bitchinspin

My kinda ride....

2007-07-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

Fueled by red wine and legumes, thats what I'm talkin' about....add a latte and some chocolate and you've got the perfect ride.

Image spotted by Pablo, LAs primo Jazz/Tango bass-guitar-piano playin' phenome. We'll make a greenie of him yet.....

Bamboo Bike

2007-06-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

I've seen images of bamboo bikes before, cool, yet more novelty and less performance oriented.

Then spotted this article in today's LA Times about Santa Cruz elite bike builder Craig Calfee, who started experimenting with bamboo frames after watching his "jaws of steel" pooch fail to make more than a dent in a bamboo stick.

Hes since built over 91 racing style bamboo bikes, including one used for the Hawaii Ironman.

Calfee's design caught the eye of a New York cyclist/environmentalist from the Earth Island Institute, as a potentially valuable form of transportation in developing countries. The two have been exploring areas of Africa, to assess the bike's economic and environmental benefits.

Will keep tabs on this, sounds like a grand idea......

My friends at Xtracycle have also sparked a revolution on this front, through Worldbike, bringing bicycle entrepreneurs together to design functional, low cost bikes to serve the needs of developing countries.

We Are "The Cyclists"

2007-06-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Been taking a bit of a blog hiatus these days, but had to post this, hilarious clip poking fun at the holier than though cyclists we all know and.....love.

Can't seem to post youtube vids with this new blogger format, hope they fix it soon.

Spinnin' on the Ellen Show

2007-05-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone's doing the green thing these days, even the
The Ellen Show. For her great green episode, I got to join 15 other spinners from Revolution pedaling stationary bikes rigged to power generators, as a background scene. Fun, and a crazy coincidence, as I've been chatting with Revolution about doing something similar.....

Original idea was to have us power the TV, but didn't quite turn out that way - either technical problems or lack of planning.....too bad, but it was still fun, a trip for this non-TV watcher to see the behind the scenes.

The show featured Cameron Diaz, who reminded us to turn off the water when brushing our teeth (cutting edge, ahem) and Simran Sethi from Treehugger TV and The Green. Who was wonderful as always.

Heres the whole lot of us, sharing our brief Hollywood moment.

And now....lets rig those bikes up and put those wasted spinning calories to good use!

BikeRoWave

2007-05-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Bikes, like all vehicles, take some maintainance, and occasionally break down. With skills and tools, you can fix most things yourself, but some of us lack the former....(or later, or both) and hate the idea of forking out a bunch of $ for glitches we KNOW would be a snap to fix.

Enter BIKEROWAVE. The answer to my prayers!

Bikerowave is a community-run project, a bicycle kitchen/cool DIY hangout space on the west side - a place to fix/wrench/clean your bike with guidance from a group of friendly volunteer mechanics.

They won't just fix your bike FOR you while you stand by watching dumbly, rather they will SHOW YOU HOW TO FIX YOUR OWN BIKE!

I finally made it there the other weekend, to fix a glitch on my Xtracycle.

What you can't see in this photo, somehow the only one to turn out from multiple pix snapped, is the formerly greasy chain I'm holding, my first time learning to break and degrease a chain, granted with much hand holding......

Not only was I thrilled to have my bike functioning again, having a hand in the process made it all the more gratifying.

So next time you tweak something on your bike, try a more personal approach and learn something while you're at it.

Open hours are Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 - 10:00, or Saturday from 1:00-5:00. Bring your bike, a 6 pack, and a desire to get down and dirty with your ride....

The Great Bike Corral '07

2007-04-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Extra bike or two in the garage? Old, neglected frames gathering dust, crying out for fresh air and open roads?

Round 'em up and dust 'em off for the THE GREAT BIKE CORRAL ‘07 at REI Manhattan Beach.

WHEN: Saturday May 19th – Sunday May 20th 10:00AM-5:00PM
WHERE: 1800 Rosecrans Ave (On the corner of Rosecrans & Aviation)
WHY: Your chance to alleviate your bike guilt and donate your vehicle to a great cause, The Bicycle Kitchen and their "earn a bike" program.

*Donate Your Salvageable Used Bikes and receive a $20 REI gift certificate, a 15% off coupon, and a tax write off.

Don’t miss the hamburgers, hotdogs, and live entertainment!

I dunno about y'all, but I'm def. there for the hotdogs. Those are organic veggie dogs, right?

Load haulin' mama

2007-04-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

My mom, a weekend warrior, rides her Xtracycle once a week to the Sunday farmers market, loading up w/ organic goods for the week. I've written about her before, love her weekly routine.....

This week, she was interviewed coming into the city's bike valet area, and her quote ended up closing this article on the program,

"Mary Ann Cummins, 70, has equipped her bicycle with side bags large enough to hold her artichokes, greens, broccoli and fresh Gaviota strawberries. "My God, I forgot my eggs," she said, and hastily returned her bike to an attendant."

That sounds exactly right. The part about the eggs that is.

Article made me sad for Johnnie, whose personal bike/pet watcher service has taken a hit due to the program.....I think next time I'll leave my Xtra w/ him.

Xtracycle diaries

2007-04-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

Just noticed that the Xtra crew have a new blog, the xtracycle diaries.

These lads are changing the world with two wheels, a sense of humor, and lots of love......

.....fueled by veggie burritos and good tunes.

I've been carless for a few weeks, lent my Volvo to a friend, and have little impetus to fetch it. The test is always my weekly cooking class: toting a load of farmers market veggies, pasta for 40, vegan chocolate cake w/ frosting, knives, bowls, and cutting boards galore - a seemingly impossible task sans car.

Yet doable and an adventure, always, with my trusty pedal powered uber-machine.

Bikecar

2007-03-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

4 avid cyclists/snowboarders/adventurers build a bikecar, and take a rather involved snowboarding roadtrip, pedaling all the way.

Trying to curb global warming? Making a grand statement? Or just having some serious fun adventuring?

Thats for the viewer to decide.

(Via C.I.C.L.E)

Rock The Bike

2007-03-17T14:23:00.001-07:00

A partnership between two cutting edge cyclepreneurs in the bay area, Rock The Bike is about making bike-street-party culture hipper than ever, taking fun on two wheels to new heights, and keepin' it fresh.

"We're developing a new school of bicycle advocacy, working off of the old writer's adage "Show, don't tell." If you want more people in your community to ride bikes, then get out their and make it look fun, cool, and sexy."

My Xtra moved to Ecovillage!

2007-03-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

My Xtracycle headed out last night for an extended home stay at LA Ecovillage, under the expert care of Somerset Waters.

A musician, journeyman electrician, bike mechanic, and renewable energy wizard, Somer lives CARLESS IN LA so will no doubt put the Xtra to good use.

Last night we gathered at my friend Dan's house for the bike swap. Was highly impressive watching these two super-skilled bike mechanics perform the operation......wish my night photography were clearer!

Heres Somer getting to know his new sidekick.....

I will now be riding my friend Riley's Xtracycle - as a spin instructor/trainer, her marathon daily sessions running/spinning leave her too tapped to bike commute. So I'll adopt her "princess", while mine gets a taste for life on the east side......thrilled to know my favorite little companion will be tooling around LA in such good hands, tapping into the unique Eco-Village/Bicycle Kitchen east side culture. Go get 'em tiger!

Water lite: 40% fewer chemicals

2007-03-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Than leading plastic-encased brands.

I recently lost my Soma water bottle, so thought I'd take this opportunity to remind people about plastics' pernicious leaching propensities.

Plastic may or may not leach toxic chemicals into our water bottles, at levels that may or may not have long term impacts on our endocrine system, that may or may not affect our reproductive system.

So we may or may not want to play it safe, by avoiding plastic when possible.

On the cycling front, I've searched for an eco-friendly, non-plastic, lightweight alternative for some time now. The front runners thus far:

*My lovely new SIGG bottle. This I use for commuting. For distance/sport cycling, doesn't quite meet most cyclists' featherweight criteria;

*The Soma Bottle. Though plastic, at least a better alternative for cyclists, a special non-leaching plastic that won't make your water taste like a chemical reduction sauce;

*That light-weight, bio-plastic bottle that won't disintegrate after a few rides......damn, isn't out there yet.

When in doubt, avoid the plastic altogether.

Freaked out by Global Warming

2007-03-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Thats right, Kipchoges freaked out.

Watch how he deals with his freaked-out-ness.

You're freaked out too?

So what are you going to do?

Green Living Workshops in Santa Monica

2007-03-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

A bit of a departure from strictly bike related, but as biking fits into the larger "sustainable living" family, going to plug this great local resource....

Sustainable Works, the organization I currently work for, offers ongoing "green living" workshops, 6-week community classes on how to adopt clean, green lifestyle changes into your daily routine. Next cycle starts Wednesday, March 7th, 7-8:30 at Wild Oats.

With no personal bias involved (of course) classes are fun, informative, and actually inspire people to make real changes - saving water and energy, cutting back on waste, slashing utility bills etc. in a social, group setting.

