Oh to be spring again...

The new picture on http://www.ci.slc.ut.us/ has me dreaming of warm sunny days of bicycling bliss:



But reality is stark, cold and reassuringly quiet these days.

On another note, I decided to add a bunch of SLC Contacts for your cycling woes on the left side of the page under "Salt Lake City Contacts". Hit a pothill or crunch some serious debris? Click the "Bicycle Route Maintenance" and let the city know. Want to be involved in the latest direction of bicycling in Salt Lake City? Visit the Mayors bicycle Advisory Committee. Have a rant for the mayor himself about your cycling woes, or want to thank him for something? The mayors email address is also on the left hand side of the page for you to copy and paste into your favorite electronic mail writer.

As always, SaltCycle is always looking for new content and new riders that are writers in Salt Lake City. Drop a line if interested.

gather a divetribe, cycle, then recycle.

ice. snow. slush. crap. earlier this week we got a brief exhale from the icy hell, only to be showered down upon again with yet another nasty storm. you know the story, you have all experienced it on the sidewalks and in the streets. the caution prone might choose to do some bike mania on ice to get that bicycleish feel, but the rest of us have this every growing itch, a twitch in the legs that calls us when we have been away from our bicycles too long - so i call a call to gather a tribe - a divetribe.


divetribe is an assembled tribe of 3-4 individuals who enjoy plundering the trashbins in efforts to locate treasure, because as the quotable quote quotes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

the bicycle involvement comes in as a means of transportation to and from each location to haul your goods. each cyclist has their preferred setup, woodenbikes on instructables offers his own variation with a dumpster dove bicycle. i carry a giant army bag, and sometimes have an extra bike cart. gloves and a light are also essential tools.


what you dive for is up to you. if it is sold, it can be found in the dumpster. while the 'whatever you dive' is easier to discern, many people become lost on the 'when do you dive?' i have found it is best to dumpster dive in the winter because fewer people are outside and so you have fewer encounters. i also enjoy diving at night, but have gone in the day too. (be sure to have at least one blinker if you night dive.) for further specifics, google knows all.

So I Decided to Sell My Car 02

Day 26 of the No Car- 12/23/2007 current mileage: 0087

It's been almost a month now since I've been car-free. Before I sold my car I thought that it would be somewhat difficult because I thought there would be many cases where I'd need a car. This speculation has turned out to be absolutely wrong. Only three times during this period have I REALLY needed to ask for a ride or use someone's car:

1. To Take and pick up friends from the airport (which will soon become a no car no problem task as they will be extending the train out to the airport soon!)

2. To pick up this new coffee table I bought from craigslist.

3. Yesterday I felt sick and it was realllly cold out so I asked T to drive me to the store to get Christmas lights.

So yes, I haven't ONCE thought "Man I wish I had a car". No kidding! It's like not even a thing! I don't even think about it!


The train has been way good to me and I have yet to have to take the bus. One of the cool benefits that I've found is I've discovered all sorts of things that are very close to my apartment that I didn't know about before. For example I needed some art supplies and the store I usually go to is a chain art store about 3.5 miles away in Sugar House. It was pretty cold the day I wanted to go so I looked it up online and found that there is a mom and pop art store only about a mile from my house and real close to trax. I decided to go to that one instead and not only did I like it much better than the other art store but I also found myself supporting a local business over a big box store. As it turns out, that art store has been operating for 80 years and I seriously would have never searched for it had it not been for the fact that I didn't want to ride my bike to Sugarhouse in the cold:)

So yes, life has been good. T is buying me the wheel-set I want for my second bicycle for Christmas and I need a few things for my current commuter like a back fender to ward off the wet snow and rain from this season as well as a new front light. Wait a second... another bicycle you say? Yes I have been building a second bike for some time now because I think it's important to have two if you are using it for your main transportation. In case one gets run over by a car or something I can't be left without ANY transportation but my Legsus (legs haha). My work, for example, is too far for that and It's COLD OUT! haha. It's taking long to build though because I've been a little picky about the components I have on there. As soon as I get the wheels, though, it should at least be in working order.

