Bicycles

The Art of Winterfest

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Last night I attended Winterfest, which is the Bike Coalition's annual shindig to celebrate cycling and raise some cash for the organization.  Of course, before I even had a chance to dismount from my bike as I arrived, one of the people staffing the bike valet actually made fun of the bike I was riding.  I guess that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the inclusiveness of the SF bike industry.

Anyway, despite being made felt unwelcome, they had some really rad art up for auction.  It was all too rich for my blood, but let's take a look regardless:

Untitled by Jamie Vasta, who makes a ton of glitter artwork.

ABCyclopedia: An Incomplete Guide to Cycling by Adrian Cotter.

    

They Know Our Streets Better Than We Do by Allison Kendall.  The guy who happened to win this piece was hovering over it for a while prior to closing.  Even when I went to take a picture of it he started talking about how it was soon to be hanging up on his wall.  He really wanted this.

  

Finally, continuing our coverage of SF art with lazer eyes is Return of the Scorcher.  Unfortunately I didn't note this artist's last name (first name Hugh), so feel free to clue me in.

Tilt-Shift Photography at the SF Bike Expo

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Local badass John Reiss recently emailed us to share photos of the Bicycle Film Festival. They were nice and all, but I was particularly blown away by his shots from the SF Bike Expo.  Really sick stuff.  'makes me wish I knew how to operate a camera.  So yeah, check 'em out.

(photo by John Reiss)

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Better Than an Evergreen

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Are you reading Ice Tubes yet?  If not, you might be missing fantastic stuff such as the bicycle Christmas tree featured above.  Sure, this “tree” might reside in Sydney, which is some city in a country that isn't in the Mission, but it still serves as an important reminder of what we can accomplish when we're not tweeting.

(link)

ATTN BIKE NERDS/TOURISTS: Hawk Hill Has Reopened

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Much to the disappointment of area cyclists and appalling looking people in rental cars, the Marin Headlands shut down this spring for construction for repairs.  Lucky for us, construction has finally wrapped up and we can once again ride bikes without being forced to ride through the Sausalito moneyfest and take rad HDR photos.

(photo by Jouko van der Kruijssen, who did a much better job at documenting the reopening than my iPhone did)

Erik Elstran's Dragon Shredit

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

In my eyes, the highlight of last weekend's Bicycle Film Festival had to have been the 4 minute clip of this kid going completely nuts on his bike.  It's like prop comedy had a bender of unprotected sex with a BMX bike and birthed a kid in Wisconsin.

Art Bikes Invade Dolores Park

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

There was some sort of art bike photo shoot going in Dolores this weekend.  Not sure what the story was behind that, but I'm blaming Mission Loc@l.

Also, one of these days I'll learn how to focus my camera.  PROMISE.

(alright, this last ride probably wasn't part of the shoot, but it's still an excellent application of a Darth Vadar mask to a cheap urban assault vehicle)

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Bicycle Parking Tickets, Now at Duboce Park

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Even though this ticket is obviously unenforceable, Timoni admits it was probably deserved since her bike was “pretty much parked in a bush.”  Fellow bike snobs will appreciate the finer points of the ticket, such as her 20-year-old Fiori Roma being labeled as a bike from 2007 (“lolomgwtflmaorofldingdongs fucking amateurs”).  Also, no mention of its hot pink tire?  Lame.

(photo by Timoni)

SF Bike Expo: AT's Showdown

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Saturday's SF Bike Expo was a decidedly gnarly time.  While the fleet of antique/art/project bikes, vendors, cross racing, and action on the pump track certainly entertained, AT's Showdown was the real highlight.  Unfortunately, I have no idea how to operate a camera or iMovie, so the (short) video lacking any real editing or sick Dropkick Murphy's track/some other song proving I have zero taste in music will have to satiate your appetite.  Don't worry, it includes a fantastic number of flips, kicks, spins and big air:

Also, Neil C. had an off-camera flash and, therefore, got some rad snaps of the event:

(Don't forget: the SF Bicycle Film Festival kicks off Wednesday.)

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

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