Instructor Barent Roth, who some may know as the local Green Drinks organizer, is an industrial designer, former professor, and extremely knowledgeable about all things sustainable.

Additionally, members learn alot from each other....classes often attract people who are experts in a particular area, and want to broaden their knowledge. Photo here shows one of our workshop members Dave Chameides leading a discussion on transportation. A renewable energy expert, (Dave has retrofitted two cars to run on vegetable oil) he now gives inspiring talks to school groups all over Los Angeles, and was kind enough to share with us, his class was a hit!

Note the rapt attention....and can you spot the bike in the background?

Groups meet weekly for 6 sessions, each week covering a different topic (water, energy, waste, transportation, chemicals, and food/shopping) in various community venues around town.

To sign up for next weeks workshop at Wild Oats, or to keep informed about upcoming courses, just drop me a line: cummins_anna@smc.edu or call (310)458-8716.

And if you do join, do your best to bike, bus, walk, or carpool.

How to: load bike on bus

2007-02-19T10:45:00.001-08:00

Saw this little illustrated how to and had to post for my friend Siel, who has expressed some concern about the whole bike on bus thing.

Shes gone carfree, which I'm way impressed with - something I keep yapping about but haven't yet pulled the "sell" trigger. I'll definitely proclaim it to the world once I do. Meantime, for anyone else a little wary of using the bus bike rack, check it out.

Just about every city with bike racks on buses have their own little instruction page, so clearly this is a shared concern, simply a matter of trying it once.

I used to do this all the time living in Santa Cruz, but haven't yet in LA, my obstacle has more been figuring out the bus system, again just a matter of diving in. But what if you're on tight schedule, and the racks are full? I'd rather be safe and just ride, but its a nice option for commuters going a long distance.

Workout for the planet

2007-02-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

I admit it, I spin.

Though I find the premise somewhat ridiculous, i.e. people driving to sit on a stationary bike and burn calories (I ride there mind you), I love my friend Riley's class at Revolution Fitness....she plays kick ass music, does her best to get me in on my tight budget.....and inspires many first timers to get out on the road and RIDE.

But what if....what if all that energy, currently vaporized into body heat and sweat, could be recaptured and channeled into something useful?

I've heard it takes alot of effort and steady pedaling to generate enough power for small tasks, but were talking about an entire room full of people, all breaking a sweat to go nowhere, squeezing a days work frustration and road rage into a fierce 50 minute workout.

I've been dreaming of this for years. And so have others...this image from Adbusters is from a design contest, didn't make it into the issue, nor has the concept been developed but ITS TIME HAS COME!

Chocolate and bicycles

2007-02-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

As if these two aren't already a match made in heaven, add a super ecologically-friendly, socially-conscious, uber-fair-trade component, and you have Choco Sol.

The Toronto based chocolate store provides a rich, sensory journey, inviting chocolate lovers to dive into the full, rich cocoa experience - from the beans' origin in Chiapas, Mexico, to their Northern destination, where they are ground by bicycle power and transformed into Manna.

Sadly for me, the company is in Canada, or I could order a choco-gram delivered by bicycle!

I've always known chocolate is good for my psyche (at least in small doses) but check out some of the other benefits, listed on the website:

*Promote cardiovascular health
*Protect us from toxins
*Increase the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that promote positive outlook
*Counter acts clinical depression
*Balances brain chemistry
*Build strong bones
*Detoxify the liver
*Support healthy pancreas functioning

I could say much, much more about this sweet project, but you'll have to read for yourself, I've gotta go find some chocolate RIGHT NOW!!!

Prevent a massive CARonary: Critical Mass

2007-02-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

What do saturated fat and automobile traffic have in common? In steady doses, and without preventative measures, both lead to severely clogged arteries.

This was highly apparent at last Friday’s celebratory Critical Mass ride, the 2 year anniversary for Santa Monica and the official Bikewinter 2007 launch. Over 300 cyclists gathered at the Santa Monica pier to celebrate the fossil-fuel free fiesta....

....while grueling gridlock brought LA traffic to a screeching halt.

As if planned to underscore the event’s message, an accident on the dreaded 405 freeway spawned a fustercluck of epic proportions, clogging arterial routes, trapping motorists in their metal boxes, and sending the collective blood pressure through the roof.

Read the rest of this story here:

Green Ambassadors and the Rubbish Rig

2007-02-02T07:45:00.001-08:00

Not only is it a pedal-powered boat, its made out of recycled-plastic bottles. If THAT doesn't turn you on......skip this blog.

This brilliant application of reuse combines the talents of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, two bicycles, 75 plastic bottles, Marcus Eriksen, 4 plastic bread cartons, the Green Ambassadors, a 50 ft. plastic bag rope, one Barbie doll head, and Sara Laimon.

Sara is a femme force I met a year back at green drinks, saw her next at her going away to Brazil party, and then various green gatherings; fitting that I'd catch up with her at green drinks tonight.

The plastics issue originally drew me to Sara, but I've since discovered she's working on far more, a revolution of charged youngsters aiming to spread the word - to other youngsters.

They've been making waves every since. Brewing biodiesel, appearing in documentaries, tabling at alternative energy/transportation events, generally kicking plASStic.

Sara has big plans to educate and inspire the nation's youth, yes all of them, on environmental/social/progressive issues.....we'll keep an eye on her.

FRIDAY. FIESTA. BICICLETAS.

2007-02-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

Bike Fiesta of the year, comin' up this friday.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE THERE:

*Because its the 2 Year Anniversary of SM Critical Mass.
*There will be lots of bikes, and rad, beautiful people ON bikes.
*Because rumor has it that Yolanda will soon be riding again.
*Because you don't wanna miss the AFTERPARTY......which kicks off 2 weeks of bikeadventures.

Some random images from last month's ride.....chose this first one b/c there in the background, I spot Molly, an amazing young woman I met last year, sparking a solar revolution at Samohi....

And Zack, the man who pulls it all together.

a ditty sittin' pritty

2007-01-28T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here's one more reason, not that we need one, to sing the Ditty Bops' praises.....check out Amanda on her Xtracycle, loaded up with goodies, a bouquet adorning her snapdeck. Photo was touched up a wee bit to reflect her techni-colored dream bike. Hot stuff.

I've long admired these two incredibly talented musicians/revolutionaries. Not only are they phenomenal singer-songwriters; listen for yourself here, they are big time bike advocates and all around progressive go getters - toured the US last year on two wheels spreading good vibes and inspiring tunes.

And they are coming soon to Mccabes, I'll finally get to see 'em live!

TAGGED!

2007-01-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

A break from two wheels....well call it a recovery post.

Melissa from LA Green Living tagged me, to post 6 things people may or may not know about me, and may or may not care. And then I cyber-tag 6 other bloggers to do the same. So here goes:

I come from a line of carousers. My maternal grandfather Joe Huber was a beer brewer from Germany, and my dad’s father started a line of smokin’ clubs and restaurants in LA, what I would give to go back in time....

I was such a tomboy growing up that my parents had concerns about my future gender identity. When told to wear a dress, I’d don my OP shorts underneath and remove dress when we arrived at x event. My mother used to sing me a fill in the blanks song, “daddy is a BOY, Simon is a BOY, grandpa is a BOY, but, Anna is a _____”.

I’m a former fencer. Yes, like the 3 musketeers. Captained my college team, made it to the NCAAs my senior year, and.....my athletic careers been downhill since.

I was so fascinated with mold in high school that my first boyfriend courted me w/ a moldy peach, left on my doorstep on Christmas eve. Ah young love...

I had major vampire-phobia as a wee lass. I'd hide cloves of garlic all over my room (and find months later, moldy....) and fall asleep with my fingers forming a cross in front of my throat. The power of old black and white films.

I’m also a violinist, though you wouldn’t know it these days...here I am with a chamber music group in Santa Cruz after a concert we gave.

And now I tag....damn girls, you’ve taken almost all my blog-amigos! - I'll reach out beyond the borders here to: Tim (brand new blog!), Maya, Leila, Rajiv, Jennifer, and...Riley maybe she'll update her blog.....how 'bout a post on your upcoming event hint hint???

2007-01-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

BIKEWINTER 2007

2007-01-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

And you thought YOUR morning commute had become nippy!

Nothing like the scene above (Tim Harvey sporting winter studded tires for a Siberian Cruise), LA BIKEWINTER 2007 promises sunny rides, clear skies, and a solid 2 weeks of mobile street parties, all on bikes of course.

The impetus for BIKEWINTER 2007 spun from the steady BIKESUMMER 2005 momentum, rolled right through the BIKESUMMER/WINTER 2006 season, and is now gearing up for yet another extended bike bash this february.

Preview of coming atractions:

*An opening night party, immediately following the 2 year SM Critical Mass fiesta;
*Group rides to sample vegetarian food, local coffee roasters, and hot chocolate;
*The second annual Chocolate Aphrodesiac ride where the image here was taken;

.....and many more - all deets on the Bike Boom Calendar.

