Check BikeBoom Calendar for info on group ride down from LA proper.

Vicious Writing, part II

Regarding: The final paragraphs of “Vicious Cycling,” an article by Laura Hauther

At the end of the article entitled “Vicious Cycling,” in a recent issue of the Los Angeles Alternative, Hauther introduces a current campaign in Los Angeles to improve cycling conditions. The campaign is centered on the implementation of street markings called “Sharrows,” which is an abbreviation of their full name: “Shared-use arrows.” Shared-use arrows are: a picture of a bicycle, similar to the bicycle painted in bike lanes, with two arrows above it pointing in the direction that traffic should legally travel. This symbol is painted in the middle of the traffic lane. There is no delineating marker segregating this symbol from regular traffic. It is away from the parked cars on the curb. It is situated such that it runs directly under the middle of cars as they drive in the traffic lane. The message the sharrows unequivocally convey is that the traffic lanes are not “car lanes.” They are “shared-use lanes,” to be used by all vehicles under California Vehicle Code, which includes bicycles. The particular focus of the sharrow, rather than increasing awareness of bus or motorcycle rights to the streets, is BICYCLES.

Hauther states, “Detractors fear it could be a step toward segregating and restricting bikers, and since bikes are already allowed full use of the lane, certain cyclists feel it’s unnecessary.” Both of these arguments are irrelevant to sharrows. As for the “detractors,” there is no way that sharrows can restrict bicyclists, as- mentioned in the exact same sentence- bicycles are already allowed full use of the lane, according to California Vehicle Code. The sharrows are reinforcing a law that already exists, and creating no new distinctions between places that bicycles may exist and places that they may not. Sharrows increase the visibility of bicycles on the street by creating a lasting reminder, on the asphalt in front of all vehicles as they travel, that the streets are for bicycles just as much as they are for other vehicles.

As for the “certain cyclists” mentioned above, they either have not ridden their bicycles in traffic lanes for long in Los Angeles, or else they are more comfortable with hostility on the road than the majority of cyclists. While many cyclists are aware that they have the legal right to the entire road- to exist as a vehicle in every capacity: taking the entire lane when traveling, crossing the second and third lanes of traffic to reach a left-hand turn lane, etc.- most motorists are not aware of these rights. Any cyclist in Los Angeles that has traveled as a vehicle on the road for a month or longer has been honked at or yelled at to get on the sidewalk or to get a car or just called terrible names. This hostility, which has escalated into physically dangerous and even fatal situations (in the case of New York City), proves a very clear necessity. The necessity is for all controllers of vehicles on busy city streets to be aware of the legal imperative to share the road. Sharrows will do that necessary job, which is currently not being done by any infrastructural device in Los Angeles.

Hauther goes on to say, “The other option is the method of Vehicular Cycling-treating a bicycle as a form of transportation equal to motorized vehicles, with the same rights and responsibilities. These bikers follow the same rules as drivers: fully stopping at all stop signs and traffic signals, using the full lane of the road instead of bike lanes. Vehicular Cyclists believe this gives them greater visibility, making it more likely drivers will treat them with consideration and respect on the road.” This is the SAME option that sharrows reinforce, not ANOTHER option. Sharrows make vehicular cycling more safe and, hence, encourage vehicular cycling. There is absolutely no conflict between vehicular cycling and riding a bicycle on a street marked with sharrows.

“But the bike does not always win.” And so the final three paragraphs of the article go the way of so many recent articles about bicycling published in Los Angeles periodicals. Hauther describes the scene of a car-bicycle accident during a large group bicycle ride. This closes an otherwise thought-provoking look at some aspects of the Los Angeles cycling community with a reinforcement of the fears of otherwise well-intentioned Los Angelenos who just can’t seem to incorporate a bicycle into their arsenal of transportation options. We are invited to look at a transportation subculture, and marvel at the ingenuity flowing out of it into other aspects of life in Los Angeles, invited to ponder the thoughts and dreams and work of so many tireless, joyful and well-intentioned creators of culture and experience, and then given a foreboding, simplistic reason to not become a part of it. We might get hit by a car. Hence, we should keep driving our cars and leave the bicycles to those who don’t value their own lives.

In a car-bicycle accident, it is undeniable that the motorist is less likely to get hurt than the person on the bicycle. The physics of such a collision is clear: greater mass, sometimes greater velocity, give a car a much greater kinetic energy which will be imparted to / lost upon the body of a bicyclist in truly tragic ways, if a collision occurs. The beautiful thing about many of the bicyclists on the street in Los Angeles is that they do value their own lives. That is why they ride a bicycle instead of locking themselves in a metal box and spending hours of their week sitting still in that stale, monotonous routine that car-drivers almost affectionately label “traffic,” or waiting for the sometimes unreliable buses to take them where they need to go.

The bicyclists not only value their own lives, but they value everyone else’s life. To ride a bicycle in this place and time is a rejection of people being murdered for oil. Bicyclists may not have a big metal box around them, providing them limited protection from an oncoming metal box, but they also don’t have hundreds of dollars a month going to oil companies as an incentive for the companies to acquire more oil, with whatever means necessary. To ride a bicycle in this place and time is a rejection of the idea that only one’s own safety matters. A bicyclist will be hard-pressed to murder someone else in a collision. On the contrary, cars murder people every day. The larger the car, the more murderous . . . and, ostensibly, the more safe is the passenger inside.

