Bicycles

SFPD Recovers 100+ Stolen Bikes in Oakland

HEY YO, IS THAT YOUR STOLEN MAGNA?  If so, SFPD recovered it during what we presume was a giant bike theft bust in Oakland.  In all, 116 bikes were recovered, most of them unfortunately parted out and left unrideable.  But, hey, it's better than no bike, right?

You can look at a Word Doc released by SFPD's Mission Station to see if your old bike is there.  SFPD also notes, “Several recent bike thefts occurred where victims left their bicycles in their vehicles. Your bicycle is not safe in a locked vehicle.”

[via SFist]

SF Chronicle Discovers Fixies... Again

Good news everyone! The Chronicle wrote an eye-opening expose about fixed gear bikes and culture, which has never happened before. EVER! I don't want to give away the ending, but here's an excerpt from the riviting article:

The only thing harder to stop than fixed-gear bikes might be their rise in popularity. Next time you walk by your neighborhood coffee shop, take a closer look at the bikes locked outside. You're sure to notice a fixie or two among them.

Read on to learn a brief history about fixed gear bikes, and find out answers to those buring fixie questions you've been dying to ask: Do you need ironic facial hair to ride a fixie? Does the bike have brakes, and if not, how do you stop? How many times can one news source write the same story over and over again before anyone notices? What will C.W. Nevius have to say about all this #fixiefamous hype? All this and more to come, I'm sure.

Stodgy Stanley Roberts Not Stoked with Separated Bike Lanes

We gotta admit: we're not particularly stoked on the new separated bike lanes along JFK in Golden Gate Park either.  We love the fact the city is trying new things, and separated lanes have typically worked well in other cities, but they aren't really panning out in Golden Gate Park.  People park their cars in the lanes, use the lanes as sidewalks, have made the approach to stop signs difficult, and people clearly have no idea how to park in the new spots.  That's not to say the idea should be dismissed entirely—not at all.  The city could put up new signage explaining the situation, install a curb between the bike lanes and the parking spaces, or actually stripe out specific spaces for people to park.  You know, address the problems.

But KRON's Stanley Roberts!  Fuck!  People are Behaving Badly, you see, and those people are the government experimenting with improving our transportation.  Grrrrrrrrr, Stanley mad!

Naturally, Stanley took his amazing voice and the camcorder he bought off eBay with all the milk money he's been saving up and interviewed a couple of angry (grrrrrrrr) dumb-dumbs in minivans about the problem.  And guess what?  They hate bicyclists!  “Where should bikers be a bikin'?”  In the middle of traffic, where they've always been biking.  Obviously!

I don't know what my favorite part of the video is: when some green thing claims her door will now get sideswiped when she opens it (because, that's not already a problem on roads without bike lanes.  Plus, she wants the American Privilege of opening her door into cyclists, not traffic) or when Stanley doesn't interview a single cyclist, urban planner, or someone who might actually be in favor of the lanes.

Watch below:

[Thanks for the tip, Tuffy! | Photo by SF Bike Coalition]

A One Way Ticket To Homicidal Cabbie Land

We've all been there — it's raining out, you have somewhere to go, your buddy doesn't want to ride bikes because of the aforementioned rain, so you sack up and hail a cab, prepared to fork over a mini-forturne for a short 10 block ride. This was the case last night as Shmindsay* and I hopped in a cab at 19th and Valencia on our way up to Cafe du Nord. Alas, this was not to be your a-typical cab ride; little did we know that behind the wheel was a cab driver with a serious anger management problem and a dislike for cyclists.

Granted, the cyclist did not have lights on his bike, and it was an honest accident. The cab driver came within centimeters of ending this cyclists life, and naturally, the cyclist was pissed. Words were exchanged between the driver and the cyclist, and then the unthinkable: THE CAB DRIVER SLAMS ON THE GAS AND TRIES TO RUN THE CYCLIST DOWN. The cyclist is screaming at the cabbie, we're in the backseat screaming at the cabbie, and he won't stop. The cyclist maneuvers himself next to the cab and takes a swing at the cab driver and connects. Now the cabbie is super pissed and tries to run him down again, this time by repeatedly throwing the car in reverse then forward again. At this point Shmindsay and I bail out of the cab by doing a barrel roll (literally) and watch the scene unfold. The cyclist is trying to get to the sidewalk out of harms way and the cabbie is still trying to run him over. All parties involved are screaming at each other, I'm frantically writing down license plate, cab number, anything I can get.

After about 5 minutes the cyclist is able to call the cops and the cab driver pulls to the other side of the road and presumably does the same. We stick around, give the cyclist our names and numbers to give to the cops, then decide to walk to rest of the way.

The moral of the story is never take cabs. If you do, ask to see their anger management certificate of completion/marijuana prescription.

*names have been changed to protect those who barrel roll out of moving cabs like a boss/rookie.

[Unrelated topical photo by Hal Bergman]

Kids Going Nuts on Bikes in San Francisco Set to Late-90s Pop Rap

I'd like to write about everything that makes this video solid—the camera angles, the editing, the riding, and so on—but, really, sometimes we all need an excuse to listen to Juvenile's Back That Azz Up again.

Plus, it's a good watch if you're stuck at work and want to get jealous about what you could be doing outside in this amazing weather right now. (Who are we kidding? You'd be at the park like everyone else.)

[Vimeo, via Macaframa]

A Friendly Message to Our Neighborhood Tweaker Meth-head Bike Thief Guy

There's been a “string of home invasion bike thefts lately” (a.k.a. garage break-ins) plaguing the La Lengua end of the Mission.  Now, from the looks of it, the thief has made his way up to the Inner Mission, prompting this one harassed garage owner at 23rd and South Van Ness to install two exterior padlocks and this lovely sign, thanking the thief, in advance, for ceasing his break-in attempts.

Anyway, if you've been suffering from break-in bike thefts lately and would like this sign for yourself, all you need is a cordless drill, a Phillips bit, and 30 seconds of your time.

Until Your Dog Learns How to Ride a Bike, This Timbuk2 Messenger Pack is For You

Do you have a bike? And a dog?  And a pair of black socks and blue glasses and no history of back pain?  Then Timbuk2's absolutely 100% totally real new Clifford bag is for you:

Dogs don't *really* like to walk, particularly big ones. Do your pooch a favor and put him in your pack. The Clifford Canine Carrier was designed with big dogs in mind. Its waterproof TPU liner and tether with clip ensure that all the business stays inside while you romp around outside. Core strength, balance, and non-hostile relationship with your dog are recommended for optimal use.

And here it is in action:

Only 120 bucks!

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