Archive for the ‘bikes’ Category

How I Go Up Masonic, How I Come Down Masonic

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

This shot shows the real steep block of northbound Masonic, just above Fulton.

Dude here uses the bizarrely-wide sidewalk, the way I and most other people do. Good times: 

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And you should too, that’s what I’m saying.

Now, going south on Masonic is different. You should stay on the street ’til the cross-street Turk (which has a higher speed limit than Masonic, go figure). Then you go onto the sidewalk for one block (taking care to avoid the illegally parked cars put there by area homeowners who actually own garages, go figure). Then at Golden Gate, you cross and wait for the light to turn red.

Then you have two whole blocks all to yourself, if only for a few moments

Thusly:

That’s How I Go Up Masonic, How I Come Down Masonic.

San Francisco Must Be the Bicycle-Stealingest City in the World

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

A quick-release skewer on your new mountain bike is a bug, not a feature:

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OMG, the BIggest Mountain Bike I’ve Ever Seen – It’s the “DirtySixer” with Wheels One Yard Tall – “Lebron: Call Us”

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

Have you seen Lebron James on a Cannondale? It’s not pretty.

So, to solve that kind of problem, here comes The DirtySixer MTB with 36 inch tires.

There it is, parked at Erin Sherbert’s favorite bike rack - it’s next to the very same rack but look how different the bikes’ tires are: 

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Looking at this thing freaked, me, out.

Now myself, I’m 6 foot 1 and a ton of fun so you’d figure one of these rigs would be great for me. But no, I’m not even close to qualifying for the DirtySixer club. You gotta be like 6 foot 5 or taller to fit proper.

Perhaps District Eight Supervisor Scott Wiener could use one of these rides for Bike To Work Day 2013 tomorrow?  Why not?

Oh, the expense, what must be the crushing expense. I can only imagine what the MSRP is. That’s real titanium for the frame, BTW.

Now myself, I’ll have to make do with the MTBs sold for $200-something at the Marin Bikes Warehouse at 7th and Folsom in SoMA. (Fulton Street in 1st gear: Fuck, why can’t 1st gear be  lower? Broadway Tunnel eastbound (scary scary): Fuck, why can’t 21st gear be higher? It’s like I’m being punished by Shimano for not spending enough or something.)

Anyway, contact Dave French if you’re interested.

All the deets.

On Market Street Your Stolen Bicycle is a Form of Currency – Here’s $20

Monday, April 29th, 2013

Near 5th Street:

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What’s that., you just paid over $1000 for your ride and now it’s being traded around like it’s a $20 bill?

Yep.

Sorry.

Oh wait, if your stolen bike is a Bianchi, its street value is more than $20.

As always, Biacnhis Cost Extra, just as IRL.

Sidewalk Salmoning: Cyclists are Enjoying the New Fell Street Bike Lane Already

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Look at them all go:

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Remember, Cyclists Alway Have the Right Of Way.

Oh wait a second, I just made that up. It’s not correct. I’ll fix my error by telling you I was wrong.

What I meant to say was Pedestrians Always Have the Right Of Way.

Oh wait, that’s wrong as well.

The SFBC knows by now that their statement is wrong but they still have it up on their website?

Yep.

What they should have done is had a lawyer do their bikelaw page.

Oh well.

Area Cyclist Color Coordinates: Lime Green Helmet, Grips, Brakes, Graphics – Bright Blue Frame, Socks – Tan Tires, Pants

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

Thusly:

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Confused Driver Gets Ticketed Making the Infamous Left Turn at Fell And Masonic – Why the SFPD Cited Her

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

All right, camera right shows a light-colored Chevy properly waiting at the red arrow light to turn from westbound Fell onto southbound Masonic. The confused driver is in the  blue two-door Honda – she wants to make the same turn to get from NoPA to SoPA but she’s in the wrong lane.

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Of course back in the day, the Honda driver would have been driving properly but things changed at this intersection about a half-decade back. Check it. Anywho, she sat there waiting to turn left even though she had a green to proceed straight on Fell Street.

That pissed off the driver of the car behind her, so then its driver is all “hoooooooooonk!” You know, at the Blue Honda Chick.

She doesn’t budge ’cause she knows she wants to turn left, you know, from the wrong lane.    

Oh, here she goes, around the Chevy:

Now all that honking attracted the attention of the Park Station police, who also made an illegal left from the wrong lane in order to follow the blue Honda driver onto southbound Masonic. Here they are near Oak:

The moral of this story is that drivers will never get used to this unique intersection set-up. The reason being is that the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition overruled the traffic engineers who originally had cars on Fell turning left at the beginning of the green light phase for Fell Street. But you see, that had car drivers “going first.”

Oh well.

On It Goes…

And oh, what you’re supposed to do when you mistake driving is to just go with it, go with the flow. You know, respond to stimuli. So like if you’re in the westbound lane and you have a green to go straight then you should go straight for a while EVEN THOUGH THAT”S NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW. Obliviously, you can’t just make up your own traffic rules…

Tailgating on Fell Street: What It Looks Like

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

It looks like this: 

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I know it when I see it.

Bicycle Parking at the Main Entrance of the San Francisco Botanical Gardens to Move to the Back of the Bus, Way Off to the Side

Monday, April 8th, 2013

I’ll tell you, I haven’t toured Strybing Arboretum since they threw up the paywall a few years back, kind of a boycott thing.

But I remember the bicycle parking area right out front of the Main Entrance near 9th and Lincoln, you know, right where it belonged.

Well, things are changing.

In another “improvement” from the RPD, the bike parking area is a moving all the way over, as seen in the top right of this image:

Here you go, a big-ass pdf:

12 10-04_DD package Gateway Improvements

On It Goes…

Learning From Japan, 2013: Homeless People Who _Use_ Bicycles Instead of Homeless People Who Steal Bicycles

Monday, April 8th, 2013

Homeless encampment, major Japanese city, city center, down by the river:

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Note the bicycle parking area.

Cf. San Francisco homeless encampment, under Interstate I-80, Mile Zero:

Note identical blue tarps as in Japan, sourced from, for all I know, the same factory in China.

One group uses bikes to get around, like to work ‘n stuff.

The other will strip your bike of any parts not superglued on in a New York Minute, as soon as your back is turned.

Which group do you prefer?