Cycling | The San Franista

Bike to Work Day Withdrawal?

If you’re having a day when you’re less than loving the City by the Bay–and it happens, though cool July nights may play a role–a quality viewing of Massan for Leader Bikes by Brandon Finks Video/Animation Macaframa could be just what’s needed. The beautiful city shots and tight editing could have you spinning down Fell (though the results may not be as picturesque). Not bad for a project whose graphic elements were completed in a day, but then, the work of the crew of local TV show Finktoons suggests nothing less.

Bike Snob Book Tour

In looking to “systematically and mercilessly realign the world of cycling,” the once anonymous blogger Bike Snob NYC revealed himself this year–as amateur racer Eben Weiss–in preparation to hit the road on a book tour (fancy that). But SF will benefit from his willingness to grant seals of disapproval on everything from mismatched tires (“the rainbow suspenders of the aughts”) to not locking bike seats and wheels correctly (and having one’s bike “picked clean like a cheese plate at an art gallery.”) Weiss will be talking about the “Bike Snob” book published by Chronicle at the Bryant Street Sports Basement on Thursday night; should you have trouble spotting your fellow reading-goers by their Ironic Organic Julius frames, just look for the gold BS stickers that come with each of the books. Or meet them at 4 at Ritual for pre-ride coffee and a bike escort.

Mission Workshop Opens

A 16th Street-based biking and yoga pal introduced me to Mission Workshop, a bag retailer that is opening its operations to the public with a neighborhood barbecue tonight from 5 to 9 PM. The Rondel neighborhood shop says that its introduction is not to be mistaken for being “Johnny-come-latelys to the world of utility bag design,” having been involved in the business of creating an alternative to “impossibly ugly graphics” since 1994. Their Vandal and Rambler bags are currently showcased on oil drum apparatuses with a Rolltop messenger bag to be released in May.

Pre-V Day Edition

I’ll keep the pink links to a minimum, but there are quite a few Valentine’s Week events in SF that deserve consideration. We can get the worst named out of the way first–that being “Singles & Sprinkles” at food community space 18 Reasons on Thursday. The Little Lane art studio will be helping with cookie decoration over Domaine de Montrieux “G-Spot” Vin de Table 2006 (“g” being for grapes, goofball).

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks is planning a two-day tribute to filmmaker John Hughes with three for $10 screenings as part of his “Midnight for Maniacs” series at The Castro Theatre. Non-ironic late ’80s film lovers may find back-to-back “Pretty in Pink” and “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” on Saturday perfectly Cupid-esque.

My neighborhood dance spot Rickshaw Spot will host the SF Bike Coalition’s annual “Love on Wheels” fundraiser on Friday evening (after which sitting in a dark theater may be ideal). Free valet parking will be available for the ’70s-style dating game. Participating cyclists will be quizzed on local destinations and paired for sponsor-covered dates. Bike bachelorettes, fear not: in response to the question “are cyclists better lovers?,” the invitation states:

“Clearly, yes! Cycling women are known to be low-maintenance, more independent, and more fun-loving than women who wear makeup to the gym.” (See the full invite for endurance details.)

Awesome Land: Women of Dirt

This brief post about successful women mountain bikers really needs no further title details, and I’m very much looking forward to the California premier in February. The documentary is the first in a series to feature projects deemed “awesome” by the Bones Over Metal video blog publishers. The International Mountain Biking Association and the Cycle Component Network are sponsoring the West Coast screenings of the film, which the creators call “a unique look into the world of Downhill Racing, Dirt Jumping and Freeriding” that “celebrates the mountain bike while celebrating the women who love them.”

No Wheels Needed >> nada bikes

The promise of “no oil | no gears | no bullshit” had me intrigued by nada bikes (if only they could share that promise with vintage Vespa dealers). Marc O’Brien and his team construct unpainted fixed gear and single speed frames in Half Moon Bay, then offer them in three sizes at $100 a pop to inspire cyclists to add the wheels and components they prefer. San Francisco designer Ashley Ciecka put decals and gears on hers, the 11th frame released, and I asked O’Brien what inspired the idea:

SF: How did you conceive of such a low-priced solution? MO: Our intention is to introduce as many young people as possible to the joys of cycling as everyday transportation. In addition, we were interested in having members go through the process of building their bikes from scratch, rather than buying them off the shelf. Kind of a “Zen and the art of bicycle maintenance” thing. We felt the cost of membership should be as low as possible to include the greatest number of riders. [It's] empowerment through self-mobility.

