> June 2011 | CITY GIRL RIDES

the journey

6/29/2011

there are a few spots in sf that i will miss terribly when i'm away, all of which i discovered on bicycle of course. for example, there's a tiny spot along the embarcadero that looks out into the bay that i like to sit and wonder in amusement, drinking coffee, eating a pastry, and people watching. i like to call it my secret spot, it's really my favorite place to be alone and dream, beside an empty movie theater. i have a lot of memories that i like keep that make me love this place. of course, there are the nagging seagulls, the scary pirate looking bums, and the funky smell of the sea but i guess what i'm getting to is that SF has been like a dream that has made many more dreams come true. if living here has taught me anything it's perseverance and to make life beautiful in my own way. just like cycling, although there may be a few flat tires, bumps on the road, a few honks, and some pretty close calls with cars, i never give up pedaling because the journey on the road is the experience that matters most than the destination. i myself make that journey a beautiful experience by looking at it with a positive perspective. 

going to Paris will be just that. although i will be alone, i will have a clear mind, my own eyes, and a pair of wheels to create new memories and dreams. Paris has been a dream of mine for years and i'm happy to say that i'm making it happen. it's been a long haul to get where i'm at but it's a beautiful life i have and i'm so happy to share it with you all on bicycle. it's true what they say, good things come to those who wait.  

if you would like to receive post cards from me while i'm away in France, please email me your address at 
citygirlrides@gmail.com
xoxo

Bike Talk: Women and the Bicycle as an Accessory

6/28/2011

 A while back I encountered a group of cyclists on my commute who started talking to me and said "nice bike, do you just ride it for fun?" With furrowed eyebrows I said "No... I commute everywhere on bike." Their reply, "In those clothes?" My reply, "Yes, even in the rain. A bike isn't an accessory, it's a bike." 

A bike is a bike is a bike is a bike, so to steal from Gertrude Stein. I know the bicycle has become and is growing into a bigger trend, especially in urban cities, fashion blogs, and in the fashion industry. Where cities are developing more bicycle infrastructure, more people are riding. Whether you consider yourself a bicycle advocate or not, you know that promoting cycling, even through fashion, will get people riding, especially women. With more women coming out on the streets on two wheels, there has been an increase of women that started changing the face of bicycle culture socially, economically, and politically. There are more women opening bike stores around the world (Cycle Chic?), managing them, designing innovative and stylish bikes, cycling clothing, and accessories. Women are even heading up influential advocacy blogs, bike coalitions, non-profits, and other organizations. While they aren't heading up popular blogs, massive companies, websites, or other types of media and getting massive amounts of hits and followers, they are there, fighting in the backgrounds, and I am always searching for them. 

It feels good to hear these voices and even to be a part of them, so while some people may think some of us girly city bike bloggers use our bicycle as an accessory, I just have to say this... we are doing so much more than being pretty on a bicycle. Our presence on the road and voices are redefining safe livable streets and urban culture. So perhaps the next time you run into an a pretty girl and her bike, just remember, she is part of a quiet movement that many of us women are loudly fighting for.

What are you doing to promote safer streets for all?

todays reason to bicycle

todays reasons to bicycle: bicycles are awesome, get out and ride, drink up the scenery, no need to hurry, pedal till your legs hurt, discover your city, savor every moment.

show your colors

6/27/2011

happy monday, hope you all had a great weekend celebrating Pride in your cities. here's a little outfit post of what i wore for Pride on saturday. i took inspiration from rainbow brite, remember the 80's cartoon and her horse starlite? if rainbow brite taught me anything right it's that colors are preeettyy!

oh yeah, and the countdown begins, 5 more days till i leave for Paris! yippy!
have a great weekend!

happy friday

6/24/2011

happy friday! it's summer, put on your bike shorts, go for long rides, take your friends and eat cake afterwards.
have a great one!
xoxo

bay area weekend rides and events

Friday June 24th, 5:30pm
Meetup at Justin Herman Plaza
Critical Mass is a mass bicycle ride that takes place on the last Friday of each month in cities around the world. Everyone is invited! No one is in charge! Bring your bike!
Saturday, June 25, Meet 1:45pm, roll out 2pm-5pm
Meet at base of Cupid's Arrow (Embarcadero and Folsom St)
"Celebrate Gay Pride Weekend with this eight mile bike ride through San Francisco’s LGBTQ history. Visit sites and neighborhoods of historic and cultural significance. The ride begins at the Embarcadero and pedals down Market Street exploring North Beach, Polk Gulch, Civic Center, Tenderloin, SOMA, Mission, And Castro Neighborhoods. Come Out!…and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the LGBTQ community to San Francisco. SF Bicycle Coalition recreational rides are free for SFBC members (a $5 donation from non-members is appreciated); rain cancels rides. Questions? Email hank cancel at sbcglobal.net"

i'm honestly going to say that pride weekend is one of the greatest weekends in SF, no joke. everyone in the city will be out having a grand time. if you live near sf and have been to pride weekend, then you know how we like to party here. support your pride community and have a great weekend!

