Rock The Bike

Band schedule for Maker Faire this weekend.

What’s up SF Cruisers,

Have you heard about the Maker’s Faire happening this weekend? It’s a big event at the San Mateo fairgrounds, featuring inventors, crafters, and interactive artists from around the Bay Area. This is Rock the Bike’s second year at Maker’s Faire and this year we are producing the Pedal Powered Stage. With three human power generating bikes, we’ll have enough power to get 200 people dancing. We have a great location at the Faire at it’s been well promoted. Come down and enjoy it.

Here’s the Saturday Night Lineup:

5:30-6:15 SHAKE YOUR PEACE! Sustainable Rock n’ Roll.
6:30-7:30 Yacouba and the Spirit Gatherers. West African dance music.
Sunset 8:00-8:45 Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper.

Here’s the full line up:

Complete band schedule — both days.
1:00-2:00 Extra Action Marching Band (unamplified)
2:30-3:00 Ira Marlowe
4:30-5:00 Onyx Ashanti
5:30-6:15 Shake Your Peace!
6:30-7:30 Yacouba and the Spirit Gatherers
8:00-8:45 Fossil Fool

SUNDAY 5/4 – PEDAL POWERED STAGE – MUSIC STAGE 3 (SOUTHWEST CORNER OF CENTRAL MALL)
12:00-12:30 John F. King II (unamplified)
1:00-1:30 Tarantulas Jug Band
2:00-2:30 Crank Ensemble
3:00-3:30 McPuzo & Trotsky
4:00-4:30 Lee Maverick Band

See you there!

Mundo waiting faithfully at the parking.

All I got to say is it’s been a long time since I’ve had a bright red bicycle and it rocks! This Mundo is a cheerful little guy. Kind of a cross between a monarch butterfly, a gazelle, and a hippo.

The single speed is great. On Wednesday I carried 100 pounds 1.4 miles up a gradual hill to town, and the ratio felt good to me. Not too hard, not too easy.

Then I rode to town today with about 60 pounds. Same solid feeling. Gear felt right. Then after dropping off the goods at FEDEX I was riding it down the hill unloaded, and it feels basically just as stiff and solid as when it was loaded down. The frame doesn’t budge. It’s kind of like riding a tree trunk. But as much as this bike doesn’t feel zippy, due to its weight, it’s reassuringly strong. Today I sprinted for a yellow light with the 60-pound load, and it felt really good. It had pickup. And the drivetrain is so positive that I know I can put 100% into each pedal stroke.

It’s our new townie. And we invite you to take a test ride. We’ll be at the Maker’s Faire this weekend running the Pedal Powered stage. Come take a ride, and pedal power a few songs while you’re at it!

BionX, Solar Recharge

First a simple intro: I want to talk with people with more experience using the bionX system to expand their range and success in commuting.

Details to come as soon as I figure out how to click “submit” and get it to work
Frances, Omaha

Happy Earth Day!

Just in time for the busy Earth Day and bike-to-work advocacy season, we set up our Fender Blender to be easily towed to events behind another bike. Now clients won’t have to throw it in an SUV if they’d rather bike it to their event.

Wednesday Night Lights (The “Last Wednesday of the Month” Rochester Bike Cruise)

Posted by Adam Durand
Time:
04/30/2008 – 20:00

On April 30th, meet us at Dogtown Hots a little after 7PM for veggie/vegan or meat hot dogs and pie.

Or, if you want to skip the grub, catch up with us at 8PM outside of Dog Town – that’s at 691 Monroe Ave.

From there we head out on our bikes, into the fine city of Rochester. Our only agenda is to have fun! And, of course, sport your Down Low Glow if you’ve got one.

All are welcome. See you out there! (In case of serious rain, cruise will be rescheduled to the following week)

 

The Roller Derby Ride w/ the South Bay Cruisers

Posted by Wild Johnny
Time:
05/17/2008 – 16:15

The Roller Derby Ride w/The Southbay Cruisers!!!
Music, Bikes, and Roller Derby Girls-what more could you ask for?

WHO WE ARE: The Southbay Crusiers are a bicycle stereo amplified social ride based in Hermosa Beach. We bike, skate, and blade the southbay cities once a month. (Learn about us at www.southbaycruisers.com)

THE EVENT: Two of the best kept secrets in the southbay: The Southbay Cruisers and The Angel’s City Derby Girls team up for this epic night of hard hitting action on rollerskates!Several of our southbay cruises are professional roller derby girls and they have invited us to attend one of their events on May 17th, 2008-a match which features the Block Steady Crew vs the Shore Shots!

We will meet at in front of our usual meeting point in front of the Lighthouse Cafe on Hermosa Pier at 6:00PM then ride at 6:30PM sharp. We’ve mapped out a bike friendly route that will take us to our first stop at:

The Toyota Center
555 Nash Street
El Segundo,CA

where we will watch the roller derby match which starts promptly at 8:00PM. After the match we will ride to Stick N’ Stein in El Segundo where we are invited to a post match party. All ages are welcome to attend. If you are under 16 please come to the ride with a parent or guardian.

We will have at least one bike stereo pumping music along the way. After the party at Stick N Steins we will ride back to Hermosa Beach where we started from.

DRESS??-TATTOOS/Rocker attire – A small group of us went last week to see what actually happens at a roller derby game-very ecelectic crowd-families as well as rocker/tattoo decorated people. We plan on having a preride temporary tattoo party at hermosa pier before the start of the ride. COSTUMES ARE NEVER REQUIRED TO ATTEND OUR RIDES but they do make it alot more fun.

TICKETS: Are $15 at the door the day of the game. BUT as a southbay cruiser attending our ride you can buy them in advance for $11. For Southbay Cruisers discount tickets go to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/2793and type in ‘Cruisers’ in the discount code.

