Calling all working class bike jerks---L.A. is on the phone

According to one of my favorite Missing Persons songs, 'Nobody walks in L.A.'...I've realized that this is because they're all riding bikes...Okay, well some are. Actually, lots are!

L.A.'s bike community is booming. And this weekend people from bike communities in Phoenix, Bay Area, SAN DIEGO and more are visiting L.A. for a couple of reasons.

1. The POLO-Q Labor Day BBQ/friendly invite is goin' down Saturday and Sunday from 3-8pm each day. Ponder your memories of laborious toil and then raise your mallets in the air for polo unity and celebration!:



Act! 11455 Magnolia Blvd. I'll be there along w/ the core SD polo kids.

The other reason (#2) some SD heads are makin' the trip to LA is for the Bike Film Festival!

Which reminds me, the SD Bike Film Festival is goin' down next week/weekend, September 9-12! Don't miss it.

And while I'm in L.A. this weekend I'm gonna see what's up w/ the Fuck Yeah Festival. Hopefully I'll get to see San Diego's 90s hardcore band Unbroken and !!!, one of my favorite bands for live shows and for riding music.

Put simply, LA is goin' off.

Next weekend, however, it's all about SD.

Out!

Tomorrow at 5pm!: The Cretins Present First-Annual PUNKOLYMPICS

This is gonna go off!


(Flier by Muerte).


(Flier by Acamonchi).

Tonite at 6pm: Manivela Delivery Alley Cat Race

San Diego's own bicycle-drive food delivery service, Manivela, is organizing their second-ever alleycat race tonite:



If you get into a crash tonite Manivela will deliver you a band-aid, most likely for free. Food, however, costs $5 anywhere in the center/mid-city area. Support.

Ride safe tonite, homies.

Cyclist Struck From Behind By Motorist Suffers Severe Head Injuries

A cyclist riding on Clairemont Mesa Blvd on August 25 was struck from behind by a motorist. The motorist was going so fast that the cyclist "went over" the hood of the car after being struck from behind by the motorist. Severe head, pelvic, and facial injuries were/have been sustained by the cyclist.

Fortunately, the motorist did not flee the scene. According to the Advisory Message report released by the SDPD, 'The driver of the car did not see the bicyclist due to the sun in his eyes.'

Analysis w/ possible solutions for crash prevention:

Obviously, the driver should have used more discretion when driving under conditions that prevented him from having the ability see. But what does the law say?

According to the California Vehicle Code's Basic Speed Law,

CVC 22350. No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.

[Italicized emphasis has been added]

Sounds like the motorist violated the Basic Speed Law since the sun was in his eyes and failed to safely control his car and yield. It's nice to know that there was a law that's meant to protect us from such situations. However, this law did not protect this innocent cyclist. One innocent man may have the mental and physical quality of his life comprised forever, while the other is sitting fine.

So, what can be done? Prosecution of the above-mentioned motorist is certainly desirable.

How can these crashes be prevented in the future? One SD Bike Coalition email list contributor suggested that California create a Strict Liability Law that is similar to countries in Europe:



In summary, as far as I understand, a motorist involved in a crash w/ a vulnerable road user (such as a cyclist) is assumed to be guilty and must prove how he/she could NOT have prevented the crash from happening, under the Strict Liability law.

It's reasonable to assume that under the Strict Liability law, drivers would drive far more cautiously. Doing so would create a safer and more pleasant society for all road users; cyclists, other motorists, pedestrians, the disabled, the elderly, and children.

To get involved, contact your local political representatives and/or the California Bike Coalition to learn how you can help.

If you have any info in regards to the above-mentioned crash please contact the SDPD investigators who are working on this case. More info on the crash and contacts here.

Our thoughts go out to the cyclist and his family.

Edit to original entry: Meant to italicize 'visibility' rather than 'weather' when citing the Basic Speed Law. Thanks to the reader who pointed this out. My mistake. Now fixed.

Saddle up tomorrow nite at CM and keep it posi

The last official CM of the summer is goin' down tomorrow nite. Same place and time that's been for several years.

Please remember the following:

Keep it posi.

Communicate. See something you do or don't approve of? Then use your voice, positively, in a constructive manner.

Thank motorists for waiting. This goes a long ways.

Please stay off the bridge--it's unsafe.

And most importantly ride safe, look out for one another, and have fun.