Bike seat for precious cargo

2007-01-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

How do you carry your groceries AND tote your tyke around? Try the Peapod, an Xtracycle attachment for tots. I would've LOVED this as a kid. My folks used to have this rusty old bike with a built in kiddie seat, I remember begging them to ride me around the block, so much fun.....but who says you hafta grow up?

My friend Paul shares my sentiments, here he is attempting to get in touch with his inner child.

LA's fearless femme spokes woman

2007-01-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

She’s tall, blonde, and charged with a mission long overdue: to make LA a more bike-friendly city.

Monica Howe, recently featured in an excellent LA Times profile, is the new outreach coordinator for the LA County Bicycle Coalition. Since taking the position last year, Monica has hit the ground....riding, a good thing as she has much ground to cover.

As she puts it, “Los Angeles is really the last big city to realize that bicycling is a good idea.”

Intrigued? Read the rest on Worldchanging LA,, where I'll be contributing (what else?) periodic bike related biz....

BC bike powered billboard

2006-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

Ah those Canadians and their bikes!

Check this one out:

For five days, a group of volunteers in a Vancouver parking lot kept Rudolph bright and shiny with pedal power, to demonstrate the energy efficiency of LED lights.

And bicycles, no?

Project was sponsored by DDB/Vancouver and BC Hydro, don't know anything about them, but (predictably) dig the concept - a festive way to illuminate our tremendous, often overlooked human power......

Granted, message was really about LEDs, but we velovangelists will fixate on the bike.

Judging by some of the comments, not everyone thought this was such a "bright idea", taking pity on the poor volunteers (doesn't their voluneer status imply a certain amount of willingness?), or finding it just plain "weird".....

Whats even weirder? LA's seasonal contribution to global warming - Xmas lights. The front lawn displays during the holidays is not....to be....believed....

Highly doubt any Angelenos are pedaling to stay lit.

Bike Safari Re-post

2006-12-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Didn't think to bring my camera, but will borrow from Siel's post on our Sbx Bike Safari on Saturday.

She explains the reason behind our multiple Starbuck's visits (with own cups of course) in detail on Green LA Girl.....I'm repeat posting because our transport was bicycles.

Ron even rides an Xtracycle!

Next time anyone wants to organize a little bike-tivism, I'm game.

60 miles a day and SINGin'!

2006-12-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Just came across this wonderful interview series on LA bike commuting.

NRDC's Daniel Hinerfeld chats with Slate Magazine editor Andy Bowers (who I remember from high school, though he was a few years my senior...) and local cycling guru Scott Sing, who commutes up to 60 miles a day on two wheels!

What makes these interviews so great is the difference between all three commuters, from their mileage, to the reasons they've chosen bikes as a viable form of transportation. Scott is definitely a hard core (life)cyclist, while Daniel and Andy ride distances that are perhaps more comprehensible to the average city dweller.

Which is a wonderful contrast, illustrating that we need not all be wiry, lean bodied, car eschewing distance riders to do our part.....simply replacing a few short trips - to the market, running a few weekend errands, etc. makes a difference.

Or how 'bout to the gym?

On that note, Andy makes a point that made me pound my fist on the table and shout "YES!", which is a little embarrassing in that I'm all alone at the moment. Nevertheless, I quote:

"How American is that, that you would drive your SUV to a gym, to use a machine that uses electricity to simulate a bicycle, when you could just ride your bicycle?"

An absolutely insane concept. Granted, we've got work to do yet to improve safety conditions for cyclsts, something I plan to address in greater detail for my bike-related contributions on the Worldchanging LA blog.....

Meantime, wear your helmet, choose chill streets, and light your bike up like a Christmas tree, 'tis the season.

Ladies day at the track

2006-12-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt, this was the biggest adrenaline jolt I've had in a long while.

This past Saturday, I went to a free womens clinic at the LA Velodrome, thanks to a random last minute invite by my adventurous cycling buddy Dora. Neither of us had the faintest clue what we were in for, but were intrigued to find that the Velodrome, one of the finest facilities of its kind, was offering free training sessions for women, part of a larger effort to promote women's cycling.

I had a look at the website the day before, saw photos of cyclists riding what seemed to me like impossibly steep walls.... and had crazy, anticipatory dreams that night.

We arrived with stomachs aflutter, to find about 50 other women all geared up, munching on snacks provided by the center. We were then greeted by Bonnie Bourque and Julia Cross from the Womens Cycling Challenge, who both assured us this would be a safe, rewarding experience.

This was the third in a 4 part clinic series (all free!) so about half the lasses had already been certified to ride, and headed straight off to the track. The rest of us had an hour Certification Class from Roger Young, who explained the basics of how to ride safely, proper etiquette on passing, and how to not slide off the track.

Yikes!

We were then fitted with a bike, and let loose to give it a whirl. Bonnie kindly let me use her custom built styley track bike, adding with a wink "just don't crash, I'll be keeping my eye on you!"

I must've spun around that track a good 20 times before I could muster up the courage to climb up the wall a bit. Kept chickening out. And then a clearly experienced woman rode up alongside and asked "how ya doin'?" with a friendly smile before zipping up the wall. This simple gesture was all I needed to force my body to just give it a try.

WHAT A RUSH!!!!! Thank you rider-chick, whoever you are.....its the little things - a kind word, a friendly wave, that make a world of difference.

I'm normally not much of a high speed, thrill seeker, and enjoy the outdoor aspect of cycling more than anything, but this was an insane, super fun sensation, had a blast.

The next clinic is January 6th, I definitely plan to be there, and so will Dora, judging by the huge smile on here face here......

Gettin' down and dirty w/ my ride.....

2006-12-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

I've been a very bad bike parent of late. But I vow to change my ways, starting today....

Went to a basic bike mechanics workshop at Cynergy last week, which mostly covered the hows and whys of keeping a clean machine. Boy did I need this.

"A happy bike is a clean bike" was the overall message. A little weekly maintainance saves big time on long term heartache (and $!) and prevents the scene you see here - one hour and three filthy rags later, I could finally see a glistening chain 'neath the crud buildup.

To avoid this, a simple wipe down with a dry and a wet rag will mostly do the trick - wipe the chain clean with a dry rag before lubing, add your lube of choice, then give it another wipe down after a few minutes. You can certainly get more involved, a quick google search on cleaning your bike yields TONS of results, with detailed how tos for more hard core hygeinists.

Treat your bicicleta like the goddess she is - keep her lubed and purring, she'll thank you in the long run.

Cynergy Cycles

2006-12-05T11:23:00.001-08:00

I think I've found what I'm looking for in a bike store.

Went on a ride Saturday morning organized by Cynergy Cycles - the newest bike shop on the West Side. Though just around the corner from my house, this was my first visit - somehow I had this notion that it catered to high end, performance racer types......

Our ride was awesome, John Wike - a road racer whose been around the BLOCK, you can read about him on the site - lead us down to PV, to the "doughnut" loop and back. On the ride, I learned more about Cynergy, and was impressed with what I heard. They are trying to promote education/service as well as just sell bikes, and offer ongoing workshops/clinics on bike maintainance, basic skills etc.

In fact, there's a clinic tomorrow nite, 6:30 - 8:00, basic maintainance, lord knows most of us need this.....

After our ride, they offered free coffee - a critical post ride perk, and get this: they sell two 100% FAIR TRADE/ORGANIC blends!! The Big Ring and The Early Break - major points. I'm so easy to please.

I learned about the Saturday ride from some of you ladies at Riley's art studio hangout last week, hoping some lasses will join me again this Saturday, 9:00 at Cynergy, 23rd and Santa Monica. Check out the shop, and sign up for a clinic!

Wheeled Wanderlust

2006-12-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Even trusty trailers get the travel urge....heres my friend Wendy's Xtracycle on a recent jaunt over to Catalina. Wendy and her man came along as chaperones - unsupervised bikes can get a little rowdy.

I learned from Wendy that you can ride over to Marina Del Rey, hop on board for Catalina WITH your bike, and then roll off on the Island ready to tool around.....no automobile necessary.

And with an Xtracycle, you can tote camping gear and be 100% self sufficient!

Election results have bikers pumped

2006-11-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

"Bikes are going to be an integral part of our transportation network."

That's coming from Rep. Peter DeFazio, new chair of the surface transportation subcommittee, which plays an active role in overseeing the nation's roads and bridges.

Apparently this last election propelled a few cycling supporters into key transportation positions in the House. From a recent article in the Oregonian:

"Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., who helped author the 1991 law that opened the door to federal funding for bike projects, is in line to become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee;

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., a one-time bike mechanic, expects to chair the surface transportation subcommittee;

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., founder of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus, will either hold a senior position on the transportation committee or move to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee."

BTW, our president is also an avid bike enthusiast, evidenced by his wicked bike handling skills.

Hauliday Toys 'n' Mittens Ride

2006-11-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

Dec. 2nd: to kick off a holiday season of low impact giving mixed w/ bikes, check out this event C.I.C.L.E is organizing:

Toys, Wheels, and Mittens!