So the real piece of foreboding, not very simplistic, information any would-be bicyclists in Los Angeles must accept is that, by deciding- yes, it is a decision- to drive a car in the city, they are making a declaration of their lack of concern for the safety of people around them. Bicyclists are aware that they may die in a car-bicycle collision. Motorists must be aware that they may murder someone in a car-car or in a car-bicycle or in a car-pedestrian collision. Cyclists sometimes joke about cars being the Weapons of Mass Destruction on the streets. The term car “accident” is farcical, because there is evidence everywhere that cars cause serious damage, in numerous ways. Choosing to drive is a direct denial of that evidence, or else an acceptance of it. The larger the vehicle a person chooses to drive, oftentimes for the express purpose of protecting themselves, the greater the affront to everyone around them on the street.

A friend recently made a graphic design of a bicycle with the subtitle “This is Our Sword,” perhaps delineating the transportation alternatives that exist in the typical Los Angeleno’s arsenal. There are cars- the weapons of mass destruction that are meant to get somewhere the fastest, with the greatest capacity for carrying. At the same time, they travel with much noise and excessive needs for fuel. They are a dirty technology and, in the end, especially in congested LA streets, they often don’t serve their purpose of getting anywhere fast. Then, there are bicycles- the swords of transportation, svelte and graceful, a classical technology that is still effective and requires no fuel input and produces no pollution.

The final paragraphs of “Vicious Cycling,” instead of focusing on bicycles “not always winning,” should give consideration to whether a car can EVER “win.” A cyclist or a motorist or a pedestrian lying motionless in the street is an all-around loss. In terms of fueling oil wars and in terms of polluting air with particulate matter and noise and in terms of contributing to the sedentary lifestyle that kills so many and in terms of causing tangible damage on our own city streets, cars will never “win.” It’s time for coverage of the fascinating bicycle subculture to get real about the options. Weapon of mass destruction or sword: here’s to consciously making our decisions.

Vicious Writing

on the cover of the Los Angeles Alternative an article titled "Vicious Cycling,Struggling to ride on two wheels in a four-wheel city" by Laura Hauther. it mentions Midnight Ridazz and the Bicycle Kitchen, which by the way, are not officially associated. this is the kind of article that makes me think that L.A bicycle culture is reaching a boiling point (unlike others), which is cool. now, since i've been quoted in this article i feel i have the right to make some corrections:

-recycled parts are not free at the kitchen, as much as we would like to redistribute the bike love in material fashion we still pay for a lot of things, but we try to keep them as close to free as possible.

-as much as i like the iterations of my name "fRederico" is not my favorite one these days. you can call me however you want, francisco, felix, fernando, frouliano, you name it. i'm really bad remembering names myself so i don't put a lot of stress on that, but if you are going to cite me i will really appreciate the correct spelling: federico. now, i give the author extra points for spelling the name of my country of origin without U's involved.

"...Tobon’'s conversion to the bike-only lifestyle happened when he moved here from Colombia and couldn't afford a car. By the time he could, he didn'’t want one. Instead, he became a devotee of the fixed gear bike. Fixed gears are stripped-down bikes with no cables or controls of any kind, including brakes... "I feel more connected to the bike, I'm forced to be very aware of everything going on around me so I can easily flow with the traffic,” Tobon says. Even after talking about how fixed gears were declared illegal in Holland after a safety study found their braking ability inadequate, he insists he feels safer on his fixed gear..."

-i didn't move to L.A from colombia. and so far it is not true that i have been able to afford a car -it is true that i don't have the faintest desire to have one-. more important, a fixed gear bike does not imply lack of controls, cables or brakes. a fixed gear bike can have all of the above and still be a fixed gear bike. it can be a cool fixed gear bike, a hardcore fixed gear bike and a fun fixed gear bike and still have all of those things. i do not advocate or not advocate for the use of brakes. fixed gears have NOT been declared illegal anywere (thanks to the gods) that i know of. i did mention a story my good swiss friend told me about a law suit that happened in Zurich about messengers riding fixed gear bikes with no brakes; apparently the law states that you have to have brakes on your bike so the police was cracking down on those brakeless fixed gear riders so after law suits and ensuing tests it was declared that stoping using only the drivetrain of your fixed gear bike wasn't as effective as using brakes, so it didn't meet the safety requirements for street riding, and so it might not be "legal" to ride brakeless in zurich, not holland. i have no accuracy claims on this story and no sources that i can easily confirm, so lets take it with a pinch of salt. it might even be "illegal" to ride brakeless in L.A. if we follow closely the california vehicle code equipment requirements (CVC 21201)

a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

now, i do feel safer on my brakeless fixie, that was accurate. one of the reasons might be the usually mentioned feeling of connection. but these days i've been thinking that the constant kinetic feedback the lower part of my body receives from the fixed gear bicycle is a constant reminder of the consequences of my speed. i would go as far as to say that any device that lowers your perception of the consequences of your speed is making your mode of transportation less safe for you and for others. as an extreme, but unfortunately common example: most cars do a good job in numbing you to the deadly speeds you're dealing with. to a much much lesser extent freewheels also lower your perception of consequences of your speed. this enters the realm of subtlety since on a bike you are really out there feeling the wind and all but i choose to attribute my legs more perceptual power. and maybe, i am vicious about fixies.

-i do not have a boss. in my work with an electrician we are trying to defy the notions of boss /employe. i'm learning from him but yet even the notion of apprentice seems difficult to swallow. maybe we constitute the smallest instance of a community of craft. in many communities some people know more than others and monetary transactions happen without the need for established hierarchies.

-Paul Choppercabras, as we call him affectionately,acquireduired a new pseudonym in this article: Mr.De Verla. i won't reveal his real last name since it's possible he changed it on purpose, but beware.