So, for now, I'll leave it to a Merry Christmas and all that jazz. Godbless you on your walk, ride, or drive.

-CB

Salt City Sprints - T O N I G H T !

tonight @ 8pm

The Urban Lounge
241 South 500 East
Salt Lake City, Utah
[MAP]

$7 @ the door. This is going to be a benefit for the slc bike collective so a good sum of the money will go back to them.

sampler video of what the Salt City Sprints will be like:

(Ontario, Canada Sprints)

more info:
http://www.saltcitysprints.com/

SaltCycle Spoke Card/Flier/Graphic.

this is a preview. the original is more grainy, salt-like:

http://thezoed.googlepages.com/saltcyclespokecardrunone.pdf

Bike Related Excerpts From Mayor Becker's State of the City Address

"One of the first Salt Lake Solutions community projects will emerge in the Euclid neighborhood of our city. In that neighborhood, there is a beautiful historic Victorian home—the Fisher Mansion—built on the bank of the Jordan River. The city acquired the property through a purchase to complete a segment of the Jordan River Trail.

The Fisher Mansion project potentially meets multiple community objectives: advancing historic
preservation, tying together our waterways and urban trails network, expanding cultural
offerings, showcasing environmental stewardship, and offering public access via bus from
TRAX and a bike path. Ultimately, this facility offers a great opportunity for our city,
neighborhood residents, visitors and local businesses.

............

We are blessed with majestic mountains, ribbons of rivers and streams, and a progressive
approach to the use of energy in our buildings and transportation system. To optimize our assets
for our quality of life and economic opportunities, I want to see Salt Lake City rapidly take giant
steps forward.

I will accelerate the planning and funding for Salt Lake Bikeways. Among the new bikeways,
Salt Lake City will have a dedicated bikeway for City Creek to the Jordan River and west to the
airport.

I will ramp up action on the Jordan River: parkway completion, a trail the length of the river in
Salt Lake City, and restoration of the river corridor. The valley-wide effort needs our full
participation, and we need to think long-term about making the Jordan River watershed a model
for ecological restoration and a pleasing amenity for our residents and visitors. Since I’ve been
talking about the Jordan River during the campaign and through the transition to my new
position, volunteers have flooded my office, and I’m excited to leverage our City resources with
actions by other communities along the Jordan River, our residents, the State of Utah and the
federal government. An action plan will be forthcoming to detail our steps to success.

.............

To address air quality and climate change we will move aggressively forward with rail and
transit programs, enhancing our neighborhood service centers and creating a bikeway system that
enables commuters, families, and recreationists to move through our City safely and
comfortably.

............

The elements of the plans that need our attention include the creation of a downtown cultural
district, preservation of the Utah Theater and development of a Broadway-style Performing Arts
Center; creation of a year-round Public Market; working with the state of Utah for a Global
Exchange Place; the creation of a Downtown Parking Authority; initiation of a downtown transit
circulator system; capitalizing on the completion of commuter rail from the north and our
Intermodal Hub Central Station providing bike lockers, bike rental facilities and a safe bikeway
system downtown; and developing, in conjunction with the University of Utah, an extension of
the campus to our downtown and along the transit lines of University Boulevard (400 South)
with research, classroom and housing facilities in a manner that is compatible with existing
neighborhoods."

- Bike Related Excerpts From Mayor Becker's State of the City Address Jan. 15, 2008 with added links where appropriate.


..and one last word from Rocky - >

Rocky's regrets:

Not designating separate bicycle paths and devoting too little one-on-one time to the City Council.

"We could be the foremost bicycling community if we could take those measures," he says, suggesting Mayor-elect Ralph Becker and the new City Council push bike paths.
-SLC Trib.

