Bike Video from Copenhagen 1937
Seems like not much has changed! (Check out the girls who just walk away with their bikes, no locks, I think that has changed)
21.Nov.09 
Car-free 
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Bait Bikes Coming to SF?
Wouldn’t that be awesome! I’ve often thought about the idea: placing poorly locked bikes in high theft areas and wait (very shortly) until some scum of the earth comes to whisk the bike away into their trackmarked arms.
Read an article in SF Weekly, Bike vigilantes: Victims strike back, and found out about a new citizen run campaign that hopes to fight back against bike thefts through the use of bait bikes and community watch programs. The initial idea of the group, Concerned Cyclists Community Program, was to gather a large group of volunteers who would nonchalantly mill about the vicinity of which the bait bike was setup, ready to surround the perp once the crime took place and issue a citizens arrest. Could work…but the risk is high; if the thief had a weapon the situation could turn ugly real fast.
I think San Francisco does indeed need a bait bike program but with the angle of technology: outfit the bikes with GPS and a cellular connection so that they can “call home” once they are taken. Problems though: The first being the cost of such a proposition and the risk of that investment getting ruined or being unrecoverable. The second problem is what to actually do once the bike is stolen and can be tracked. The only option here in my opinion is to have the cooperation of law enforcement. There would have to be a close relationship with the police so that they could be alerted to the situation and dispatched to come save the day (safely). I’m sure SFPD has a full plate, but I really think this would be a very well received program boosting their credibility in the community and doing a valuable citywide service.
For now though, I’m left still only with my dreams, but I’ll be keeping an eye on CCCP (ha!) and anxiously tuned in to their progress
18.Nov.09 Uncategorized Comments (0)
Replace a tube without wheel removal: Cobra Tube
Stumbled upon this (quite literally actually through stumbleupon.com) and thought it was interesting enough to share. FlyBikes BMX has a new tube out they’re calling a “Cobra Tube” that facilitates tube replacement without actually removing the wheel; pretty fascinating. “How do they do this?” you ask, well, here’s the pictures:
Seems simple enough for those with tires on the looser fitting side (which tend to be mountain and BMX, the primary sporters of Scrhaeder valves anyway).
Its a neat idea but I have two objections: I never really found removing the wheel that big of a deal (especially with how few flats I get [watch I’ll jinx it now]) and second, most flats will be caused by a puncture through the tire; just replacing the tube without removing the offending bugger that caused the puncture will just have you back on the side of the road in no time. Pinch flats on the other hand wouldn’t necessitate tire inspection but if pinch flats are your problem, properly inflating your tires to higher pressure is a whole lot easier and cost effective than special tubes
But like I said, at least its a neat idea 
17.Nov.09 Uncategorized Comments (0)
BART plans from 1957
Pretty interesting..and ambitious…and disappointing we’re still not there. But we are close if you take into account all the separate rail agencies: BART, Caltrain, VTA, Amtrak and soon SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit). SMART, which is scheduled for opening 2013 will link Cloverdale in the north to Larkspur on the bay which in turn connects Santa Rosa to San Francisco (albeit through an unfortunate ferry connection).
Click through on Burrito Justice for an interesting proposed Geary line and a horrendous freeway interchange through Civic Center
Source: Flickr
Found via: Burrito Justice
And as a bonus, rendering of what the Golden Gate Bridge would’ve looked like with BART
15.Nov.09 Uncategorized Comments (2)
School bans students from walking & riding
Madness, pure madness.
Though Janette Marino and her son, Adam, were warned prior to the first day of school, they rode in defiance anyway only to be greeted by an unhappy group of school administrators and a state trooper.
The school cited dangerous road conditions on Route 9, which leads to the school, as a primary reason for the policy, even though the road in question is currently designated as an official "bike route."
Janette made it clear that her son feels "pretty strongly" about biking to school. She explains, "I think it’s my parental right to transport my child to school in the way I deem is appropriate. I think the district is usurping its authority by telling me that I can’t."
Source: Mom and son face off with the law for biking to school
Full article: http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/09/14/news/doc4aada71020507442523775.txt
09.Nov.09 Advocacy Comments (0)
SF -> LA – Ride begins today
Another chapter unfolds
Later today I’m making the trek from San Francisco down the coast to LA where I’ll stay with the fam and do some more planning for the future. I have the trusty “Biking the Pacific Coast” guidebook so routing should be no sweat. Fingers are crossed for a dry voyage. Will be camping most of the way but if I can find a warmshowers.org host or two that would be nice also 
02.Nov.09 Uncategorized Comments (0)
