Upcoming Cycling Events - July 11, 2012

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Ladies Ride - July 14

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

San Jose Bike Party Ladies Ride
July 14, 2012 -
Meet-up at San Pedro Square Market Place (W. St. John St. & San Pedro St.)
5:00 pm San Jose Bike Clinic to perform minor repairs on your bicycle, food trucks or San Pedro Square food options, meet other ladies until wheels hit the streets at 6:00 pm.

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The Cafe Tour
Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 10:30 am

Join San Jose Bike Clinic volunteers and Content Magazine for a Café Tour of San José.

Bike repair education and tune ups are at 10:30am outside of B2 at the San Pedro Square Market, followed by the ride. Featured coffee shops include: B2, Roys Station, Crema, Top Nosh Cafe, Bellano, Barefoot Coffee, plus one secret location TBA!

All participants in this ride recognize that bike riding can be a hazardous activity and choose to do so at their own risk.

Geared For Kids Family Ride - Pleasant Hill
Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 10:30 am

Get GEARED UP! Helmets, Bikes, Bells!
...
This month's route will be about 5 1/4 miles long and take us along a few of the bike paths of Contra Costa county. Bring along snacks to share at our mid-route stop, and, or course, we'll have tunes to pedal to all throughout the ride!

Helmets required for kids. Be sure to pack snacks, water, and sunscreen!

There's a swimming center ( http://www.swimmersguide.com/query/Detail.cfm?PoolID=30 ), skate park, dog park, and great places to BBQ at the end of the ride if anyone wants to spend the day in the sun. Feel free to post your plans as comments to this event if you want to coordinate an after ride activity at Heather Farm Park.

Pleasant Hill BART is nearest station.
Facebook link

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San Jose Bike Party

"Olympic Ride"

Friday, July 20, 2012

Wheels hit the street at 8:00
Route and Start Location posted 24 hours in advance.

7th Annual Menlo Park Grand Prix Sponsored by Mikes Bikes
Sunday, July 22, 2012 7:30 am - 6:30 PM

More details to follow.

Tour de Fat - San Francisco
Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
September 22, 2012
Golden Gate Park
TDF website

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San Jose Fixed SJF
15-25 mile Bike Ride,Every Tuesday 6:45 @
Meets @ IMinusD Fixed Gear Boutique
112 Paseo de San Antonio (See Map Below)

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East Bay Bike Party
Tour De France / City of Lights
Friday, July 13, 2012
(More Info)

San Francisco Bike Party
Friday, August 3, 2012
(More info)


 

Also note the Guadalupe River Trail will be closed for paving construction soon. The closed portion will extend north of 880 all the way to Gold Street in Alviso. check Twitter for more details.

Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

Roy's Station, a cornerstone in Japantown

Frank Rast and his family host the
community to Roy's Station,
a well-loved neighborhood coffee shop.

Just about every morning Frank Rast can be seen sweeping up the sidewalks and gutters around Roy's Station, a pre-World War II area gas station converted into a neighborhood coffee shop. "Around Roy's" is somewhat of an understatement. On many mornings Frank can be see a block away making sure the sidewalks are clean, the gutters clear, and the street side flower pots watered and trimmed.

Most mornings Frank puts in about four, yes four hours, cleaning up the area around his shop and around the neighborhood. While the Willow Glen Business Improvement District has its hired street crew, some merchants will sweep just outside their doorway, but nowhere in San Jose have I seen the commitment that Frank puts into his business and the surrounding area. And it shows.

If there was a prize for the cleanest,
most walkable streets in the city,
this block would be your winner.

Just about everyone I've talked to (and I talk to a lot of people on a daily basis), love, absolutely love Roy's. They all tell me that they do notice the little things that make it a pleasure to walk, yes I said walk in San Jose's Japantown.

That and the wonderful art inspired by Issei (first generation) and nissei (second generation) experiences in the Valley concerning agriculture, wartime internment, and post war re-settlement. The art and special care that Frank brings to the neighborhood makes Japantown stand out among other local business districts.