*Bring toys and gifts - warm clothes, hats, unwrapped toys, etc:

*Bring your decked out bike, and

*Cruise around to some tunes from the bike-based sound system (wonder if its a soulcycle?)

*Meet at 12:30 PM at the Vermont / Sunset Red Line Station, 1500 N. Vermont Av. Los Angeles.

Ride benefits the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic's Children's Family Celebration and the Homeless Family Christmas Day Luncheon. The Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic has been in existence for 38 years and provides over 87, 000 medical, counseling, and related visits to homeless, poverty-level, and low income individuals every year.

Ode to the KITCHEN

2006-11-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I missed the Bicycle Kitchen's latest fiesta/volunteer/cerveza session, which by the sound of it, was a PARTY.

Living vicariously through this poetic recap (below) by the Kitchen's famed founder Jimmy Lizama.Pretty sure this poem should turn into a song, maybe someones already on it?

Have yet to visit kitchen (!!!) which is just plain unacceptable. I'm in dire need, my Xtracycle is barely rideable, stuck in a super heavy gear.....I WILL go before 07! Thanks Jimmy and BK for your inspiration.

AND I NEVER ROLLED BY RIGHT PANT LEG DOWN

and there I am, there I am again
I ain't got no lights
I'm wearing my black woolie hoodie
black striped socks, which way don't matter

and

I'm riding home just past two thirty two in the morn' on a Saturday in L.A.
Aint no drunk driver can see me, but I'm safe
I'm safe
You know why?
Cause I never rolled by right pant leg down

and

I gots my black corduroys on
the right leg rolled up, you see
so it won't hit my one fly wheel there
and I never rolled it down this night

See I meant to go in there
to direct and to nail and to mount and to O'ganize
but it got so fast
so loud
so crrrrrazy

folks came from all parts with all their parts jiggling and jangling

artists and musicians and architects and cycle couriers and professors
and urban expansionists and regular ol' coffee drinkers
and some beer drinkers
and bikers!

bikers, the lot of them!

They came in and smiled
and toiled and grinned and grinded and for's I knows it
it's a bike party

and I never rolled my right pant leg down

I went in there intent
intent!
Intent on making a huge dent
but it was a little dent
We made

we got lots done
had us some bike-silly fun
and we used up a whole lot of energy

and then

we drank lots of beer
we made new and old friends
we laughed and hurrayed like old times

and I never rolled my right pant leg down

See, I wore my nice pants, thinking we'd get out
Find a place to roll that right pant leg right down
Somewhere where a party was
But the party
The Party

The party was right there the whole time

So here's to:

the teachers
the electricians
the nobodies
the somebodies
the environmentalists
the graphic artists
the manipulators of consciousness
the editors
the organizers
the administrators
the recyclers
the drunkards
the sober
the death rockers
the New Yorkers
the Angelinos
the homeless
the homefull
the hopeless
the instigators
the innovators
the pragmatists
the Cooks
the clients
the volunteers
the people who came
the people who didn't

for you I roll my right pant leg down
as I remove my weary socks from my weary feet
and slide into a warm bed and a warm dream

and I do this safe and sound
knowing that I never rolled my right pant leg down till now
cause y'all love the place as much as I do.

Surfin' cross the finish line

2006-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Por Fin!

Local cylists have all been eager for news of Tim Harvey's final stretch.

We learned about his amazing, cross-continental human powered journey months back, met him when he passed through LA, entertaining local greenies and biker types....and were inspired by his boundless energy and crazy committment.

Picture above says it all. He made it, in style! Now safely back home after close to 3 years on the road.

With his work still very much cut out for him. And for the rest of us as well.

The climate change scene: it's a bitch, and just heating up. Tim's message is a key reminder, to take some personal responsibility for reducing emissions, change up the petro habits just a wee bit, and use our bodies for some good clean fun in the process!

We'll look forward to reading his book, soon as his human-powered fingers crank it out!

Walk, Bike, Ride LA Campaign

2006-11-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to C.I.C.L.E. for spearheading this campaign - a forum for voicing your transport concerns to Tony V:

"Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks about his efforts to make Los Angeles "the greenest and cleanest city in America", yet his vision for a sustainable Los Angeles continues to neglect an emphasis on walking and bicycling as being part of this future."

To chime in, download and send this ready-made postcard Villaraigosa's way. Let him know that a "green clean city" can only be so if alternative means of transport are supported. Even encouraged.

You can also email or call - important thing is that you let him know in one way or another that this image to the right is your vision of hell. And its only gonna get worse 'less we get off our gas and stop guzzling.

More of me to love......

2006-11-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

LA cyclist hit, community rallies

2006-11-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

I first learned about Jen Diamond at last month's Santa Monica Critical Mass, and have been a huge fan ever since. So when I found out that she was recently struck by a hit and run driver, I was stunned, disturbed, and tremendously thankful that she will be okay.

Jen is a very prominent member of the LA cycling community - an active advocate, photographer, bikesummer organizer, former NYC/Boston bike messenger-- the list goes on.

So when the hit and run elicited little reaction from the cops, cyclists all over the city roared. And its seems to have had an impact......

Feels trite to follow up such grave news with fashion talk, but at the same time, anyone supporting Jen will want to check out her amazing velo couture. Most cycling gear leaves much to be desired in the style department - garish, logo plastered affairs, fine for Lance but few of us are sponsored athletes.

Jen designed a line that's both functional AND funky, and even gifted our favorite Canadian zero-emissions traveler with a retro-styley green jersey. Which he sports with pride on this sandy Norcal catwalk.....

Our thoughts are with Jen. We are truly blessed to have such a dynamic, creative, dedicated spirit working to make LA a more livable community.

You can show your support by dropping her a line, checking out her gear, and sending her your positive energy. Best wishes guapisima.

Meet my mom, the weekend warrior

2006-10-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

Once a week, on Sundays, my mom hops on her Xtracycle, bikes to the Urth cafe on Main Street, meets my sister, father, or me for a pre-market coffee, and then loads up her bike with farmers market goodies.

She's not about to sell her car (granted, its a Prius), or become a hard core bike advocate, BUT she loves her weekly petroleum-free pilgrimage.

Why? Because its FUN, because it keeps her young (at 72, she out-energies me by a long shot), because people see her and think "Hmm, I could do that, whats that funky cargo bike shes riding?" and because she's so damn cute on her bike!!!

Oh, and she's a political animal, adamantly anti-war. So even replacing one car trip a week with human power is a step........

Go get 'em Mary Ann!

Ride like a....butterfly

2006-10-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Nice little interview with Tim Harvey, now on the final stretch of his human-powered Odyssey. Thanks to Melissa and Averan from LA Green Living for putting this together:

Zero Emissions Traveler

Though few of us are about to hop on a bike and cruise to, say, Venezuela, our more modest actions can sometimes have ripple effects far beyond our comprehension. Picking up a 6 pack ring, eating vegetarian for a day/week/month, smiling at a stranger in the street....as Tim mentions, it's the idea of the butterfly effect.

We are far more powerful in our infinitely tiny smallness than we realize.

saved by my Xtra!

2006-10-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

Of course its on that rare occasion I need my car that the battery dies....

Had day planned to the minute: 8:30 am launch event for Santa Monica's new Green Business Certification Program, dash to farmers market to shop for my cooking class at New Roads, and jet to school in time for the teenage onslaught.

8:15 am: dead battery. Called a few car owners in a panic, struck out. Which totally 'derailleud' my timeline, so thought I'd try switching gears.

Fortunately made it to the Green Biz deal thanks to speedy road bike - an incredible turnout.....at 8:30 am! Made me appreciate again just how many people are interested in trying to green their company practices, to save $, energy, resources, etc. Go Santa Monica.

Timing the rest entailed a bike exchange. Sped home to grab the SUB, load up with kitchen equipment, hightail it to farmers market, and back to school (pant pant) in time, but it all worked out, thanks to the crazy loading capacity of my Xtracycle.

Was so worth it in the end, these kids are awesome, and we cooked up a fierce organic Moroccan feast - spicy vegetable stew, couscous, tomato/lemon-cucumber/onion salad, big fruit platter.....

The perfect cuisine solution to ditch disposables: you can eat with your fingers!

Since it all worked out, guess my only mistake was thinking I needed car in the first place.

Will the real congestion culprit please stand up?

2006-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

Very cool images. Thanks to Yolanda for the heads up (love the new site girl!) and to Guy Chapman for synthesizing. Following sequence tells the true traffic tale.....

TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Thirty-five cars, stationary on the road. If they were moving at 30mph, each car would need at least 10m of headway, so this is about as densely packed as cars get.

DRIVERS WITHOUT CARS
This is the cargo. Thirty-five individual drivers.

INVISIBLE BUS
And this is how much space they'd take up in a bus:

FUTURE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS?
Here we have our thirty-five poeple getting on with life, some going into town on the bus, some cycling, some walking, a couple of small cars and a taxi.

