scraped all the time. Sometime soon I will sand them down a bit and re-shellac them. They will look completely new with about 15 minutes worth of "effort".

This is the third time I have repaired this grip. The other side has been put back together many times, too. I have only had to replace one of them once but that was after a bicycle that was hanging from the garage ceiling fell and crushed it.

You don't always have to buy something when a part breaks. If you chose the right things you can make them last a good long time, usually with a little bit of glue.