-it is not true that the last midnight ridazz dissolved at sunset and echo park with the accident scene. many of us continued to the designated "make out spot" at the end of the ride and there were a lot of people. a lot.

It Was The Best Of Rides, It Was The Worst Of Rides

Depending on who you spoke to, last night's Midnight Ridazz was comprised of anywhere from 500 to 1,000 cyclists. Certainly it was the biggest turnout I've seen (although I'm not one to judge really, what with this just being my third).

Last night's was as invigorating a trip as my previous two — I even volunteered to cork up traffic at a couple intersections. But the 20-mile route, which brought us up to invade Glendale and its popular Galleria before coming back down through Silver Lake and across Echo Park to climb up Stadium Way and deep into Elysian Park, was not without its low points.

First up, it was either a slow night for the Glendale PD, or the attending officers were just waaaaaaaay too smalltown uptight for anybody's liking. Several patrol cars lurked along our perimeter like sharks, and I heard they even brought a helicopter and its bazillion-candlepower high beam to the dance. Their message was loud and clear: Get The Fuck Out Of Our City. Have a nice evening officers.

Then came the spills. The first was south of the Silver Lake reservoir in which the rider in question emerged somewhat unsteady and incoherent after his unhelmeted head met the asphalt. Next came the telltale display of flashing red lights at the intersection of Echo Park and Sunset boulevards, in which another rider came into contact with a vehicle. He was already in the back of the LAFD paramedic vehicle and I assume was transported to an area hospital for treatment. My hopes to both fallen cyclists are for minor injuries and speedy recoveries.

For me at least, the remainder of the ride climbing up Stadium Way and into Elysian Park was done with dampened enthusiasm, and the damper air and fog blurred out what otherwise would have been a marvelous view from the vista point of the Peter Shire sculpture up the hiking trail from Academy Road.

UPDATE: Check out Stephen Roullier's excellent photo set of pix from the ride.

SYNCHRONICITY CON POCO CHILE by El Jimmy

Mmm, mmm ... goddamn this burrito is good
And to think this is just what I wanted
Broiled onions, laying, glistening, sizzling
Pensively next to a voluptuous habanero, charred just so

just so

just so that the pastor collides with it like
a Black lowered Landrover and a Golden raised Expedition

When I tried to explain to Ms.Stazer
To explain why art was what,

was that

that That

The words didn't spill out like jesso unto freshly stretched canvas
No, just a meager,"It's like this band," and I point above me,

"this band of energy that flows constantly.
For some reason, I think I can be part of it; I can reach it."

And that was That, that That that had

No Definition.

No Delineation.

Perhaps amongst the swaying palmtrees
Banshees lulling the swarm of motor-locusts to gentle sleep
Among the Angeleno Archbishop's trunk of implored hope
Perhaps I finally surf-it-dude like I knew I wanted

e.g.

There I am, finding myself again, as I keep on doing
I've realized the power of the band
I've toiled, inspired and championed under its tide
And goddamn! Mmm, mmm this day is so good

I ruminate

Mis amigos
Mis ambiciones
Mis exitos
Mi comunidad
Mi ciudad
Mmm, mmm ...

And I see another surfer
He's on Virgil, catching a yellow rip-curling pipe unto the next sidewalk
Whirls past me in a cyclone of stone-washed jean mayhem
From out of nowhere, a shark of a 70-pound pedestrian school girl!
He stops, politely miffed

My red, goes blue,

goes green, goes green, goes green

I take that moment to say to me-self, "he'd do better on one of My single ..."

Snap! Chain breaks, that is, his chain breaks as I say this

"Ha! I saw that!" I yell across the walkway.

He's looking like, "fuck off asshole.
I'm looking like, fuck it must be alarming having a strange 6-foot plus smiling messenger dork bicycling at you with unwarranted enthusiasm

I repeat, calmly, "I saw that."
He Peaky No Engli, so I stay quiet, cause I'm too excited to really say anything valuable
Swing left, snap center, poop, yeah poop and out comes my Federico Tool bag
He's incredulous till the chain-breaker says, "Yeah, this is your lucky day biatch!"

1, 2, 4, 10 ... dirty fingers and then some

Chain fixed.

Do not bother to tell him the whole story, at all
It was a private moment in the pipe, just call 976-...
"Cuanto?" me pregunta

"No. Nada, hombre. Asi esta bueno, " le digo.
And with a perfect "gracias" se va.

I'm late! But that was dope. Fuck, that was perfect.
I clean my hands, put the tools away, adjust my L.A. County Coroner cap
and "Toma. Funciona mejor que antes. Muchas gracias, " as he returned astonished and pleased.
Always aiming.
And he shoves a fiver into my hand.

Me pongo a rumiar.

My comrades
My lady
My aspirations:

Cool, Studio Fund!

I tell him the abbreviated whole story and
Mmm, mmm
Chinganda, este pinche burrito esta buenisimo!



also published here with a little introduction by f.

RIDE-Arc / 02.03.2006

For the return (form a two-month absence) of SCI-Arc's monthly night train, the architectural theme of "Sex, Sexuality & Love" took us on a route from the heart of Hollywood, through WeHo across the 90210, to Westwood and UCLA and Holmby Hills before an invigorating sprint back through the vibrant night life of Sunset at the Strip.

Small Flickr photo set found here.

