Cruising

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. .
Big thanks to Amanda and Monkey at Pirate Cat, the Mission District's favorite neighborhood radio station, for the warm invitation.

Some interesting scenes from the workshop this week, preparing for BMF. The musical part starts at 3:05. It was awesome to see the expressions on our neighbors’ faces as we cruised around West Berkeley with Janaysa singing and playing.

Click "more" below to see the video.

Mundo with lighting
Originally uploaded by Rock The Bike

 

This afternoon in the workshop I got a call from Joel, the drummer from Afrolicious and Pleasure Maker (Thursdays at the Elbo Room). I met Joel when we were on the 2-Mile Challenge tour together. He said,

"Sorry I couldn't make it to your gig last week, I was working."

"Doing what?"

"Moving."

"Moving? Like for cash?

"Yeah."

"How much they paying you?"

"18 an hour."

A couple new products are helping bike people cruise with music this spring.

 

The Gadget Bottle is a functional water bottle that has no batteries or speakers, but its unique shape allows you to strap a cell phone with an internal speaker and listen to your MP3s as you ride. It fits inside a standard water bottle cage. At 2:35, inventor Steve Lach takes a phone call from his wife, holding the entire Gadget Bottle to his ear, with his flip phone securely rubber banded in place! No problem with one-handed use while cruising or training.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P1EU9az-RQ

Edited video from the Dec 1st, 2007 Southbay Cruiser 'Pleasant Revolution' Ride.

Kipchoge and Wild Johnny kept inviting me to the Pleasant Revolution tour stop in Redondo Beach.

I really wanted to cruise and perform with my friends, not to mention take part in a huge Xtracycle / Down Low Glow rally, but I didn't have a way to get there. I haven't had significant-other access to a vehicle since February, there wasn't a carpool option, and the idea of flying or renting an SUV to get to a bike ride didn't ziggle with my zooglea, as we say in the Kombucha business.

So ended I staying up all night Friday, making them a special Fossil Fool cruising mix in Ableton Live, complete with shoutouts, DJ beatmatching, and crossfades. We're talking crossfades, people! Apparently it went over really well. See google chat transcript below with Kipchoge.

After helping Myles install the Xtracycle FreeRadical on his Cruz Bike recumbent, it got me thinking once again about the passenger experience. On most long bikes such as the Xtracycle and the Mundo, the passenger's eyes line up roughly with the middle of the back of the rider. This limits the front visibility of the passenger and leaves them to simply trust that the rider knows what they're doing.

By serendipity, Myles' Xtracycle build offered a much different passenger experience.

It's hard to capture on video the feeling of a good cruiser ride, but these two come pretty close. The first video, made by ultradistance rider Paul McKensie, was used on the tourbus of Clif Bar's excellent 2-Mile Challenge. It was shot with a handful of friends and Clif folks at my place in the Mission. It's got a beautiful shot of Mafiosa and I cruising in front of Mona Caron's Bikeway Mural.