Details on www.southbaycruisers.com. Please email info@southbaycruisers.com with any questions.

 

Most comfortable bike I think I have ever ridden.

Thanks for the link to the child seat. Looks good, practical and easy to set up.
Just got my Mundo from Stu at Cargo Bikes and absolutely loving the ride.
Most comfortable bike I think I have ever ridden.

Spence

-Spence, UK
April 11, 2008

A baby-jogger based sound system with beautiful form.

Most trailer based and baby jogger-based sound system look like this:

It’s really refreshing to see one that creates a new form, the audacity to use a front-firing 15″ subwoofer! Yet it still doesn’t look like a big bubble, thanks to the clever sheet metal work.

“Thumper”

Weird coincidence

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.”

“Dang, I’d offer you work at Rock the Bike, because we need help with assembly and packing and shipping right now, but we normally pay only $12.”

“That’s OK man, I’d totally work for you, because I believe in what you’re doing.”

“Really? Thanks Joel.”

“No problem. And you should come by the Elbo tonight.”

“Thanks, I’ll try to make it around 11. Can you put me on the guest list?”

Then I got home, had dinner and got a text from Julia about an event at Cellspace.

“OK I’ll swing by, but I’m going to Elbo later.”

The exhibit at Cell Space was an incredible cardboard city about 20 feet by ten feet, with a miniature helicopter floating around. There was a miniature remote control helicopter flying through the skyscrapers of the cardboard city. It’s up until April 17. Gotta go see it!

Anyway, after checking out the city, I suggested a cruise so we left. It was me, Julia, and Tyson, whose chain sounded like a chorus of crickets. We had a great ride up to Billy Goat hill, and watched the city. It was late so I had to coax them to come with me to the Elbo Room. But it was a downhill cruise awaiting us so it wasn’t that hard. Three abreast on Cesar Chavez was really nice. Julia was saying we felt like a bike gang. The Plush Red Down Glow on my my mom’s Electra was sweet. Sometimes it’s good to ride a totally simple bike. I can see the appeal of fixed gear bikes. I just love me knees. Anyway, we roll up to the Elbo Room. The woman at the door let all three of us in. Sure enough, Joel was in his element playing along on traps with Afrolicious. During a set break I got to introduce him to my friends and catch up a little. We danced until 1 or so and then cruised. I sprayed Boeshield on Tyson’s chain and said goodbye.

I headed upstairs and parked in front of the computer like I normally do when I should be sleeping. I checked the What’s Hot page on Rock the Bike. I noticed a comment on my post about JoyRider clothing, entitled bicycle fashion:

“Bravo! A clothing line that is not centered around spandex! At Velo Vogue, we also applaud cycling in normal fashionable clothing. Clothing lines such as Joyrider will help de-marginalize cycling for transportation! Looking good!”

So I clicked the link and sure enough it’s a hip little blog about San Francisco bicycle fashion, with lots of fun photos. And there at the bottom of the page, ladies and gentlemen, was Joel Elrod, riding with a companion in Golden Gate park, wearing a black hat and a cool T-shirt:

 

The coolest lighting setup we’ve seen in awhile

Derek Pearson modded Rat Fink / Xtracycle combo with custom skateboard snapdeck, Down Low Glow, and quad taillights.

Check the latest lighting mod from photographer Derek Pearson: A Pink Fink / Xtracycle combo with custom skateboard snapdeck, Envy Green Down Low Glow (matching the skateboard wheels), Plush Red DLG in the front, and quad Serfas TL 1000 taillights.

“Those taillights are serfas tl 1000 and I’m bummed to say that they just discontinued the line. Raddest taillights ever.”

 

New Down Low Glow video set to “Boda Boda Rap” by Fossil Fool and Lawi One

Here’s a cool video compilation of the Down Low Glow shots we’ve posted to Flickr over the last two years.

The music in the video is a track called “Boda Boda Rap” I worked on when I was working in Kisumu, Kenya for Worldbike.org . My partner and friend Ed Lucero had found us a sweet apartment, and he had been there for almost a year when I arrived in March 2006. I was trying to help Ed finish up the marketing and monitoring for the Big Boda Trial Market, for which I had raised the funds. It was hard work selling bikes in Kenya, but Ed and I had great teamwork and lots of fun together.

Anyway at night at the apartment, Ed’s friends would come over. When they met me, I told them I was a rapper and gave them a sample. I told them I was writing a song about the Boda Boda bicycle taxi operators. The next night they came back with Lawi One, and we hit it off immediately. He installed a bootleg copy of Fruity Loops on my laptop and we would make beats until the battery died, then go out cruising in the warm Kisumu night air. He wrote a verse and I wrote three.

On my last night in Kisumu, Thao and I took a cab to his recording studio in a dank basement. It was me, Lawi One, and his friend who wanted to sing backup but who I thought had no rhythm. We laid down the track in about 4 hours. Thao and I left to get on the night bus to Nairobi. A month later Lawi One emailed me the MP3 and it’s the only thing I have of the song. But my other friend Chris Okiri emailed me to say that the local radio station was playing it every so often.

I lost touch with Lawi One last year. I think he moved from Kisumu to Sweden of all places. But I don’t have his email anymore. Maybe someone who knows him will search for his name on the internet, see this and contact me.

Having fun with my Mundo.

Just picked up my Yuba Mondo 6-speed on Tuesday. Since then I’ve commuted on it a few times and taken it on a few rides to see what how it handles. So I think I’ve covered about 70 miles on it this week, most of it through central London. Hope you are all having as much fun with your Yuba Mundos as I am.

 

 

 

-Gerald, London England
March 31, 2008