riding summerlands

6/23/2011

today was a gorgeous day for a ride through oakland/montclair hills today! as fun and gorgeous it was for a scenic ride, it was also a challenge. since wendy returned home, i haven't taken an uphill route for a while and found it hard to do so without taking breaks to catch my breath in this summer heat but i did it! on my route, i biked up to montclair, around lake temescal and up tunnel road, to skyline, down snake, around joaquin miller road, redwood road, and back to oakland. by the time i returned to oakland i was wiped out by the ride and the sun, but there's nothing that ice cream couldn't fix after such a ride but i think i'll go back this weekend and maybe jump into the lake to cool off.

on mapping my ride yesterday, i found a great site that features the bay area's local bike routes for both scenic and commuting routes. i was so enamored with it i thought you all could use it for your next great adventure on the road, Bike Map,  happy bike mapping!

summer time

6/22/2011

first day of summer = quiet mornings + rides to my favorite local Cafe 504 in Oakland + loading on some Blue Bottle iced coffee for a warm day = life is good. 

how do you spend your summer mornings?

inspiration: mujures de la bici

occ
no matter where you are, women everywhere are trying to make a difference one bicycle at a time. the ladies of Ovarian Cycle Psycho's are a collective connecting with other wombyn & w/local resources through the streets of LA. not only will you be seeing them on their Full Luna rides and at CicLAvia, but you can also see them protesting immigration reformation on their bicycles. these ladies are all about supporting their community through love and the bicycle.

check them out on Facebook, they will inspire you!

Spare the Air Bay Area

6/21/2011

The SF Bay Area has been extremely warm for the past couple of days. O don't think it's actually normal for us here as most June-july days greet us with rolling fog and occasional sunshine visits. literally though, you can walk through downtown sf and actually feel the heat radiating from buildings, cars, and overall environment, it's disgusting but such is the effect on high density populations right? i don't mean to get all environmental justice on ya'll but please do mother earth a favor by sparing the air today. make an adventurous day of it. the bay area actually has a Spare The Air Alert in effect today, June 21st. if you're wondering how you can spare the air here are some tips.

wendy and i

6/20/2011

my Wendy is home and back on the road. i did a post recently how she was almost stolen as i was taking my last final at school. although not much damage or items where stolen, i had to order new parts and take her in for a quick checkup and now she's perfect again! i missed her so much. i'm grateful to have two bikes but Wendy is my first bicycle love. i mean, we've been through accidents, long trips, events, and other adventures that i just couldn't imagine bicycle lifestyle without her. neither could i imagine my life without Homespun Bikes, they take such care of my girl, thank you Ami and Jessie!

p.s. do you see that mad tan line on my forearm? my badge of honor in summer riding, yeah!

happy friday!

6/17/2011

whatever you do this weekend, do it with determination to have fun and play lots. just don't forget to wear your sunscreen! i have a radical farmers tan that i'm sporting from my rides this week and using it as my summer accessory, don't judge. with some time to enjoy the great weather we've been having here, i'm determined to get a good ride in through golden gate park and picnic under the sun. plus, it's summer and the dahlia's are in bloom! i never miss the dahlia's at the flower conservatory, they're my favorite flower.

whether you ride or not, hope you make your weekend a great one!

bay area weekend events

ride to save oakland libraries
June 18, 2011 - 11:00am - 3:00pmRoll from: Frank Ogawa Plaza 14th & Broadway Downtown Oakland
san jose bike partyFri, Jun 17, 2011 8:00 PM - Sat, Jun 18, 2011 1:00 AM
Theme: That 70′s RideIt’s time to dig out your bellbottoms (make sure they don’t get caught in the chain) and find your platform shoes because this months theme pays tribute to the ’70s. Think disco, leisure suits, big hair, mood rings, pet rocks, and all-steel bikes.
red bike & green
Red Bike and Green Juneteenth Ride
Saturday, June 18, 2011  |  12pm
meet promptly at noon and ride out between 12:15 and 12:30
Grand Ave. and El Embarcadero (Lake Merritt, by the pillars)
Starts at 12pm Golden Gate Park, more info on link above

