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bikeNOPA collab, dads on wheels, San Jose

Dads on Wheels: San José Bike Party

August 31, 2010 No Comments
dow

Bikes and The City is collaborating once again with BikeNOPA to bring you a new series: Dads on Wheels. Every Tuesday, we will be featuring dads from all over the city, and the ways they get around town with their kids. Please check both our blogs for the current profiles.

This week my collab post for Dads on Wheels will be a little 2-photos essay from my Dads on Wheels sightings from the San José Bike Party, this past Friday, August 20th. Enjoy!

Dad on wheels
You can bike, but you can’t hide!
I sees you!
I sees you!

r
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Ride on, dads!!

Don’t forget to check out BIKE NOPA for more Dads on Wheels profiles.
**If you or someone you know, would like to participate email me at bikesandthecity +at+ gmail**

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bikeNOPA collab, dads on wheels, la blogesphere

Pick your kicks

August 25, 2010 No Comments
Pick your kicks

Last week and the beginning of this week has been way too much fun + way too much adult civil duty seriousness make for an extreme combination that make this San Franciscoverse cosmonaut go round and round 😀

I missed my collaboration post with Michael of bikeNOPA this past Tuesday, so please make sure to check out his post:
Dads on Wheels | Craig Persiko’s Family Bikes the City

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art vitamins, bikeNOPA collab, dads on wheels, las neighborhoods in SF

Dads on Wheels

August 17, 2010 3 Comments

dow
I made a little quick graphic for this new series. You likeys?!
+will make up next week, hopefully our busy-city dads (and all SF parents) have had a busy back to school this week, so, it’s all good.
Stay tuned for next week’s profile and make sure to check out bikeNOPA today 😀

Previously: First Dads On Wheels post
**If you or someone you know, would like to participate email me at bikesandthecity +at+ gmail**

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bikeNOPA collab, dads on wheels, las neighborhoods in SF

New Series, New Collaboration: Dads on Wheels

August 10, 2010 16 Comments

Bikes and The City is collaborating once again with BikeNOPA to bring you a new series: Dads on Wheels. Every Tuesday, we will be featuring dads from all over the city, and the ways they get around town with their kids. Please check both our blogs for the current profiles.

Let us know your thoughts and leave comments for the featured riders!

I am very proud one to present the opening profile for one of the dads I have hung out with quite frequently and alongside him and his family, have opened my eyes to bicycling around town with kids, to see and experience, what it takes to bike around town with your family, and make it seem rather easy!

Like father, like son.

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Dads on Wheels: James

How old are your kids and why do you bike with them? When did you start them biking?
15, 11, and 5. We bike together because it’s fun. It imbues upon
them the sense of independence and empowers them to do things on their
own. Each of them learned how to bike no older than 5, but I wouldn’t
expect the youngest to get anywhere beyond a few miles until he’s 8 or
9.

How often do you bike with your kinds now ….and do you bike with them for fun or also for taking them on errands, getting them to school?
The oldest has been biking to school on his own for a few years now.
The middle child is starting a new school that she’ll be biking to on
her own. The youngest, wanting to be like his siblings, is talking
about biking to Kindergarden when the school year starts. We hardly
ever drive on the weekends, so all our weekend errands are by bike.
We don’t shuttle our kids around, so the oldest finds his own way in
order to hang out with his friends. The bike is usually his first
choice for that.

If your kids are older, how did you get them started: a Skuut bike, a trailer-bike, training wheels or something else?

The push-bike is a relative new phenomenon, so it wasn’t really an
option I was aware of. They learned the classic way, with training
wheels, graduating to the removal of the training wheels. With the
push bike, you can start them off much younger.

What’s the best thing about biking with your kid(s)?
Snuggly-bumpkis! That’s a term my youngest came up with. It’s when

you get a cuddle from the back when you’re hauling them around.

What do you say to relatives or friends who think the streets of San Francisco are not safe for kids to bike?
I’ll just brush it off. People have ideas about things even when they
have no real perspective on the matter. The best way to convince
those people is to just show them, by riding with your kids.

Señor James.
hi james

What makes a route or street OK for taking your kids biking on it?

Hills are certainly a consideration. I’ll avoid any street that I
wouldn’t normally bike on myself. Beyond that, I’ll let common sense
dictate the rest.

Is it even harder getting kids ready for trips if you’re traveling by bike?
Beyond appropriate clothing for this SF weather, not really.
How often do you bike on your own: recreation/exercise or for transportation also?
Whenever, where ever. I don’t commute by bike simply due to the time required.