So make a special effort to stop by and say hi and thank you to Frank any morning. Let him know what an impact he has on Japantown. But don't linger too long, he's got a lot of work to do.

Obon Festival

So stop by this weekend, July 14 and 15, for Japantown's annual Obon festival (hosted by San Jose Betsuin). Also, the dedication of the Japantown Mural Project will be held in conjunction with the 2012 Obon festival on July 14.

The Mural Dedication is at 3:45 pm at the corner of Jackson St. and N. 7th St. There will be a short program, followed by a walking tour (yeah!, San Jose has a walking tour) of the entire mural project with lead artist/designer Tamiko Rast and some of the project artists. The event is free and open to the public. All are welcome.

San Jose Bike Clinic Summer Happenings

Come on down to the
Downtown Farmers Market
 this summer for some
good old fashion bike repair.

San Jose's new Bike Clinic will be hosting summer events in the downtown area. Here are a few.

1.  Farmers' Market Bike Repair Assistance
SJBC has been making appearances at the Downtown Farmers Market on Fridays on San Pedro St. in downtown San Jose. Scheduled times are 10am - 2pm, on July 13 and 27, August 10, September 7 and 21.

Be sure to come down to say hello and get some help with bike repair while grabbing your fresh produce!

2.  Ladies Night Bike Ride
SJBC is helping out on the Ladies' Night Ride, organized by the San Jose Bike Party.  The ride will begin at 6:00 pm on Saturday, July 14th.  The start location is San Pedro Square Market.  Riders should arrive an hour early at 5:00 to check out the Bike Clinic services and do a quick safety check. Then grab a bite to eat if they want, and soak up the vibe before the ride. 

SJ Bike Party encourages females and their families to attend.  The ride will be slow and the route will be flat, so riders with less experience are also welcome!


3.  Café Tour of San José (by bicycle of course).
Join the San Jose Bike Clinic and Content Magazine for a Café Tour of San José. Before the start, the SJBC will provide bike safety inspections, repair education and tune ups from 10:30am outside of B2 at the San Pedro Square Market. The ride will immediately follow.

The stops will include the featured coffee shops:
  - B2  
  - Roys Station  
  - Crema 
  - Top Nosh Cafe   
  - Bellano 
  - Barefoot Coffee Plus, one secret location To Be Announced!

For more information, go to us on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/447589841927365/  or at:
http://1sqmile.blogspot.com/2012/06/san-jose-bike-clinic-and-content.html?spref=fb

Bike Parking Volunteers needed for this weekend's Blues festival



Encourage other cyclists to bike to
everyday events by volunteering
 for this weeks festival

 The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) will be providing valet bicycle parking at the 32nd Annual Fountain Blues Festival, on July 14, for the first time. Which means that they will need bike parking volunteers!

Enjoy some of the greatest blues musicians, including featured artist Elvin Bishop, while providing attendees that bike-to-the-event peace of mind knowing that their bicycle is being guarded by an organization they trust.

Volunteers are needed for the following shifts: 
Set-up 9:00 - 10:30

Bike Parking
10:30am - 12:30pm
12:30pm - 2:30pm
2:30pm - 4:30pm
4:30pm - 6:30pm
6:30pm - 8:30pm

As you can see, it's a busy day! Learn how you can help and earn a FREE entry to the festival at http://bikesiliconvalley.org/event/2591.

Conversations with a streetside artist; the utility box art project

San Jose Artist Michael Foley
 out in the warm sun finishing
 the latest Utility Box art

This afternoon I was tipped off by ThinkBiggerSanJose that another utility box at the corner of Hedding and the Alameda was getting "art-tified". So I took a walk down the Alameda and met freelance artist Michael Foley was as a few long hours from completing the latest of San Jose's growing number of utility boxes that have been turned into streetside canvas.