modesto tweed ride

6/16/2011

modesto tweed ride
i would like to present to you a little piece of what used to be home. i'm not talking about my childhood home, compton, but another home, modesto, where i spent my high school years. modesto had their first tweed ride this past weekend and i got a little glimpse from a friend Tawny who is the designer of Armour sans Anguish. when i heard modesto was having a tweed ride, i jumped for joy and had wished to go, only because it was exciting to see something grow from a place that i had fond memories of. i remember riding my bike to and fro through quiet dainty streets and loving every moment of it. i lived downtown, so everything was always enchanting me with it's antique houses and buildings. that's where i fell in love with riding bicycles and that's where all my adventures began.

organizing a group ride is very easy, if you wish to start a tweed ride check out this website on

simply cycling

one of the things I love about  cycling is its simplicity. sure, i ride my bike everyday for fun, errands, commuting, exercise, and relaxing. yet, it's so much more when it's just you, the wind blowing across your face, your legs pedaling, and the two wheels spinning beneath you. cycling gives you a chance to unwind, a chance to explore, a chance to take in the world around you. cycling is not hard, nor is it dangerous, nor do you need to know everything there is about cycling. it is only as demanding as you want it to be. and of course, there are some concerns you might have to have to take into account. they are, however, mostly secondary. it doesn't matter what kind of gear you have, what kind of clothes you wear, or what kind of bike you ride. cheap, expensive, new, old. it doesn't matter, it's all great. what matters, is the journey you take in that brief moment in time, where it’s just you and the road.

summer play time!

6/15/2011

summer riding is where it's at! the bay area has been so gorgeous with all this sunshine and breeze. everyone is out on their bikes smiling. if this gorgeous weather keeps up, i'm going to to have to go on vacation earlier so i can enjoy this! grab your bike, grab your friends, go for a ride and picnic in the park.
like i said yesterday, please your inner child.

todays reason to bicycle

6/14/2011

bicyclegirl
todays reason to bicycle: please your inner child.

BEG Bicycles

6/13/2011



When i think of picnics, tea parties, and breezy summer rides in the country i think of these lovely British bicycles by BEG Bicycles. I recently found them through a tweet and when I opened there web page I was greeted with lovely images of bicycles, picnic blankets, satchels, and leather bound flasks, perfect for tweed rides. When I made a visit to their blog I found that they did a round up of their favorite cycling websites and blogs and had shared my Tumblr blog Head Over Wheels, which I use as a nest for all things that inspire me. Needless to say that I'm incredibly flattered and thought I'd do my own shout out to the lovely two wheeled beauties they lavish the streets with. Check out their web page and be ready to swoon!

adventures: planning for France

time is going by so quickly that my days are starting to count down to the day i leave for France, July 2nd. eek! everyday i think about summer days riding and exploring in a new country that i've already started writing my itinerary's and was wondering what your recommendations for rides or activities would be? plus, i'm spending my birthday out there during this time so any suggestions, must do's, or see's are strongly wanted to make this vacation a memorable one as i intend to share with you all.

friday inspiration

6/10/2011


sometimes, i actually have days like this on my bike. i love the kate spade bicycle for adeline adeline new york and hope to some day own a beautiful set of wheels as such. i also love the Karen 
Ann song "Midi dans le salon de la duchesse." hope this video inspires you to adventure on your bike this weekend. happy friday!

Bike Talk: The Skirt revolution

the new amsterdam bicycle show
Yesterday there were circulating tweets about a female cyclist in New York who was pulled over by a cop for wearing a skirt that could distract drivers (the cyclist and skirt above). I wondered... is that the real reason or was this cop sexual harassing her? I luckily have never had an incident like this, maybe because cops in SF, Berkeley, and Oakland have better things to worry about than harassing me about the skirt that I'm wearing. Either way, wearing a skirt on a bike is not illegal and definitely not an invitation to flirt, period. I cycle in skirts (I wear tights under for modesty) everyday, it feels less restrictive to my movement but maybe others would know how to appreciate this if they only knew? Try it, it's great, really!

But the real issue here is that wearing a skirt on a bike is not an excuse to pull anyone over, nor is it a contradiction to the revolution many of use women bring with us on two wheels. If ever pulled over for this reason, simply be kind and answer the officer while defending yourself and right to ride in a skirt, it's just simply not illegal.