So now we have an audience, lets get out and bike so they know we exist and they we too, have a voice. I too think we have the potential to be an amazing bicycling community. I visited Portland and remember thinking, these streets are too narrow, these one ways too confusing, I miss cycling in SLC. While Portland is amazing, and we will never be able to be them, I believe Salt Lake City with its wide streets and progressive nature can become one of the best bicycling locations in the United States. Ryan had me sold long ago on his article when he mentioned it being potentially the year of the bike, and as I look at all the change for good in bicycling in SLC, I know it is the Year of the Bike.

Bicycle Mass @ Church of the Big Ring

The latest website from the cyclist of the Salt Lake City community is ready to convert you to the way of the cycle, nay not the cycle alone, the way of the big ring.








Repent of your ill cycling ways and join "the Rev" and others @:

http://thechurchofthebigring.com/

Roswell That Ends Well When Bicycling.

I started on a cart run today that ended up being 10 miles round trip from my house to the grocery store NPS Market Square.


The last time I did this in the winter I got caught in the middle of a snow storm and my groceries were caked in mud, crud and other uglies picked up in a snow storm.

I call my current setup for a bicycle cart the Roswell Cart as it is spray painted on the back side a bright glowing neon green and has a bent New Mexico license plate with a reflector on it. Roswell Cart because while bikes are an oddity in Salt Lake City, bicycle carts are unseen and often unknown flying objects attached to the bicycle.


The ride to the store wasn't too bad, except when you get close to Redwood Road and have to change lanes to turn left. At that point it can get a bit unpleasant, but most driver see you have some oddly shaped object in tow and tend to slow, making it slightly easier.


After shopping I had two people swarming my cart. One individual was a bit hard to understand, but you can be sure I plugged the SLC Bicycle Collective at least once in the interest of that foreign object known as Roswell. The other was an employee mumbled a lot and mentioned something about ten speeds in his day. I didn't catch much dialog from him, but perhaps he was speechless at the awesomeness idea of taking tons of groceries home in tow. Both of them waited until I left, I think to see if the cart would explode or simply fall to pieces. It didn't, and it proved that awesomeness that cars aren't always needed.


On the ride home I got a friendly honk and a thumbs up from a long grey haired guy in a small pickup truck. But my victory was short lived on the ride as a truck nearly sideswiped me from the south side streets, but didn't and now I count the days where I can blare my on order horn at these encroaching motorists. I can't scream well. It comes out as a hoarse yelp at best.


So besides that minor triviality, the ride went well and I am ready to take a nice cozy nap.


Before I go, let me present this one last idea food for thought for Salt Lake City.
The SLC Bike Move.



Hopefully, we wouldn't have some dork singing "We got a bike move", but the idea is amazing and would give visibility to cyclists in a huge way. There are several instructables about building bicycle carts and we probably could use the SLC Bike Collective to put the carts together. If welding is an issue, a bambo bike cart could be a potentially feasible option.


The structure of the organization would have to be decided, but it would be nothing short of amazing to get it work. Bikes at work seem to have some of it figured out, including with their trailers and some great ideas should be had from their site content.


Just dreaming now, but hey it is the Year of the Bike right?

So I Decided to Sell My Car 01

(X-Posted in CB's Adventures)

INTRO

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am embarking on a new adventure in my life: I sold my car and will be living car-free in Salt Lake City utilizing only public transportation and my bicycle. Allow me to introduce you to Salt Lake's newest commuter: me.

I've decided that I will continuously track my experiences in this new lifestyle throughout it's duration on both SaltCycle and on my own blog listed above.
Note that I am not against owning a car if you need one. Right now I just don't seem to need one:)

Let any of my following entries be encouragement to anybody embarking on a similar endeavor. I'm also interested in getting feedback from other city-savvy cyclists especially if the feedback includes advice on commuting in the winter. Let it roll!

Since the actual beginging of my blogging was in November, I will every few days post one of my old posts here so anyone interested can catch up slowly. Eventually they will catch up with the current date... but until then no worries. The first article is below.

