Bike Girl Blog

Bike Girl Goes On Hiatus

2011-03-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl has been missing from the internet for some time now, yet she still continues to receive emails from loyal readers. What do you think? Should Bike Girl begin to post again, albeit somewhat infrequently, or should our fair protagonist retire from this blog permanently?

Comment below

Bike Girl Can't Believe Her Eyes

2010-06-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today while doing some investigative work on the streets of Santa Monica, Bike Girl saw what may be evidence of sharrows going down in the city.

As she waited at a stop light, she saw a city of Santa Monica construction truck with a sharrow stencil in the back. She exclaimed to the driver, "Are those sharrows!?"

The driver responded, "Yep. They're going in at the end of the block."

But then the truck was gone. The end of which block? Bike Girl made this sighting around 4th and Arizona. She has not seen any of the sharrows on the ground, but hopes to see some soon.

UPDATE: Bike Girl returned to the scene later in the evening to see if there were, indeed, sharrows on the ground. While there were no sharrows, Bike Girl did find that the Arizona bike lane had been extended all the way to Ocean.

Bike Girl presumes the sharrow stencil was being utilized only for its center icon, the biking person, to go in the bike lanes. She also presumes the construction worker who told her sharrows were being put in at the end of the block, thought that a sharrow was just the picture of the cyclist, not the chevrons above and below it.

However, Bike Girl has been assured that Santa Monica is planning to install sharrows FOR REAL in the near future.

Bike Girl Gracefully Dismounts Pt 2

2010-06-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Ladies who follow our fair protagonist may have likely had a chance by now to experience the joys of riding in a skirt. But once a lady is on her bicycle, lookin' good, pulling up to her destination, likely with all eyes on her, how does she dismount?

Bike Girl has developed a patented series of moves appropriate for all types of skirts, and all types of bikes. For ladies with step-through or "girls'" frames, the procedure is obvious. This type of bicycle is engineered to be ridden in a skirt. Riders must simply stop, put their feet on the ground, then demurely step over the frame, keeping the knees inward.

Those of you ladies, who, like Bike Girl, throw tradition and caution to the wind and ride in a skirt on a diamond "boys'" frame, the procedure is a little more involved.

Step 1 - Stop with one foot on the ground.
Step 2 - Move the ground foot outward away from the frame as far as practicable
Step 3 - Lean the bike frame over toward the ground foot
Step 4 - Bend the opposite leg (the leg attached to the foot that is not already on the ground) at the knee, keeping the knee down. This motion is similar to kicking one's self in the butt.
Step 5 - if the bike is leaned over far enough, the leg should be easily lifted over it without raising the knee. If the bike is not leaned over far enough, the knee can be moved forward so the shin is parallel with the ground to clear the bike frame.

Bike Girl endorses this method of graceful dismount. Should difficulty be encountered at any stage in the process, Bike Girl recommends dismounting normally with as much speed as possible. In this way, anyone who gets a look will second-guess their vision, and any actual glimpse will be too fast to allow onlookers to commit their view to memory.

Bike Girl Wants You To Hang Up

2010-06-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

While doing some reconnaissance on the 10 freeway, Bike Girl noticed some confusing new signage. The CalTrans signs typically used to announce Amber Alerts or how long it takes to get from the sign to, say, Downtown L.A., are now encouraging drivers to pick up their cell phones.

The signs say For Traffic Info, Call 5-1-1.

Bike Girl was confused. The state has outlawed the use of hand held cell phones while driving, and even permitted hands-free cell devices are shown to contribute to crash rates. A study shows 98 percent of drivers cannot multitask effectively enough to carry on a cell phone conversation while driving. Yet a state agency is encouraging drivers to pick up their phones.

Bike Girl has carried out her own studies on cell phone usage among drivers. Whenever she has come the closest to being hit on surface streets, it has been by drivers on the phone. Even Bike Girl's own mother, who is typically an excellent driver, is known to swerve when she picks up the phone, though she will deny that.

Bike Girl wants to know, whose decision was it to encourage distracted driving on signs on the freeway?

Bike Girl Gracefully Dismounts

2010-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl loves to ride her bicycle in a skirt or dress. Not only for the thrill when a strong wind blows, but also because she loves to wear skirts and dresses. Bike Girl is one super hero who rarely feels it necessary to don a special costume for everyday riding.

Astute readers will point out that Bike Girl occasionally wears her spandex bodysuit to ride fast in circles at Criterium races. But those who know Bike Girl, know that she wears that spandex bodysuit regularly. The fact that race days and bodysuit days coincide is purely by chance.

While Bike Girl is not opposed to occasionally delighting passing motorists while riding in a skirt in a headwind, she firmly believes these treats should be limited and accidental.

In order to ensure her ladylike reputation remains intact, Bike Girl has learned a few tricks to keep misbehaving skirts in line.

1. Learn to ride one-handed - In especially gusty wind situations, Bike Girl often rides with one hand resting on her lap. This gives her an extremely relaxed appearance as she cruises along, and also prevents her skirt from revealing more than she intends.

2. Occasionally stand - Even when biking on a calm day, a skirt can ruffle and shift while riding. Bike Girl occasionally stands while pedaling to allow her clothing to drape more naturally.

3. Choose fabrics and cuts carefullly - A tight woolen pencil skirt is much more difficult to ride in than a skirt that allows a bit more movement. When Bike Girl goes for the sexy secretary look, she takes the bus.

4. Get a big basket - The basket acts as a visual shield from the angle most likely to provide a peek.

5. Knees together - Any woman wearing a skirt who sits with her knees apart, really should have her lady card revoked. Sitting on a bike seat is no exception. The knees don't have to be touching, but go ahead and point them inward.

For visual representations of some of these practices, as well as other tips, encouragement, and photos of attractive ladies riding in skirts, click here

Bike Girl Is Invisible

2010-06-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

There are many times when our fair protagonist, Bike Girl, must go under cover. In these instances, she attempts to travel unseen and undifferentiated from the masses. Bike Girl is actually the first female to be awarded the title Master Of Disguise by the ISA (International Spy Association.)

When exercising her prowess at the art of disappearance, it is a given that people do not notice her. However, in her daily life, Bike Girl is somewhat more noticeable. As readers well-know, she enjoys riding all over town in a dress. Any red-blooded male driver would notice a femme-fatale riding about town on a bicycle in a dress. But on one fateful day in June, one particular male driver proved otherwise.

To add to her visibility on this fateful day, Bike Girl was carrying a full pannier on each side of her rear rack. One pannier contained her extremely large, bright green purse. The other pannier contained a Spider Plant so large, it could not be contained by the pannier. This plant, larger than the most comical Halloween afro wig, spilled out of the top of the pannier and its tendrils blew behind Bike Girl in the wind. It was a sight to see, if you saw it.

As she towed her cargo down a road with a Class I bike lane, a vehicle overtook her on the left. As it did so it began to merge into the bike lane. Un-phased, Bike Girl expertly applied the brakes so as to avoid disaster. As the driver pulled into a parallel parking spot, Bike Girl pulled over, approximately 1 car length ahead of him.

(Bike Girl has learned that drivers are somewhat protective of their vehicles, so she made sure to pull over far enough away so as to get the driver's attention without appearing threatening. )

The driver, now suddenly seeing Bike Girl, jumped out of his car with a look of horror on his face. "What happened!?" he exclaimed. Bike Girl calmly told him, in a very sweet voice, that he had come within an inch of hitting her as he merged.

She explained, "We cyclists are very vulnerable on the road, so please watch out for us in the future and make sure to give us a little space."

The driver, like a schoolchild being gently scolded, replied that he was very, very sorry, and that in the future, he would watch more closely for cyclists. Bike Girl was satisfied with this response. She thanked him and rode on.

Later that evening, as our fair protagonist recounted the odd experience to her Significant Other, she wondered aloud what it would take to be more visible on the road. If a woman riding a bicycle in a bike lane wearing a bright pink dress and carting a giant plant cannot be seen, who can? Bike Girl often rides in spandex, but refuses to don one of the day-glo colored jackets or vests worn by some roadies. After the dress/plant getup, she's not sure even the day-glo would have helped.

What then is the solution? Bike Girl thinks vehicular cycling should be taught in PE class in middle schools. That way, a new generation of drivers will be aware of the proper ways to pass cyclists. Bike Girl would also like a series of posters on how to safely pass cyclists at the DMV. But if a driver cannot see a cyclist, even when the cyclist is making every effort to be visible, how can he execute a safe pass?

Bike Girl Goes To The Races

2010-04-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our fair protagonist has spent some time away from blogging to do some research. Bike Girl has gone deep undercover to infiltrate the world of women's bike racing. In order to fool the bike racing world into thinking she belongs, Bike Girl has had to undertake a strict training regimen that has allowed no time for updating her supporters of her findings.

One thing Bike Girl has noticed in race after race, is how the females of the species are typically relegated to the most undesirable race times. In one criterium, Bike Girl's category was sent off on the course before it had been fully set up.

In yet another criterium, when Bike Girl was sadly defeated by the peloton and lapped, the race announcer repeatedly made sexist comments as she passed. The worst of which was, "Everyone loves a woman who will go all the way." While Bike Girl was glad the announcer realized she was not planning to quit the race, she was still offended. She flipped off the announcer, thereby becoming the new crowd favorite.