The painted utility boxes are now becoming quite popular with local residents. I just spotted a new one with a Rose Garden theme the other day. Also new in the area, in front of the old Andy's Pet Shop storefront is one with a canine theme.

I had a chance to talk with Michael about the art scene in San Jose, the Zero1 festival, good and not so good things happening in the city, and the difficulty of independent artist in the area to participate in community festivals.

Tough work when the temperatures
 begin to reach the 90's.

The work has been commissioned by the Art Box Project. I didn't know but Michael explained that each box has a theme pertaining to the area. So he was given parameters from which to work in pertaining to history and transportation on the Alameda. So his painting will incorporate an old tram, a modern light rail trainset, some residents of the area from the 1920's or 1930's, along with more modern residents using their "banana pads".

Trails & Rails, Amtrak Partners with National Park Service



National Park Service
Trails & Rails



If you've ever experienced an Amtrak ride it is definitely different than flying; no TSA body scans, no bumped flights, and seats that seem like lounge chairs made for giants, rather than for school children.

Although you wont get there as quick, the experience is thoroughly enjoyable, mixing America's scenic beauty with it's cultural past and historical stories. As you sit in the parlor car while the California Zephyr crosses the Rocky Mountains you can almost see the two coasts linking up in Utah to watch the last spike driven to link the revolutionary east with the expansive west. Riding the Coast Starlight through California you can imagine the hardships that Juan Bautista deAnza and his party encountered while pioneering an overland route to Alta California beyond the Spanish frontier to San Francisco Bay.

Through a partnership with Amtrak and the National Parks Service, the Rails & Trails program went national in 2000. The Rails & Trails mission is to;

Amtrak Rails & Trails
docents get ready to board
 the southbound Coast Starlight
 at Diridon Station

Enable Amtrak to enhance the overall experience of customers by offering interpretive programs that educate them about national and historic content of the scenery while also creating awareness in respect for America's "special" places within the National Park System.

While passing through San Jose's Diridon Station the other day I ran into two docents who were getting ready to board the southbound Coast Starlight train to Los Angeles to present their program. Since the route of the Coast Starlight roughly parallels Deanza's route to the Bay Area, the docents make this point in California history come alive.

Next summer I plan to do a bike tour from Buffalo, New York to Albany, New York along the historic Erie Canal and catch the Hudson River Valley Greenway in Albany to New York city. While on Amtrak's Maple Leaf route I hope to hear Rails & Trails volunteers present a history of on the Erie Canal and it's impact on the greater New York region 200 years ago.

Trails & Rails Partnership with Texas A&M university

NPS brochures

The National Park Service and the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences (RPTS) at Texas A&M University in College Station entered into a partnership in September 2008 to relocate and house the management and coordination of the National Trails & Rails Program to the University.

RPTS has provided logistical and technical support to the Trails & Rails Program in interpretation, education, marketing, tourism and recreational opportunities. Undergraduate students in RPTS are currently developing podcasts so passengers can listen to a thematic Trail & Rails program on their iPods or Mp3 players. Currently available are routes from Los Angeles, San Antonio, New Orleans and Chicago, but other routes are being developed.

Here are some Trails & Rails facts

• Amtrak passengers participating - 3,488,150
• Trails & Rails programs presented on Amtrak 73,615
• Volunteer guides participating in Trails & Rails - 754
• Volunteer hours donated to Trails & Rails - 267,082
• Value of volunteer hours based as the "independent sector" - $5,081,685

In a Flash, out with the old, and in with the new

The old paper based
 Flash Pass (L)
 now being replaced by
 the Clipper Card (R)

VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) is no longer in the paper pass business; at least not for monthly passes. The old paper Flash passes are passee being replaced by the Clipper Card.

The Clipper Card is a (see previous post, Clipper Card Tutorial) is an RFID based card that allows you to put more than just the VTA Flash pass on it. You can also put Caltrain, BART and other transit authorities passes on it as well.