-CB
______________________________________________

DAY 01 OF THE NO CAR- 11/26/2007 current mileage: 0000

I am flying back to Utah from Michigan where I dropped my little Subaru station wagon off. My dad bought it from me but I'm not 100% sure why. All I can say is that I'm sure glad that he did because I had a feeling that it wouldn't pass any of Salt Lake City's safety inspections being a car from Michigan and having tons of rot and rust in the undercarriage. I thought it'd be a safer idea to sell it in Michigan and, when I mentioned it to the family, my dad stepped up and bought it. Perfect. Anyway my boyfriend and I drove it the 25 or so hours to Michigan and spent Thanksgiving there. He left to go back at the beginning of the weekend and I'm returning today. I would have had to arrange for a ride from the airport anyway so that's nothing new. It's strange to think about the fact that I won't have a car. I wonder what will be easier and what will be more difficult when it comes to "getting around". Already I can think about a few situations that might be harder for me now that I don't have a car.

It will be much more difficult to bring my guitar and music stuff to church when I need to play. I might have to build a little pulley cart for behind my bike to do that or just carpool. We'll see. The only thing I'm a little bit anxious about is the fact that I am not leaving myself a lot of room to be lazy in life. I'm not quite sure why that makes me nervous but I have an idea that those feelings might just be the result of living in the USA and being saturated with the media and lifestyles that I have been around for 22 years of my life. My mom put it perfectly:

"but how will you get around?".

So many of the State's population lives in places like some suburbs and what-not where it would be terribly difficult to live a more simple lifestyle free of cars, etc. I grew up in that type of environment and, although I rarely drove my car in college, had a car "for emergencies" throughout college. I have always thought about a car as a "safe fallback" for those "just incase" situations. The funny thing is that, if I did get hurt and needed quick transportation "just incase", chances are I won't be in any condition to drive anyway!

My boyfriend T laughed when I asked him to pick me up from the airport. He quickly replied "Well I'll bring you your bicycle". I definitely know that one of the outcomes of this new lifestyle will be a greater appreciation for how easy cars sometimes make life. All the while, however, it seems like it was becoming more of a burden than a blessing for me to own one so I made my decision... No car!

We'll see how it goes. I'm resetting my odometer as soon as I get home and am going to start keeping track of my daily mileage. More to come!

-CB

Back on the DL

I wish I could make it sound a little more cool, but I can't. Yesterday I was riding my bike to work and I slipped on a patch of ice. I went down, not hard, but my foot sort of caught on the pavement and snapped like a twig. Or at least that's what it felt like. I knew something was wrong, I've had multiple serious sprains before, but this felt different. After 7 hours in the hospital, the orthopedic surgeon told me that nothing was broken, but I had torn a couple of ligaments between the tibia and fibula, expanding the bones and would require a screw to stabilize them while they heal.


(This is not my ankle, yet)

So all of my plans for winter riding are out the window. I was going to do the Salt City Sprints, enter the Frozen Hog, try to log at least 15 miles a day, etc. etc. Now I will be mastering the sport of walking on crutches and making my wife do everything for me. I'm also on Lortab, which means that I fell like throwing up 24/7.

Well, at least I can focus on finishing my law school applications. Hoo-ray.

This will be my first surgery ever, it's supposedly non-invasive and should only take about 30 minutes or so. Which seems about right, I mean, how long could it take to Ryobi someone's bones together?

International: Road Rage - BBC TV

Britain is in the grip of an escalating road rage crisis. Filming on some of the UK's most traffic-choked streets, this special investigation exposes just how bad the situation has become; as violence and abuse in the war between motorists, cyclists, wardens and police escalates without any solution in sight.

For decades, the UK's ever-growing number of motorists have been kings of the road; paying tax and fuel duty, they believe the streets belong to them. But now the balance of power is shifting. Increasing numbers of cyclists and pedestrians are demanding, and exercising, equal rights to the road and the anger on each side is mounting.

(Includes clips of World Naked Bike Ride, Critical Mass, pedestrians, police, and some mad car drivers.)

The Art of SaltCycling

The snow and cold have taken their toll and I like many other bicyclists have chosen to stay indoors mostly during the winter reading about biking instead of biking.
Ryan recommended a book by the title of The Art of Cycling some time ago and I have finally finished reading it.