In another criterium, all 4 women's categories were put on the course at the same time, with two minutes of separation in the starts. So as Bike Girl's category had one lap to go and started sprinting into position for the final straightaway, her field was neutralized to allow a faster group to pass through, even though that field had several more minutes of racing to do. Of course the women in Bike Girl's category did not want to cross the finish line without a sprint, so it ignored the neutralization. When the whole cluster of confused ladies crossed the line, thankfully avoiding multiple near crashes, the race organizer could not tell which women were in which category, and many of the results were contested.

In women's races, multiple categories often race together. So in order to upgrade from Women's Cat 4, a lady must not only be faster than the other 4's, but the 3's as well. The 3's are then allowed to sandbag, beating up on the 4's as long as they like. The 3's are also welcome to enter races that included Women's Cat 1-2 and 3. So three categories are on the course at the same time. These women can either upgrade to 2 by beating a bunch of 3's and 4's, or they can struggle to upgrade by beating the 1's.

Race organizers have also been cutting women's races left and right. The reason cited is, "No women show up." Well, after how they are treated at the races, it is no wonder they don't show up.

Bike Girl Chooses The Wrong Battle

2009-12-17T10:07:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, even a fearless protagonist like Bike Girl needs to stand down. While it is true Bike Girl has a right to be in the road, and many drivers deserve to be yelled at and have their windows tapped, there are some times when standing one's ground, can prove to be the wrong decision.

Last night, as Bike Girl went on a run to cross-train, she found herself in a crosswalk near a busy grocery store. As she made her way across the street, a driver zoomed right in front of her instead of stopping and yielding the right of way.

Bike Girl yelled, "Hey, I'm a pedestrian! You have to watch out! You could hit somebody!"

The young man driving the black luxury vehicle yelled an obscenity at Bike Girl, that translates roughly to, "I don't care."

Bike Girl, wearing fleecy mittens, hit the trunk of his car with her hand as he sped away. He immediately slammed on the brakes in the middle of traffic, and he and his two friends piled out of the car. They surrounded Bike Girl. The driver of the car, who was about 3 inches shorter than our fair protagonist, began spitting obscenities in her face, coming progressively closer. Bike Girl looked right in his eyes, unafraid, and the short driver got close, stood on his toes, pressed his nose against hers while screaming at her, poked her eye with his pinkie and tried to rip off her glasses.

That was enough stoic standing of ground for Bike Girl. She pushed him back and told her not to touch her, and repeatedly yelled, "Get away from me!"

This attracted some attention. Other drivers had stopped and started yelling at the man. His friend appeared to be filming the incident with a cell phone, as if he had some desire to document how his 4'11" friend stood up to a lone female pedestrian who dared to touch his vehicle with her fleecy mitten.

Perhaps because Bike Girl's push was so powerful, perhaps because he finally came to his senses, and perhaps because a driver threatened to call the police, he backed off, got in his car, and sped away.

Bike Girl did not get the license plate of the car, and not a single witness had actually called the police to report the incident.

There will be zero consequences for this driver. He will likely go on to road rage another day, and Bike Girl prays that he never kills anyone.

Bike Girl didn't do anything out of the ordinary on this occasion. She regularly taps on cars to get drivers attention. She feels strongly that they should be made aware when they are doing something incredibly dangerous or stupid. But in this case, Bike Girl's actions turned out to be the stupid ones.

When the car stopped, she should have run away. The driver could have been more violent, or just as violent but drunk, and actually caused her physical harm. She also should have gotten the license plate number. Because that is the only way he could have been caught.

Bike Girl wants to assert her rights, but only in a safe way. From hearing other similar accounts, there seems to be a pattern of things that will make the driver become intentionally violent. The two most provocative actions one can take, are flipping the bird, or touching the car.

Bike Girl's significant other likes to give a thumbs down to bad drivers. That gets the message across without being quite as provocative. Our fearless protagonist is slightly more fearful on the road, and is not sure how she will react the next time a driver threatens her life with a deadly weapon, his car.

Bike Girl Is Happy

2009-11-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Bike Girl is happy. She's happy because someone who used his car as a weapon has been convicted.

Dr. Christopher Thompson admitted to racing down Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood, California in his car July 4th of 2008 at about 45 miles per hour. The road is a popular winding 5 mile climb. The speed limit is 30. Two cyclists, both very experienced, were also headed down the hill, going between 29 and 30 miles per hour. Thompson, who was speeding, decided that the cyclists were not going fast enough. They exchanged words, Thompson pulled in front of them and slammed on the brakes.

One cyclist's face went through Thompson's rear windshield and the other cyclist flipped over and badly hurt his shoulder. Thompson told the responding police officer he did it to teach the cyclists a lesson.

Bike Girl would like to point out that these cyclists did absolutely nothing wrong. Below is the applicable part of the California Vehicle Code.

21202. (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations: ...

Now Bike Girl is not going to bother to include the rest of it because this part already shows the cyclists were perfectly fine riding in the middle of the road. If they are riding at a speed of normal traffic, which one assumes would be law abiding traffic, they do not need to move as close as practicable to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway. Normal traffic is not allowed to go faster than 30, and the cyclists were going between 29 and 30.

Bike Girl wishes that more drivers were educated about the rules of the road. She thinks if they knew this short vehicle code provision, there would be less animosity between traffic modes. However, Bike Girl knows there will always be jerks on the road, like Doctor Christopher Thompson.

Thompson faces 10 years in state prison for the 6 felonies and 1 misdemeanor he was convicted of.

Read more about the case here

Bike Girl Gets Back Up

2009-10-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Every protagonist has his kryptonite. Bike Girl's morning was spent dealing with hers. Fortunately for Bike Girl, progress towards a more bike-able Southland is her anti-kryptonite.

Things are looking up in Santa Monica. Politicians there are toying with a strategy that could meaningfully reduce traffic and encourage cycling and walking.

You can read the article by clicking here.

Bike Girl Needs A Pep Talk

2009-10-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

Today on Bike Girl’s commute to work, a driver looked right into her eyes at a stop light and told her that her life was not worth a 1 second delay. Bike Girl asked how much that moment would cost her, and guessed the amount was less than five cents. She then asked if a human being’s life is worth five cents. This middle aged female driver said no.

This exchange took place just after the woman in her snazzy gold sedan merged into Bike Girl with no turn signal, nearly smashing into her front wheel, less than 5 feet from a red light, where the driver had to stop, still straddling the lanes.

“Lady, you were in the middle of the road,” the woman said. This is true. Bike Girl was in the middle of the right lane on a 5 lane road with construction on the tiny shoulder. The middle of the far right lane is exactly where Bike Girl should have been.

Bike Girl, like any cyclist, endures a lot of abuse from drivers, and she endures it on a regular basis. She endures it with a smile and a wave, and occasionally a yell of, “aaaaah!” Bike Girl also makes a conscious effort to obey the rules of the road. She even uses hand signals to turn in a town where drivers seem to believe their signals, speed limits, and even license plates are optional.

But today’s stony-faced, gray-haired, female driver found Bike Girl’s breaking point. Her blunt response that she would rather kill Bike Girl than be 1 second late sent our usually fearless protagonist to the curb, sobbing for 40 minutes.

Bike Girl sobbed because she’s tired of fighting. She’s tired of risking her life to get to work. She’s tired of memorizing license plate numbers of truck drivers who hit-and-run her and laugh. She’s tired of explaining the law to confused police officers. She’s tired of hearing that making her commute safer is infeasible. She’s tired of politicians who can get credit for being bike-friendly without actually doing anything to improve the bike-ability of their district.

Today an emergency room doctor is on trial for intentionally slamming on the brakes in front of two experienced cyclists and sending them to the ER.

Today a beautiful child is an orphan because of a truck driver’s inattention, and that truck driver is home with his family.

Somewhere a cyclist will be killed and journalists will ask if that cyclist was wearing a helmet. They will be shocked to hear that the cyclist died despite wearing that magical piece of styrofoam.

Please help fight this fight. Because while Bike Girl loves to ride, today, Bike Girl is tired of fighting.

If you want to fight, you can start by reading this.

Bike Girl Loves Plans

2009-09-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl loves plans. There is nothing more elegant than a well laid, and well executed plan. She also loves bicycles. In fact, she even named herself after bicycles (BIKE Girl people, BIKE Girl).
Because of those dual loves, and her current address in Los Angeles, one would think Bike Girl would be ecstatic about the Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan. It has a good name. It has bikes, plans, Los Angeles, and it's the Master of all plans. Bike Girl would love to peruse the plan and participate in the debate about the plan.

But unfortunately, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation does not want Bike Girl to comment on the plan.

The LADOT even went so far as to make sure that not a single meeting is in Bike Girl's area. It is no secret that Bike Girl has her base of operations in City Councilman Tom LaBonge's district. One would think that the "Bicycle Councilman's" constituents would want some say. But no meetings are in Hollywood. Plus, there are none in the hipster-cycling meccas of Echo Park and Silverlake. Nor is there a meeting in cyclist-dense East L.A.

Bike Girl could also submit comments online, but oh! only until November 6th. Bike Girl has a very busy schedule of bike riding, bike racing, bike wrenching, bike blogging, oh, and working. How could she possibly get through 212 pages, with 351 pages of appendices by then?

