Phil Wood - I Never Knew Bike Parts Could be this Fabulous!

Last night's San Jose Bike Party ride was a memorial ride in honor of Phil Wood, a bicyclist who re-invented bicycle hubs, established a bicycle parts manufacturing business and made truly excellent bicycle parts.

 He died recently but his company lives on. Thousands of bicyclists gathered last night at the Phil Wood Company before heading out on their ride.  Tours of the company were available and while I never thought machine shops were anything I could get into, I ended up loving the tour.

Phil Wood hubs are gorgeous and the design and manufacturing process was fascinating. I had no idea San Jose was home to this very special company.

One Year Anniversary of Bicycling

Cement horse planter on E. St. John

This month marks the one year anniversary of riding my bike to work. The decision to commute by bike became so much more than I anticipated.  I didn't expect to enjoy riding so much or ride so many places other than work.  I didn't expect to see so much more of the city and I didn't expect to rethink so many things that I just did by habit. I didn't think I'd be getting a new bike but I did.  I quit riding the cruiser in favor of a very lightweight custom re-built 1986 Schwinn Traveler that I can lift onto the light rail bike racks with ease. Here is the break-down of my year of riding:

4 flat tires
2 accidents
1 tiny facial scar
2 very scarred knees
6 pound weight loss (without trying)
207 gallons of gas saved
many new bike-related friendships

Cement horse on E. St. John St.

I was expecting to save money by not buying gas to commute but when I calculated the cost of my light rail passes and subtracted that amount from the money saved in gas, it was about a wash. Still, a year on the road in my opinion: priceless.

San Jose Bike Party - 25 Miles of Non-Stop Fun

I can't believe I did this! The ride, at 25 miles, was the longest in Bike Party history and 11 miles further than I had ever ridden my bike in one day. San Jose Bike Party occurs every third Friday night of the month and my usual approach is to plan on going and then at the last minute come up with some excuse not to go.  Well this month I had no intention of going, in fact I had other plans (which got rescheduled). So here it was Friday night and I was really tired and it was really hot and I was just sitting around trying not to be miserable.  Then I read a comment on my blog that said "Maybe I'll see you at the Bike Party tonight" and I decided to just do it. The pre-ride started at Woz Way in downtown San Jose but the real start was over at Mission College in Santa Clara.  Once I got to the start of the ride I couldn't believe my eyes.  There was a vast sea of bike riders, thousands they say, and everyone totally amped up and ready to roll.  Some riders pulled sound systems so there was plenty of music and the theme was "Gender Bender" so there were plenty of colorful people cross-dressing to entertain us and the atmosphere was exhilarating. For one night a month bicyclists rule the rode.  They fill the streets, make tons of noise, go a little crazy (but stay safe) and just have fun. And I have to say I amazed myself. One of the stops was at a four story parking garage and just about everybody rode to the top floor.  I don't do hills and I was just going to wait it out but it sounded like so much fun up there on the roof that with some encouragement from a fellow rider, I rode to the top.  It was FANTASTIC! I hooked up with the good people from Bicycle Express who embraced the Bike Party rule of "No one left behind." They stopped and fixed a broken chain for a guy and stopped again to repair a flat tire for someone.  It was 1:30 a.m. when they dropped me back home.  What a night.

So Much Happening in San Jose, I Can't Keep Up!

Last weekend I blogged about the opening of Safeway and the re-opening of Carnegie Library but there were at least two other special events I attended that I just can't ignore here.  For a period of nine days, San Jose State University played host to a series of free open-air concerts by Symphony Silicon Valley.  I really dropped the ball on this one because I didn't get to one until the last day but it was a delight!  The theme was Brass Band and Ice Cream Social with Tony Clements conducting.  There was free ice cream (from Treat) and free bottled water and a very laid-back atmosphere.  Nobody telling you "Don't sit there, don't do that, you can't ride your bike here."  None of that.  Just relaxing fun.

And then there was the Bicycle Express 25th anniversary celebration and bar-b-que.  They really went all out with free food and drinks, a live band and a raffle with fabulous prizes (I was one of the winners!) Congratulations and thank you Bicycle Express for serving the bicycling community for 25 years.