So this is my book report for the class of cyclists. Pay attention.



If you find this report highly intriguing, The art of cycling : a guide to bicycling in 21st-century America / Robert Hurst ; foreword by Marla is available at the Salt Lake City Library and the Salt Lake County Library and for purchase at Amazon.com for $11.21. It can also be previewed on google books.



Starting with stories of bicycles of old Hurst delves into stories of bicycles that are rarely heard of, but essential to understand the underlinings of how the bicycle has gotten to where it has gotten in society. The reader is reminded on several occasions in the introduction and later in the book that if it had not been for the automobile then bicyclists would potentially be riding on hard dirt roads filled with horse manure and urine soaked buildings.


After lessons of historical upbringings, the book focuses on the various surfaces and their significance to the bicycle. At this point you begin to really understand and appreciate the flow of the book because it isn't simply stating, 'slap a helmet on and look both ways,' but rather giving you ideas of how the world that you ride upon is constructed from asphalt waves to deadly grates.


The largest portion of the book covers being in traffic, and takes upon the idea that bicyclists are responsible for every accident they get in, suggesting taking a very proactive approach dodging, missing and preventing maiming themselves at the error of the automobile driver. It goes over great detail over a wide array of navigating techniques in the city streets ranging from sidewalks to signals to the deadly door zone.


I hated the idea of riding my bicycle after reading the chapter on bicycle accidents and injuries. The reason? The examples of road rash, collarbone breaking - sounded painful - and Hurst gave statistics out on accidents to imply that you were set to get into at least one nasty spill a year. Similar to his spill on bicyclists being responsible for every accident they get in, he takes a similar approach to road rash,

"Road rash is a precious gift. Road rash is your friend. Bask in it, appreciate it, love it. Above all, learn from it." -the art of cycling page 166.

Not being the type to be influenced by Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, Hurst gives these in your face wake up and smell the reality of the ride passages throughout the book akin to the attitude of Larry Winget's, Shut up, stop whining, and get a life. It really is empowering, but in the same instance makes you scared as hell to ride your bike.


The air pollution portion while informative, was rather scientifically boring. If you want to wear a mask, wear one. However, I read somewhere else, bicyclists actually do better in traffic because their bodies are more actively taking out the bad parts. It was suggested breathing through your nose by Hurst. To me, breathing through my nose alone is akin to breathing through a straw.


The last three chapters are on flat tires and equipment. Seems these are standard in every book. Hurst would have done better to include a few more visuals on the replacing a flat tire, but overall the little pieces of information in these chapters was a necessary informative for a bike book.


Overall, the book was interesting and very practical. Longwinded at times, it could have been simplified, but Hurst has written something that should be said 'it approaches bicycling from an entirely new angle.'

Auto Blinky.

found yet another source of blink awesomeness that i am sharing:

Reelight Magnet-Powered Bike Blinkers

Powered by rare earth magnets that are attached to your bicycle spokes, these led based lights need no batteries and no friction against the rim to produce a light source. The lower end model (SL100) cost about $45.00 and includes both back and front lights, and stop blinking when the bicycle isn't being pedaled. The higher end model(SL120) cost about $60 and includes both back and front lights and will stay blinking, even when the bicycle isn't being pedaled.



Maybe in the future bikes will come with something like this? While weight dynamics fanatics will shy away, the common cyclists will embrace the idea of not having to carry around blinkys to pacify the night.





•Installation Instructions.

•Purchase Reelight Magnet-Powered Bike Blinkers.

Blink. Glow. Shine.

As cyclists who are avoiding the sticker label, "Don't Ride At Night" on the Huffys of society and hoping to not become the one cyclist killed per night after dark, we try to blink. To glow. To shine.

To this end we find reflectors important, but too little too late as the swift grill of pontiac justice bares down us only to realize at the last moment in shades of the black night the completeness of their actions.

To this end we blink. We glow. We shine.

Blink.