Any advice for other dads who are thinking about biking on their own or with their kids?
Stop for breaks. Stop for ice-cream. Stop for playgrounds. Stop for
flowers. Teach them well, make sure they have fun while doing it, and
they’ll never forget. Give the kids options sometimes. If riding
becomes a drudgery, then that’s the part they’ll remember most.

All photos below by Adrienne Johnson:
Faster, Daddy!
Photo Op
Nothing You Can Say Can Tear Me Away from My Guys

Lee & Ocean

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Gracias James!!

Don’t forget to check out BIKE NOPA for more Dads on Wheels profiles.
**If you or someone you know, would like to participate email me at bikesandthecity +at+ gmail**

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bikeNOPA collab, la blogesphere, las neighborhoods in SF, qué cute, ride on, women who bike series

Women Who Bike: ♥Thank you!!

July 14, 2010 6 Comments

Hola everybody.
With a big smile in my face I thank all of you, powerful local women for sharing your stories, experiences and fun tips that shared with us all and participated for our Women Who Bike Series collaboration alongside local blog BikeNOPA + to all of you that dedicated sometime to comment, and stopped by.
Inspirational and with their own voice, they have left a dose of good energy and good vibes through their profiles, it has been great to be able to feature you, my beautiful women.
Michael from bikeNOPA and Iplan to get together pretty soon for more coffee meetings that will eventually end up, in who knows – something new! so stay tuned. We gotta show our boys some love, and it has been so much fun to chat, talk about our favorite times and similiar passions with our different perspectives as we continue to learn plenty from each other. 😀
See all the profiles from bikeNOPA here: Women Who Bike | NOPA

See all the 20 women that participated here:

Collab series closure

Amber
Gwen + Kristen
Melyssa + Adrienne
Kelley + Caitlin
Kathleen
Karen
Lisa Marie
Katie
Reesie
Emily
Amanda
Beatriz
Kay
Jenna
Kim
May
Mai

We are taking a small break from this women collab, but as a personal approach as a woman on wheels, a woman of color, a woman of multiple accents and a woman of curiosity – it is one of my main priorities to not cease to have us represented and exposed as a growing portion of the bicycle community, sustainable commuters and people who bike, and being able to give some exposure via this little blog and that if this helps someone, somewhere to begin biking, begin exploring their city – then that is fantastic.
Thanks all.

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Women Who Bike: Mai

July 12, 2010 5 Comments

BIKE NOPA & Bikes and The City are happy to announce the conclusion of their collaborative bike series, Women Who Bike. Please check both our blogs for the past profiles with the riders’ experiences, stories, and ideas that women who bike the city shared with you.

I will be posting a closure post this Wednesday (find Michael’s super nice thank-you post here) Let us know your thoughts and leave comments for the featured riders!
& Stayed tuned – We have more collabs in the near future!

All photos provided by Mai
mailebike711

mailebike711_2

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Women Who Bike: Mai

How would you characterize your bicycling style?
M. I’m either carefree (late nights on neighborhood streets), or cautious/slow and steady.

Something basic: how often do you bike and what for?
M. I bike most days. It’s a rare day I don’t. I use my bike for all my transportation needs, whether I’m commuting, going to gallery openings, meeting friends at restaurants, shopping, going to see live music, grocery shopping… I seem to always be on my bike. I even bike when it rains.

What could be done in SF to encourage more women, including teens and younger, to bike?
M. Bike lanes help a lot! Also, I think biking should be re-branded as something that is adjunct to regular life. Not necessarily an activity done with special gear or only on weekends. So, people like you who emphasize biking while being stylish help.

How many of your best dates/friendships started with biking?
M. Many of my friendships and dates have been enhanced by biking, but sadly, none have started by biking. One of my best friends bikes everywhere and we used to just meet places, but now that I’ve been biking consistently for a year, we go on bike dates to places like Grace Cathedral, or we’ll go to 3 or 4 gallery openings via bike and then catch dinner. It’s great to share this additional thing with her.

mailebike711_3

Other little things:
My favorite meal after a long ride (or in between) is:

M. Mission Street Food or my fellow food carts, especially Magic Curry Cart.

The best way to hydrate in between rides is:
M. Ginger beer at the Uptown or Homestead if biking at night. I like coffee at 4 Barrel and Blue Bottle, but coffee isn’t very hydrating. 🙂

-A personal item I must have or bring while riding my bike:
Gloves. Fingerless or regular. I was in a small spill and my knit gloves saved me from road rash on my palms.