This is a huge weekend for bikes, so check the following entries for more on what's goin' down.

Band Touring On Bikes Set to Ride/Play SD this Wednesday

Kentucky-based cellist, singer, songwriter Ben Sollee and his band have chosen SD to kick off their bike-powered tour of the U.S. This tour, known as the Ditch The Van Tour which has pulled sponsors like the League of American Bicyclists, is extremely impressive. The band will be riding--with equipment in tow!--from SD to SF to Colorado to D.C. and more in between.

The Ditch The Van Tour is about going car-free, minimizing your carbon footprint, discovering one's preferred pace of life, it's about the city and its infrastructure, and about connectivity not just across the country but about connectivity to towns and to the people who live in them.

Connect w/ the first leg of the tour this Wednesday, Aug. 18 when Sollee and band ride to Sushi Art (390 11th Ave) in Downtown SD to perform. Sollee and band are asking people to join them on the SD ride. This ride meets at Velo Cult at 5pm, departing at 6:30pm to head downtown for the show.

Come support this working-class bicyclist on the mic.

Tomorrow: Tour De Five Cities, B.L.A.H. Benefit for Bike Coalition

Blind Lady Ale House (B.L.A.H.) and Adams Ave. Bike Shop are organizing a bike ride and benefit for the SD County Bicycle Coalition tomorrow, Sunday Aug. 14. The ride meets at Adams Ave. Bikes at 8:30am. The group will then head down to the ferry landing to catch the ferry into Coronado and ride down the Strand, around the bay, and back up to Blind Lady Ale House. B.L.A.H. is a bike-friendly restaurant/ale house who is sponsoring the Bicycle Film Festival and is a member of the SD Bike Commuter Discount Program.

15% of all purchases made at B.L.A.H. on Sunday, Aug. 14 will be donated to the Bike Coalition, who works to improve bicycling for all cyclists in the entire county. So come support a group who takes action to make life better!

This Weekend!: SD Bike Polo Invite & BBQ!

Super stoked for this!

I heard that players from Utah, Arizona, LA, and Claremont (the City) are coming down for this. Technically it's not a tournament--it's basically a friendly invite for comp. gaming and a polo fest w/ party elements.

Either way, it's gonna be awesome. Be there. Saddle up and mallet up.

This Weekend!: Street Art Rides in Tijuana and San Diego!

This is going to be a blast!



I love riding Tijuana. I've been riding from SD to TJ since I was 15 years old as a mountain bike-loving high school kid growing up in Chula Vista (several miles from the border).

The ride in Tijuana tomorrow is going to be very special--Sezio and Rurista Libre are leading the ride to a number of secret spots featuring sick street art.

The TJ Ride (the first of two rides) is meeting at the south side of the pedestrian border crossing in Colonia Federal at 1pm.

The second ride is the SD Ride goin' down this Sunday. That ride meets at 11am next to Shepard Fairey's new piece that he put a couple weeks ago on the Urban Outfitters in Hillcrest.

More info at the Facebook event page and on the Sezio website.

Both rides are fully backed by Los Cruzadores, the SD to TJ transnational bike crew and this blog, Bic Control: Bicyclists on the Mic!

Defiance, Ohio Bike Workshop--A Belated Photo Recap

Thanks to everyone who came to the Bike Workshop at The Che Cafe! This is an incredibly belated "thank you" on the blog, but as I mentioned at the workshop and in person, we're all incredibly grateful that so many people came out to support!

Every aspect of the nite was on-point. The ride was fun, the veegun dinner was yummy, Death Pedal 2 (attended by Gus Molina and Andy Compton from Fast Pace Zine) was killer as per usual, the Bike Maintenance 101 by Bikes Del Pueblo was well done, the Make Your Own LED Light 101 by down-to-earth genius Cairie Riney was incredible and unique, the Know Your Rights 101 was delivered in between bands to 200 kids under one roof, and the bands were super sick and rowdy.

Overall, we found the evening to be empowering. It was everything we wanted it to be. Thanks to everyone who was apart of it!

Been delaying this follow-up entry for far too long, so I'm just gonna keep it simple:




Cairie Riney designed the LED light and lead the workshop.




Ryan from Defiance, Ohio doesn't fuck around. The band brought their own soldering iron. DIY or die.


Kon w/ the Swampdonkey piece in the back.


The materials for the 30 lights got called for quick. Huge 'Thank You!' to the SD County Bike Coalition for providing the funding for materials for 30 lights!