While highly annoying on the myspace page, the blinking effect is highly effective in getting motorists attention. Hopefully, bicyclists should realize that a front white light and a back red blinking light are essentials to riding at night. There are numerous different flavors of both varieties, and while the freebee lights that you get by attending a SLC bicycle festival are neat, they are quick to break and don't hold up well.


Planet Bike Super Flash blinkys are a becoming quite the popular item, but as with all safety matters, don't go with the cool kids that smoke, go with what after school programs have taught you. Most bicycle shops carry a wide variety. My vote goes for Fishers Cyclery on this one.


After you are done with the front and back lights, its time to set your bike up with the art of LED. Above and center is the often most circulated led project. However, I didn't get instructs on those instructables for the SpokePOV: LED Bike Wheel Images. If you create the creation known as SpokePOV: LED Bike Wheel, then you will be the greatest thing to Salt Lake City Bicycle Culture since Dave Z Day. In fact, if you figure those instructables out we should hold an unofficial (so its cool like Critical Mass) Tour of Lights. (Bonus points if you get a spoke pattern in the shape of a caricature of a famous political head.)


For everyone else we have Hokey Spokes. Why they are called 'Hokey Spokes' is still beyond me, as they remind me of this. So what is this alien device that sounds as though it belongs on a horse rather than your noble steed, the bike? I asked CycleSmith to consider stocking these, but I'd myself be damned to stock something with 'Hokey' in the title if I owned a bike shop. The Japanese Manufactures call their version LexLED. Now that is classy.






More details on the hokey spokes website.


Other illuminating options for your bike:

Bicygnals

Rock the Bike downlowglow. A bit spendy. (consult local glowers instead)

Instructables: bike light

..and leading up to the next topic Instructables: glow


Glow.


http://www.glopaint.com/ offer some amazing technology of the spray and paint on kind. However, it is the near future of glopaint that looks truly spectacular. They are creating a non-toxic glowing light source known as Lithospheres that emit light continuously for 12 plus years without any exposure to light or other energy. Imagine having a bicycle painted with this material. The cost to light up a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of plastic 1/8" thick is about .35 cents.


While the spectacular awaits in the distant future, stop by and glow spray paint your bike and accessories in array of blue, red, green, orange, purple, yellow or pink. For every item you have painted, you expose it to light for 15 minutes and it will glow in the dark.


Rain riders, snow travelers and general Utah folk might try for a waterproof variety, however I imagine spray paint will stick and stay reasonably well. You will just need to reapply a new coat to avoid that awkward forty year old going gray look where everyone knows your have lost your glow but you are covering it up.


Biking on, we encounter the Bicycle Warriors of Portland, offer reflective tape and other glowing odds and ends for you to look at in the bikeportland forum.


Glow technology impersonal? Perhaps you can use the cat glow technology.



Shine.


While corny, entirely necessary is improving the ability of a cyclists so that they can 'shine' and be seen simply by how they ride their bikes. Whether you ride for recreation or for work, if you don't manage well in the day, the night will bring out the demon steel traps - (D.S.T.s) all about you.


"The concept you have to keep in mind is that you want to establish your identity as you catch the driver's eye so they know what you are. Motorcycle research shows that if you want to be seen on a motorcycle there is one thing that beats daytime headlights, orange vests, flags, big windshields or any other device -- be a cop! It turns out that drivers usually see a police motorcycle. We have asked motorcycle cops and they agreed, although there are exceptions. So you are not just trying to catch an eye. You are really trying to register on a driver's brain that you are a vehicle moving on the road, and establish that you are a bicycle so that the driver has some idea of what your speed and position on the roadway are likely to be. Often you are doing that in the midst of incredible urban light clutter from other vehicles, traffic signs, streetlights, commercial signage, porch lights, windows and many other sources."

-http://www.helmets.org/lights.htm


Be that shining citizen, the cop, that people see and people respect out at night. Tacky yes.. but if you demand the authority to be seen it will increase your chances of survival in this time known as night.


