Grab your beverage of choice and settle in for a long list of bike centric links and events, including this weekend’s Brewery Ride, Sunday Funday Ride and the always exciting Brentwood Grand Prix.
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A new book says cyclists only have to average 8 mph to effectively travel faster than cars in Los Angeles, among other cities. LACBC regional chapter Santa Monica Spoke wins a $3,000 grant from Performance Bicycle. Gary Kavanagh says Santa Monica continues progress on the new Bike Action Plan, despite setbacks. Rick Risemberg notes the biking improvements in Santa Monica, and asks when it will be L.A.’s turn. A new You Tube video offers a young perspective on L.A. bike culture and Cat 3 racer Fabian Vasquez. L.A. Latino teens explain why they prefer fixies in a great short film. A new film looks at the experiences of African American cyclists in L.A. Missed this one earlier in the week as the Watts Cyclery takes the first steps towards opening a bike co-op in the underserved South L.A. area. The rich get richer as Long Beach cyclists will soon see sharrows on 4th Street.
An Orange County writer says she’s risking her life by riding to better health. What would it take to make San Diego the world’s best bike-friendly city? Palo Alto’s planned bike share is doomed to fail unless stations are located where people actually want to ride. Who would have thought the man behind Cyclelicious would be geek cycle chic. A writer for the New York Times Wiggles through San Francisco on his new fixie. After five deaths in 10 weeks, Sonoma cyclists ride to call attention to bike safety; although not everyone thinks that’s a good idea. The Lompoc School superintendent comes home after being critically injured when he was run down by a truck while riding in Missouri. Local residents say the dangerous intersection where a Modesto teacher was killed may have been the problem, rather than a careless driver.
Cycling’s governing body tries to claim jurisdiction over the Lance Armstrong case; the question is why. Not surprisingly, bike companies are some of the best places to work. Seattle’s newly formed Puget Sound Bike Share is looking for an executive director. Over 7,000 New York City cyclists and pedestrians have been injured in the first six months of the year, with 79 killed; yes, 79. Ten tips for riding in New York. A man has admitted to being the hit-and-run driver who killed a Richmond VA cyclist, giving the suspect a full four days to sober up before coming forward.
The UK’s leading retail chain mistakenly offers a bike for sale for just £1 — about a buck-and-a-half. Despite a public confession, the International Olympic Committee doesn’t seem to care that a gold medal-winning track cyclist deliberately fell to cause a restart; evidently, things like that only matter in badminton. An abusive spectator is arrested and fined after hurling abuse at the family of a bronze medal-winning Aussie track cyclist. Wrong place at the wrong time, as a Malaysian cyclist travels over 9,000 miles to see the Games, only to get arrested in the Critical Mass mess. Town Mouse appreciates the attention to detail in a newly improved bike lane on a visit to London, but notes that’s not always the case. It’s not a network of bike lanes in Dublin, it’s an adrenaline-boosting cycle-coaster. Paris plans to return the banks of the Seine to people, rather than cars. A notorious Aussie overpass claims a victim on Thursday. Thanks to a rash of bicycle bombs, Jaipur, India residents now have to show ID to buy a bike.
Finally, a driver texts that he needs to stop texting, just before driving off a cliff. And two hours after stealing a bike from a bike shop, a thief returns to buy — what else? — a lock.
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Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK; looks like I may be on this week.
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.
Flying Pigeon hosts their monthly Brewery Ride on Saturday, August 4th, with a leisurely ride to a bar or brewery to be determined. The ride meets at 3 pm at the Flying Pigeon LA bike shop, 3404 N. Figueroa St., with a 3:30 pm departure. Single speed cruiser bikes are available for rent.
LACBC board member Steve Boyd will lead this month’s Sunday Funday Lakewood Family Ride through Lakewood and Long Beach this Sunday, August 5th. The easy, 18-mile family friendly ride will start from Del Valle Park, 5939 Henrilee Street in Lakewood; meet by the airplane at 9:30 am, with a 10 am departure. The ride is free for LACBC members and a guest; discount memberships are available the day of the ride.