(Above photos by Nick Never Die).


The completed double LED light made out of a Tic Tac box.


This photo was taken in a completely dark room w/ no other lighting. As you can see, the double LED light is quite powerful. The guide (created by Cairie) that we used to assemble the lights will be posted on up on the blog when I fix my scanner.


Bikes Del Pueblo covering the basics at the Maintenance 101.


Ken from Bikes Del Pueblo.

(Above two photos by La Keev).


The Che was packed! By the time we rolled up at 6pm there were already 40-ish kids there. More and more kids kept showing up to fully pack The Che to its 200 person capacity!--making the evening the first sold out event at The Che in about eight months. Thanks to Scott at Animal Spirits for promoting this event so well.

The first band of the evening was Jehova's Fitness, one of my favorite bands in San Diego. As I've said on this blog before, and as I claim to this day, there isn't a single musician in SD who has more mic control than Jehova's Fitness' Danny Munoz.

After Jehova's Fitness was the Know Your Rights 101. It was really rad to have 200 kids present for this section.

Following that was Koalacaust who I had never seen before. They were super fun and are definitely worth making a point to see in the future.


Defiance, Ohio draws a crowd--and rightfully so. Few bands of today are as raw and as important and as down-to-earth as Defiance, Ohio.

(Above photo by Alex Kacha).


(Photo by Nick Never Die).

(The following photos are by Alex Kacha):











This workshop was one of the most amazing bike events I've ever been a part of. It was both unique and empowering. Once again, thanks to all who made it possible. If you weren't there, you missed out. That is all. Goodnight.

-B.C.

Up the Bike Punks...and Nerds

The widely anticipated San Diego Comic Con is goin' down this weekend! Shit sold out like 3 years ago. So you gotta be Bansky to get in. If you're not Banksy then I recommend that you get to work on your Kaneda costume so at the very least you can do a few laps around the Convention Center on your track bike, scopin' out the sitch' on afterparties:

(Kaneda from the greatest Japanese animation film of all time, AKIRA. If you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend it; especially if you love the idea of post-apocalyptic cities run by kids in motorcycle gangs. This fixed gear rendition of Kaneda is by Shera One).

See you at the Storm Trooper Dance Party this Saturday nite?

This Saturday: Tour De Fairmount by Bikes Del Pueblo

This Saturday the Bikes Del Pueblo crew is organizing Tour De Fairmount, a benefit event and bike party:

I know Jehovas Fitness is playing but I'm not sure who the other bands are at this point.

Come support this co-op, volunteer operation. Should be fun! Dance off?! Say word!

New Bike Polo Chapter in SD County---Chula Vista

When I showed up to SD Bike Polo last Wednesday I was stoked to see that there was a whole new crew of poloists present. When I learned that they were all from Chula Vista--my hometown!--I was ecstatic.

For those unfamiliar w/ Chula, the city is technically it's own independent municipality that's located in south San Diego County, several miles from the most crossed international border in the world. The best thing about C.V. is the underground punk rock scene (i.e. The Zeros in the late '70s and an internationally respected hardcore punk scene that blew up in the '90s). The shittiest thing about C.V. is the terribly unfriendly bicycling environment. The city is an uninspiring, sprawled, post-WWII, suburban, auto-centric, tract home design. The side-view mirrors of "fuck-you-all" SUVs often fly by w/in a foot of your head all while the motorist--more than likely not a cyclist--yaps on the phone.

Somehow, somewhere (near a roller hockey rink in east Chula, to be exact) a bike polo community has risen up.

(CVBP visits SDBP).

CVBP plays on at-least a weekly basis at a hockey rink in the Eastlake neighborhood of east Chula Vista. If you live in South Bay hit 'em up on their Facebook page to find out when they're gonna play next. Great crew of kids w/ a unique playing style! And make sure to get their killer logo tattooed on your brain!:



Done and done.

RIP ATIP

Tonite marks two years since our fallen friend Atip collided w/ a motorist at the deadly Park Blvd. & University Ave. intersection. At that same intersection friends will gather tonite at 7pm in remembrance of his life, taken far too early.

(Atip Ouypron will never be forgotten).

Tonite: Velo Cult Two Year Anniversary Party w/ Scott McDougal

Velo Cult and friends are celebrating the two-year birthday of the South Park bike shop. Scott McDougal, acoustic traveler/"ramblin' man"-esque folk rock artist will be performing in the shop, which respected farm-to-table restaurant owner Jay Porter once described as a communal space.