Viewer Discretion Advised

This is not exactly how I wanted "Bike to Work Week" to end. I had planned something more glorious - riding in the San Jose Bike Party Friday night ride. Instead, while riding home from work I braked too hard to avoid riding into a car and my bike stopped then skidded out on gravel and I kept going and landed on the street. Now listen up bike riders: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET! The damage would have been a lot worse if I had not been wearing my helmet. Also: ALWAYS CARRY A CELL PHONE! One call and my Forest Hill friends came to my rescue, took me to urgent care, took away my bike and took me home. I love you guys.

Bike to Work Day is Coming - Prepare!

Since I began biking to work last September, I've learned a few things. First, it is probably not a good idea to choose your bicycle based on how well the color goes with the color of your house (really well). I love my bike but had I known about the overhead bike racks on light rail I never would have chosen the heaviest bike on the market. Another really important thing I've learned is that if you intend to ride your bike and save the planet, sometimes your friends are going to have to make some sacrifices like hauling 20 pound bags of bird seed to school for you and so it really helps to have nice friends. And speaking of friends, I've learned that you meet a lot of very likable people when commuting by bike and light rail. It never ceases to amaze me how many people have these interesting lives and great stories to tell. I have also learned that I don't really need to buy everything I thought I needed to buy. When faced with detour of considerable distance, I often decide I can do without (quite nicely) the thing I planned to purchase. I've learned how relaxing and pleasant it is to ride and how much more I notice in the landscape when I'm out of the car and off the main roads. People have begun to recognize me and wave and give me a shout out as I pass. I passed an older woman this morning, someone I see all the time and she called out to me to say that she finally got her bike out and started riding. I would like to say I've inspired an army of people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes but I haven't exactly done that. Two good friends did go out and buy bikes this year though and I'm proud of them. Check out the Bike to Work website and who knows, maybe you'll be inspired.

Bicycle Express - I Love this Place!

Thursday, May 14th, is Bike to Work Day and I was thinking about how much I like commuting by bicycle, which got me to thinking how much I wanted a commuter cup holder for my handlebars and so I decided to swing by Bicycle Express on my way home tonight.  What I encountered as I rode up to Bicycle Express (131 E. Williams) was the usual scene of people hanging out, talking, repairing bikes and taking bikes for a spin.  Sure it is a bike shop that sells bikes, bike parts and bike accessories but more than that it is a place to gather, sort of a hub of local bicycle activity.  I am guessing that the wonderful people who own this place are not in the business to get rich, they are here because they like helping people and they like bikes.  I have seen them make minor repairs for free, teach people how to make repairs themselves (and let them use the shop tools) and one bike commuter acquaintance of mine claims the owner even made a special trip to the shop on a Sunday to fix his bike.  Today, many of the bike shop tools had migrated out to the sidewalk in front of the shop where a crowd of cyclists were fixing their bikes.  Bicycle Express is where I bought my bike and when the manufacturer was back ordered and it was taking awhile for the bike to arrive, the owners of Bicycle Express did everything short of traveling to the factory and building it themselves, to get my bike to me as soon as they could.  The shop is so tiny that on a typical day one can barely thread their way through to the counter but it is packed with just about everything a bicyclist could want.  And as of this Thursday, that will include commuter cup holders.

Riding in the Rain and Loving Light Rail

When I first began riding to work I figured I'd be a fair-weather rider. I planned to take the car during rainy or any other weather extreme. But then one day on the way home from work I got caught in the rain and I didn't mind it at all. The key to being comfortable the rest of the day is to wear pants that dry quickly, not jeans. As for cold, the coldest we have in San Jose would be considered balmy in parts of the country where they have real winters. I protect my ears with a windproof, wool lined headband and I'm perfectly comfortable. And now for a plug for Light Rail. If you live anywhere near a light rail station and/or work near one, you should give it a try. Sixty-one dollars a month buys you a pass that allows you to ride any part of the transportation system as much as you want. The light rail trains are clean and punctual and provide special cars and indoor racks for bikes. The bike ride part of my commute is 10 miles a day and the train ride part is 32 minutes a day. I love it.