L.A.’s biggest single day bike race takes place on Sunday, August 5th as the Raymond Fouquet Brentwood Grand Prix rolls through the streets of West L.A.; this year’s race will serve as the 2012 Southern California Nevada Cycling Association Elite Criterium Championship. Racing takes place all day, from 7 am to 4 pm on San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood; don’t miss the race expo on the center divider.
The 4th Annual California Tour de Dreams 2012 will take place August 9th through 19th as cyclists will ride 540 miles from UC Berkeley to UCLA to educate communities about the passage of the California Dream Act and advocate for passage of the Federal Dream Act.
Thursday, August 9th, Flying Pigeon will join L.A. Streetsblog and Bike Nation in hosting a night of Streetfilms and tacos to benefit C.I.C.L.E founder and long-time L.A. area bike advocate Shay Sanchez. It all starts at 7 pm at Flying Pigeon LA bike shop, 3404 N. Figueroa St.
The Antelope Valley’s High Desert Cyclists hosts a series of monthly Brunch Rides on the second Saturday of each month. The comfortably paced 15 to 20 mile rides will visit a local restaurant or coffee shop for brunch before returning to the starting point; organizers promise no rider will be left behind. The next ride is scheduled for Saturday, August 11th; riders will leave from Marie Kerr Park at Avenue P and 30th West in Palmdale at 7:30 am for a comfortable 20 mile round trip ride to the Coffee Bean café.
Also on Saturday the 11th, the 9th annual C.U.R.B. (Citizens United to Remove Barriers) Bike Ride rolls through the streets of Long Beach for a relaxed, all ages ride with police escort. Suggested $20 donation benefits a life free of barriers for the physically challenged; free — yes, free — rental bikes are available through the city’s DecoBike bike share. Sounds like a fun ride for a great cause.
Registration has opened for the Santa Monica Museum of Art’s fourth annual Cause for Creativity: Tour da Arts on Sunday, August 19th, featuring an art focused bike tour and other bike centric artistic activities and exhibitions. Be sure to sign up early, because the free bike tour always reaches capacity long before the event.
Bikes are normally banned from the famed San Diego – Coronado Bay Bridge, but you can ride it on Sunday, August 26th, during the 5th Annual Bike the Bay, to benefit the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Civic Engagement Committee meets at 6:45 pm on the last Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be Tuesday, July 28th, location to be determined. Email bikinginla at hotmail dot com to be added to the email list.
The Eastside Bike Club invites you to join them on the Dodgertown Bike Ride on Saturday, September 1st. The ride begins with a rally starting at 3 pm at El Arca, 3839 Selig Place before riding to see the Dodgers play the Arizona Diamondbacks, with game time starting at 6:10 pm. Buy your tickets in advance on the Dodgers website.
Sunday, September 2nd marks your chance for fixed gear glory with the Lord of Griffith IV, a climbing, three lap track bike/fixed gear race in and around Griffith Park.
The Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Classic invites you to ride down Highway 1 to raise funds for a cure. The ride rolls 525 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles from Sunday, September 9th to Sunday the 16th; a two-day option is also available on Saturday, the 15th and Sunday the 16th.
Early registration has opened for the national Pro Walk/Pro Bike® conference to be held September 10th through 13th in Long Beach. The 17th annual conference is sponsored by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, and Project for Public Spaces.
Long Beach will host the country’s first National Women’s Bicycling Summit, as well as a Cycle Chic: Past, Present and Future fashion show on Thursday, September 13th in conjunction with the Pro Walk/Pro Bike conference; tickets for both are $35.
This year’s Tour de Fat will take place on Saturday, September 15th at Los Angeles State Historic Park — and this time, it’s not scheduled on the Jewish high holidays, so everyone can attend.
Celebrate the return of Carmagedon on Saturday, September 29th as Wolfpack Hustle — yes, the cyclists who beat a Jet Blue jet from Burbank to Long Beach — invite you to ride your bikes from every point in the city to meet on the L.A. River bike path for the biggest ride ever with the All City LA River Ride; details to follow.