Fun Show this Tuesday

With Three Kitchen Cooks

Ridazz In The Media

Don't know if anyone else caught it, but on last night's (Saturday, Jan. 21)) "Eye on L.A." show on KABC, a segment was devoted to the Midnight Ridazz with footage filmed during last November's "Dead Theater" ride. Nice.

bici film fest in LA

I want to see LA all up on this one!
I am posting this for my friend Brendt but I think this is something worth contributing to and supporting.
Especially while rocking the helmet cam!

SIXTH ANNUAL BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL Call for Entries

-----------
The Bicycle Film Festival is seeking submissions for its sixth annual Festival. The event will feature dozens of different films on a variety of bicycle styles - from BMX to urban bike culture, cycling to commuting. The 2005 Bike Film Fest was attended by 15,000 people with many sold out showings. This year's festival is larger then ever before and will include 10 cities throughout the world including last years cities New York, Los Angles, San Francisco, Tokyo, and London! It is bound to be a lot of fun again in 2006!

We encourage YOU to submit films with these guidelines to enter: All lengths. Short is great and easier to program. All genres: BMX, animation, narratives, docs, experimental, Hollywood, cycling, and so on. The festival is more than films, it also features music, parties, fun bicycle parade, and art exhibitions.

For info:
http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com
brendt@bicyclefilmfestival.com

The deadline for submissions is February 17, 2006.

Thanks,
Brendt Barbur

Bicycle Film Festival
70A Greenwich Ave. #307
New York New York
10011
212 463 8891

How To Make A Helmet Cam

As witnessed in my virgin Midnight Ridazz tour last month and again with last night's awesome trek, the general consenus is that helmets are for pussies. Or republicans. Is that redundant? But since a helmet saved my life back in those medieval times before the web was born and I used to cruise the city upon a two-wheeler that boasted a 1000-cc engine, I'm since kinda partial to rolling around town with things that will assist in keeping my brains in their respective container should an accident attempt to bash them out upon the pavement.

Wanting to capture last night's Friday the 13th (kuh-kuh-kuh, ah-ah-ah) rolling derby on video from start to finish, I decided to put my helmet to use not only as a protective device but as a camera platform. I'd grabbed clips of last month's ride (visible here and here) with a digicam mounted to the front reflector post but for the most part there was just a whole lotta shaking going on.

So yesterday, I made a trip to my local hardware store for the extensive array of equipment I would need to secure my Canon DV unit to my cranium case. And by "extensive array" I mean a quarter-inch bolt two inches long and a handful of 1.5-inch-wide washers*. That's it. All that's required from there is finding the air vent nearest the top and center of your helmet to run the bolt through bracketed by washers inside and outside the helmet and enough of 'em so you can screw the cam on nice and tight via it's tripod mount. I'd then recommend a bit of foam or fabric inside the helmet covering the screw's head so that it doesn't bop against the top of yours. Sure, it ain't rocket science but I just wanted to pass it along in case anyone was interested in giving it a try.

And in the aftermath of the most excellent ride I'm pleased to report the contraption worked beautifully. Quicktime clips forthcoming. Gawd bless all Ridazz, especially the adorable Ruthie in her disco-ball adorned "grocery getter."

UPDATE (01/15): Photo set found here. Videoclips forthcoming.

UPDATE (01/30): Fuck Google Video. I uploaded videoclips two days after the 01/13 ride and more than two weeks later only one's been "verified" (whatever the hell that means) and made available for viewing. So this morning I uploaded all three to youtube.com and less than two hours later they're all live. Here are the links: 1) Rolling With Ruthie 2) Rolling On the River, and 3) Rolling With Gary. Sorry it took so long.

* Your size may vary depending on the thickness of your helmet and the width of your vents. Void where prohibited by law. Member FDIC and the Bicycle Kitchen.

Feel My Legs; I Am A Racer

Tasty Looking Ride

During a roll around the Hollywood Forever Cemetery my ride was accosted by a gaggle of gargantuan graveyard geese -- including this one, who opted to brazenly nibble at the spokes.

Back away from the bike ya foul fowl!

Good Karma Opps: Yet Another Reason To Ride A Bike

Traveling east on Sunset this afternoon in Echo Park I look down and pass a California driver license face up smack dab in the middle of the bike lane, just as is seen on the right. Doubling back to retrieve it, I'm next looking at the potentially thuggish mug of a young man named Israel who resides in the 90042 and wont' be 21 until next July.

I pocketed the ID and went about my business and the first thing I did when I arrived home was put Israel's address on an envelope and enclose a note which read: "Sometimes the best gift to give or get is the kindness of a good deed." It'll go out in tomorrow's mail.

New Year at the Golden Gate

in the biciblog email this week:

Hello, my name is Jason. I am bicyclist hailing from La Mirada (about 20 min from you). I just wanted to let you guys know that I am planning on heading up to San Fran to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge at 12am on New Years Eve. There is not any sort of significance to this little outing, except for the fact that it seemed like a totally sweet idea. I was hoping that maybe you could post this on your blog, calendar of events, or something like that. I have included links to two posts I made on craigslist (SF and LA), feel free to print them out and staple them up to your billboard or whatever. Additionally, feel free to post my email address if anyone has questions about the get together. Hope to see some of you folks there!
jason

on fixed gear riding

found this on The gallery

...The track frame and wheels are taut as a bowstring. My body is both the arm that draws it and the flying arrow. My eyes just lock onto the way ahead and my mind empties. The road, the bike and I are in perfect equilibrium at last. The hypnotic syncopated rhythms of my legs, lungs and heart correspond perfectly to the spinning cranks and wheels. The purring chain is my very pumping blood. I can pedal like this forever. The road a Mobius strip that leads me to myself. The demand of the pedals is precisely what I want to supply, no more, no less. I can stop this flow and the bike will carry my flaccid legs around or I can explode and drive, bouncing forward, to an ultimate, cadence-limited speed. But I am perfect as I am. There is no boundary between me and the bike...