VTA is the last transit agency in the Bay Area to incorporate the clipper passes into their system.

In the past my employer, through a company called Wage Words would send me a montly Flash Pass in the mail. Now after receiving a 'Clipper only debit card' I purchase the card each month with the funds on my debit card. This card is only for use in purchasing any transportation agencies tickets or passes. So now before each light rail ride you have to swipe the card near Clipper readers on the light rail platforms and each time you enter the bus.

Clipper promotion in front
 of Walgreens in
downtown San Jose.

VTA has been aggressively promoting the new clipper card on advertisements on the sides of buses and light rail cars, at bus stops and at special pop-up events around the county (see photo at right). Day passes will continue to be a paper based pass that is printed when you board the bus and pay the day pass fare (which is $6 for adults).

The Ladies Ride and the status of women's cycling

Second Annual Ladies Ride

In honor of San Jose Bike Party's annual Ladies Ride I thought I would highlight some bloggers, magzine publishers, and cyclists who speak to cycling from a women's point of view and in a voice that speaks to women on matters such as maternity and cycling and families on bikes.

But first, more information on the Ladies Ride. This year the ride will take place at 5:00 pm on Saturday, July 14 from a yet to be determined downtown San Jose location. This ride is for ladies and girls only. Before the ride the San Jose Bike Clinic will be hosting a maintanence clinic, so if you are unsure if your bike is ready to ride, it might be a good idea to stop by before the ride.

Second Annual
Ladies Ride Artwork

Ladies, if your interested in trying out and commenting on the Ladies Route Ride ahead of time meet this Saturday, July 7, at San Pedro Square Market at 3:00 pm.


For stories related to cycling and travelling with an infant child read Simply Bike bike blog written by a new mommy from a unique perspective.
Jonathan Maus over at BikePortland.org recently featured a story on a car-free mother of six living in Portland ("With Six Kids And No Car This Mother Does It All By Bike."). Its amazing that she is able to propel all of her children with just herself as the family's engine, so to speak.

Also, right after the Pro Walk Pro Bike Conference in Long Beach California the League of American Cyclists will sponsor the first ever National Women's Biking Summit on September 13, 2012. The Summit will provide a unique opportunity to network, share best practices and develop action steps to get more women in your community out riding. Organizers also state that the conference will provide the space for women to create a bike future where women of all backgrounds are equally represented on the streets and in the movement.

And lastly Momentum Magazine a montly magazine that just started distributing in the San Francisco Bay Area is owned and managaged by women and features articles about women and families in cycling. The current issue has an online article titled "How to get a city cycling: focus on women".

Bike Blocking as a Business Model?

Segways line up outdie San Pedro Square,
 blocking bike parking

While at the downtown Farmer's Market last Friday I came upon this sight; Segways blocking a bike parking fixture. I had recently heard that a Segway rental service was starting up out of the San Pedro Square Market but had not realized that blocking bike parking was part of the business model.

With the increase in bicycle traffic and infrastructure, bike parking in some spots is at a premium (MLK Library, SOFA). If you want to encourage more customers to your new retail development, please don't alienate cyclists, welcome them.

Remember, since bicycles do not require expensive parking structures (estimated a $50,000 per space, with equally expensive rates), their owners have extra spending cash jingling in their pockets to spend at your stores.

So here's three key things to remember food retailers;

1. Bicyclists work up an appetite just getting to your shops.
2. They shop more locally and can be incredibly loyal.
3. By spending less on gas and oil they have more discretionary income.

Street Parking in front of the Shark Tank?

Caught the rough outline yesterday of on-street parking spaces in front of San Jose's HP Pavillion.

Anyone have any idea on what's planned here?

This photo was taken during the U.S. Gymnastic trials going on this weekend.

Cafe Culture in Romania

Sandra with her daughter in Fagaras.
Sofas, wood tables and,
 in Europe, the obligatory ashtray.