What have customers told you about your using your frames? We shipped them out to our charter members right before Christmas. We’ve got great responses from the members–everyone can’t wait to get started on building their frames. We’ve seen some Facebook and Twitter (@nadabike) excitement as well.

Supermarkets, Public Interest & Other Events of Note

There are two local events on December 5 that I regrettably won’t be able to attend but would encourage you to (and would love to hear how they go):

Supermarket Street Sweep: Friends who have participated in past citizen cyclist scavenger hunts (“alleycats”) have had a blast riding around SF with strangers, especially when it’s for a good cause. The SF Food Bank will benefit from Saturday’s food drive, which is to feature hundreds of people riding between grocery stores to stock up on food. It may look like a logo-fest (left), but it’s great to see that so many bike-friendly organizations are participating.

The Future of the Forum: A day-long symposium hosted by UC Berkeley will explore the impact of public forums online and the ways they affect participatory democracy, media and the public interest. The tickets are pricey at $345 but the speaker list is fantastic, including NPR arts and tech correspondent Laura Sydell, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Electronic Frontier Foundation co-founder Mitch Kapor, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman (a few folks who should have a bit of insight into new types of public dialogue that are emerging).

These are of course in addition to the first Ignite Bay Area | Women Innovators event (also in Berkeley at the LEED-certified David Brower Center) on Tuesday, December 8. The future of the book, all you ever needed to know about the Bible, and Ms. PacMan as feminist icon are all on the agenda of five-minute talks by developers, technology and communications experts. Do join.

Masuelli Bikes

I’ve seen more than my share of folding and alternative material bicycles (the life of an insomniac online is very chic), and they’re good-looking for the most part. But Masuelli Bikes’ single speeds really caught my eye at the SF Bike Expo this weekend, not because they’re made of bamboo but because they’re lovingly planned bicycles. Brothers Danilo and Nicolas Masuelli began building one-of-a-kind bamboo frames in Argentina four years before starting to construct them in Stockton earlier this year. Many of the parts are sourced in California, including seat collars and other metal parts from Nova Cycles in Rocklin and Newcastle-grown bamboo. Danilo describes the latter as “Nature’s carbon fiber” for the strength they provide the frames with–not to mention the artfulness.

Hambone Designs for the Holidays

The recent chilly weather makes me think that it’s not too soon to start thinking about holiday gift-giving, so I put Lisa Marie Grillos, half of Hambone Designs, in the hot seat. The SF-based duo of she and Hernan Barangan creates simple (and desirable) bike bags using cordura with nylon lining, heavyweight cotton with canvas duck lining, and leather.

SF: How did you come up with the idea for the bike bags?
LMG: My family has a handmade-only rule for holiday presents, and last year my older brother Hernan had started working with leather so he made the first version of this bag for our younger brother Alex. I loved it and thought it was something that should be brought to the masses. I tweaked the design a little bit and came up with the first fabric prototype, and then started working on the venture.

How do you and your brother split the company responsibilities?
Now that we are working with small-scale manufacturers, our roles are shifting a bit from him only making leather bags and me only making fabric bags. Our manufacturer is in Los Angeles so Hernan is in charge of the liaison with them. I have been focusing on marketing, customer relations, and wholesale inquiries, as well as choosing the fabric which is my favorite thing to do. Alex helps out with business ideas and prototyping.

Where can we find them locally?
We will soon be carried at Mission Bicycle Company, and we’ll also have booths at Handmade Ho Down, the first Etsy-sponsored SF event on December 3rd, and at Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason on December 19th and 20th.

SF Bike Expo Oxt Weekend

The last time I was at the Cow Palace was the kickoff of the AIDS Life Cycle ride, and I’m looking forward to going for a bike-related cause that doesn’t start at 4 AM. The SF Bike Expo on November 21 includes a nice lineup of local companies (Pushbike, Roaring Mouse, B. Spoke Tailor, et al). If the shopping isn’t what you come for, not to worry: rideSFO’s mountain dirt bike challenge starts at 3 PM after a low rider bike competition.

Addendum, 10.12: Mission Bicycle Co. is hosting a late afternoon “track standoff” at the Expo for people with stronger calves than I. (I’ll be the one sipping Bicycle Coffee, but go nuts.)