Our beloved protagonist is not the only one the LADOT does not want to comment on the Bicycle Master Plan. It has strategically timed the 6 month late release of the plan so that Neighborhood Councils cannot review the plan. Bicycling Activist Dr. Alex Thompson says the short deadline for comments makes it nearly impossible for his NC to react.

Bike Girl may even go so far as to say the deadline makes participation "infeasible."
Cyclists who want to participate in debate on the Master of all Los Angeles Bicycle Plans can e-mail West LA Councilman and City Council Transportation Committee Chair Bill Rosendahl at Councilman.Rosendahl@lacity.org. Ask for the deadline be pushed to January 4th, 2010.

Bike Girl Reads Blogs

2009-06-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl has already posted about helmets. While riding, she also wears a Road I-D. But this week, her attention was called to another bit of safety equipment.

Artistic Cyclist Ines Brunn performed in Los Angeles at a recent Bicycle Film Festival event. She lives in China, and regularly wears a mask to protect herself from breathing in pollution.

Recently, this mask gave her an added measure of protection. Instead of re-telling her story, Bike Girl encourages readers to check out Ines's blog about the experience here

Bike Girl Dreams Big

2009-06-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

As loyal readers know, Bike Girl has quite a stable of bikes. This stable of bikes poses a storage problem in her tiny studio apartment.

That's right, Bike Girl's job as a fearless protagonist is not a particularly highly-paid position. While some would call her co-habitation with the bikes "cozy," Bike Girl often fantasizes about the day when she will be able to afford her fantasy bike storage solution.

If Bike Girl had unlimited resources, she would expand her collection and have a climate controlled chamber for each bike. While she's at it, she may as well hire several attractive mechanics to clean each chain link of each bike after every ride, and keep less-often-used steeds at their shiniest by wiping them down with cloth diapers each day.

If Bike Girl had more realistic, but greater resources, she would get a two bedroom apartment, with one bedroom for tucking in her bicycles. This room would have hanging bike storage on the walls, and included a workbench and stand so Bike Girl could get grease under her fingernails.

In lieu of a whole room just for bikes, Bike Girl would like a living room with extremely high ceilings. If she had that, she could use her cunning to create a pulley system like this.

But until Bike Girl breaks out of the lower middle class, she will continue climbing over her Girl Bike each morning, banging her head on the touring frame behind the couch, and pretending her go-fast bike is some sort of modern art piece, hanging on her wall.

Our fair protagonist wants to know how her readers store their bikes. She encourages them to leave comments.

Bike Girl Wears A Helmet...Usually

2009-05-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl does not think Mandatory Helmet Wearing laws are a good idea. When convincing many people riding is a good idea, both Girls and Boys often ask if they'll have to wear a helmet. By the tone of their voice, Bike Girl can tell they're not keen on the idea. After all, helmets do not look cool on anyone.

But Bike Girl is certainly not anti-helmet. In fact, there are some situations in which Bike Girl thinks helmet wearing is important. Following are some situations our fair protagonist has recently found herself in, where the decision to, or not to, wear a helmet was made.

1. Helmet: Bike Girl spends a lot of time riding on poorly maintained streets. (Bike Girl is looking at you Tom LaBonge) These poorly maintained, busy, narrow streets are somewhat treacherous. Bike Girl has wiped out numerous times by catching a wheel in a pot-hole, sliding out in a turn on gravel, or avoiding obstacles. There's also always the off chance that a careless driver will bump her. For most trips on these roads, Bike Girl wears a helmet.

2. No Helmet: On a particularly good hair day, Bike Girl dolled herself up in ribbons and curls and took her Girl Bike to work.She also was planning to take her bike on the bus for part of the trip to avoid getting sweaty. Even though her route to the bus stop was over busy, poorly-paved streets, she determined she would be visible enough in her dress, curls waving wildly in the breeze, for the 1 mile trip, she chose not to wear a helmet.

3. Helmet: In order to maintain her Girlish figure, and because she's game for a challenge, Bike Girl regularly takes her Go-Fast bike on training rides. As she pictured herself screaming down hills, weaving through traffic, and head-down sprinting, she decided a helmet was a good idea.

4. No Helmet: Bike Girl, while fiercely independent, enjoys special time with her Significant Other. Lucky for Bike Girl, her Significant Other happens to own a tandem bicycle. When she rides the tandem with her Significant Other along low-traffic roads to the beach path for a romantic sunset make-out session, Bike Girl is protected by a Love Bubble. This bubble is impervious to cars. Seriously, when was the last time anyone heard of a disgustingly cute tandem couple being hit by a car or wiping out? Bike Girl chose not to wear a helmet.

So in conclusion, should people be required to wear helmets? Bike Girl thinks not. But should people wear them anyway? Bike Girl, 90% of the time, says yes.

Bike Girl Gets Inspired

2009-05-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Even Bike Girl sometimes gets burned out on riding a bike. Whether it's the honking drivers, the smog, or a slightly unhealthy dose of over-training, Bike Girl's love of biking has a tendency to wane.

But lately, our fair protagonist has been experiencing a surge in enthusiasm. This may partially be due to her having recieved a new book in the mail about bikes. It may be partually due to the natural Enthusiasm Cycle she experiences from season to season. It may also partially be due to the coverage of the Giro D'Italia she's been watching on the internet.

While watching said coverage, Bike Girl came across this video, which expresses her current feelings about riding pretty exactly. For those who are "working" and cannot click on the video, the quote follows:

It's not to show me or show something. It's good to get back and that is what I like. And that is riding my bike and enjoying my bike and go stronger and stronger day from day. -Fabian Cancellara of Team Saxo Bank

Cancellara is Swiss and finished 157th after Stage 4. He's also 28 years old and has very Hollywood good looks. But back off ladies. He's married!

Bike Girl Wears A Dress

2009-05-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Life has been weighing heavily on our fair protagonist lately. Bike Girl's Job has been stressful, she fell ill, she's been training for races, and then the roads seemed to get just a little more dangerous.

Today, Bike Girl decided it was time to lighten up. She threw care to the wind, donned a summer dress, and headed out for a slow ride on her extremely feminine girl-bike. Bike Girl loves her girl-bike. When she's on it, she cannot help but smile. She also cannot break 12 miles per hour, which is a lovely change.

She rode to work with her hair blowing freely in the wind. She took the side roads, and wore no helmet. Pedestrians smiled, drivers gave her more room than usual, and when the wind blew, she accidentally gave a bus driver quite a show.

While riding in the sunshine, stress melted away. Sore muscles were not felt. And Bike Girl had a great deal of fun.

Bike Girl Conquers Fear

2009-05-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Fear is one of the primary things that keeps people off their bikes. Bike Girl was terrified to get on a bicycle on the streets in Los Angeles before she made the conversion. But cyclists saddle up every day knowing that they have a right to the streets.

What happens when the people who are supposed to be protecting that right decide simply not to? This happens.

Well in response, this happened. Cyclists stormed the Bastille to force the politicians and the police to answer to the mistreatment of cyclists in the city.

Bike Girl is joining other members of the Bike Writers' Collective in condemning the treatment of cyclists by the LAPD and members of the L.A. City Council.

Until the people who are supposed to be protecting cyclists' rights step up, Bike Girl suggests readers learn the vehicle code in their area.

This pamphlet and this post helped Bike Girl learn the rules of the road, and how to bike defensively.

This is where the rules are for riding a bike in California.

This is the Cyclists' Bill of Rights, endorsed by the L.A. City Council.

Bike Girl Is Outraged

2009-04-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl has heard via her red Bike Writers' Collective bat phone that a horrible Hummer v Bike accident in Downtown. Apparantly, the police took the motorist's side, despite the motorist reportedly ramming through a group of cyclists intentionally.

Fellow Bike Writers' Collective embers Gary Rides Bikes and WestSide BikeSide have the details.

If the links don't work, it is because the sites have gotten so many hits, they have crashed. See Midnight Ridazz to weigh in.

Bike Girl Makes A Novice Mistake

2009-04-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl made a mistake this week that only a novice makes. She did not properly maintain her bicycles. Yes, that's a plural. Bike Girl was nearly late to work because not one, but two bikes were out of commission.

One might say, "I thought Bike Girl had N+1 Bikes and could therefore always hop on a trusty cycle and ride off into the sunset." But one may not be aware that Bike Girl has been down-sizing her fleet. She now technically has 3 bike FRAMES, and only 2 sets of wheels. But that is not the issue.

The issue is, our fearless protagonist did not think to pump up her tires until 5 minutes before the last possible moment she could walk out the door in order to get to her destination on time. At that point, Bike Girl's pump decided to fail. Actually, it was a big "F" Fail. The pump let all of the air out of her tires, and would not put air back in. Bike Girl's attempts to fix the problem Failed. This happened on all four of Bike Girl's wheels as she tried to interchange the wheels to get a complete set.

By this point, Bike Girl was late. She thought about using her fancy schmancy CO2 containers to fill the tires. But being already late, and thinking about how much CO2 containers cost, Bike Girl decided to hop in the car instead.

