BikinginLA

Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.

Learn how to commute by bike at a workshop sponsored by Sustainable Streets and Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Green Committee on Saturday, from 1 pm to 3 pm on Saturday, January 14th. The workshop takes place on the second floor of the Citibank building, 1965 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles.

The week Flying Pigeon hosts a rare weekend double header with the Spoke(n)Art Ride at 6 pm on Saturday, January 14th, and the ever-popular Get Sum Dim Sum ride at 10 am on Sunday the 15th. Riders depart from the Flying Pigeon LA bike shop at 3714 N. Figueroa ST in Highland Park at 3 pm. This will be followed by the, and the Bikes are available to rent for $20.

Sunday, January 15th, High Desert Cyclists host the High Desert Cyclocross starting at 9 am at Marie Kerr Park, 39700 30th Street West in Palmdale.

Check out the possibilities of behind talk of an L.A. bikeshare program with a public demonstration (pdf) on Wednesday, January 18th from 10 am to 2 pm at Metro’s Downtown Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza.

Formerly bike-unfriendly USC is hosting a Bike Summit Workshop and Campus Bike Expo on Wednesday, January 18th at the Tutor Center Campus Ballroom as part of their efforts to develop a new Campus Bicycle Master Plan. The Expo runs from 1 – 3 pm, with the Workshop running from 3 – 5 pm.

Glendale will host a community workshop to discuss the city’s new draft bike plan on Wednesday, January 18th starting at 7 pm in the Glendale Police Community Room, 131 N. Isabel Street in Glendale.

Beverly Hills rounds out a very busy Wednesday the 18th with a meeting to discuss the city’s bike plan update; since they haven’t posted an agenda yet, we can only assume it will be at the site of the previous meetings, in Conference Room 217 of the Public Works Building, 345 Foothill Road; thanks to Better Bike’s Mark Elliot for the heads-up.

The Westside Cities Council of Governments meets at noon on Thursday, January 19th in the West Hollywood Library, 625 North San Vicente in West Hollywood. Bikeshare is on the agenda, along with a discussion of closing gaps in vital bikeways.

Also on Thursday, January 19th, Jarrett Walker will discuss his new book Human Transit: How Clear Thinking About Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives from 6 to 8 pm in Room 2343 at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. The event is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

The final SoCal Cross event of the year takes place over the grade at Hart Park in Bakersfield, with a battle of North versus South, starting at 9 am Saturday and Sunday, January 21st and 22nd.

LACBC affiliate chapter BikeSGV — formerly WSGVBC — will hold a coalition meeting on Tuesday, January 24th from 6:30 to 8 pm at 330 E. Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel; thanks to LACBC for the heads-up.

VBT Biking and Walking Vacations will be hosting a wine and cheese reception to promote their 33 worldwide bicycling and 6 walking vacations, from 6 pm to 8 pm on Tuesday, January 31st at the MountainGate Country Club, 12445 MountainGate Road; RSVP at 800/245-386 ext. 3420 by Tuesday, January 24th or email Receptions@vbt.com with LA Reception in the subject line.

The next in the LACBC’s series of popular Sunday Funday rides rolls to the legendary Watts Tower on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th. The Sea to Towers Sunday Funday Ride will combine efforts with the LA Wheelmen and Beach Cities Cycling Club, hosted by LACBC and Wheelmen member David Nakai. The ride meets at 8 am at Dock 52 in Marina del Rey, and offers your choice of a relatively flat 39 mile ride or a more challenging 49-miler. The rides will meet up with a third group for an easy 10 mile ride to the towers and back starting at 10 am from Jesse Owens Park.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with 34th Annual Chinatown Firecracker Ride and Run on Saturday, February 11th (Ride) and Sunday, February 12 (Run). Say you were referred by the LACBC (go ahead, I won’t tell) and they’ll donate $7 to the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition, which will provide a bike valet for the event.

The Watts Towers will be a popular destination in February as one of L.A.’s favorite cyclists leads a ride to the iconic artworks. Will Campbell’s Watts Happening Ride 2012 will start at 9 am on February 18th in Silver Lake, and explore landmark people, places and events in, to and from South L.A. If you don’t know Will, few people know more unofficial L.A. bikeways or fascinating tidbits and trivia about unexplored corners of the City of Angeles. Highly recommended.

Mark your calendar for the next CicLAvia on Tax Day, April 15th from 10 am to 3 pm; word is the event could be bigger and better than ever.

L.A.’S favorite fundraising bike ride rolls out on Sunday, January 10th with the 12th Annual L.A. River Ride; this one just keeps getting bigger and better every year. Six different rides, from an easy family ride to a fast, flat century; more details to come.