by Matthew Boorer

LADWP Festival Of Lights Bike Ride

December 13, 2005 / 7 p.m. / Griffith Park

old school kitchen. free your bike.

i was lurking in the old pantry the other day and i found this flyer from the old BYOB days. rumor has it that jimmy lizama is the author and pink used to be the color of choice

Ridazz Conquer Hollywood

I was finally able to participate in my first Midnight Ridazz tonight and rather than drown my enthusiasm at the dive bar at the journey's end, I came home to try to make sense of it all. But it'll take awhile to come down from the adrenaline of the overall experience, not to mention splitting the lanes going the wrong way on a gridlocked Hollywood Boulevard like we fucking owned the place -- which we goddam did! So all I can offer is: AWESOME, and a small pre-ride photo set here on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildbell/sets/1547946/.

UPDATE (12/13): Two brief bar-level POV videoclips from the ride can be found here at the Google Video site

Damn Glad To Be Here

By way of an introduction, I've been acquainted with the Bicycle Kitchen for more than a year, but it was only last August when I ventured inside to participate in the BK's inaugural wheel-building class, which changed my life.

Well, not like totally changed my life, but with the help of Jim Cadenhead it did kickstart a resurrection project on an abandoned road bike that I'd rescued only to let it sit around for so many months. Outfitted from the tires up now as a single-speeder with new everything, a home-brew paintjob, and a whole lot of assistance and support from Jim, Ben, Thomas, Somer and so many others, the ride I dubbed "The Phoenix" rose again and she officially rolled a couple weeks ago with that Sunday afternoon groupride down Sunset to the Not A Cornfield project. I've put about 50 miles on The Phoenix since that Sunday ride and this past weekend participated with about 15 or so other cyclists leading the Echo Park Holiday Parade. Good times.

There's not a trip I make on her that I don't feel a special bond. To some, though such talk is goofy. They don't get the connection that's made. To them, a project like that is just a big "so what?" and it's tough to make them understand the pride that comes with taking a rusted up and destroyed bike destined for the scrap heap and returning it to a new life on the road with my heart and my own two hands. They say they'd take the money I spent and buy an off-the-racker (or even two) at Costco, but where's the sense of accomplishment and adventure in that?

So I guess what I'm saying is that while the Bicycle Kitchen may not change your life, it can certainly change your point of view. So if you're new and curious as to what the Bicycle Kitchen has to offer, go on down and talk with one of the cooks on duty and hook yourself up with a project bike of your own. You may not believe there's joy to be found in replacing a bottom bracket or threading a brake cable, but there is.

Some photos of the cyclists in the parade can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildbell/sets/1503152

toxic bike

someone sent me these articles and even after this window popped on my screen with a radio shack add when i clicked on the link i decided to read them.

Nobody Bikes in L.A.
But they'd be a lot happier if they did
By Andy Bowers

The Bicycle Diaries
Is it possible to live in America without a car? Uh, sort of.
By Bill Gifford

you know, high gas prices, and the character decides in a heroical act of defiance to try and ride a bicycle and comes up with all this remarcable experiences that, why not, could make a great article, a little extra cash and a good excuse to the editor for showing up all sweaty once in a while. there seems to be a good intention in them. the idea that it is possible to ride a bike is permeating greater media. but they end with bitter commentaries that return happily to the confort of the car, after the picturesque adventure of the bicycle. pretty much in the fashion of the serialized tale where things go back to their normal state at the end of the episode.

these articles are cathartic tales in the sense that they release emotional tension (about driving your car, about paying so much for gas, about your long commute)but then lay down the reader in the unchanged shores of the real world (where there is nothing to do, unless you take the path of the deviated). i believe this format diminishes the power of the subject , marking it more as something in the world out there and less as something to incorporate to your life. bikes are presented in a prophylactic fashion. sorrounded by the bubble of the freakish.
their radical toxicity fogged by a quiet condescending chuckle.

Olympic BL. between Veteran and Fairfax SYNCHRONICITY AHEAD!! (All Over Los Angeles)

Scott G. sent this one to the cooks email list. i took the liberty to post it here, i guess you can reply to the original author to this anonymized email adress: anon-109781582@craigslist.org

Found this in the missed connections section which I am so fond of reading while I should be working.enjoy.
Scott.

Date: 2005-11-08, 11:42AM

You: Riding your bike down Olympic during rush hour.
Me: Nasa cap wearing commuter cheering you on from the interior of my transport bubble!

You: Amazing creature.
Me: Standing and applauding your tenacity, bravery, and enviromental friendliness. Or is it a case of frugalness? Maybe just effectiveness. Whatever the motivation. Your behavior riveted my stuck-in-traffic-listening-to-All-Things-Considered attention. LA radio sucks. I need to get Sirius.

Well enough with the compliments and asides-on with the story. Included herein: personal character flaws, like shyness, driving during rush hour, bitterness, and a sense of betrayal . And remember that little bit of PR in the tagline: synchronous events (not one but two) are in your future!