There’s a new date for the next CicLAvia, which has been moved up one week from October 14th to 10 am to 3 pm on Sunday, October 7th. The route has also been changed, with new spurs extending from Expo Park in South L.A. to East L.A. and Boyle Heights.
The Bicycle Film Festival returns to Los Angeles this October, with a kick-off party at historic El Cid in Silver Lake on the 11th, followed by the debut of The Contender, the first BFF-produced film at Cinefamily on the 12th. Other screenings will take place at the Downtown Independent theater from 11 am to 10 pm on Saturday the 13th, with an all-ages DTLA block party the next day from 10 am to 6 pm. Convergence rides are planned for the various events. Email volunteerla@bicyclefilmfestival.com for more information or to volunteer.
Now here’s a great idea for a ride. The Arthritis Foundation is teaming with one of the L.A. area’s favorite Cuban bakeries and cafés to offer the first ever Tour de Porto’s starting at 8:30 am on Sunday, October 28th. The ride starts at Porto’s in Glendale, travels a short distance to the Burbank Porto’s, then down the L.A. River Bike Path to the restaurant’s Downey location. If the entry fee includes a Cubano or Medianoche, count me in.
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SInce you mentioned your appearance today I listened in live even though I had seen you in the archive as I think host in the past and am glad I did as at this time at least the archive only lasts a few months, and they seem to have believed the second hour would not be archived at all.
It is for example the last week to download Mark’s date. Also the free radio site has live shows alternating with ‘archive’ so Ithought those links where to the archive for exampel the second hour- but it’s just the schedule.
I’ve been walking and looking for content to play on my phone while doing so so am quite pissed this archive is so shortlived now. I’ts really ridiculous how cheap storage is so I don’t understand it at all. THe cloud will store recordings for free also so if someone could upload these to soundcloud etc. it woudl be even easier to listne on cell phones (especially if you only have wifi or only wifi and only a cell phone to use it with)
Regarding your phone’ed in appearance I appeciated it but think they should have guests with video p2p ability do that if there/your willing to smoothen the interactions despite us only hearing the audio- and they coud let guest see into the studio but not let anyone else see them or guests.
Essentially the lawyer said that if a bike lane puts the bike in doorability risk to parked cars then it’s only for when cars are not parked. We shoud try to get this into the manuals. Many parking spaces are not available during rush hour etc. and those that need us to not take the all but abutting lane during certain hours should be illegal to park during those hours period. If it’s legal to park- then the lane is not assured to be car speed if any noncar is using it. I have never seen discussion though about recumbents versus car doors nor helmet etc. aspects and I also was offended by the notion that anyone using a hummer as there primary vehicle can be said to be cooperative. Operating a hummer doesn’t get you a jury of any hummer owners and frankly I think it’s unlikely any hummer owner could be seated in one even if they wanted to be. Most obviously policy limits plus salvage value of that vehicle shoudl be sought at a minimum. I think some activility to ban high (tall) frame and heavy trucks on city streets was contemplated long ago and I wish it had passed. Low profile cars even crush zones don’t work unless they are hit squarely and whether your attacked from above your frame or from not being seen without one it’s not good.
Frankly given that this show i s not on the station i thought it was on at all or if radio at all is very low power I’m in disbelief truly how short the archival period is.
I did take the time earlier today to visit all your links and resisted only with discipline to not chime in before I had done so.
Obviously I couldn’t call in as multiple lines are probably not ever used at that station.
I really really really have a hard time liking the marketing claims of what I’m going to hereafter try to call appropriately “truck dependent peddlers” instead of the wonky “human powered” marketing potentials given catalytic assistance- I find the failure to evolve an after the fact mutation. There is a place for retro- but not for it to have it’s hand out. USC is not a bike friendly place not just because the racks are nonexistent and as noted here people/students are told “leave your bikes at home!” but also because most use them as training wheels only. I actually might buy a bike today for it’s lock after it was rode twice and spent the rest of it’s owners college years- all four, in the elements. Commercials even say “college gets you into a car” or off your bike and that is very very very sad.