Note: wearing a skirt on a bike is a great way to use clothing to maximize visibility to motorists (to the point of distraction? I think not. Remember this post on the Mary Poppins effect?) The fuller and more colorful the better!

I say ladies, let's start a revolution! Start wearing skirts, organize skirt rides, and ride against street harassment. Tonight, I'm raging my own war against this harassment with the East Bay Bike Party. The theme of this ride, skirt party!

bay area weekend events

join the skirt ride in the next East Bay Bike Party, a benefit for Spokeland, on friday june 12. Gather at the new Ashby BART Bike Station celebration, 7:30 pm, wearing your best bicycling skirt!
June 11, Saturday 10am, San Leaondro Bart
"Spokeland will be hosting a tour of awesome public art in the wast bay on saturday, june 11th. space is limited so RSVP early! The ride will start at 10am at San Leandro BART and will end around 1pm at Spokeland, 1121 64th St., with a four-course luncheon. Route is approximately 20 miles and flat, pace will be leisurely, all riders welcome. We'll be stopping a half dozen times along the way to check out sculptures, murals, and our beautiful city! Cost is $25-50 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds

Sunday Streets June 12th, 11am – 4pm, Bayview/Dogpatch/Potrero Route

Wipeout Alleycat Sunday, June 12th, 1:30PM

hope you all have great weather to guide your rides this weekend. hope to see some of you tonight at the east bay bike party! come say hi!
xoxo.


adventures: east baytrail recap

6/09/2011

yesterday, with my heart set on adventuring through the east baytrail, i set out, explored, and wandered through 25 miles of scenery. i printed out my map, brought some water/snacks/gear, made sure Charlotte was in traveling condition, and set out on the trail. the preparations and journey itself is always a story, and needless to say that i did get a little lost and ran into a flat, yet, i found my way back onto the trail just fine. at first, it was confusing taking directions from google maps but i understand why (confusing secret pathways), that's where gps came through. the journey to the trail was not as scenic as seen above, lots of industrial buildings, some stinky lakes, and rough gravel but once i got to the actual scenic route it was smooth from there. arriving at my destination was quiet, luscious with greenery, scattered with sail boats, playful dogs, and grass grounds to picnic and relax on. above all else, it just felt good to get out and discover some pretty awesome scenery under the sun. the ride home was faster than the ride there but after knowing my way i felt confident enough to tackle the road back on my own. returning sun kissed and tired was definitely a worthwhile journey to experience.

as from what i understand, the SF Baytrail runs about 500 miles of bike and shared trails throughout the entire bay area, sf, north, east, and south. there are signs to lead you the way and plenty of beautiful scenery to give you inspiration. if you're interested in riding the trail check out The San Francisco Baytrail website on routes. and if you're more interested on how to set out for a long bike journey you can also check out my post on d.i.y. bike touring. enjoy!


adventure: bay trail

6/08/2011


View Larger Map


over the weekend i never had the chance to take that ride through the east bay trail, thanks rain! so i decided today i'm taking the opportunity to make up for it since we have the sun to guide our way! i'm really just looking forward to enjoying the scenery and spending some good time with my bike. has anyone else in the bay area taken this route before? if so, do you have any recommendations on places to see or things to do? what where your impressions?

hope you're making a day of fun with your bike too. can't wait to share the adventure with you all!

Velib in Paris

6/07/2011

hipparis
in doing some research for my trip coming up in Paris, i found useful insight onto the Velib bikeshare program that i'm counting on for most of my trip there. personally i would prefer a bicycle to borrow for the time I visit but i'm also not couting on knowing too many people to let me borrow their bike for a month. perhaps some of you have input or knowledge of other bike share programs or rentals, please share it with me!


spoke bling + d.i.y.

6/06/2011

goodnightlittlespoon
helloitsvalentine

biketoworkdaysfbikeswag
oaklandnorth
i love when you can tell a lot about a bike's owner by it's spoke cards. i personally only have one spoke card but i would love to bling my spokes out with more of my own designs. browsing through a few of my favorite lady bikers and bloggers, i've found the trend to be picking up amongst us, the above photos are just to share a few. luckily this can be a fun d.i.y. project to take on this summer, special thanks to Eva's d.i.y. spoke card tutorial.

Etsy Bike Accesories


bike burrito
lucky duc
savvy sac
spokeNwheel
frill ride
baby jewlz
while it's been pouring rain here in the Bay Area, i've been taking advantage of it by staying in and catching up on new bicycle art, craft, and products. here are just a few fun items i found browsing through etsy. to find out more about the products just click on the link below.

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