The moral of the story is, one should check one's steed thoroughly when putting it into the barn at night. That way, when one needs to get going in the morning, one's trusty steed is ready to ride!

Bike Girl Has No Basket

2009-04-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl received a compliment from a reader this week on the SWEET basket on the bicycle in the photo at the top of the blog. The reader asked where it is possible to procure nice-looking baskets that are able to carry groceries and are not the “heavy and ugly steel mesh kinds.”

The above bicycle is long gone; sold to a lovely lady on Craigslist for more than it was worth. The basket was procured from a pile at the Bike-ro-wave in Santa Monica. It was pre-loved, meaning it was already completely crushed when I found it. I believe it cost one dollar. The Bike-ro-wave, as well as the Bicycle Kitchen and the Bike Oven are great places to find random parts and accessories for cheap.

Bike Girl now prefers a rack and panniers to carry around her groceries or other items. The rack goes on the back and is not bulky and ugly. Panniers come in many stylish designs, plus they’re detachable. So if you’re not carting around random Stuff, they don’t need to be on the bike.

As far as the style-factor on regular bike baskets:

The Copenhagen-ize blog has some lovely posts on customizing bike baskets.
Bike Girl personally thinks there is a Correct Basket for every bike. Though panniers are her favorite all-purpose pick.

Bike Girl Is A Nerd

2009-03-27T14:09:00.001-07:00

Bike Girl has often wondered what life would be like if she one day woke up and had turned into a car. One of Bike Girl’s loyal readers has sent her some quite amazing Math to help her figure it out.

This particular Math purports to calculate the efficiency of a cyclist as compared to a car. While Bike girl has no intention of fueling her bike rides with gas, she was interested to find out how man Miles Per Gallon she would get if she suddenly woke up one day and had transformed into some sort of science fiction car/cyclist hybrid.

Bike Girl immediately plugged in her weight, and a reasonable touring/commuting speed of 12 miles per hour. Using complex Math, the widget calculated Bike Girl would get 979 miles per gallon!

Intrigued, Bike Girl tried again with a quicker pace of 16 miles per hour, thinking surely her efficiency would improve.

WRONG!

Bike Girl’s efficiency actually dropped to 809 miles per gallon.

Now surpassing mere intrigue, Bike Girl’s fascination with the calculator grew. She moved the miles per hour back to 12, and entered her Pre-Cyclist weight. (Bike Girl was once a more voluptuous protagonist than she is now.) Only 930 miles per gallon. It turns out shedding a few pounds increases efficiency!

Try it Here

To read more about Bike Girl's tendency towards all things nerdly, click Here or Here or Here

Bike Girl Suffers

2009-03-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

As a cyclist, Bike Girl enjoys a certain amount of suffering. She’ll frequently don tight clothing and pound her legs and lungs into submission. How sexy does that sound? But there is one thing that crosses Bike Girl’s threshold for pain. That thing is the saddle sore.

One would not think something that looks very much like a pimple would incapacitate a protagonist as fearless as Bike Girl. But this tiny pimple, when in Certain Places, can make riding a horrible, horrible experience.

Furious googling yields a plethora of home remedies for the tiny bumps. Bike Girl has tried a number of them, with limited success. They range from using a cream usually reserved for cow teats, to drying them out with isopropyl alcohol, to applying a steroid cream. Bike Girl’s usual cocktail is obsessive cleaning with witch hazel or antibacterial soap, followed by a dab of Tea Tree oil.

However, even with the most wonderful treatment, the only true way to get them to go away is with time off the bike. Since Bike Girl doesn’t like this solution, she generally prefers to avoid getting them in the first place.

She advises fellow cyclists to remove their sweaty, sweaty bike shorts or underpants as soon as possible after riding. While certain cyclists Bike Girl knows love to languish in their chamoises (chamoi? chamoisez?) as they eat far too much food after a ride, this is not advised. Never wear a chamois twice without washing it. Wipe down at your destination. On long rides, some readers may wish to venture into the squishy world of chamois crème. (Known more colorfully in some circles as Butt Butter)

But despite these precautions, saddles sores sometimes happen anyway. Bike Girl invites her readers to share the intimate details of their own regimens in the comments section.

Bike Girl Goes Shopping Pt 3

2009-03-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

This installment of Bike Girl’s search for the perfect new bike for touring could also be titled, “How NOT To Sell A Bicycle.”

Our fearless protagonist found herself on Craigslist, searching for a cheaper solution to her N+1 problem. She was hoping for an 80’s bike with a triple chain-ring she could convert to become a touring machine.

During her search, Bike Girl came across a stylish looking vintage number with nice components. However, despite the long description, she was unable to find the bike’s size. Bike Girl emailed the seller, thinking this was an oversight. Here is the conversation that transpired [with commentary in brackets].

Bike Girl: you didn't post the size [ok, so maybe that was a little terse]

Seller: your welcome [that’s actually how the seller spelled that word]

BG: so you're not going to say what size it is? [Bike Girl is confused]

Seller: only if real interested...tire kickers-not so much [Bike Girl thought this was a bizarre response]

BG: Well how would I know if I'm interested unless it is my size. What a bizarre thing to not post.

That's like saying "I'm selling some pants, but I refuse to say what size they are." Or "I'm selling a picture but I won't show it to you first."

No one is going to click on your posting unless they're looking for a bike. If they're looking for a bike, they need to know what size it is to know if it will fit them. If it won't fit them, then there's no point in them looking any further.

I'm not sure what your definition of a "Tire Kicker" is, but you will waste a lot more of your time having people come look at the bike and it not being the right size than if you just post the size so people know if you're wasting THEIR time or not by drawing them out to look at a bike that will have no chance of fitting them.

Seller: get a friggin life instead of telling people what to do or how to advertise...i could tell you were a nag from the get go and thats why you got the answer i gave-there are many like you on cl...[Bike Girl was out to buy a bike, not out to nag]

BG: Just have to say, out of all the bikes I've bought on craigslist, and out of all the bikes I've inquired about, I've never encountered such resistance from a seller to telling me the size of the bike. It really was a simple question from an interested buyer.

Seller: here's another clueless person trying to school me on how to advertise and how little i know about bikes...

" you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about – your ad says campy and campagnolo- which are the same brand-- If you knew what the numbers meant you would know road bike sizes are usually in cm, not inches – it’s not a mountain bike or a kids bike- If you really knew bikes you would’ve put the size info in the ad. I’m embarrassed for you. "

this ignoramus doesnt know that road bikes WERE measured in inches by trek in the early years.

as for campy,i used it for search engine keywording which this idiot didnt know crap about...

So i had to school them and deal with their stupidity.

If you ever sell stuff on cl you will see plenty of foot in mouth syndrome and free advice syndrome...

----------------------------------

At this point, Bike Girl told the seller it was obvious she didn’t want to sell her the bike, and told the poor seller she was sorry she had to deal with that person. Bike Girl wishes this seller the best of luck, but hopes other hapless potential buyers do not have any questions about the frame size.

Bike Girl’s quest for a new bike continues…

Related posts:

Bike Girl Goes Shopping Pt 1 and Pt 2

Bike Girl Goes Shopping Pt. 2

2009-03-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

In her quest for the perfect touring bike, Bike Girl did a lot of research. That research lead her to REI, where she made the reasoned decision to purchase the Randonee.

Bike Girl believes the plus sides of the Randonee are many. It's low-priced, and it is green.

Excited about her new green bicycle, she headed out to the store in Santa Monica to pick it up. When she arrived, there was bad news. The one that had been shipped to that store had a faulty shifter. The Santa Monica REI sent her out to the REI in Rancho Cucamonga.

This excursion required a long car trip out to the middle of nowhere during the week, which was pretty stressful for our protagonist. Yet being extremely stubborn, Bike Girl made the trek, picking up the bike, and returning to her homeland just in time to be five minutes late to work.

In her haste, she did not check the bike as thoroughly as she should have. It turns out the lovely, yet customer-service challenged woman who put together the bike at the Rancho Cucamonga store had put together the bicycle incorrectly. Besides that, Bike Girl found that even the extra small size had too long of a top-tube for a short lady.

Thanks to REI's wonderful return policy, the bike was taken back to the store, and Bike Girl's quest for a touring bike continued...

Related: Bike Girl Goes Shopping Pt. 1

Bike Girl Goes Shopping Pt 1

2009-03-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

Bike Girl happens to be in the market for a bicycle. Our fearless protagonist, while she has not blogged about riding in awhile, has been riding as much as ever on the three trusty steeds in her bicycle stable. However, she has a nagging desire to add to her herd.

As Bike Girl's loyal fans remember, adding to one's bicycle fleet is a mathematical inevitability, because of the N+1 equation.

The bicycle Bike Girl seeks is very specific. It is a road bike with a triple chain ring in the front and braze-on's for touring. It also fits her perfectly.

Finding this bicycle has been quite a trial. Bike Girl has had to dust off her noir-film-esque detective skills.

In order to get back into the blogging groove, Bike Girl will chronicle the arduous process here.

Related: Bike Girl Goes Shopping Pt. 2

Bike Girl Gets Wet

2008-10-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by woodmanlroc

After completing a month without driving her car even once, Bike Girl is considering the feasibility of staying car free for the other 11/12's of the year.

When considering situations where Bike Girl would use a car, only a few situations immediately come to mind. The main one being, when it rains.