IF we gave students decent modern bikes- those not requiring they buy a truck to continue to use them when they grow up- they would not need a chevy volt or it’s try it ffree for two months tobacco/meth campaign to be addicted as they would already have a positive addiction to superior technology. That monster uses more energy then a electric busload of bikes even rolling side by side use. It is a coal guzzler and more lethal to the planet then even to bikes who can’t hear it as if that excuses us not widely looking down on it with contempt- contempt we instead reserve for _adult_ bikes- bikes with batteries so we can minimise our burden upon the public right of way when it’s scarce as here in especially DTLA.
The only thing worse as utterly venal then driving away alone in a ‘car’ is when you have a working bike in therewith you especially when it’s because your afraid to look like a nerd if you use a few tablespoons of gas equivalent every few dozen miles or whatever it is (probably much less then that to do 30mph on a road bike pedaling as if going a ‘normal’ speed for such ‘hobbyists’…….what was the word i saw….(lumpingus all together as there for the journey)
anyway the hosts told you it was ‘unfortunate’ or whatever if people doing the right thing has the apparent even fatalties climbing.
I THOUGH DISSENT knowING _most_ people embrace the concept of it always being a good day to die doing that(good). A good day to die not driving, a good day to die in small numbers encouraging more by not wearing a helmet- much more people (despite still in the aftermath like it was in India and can be here as we are just as human as them) riding, not merely being killed. The more of us who die, the more of us who ride, the fewer who will be killing and we’ll ultimately all-ish survive and prosper.
Unfortunately though at this time ordinary people- people who care about others, are the exception when it comes to commuting. The reputation of being on a bike out of [mere; other then moral] necessity is largely earned. Those who have died recently include thankfully though however ample exceptions- and these should, WILL, encourage more of us who have the money to drive, who are not suicidal but MORE SO (even MUCH more so) not homicidal either to take the teeny tiny risk(with though our very lives as nothing is more important… truly, I say this soberly, and you should know it too already,NOTHING).
It is very small compared to enlisting to use violence ( for UNCLE S) I assume although that risk is now so small itself as to be bereft of any respect being owed to those who make it (by and large)who are far more doing so for there own interest then ever NOW or even those presently on bikes.
I watched a longish ‘part II’ (in 1080i I think) from london from a month or so ago today- it was a good view- a 180, shot backwards, at a advancing against most riders clip. Only one rider was noted with a helmet at a long stop. She didnt’ get the point of the ride as I’ve always understood it- we who ride knowingly risk our lives because it is the right thing to do. Wearing clothes or helmets especially all the time both fails to teach those who stare behind glass at us that we are not there just for them, nor are we all about ourselves either. I won’t wear a helmet and let Polar Bears drown so I can live longer and therfore long enough to only talk about when they used to share this planet with us. I’ll take a hummer knocking my block off as to not risk that is to condem those who can’t don a helmet, can’t put sunscreen on even, can’t survive if cars continue to be driven alone in cities because ESSENTIAL nobody speaks of the RANK evil of that.
Letting people see us suffering the pain of copulatary stares, of freaks and assembled on sidewalks well coifed and not geeks is (can be again perhaps and was once at least I think) the point of the protest. Choosing lesser evil. Nonviolence in the face of past slaughter(and present)- ‘turning’ -brain itself- cheeks as our most precious possesion is only after all to leave the most obvious stone not unturn-ed/able.
‘The’ protest though has been effectively hijacked by ‘naturists’ as have the funds that are supposed to support alternative modes but instead get wasted on recreational and instead of well spent on sophisticated transit instead in utter vulgarity exhuasted at four figures a head a day deep undergroudn ;laborers’ for years or decades and then an insignificant number of people suffering the worst air in caves without caviar despite it costing about a pound [of it rather obviously?] a trip to suffer the ride down there.