Now, who was the problem, again?

E bike: let's duke it out

2006-10-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

Anyone whose ever visited knows what a Treehugger fan I am - whenever I see a bike-related post, I perk up. 'Specially when I see that they generate controversy, like this post about a new, super sleek line of electric bicycles, now at 17 comments - a sure sign of an incendiary topic.

Jacob, we miss you in LA!

Those naysaying the E-bike will argue that it defeats the purpose, "if you're gonna ride, well ride then dammit!"

Those in favor counterargue with, "anything that gets people out of their metal petro-boxes is a good thing."

Wherever you stand on the electric vs. human powered bike issue (must it be an either or?) must agree that this vehicle, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, is pretty slick.

I haven't done the full life cycle analysis (anyone?) but if it gets a few peeps outta their cars, I'm all for it.

New and naughty lives for old rides

2006-10-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

You've ridden, wrenched, and finally thrased her beyond repair, but can't find the heart to banish your retired ride to the landfill - can you still find one more life for your trusy steed?

If you are a designer, mechanic, and cyclist like Andy Gregg, you might turn your bike into a barstool.

Gregg's three combined passions resulted in Bike Furniture Design - sleek, styley pieces made from recycled steel and aluminun bicycle rims, handlebars, and frames. Re-cycling in the truest sense of the word.

Got me wondering about other creative uses for old gear.....there's some cool, and even "racy" stuff out there made from recycled tires.

Like these hip bags,

this belt,

some DIY tips for craftsters on how to make your own recycled tire sandals,

and these sustainable sex toy paddles from "Burning Rubber".

Can't, um, beat that one for creative re-use.

Calgary U-bike program

2006-10-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

If cyclo-mutting were as easy as grabbing the nearest striped style-mobile and hitting the pavement, I bet more co-eds would eschew the guzzler......see how the U of Calgary is testing that idea. The University started a free bike-sharing program last year, where students can ride designated bikes around campus, free personal taxis.

The bikes are single speed, yellow and red striped bikes - color intended to dissuade theft. I would SO ride one, how cute is that bike???

Theft prevention or sheer good will are on their side - program has grown from 10 discarded/rejuvenated old bikes, to a working fleet of 30 in one year. A great program, other US schools should emulate this one.

As so often, read about this on Treehugger, love it.

2006-10-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

bikeTV: Bike Move

Missed this amazing little film at the C.I.C.L.E event film fest, thankfully discovered through SurviveLA blog. Video documents a residential move done entirely on bikes!!!

I tried to do this once in Santa Cruz, trouble was I didn't have a bike move posse behind me, just me and my Xtracycle. I spent a good 2 days doing trips back and forth, loaded to capacity, but enjoying the coastal view and the quizzical looks.

I caved in when it got to my heavy loveseat....and was frankly getting burned out on the project. Had Bike Move been around, we coulda banged the thing out in an afternoon. Awesome idea, and great little video illustrating the camraderie angle, will for sure bring a smile.

Writings

2006-10-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

Keeping Styrofoam out of Santa Monica Sushi

Planned Obsolescence: Gift Gadgets Turned Toxic

Two Wheels, Zero Emissions, Zero Guilt

Greening Their Bottom Line

A Red Line Connects Us

New Roads for Old Glory

The Flavor of Fairness

New Years Resolution '06: More Grease In My (Car's) Diet

WATTS UP at Samohi

It's the Local Economy Genuius

Tired of Trashy Trysts? Bring Your Own

C.I.C.L.E bration

2006-10-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's adventure riding down C.I.C.L.E's Life Can Be So Car Free event (previous post) reinforced the "journey is the destination" idea. Whenever bikes are involved, getting there is at least half the fun.....

First headed to the first west side meeting spot, other girl there had a flat. I've actually never had to actually fix one - despite years of riding, have only had two flats, both of which quickly fixed by a friend.

Two of us started fumbling around, when Yolanda, biker babe extraordinaire arrived on the scene. She had that thing ready to roll in no time......flat?

We rode on to meet up with the next motley crew in Culver City. Some crazy bikes, like this fuzzy number,

and this amazing tall bike......rider has some serious balancing skills.

Heres the Roll With It crew, signing riders up to be bike coaches - a free service that matches less experienced bikers up with a personal escort on their morning commute.

And spotted a handfull of Xtracycles:

There were more but I wasn't very diligent w/ camera, was too distracted checking it all out.

The event itself was a gathering of bike enthusiasts at the LA Historic Park near Chinatown, wide open area from which you can see many urban perspectives. There was lots going on - music, films, sustainable tranport/green living booths, great mingling and people watching with a big crew of friendly, funky, fresh people....but I stopped taking pix here and just enjoyed.

I'm sure more recaps and pix will emerge on other sites throughout LA for a while to come. An awesome first event for C.I.C.L.E - here's to a super fun new annual fiesta.

Sat. Nite Car Lite FIESTA

2006-09-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

This coming Saturday eve, CICLE's first big shindig, Life Can Be So CAR FREE!

A party for all who wanna celebrate bikes, non-petroleum transport, and, life in general at the new LA State Historic Park - site of last years "Not a Cornfield" event.

If I don't leave town this weekend I will surely be there. Music, bikes, BYO if you should care to imbibe, and good gente. I've had CICLE (cyclists inciting change through live exchange) on my radar for a while now, group after my own heart, working to promote biking as a fun, friendly, and fiesty form of transport.

Party will feature films, live music, rides, etc. etc. in the park - bring a picnic, a blanket, a bottle, and (of course) your bike. Various group rides will be leaving from around the city to offer a safe pack - check the website to hook onto your nearest bike-train.

Maybe see some of you out there!

For the roadies in the house.....

2006-09-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

As someone who has one little toe in the road biking world, I love getting this free newsletter, so wanted to share with all my roadie friends.

Road Bike Rider is a weekly electronic newsletter, full of tips on training, nutrition, gear, tidbits about famous pro-cyclists I've never heard of, and even the occaisional advocacy related news (which I really dig) - like how/why to be a bike commuter, info on Bike to Work Week etc. The works.

I read it religiously every Thursday morning, helps me motivate for the early morning ride. I pretty much ignore most of the race results, skim over the latest gossip from the pro-cycling world, and delve into my favorites: the "views you can use" and "try this on your next ride" sections. Very cool stuff.....

And when you sign up for the newsletter, they send you a free electronic book, "29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies".

With a little reading, a LOT of training, and some gifts from the genetic gods, you just might be able to hang onto the wheels of some of these biker babes.....yeah.

I'm great with the reading. It's the physical training I need to work on....and the genetics, well, I'm screwed. Make do with whatcha got!

How NOT to get hit by cars

2006-09-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

""This page shows you real ways you can get hit and real ways to avoid them. This is a far cry from normal bicycle safety guides, which usually tell you little more than to wear your helmet and to follow the law. But consider this for a moment: Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent you from getting hit by a car! Sure, helmets might help you if you get hit, and it's a good idea to wear one, but your #1 goal should be to avoid getting hit in the first place.

Plenty of cyclists are killed by cars even though they were wearing helmets. Don't confuse wearing a helmet with biking safely.....It's better to not get hit. That's what real bicycle safety is about."

Intrigued? READ ON AND RIDE ON!

SF bikers paving the way

2006-09-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

After 10 years of organizing, lobbying, wheelin' and dealin', San Francisco bikers are beginning to make their mark, demanding the respect and resources they need for a safer, oil-free commute.

Last year, 11 city supervisors voted unanimously on a 5-year plan to improve the city's cycling infrastructure, creating bicycle pathways, more bike parking, official bike routes, and more bike racks on buses.

There are of course naysayers - they've even filed a lawsuit, hearing scheduled for Sept. 13th. That's today!

We'll be rooting for them down here in LA - the plan, and the effort behind it, serve as a good model for other cities looking to get people outta their metal boxes and off of petroleum. I'll keep tabs on what happens.......

One Haul of a Ride!

2006-09-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mattias - local cyclist and board member of the SF Bike Hut - for passing this along.

The bike is an image he snapped somewhere in Los Angeles....anyone else seen this rig?

Holy Spokes(man)!

2006-09-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

This is too much to let slip by, modern day superheroes (costumed and all!) cruising across the country on bikes. Their mission: to committ random acts of kindness while inspiring, amusing, baffling and enlightening all who cross their paths.

I remember reading something about this crew months back while "leafing" through an eco-rag - fitting that I was just reminded of it by another bike superhero, Tim Harvey - aka "Man-power Man".

The annual ride started in 2000, when former Marvel Comics artist Ethan Hughes (or "Be-Man"), took his passion for cycling and community service to the streets, donning superhero threads and heading cross country with 15 other wheeled wonders, to seek and solve injustice as they rode.

The power-peloton has since grown to 250! Here's Flow-girl to the right.....

Polluted waterways, environmental racism, communities in need of some energetic hands - these are all tasks for the Haul of Justice.