In addition to selling world-class vintage steel bikes, Velo Cult has kindly opened their doors on numerous occasions to host important events such as open Q&As w/ local politicians, film screenings, and bike advocacy discussions in their South Park shop for the past two years.

It's hard to believe that Velo Cult has been in South Park for two years now. Sometimes it still feels like they just moved in. But then again, upon reflection--if I may be a contrarian here--Velo Cult owner Sky Boyer has been involved in the city-area bike scene for quite awhile.

I first met Sky on a Critical Mass ride in the spring of '06, back when there were only about 50 people on the monthly ride. Today, there are over 1,200 who attend on a monthly basis. While 4 1/2 years ago may not seem like 'quite awhile' to some, in San Diego bike scene terms, it is. That's because SD, as I claim, is the fastest growing and most progressive bike scene in the country. It's changed a lot--and for the better--during the last 5 years.

Sky Boyer, who travels to bike swaps across the West Coast in order to bring more steel bikes to SD, has undoubtedly played a significant role in that development.

Congrats to Sky and his employees, Alex, Anthony, and Tom.

Celebrate w/ them and friends tonite at Velo Cult.

This Saturday: Manivela Delivery One Year Anniversary Alleycat & Party

Show some love for Manivela, your favorite carbon off-setting, human/bike-powered food delivery service this Saturday nite at the One Year Anniversary Celebration Alleycat Race and Afterparty:


This is what Manivela is about:


Big ups to Matthew, founder of Manivela, and all the riders and customers for keeping this business going and growing.

This Monday, July 5!: Defiance, Ohio + Bike Workshop @ Che Cafe!

This is it! This coming Monday July 5 is gonna be out of control! It's easily one of my most anticipated days of the year. Here's why:


Yeah boiii!!! The day is gonna be packed to the brim. Defiance, Ohio, Jehovas Fitness, Koalacaust, Animal Spirits (whose booking the show), The Bike Kitchen (doing the Maintenance 101), Cairie Riney (doing the Light 101), The Che Cafe, SD County Bicycle Coalition, and Bic Control are coming together to bring you a slammin' and empowering day!

In case you're overwhelmed by the awesomeness crammed onto the flier, here's what's goin' down in chronological order:

-4:30pm: Bike ride to The Che meets at the Big Fountain at Balboa Park.

-5:30pm: Vegan dinner cooked by the amazing and talented Che chefs and you if you'd like to volunteer!

-6:00pm: Screening of UCSD Alumni Kareem Shehab's Death Pedal 2 during dinner.

-6:30pm: Bike Workshop organized by Bic Control: Bicyclists on the Mic!

Workshop section 1: Maintenance 101 by The Bike Kitchen aka Bikes Del Pueblo.

Workshop section 2: Know Your Rights 101. Ever wonder exactly what it is you're entitled to on the road? The socio-cultural behavior of many motorists pressures cyclists into the gutters. But what does the law say? Knowing your rights can help you ride w/ greater confidence.

Workshop section 3: Make Your Own LED Bike Light 101. This section will be lead by Cairie Riney, UCSD Alumni and one of the founders of UCSD's Interdisciplinary Computing and Arts Cult (ICAC). Cairie has designed her own prototype light and on Monday you can learn how to make one, too.

The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition has very generously provided funding for light materials! The funding will allow us to buy materials for 30 lights. To get a light you must RSVP at BicControl[at]gmail[com]. Hurry up because there are only several lights left for RSVP!


After all that, it's time to dance w/ Koalacaust, Jehovas Fitness, and finally, Defiance, Ohio.

Defiance, Ohio is one of the best live bands in the history of punk rock. There could be no better venue for this show than The Che Cafe.


(Defiance, Ohio in Brooklyn. Photo by Konstantin Sergeyev).

Monday, July 5 is not to miss. One disclaimer, though: Be respectful of other people or don't come at all. Racist, sexist, or homophobic behavior will not be tolerated. It's a serious policy but a quite simple and reasonable premise.

As if you needed further encouragement to come out, SD City Beat's 'If I Were U' picked this show as Plan A for Monday, July 5.

After the bands, we'll ride back down to North Park area in solidarity, illuminating the roadway w/ our new hand-made DIY LED bike lights.