Thats all I have to say about that. Looks like you survived this far. Don't go maiming yourself into oblivion on account of blind drivers. Wake them up with lights of all flavors. It would be less than amusing to add another name to the long list of individuals killed by motorists.


Blink. Glow. Shine.

Some Winter Riding Tips

4 Winter Bicycling Tips from CycleSmith

The Skid Stops Here: Tyler Bloomquist and the BFC

by Chelsea Babbish [cbabbish@gmail.com]
Published Originally in SLUG Magazine
January 2008

Recently, in an article in Cycling Utah, Mayoral Elect Ralph Becker was quoted saying, "Salt Lake City should become an urban cycling Mecca." Like Becker, Tyler Bloomquist, 26, also believes in the Salt Lake City cycling community and has been sparking the cycling fires of others in downtown SLC for over a year now. One thing he’s done for SLC is start a bicycle crew called the BFC. BFC is a made-up acronym that doesn’t officially stand for anything, although it’s members do have their own personal definitions. Overall, BFC is just a group of locals who ride fixed gear bicycles and hold events to encourage others to get excited about cycling.

Photo: Ryan McCalmon

Bloomquist’s favorite thing about cycling in Salt Lake is that downtown is relatively flat. Flatter terrain is important to him because the BFC and Bloomquist sport a different kind of road bicycle—a fixed gear bicycle. Fixed gear or "fixie" cycling often blends commuting with lifestyle and art.

Just as a quick note for those of you who aren’t familiar with fixed gear cycling and why flat terrain is important: Fixed gear bikes only have one gear and, in a nutshell, it is "fixed" to the back wheel of the bicycle. This means the rider cannot just coast without pedaling. In order to keep moving forward, the rider is always pedaling, their legs moving according to their speed. For this reason, riding down huge hills can be difficult. A human being can only pedal their legs so fast! In order to stop, the rider must forcibly push the pedals backward to a standstill or just slow their pedaling. This force causes the bike’s back tire to skid, thus resulting in the infamous fixed gear skid stop. These types of stops are used by many fixie riders instead of the bulky front and rear breaks that other types of bicycles typically have. No, it is not the same as the bike you used to ride as a little kid where, to break, you just pedaled backwards until the break catches. If you pedal backwards on a fixed gear bicycle, you GO backwards. Bloomquist is working to advance Salt Lake City’s fixed gear community by destroying the "animosity" and the "holier than thou" vibes he got from other cyclists when he first started riding. Deciding that he’d never be that guy, he explains, "Everybody starts somewhere."

He started his crew, the BFC, because he wanted to start an official community of fixed gear kids in Salt Lake City. "I would look at all of the other things going on in San Francisco and Seattle and I was getting inspired by those, but I thought, ‘why can’t I do something like that here’?". They often ride together downtown just to have fun as well as to promote the fixed gear lifestyle. In many cases, BFC members can be identified by their fixed gear bicycles, sometimes adorned with stickers spelling out BFC. They also have crew t-shirts and other DIY paraphernalia. Bloomquist and the BFC are working to make the cycling community more integrated by hosting events in the city as well as making themselves present at other SLC cycling events and organizations. Each member contributes to the scene in a different way, ranging from being involved at the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective, to creating graphics and advertisements for other cycling events around Salt Lake. One of the events hosted by the BFC and adored by many local fixed gear cyclists is the Sunday Sprints. Usually happening the second Sunday of each month at 5p.m., the sprints event consists of people getting together, messing around, doing tricks, and racing each other for fun, money and prizes. The event is meant to be a catalyst for meeting new cyclists. The large groups of people who attend prove that their goal has been met. Bloomquist and the BFC always have an open invitation to new cyclists and they seem to enjoy teaching newbies what they know. Sunday Sprints is not only for fixed gear riders. Anyone interested in cycling can come out and join in on the festivities.