If Bike Girl wanted volatile weather, she would have moved to a different latitude. But since occasionally it does rain in Southern California, the ever solutions-oriented Bike Girl has found some tips to help her, and her loyal readers, in the event of showers.

1. Get Some Fenders - Bike Girl does not currently own any fenders, but is considering purchasing some. She's told that easy-on, easy-off plastic fenders can be purchased.

2. Avoid Puddles - A puddle can hide a pot hole. In Los Angeles, these road hazards tend to be deep and frequent. Be mindful of the road ahead of you and if a puddle is coming up, safely check for cars and ride around it. Luckily, cyclists don't have to worry about hydroplaning like cars do, because our wheels are so thin.

3. Slow Down - Stopping distance is greatly increased in the rain. Wet brake pads don't grip wet rims very well. Bike Girl has found that pumping her brakes creates some friction which dries them out enough for her to stop more quickly.

4. Get Lights - Bright ones. Bike Girl loves her Night Rider. She also uses two rear red blinkies. Drivers in Southern California can't deal with precipitation. They're even less likely to see you. Put those lights on in the rain, even if it's high noon.

5. Cover Your Seat - Bike Girl parks her bike inside, so this isn't an issue. But if your workplace forces you to park on the street, a bag or shower cap over the saddle can keep your pants from looking like you had an "accident."

6. Mix Your Transit - Taking the train or bus part-way is a good way to be out of the weather. The only problem here is that others will likely do the same. This can cause problems if the bike rack on a bus is full. A frequent Bike Girl commenter loves Folding Bikes. Bike Girl thinks this is one of the times foldies are FTW.

7. Lock Smart - If you lock your bike outside in the rain, arrange the lock so the key-hole points down. That way, water won't collect inside and rust it up.

8. Dress Appropriately - In Copenhagen, cyclists carry umbrellas in the rain. Bike Girl does not think she's coordinated enough for that. She plans to wear her Foul-Weather-Gear and a cycling cap to keep dry.

9. Lube - Lube your chain once the rain stops. It's important.

These of course are only suggestions. Bike Girl has survived riding in the rain without any of these items or taking any of these precautions. Most recently, she may or may not have been seen riding under-dressed on a barely functional rusty bicycle with no stylish umbrella in a different latitude. She is happy to report that she turned out just fine.

Bike Girl Gets Stood Up

2008-10-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Councilman LaBonge is the one in the tie. Image from Metro

Bike Girl loves bike commuting. But she does not love that the only route between the Universal City/Burbank/Toluca Lake area and Hollywood is via the Cahuenga Pass. At night, the only other road over the mountain that goes through Griffith Park is closed. During the Griffith Park Light Festival, that road is completely closed to cyclists. Metro service stops around 1 a.m. This leaves the Pass as the only option.

Bike Girl has blogged several times about the dangers of this particular road. It's poorly paved, cars routinely exceed the speed limit as they use it as an alternative to the adjacent 101 freeway, and now, Bike Girl counts 34 dead streetlights, creating a black abyss between Barham and the Hollywood Bowl.

Ever the optimist, Bike Girl invited her city councilman to join her on a ride over this pass to see the urgent need for repair of the existing infrastructure. Her councilman, Tom LaBonge, even responded to her request saying he'd be down. He said she only had to name the date.
Bike Girl excitedly named a date, but received no further response from Councilman LaBonge. Just in case, she stood, bicycle leaning against her hip, at the appointed place at the appointed time. But Councilman LaBonge has effectively stood her up.

Thinking her email may have just been buried in his inbox, Bike Girl followed up. But alas, she has received no further correspondence from her councilman.

This was very discouraging to Bike Girl. She truly believed that on some level, Councilman LaBonge really did care about cycling issues. She understands if he feels too unsafe to travel that road. Bike Girl herself is intimidated by it. But since he said he would ride, she feels lied to.

While it should be no surprise to Bike Girl that politicians make promises they do not keep, she genuinely thought in this case, with this supposedly bike-friendly councilman, she could get through. Councilman LaBonge has routinely positioned himself as the Bicycle Councilman. He has even thrown rides with LAPD escorts through his district and purchased ice cream for all who attended.

Councilman LaBonge, if you read this, please note that the invitation is still open. If you still don't want to ride, please at least push repairs and speed enforcement on this stretch of road higher on the priority list. The safety of cyclists in your district depends on it.

Readers, please call and report the street light outages on the stretch of Southbound Cahuenga Boulevard between Barham and the Hollywood Bowl by calling 3-1-1 in the city of L.A., or 1-866-4LACITY outside city limits.

The articles of the Cyclists Bill of Rights that apply to this stretch of road are numbers 1, 5, and 7.

Bike Girl Completes Her Car Free Challenge

2008-10-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

Photo by Piax LOLed by Knittens

Today was day 30 of Bike Girl’s 30 day car-free pledge. The state of her car attests to that. The pledge was inspired by a challenge from Green L-A girl. On the whole, Bike Girl found that it was extremely easy to not drive for a month.

This is not to say there were no bumps along the way. Notable bumps included Bike Girl’s resistance to getting on a bicycle before 8 a-m for a meeting. This showed Bike Girl that she needs to carefully consider her schedule and priorities. Another time, Bike Girl did a 30 mile training ride one Saturday, and then climbed over the Sepulveda Pass to get to Sherman Oaks for a meeting. On the way she got lost and ended up riding an extra 10 miles, making the whole trip over 50 miles.

But since Bike Girl has gradually been reducing her car trips, the majority of the month was spent as usual. Here are some of the things Bike Girl did to make being car free pretty easy:

1. Get Panniers for your bike - They’re like saddle-bags that go over your rear rack. Bike Girl’s hold a grocery bag each.

2. Mix transit – Bike Girl frequently takes her bike on the bus and Metro train to extend her reach and take a break from riding all over town. For people who frequently utilize the Metro or busses, a folding bike may be a good investment, though Bike Girl has been able to get around with a regular bike.

3. Plan Ahead – Bike Girl doesn’t like to have to carry a bunch of stuff around, even in her stylish Panniers. So she puts together clothes and food for the whole week of work and carts them in on Monday. She brings the dirty clothes and empty Tupperware home on Fridays.

4. Get lights – traveling at night can be intimidating. But thanks to a gift from Bike Girl’s significant other, she has extremely bright lights that allow her to travel safely at night.

Not everyone seems to have enjoyed Bike Girl’s car-free month. Apparently a neighborhood LOLcat has noticed how dusty her car has become. He has written “Wash Me PLZ” on the trunk and the windshield.

As a reward for completing her goal, Bike Girl has decided to thoroughly clean her car and purchase a car cover. She anticipates the car will be covered most of the time. Bike Girl is also planning to take the car for a tune up and ask the mechanic how better to prepare the car for long periods of sitting without being used.

Bike Girl would like to challenge her readers who currently use their cars to go car-lighter. This can start with not using the car one day a week.

Bike Girl Locks Up Tight

2008-09-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

While sipping her morning tea and reading the morning paper through the very stylish glasses perched on her nose, Bike Girl encountered some unfortunate news.

The Daily News reports with the increase in the number of cyclists using their bikes to connect with public transit, has come a spike in bike theft. The Daily News says 15 bikes have been stolen from Orange Line stations this year. That’s up from 10 last year. That includes 5 from the Balboa station and three from north Hollywood.

Bike Girl applauds the Angelenos who, like her, have eschewed their cars in favor of mass transit. But she worries that these commuters will become frustrated if their trusty steeds are stolen. For tips on the best way to lock a bicycle, click here. Bike Girl recommends Kryptonite and Anti-Jack locks.

In the meantime, while the LAPD seems determined to create barriers to prevent new cyclists from riding, the L.A. County Sheriff’s department is doing something to help the increasing numbers of bike commuters.

Sheriffs Deputy Dan Finkelstein told the Daily news that security cameras are not pointed towards Metro’s bike racks. He says the Department is asking Metro to change that. In the meantime, undercover deputies planted a bait bike at the North Hollywood station and arrested three people last week for stealing it.

Metro has suggested cyclists use the bike lockers provided at some stations to store their ‘cycles during their mixed-transit travels. However, Bike Girl has been told that some commuters have had difficulty obtaining a bike locker. She was informed by a Midnight Rida’ that he had been on a waiting list for a locker for months. Metro has also suggested commuters use folding bikes. Bike Girl thinks that for some commuters, folding bikes are an interesting idea. But she also points out that these bicycles are not common on the streets of L.A. and that many cyclists, herself included, are somewhat skeptical of them.

Bike Girl would like to encourage those commuters who’ve had their bicycles stolen to buy a cheap bike, an expensive lock, and get back on the horse. For more advice on how best to lock your bicycle, check out this video.

Bike Girl Can't Resist A Challenge

2008-09-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Green L-A Girl seems to always be issuing various Challenges to Bike Girl. After all, a Green L-A Girl challenge is what sparked Bike Girl’s Car Free Month. Now 16 days into that challenge, a new one has been issued in the form of a bloggy chain letter.