-My message to women who want to try biking:
Don’t let your wardrobe be limited by your perception of what those in SF wear while biking. Look to the Dutch, who wear anything they want to bike because… Biking isn’t a novelty, it’s a way of living and you should let others dictate how you should adorn yourself. (I sometimes wear stilettos when I bike! It’s easy to hook over the pedals and easier to wear when I can go door-to-door without much pavement pounding.)
Also, try small trips around the neighborhood before branching it. It’ll help build confidence.

Mai and I have been blogesphere friends for awhile and can’t wait to hang out more with this gorgeous SF fashionista!!
If you recall, I was stoked to do a Vietnam collaboration series with her not too long ago, which you can check out here: Vietnam series
Other of her recent fantastic bits around the city published either on paper and the blogesphere are:
Her latest BUST appearance by Tricia Royal’s (Creator of Wardrobe Remix) column: photo link
Velo Vogue: rad remix
And by the SFBC blog: “Entrepedalers” Deliver the Goods

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♥ Gracias Mai!! ♥

Don’t forget to check out BIKE NOPA for more the previous Women Who Bike profiles.
See previous Bikes & The City profiles here: Women Who Bike Series

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bikeNOPA collab, la blogesphere, las neighborhoods in SF, qué cute, ride on, women who bike series

Women Who Bike: May

July 5, 2010 2 Comments

BIKE NOPA & Bikes and The City have spun out a collaborative bike series, Women Who Bike. We have almost concluded our series, but please check both our blogs for the experiences, stories, and ideas that women who bike the city want to share with you.

Let us know your thoughts and leave comments for the featured riders!

IMG_1252
Photo provided via May – By hotMARK™ on flickr
IMG_9868
Photo provided via May – By hotMARK™ on flickr

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Women Who Bike: May

How would you characterize your bicycling style?
M. I’d say my riding style is all over the place. Sometimes I like to ride fast, sometimes slow. Usually you’ll find me riding at “touring” pace though so I can take in my surroundings. I do try to be cautious, mainly because I know it can be hard to see a cyclist when you’re driving, so I never assume drivers are going to see me.

Something basic: how often do you bike and what for?
M. I bike just about everyday. I use my bike for transportation to get around the city. It’s faster than taking the bus and I usually arrive at my destination in a much better mood if I don’t have to look for parking. I also bike to explore new places – I LOVE riding through small towns I’ve never visited before, finding quiet roads with no traffic, climbing hills to take in the view, and riding down swoopy dirt or rocky trails. In the summer and fall I do mountain bike and cyclocross races with the Sheila Moon team. They’re fun and make me go faster than I normally would.


Photo provided via May

What could be done in SF to encourage more women, including teens and younger, to bike?
M. I think what you’re doing with your blog is super encouraging! More green painted bike lanes in the city would help as well.

How many of your best dates/friendships started with biking?
M. A lot of my good friends are people I met through biking.

Other little things:
– My favorite meal after a long ride (or in between) is:

M. ice cream

– The best way to hydrate in between rides is:
M. I usually drink water. I can’t drink anything with caffeine in it when I ride because it turns me into the incredible peeing machine

– A personal item I must have or bring while riding my bike
M. Things to fix a flat tire. (i.e. tube, tire levers, pump, patch kit). I get a flat (or help someone else with a flat) about once a month….and usually I’m out in the middle of nowhere when it happens.

My message to women who want to try biking:
M. I’d say get a bike you really like and are comfortable on. If riding in traffic scares you, you can start by riding in places with less traffic (there are lots of nice roads and trails with almost no cars). Get a book on bike rides and trails in the Bay Area and do them all! The SFBC is also a great resource.

And here are some perhaps already posted pictures of May previously here on the blog, but with that super kilowatt smile, can’t help but to share them once again!
hi may!
May
matthew + may +their buddy
may wins burning man tix!

It has been a pleasure to ride with May for a couple of years on butterlap, which takes place every Wednesday evening. Her road bike might be one of the smallest out there, but May will leave you in the dust riding those crazy hills as if it is a small flat stroll in the park. Fierce!
Ride on my beautiful rider!!

+ + + + + + + + + +r
♥ Gracias May!! ♥

Don’t forget to check out BIKE NOPA for more Women Who Bike profiles.
**If you or someone you know would like to participate email me at bikesandthecity +at+ gmail**
For women in the NOPA area, contact Michael at BIKE NOPA

See previous Bikes & The City profiles here: Women Who Bike Series

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