Cycling Shimanami Kaido

Back in January JustAnotherCyclist.com got an email that read in part “During my last trip to Japan I rented a bicycle and cycled 160 kilometers across 6 beautiful islands in 2 days.” The route in question was Shimanami Kaido, which by many accounts is one of the “world’s most incredible bike tours.”

Not only that – there was video!

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Bike thefts linked to Strava

Strava_Feed_iphone6A recent news story from Albuquerque, NM ends with a dire sounding warning about using GPS tracking apps:

Authorities also say a big tip to prevent having your bike stolen out of your home is to avoid using any GPS tracking apps to map and share your routes. That can lead thieves straight to where you store your expensive ride.

“High-end bike owners, retailers believe theft ring taking stolen cycles to Juarez”

The implication here is that bike thieves are monitoring ride-sharing sites like Strava and Map My Ride, figuring out where routes start or end and targeting those houses for theft. How much of a threat is this really, though? Keep reading →

Koala. Cyclist. Thirst.

Nobel Peace Prize for cycling?

Can you win the Nobel Peace Prize for cycling? Possibly. If you are the Afghan Women’s National Cycling Team. This tough group of women face challenges daily that will make your next urban traffic dodging exercise seem trivial.

They are already in the running for the National Geographic Adventurers of the Year award. But their story has reached new levels of exposure with the help of documentary film makers and the movie “Afghan Cycles.” But the nod in the form of a nomination for the Nobel Peach Prize has really garnered headlines. Keep reading →

Audi Outrage

The new Audi A3 plugin hybrid. I’d actually be inclined to respect it – if not for some idiotic advertising.

So many things wrong with this. Keep reading →

Feel good story of the day

If you love grandmas, bicycles and dudes turning a good deed, have we got a story for you. Call it your feel good story of the day. It all started on one of my favorite Facebook groups: Look At My Bike Leaning Against Stuff. The group is about… well… just that. People post photos of their bikes. Leaning against stuff. Pretty straight forward. There are a couple of rules – pictures are of bikes only – no people. Drive side out lest the critiques will critically criticize. Etc etc etc.

But as with many things, a small act of humanity and compassion gleamed through like a shining beacon (cue symphonic musical sweeper) Keep reading →

Sometimes it is just scary

I love riding my bike. I feel quite comfortable riding on the streets of San Francisco, or the country roads of California’s central valley. From my perspective, what negative interactions I’ve had with cars have generally been due to simple mistakes – misjudging speed, not looking in the right rear view mirror when turning right, etc etc. I’m the guy that spend a lot of time complaining about how dangerous others make cycling out to be. I’m the guy urging everyone to stop the fear mongering.

But then someone has to be an asshole. And that can be just flat out scary.

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Happy birthday to me

Bikey Desk Trinkets!
Bikey Desk Trinkets!

Yup. Today is my birthday (cue Beatles song.) And lucky me, I got the most important stuff. First off was the bikey desk trinket. Because there is no such thing as too many bikey desk trinkets. I mean, if you’re stuck at a desk, you should really invest in things that remind you why you’ve chosen to be stuck at the a desk in the first place.

And then the commute gave me a gift too. You see, one of the advantages of having a birthday right in between Christmas and New Years is one of the least driven weekdays out there. Couple that with a week where New Years falls on Friday and we might as well just shut the city down. I think I passed more joggers than cars this morning…

So celebrate my birthday with me. Go out and ride. Because, just like the proper number of bikes, the correct number of bike rides is N+1.

 

New Bike Day

I’d been waiting all day for the phone call that was supposed to come around 12:30. It was almost 12:45 and I’d taken to looking at the time every 3-4 minutes. Finally, the phone rang. I was practically in the elevator before I even thought to answer it. She was done with her meeting. It was time to walk the 4 blocks to our designated rendezvous point.

I had to contain myself as I made the hike. Somehow it seemed that, right then, everyone on the sidewalk was hell bent on walking directly in front of me… slowly. I made it to the address. She was supposed to be standing outside. Oh god… I don’t even know what she looks like.

But then I spotted it…

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Cycling and gentrification: a different perspective

To continue to explore the potential links (or perceived links) between cycling and gentrification, I thought it would be important to solicit unbiased opinions from outside of the cycling community. For this, I reached out to Rashawn, long-time resident of the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco (and the neighborhood inhabited by yours truly.) Below is a series of questions and answers via an email conversation. Rashawn’s perspective provides an extremely valuable outside perspective that all of us interested in bicycle advocacy and advancement need to consider. It can become quite common for advocates of any cause to find themselves constantly “preaching to the chior.” Only by actively soliciting, and taking the time to understand, the opinions of those that are outside our group can we truly find ways to expand the cause we are advocating for.

Note: Any links included in the below transcript were added by me (after the fact) to help provide context for those unfamiliar with the Bayview community, or items referencing what can reasonable be considered “local knowledge.”

JustAnotherCyclist: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me. Can you tell us who you are, and a bit about yourself?

Rashawn: I am a Black woman who has deep roots in Arkansas and Louisiana. My family began migrating to the Bay Area during WWII, drawn by the promise of opportunities in the shipyards and looking for a better life. My grandmother came here in 1945, and sent for her children (including my 10 year old mother) a few years later. My parents settled here following my father’s stint in the Army. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and have never lived anywhere else.

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