We here this statement pretty regularly. The story goes that a cyclist is just riding along minding his own business when POW, they got their clock cleaned by a car pulling out of an alley. But, the cyclist gets the ticket and has to pay for the damage to the car. All because they were riding their bike on the sidewalk.

Lots of people ride on the sidewalk. And lots of people have no idea that it is illegal. But, the law is very clear about it:

Sec. 54-576. Riding on sidewalks.
(a) Riding bicycles upon or along sidewalks, whether on public property or private property opened for use by the general public, shall be unlawful except when the operator or rider thereof is a uniformed city employee riding a bicycle or a police officer riding a bicycle is a marked or unmarked official police bicycle while engaged in the discharge of his or her official duties, or when the operator or rider thereof is engaged in the delivery of newspapers or where the sidewalk is part of a designated bicycleroute. Bicyclists shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on the sidewalks, and shall leave the sidewalk or dismount if necessary to yield such right-of-way.
(b) Riding motorized bicycles upon or along sidewalks shall be unlawful.
(Code 1950, §§ 522.19-1, 522.19-2, 852.5; Ord. No. 464-02, § 1, 6-17-02)

Taken straight from here.

So, tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Yell self-righteously at the dude who almost mows you over every morning when you are walking to the corner store. But, most of all, lead by example whenever possible.

Pictures tell it all. So here you go.

Touchy Touchy

Helmets are a touchy subject amongst city riders. We (and the paramedics) have a unique perspective because we see lots of people come through the doors who have been in accidents. Helmets are inconvenient, but no more inconvenient than staying overnight at the hospital. The helmet doesn’t prevent the accident, it simply stops your hair and skin from being left on the road/sidewalk/hood. You will need your own convincing (and that was our weak attempt). For the owner, it was a close call with a tow truck in Cary, NC. For our Service Technician it was a road ride in Boulder that ended up with a large scar on the top of his skull. When you do decide to wear a helmet, please check out these:

1. Fox – Fox Transition helmets are comfortable. They look tough and they aren’t expensive. We aren’t sure what else you could ask for. They are easy to fit sunglasses with and are ventilated just right for cold and hot days.

Fox Transition

2. Louis Garneau (Lewey Garn – oh) - Starting at $40 for good quality with plenty of vents. We like LG helmets. There is nothing extra about them. They fit almost everyone and have lots of vents. The adjustment system on the back of the head is great, even with heavy gloves on.

3. Swrve Caps – NOT HELMETS. But, they are a good way of getting over that excuse of your hair not looking good when you take off your helmet. Swrve Caps fit nicely under your helmet and allow you to stay nice looking while being safe. Fashion and Safety? Yes.

With this, Google has announced a new search feature that should let a few of us avoid the car for a few more months, if not for the whole winter. It is called Google Transit: http://www.google.com/transit.

Basically, you can put in your starting and ending location and it will tell you how to take the bus or walk. The key here is that it will be even faster if you ride your bike instead of walking, then load your bike up on the front or underneath the bus.

We tried a search for Denver to Nederland (which is an amazing place to ride bicycles). (When you get up there, check out the caboose by the bus station. Cool Bike Shop/ Coffee Shop. )

Try it out. Take the bus. Take your bike.

Bucket of Clean Hands

This is the best hand cleaner for getting off grease and oil from your hands and arms. You only need a dime sized glob of the cleaner and a tiny bit of water. Work it around the greasy spots until it starts to collect into little balls. Start rinsing it off. Be happy with your clean, pristine, bourgeois appearance. Now dry your hands and go back to your life.

I also know that this stuff is not a “gross” product. How? I know this because the herbalist at Moondance Botanicals went gaga over it. She was going to offer me some stuff that had almonds and oils, but she stopped when she saw this stuff. (The dirty boy soap they sell is fantastic, by the way). She was exceedingly impressed.

If you want some of this stuff, it is about $8/lb. I think it is mostly oatmeal, but I’m not eating it.

I have had a bike stolen. Not today. Don’t feel too bad for me. I’m over it.

But, not really. I recently had a chance to relive my Yellow Schwinn being stolen from the front of the store.
It was stolen because someone didn’t bring it in after we closed. Still, stolen is stolen, even if you don’t lock it. I looked around everywhere for that stupid bike that wasn’t even worth 30 bucks. It was heartbreak.

Then I found it… It was parked at chipotle and locked up. So, I left the new “owner” a note stating that if they wanted, they could keep their lock and if they didn’t, I would just cut it off for them. And also that my bike is my bike, not their bike. MY BIKE!

After some time, the police came got the bike and gave it back to me.

And I thought I was happy. But, the truth is that I haven’t ridden the bike since I got it back. It is sitting in the basement of the store. And I can tell the bike is sad. I used to ride wheelies for blocks with it. I used to make coffee runs with it. It was my dear friend. And now that someone else took it home and rode it (sorry for the imagery in your head), I don’t feel the same about it anymore. I feel that it isn’t my bike anymore.

Where I am right now, I don’t know that I can give it away either. I feel like the Karma needs to be washed or some sort of seance needs to be performed to remove the devil from inside the bike. I haven’t really even sat with the bike since I picked it up from the police station. What to do. What to do.

Recovered bicycles can never be loved the same way. I think someone may have to intervene.

http://www.dirtbagdiaries.com/index.php?post_id=403304

This is a spoken word piece. It is 8 minutes of real bike love. You’ll enjoy it. Unless you are a bad person.

As a side note, Salvagetti was edited out of the story. We sold Nick the Black Steel Road Bike that made him so obsessive. We cannot take credit for anything else.

Pablo’s 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast.

Well, that time is here again.

We just received the email announcement that it is happening again on the 14th of this month. It is all-you-care-to-eat pancakes with all the sides you would expect. The food last year was prepared with love and care (and tasted amazing). It happens to be for a great cause. And, on top of that, it is REALLY FUN!

We will meet at the back of the shop at 8am and leave by around 8:15am. The ride will be pretty direct. You will eat until you are about to burst, but you will be energized from the music, the company and the caffeine. From there, we will ride back to the shop, unless you already made other plans. You will probably need a light lunch and should plan to go to bed early that night. You will then have an AMAZING MONDAY. We promise.