I first noticed you riding your ten-speed East on Olympic. At first I was like, this has got to be some homeless tweaker bitch fucking up rush hour and had no where really to go. Then I saw the ass-light, blinking red from that cute little dunk undulating in the swaying headlights of the car behind you. Wow, safe and legal. I never use my ass-light. I feel too much like a dork, but you were motoring right in the middle of the lane-a little like the tweaker above, but more I came to realize, like the serious biker you are trying to haul ass to your destination, no bullshit, your strategic riding caused you to pull way ahead of me several times. Of course slipping in and out of the assholes on Olympic riding up to the lights and hitting the green hard and pulling forward. That's the way to do it girl. I ride in rush hour once in a while and I know you just gotta take your advantage when you can. Enough of this B.O.B. I was actually entertained by your journey and rooting for yo
u. But
of course if you pulled too far ahead I could not see you. Blast, evil traffic--the cause and structure of the arc of our drama. Finally I passed you.

Radiant.

Thin and blonde and clad from neck to mid-calf (pant leg pulled up to avaid chain-age) in black. Curvy and cute, your hair pulled back in a pony-tail. Wow. I was smitten. Though I could not see your eyes, I know there was determination there, a hint of anger and the twinkle of victory.

I can't look long because the bastard in front of me has jammed his brakes, and whoosh ahead you pull. Staring ahead to see your progress I notice the beat up Escort has some out of state plates (probably Washington now that I think of it) with the word OLYPIAN. Yes my darling you were my slick OLYPIAN sliding through traffic down Olympic. Now I always take note of these events, we call them COINCIDENCE. One thing relates to another (yes the vanity plate was refering to olympian as in on who particpates in the Olympics or one who lives in Olympia) and of course Olympic was named in honor of the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. So this is just as I saw COINCIDENCE (keep reading Sychronicity still ahead).

I pass you finally three times. I lose you somewhere around Fairfax, which is good, because I blew a couple red lights in my furor to find you and I was worried about how you would make it through that long crazy intersection, too many lights to many crossing streets, a distracting Starbucks. I was sad, but I was making great time now to my appointment in Los Feliz.

As it would come to pass I was way early for my appointment, my appoinmentee was running late so I killed some time at Soap Plant, Wacko, La Luz de Jesus Gallery. It like a potato gun of stuff packed to bursting ready to exploded wackiness and underground art all over your face. I like the place don't make it there enough. So the rude-yet-o-so-hip clerk yells for us to bring our purchases to the front and leave. As I walk up I see a blond, cute and thin and dressed in black and I think. They must be everywhere. She's talking in a very familiar way to the rude-yet-o-so-hip clerk. Probably an S.O. Cool. But I happen to flash a look back in the door to verify your cuteness (Okay I was checking out your ass) and okay here's where my brain exploded just a little bit. ASS-LIGHT!!!

Yeah. No. What the fuck. The cosmos is fucking with me. Fuck you cosmos. Fuck you in the fucking ass fucking piece of shit cosmos. It is my Olympic Racer. Hot as ever and pant lowered to proper ankle length. But of course her body language said. "i'm talking to someone I really care about" so I didn't approach, because I was too shy, and I was glad I didn't go with my impulse to shout out my window earlier, I was glad I didn'y honk flash my highbeams or any other drawing of attention. That's just my bullshit shyness, but also in this case, well I did see her again. Fuck. O well. So this is the where SYNCHRONCITY resides. I looked for her bike. Locked up there right in front of Soap Plant, Wacko, La Luz de Jesus Gallery. And this is where my brian threw up on itself. This is where reality became a reality show, this is where all the acid and mushrooms loomed there ugly flashbacks. The model of bike she was riding...


Just guess...

Go ahead...

Yeah.

Olympic.

Fuck me.

At that moment I felt that the universe wanted me to come in there and sweep you off your feet and take you away from the torment of a 10.27 mile ride. Take you away from that clerk. When the store was finally closed I saw the two of you walk off arm-in-arm-arm-in-bike. The cosmos mocks me. But alas...

I recognize your soul. Really. I love to ride in traffic- the glory, the pain, the physical, emotional and spiritual satisfaction. I know. I understand.

this is my MC. I am drained.

Of course as I finished meeting with my writing partner, around midnight, I think I saw your ghost again. Smoking a cigarrette behind the restaurant at the north west corner of Vermont and Melbourne. My Olympic Racer, I think I could love you.

it's SOMERSET

to get to the skid flick

Things you find on your bicycle

On burlington, beween third and beverly, on the last little hill before home, this was a cry I couldn't ignore.

I put him in my pocket and walked the rest of the way. Cleaned him up, he's sure dirty, fed him and held him wrapped in a towel until he fell asleep.

HE (i think he's a he) NEEDS A HOME!!!

email Kelly at fireweed43bike@sbcglobal.net if you're interested.

Bicycle Kitchen Benefit Party!!

Lost and Found

I found this piece of paper folded up and nestled next to my rear tire
when I came out of school the other day. Of course I eagerly opened it,
wondering which sly friend had left me a secret message. But, no, it
turned out to be another one of those fascinating things that finds its
way into your path when you choose to ramble the city on two wheels. A
random person's hand-written budget. This sudden and unsolicited intimacy
with a passing stranger is interesting enough all alone. But as I read
it, it turned out that in fact it was a message! And it was loud and
clear! It was saying to me, "Remember that huge piece of metal that used
to cage you in? Remember the financial burden? Remember how traffic used
to be not fun? That aweful stress of trying to stay legal and maintained?"
and on and on... and I said to myself, "Yes! Yes, self, I do! Thank the
bicycle gods that THAT is long gone!" And so it is. This budget could
have been mine a year ago. At least half of it is car-related. But last
February I took the leap that seems so unfathomable to most in this city:
I got rid of my car. It was the best decision I've made in quite awhile.
It may still be this poor person's plight, but for me priorities #1 and 3
and 4 and 7 now only have four wheels when a friend is next to me, and are
fed by oil only when the tacos are especially yummy.....and I couldn't be
happier about it.

