Mission Mission

Cycle-commuting reader Mickey B. (who also happens to have a great mob nickname) was unable to enjoy the exhilaration of riding down the freshly painted green bike lanes on Market Street this morning thanks to this color-blind driver.  He adds:

A friend of mine passed it after I did and said the car was unlocked and there was a purse on the seat…

I wanna know how this car even managed to get in there!  She obviously wasn’t able to fit through those narrowly spaced posts, so she must have entered the bike lane at the beginning of the block, proceeded about halfway, and then stopped her car and got out.  Do automobile drivers really feel so entitled that they think they can get away with this?

To be fair, on the commute this morning I noticed that even the majority of cyclists themselves prefer to avoid the bike lane when they can in favor of the street, green paint or not (although this stretch of Market is also off-limits to private vehicles so it’s inherently safer):

Anyway, in general the separated green bike lanes are a huge win for cyclists everywhere (not just in SF), and I’m all for them since they encourage cautious people who might be too frightened to bike amongst the cars and buses to try out cycle commuting in somewhat safer fashion.

Don’t forget that this Thursday, May 13, is the 16th annual BIKE TO WORK DAY, so remember to pedal out with your cyclist pride on full display.  As usual, the SFBC will be hosting recharging stations throughout the city with free schwag that’s actually useful and awesome (bags, patch kits, water), so volunteer if you have a chance!  See you out there!

Previously:

Posts Be Posting Up All Over Market Street

Wouldn’t It Be Nice If SF Had Bike Lanes Like Copenhagen’s?

Barcelona has bike infrastructure. Big, wide, protected bike lanes down just about every thoroughfare, and a communal bike program as fun and fashionable as it is easy and efficient. There are seriously racks of rad bikes on every block. Just swipe your card and pick your wheels.

It’s called “Bicing,” and Barcelona Cycle Chic this week shows us how it works.

Previously:

Biking in Europe

I’m not sure if we’re talking about the bike or Vic Wong, but it’s fun to watch them spill.

Related:

Another Video of Vic Wong Falling Off a Bike

Shortly after reading my thinly-vieled plea to reinstate the Beerdolero, the fine folks at Rickshaw Bagworks invited me down to: A. Obtain a hand-made Beerdolero. B. Tour of their facilities in the SF’s Dogpatch district (allegedly named by a drunkard). C. Dance an Irish jig for them (no joke).

The Beerdolero works great. It is a velcro-secured sleeve that you can attach to any strap, including the one affixed to your Gibson Flying V. Cans fit very snugly into the sturdy loops and wont fall out. It does weigh down the front a bit, so it helps if you are carrying something in the bag to counter-balance.

So why do you want this, aside from the fact that it completes your hipster douche outfit? First of all, this may be the only one you’ll ever see. You can’t buy it from Rickshaw because they only offer them as promotional items. It’s also clear that your beer-carrying situation is dire. How dire? Well, you’re gonna have to tell us… with poetry:

Post a haiku lament about your current beverage transport methods. Be sure to use a real email address in your comment. The best haiku, judged somewhat arbitrarily by us and Rickshaw, wins the Beerdolero. You have until Friday, 3pm to submit

Oh yeah, it’s probably bad to encourage drinking and cycling, so be sure to load this baby up with, uh, Hansen’s if you’re gonna hop on the bike.

Thanks to Lisa, Kati and the rest of the gang at Rickshaw Bagworks for being awesome. Rickshaw Bags is an environmentally conscious and completely local company that puts out super high-quality customized stuff. Be sure to stop by and say hi to them.

Update: Kati says that “Beerdoilero” should be spelled “Beerdolero”.

Also, more about the Beerdolero from Mark Dwight at Rickshaw Bagworks!

I just wanted to give a little background on our Beerdalero… we made the first three Beerdaleros for our company debut at Interbike 2008, just for fun, and raffled one each day at our booth. We have never made it available for purchase. For one thing, it takes about 2 hours to make a Beerdalero — and we make them right here in SF — so they would be ridiculously expensive at retail. Besides, not everything needs to be commercially exploited. We prefer to make just a few now and then for special occasions and special friends — like Mission Mission. Happy Cinco de Mayo! -Mark

Who else almost caught some serious air off this thing today?

But not everyone can afford a designer saddle.

Photo by Penelope Popsicle.

The messenger-bag-PBR-can-storage arms race continues! Check out Rickshaw Bagworks‘ game-changing “Beerdolero”  innovation, which combines space-saving strap storage and the highly-fashionable Mexican Revolutionary look. All of this comes at a cost though: none of this actually keeps your beverages cool.

There’s another catch: apparently, only five of these were made and they were given away a month ago as part of a St. Patty’s Day promotion. LAME.

Now, I know some of your Rickshaw folks read this here blog. How about another test run for the summer season?

Previously:

Cool Kids Use Cool Stuff: Dolores Chiller

I finally saw one of these things rolling down Market Street, trying to blend in along with the rest of the bicycle commuter pack.  It sure took a while for these things to demonstrate any usefulness beyond being utilized for carefully managed guided tours in the Marina, but this guy is doing his best towards entrenching the Segway as the revolution in personal transportation it initially claimed to be.

However, I wouldn’t worry about these things taking over the roadways any time soon.  The lack of exercise expended forced this dude to dress for his morning ride like he was preparing to ascend K2 (between his roles as Kyle Reese from T1 and Corporal Hicks from Aliens, Michael Biehn is easily the best actor on the planet) on one of the warmest mornings of the year so far.

While the Segway accelerated quickly off the stoplight line, that only forced cyclists to repeatedly pass him after every intersection since his top speed left much to be desired.  The Muni buses didn’t take too kindly to him either.  Too fast for sidewalks; too slow for streets.  So where do they belong?

Probably the junkyard, although these Sci-Fi versions look pretty badass!

Previously:

McCafe Pushers on Segways: A Symbol of Economic Progress

Bike Racks: B-Sides and Rarities

Carlos Goes To Fisherman’s Wharf

When we saw the other day that Mai from Fashionist was reporting from Vietnam, we were pumped.

When we opened up Bikes and the City today and saw that Mai was doing GUEST POSTS FROM VIETNAM FOR THEM, we straight fell out of bed. Sooo exciting! What a crossover! And the PICTURES!!!

Well done, gals!

Previously:

Biking in Europe

Happy Friday, everybody! May we all attack our weekends like this tiny wonder is attacking this tight little parking spot.

[via Fixed Gear Blog] [Thanks, Becca!]

Related:

Side Saddle Daredevil Defies Death (Video)