Join the superheroes on their next ride to Mississippi in early December, to help with disaster relief. For more information, e-mail Valerie Hahn at valahahn@gmail.com.

On a slight tangent, title of this post is also a reference to the bike shop in Santa Cruz that helped awaken my dormant interest in cycling - The Spokesman. The crew here helped ease the daunting process of choosing my first road bike, and are truly dedicated to getting riders of all ilk out on the road. Holy spokes.

Even The Girls

2006-09-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing this months ago....been meaning to check it out ever since, and just came across it again - very cool little short film about girl-bike messengers in NYC - a hardcore buncha chicks.

Filmmaker Ashira Siegel is clearly an advocate and a skilled writer, here's an article she wrote about the Bicycle Film Fest founder.

Any time I think biking in LA can get dodgy, I should watch this film to remember it's all relative. These ladies contend with the real urban jungle, AND weather on top of it. Damn.

Apropos of nothing.....

2006-08-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was a lovely image, nada mas.

Sept. 15th. Roll With It.

2006-08-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has ever contemplated riding a bike to work but been intimidated by one of many unknown challenges,
ROLL WITH IT on September 15th is your chance to try riding to work with your own PERONAL BIKE COACH -- for free.

Urban biking can seem prohibitively daunting to the uninitiated......

There are the obvious fears (traffic/safety), the practical concerns (how to plan a route, how to cart your stuff, do i hafta wear lycra?), to the basic mechanics (flat tire, chain slipped) and many other highly solvable mysteries to contend with --

But just try it once.

It feels....so....good........you might never go back.

ROLL WITH IT will help you realize your fantasies of an enjoyable, oil free commute by pairing you with a skilled urban cyclist - a bike buddy who will show you the ropes both to and from work, and answer all those questions you were afraid to ask.

HOW DO I GET ME A BIKE COACH?

Just contact the Roll With It folks, let them know you want a little one on one action with a commuter champ: RollWithItCommittee@gmail.com

Unless you have a really hairy, sketchy route, I'd hazard a guess that once you try riding to work, you'll get a taste - and want more. No gas pumps, no parking hassles, no road rage (this is huge), a sense of freedom, some good exercise....Shall I continue?

And really, you can't say you live in LA without at least one session with a personal trainer.

Go for it. Roll wid it.

RIDE-Arc

2006-08-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

Heard this the other day on KCRW, and been meaning to check it out ever since:

RIDE-Arc, a nite ride originally based out of the Southern California Institute of Architecture(SCI-Arc). First Friday of every month, social spin with an archtechtural....spin.

Best described in language from the new website, clean and simple:

"...a monthly social bicycle ride in the cool evening air with a loose, vaguely referenced Architectural theme, mixed with some Urban Anthropology and your own personal sense of adventure and discovery. Awesome rides, good vibes taking you to places that shape the Los Angeles urban landscape."

Daryl Hannah: "get a bike and RIDE it"

2006-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

You've probably seen her associated with green causes - driving a grease-powered El Camino, eating organic, treesitting with J. Butterfly and John Quigley in the South Central Farm....

She now has a pretty funky "vlog", (video log) called "dhlove life" --a great idea, and I bet she has a ton of fun creating it. She picks cool snippets of sustainable living - biodiesel, farmers markets, vegan "junk food", and now bike ridin'(!), and shoots short, hip segments, interviewing people doing their wild green thang.

This weeks vlog is all about bikes - why more Angelenos are riding them, (gas prices, gas prices, gas prices), what we love about them, and what all this business about "Critical Mass" is.

There's a few shots of chicks fixing bikes that I found particularly rad.

And perhaps my favorite quote on bikes: "How could you not have one? It's like having a toothbrush, you just hafta have one!"

Would that we all felt that way, we'd have fewer medical AND dental issues.....

Human powered car!

2006-08-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right, the first street legal human powered car.

I've gotta acknowledge it: Americans love their cars.

There are those who will adapt to rising gas prices, the growing threat of climate change, visions of our children's children frying, etc. etc. by choosing pedal over guzzle......

And then there are those who will shrug and say, "Yeah, but, I heart my car, nuttin' gonna stop me."

Bueno. Bike helmets are nerdy, urban commuting can be crazy dangerous, hiking one pant leg up looks wicked lame....

So "what if we had a cool car with human/electric/fuel cell/hybrid power, paired blue tooth and cupholders? The HumanCar® FM-4 v2.0 will."

Granted, still not for everyone (there's that pesky part about needing to pedal, anathema to the lazy American) but this might just appeal to another niche of the population, those open to exercise but loathe to brave the bicycle. Every little bit helps.

For more info, questions, or to pre-order a people mover, contact Humancar.

Gives new meaning to the phrase, "back seat driver"......(Tip via Treehugger.)

Why don't cyclists ride their bikes?

2006-08-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

I still don't get it.

Why don't cyclists use their bikes to get around? I get that non-bikers fear riding for saftey reasons, but I'm continuously baffled by the cycling community, a community I've come to love, and even pose at being a part of....

They excell on two wheels. They ride hours daily - face grueling hills, pain, agony - voluntarily. And treasure their 40-80 mile weekend rides, waking at ungodly hours to do so while normal people sleep in, have breakfast, read the paper, and do other "civilized" weekend things.

Yet in my experience, most of these super-athletes STILL drive the insignificant few miles when going out, running errands, etc.

Is it being able to listen to music in the car, not wanting to deal with being nicely dressed on a bike, not wanting to take the slick road bike out on the town (a cheapo beater will pay for itself ASAP w/ these gas prices!) or being sore from the killer morning ride?

Or is it that we really don't connect the impact our tiny little actions have on our surroundings? Or maybe we just really love our cars.....If the latter is true, joder. I'm stumped.

The "biking IS sexy" challenge

2006-08-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Fun idea, leave it to Treehugger..... Part of an ongoing effort to promote the "cool factor" of bikes, Treehugger challenges you to take live pix of cool, hip peeps riding bikes - celebs/influential types, etc. doing their thing on two wheels.

Lest this turn into cycle stalking, be chill about it, this being LA, people are bound to have high profile friends/aquaintances who ride, and would consent to a little photo opp.

As noted in an earlier TH post, bikes often get a bad rap in the media (cyclists wearing big dorky alien helmets, pants rolled up, or worse - socks pulled up over pants - you get the idea)....

While auto companies spend gazillions on creating slick, sexy ads, with beautiful slinky people having a fabulous time in their petro-machines. But really, what's so sexy about driving around in a foul, polluting guzzler?

Besides, riding bikes is WAY more fun, and much liklier to contribute to a sexy physique. So help the bike rep out, keep your camera handy, and be on the lookout for bad-ass bikers.

Team Riley in Tri Magazine!

2006-08-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

This month's Triathlete Magazine cover model, Estella Warren, added cycling to her athletic reperetoire with the support, friendship, and stellar coaching of Riley. And proceeded to take 1st place in the celebrity division at the Malibu Triathlon!

Pretty hot.

Article gives some background on Estella's entry into triathlons, and the challenges of balancing career and training demands.

And Triathlete Mag not only let Christine and I join as the ringleaders of our "Bitchin Tuesdays" ride, they also printed a photo of me and Riley horsing around on my Xtracycle! Super cool of them.....

Issue should be out on shelves soon, check it out and ladies, come join for a ride some time!

Aug. 25 - Ride for Climate Justice

2006-08-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Coming on August 25th: The RIDE FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE.

WHAT: An awareness-raising ride taking place across the country, to highlight the movement for climate justice and the connection between climate change, catastrophic storms, and environmental racism.

WHEN: Aug. 25th, marking the 1 year anniversary of Katrina reaching hurricane strength.

WHO: Rising Tide North America, a network of radical climate campaigners (including relief workers from Louisiana to New England) working with Critical Mass groups around the country.

WHERE: Various locations in 16 cities around the US.

Haven't yet seen a listing for a local LA/Santa Monica ride, but fairly certain one is being organized.....so stay tuned. If not, we'll just have to get Team Riley and friends out for a little advocacy ride......

Bike workshops for chicks

2006-07-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

I DEFINITELY need to check these out soon: two ongoing bike repair workshops run for and by women - the occasional male mechanic on hand.....

For someone who loves all-things-bike as much as I do, its embarrassing how little I know about how to deal with them. There's always been "someone else" who can fix stuff for me....generally, though not always, a dude.

But theres really no excuse, with these two relatively local resources, Bitchen Kitchen and The Bike Oven XX. Bike wrenching, tea/snacks, and chatting w/ other ladies who love bikes.

Okay, the "relatively" part is kinda my excuse, being car averse, its a bit of a haul to the east side. Wish there was a bike kitchen closer to Santa Monica....hmmm.....

Bike Oven XX meets every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, 1:00 - 4:00 Next one meets August 12th.

And Bitchen (gotta go just for the name!) meets every Monday nite at the Bicycle Kitchen, 6:30 - 9:30.

Oil Free Odyssey

2006-07-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

This is amazing.....