Green L-A Girl has awarded Bike Girl a Tree of Happiness award. Bike Girl is not sure what the criteria for that award are, however, she is grateful. But the award comes with a challenge to list six things that make Bike Girl happy. In the spirit of this blog’s theme, Bike Girl will keep them bike-related:

1. Making-out at red lights while riding bikes with her Significant Other.
2. Commutes where no one honks
3. Beating the Metro Rapid bus across town
4. CRANK Mob
5. Long, smooth descents
6. Riding in a skirt

Bike Girl would like to in turn, award the Happiness Tree to:

1. Illuminate L.A.

2. Homegrown Evolution
3. West Side Bike Side

4. Fat Cyclist

5. The Militant Angeleno

6. Freedom Check

These are all blogs Bike Girl enjoys. She encourages her loyal readers to check them out.

Bike Girl Goes Car Free Day 9

2008-09-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl is nothing if she's not determined. Yet, she seems to have hit a snag going from Car-Lite to completely Car-Free.

Our Protagonist has a tumultuous relationship with Mornings. While Bike Girl enjoys being up in the mornings puttering about her apartment, drinking a warm caffeinated beverage and reading a book. She sometimes cannot force herself out of her cozy nest and onto a bicycle to run errands.

Curiously, Bike Girl often rousts herself before a reasonable hour to don cycling-specific clothing and join other similarly-clad riders for fast-ish rides on the weekend. But when the errand involves a non-recreational obligation, the idea of mounting a bike becomes less attractive.

While she hates to admit it, Bike Girl did call in "sick" to a certain appointment she had early in the morning this week because she could not bear the thought of riding to it. For a few minutes, she debated a secret car trip. Since Bike Girl blogs anonymously, no one would know! However, that idea was soon shot down by Bike Girl's Conscience.

Bike Girl marveled at how a different way of getting around changed her priorities in only a week.

Our Protagonist is interested to hear if any other car-free folks have noticed they make fewer trips, or have otherwise changed their habits because of their mode of transportation.

Bike Girl Vs The Cahuenga Pass Pt 2

2008-09-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl has to apologize for a factual inaccuracy in a previous post. She had said in this post that between 13 and 20 streetlights were out on Cahuenga West between Barham and the Hollywood Bowl.

That's not quite true.

Bike Girl made another count and found that, in fact, there are 28 streetlights out on that stretch.

Now for the nit-pickers, Bike Girl will admit that two of those 28 are right in front of the Hollywood Bowl, so the number could be argued down to 26.

But on her commute to work today, Bike Girl noticed that the DWP is doing something to make up for the blackness in the Cahuenga Pass. In the middle of the day, half the streetlights were on.

So if 28 lights are out at night, but 28 others are left on in the day, does that cancel out? Bike Girl's Math says no.

Bike Girl Goes Car Free - Day 3

2008-09-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of Bike Girl's Car-Free month was a pretty typical commute. She got on her Carbon Fibre Dream Machine and cruised to work. There, she changed into the clothes she had brought the day before and ate the food also brought the day before.

So Bike Girl would like to take this time to share some haikus about riding her Carbon Fibre Dream Machine.

My feet are clipped in,
maximum efficiency
ev'ry pedal stroke.

My thighs look so good
in my tight padded bike shorts.
You know that it's true!

I think I'm so fast,
'till an old man passes me.
Then, humility.

UPDATE:

Follow Bike Girl's progress

DAY 9

Bike Girl Goes Car-Free - Days 1 and 2

2008-09-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl was recently passed over for an interview by Green L.A. Girl on being a car-free lady. Bike Girl was initially outraged, but that outrage lasted only moments because, in fact, Bike Girl is not actually car-free.

Bike Girl has a history of driving to work Mondays with her clothes and food for the week and biking three days. She then would drive Fridays to pick up the empty Tupperware and dirty clothes. Bike Girl also has to admit that she occasionally gets lazy and just drives for no reason. For instance, last week, Bike Girl had an ear infection, which provided an excellent excuse to remain in bed until a half hour before work and drive.

This, Bike Girl realized, is not any way for someone whose Secret Identity includes the word Bike. So Bike Girl has challenged herself to be completely car-free for thirty days. The count-down began Sunday September 7th. Bike Girl will attempt to chronicle the adventure here.

Day 1 -

Bike Girl spent the morning finishing work on her new old bike which is outfitted with a rack and panniers so she can transport various Items. Satisfied that the bike was in good working order, she set out on a ride to meet fellow members of the Bike Writers Collective at an Undisclosed Location.

Just as Bike Girl and Homegrown Evolution blogger Erik rolled up to the Location, Bike Girl's rack suddenly collapsed. FAIL! A nut had disappeared during the ride and the screw was hanging precariously in its hole. Erik theorized that the nut had come loose due to vibration on the ride over. Bike Girl discovered another loose nut, but tightened it before it could fall off.

The ever-resourceful Bike Writers helped Bike Girl rig up the rack so that she could limp home.

Day 2 -

This morning was spent tightening all nuts and screws and the brake cables for a hopefully-less-eventful commute to Bike Girl's Place Of Employment. She loaded up both panniers with her clothes and food for the week and set off for her local Metro station.

Several roads were closed on the way, but since Bike Girl rides a bicycle, she was able to hop off and walk on the sidewalk with the bicycle past the construction, and hop back on without having to take a lengthy detour.

Bike Girl used the elevators on the Metro and wondered why something can't be done about the pervasive combination of smells. It seems that every elevator at every station smells like pee, disinfectant, and mildew.

Bike Girl anticipates the car free transition will be easiest during the first week, then become increasingly difficult.

UPDATE:

Bike Girl has successfully completed the challenge. Read more here.

Here are some subsequent posts updating Bike Girl's progress

Day 3

Day 9

Bike Girl Vs The Cahuenga Pass

2008-09-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl has a roughly 6 mile commute to work. This would ordinarily be extremely do-able. But as fate would have it, the commute has a mountain in the middle. This would ordinarily be only a mild deterrent to the physically-fit Bike Girl. But as fate would have it, the only way over that mountain, is via the Cahuenga Pass.

For those unfamiliar with the Cahuenga Pass, It connects Hollywood to Universal City/Burbank. Cahuenga Blvd is split in two by the 101 freeway, so the northbound side of Cahuenga is on the east side of the freeway, and the southbound side on the west.

Cahuenga West may be the most dangerous street for cyclists in the entire city. It runs along the 101 and is often treated as another lane of that freeway by speeding motorists. The right lane is full of potholes, grates, and manhole covers that are not flush with the roadway. It's also a hill.

If it wasn't the ONLY way to get from Universal City/Burbank to Hollywood, Bike Girl would absolutely avoid it at all costs. However, since it is the only option, Bike Girl says a small prayer and holds on to her handlebars with white knuckles and numb fingertips.

Adding to that danger is the fact that Bike Girl has to ride this stretch in the middle of the night on her way home from the evening shift at her Place Of Employment. Oh, and did Bike Girl mention that at least 13-20 of the streetlights on the most dangerous part of this stretch are out. So Bike Girl has to traverse this stretch of road in literal blackness. (The above photo of the blackness was snapped by Bike Girl in front of the building that says Alternative on Cahuenga West)

Bike Girl considers herself pretty brave. After all, she rides the mean streets of Los Angeles. But she has been brought nearly to tears more than once while talking about this terrifying leg of her commute and has required multiple pep-talks from her significant other.

Bike Girl even invested in a Road ID so that when she is inevitably hit or killed on this stretch of road, her Significant Other and Mom can be notified to identify her body. Bike Girl's Significant Other was so worried about her; he purchased an extremely expensive, extremely powerful Nightrider light for her trusty cycle.

Bike Girl notified the city of this horribly dangerous streetlight outage in early August, but weeks later, it hasn't been corrected.

Bike Girl is more concerned because with the path through Griffith Park closed to cyclists during the Griffith Park Light (irony?) Festival, it will be absolutely the only option for more cyclists (Bike Girl gets off work after the park is closed and cannot utilize that way home.)

This stretch of Cahuenga is in Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge's district. Since Mr. LaBonge purports to be a friend to cyclists, Bike Girl would like to invite him to make this bike commute with her one evening to see how dangerous it is.

Bike Girl is calling for

1. Adequate Lighting (starting with fixing existing street lights)

2. Enforcement of existing speed limits to calm traffic and increase safety for all travelers

3. Repaving of this road, especially the right side

4. Opening Griffith Park to cyclists, not only during the Light Festival, but year round through the night so that there is more than one option for travel over the Hill.

Cyclists have the right to traffic signals, signage and maintenance standards that enable and support safe cycling according to Article 7 of the Cyclists Bill of Rights which is supported by Council Members Wendy Gruel, Bill Rosendahl, and Eric Garcetti.

Bike Girl cordially invites Tom LaBonge to drop her an email at bikegirlblog (at) gmail (dot) com and check out L.A.'s most dangerous street.

Bike Girl Vs The Cahuenga Pass Pt 2

Bike GIrl Gets Stood Up

Bike Girl Watches YouTube

2008-09-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

That New York Critical Mass rider who was knocked off his bike by a cop has had all charges against him dropped. Christopher Long was arrested after the incident in July for allegedly obstructing traffic and deliberately riding his bike into an officer.

But thanks to a bystander who was filming the whole thing, a video posted on YouTube shows NYPD Officer Patrick Rogan actually shoved Long off his bike as he tried to steer out of the way.