-Emily

riding stairs in naples

I have just gone round southern Italy by bike and now I have a place in Rome. Yes, Rome is a dynamic environment for riding. I really love it but the wide roman boulevards and the generally polite drivers cannot compete with Naples for sheer death-wish heart-stopping nighttime riding. I have never before been is such wonderful chaos. After I took off the panniers I went out for a pizza and beer in the spanish quarter. Riding in there is like being caught in a flash flood. the streets are rough with trolly tracks and broken glass. the cars and scooters are held together with tape and some do not even have lights. They come and go oin the narrow alleyways at will--always fast. From a sidestreet may shoot a stroller or a truck but nobody stops or even slows. hey, a vespa with a 13 year old smoking and honking after his girl. Chase him if you can its like playing with wasps. in the center of a rotunda it is a no-mans land. No other biker is fast enough to to enter or exit. in fact, there are few othe cyclists. Maybe they have been afraid, or killed off. And for dessert, try riding the tricky stairs that go all the way from the fortress on the hill to the sea. You will be very happy if you survive.

by David Sanford

media coverage

a video of the 2005 Cycle Messenger World Championships Skids finals. featuring our incredible skidding Somerset wearing a first edition fool bag. courtesy of bikeTV.

our ridazz

I've noticed that someone has been uploading pictures to flickr with the tag ridazz so i joined with a batch of scanned spoke cards. i'd love to see some more, not being much of a collector i've lost a few, but i managed to get the 1 year aniversary s.card, the Death in Venice s.card (to the left) and the symbol for the GUIDING LIGHT of TRANSVELOSTANTIATION in s.card form.
keep on taggin' those ridazz pics, and if you want more documentation don't forget the ridazz yahoo group and the mailing list. ridazz has been mentioned by some other L.A. bloggers: eric richardson who also made a nice flicker photo set of the august 2005 ride. blogdowntown has noticed and so has mr. hexod (who also made some link research about ridazz). our friends at cicle.org wrote a little piece with some cool pics. and there are two threads on bikeforum titled "
"Midnight Ridazz in Los Angeles and playing Dressup?" and "LOS ANGELES. MIDNIGHT. FRIDAY the 13th.". a post by Complacent P -oh man, this is a lot of e-attention- and sure, there is a podcast on bikescape. thanks to all for the web-cred and keep it midnight, keep it real.


updates:

october/2005
some nice nice pictures of the october Midnigth ridazz (Dead Theater Ride) by Mark Nealey. Thanks Mark!

bike boom

a calendar of cycling events in the Los Angeles area. i think this one sprout from bikesummer is not to be overlooked: calendar.bikeboom.com

bag culture

Eric Zo, the maker of legendary Zo bags is celebrating 20 years of bag making. retrospective of his work at lincart gallery. check it out if you happen to be around sanfran in september and send me your meditations about the role of bags in bike culture. i'm very intrigued by that subject as some of you might know.
congrats and respect to Mr.Z!

the voice of L.A

did i forget the sound? i mean. i ride and i ride, and i hear the sound of the street but it's so much more intense when i've been inside a car and then i ride the bike again. but the thing is, i haven't been in a car for a loooong time, thanks to the cycle gods, and now i feel habituated to the sound(s). oh, sound sense of marvel, come to me!
it will. i'm sure. but i do love when it comes to others, and they write it (mentioning the bike kitchen by the way), mr reed writes at the lavoice.org:

...Biking L.A. at night is an intimate romance with the streetscape. The smell of frying onions, the splash of tires through puddles from a carwash, the visceral WHOMP of passing boomcars ...

may he be blessed, and all of you who smell, feel and hear from your two wheeled vehicle-friends.

visitors from outer state

monday at the kitchen. one of those casual visitors walks in. this cool guy from chicago who works at the Working Bikes Coop. just checking out the place. kelly and i and vlad received him with some of that bici-warmth. it's cool how that interconnection happens. simple as that, and yet, complex informational procedures taking place. two wheeled empathy if you want.

two eyes, two wheels, two legs, two cogs

so i found this new site in spanish dedicated to fixed gear bikes: simplifica (simplify). from Spain. good translations, explanations and resources. i'll try to convince them to start using "piñon directo" instead of "piñon fijo" for fixed gear. who knows, it might work. but more important, cyclocitiZenship international is growing. here is the italian take on the subject, and more, the italian artistic take on the subject. more to come, i hope.

Here's a little secret....

House rules prohibit the parking of bicycles in the living room.
But, as the saying goes, when the cat's away, it's a regular rat day.
So of course, the first thing I did when the tomcat got in a taxi bound for LAX was wheel my other sweetheart into the living room. Later, I walked in and the light was so gorgeous coming through the wheels I just about fell over with joy.
Please don't tell....

Earlier that day I went on a Bikesummer ride to a community garden and parked my pony in the chicken coop. My bike is 36 years old and I'm pretty sure this is the closest it's been to chickens. I think it was pretty happy there... I was hoping I might come back to find an egg in my helmet, but no luck.

P.S.

Two things:

1. It's an openhouse, meaning "Gentlemen Welcome."

2. The rad flyer was designed by Miss Kim

bitchen_openhouse_flyer_web

bitchen_openhouse_flyer_web, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

We will have guest speakers Harmony Groves and Bicycle Bill Burton from the Arcata Bike Library. It's an openhouse in honor of Bikesummer AND an after hours Birthday Bash for Emily! YAAAYYY!

