An interview with Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycleworks

What do you look for in a new bike? One made of exotic, high tech materials also found in fighter jets and moon landers or a traditional lugged, steel ride where the "performance" is provided not by high tech but by you, the rider? In this episode, we take a trip out to Walnut Creek in the East Bay to chat with Grant Petersen of Rivendell Bicycle Works to gain insight into his philosophy of the bicycle craft.

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Grant also had a chat recently with Sheldon Brown when they ran into each other at Interbike, the industry trade show.

I mentioned The Bike Hut during the calendar segment (they're looking for a database volunteer) but I didn't say much about this great institution. Here's a link to chase.

critical mass-a self criticism

Born in San Francisco, Critical Mass has been the focal point of a new vision for the future of cities. It has brought together a diverse community of cyclists and has changed the way the city looks at transportation and the use of public space.

But in San Francisco when the ride gets big as it
did last Halloween, the ride sometimes becomes a victim of its own success as newcomers to the ride find license to act destructively. In this episode, Bikescape gets together with some long time Critical Mass riders to discuss how to deal with very large group bike rides.

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Photos by Adam A.

Contested Streets- New York and San Francisco look to the European model

San Francisco and New York are studying congestion pricing, a scheme that charges people to drive into central cities and turns the revenue over to transit, ped and bike improvements. The system has been successfully used in London for the last three years.

Contested Streets is a new film that shows how the European model might point the way towards humanizing American cities.

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Interview with Chris Daly

Chris Daly has been a dependable ally for San Francisco cyclists. His record on transportration and housing is spotless. As we head into the last week before the election, a few downtown interests have been spending a lot of money to dump Chris to replace affordable housing and safe streets with offices, expensive condos and a lot more traffic.

Find out why we should reelect Daly as this episode takes us to a District 6 campaign mobilization where we talk to Chris about biking in the city.
Photo by Adam A.

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I'll be posting more links later in the day...

reelect chris daly

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly traverses the city on his bike in his quest to build affordable housing and champion public transit.

Chris is endorsed by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and many others.

PARK(ing): remixing your landscape

A few months back in an episode about the intrusion of cars into Golden Gate Park, Bikescape posed the question: what is a park? In this episode, green strikes back at grey and the question gets turned around as we reclaim street parking spots for people. Even if only for a few hours…

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The Rebar Group conceptualized and produced the installation and the Trust for Public Land paid the bills.

Clarence from Bike TV was there and shot an episode.

Berkeley's Pedal Express took care of some of the heavy hauling.

San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate archtechture critic John King wrote this article about the installation. The pictures in this post are also curtesy of the Chronicle.

petrolius

Courtesy freedomfromoil.org

san francisco critical mass katrina memorial ride

This month marks the first anniversary of hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Deluge. In this age of global warming, is San Francisco next? This month's proposed route follows the flood line along the submerged Embarcadero.

If you like this route, please download this pdf flyer for distribution at SF Critical Mass this Friday, Aug 28.

If you live outside of San Francisco check www.critical-mass.org to find the ride in your city. Chances are there is a similar proposed theme to your ride. Check Rising Tide North America, an org that has been trying to herd the CM cats around this subject.

Flyer, graphic and route curtesy of The committee for Full Enjoyment

oregon's laws need fixing

A cop routinely pulls over a messenger on a fixie and cites her for riding without brakes. She goes to court to prove that a fixed gear bike’s drive train, combined with the power of her own legs are a brake, able to satisfy the requirements of the law. You must be able to skid the braked wheel on dry level pavement.

In the case that all fixie riders have been waiting for, the judge rules the defendant guilty and an appeal is prepared.

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We speak with lawyer Ray Thomas who's working on collecting material for an appeal. As a part of their work, they produced this publication on bike law.

Dan Kaufman made this film of Ayla stopping her bike as well as a bike with a coaster brake.

What other type of bike makes sport of stopping and standing still?

Also, we remember two leaders of the forty year old and still ongoing San Francisco freeway revolt, Sue Bierman and Patricia Walkup. Both died in the last few weeks.

san francisco bike messengers c1992