Officer Pogan has been assigned to desk duty while police continue to investigate.

Ballona Creek Warning

2008-08-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl has been unable to find much information about the below warning, forwarded to her by a fellow cyclist. However, Bike Girl believes it is always a good idea to use caution on this particular path.

-----------------

Ballona Trail Caution!
We would like to alert you of some recent crime activity on the Ballona Trail.
If you, or someone you know, uses the trail, please be aware and take precautionary
measures.

On Tuesday, August 19 around 1PM a cyclist was assaulted on the Ballona Creek
Trail under the 405 underpass. Two assailants threw a bicycle into the path of the
cyclist, causing him to crash. They then sprayed him with pepper spray and took his
backpack.

The victim rode to the LAPD Pacific Station and made a report. According to the
victim and police information, other cyclists were later accosted in this same area and one
was threatened with a knife.

If you choose to ride on Ballona Trail, please use extra caution, especially
around the underpasses. You may want to consider riding in pairs or in a larger group.

There have been other assaults on cyclists along this stretch of the
BallonaTrail and it is time to confront this situation directly.

LACBC has contacted Councilman Bill Rosendahl's office and they are contacting
LAPD about the matter. In addition, we will be working to convene a task force to
bring attention to this problem area and explore solutions.

Bike Girl May Be A Bait Bike

2008-08-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

Photo by onepointzero

Bike Girl is fairly attached to her various bicycles. Often when she leaves them parked outdoors, out of her eyesight, she worries that determined bike thieves will disassemble her bike and make off with her seat, lights, or wheels.

But every time Bike Girl sneaks out to check on her bike, it is untouched. She’s amazed at the lack of bike theft in Los Angeles. In fact, Los Angeles is nowhere to be found on Kryptonite’s list of the top 10 worst cities for bike theft.

However, things do still sometimes get taken. Bike Girl recommends that all cyclists invest in a quality lock and learn to *use it properly.

Police on the University of Wisconsin Madison campus have a different way to deal with bike theft. They’re using “bait bikes” outfitted with GPS devices to track them once they were stolen.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, 16 alleged bike thieves were arrested this summer.

Another part of the theft-deterrent-program is an awareness campaign. The police are distributing leaflets to all incoming students. The leaflets include stickers that say, “This Might Be A Bait Bike.”

Bike Girl supports this program, and thinks these stickers will be much more effective than another sticker on a bike at a college campus in Ohio.

Here are some of Bike Girl’s tips for locking your bike properly:

1. Actually lock it – you’d be amazed how many people’s bikes are stolen when they pop into the store for “just a minute.”

2. Lock it to something that can’t be moved – make sure that when you lock to something, your bike with the lock still on it can’t be moved. Tiny saplings can be cut or pulled out of the ground. Chain link fences are easily cut. Even some bike racks can be picked up off the ground with your bike locked to them and put in the bed of a truck.

3. Use a u-lock, the small kind – there are large and small u-locks. Even though the big ones look like they’d fit around more things, they really don’t. The little ones are big enough to fit around your frame and a parking meter and also fit easily in your pocket or purse.

4. Any part of the frame, except the fork works – you can u lock to any part of the frame. The lower on the frame you lock it, the more of a pain in the ass it is for thieves to break the lock.

5. If you expect it to rain, point the lock part of the u-lock towards the ground – that way you don’t get corrosion in the lock.

6. Use a cable too – the cable can lock the seat and wheels to the frame, while the u-lock keeps the bike attacked to the stationary object. A cable is also handy to have if there are no parking meters or good racks around. You can cable around a tree trunk in a pinch. Bike Girl frequently breaks this rule because she has a false sense of security cultivated by many many uneventful incidents of bike parking.

7. Don’t park your bike outside overnight – not only will your bike stay in better condition longer, thieves won’t see it parked for extended periods of time in the same place consistently. If they know you won’t be around for hours and hours, they have more time to mess with it.

8. The less space in the u-lock, the better – If there’s a bunch of space inside of the U, a thief can get a car-jack inside of it and bust it.

If you have other tips, please leave them in the comments section.

Bike Girl Figures It Out

2008-08-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl likes to keep an open mind, so she's been known to click over from time to time to see what sort of comments are being made about the recent Mandeville Canyon Incident. The most frequent complaint was that cyclists don’t obey the law and should therefore not be entitled to protection under it.

As a smug form of protest, Bike Girl has been obeying the law to the letter, both on her bike and when driving her car. She has noticed two things.

1. Obeying all traffic laws on her bicycle does not change the way drivers react to her, though it does give her a smug sense of self-righteousness.

2. Obeying all traffic laws in her car seems to make other car drivers even more frustrated with her than when she rides her bicycle.

While neither finding was surprising, when juxtaposed against the comments on the Mandeville Canyon incident, Finding Number 2 was slightly hilarious.

Bike Girl set out to quantify the phenomenon of law-breaking drivers by counting the number of drivers who turn without signaling, speed, and roll through red lights and stop signs. But in the middle of her extremely scientific survey, Bike Girl was astonished to see a fellow cyclist roll through a red light right in front of her.

The dangerous move did not do the Reckless Cyclist much good, because the smugly law-abiding Bike Girl was able to quickly catch up to her. When Bike Girl pointed out to the Reckless Cyclist's misdeed, she merely replied, "Oh well."

This took Bike Girl aback. This is a very similar response to one frequently given by Reckless Drivers! Bike Girl put her survey on hold to Ponder this. She rode home, smugly obeying all traffic laws, and put on her Pondering Cap.

Bike Girl decided the only way to find an explanation was through the use of Math. Bike Girl knows that according to the Transitive Property, if a = n, and b = n, then a = b. Therefore:

If Reckless Drivers = Jerks
And Reckless Cyclists = Jerks

Then Reckless Drivers are really the same as Reckless Cyclists!

This also implies that Jerks can either drive cars OR ride bikes! Yet for some reason, cyclists are all characterized as Reckless, whereas all drivers are not. No one says, "We cannot improve infrastructure for drivers because they speed." Yet, there is hesitation by many drivers to accept the rights of cyclists.

Even with her Pondering Cap on, Bike Girl cannot find any Math that explains this phenomenon.

Bike Girl Owns N Bicycles

2008-08-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

(Photo by Gary Kavanagh)

Some noir protagonists sit in smoky bars downing whisky neat to pass the time in this cold, cruel world. Bike Girl has a different addiction. Hers involves slouching over a keyboard browsing craigslist for the perfect other bicycle.

Bike Girl once heard that the appropriate number of bicycles to own is N + 1 bicycles, with N being the number of bicycles one already owns. Anyone who knows anything about Math can see that this could lead to financial ruin. Or at least, a space issue in one's studio apartment.

Due to a lapse in willpower and the negative influence of a colleague, Bike Girl has made yet another impulse bicycle purchase. She now owns not one, not two, but four bicycles. (Three of which are functional)

Bike Girl justified the purchase, saying that by buying this bike, she would actually be paring down her collection. This bike was supposed to serve the functions of two of her other bicycles, which she promised herself she would sell. While parting with one of these may be possible, Bike Girl is extremely attached to the other.

It is not a particularly great bicycle, but Bike Girl's hopeless romantic side has formed an emotional connection with it. For one, it is Bike Girl's favorite color. For two, it has fenders which are good for the beach or for the occasional puddle. For three, Bike Girl rescued it from the bottom of a pile at the co-op and nursed it back to health with pure love.

While bicycles are certainly a wonderful functional machine for transporting people and things from Point A to Point B, they are also simply wonderful machines. But if Bike Girl continues to appreciate them as art pieces, friends, and souvenirs, she may have to find a larger apartment.

Haven’t had enough? Bike Snob describes the N + 1 phenomenon in this entry.

Bike Girl Preferred The Pot Hole

2008-07-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Bike Girl got all dolled up over the weekend for a top secret rendezvous in Echo Park. She hopped on her extremely classy step-through and headed east. It should've been a simple commute.

But someone, or something, seemed determined to have Bike Girl killed.

That someone, Bike Girl suspects, is a lazy city employee. Likely one of Mayor Villaraigosa's pot hole repair special forces. Under the guise of making the roads safer, this mystery assailant appears to have turned an "innie" pothole, into an "outie."

Planted squarely in the Bike Lane on the eastbound side of Sunset Boulevard, is an asphalt mountain. This bump is about a foot and a half tall at it's peak, and takes up 7/8ths of the bike lane just before the Tropical Cafe.

Bike Girl only noticed the bump at the last minute. Had she seen it moments later, or reacted with any less than her typical cat-like reflexes, she may have suffered extreme injury...or worse.

In fact, shortly after Bike Girl discovered the bump, she heard that a Wolfpack rider fell victim to that same bump Monday night. Word on the streets is the rider, who thought he was safe in the bike lane, hit the bump and flew off his bike. Bike Girl hears he broke a finger and cut up his face.

Why an asphalt patch needs to be so tall is beyond Bike Girl's powers of comprehension. Bike girl urges cyclists to use caution in the eastbound bike lane on Sunset and to call 3-1-1 and report the problem. After all, according to provision 5 of the Cyclists Bill of Rights : Cyclists have the right to routine accommodations in all roadway projects and improvements.