A human powered journey (check the map above), crossing continents and oceans, from the artic to the arid, from the bicycle to the canoe, rowboat, wooden raft...to the ole two legs.

Voyage visionaries Tim Harvey and his team are traveling the world using forms of transport that don’t rely on fossil fouls, to raise awareness about climate change. The website is replete with incredible photos and humorous, harrowing stories about their ongoing adventures - definitely worth a visit:

"It began as a dream to adventure by zero-emission means: Vancouver to Moscow by human power. The dream then grew - to circle the world without fossil fuels. It is taking over two years.... on a route across five continents and two oceans....an epic of frostbite, blizzards, bandits and high seas storms. Now on the home stretch, journalist-filmmaker Tim Harvey brings you along as he slogs for a cause - a greener future where all of us burn fewer fossil fuels."

And Tim’s ride is a fully loaded Xtracycle!

I was so inspired by the site that I dropped a line to Tim, curious to hear if they would pass through Los Angeles, and if so, might we do a little awareness raising here? Got a super nice reply – a jaunt through LA sometime in September just might work, esp. if there were opportunities for spreading the word.

So going to put this out to the sustainable transport community here, see if we can entice these green adventurers to our urban jungle…..

My bike lost weight!

2006-07-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

A self-indulgent post here: just picked up my NEW BIKE yesterday, thrilled to no end. It's the most beautiful little sleek creature I've ever seen....Thanks to the incredible generosity of my biker friends - Riley, Tim, Jay, and Keii - who donated their super nice extra parts and time to the "lighter bike for Anna" cause.

Here I am towing it home from Helen's on the back of my Xtracycle, blurry with bliss....

And here I am worshiping it.....was so excited I didn't even notice the lack of pedals, so must wait one more day to try it out, oops.

Pedi cabs gettin' fresh

2006-07-24T23:22:00.000-07:00

Went on an impromptu San Diego voyage Sat. nite with my friend Wendy and her pet guts sidekick.

And was stunned by the amount of pedi-cabbers in town. We were having cocktails at a bar downtown, streets were PACKED, and I started noticing all these hot young bike cabbies toting people around.....

Thought it was the coolest thing, and chatted with a few of them, only to hear their sad woes - f*&%$ing hard work, little pay, and much competition.

Like this kid here, from the Czech Republic, lamented there being more bike cabs than passengers some times.

Which dampened my short lived fantasy of starting a bike cab service in LA a bit. Still, kinda cool, reminded me of when pedicabs had their brief glory here.

Company trades Ads for Bikes

2006-07-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

One of the worlds largest outdoor advertising companies JC Decaux, launches an interesting green scheme, providing cities with specially adapted bikes and racks in exchange for rights to more sites to place their outdoor ads.

Bikes are computerized and tracked - people check 'em out with credit cards - free for 1st half hour - most urban trips tend to be 1/2 hour or less. And are scanned once re-parked for tire pressure, lights, brakes and gears.

Post from Treehugger, posing question: "A win win situation or pact with the devil?"

It sounds like a good deal....but then I don't know much about the company or nature of their ads.

The self-register bike system sounds like a VERY cool thing, a way to institute a free city bike that discourages theft.

New Site for Midnight Ridazz

2006-07-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Earlier post on my virgin Midnight Ride. Groups been steadily gaining momentum, now so legit they have their own site.

Gotta get a bitchin' posse to join next time, yeah!

Picture's worth a thousand words.....

2006-07-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

View of the 10 freeway heading east at around 7:00 p.m. This is why I choose bike over car whenever humanly possible. Can't imagine dealing with this sorta road rage every day, count my blessings that I have the option to opt out......

Bike Love

2006-07-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Photo from a recent Xtracycle adventure to the Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Dance Series.

And the girls that belong to the Xtracreatures......

Win a FREE BIKE!!!

2006-07-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Lack of a bicycle can be a pretty significant obstacle to, well, riding one. If that's stopping you, enter Bicycle Magazine's Biketown Program to win a free "around town" bike.

To enter: fill out the entry form here and write a little essay (don't sweat it, only 50 words or less), on how/why owning a bike would change your life.

Editors choose the best 50, and give away free bikes - yours to keep forever! Bikes are donated by some top notch companies - Giant, Fuji, Shimano, Electra.....They'll check in with the winners for a few months after the giveaway to see how you're doing with it, and will feature a few winners in their magazine. See what some past winners have to say about their BikeTown adventures.

Bitchin'spinners on the rise

2006-07-06T23:56:00.000-07:00

Have met a few awesome rabble rouser chicks recently, Siel (aka Green LA Girl) and Summer, both femme-forces in the sustainability world; both taking up the sustainable transport challenge with a vengeance.

We recently biked to a few eco-events - Green Drinks, and a showing of "Who Killed the Electric Car", which lead to a few discussons about bike commuting, the evils of oil, the need for better/easier/sexier alternatives, and the urgency of it all.....the film is hard hitting - highly recommended.

Both bitchin'spinners have been blogging about these recent bike adventures, and inviting their respective networks to get involved. Summer offers some "out on the town w/ bikes" tips, and Siel started a kick ass series on "de-caring", check it out and voice your opinion, a cyber-critical mass of sorts.

How ARE we doing with the local bike scene in LA? Next post, a comparison of LA vs. other metropolitan areas on bike friendliness....and how to get involved on the home front.

mapquest for bikers

2006-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Siel (aka Green LA Girl) has been working on "de-car-ing", and documenting her progress in cutting back on the ole petro-guzzler.

Being newish to the bike commuting world, she wondered if a night bike ride to LA Green Drinks would be possible on streets with bike lanes. And what our route would be either way.

So I looked it up on Bike Metro, a tool for plotting bike routes. It works like mapquest, you enter your destination, your ability level, hill tolerance, and it gives you a suggested route.

I've used it to get to places on the east side - Hollywood, Echo Park, even Studio City. On the whole it's been pretty reliable, and I've found myself mainly on streets with bike lanes. Not sure if this is a criteria, or how one even finds out which streets have bike lanes, there must be a list somewhere.....

Bike lanes or no, drivers can be pretty clueless in terms of bike awareness. Though it doesn't stop me from commuting, and though tooling around Santa Monica is fairly safe, its still an issue - we really need more driver-awareness about sharing the road.

In one corner, the bicycle......

2006-07-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Another cool bike-related post on Treehugger on bikes as a superior form of efficient transport. Which I applaud whole heartedly, recognizing that for some, its a matter of changing one's viewpoint/routine/approach to the whole thing. Like factoring in commute as exercise time - forgoing the drive to the gym, that sort of thing.

Cites some interesting research on the calories needed per passenger-mile to power a bicycle compared to a car. Not surprisingly, the bike comes out squeaky clean:

"...a bicycle needed only 35 calories, whereas a car expended a whopping 1,860. Bus and trains fell about midway between, and walking still took 3 times as many calories as riding a bike the same distance."

Though the word "calorie" in our body conscious society instantly connotes the enemy, really its just a measure of energy - energy we can burn cleanly ourselves, say on a bike, or less so, in a car.......

Chased by the devil

2006-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Local cycling enthusiasts had a sneak preview at last Sunday's race of EL DIABLO. Being relatively new yet to cycling as sport, I wasn't up on the original devil, one Didi Senft.

Though not quite as smokin' as our notorious socal demon David Lee, an interesting character....long time cycling/racing enthusiast and fixture at the Tour de France, first donning the devil suit in 1993 because:

"They always called the final kilometre of a criterium [stage] the red devil's lap. I never saw a red devil, so I became one."

Mr. Senft is also known for building gynormous bikes. He's had at least 10 entries in the Guiness Book of World Records including the worlds largest and longest (bike), a recumbent double-decker tandem, and a giant rickshaw. Rad.

Photo here of Riley McAlpine, smiling through the pain as she took 4th, an amazing feat as she was riding solo against a field of teams looking to shut last years winner out. You go girl!

The road to a safer PCH

2006-06-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to La Grange club members for pushing this forward:

Shown here, last friday's gathering of cylists and government officials for a media event to kick off the PCH "Share the Road" signage. The decision to place a series of "Share the road" signs along the perilous PCH came after many meetings between reps from local cycling clubs and local/state officials, several of whom were at the press conference in the Topanga Beach parking lot.

Including: Chief Deputy Director of CalTrans District 7 (L.A. and Ventura Counties), State Senator Sheila Kuehl, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, State Assembly Member Fran Pavley and Duncan Lemmon, President of La Grange.

Vibile signage is certainly a step towards reminding drivers that cyclists, less protected than your average SUV, have a right to safer coastal views while sucking in all that CO2.... by not driving AND breathing those fumes in, were doubling our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Devil meets the princess

2006-06-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

June 25th, one of the most exciting regional bike races right in our back yard!

Last years highlights:
*A cameo appearance by Mephistopheles - recognize the sizzling South African in red?
*A beautiful, sunny socal day, AND,
*A stellar performance by Riley, who won the grueling race.