A fellow bike blogger (although she writes from a mother's perspective - more on that later), Sandra from Des Moines, Iowa shared some photos of a very recent return trip to her birthtown of Fagaras, Romania. Given that lately I have been on a outdoor cafe and restaurant rant, I asked her if I could share her photos of her trip.

In looking at the photos it almost looks as though scene is from an outdoor living room with comfortable sofas and wooden tables. Reminds me a bit of how New York has recently put furniture in the middle of Broadway in midtown Manhattan.

I don't think we are there yet but it sure would be nice to have some clean and comfortable outdoor spaces like this. Thanks for sharing, Sandra.

Sandra's husband enjoy a nice day
in the fortress town of Fagaras, Romania

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Sandra;'s blog, Simply Bike; Bikes, Parenthood, and Academia, chronicles her cycling lifestyle from the midwest, which is not always the most bike friendly place. With the birth of her daughter her cycling life has changed somewhat, but she still finds time to remain active.

Her posts are interesting and highlight her peripetetic life; describing her early years in  Romania, her emigration to Germany, university studies in Germany, France, and the U.S. and finally her completion of her PhD in Iowa.

She recently traveled to that other Bay Area city to the north, San Francisco, and shared some comments along with some great pictures.

in san francisco: doing the things we love to do at home

Thanks Sandra.

Recent and related posts:
A new stardard for civility. How about liveability?


They make great coffee, not just great places.


New building going up in the heart of downtown Campbell

Cafe Culture is for Canadiens not for Californians

Day 9 Trois Rivieres to Quebec City  While bike touring through Quebec, Canada I was amazed that in a smaller town on a Thursday eveing the streets were alive with people eating, walking and just generally enjoying themselves outdoors.

Upcoming Cycling Events - June 28, 2012

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Thursday, June 28, 2012
New Themes Selected:

August: Olympic Ride
September: Rocky Horror Ride
October: Halloween Ride


San Jose Bike Party

"Olympic Ride"

Friday, July 20, 2012

Wheels hit the street at 8:00
Route and Start Location posted 24 hours in advance.

Test Rides

Test Ride #2 (Slow Ride)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012 6:30 pm
Ride Start: Small Parking Lot at Central Park, Santa Clara

Test Ride #3
Monday, July 9, 2012 6:00 pm
Ride Start: TBA

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San Jose Fixed SJF
15-25 mile Bike Ride
Every Tuesday 6:45 @
Meets @ IMinusD Fixed Gear Boutique
112 Paseo de San Antonio (See Map Below)

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San Jose Bike Party Ladies Ride

Test Ride #2
Saturday, July 7, 2012 3:00 PM
Ride Start: San Pedro Square Market




San Francisco Bike Party
Friday, July 6, 2012
(More info)


East Bay Bike Party
Friday, July 13, 2012
(More Info)


San Jose Bike Party Ladies Ride
July 14, 2012 - (Sorry guys, ladies only)

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The Cafe Tour
Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 10:30 am

Join San Jose Bike Clinic volunteers and Content Magazine for a Café Tour of San José.

Bike repair education and tune ups are at 10:30am outside of B2 at the San Pedro Square Market, followed by the ride. Featured coffee shops include: B2, Roys Station, Crema, Top Nosh Cafe, Bellano, Barefoot Coffee, plus one secret location TBA!

All participants in this ride recognize that bike riding can be a hazardous activity and choose to do so at their own risk.

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7th Annual Menlo Park Grand Prix Sponsored by Mikes Bikes
Sunday, July 22, 2012 7:30 am - 6:30 PM

More details to follow.

Tour de Fat - San Francisco
Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
September 22, 2012
Golden Gate Park

Also note the Guadalupe River Trail will be closed for paving construction soon. The closed portion will extend north of 880 all the way to Gold Street in Alviso. check Twitter for more details.

Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

They make great coffee, just not great places

What you can't see is the
 intense light and heat being
 reflected off the curtain
 of windows from up above.

Wednesday I commented on what a gorgeous day it was, weatherwise at least. I had stopped at the Safeway Marketplace to get a bowl of soup for lunch and found out that they removed their outdoor tables and chairs. After lunch I walked down Santa Clara St. which is not the most picturesque in the city, but I noticed something else about outdoor dining or some sort of outdoor cafe culture in this city. There is none. Aside from a few restaurants and cafes on Paseo de San Antonio there really isn't any form of outdoor street dining, and when there is, it is just a token gesture.

I say this becuase as I was walking down the street, I passed Taza Coffee (street view). In the years I have been downtown I haven't ever seen anyone sit outside with their cup of coffee. It doesn't take long to figure out why. But here are some reasons I came up with which defy all logic in regards to placemaking in cities.

1. The store sits on the south side of a building on the north side of Santa Clara St. which is in full frontal view of a southern solar exposure.
2. There are no street trees on this side of Santa Clara St. to filter the sunlight.
3. The sidewalk is wide, expasive, and highly reflective with no shade. It even gets relected sunlight and heat from the buildings windows above street level which reflect the southern exposure right to the wide sidewalk. During the summer the light and the heat is intense.
4. Given the nature of the streetscape, and the lack of commercial buildings, this part of Santa Clara gets few pedestrians, and rember half the fun of sitting in an outdoor setting is to watch the people go by.

So until this day I have yet to see anyone outside in the three key summer months. Any takers?

Recent and related posts:
A new stardard for civility. How about liveability?

Cafe Culture in Romania

New building going up in the heart of downtown Campbell

Cafe Culture is for Canadiens not for Californians

Day 9 Trois Rivieres to Quebec City  While bike touring through Quebec, Canada I was amazed that in a smaller town on a Thursday eveing the streets were alive with people eating, walking and just generally enjoying themselves outdoors.

New building going up in the heart of downtown Campbell

New commercial/rest. bldg
going up in Campbell.

The last bit of work is being done on a new mixed use building to replace the old I.O.O.F., or the Independent Order of Odd Fellows building. The building located at 1st St. and Campbell Ave. right in the heart of the bustling downtown corridor is different than adjacent buildings for a few reasons.

First, the design is such that the building is actually adheres to traditional design. It is replacing a 50 year old building which was set back from the both streets and allowed for at least 20 parking spaces adjacent to the street (see Google Maps Street View link).

Second, if you also look at the Street View map and the photo below you'll notice that the City of Campbell already has done some great work on softening the streets scape by placing bulbouts, textured sidewalks, large radii corners, and nice street furniture (benches, lamps, and trash cans).

Attractive streetscape adds
 to the developer's
building improvements.

Third, the restaurant space has a courtyard on the north side of a building on the south side of Campbell Ave., which with the ample street trees will keep this space well shaded when the sun rises higher in the sky in the summertime. This will add even more outdoor dining options to downtown Campbell (compared with a decline in outdoor dining options in downtown San Jose).

And lastly, what is really nice and rarely seen in the Silicon Valley outside of Palo Alto or maybe Mountain View is the folding accordion doors. In James Kunstler's now famous TED talk (James H Kunstler dissects suburbia), he speaks of restaurants and other commercial establishments of possessing a permeable membrane, in which strollers passing by can see activity within the restaurant, pub, or shop.

Well done, Campbell. This project brings many improvements to an already successful downtown.

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Related posts.

Cafe Culture is for Canadiens not for Californians

Day 9 Trois Rivieres to Quebec City  While bike touring through Quebec, Canada I was amazed that in a smaller town on a Thursday eveing the streets were alive with people eating, walking and just generally enjoying themselves outdoors.

A new stardard for civility. How about liveability?

Cafe Culture in Romania

They make great coffee, just not great places

 

Installing sliding accordian doors.