Bike Girl Hears You Honking

2008-07-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

While riding around town, Bike Girl sometimes finds it is necessary to turn left. Turning left is a basic part of navigating through the city no matter what your mode of transit.

However Bike Girl recently encountered a driver who seemed to be convinced that turning left is a right reserved only for cars. Here's how it went down.

Bike Girl had stopped in the left turn lane of an intersection. While she stood with one foot on the pedal, hips cocked to one side, sunglasses perched smartly on her nose to hide her sidelong glance at an attractive male cyclist in the right turn lane, a car pulled into the left turn lane behind her.

The driver immediately pounded on the horn, jolting Bike Girl from the slightly naughty thoughts running through her head. She looked up at the light, but it was still red. So she turned around, to inquire as to the reason for the honk.

Bike Girl didn't have to ask, because the driver was already yelling about how bicycles are not allowed in the middle of the street. Bike Girl smiled sweetly at the misunderstanding and replied that she was actually turning left, so the driver did not need to worry.

But the driver kept sounding the horn, insisting that cyclists are not allowed to make left turns in the left turn lane. Now many cyclists know that CVC 21202 allows cyclists to move to the left to make a turn. And CVC 21200 allows cyclists all the same rights as a vehicle. She calmly quoted those two provisions to the driver. The driver insisted she was wrong and that he was absolutely sure that what she was doing was illegal.

Much to Bike Girl's pleasure, the attractive male cyclist she had been eyeing rolled over to make her case. At this point the light was still red, and the driver's progress has not yet been delayed even a moment. Adonis on Two-Wheels corroborated Bike Girl's claim to the lane, but the driver still insisted Bike Girl was behaving illegally.

At this point Bike Girl encouraged the driver to call the police and offered to wait while they came. However, before the words were fully out of her lips, the light turned green. Bike Girl proceeded through the intersection, making her legal left turn and the driver revved his engine and immediately parked at a business right on the corner. He went inside to make a purchase, showing that Bike Girl in no way threatened to make him late for any purpose. Bike Girl laughed.

This and other similar encounters show the need for increased driver education about the rules of the road.

Bike Girl owns a 4-wheeled vehicle, and until she converted to the two-wheeled side, she was never aware of any of the rules regarding road-sharing with cyclists.

A non-confrontational, zero-expense, yet seemingly effective tool would be to include a question on the California Driver's test about sharing the road with bicycles. This question, if missed, would require the potential driver to read through the part of the vehicle code that contains the answer. This would draw attention to the section. Since the tests are reprinted semi-frequently, there would be no extra expense to include that question in the next incarnation.

Until then, Bike Girl continues to smile each time she's honked at. Because as Bike Girl's ally in the world of anonymous bicycle blogging, Bike Snob NYC says, "Your beeping means you can see me, and I’m not worried about drivers who see me."

Bike Girl Battles The Bus Redux

2008-07-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

(continued from this post)

Bike Girl’s Metro contact came up empty on ways to increase bike access to busses. However, Bike Girl has heard a report that addresses her concerns.

History of Bike Racks: Apparently, Metro used to have bike racks INSIDE the Orange Line busses. Those racks were located in the rear of the bus. However, cyclists found it difficult to access the racks because Metro riders tend to congregate towards the rear of the bus. Metro also says it is dangerous for cyclists to try to move their bikes around while the bus is moving.

Danger: The Orange Line now has triple bike racks on the front of the bus. Metro decided to test out the system on the Orange Line because it is separated from other vehicular traffic. Metro decided that since cyclists whose bike is in the middle position often step into where traffic would be speeding around the bus in order to remove their bike, these racks are unsafe for use on regular busses.

So Now What: Metro says cyclists who want to use their bikes in conjunction with public transit should get folding bikes.

Personally, Bike Girl thinks that is a non-solution. But Metro appears enthusiastic.

In fact, according to the report Bike Girl heard, Metro is working on a program that would provide financial assistance to commuters who want to buy folding bikes. That’s according to Metro’s Bike Planning Manager Lynne Goldsmith.

Do these findings make Bike Girl’s commute across town using the bus any easier? No. In fact knowing that Metro’s best answer to the increase in cyclists is telling them to buy new bikes is discouraging to her.

Since Bike Girl seems to be able to beat the Rapid Bus across town anyway, she’s decided to stop trying to catch the bus, and just ride the 15 miles across town.

Bike Girl Writes A Positive Blog Post

2008-07-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

In a city where some drivers seem to prefer a dead cyclist to a live one, and some police officers don't seem to be on the side of the two-wheeled traveler, Bike Girl is taking to the streets to do her part .

The streets are tough, and so is Bike Girl. But even a Strong Female Protagonist like Bike Girl can get discouraged. Stories like this appear almost daily on the Los Angeles bicycle blogs. Bike Girl has had her own run-ins with drivers too. She's been hit not once, but three times by cars.

Bike Girl has a special technique she likes to use to overcome the Fear. The technique is a very scientific combination, arrived at through the use of Math and semi-illegal fireworks. The technique is called F.U.N.

Whenever Bike Girl finds she's acquired some amount of fear about commutes she's made many times on her trusty cycle, she calls on the help of her community. There are plenty of places Bike Girl can go to find sympathetic ears, encouragement, and a great time that renews her enthusiasm for biking. In no particular order, they are:

1. C.R.A.N.K. Mob

The mother of all social rides and the birthplace of F.U.N. When in the presence of C.R.A.N.K. Mob, Bike Girl is literally unable to imagine any situation in which she would hesitate to ride a bike.

2. Midnight Ridazz

If C.R.A.N.K. Mob is the birthplace of F.U.N., then Midnight Ridazz is the grandfather of F.U.N. Midnight Ridazz was the original place Bike Girl discovered the joys of taking the lane and the safety benefits thereof.

3. The Beach Bike Path

When Bike Girl wants to unwind with her Significant Other, she dons a dress and some heels and gingerly steps through the frame of her ladies single-speed from the 70's, places a picnic in the basket, and heads to the beach where she happily rides 10 miles an hour around stroller-pushing roller-bladers and drunk teenagers with the wind threatening her hemline. Pure bliss.

4. Santa Monica Blvd through Studio City in the early evening

One of the biggest fears Bike Girl has is riding alone at night in unpopulated areas. But at the same time, there's almost no greater joy than rolling on this stretch of bike path next to an empty street. The buildings are lit up but no one's there. It makes Bike Girl feel like the road is hers.

Even though frustration can be a part of urban riding in Los Angeles, Bike Girl will continue to ride.

Bike Girl Saves A Nickel

2008-07-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

In an effort to justify her cycling habit, Bike Girl put on her sexy nerd-glasses to do some commuter math. She wanted to find out if her commute actually saves her any money, or if it's simply an indulgence that allows her to feel smug with her bicycle resting against the wall of her cubicle.

Bike Girl bit on the end of a pencil eraser and scratched out some FORMULAS.

Miles driven divided by MPG = gallons used.
8.6/30 = .29

Gallons used multiplied by price per gallon = total price spent for miles driven.
.29 * $4.55 = $1.30

Since Bike Girl sometimes takes the Metro one way to avoid getting extremely sweaty before work, she subtracts the cost of the ticket from her gas savings.
$1.30 - $1.25 = $ .05

Bike Girl's daily commute saves her 5 cents on gas. If she commutes at least three days a week via bicycle for 50 weeks a year, her savings will add up to $7.50 a year.

Such a small number surprised Bike Girl. So she has decided to focus on other advantages to bike commuting. She has decided it is still worth it!

Bike Girl Battles The Bus

2008-06-24T19:53:00.001-07:00

Bike Girl was on her way to a Top Secret Meeting across town. She was in a bus-riding mood, so she struck a pose with her bicycle at a Metro Rapid stop. The first bus to pull up had a full rack of bikes on the front, so Bike Girl had to wait.

"A full bike rack is a positive development," thought Bike Girl as she shifted her weight onto the other hip to await the next bus.

But as the next bus pulled up 20 minutes later, Bike Girl's enthusiasm for the growing number cyclists utilizing the Metro to extend their bike-able range began to wane. She noticed that this bus also had a full bicycle rack.

Bike Girl tried to use her undeniable Charm to convince the bus driver to allow her to carry her trusty cycle on to the nearly empty bus, but to no avail. She rested her frame against her knee as she sat at the stop, resigned to wait for yet another bus.

As Bike Girl waited, she did some Math. She had already waited at the stop for more than 30 minutes. By the time the third bus arrived, she would have waited for 50 minutes. Since it takes her less time than that to ride to her Top Secret Destination, she was disappointed indeed.

The third bus rolled into view and Bike Girl did a double-take. Surely three busses in a row could not be filled to capacity with bikes. But it was true. The third bus's bicycle rack was also full. Now exasperated, Bike Girl defiantly mounted her bicycle in front of the bus. When the light turned green, she raced off across town, vowing to leave that bus in the dust in revenge for the delay.

Since Bike Girl prefers to focus on Solutions, she leapt into action. The next business day, she placed a call to Metro to find out if anything would be done to address the needs of the increasing amount of Metro passengers who utilize Bicycles as a way to make their commute on public transit more efficient.

Bike Girl's Metro contact has assured her she is investigating the matter.

…to be continued!