Holy Bicycle

Teach the SECRET TO LIFE and SUPERNATURAL IMMORTALITY as manifested in the GUIDING LIGHT of TRANSVELOSTANTIATION.

Help those still BLIND to the DIVINITY of BICYCLE. DELIVER the LOST SOUL who lives in DARKNESS without BICYCLE. BRING FORTH this most RELUCTANT RIDER to Pioneer Chicken at 9.30PM Friday June 10. Echo Park Blvd. @ Sunset.

Wear WHITE GARB ONLY in REVERENCE to our MOST HOLY BICYCLE.

No RIDAZZ left behind.
STAY TO THE RIGHT.

UFO powered by VBC. To come at MIDNIGHT.


(genius from the midnight ridazz mailing list)

Ruckus Revue

Ruckus Revue, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

Hope to see you there!

Benefit for the Bicycle Kitchen

Carl and Vladimir cooked this up for the Kitchen with this month's early rendition of the Old Time Ruckus Revue.

Hope to see you there!

LA BikeSummer 2005 : Who Knew What to Expect?

BikeSummer, more of an invitation than an event, is an opportunity for the hosting city to show off its bicycle culture. One week before the kick-off event and the people whom make up LA's bike culture have come through in extraordinary ways. BikeSummer comes at a crucial time for LA. While previous hosting cities have had an established bicycle infrastructure, LA's is still forming. Those of us who have worked together on the lead up projects had previously not known each other well; in a way BikeSummer has already been successful in coalescing our various subcultures. Recently I've been to almost half a dozen other cities, armed with newsletters and stickers, talking to other cyclists about LA and cycling. The response has been better than expected and I'm fortunate to be a part of such an amazing movement (cause it is whether we call it that or not!). LA's potential as a bike city is huge: wide, (mostly) flat roads, fantastic weather, and a plethora of resources for cyclists. The events for the month of June are as various as the city itself! From rides on the beach and in the nearby mountains, to art tours/shows and music events, and even scavenger hunts and centuries. Can't wait to be off the computer and on the streets with so many amazing people! My sincere thanks to everyone who has helped to make BikeSummer happen; you know who you are. Peace.

LA BikeSummer 2005 )

tornpants

tornpants, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

Perils of Fixie Ridin'

Luckily, I was riding on the left side of the street, kind of ambling along as I didn't have far to go between one point and a cup of coffee. When all of sudden, I felt this tug on my right leg and my foot and calf made this wierd circle pull down that was quite unnatural and painful. I hopped off in the middle of an intersection!!!, but luckily there were no fast cars and it took a quick pull to release the chain and chainrings' toothfull grip on my jeans. Apparently, I did not have my pants rolled up high enough. Thanks be to whoever I wasn't bombing down some hill.

Rudy's Barbershop & Baseman Show...

Small world I tell ya. I was getting my mullet chopped off at Rudy's Barbershop and over heard the stylist in the next chair talking about the Ridazz Prom ride. Fun meeting fellow Ridazz and Kitchen people around the city.

I rode over to check out the Baseman opening nite at the Billy Shire Gallery in Culver City. Saw three other bikes locked up next to mine. Anyone of you? Good show.

beer

beer, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

Kitchen folk love beer. 92 times

Auf Wierdersehn!

philips, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

crappy spelling. blue light.

greengreen

greengreen, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

The time for a pullover and click of the digital shutter.

Bicycle Sight

rooster, originally uploaded by fireweed43.

A simple glimpse to why I love to ride: A rooster and double green.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

I love this quote by Chris Kostman

“Cycling opens the world, while providing the most efficient means of transportation ever devised for humans. Whether training, racing, or commuting, cycling teaches blending with the landscape like no other mechanized activity. Momentum, aerodynamics, geography, climate, and
more, they all open up their secrets at cycling-speed. And at the same time, the bicycle puts the rider in touch with the human environment,
generating waves, smiles, and hi’s from passers-by and fellow road users, not to mention teaching one how to predict, negotiate, and avoid those less friendly to those on two wheels. But most of all, cycling is the ultimate, grin-a-minute, great equalizer, ready to embrace any and all in a wind-in-your-hair, two-wheeled adventure.”
LA BikeSummer 2005

You got to coordinate

This bike was in front of the Goodwill Store. It reminded of that line from the movie Boomerang, "Son, you got to coooordinate"

Bike Whore...

Rode past this on the side walk in front of La Luz De Jesus.
- nhat

kitchen utensils

i've always been fascinated by objects that have an active life. i like how they wear. i like how they make community. and you might say, objects do not make community. but you know, they belong. they are trace. i'd dare to say that communities and beings are woven out of live things and inanimate things. anyway... after a nice spring ride with L. i droped by the kitchen today with her camera in the bag. i was thinking about a couple of pics for the biciblog but then i got carried away... by the weave you might say. el jimmy was there running the thing with his virtual octupus skill, hands on everything, fluid, no brakes you know. sometimes i think he's like some informational node, linking all, radio on greasy hands. then philipp droped by, he's leaving to germany in two weeks but he rides the rush with his soothing smile. we talked as i took pictures with my usual feline gesture.














now, this is the altar of the wheel, bendita sea la rueda:



and today i had the privilege of seeing the amazing spoke screwing machine:



and i just love the handlebar tree. here is where the brakelevers get to hold the handlebars. role inversion at its best:


is there a patent for this?



the archive:







if you want more pics, bigger sizes, or if you are into flickr click here.