I’ve argued the facts. That for the six figures of capital investment per seat a subway costs and I’m afraid it’s seven now, a trainful of people can be given 62 mph 20 pound bikes to ride- bikes that if sold in such volume would drop in price to a tenth- four figures each- despitei being chargable completely just from peddling if riders don’t need the extra acceleration to use a tiny fraction of road ‘smart’ cars take even.
The moment is now. Never has the threat posed by cars been greater. Never will we be able to put thousands of bikes into towns at once- and per, again, and we are far from getting it right now.
Our enemies are the coal powerplants who slober at becoming our new shieks finally able to find other then incandescent water heaters to charge us ten times too much serving. Paris? I read every comment there. Nobody answers the good questions- the stupidest only in appearance. The glib dogooders get no heat- the “hush already look at me pedalling” dont’ need more solace. But hope can be found in those who have so much esteem as to wonder if perhaps letting bikes in if pedestrians are not with enough space makes sense first I say. I disagree with them- but know we need them, that they are most us, that as they also say “the car is for trips into the country” and so shoudl our bikes be- but that is ALSO OUR destination (for now and however much longer only sought) and the journey, so far rather, is to in making it safe to bike also safe to run, safe to let those who will be safer for our risk and loss then if we ignore the cost of safety THAT DONNING helmets and even only going shirtless especially if with a helmet when the world literally is watching pose. (please don’t ignore these risks at our very peril much longer!)
‘We’ (not I or the real us) are asking for truck dependent bikes and accomidations. WE need someone to offer us what we need instead. Until that happens those who kills us just because they can, just because there so sick as to be still driving, are our best hope in making at least some of those who count themselves lucky for not having yet slain one of us reconsider if luck is enough for them, if they really want to still be risking it, or gloriously quit now having not yet themselves had the smell of blood burnt into there psyche (regardless of however high high in fact the body count for every hour holding that american steering wheel represeents) because at some point they’ll realise we are not going to relent, we are not waiting for fuel cells or fusion power plants or Santa Claus or them to turn to stone. It’s faith. It’s acceptance that we want it in our lifetime- but if it’s not till we can be reborn and have a chance to have a kid to have them see it after very long parenting them doesn’t give us a chance even that’s ok. Seeking greatness we know it can demand time.
(I did get a peace of data today- my household in just using a piston instead of a scroll to slow down the air molecules in but a living room essentially ’emitted’ (stepped on enough newbords,extincted enough species to constitute) over a ton of co2 lat month alone, a ton, so yeah, 9 oz’s however much it weighs is not an issue and the bike shot mechanic could not be more of a horror in saying we could _none_theless make lots of money marketing the fittings(regulator etc.). A dozen dollar bottle is part of the puzzle for sure. But understanding that the fact that not one bike dealership onthis planet (hoping I’m ‘nieve’ on this but rarely so gloriously wrong) has managed to get made a one ounce volume co2 tank that can be refilled for even the fattest pair of not turck dependent wheels says much. [YAYISAY] Only truck dependent crap is offered to us. IF the fords of this generation are not being assasinated it must be that they have all so far been aborted… I know thoug hthat many of us can read these words and need little more then them to step up- so I say again. Just say no. Don’t drive. Don’t own. Die if necessary trying to get to school and work. It is what the bible taught. It is what will make your life best, longest, most filled with joy and justice. It has served me well despite often more then the appearance of being in hell. I’m not bitter. Just struggling- hearing the hymn when I need to about how we shall overcome. I know we shall. Not just that we can, or must, but we shall, and soon, because here we do have something to say about it.It’s in writing after all. NOvember matters (if we are not burnt, or in our final (other) box), but not driving -it being neither death nor taxes, having that as liberty if only that still- between now and then or after matters far more.)
With every one of us who dies my life, my debt, is changed. I do not accept the necessity of these deaths- only that they are the lesser evil. I do not rejoice, but I do not duck. I stand whether they did so in falling voluntarally or not. Make no mistake though- I consider myself drafted. It has never been about ego. Only about righteous meekness being primal potence and who we all truly are.