Lord only knows what this year will bring......I'll be there for sure, anyone wanna ride/carpool out there?

Bicycle Film Fest

2006-06-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

The annual wheeled reels come to town. Went last year, a few months after I first entered the world of road bikes, having primarily commuted/ridden my Xtracycle before.

Films range from bike advocacy, to pro-cyclist related, to just about anything featuring our favorite form of peaceful transportation. Not to miss if you are in any way shape or form a bike lover.

Midnight Ridazz

2006-06-11T22:03:00.000-07:00

Been meaning to try this ride since I learned about the Midnight Ridazz last year, but reluctant to ride out to Echo Park alone at night.....until now.

Found a group that rides out from Venice/Culver City, and headed w/ them to join about 500-600 others for a safe, chill tool around town.....such an incomparably different experience from cruising around in a car. You just see and feel more on a bike.

Check out this list for info about Midnight rides, general bike related happenings, etc. To come, a wheeled LA taco tour.

A less fuelish path...

2006-05-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Another LA times article pointing out that soaring gas prices are helping people rediscover their LEGS as a form of transportation, as well as other motorized two wheeled options - scooters, motorcycles, and such.

The legs, i.e. powering a bicycle, are THE most sustainable and enjoyable form. Fuel up with your favorite edible or espresso, and just GO, sans petrol, sans gym fees, and best of all, sans road rage.

and sans lycra, doesn't this look like more pleasant traffic????

the bicycle lounge is here!

2006-05-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Some images from our hangout after last nite's ride of silence. Wish I had taken some pix on the ride, but just wanted to focus on the experience and not deal w/ camera.

Super nice, cruising around Santa Monica at dusk with the safety of a large pack - in silence. There were riders in full lycra getup and street clothes, on Xtracycles and road bikes, experienced cyclists and brand newbies.

Given the nature of the ride - commemorating fallen cyclsts, the tone was somewhat somber - which we balanced out afterwards by hanging out in what is quickly becoming the "bicycle lounge", Riley's new garage/art studio. A place for Team Riley members, friends, and bicycles of course, to hang out and chat.

weds nite ride + bici lounge

2006-05-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier about the ride of silence this weds. nite, a social spin to commemorate fallen riders.....

A new addition to evening plan: following the ride we're going to gather at Riley's new art space on Montana, to sip, hang out, and enjoy these long, warm nights.

Ride leaves from Helen's in Santa Monica at 7:00 p.m, come on out cyclists/commuters all.

Cyclists Inciting Change...

2006-05-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Thru Live Exchange -- C.I.C.L.E.

The name definitely touches me. Was thinking today about the vast amounts of time I spend at computer, time that could be much better spent with other humans. Plenty of organizing/mobilizing has taken place across the ages just fine sans internet, the old fashioned "personal" way.....

So "live exchange" resonates. And just dig this site in general, slowly coming to discover that theres quite a few bike advocacy groups in this seemingly bike unfriendly city. With enough bike lovers around, the city will have no choice but to come around.....

stroke of velo valet luck

2006-05-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

On this morning's La Grange recovery ride, a buncha riders peeled off to check out a launch party for the new REI store in Santa Monica. Didn't pay much attention.

Then later, found myself daydreaming about how nice it would be to be able to valet ones bike. I don't like leaving my road bike locked up, so when I commute via fuji, always have to ask if theres somewhere I can leave it:
"No, you can't bring your bike into a bar/restaurant/market, we can't take responsibility, its a liability, someone might trip over it" - blah blah blah.

On my way home, saw bike advocacy booths and bikes galore in front of REI, went to investigate, and was immediately greeted with, "would you like to valet your bike?"

On top of this amazing synchronicity, my claim ticket for valeted bike turned out to winning # for an REI store raffle, won this crazy bike tool - will have to learn about it.

And the main bike advocacy group, C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange) is one I've had on my radar for some time, will learn more and post in the near future.

Join Ride of Silence

2006-05-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

On May 17th, cyclists all over the world will join in a silent ride, honoring cyclists who have lost their lives cycling on public roadways.

There is a local ride leaving from Helen's in Santa Monica, 10 miles. Meet at 6:30 p.m., ride heads out at 7:00, up Ocean to San Vicente, loop and return.

As riders we are all affected.....come share in this opportunity to keep the memories of fellow cyclists strong and alive.

Organic bike cookin'

2006-04-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is what we need on the westside - a bike friendly joint like the eastside Bicycle Kitchen, described in their words as:

"a safe space for cyclists from all walks of life to repair their bicycles, meet other cyclists, enrich their lives through bicycle awareness and find new outlets for bicycle culture."

They even have a ladies nite on mondays from 6:30 to 9:30 called, of all things, bitchen. I really wanna check it out, anyone up for an urban ride sometime?

Ladies Who Launch

2006-04-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Not directly related to bikes, but rather femme - rabble rousing stuff:

Riley here to tell you about Ladies Who Launch, an awesome networking/entrepreneurial program I recently participated in. LWL helped me propell my business ten times over in just 2 months, while meeting a wonderful new group of friends.

And having an art show, AND creating a RILEYWARE clothing line....which you biker chicks will be able to sport soon.

It's a phenomenal way to work on a new career idea, or simply a project you'd like to accomplish. Take it from me and check it out.

watts with the wasted calories?

2006-03-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

How rad is this? A stationary bicycle that actually generates usable power. So on a rainy day, or an indoor workout sans street traffic, you can do something useful, power your tv, lights, stereo, etc.

I don't really watch t.v., but bet I could find some other uses. Not sure if you could power a laptop - maybe by storing energy in a battery?

Probably won't get to this project any time in the immediate future, but would be psyched to hear from anyone whose tried.

Photo here shows high schoolers making pedal powered smoothies during one of our organic lunches with the Byerly Bicycle Blender, definitely on my wish list.

Non-leaching water bottle

2006-03-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

For anyone creeped out by the plasticky taste most water bottles leave, check this out. Speaks for itself....

"The Crystal Water Bottle is the only water bottle available in FDA-approved food-grade Polypropylene. It doesn't add its own flavor like your standard LDPE bike bottles do. It does not leach hormone disrupting bisephenol-A like has been shown in one study claims with polycarbonate plastics. 22 oz. capacity."

They're pricier than you're standard squisy bottle ($6.99 each) but well worth it in my humble opinion. Numerous studies in the last few years suggest that petroleum based plastic is something we should keep out of our bodies.

Just BEE a superhero

2006-03-14T21:32:00.000-08:00

April 9th, Riley McAlpine (our local cycling hero) and Christine Kwok (featured Acura model and all around athletic stud) will be starting up their women’s fitness program, “Just Bee”, a semi-private customized program of weekly fitness sessions.

Added bonus: they’ve just partnered with Solar Harvest, a sustainable foods restaurant with healthy organic food, wine/beer, offering nutritional plans and tips.

Registration now open, contact Christine for more info: chriskfit@yahoo.com

She spins, she paints, she brings us together.

2006-03-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

Riley's art opening tonight - a full house. I'd guess that most people there tonite know Riley in her lycra capacity, and not her artistic/creative one.....quite an amazing combo. Here we are at her show, don't MESS w/ those biceps!

What we all love most about her is the way she brings people together, linking the cycling community with some wonderful causes, like The Young Storytellers Program , and The K9 connection....

Thank you Riley!

Meet Christine, our Acura cycling model...

2006-03-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

Check it ladies, it's our very own Christine Kwok! Go get 'em tigress!

(Wait, but she looks so cute and smiley, what's all this about fear?)

Acura LA Bike Tour

2006-03-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

Coming up, the 12th annual Acura LA Bike Tour , a 22.7 mile spin through blessedly traffic free LA streets....a chance to experience what a more bicycle friendly city might feel like.

Team Riley? Roachicks? Anyone want to give this a whirl?

Chick rides a growin'....

2006-03-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

Okay dudes, watch out, here come the Roadchicks.

Ladies, if you're looking for a safe pack for some fun, challenging weekend rides,
join this yahoo group to get updates on Saturday/Sunday rides to Southbay, Malibu, etc.

These are no drop rides, but will be covering some good distances, and some good climbs. Nice to see the chic momentum building!

Velo Rouge

2006-02-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

Anyone need an errand/commuter bike?

Saw this super cute red bike today at a garage sale (took photo w/ my cell phone camera, thus poor quality) and couldn’t pass it up. May keep it, but as I already have an “around town” bike, thought I’d offer it to someone who would use it for errands and such rather than a car. It has an awesome basket, hard to see in photo.

Still puzzled by the fact that so many cyclists will ride for hours and hours, yet drive 10 blocks to the store. Is it lack of a beater bike stopping you? If so, lemme know if you’re interested in this little red bici. Reminds me of this gem of a café in San Francisco, Velo Rouge, worth a visit next time your in the bay area.

Vicious Cycling

2006-02-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

For a look at a very different sort of a local biking scene, check out this article in LA Alternative on cycling Midnight Riddaz/Critical Mass style.