5.21.2012

Festa de Bike!

Here's a guest post from our cicloactivista bike buddies in São Paulo, Brazil. As some of you might remember, I had a great time meeting the bike community in SP, and riding around town with Renata Falzoni and Felipe Aragonez. Needless to say, São Paulo has a special place in my heart, and I hope that I can join them for their Bike Party in the very near future (how much is airfare SF to SP?). Words by Icaro de Abreu and photos by Carlos Alkmin and Daniel Spinelli.
Bike Party São Paulo is an event inspired in the São Francisco edition, with lights, djs and a lot of music during and in the end of the ride.

The only mission is to spread the idea of use bike in the cities, but not with a hard speech. We do believe that this way is much more attractive and easy for people to understand the reason to use a bike as their main form of transportation.

On the other hand, we do make a lot of noise, riding through the streets, but in a group, people just want have fun. lol

I abandoned my car five years ago here in São Paulo. Everyday is more than 140 km at traffic jams. São Paulo is a chaos and something has to be done.

We are doing the bike rides, occupying the public space (its not a common thing here in São Paulo), inviting friends on facebook every last Saturday and the participants are increasing more and more, each edition. The last one for example were more than 60 people.

We will continue with Bike Parties and hope that São Paulo becomes a better city and, who knows, inspires others to do the same.

Editor's note: If you're lucky enough to be in São Paulo this Saturday, be sure to join in the fun. The theme is Namorados.


Join this Saturday's Bike Party!

5.16.2012

Photo du Jour: if it's Wednesday, this must be Copenhagen

CPH_in_SF

This chictastic blondie made me double check what city I was in. She carried an oversized art book about Moab, Utah in her big basket.

5.12.2012

MamakSF 85% Funded

Ian served it up today the PUBLIC Bikes opening party

and as of right now, the mamakSF kickstarter campaign is 85% funded!



what is mamakSF?  think, for example, fresh cut sweet fruits and cool vegetables tossed in a sweet and salty, spicy sauce (rojak), served alongside plantain fritters (toadies).   can't wait to see Ian pedaling his wares for us on a regular basis.

5.10.2012

Hi Ho... Hi Ho... And Off To Work We Go!

I felt like I was in Vélo Vogue fairyland when I crossed beautiful Caitlin at the Ferry Building on Bike To Work Day 2012!

Caitlin on Bike To Work Day 2012

Dreamy Caitlin noted that she coordinated the outfit with the bike for this pedal-powered holiday. Her singular style impressed me so much that I jumped in to pose next to her.

& Caitlin on Bike To Work Day 2012 - 2

A cycle-star is born!

Caitlin admitted that this was only the second time she biked to work from her home in the Mission to Downtown, a job which she is leaving to start working at the Walt Disney Family Museum in The Presidio. Maybe she'll find Doc and the other dwarves hiding out in that Cypress forest in the Northwest corner of SF, and maybe she and her shiny red bicycle will ride happily ever after!

Hope you all had a magical Bike To Work Day as well! <3

5.07.2012

Local Business Spotlight: Kick Start MamakSF

Ian Deleporte is an amazing member of the San Francisco bike community and the kind of guy that makes you just happy to be.   Combine his awesome personality with smarts, skills, and the flavors of a Malaysian heritage and you have mamakSF.    Watch the video to see Ian's plan for building a food cart bicycle, from which he will serve up Malaysian inspired foods like Toadies and Rojak, and then kickstart this awesome effort with a little collective love.

Want to taste first? You'll  be able to try mamakSF wares this Saturday, May 12 at the Public Bikes pop up shop grand opening party at 599 Valencia St. from 2-6.   MamakSF will be serving alongside Hot Bike and The Pop Nation, two other non-motorized mobile food businesses.

I got the fever for some Hot Dudes

It's springtime, dammit. I'm feelin' it.
The Wait 8071
photo by 'Xander @416cyclestyle in Toronto

Copenhagen Bikehaven by Mellbin - Bike Cycle Bicycle - 2012 - 5340
Copenhagen Bikehaven by Mellbin 2011 - 0086
2 photos by Franz-Michael S. Mellbin in Copenhagen

Mark rides the Gazelle
photo by Lovely Bicycle! in Boston

El cantar del oficinista
photo by Feref García in el D.F.

IMG_4949
photo by moi in SF

Critical Mass London March 2012 04
photo by Funny Cyclist in London

akira
photo by Hurst Friedrich via NONUSUAL in London

Mi abuelo y un amigo (en bici)
photo by Claudio Olivares Medina in Santiago de Chile

Untitled
photo by Sebastian Correa in ?


Get on your bike, be fruitful and multiply!!!

5.03.2012

big boy bike

a bike for yao ming.

Do YOU do the wiggle or the Superhighway?

From SF's Wiggle...



to Copenhagen's bike Superhighway (Hi Mads!)



urban bicycle infrastructure comes in all permutations - from the uber-friendly to the non-existent.

Where does your city fit in to the mix? Certainly many cities have a lot to learn about bike infrastructure from bike havens like Copenhagen, and many urbanites worldwide look at SF's little Wiggle and think they've found heaven on earth.

The point of this post is to remind you envision better bikeways. The Wiggle is clearly something to celebrate in SF, but the traffic flow is still confusing to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike, and so we have a long way to go. When I watch the animation about Copenhagen's bike superhighway, I'm envious.

Finally, it must be said that I am incredibly indebted to the city and transportation planners, bike advocates and neighborhood associations who are working to build, step-by-step, the utopian bike infrastructure stuff that dreams are made of.

5.02.2012

5.01.2012

traffic control

the amazing and talented adam is pretty much the best traffic control "officer" ever.  
P1090325




4.30.2012

Bike The Strike!



May 1st - General Strike!
Find an action near you, and stop working, stop studying, stop doing what you normally do and be part of the movement. Connect with your community.

If you're in SF and plan to be on your bike like me, then you should join the SF Bike Cavalry, who will be riding from action to action throughout the day starting at 7 am at 16th and Mission.

4.27.2012

Music for our future... powered by YOU!



PRI's The World
followed Rupa & the April Fishes during a leg of Bay Rising - their bicycle powered music tour of the Bay Area with Shake Your Peace! and Fossil Fool. Catch the story on The World today on KQED from 2-3pm PST, and the music story is usually in the last 10 minutes. You can also listen and see the video on the web at http://www.theworld.org.
Your last two chances to participate and help power the concerts are tonight 4/27 at the Sausalito Seahorse and tomorrow 4/28 at The Independent in SF.

4.26.2012

Photo du Jour: DIY Back Pocket

This cyclist sewed her own back pocket using a scrap of typical Provence fabric. Captured as she rode away on her Peugeot. Très chic!

DIY_backpocket