Bloomquist ’s least favorite thing about being a cyclist in Salt Lake is people’s lack of awareness on the roads. "I do get sick of being called faggot and hippie and all sorts of shit for no reason just ‘cuz I’m riding my bike". He’s quick to explain that people have misjudged him for being poor or a scumbag just because he is commuting on a bicycle instead of in a car. Tyler tries to get drivers to put themselves in his situation. "What if I were in the truck and you were on the bike? You’d wonder why I’m trying to hit you, right?" News flash everyone: It is ILLEGAL to ride bicycles on most sidewalks. Cyclists riding on the roads are merely following the law.

After thinking for a second about what advice he’d give to new cyclists, he urges new fixed gear riders to keep at least a front break on the bicycle until they feel more comfortable with skidding. For cycling in general, he warns to be aware of the city. "The more you ride, the more you understand the city and just have fun." These are sound bits of SLC advice for anyone venturing outside their front door with any vehicle fueled by a good lunch. What’s Tyler up to right now? He’s riding rain or shine, providing a welcoming hand to new cyclists, and going back to school in January to become an elementary school teacher. He smiles as his crew rides around on the pavement behind him. What good advice. Just have fun...that’s how it all started, isn’t it?

Keep an eye out for the BFC and possibly an upcoming video. For more info on the BFC and the Sunday Sprints check out: myspace.com/bfcsaltlake or just show up for Sunday Sprints.

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

an additional roughcut interview of Tyler of BFC can be found here.

and now a word from our sponsors...

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When you have graduated from the geared bicycle, there is only one way to go...



for the serious bicyclist who is learning how to ride fixed gears,
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Changed From Flickr Tags to Groups.

It is easier to get contributions with groups, than it is for tags, and the photo content works better for managing it.

So the Flickr SaltCycle & Salt Lake Fixed Gear Group are now the places where you can submit your photographs of SLC bike related events to be displayed on the saltcycle.com.

I also added the bitty browser to display the SaltCycle Wiki on the page.

Learning slowly, growing slowly. Thanks for all the encouragement.

Look for more Article Content Contributers in the future.

Finally, I was able to track down a time for the Salt City Sprints. Many fliers held the date, but lacked the actual time and costs. So here you go:

Locals Only!!!!!

Does anybody remember that show on X96 on Sunday nights? It was called Locals Only, and they played, well, you know, local music. The sound effect at the beginning was a guy screaming the title, and it kind of stuck in my head. Like the line from Robocop that Todd Nuke'Em used to use, or the "Are we there yet? Do shut up Portia" that Portia used to use. Actually, all of those things could still be happening, but I wouldn't know. After I started commuting on my bike and using my ipod, I haven't really found a reason to listen to the radio for the last 3 years or so. Bill Allred pointed this out at the Bike Film Festival last summer, saying something about how more people riding bikes was bad for him, because it meant they wouldn't be listening to his show in the morning. Good point Bill. My cell phone does have an FM tuner, but I never bothered to get the special headphones for it, because, well, morning radio sucks. Even X96.



(lethargic cat listening to the "Radio from Hell")

Oh right, the point of this was that Corey showed me a guy calling himself "the Bike Guy," who repairs bikes and tunes skis and stuff out of his garage. His website is http://www.thebikeguyslc.com

I haven't ever been there, but he seems pretty cool. Over the past few years, I have been attempting to learn everything about bikes, building them and acquiring the tools necessary to make all repairs myself, but there always comes a time when I have to hand it off to somebody more experienced. So I'll definitely give this guy a shout the next time my bike needs help, which is basically now. I also thought I'd give a rundown of all the Salt Lake area shops I've used, and rate them on a scale of one to ten tri shorts.


These are just based on my very limited experiences with each, but the first impression is the most important right? Also not included is the Bike Collective, because that is not really a shop as much as it is a second home, so I'm a little biased.

(In no particular order)

Taylor's Bike Shop
Pros- Good road, BMX selection, helpful, friendly staff, decent prices. Also the closest shop to where I live now.
Cons- Lackluster mountain bike range.
Items purchased-Brake pads, tune-up, spacers, pump, tube.
Score= 7 shorts



Saturday Cycles-
Pros- Cool little shop owned by my friend Mark. Great selection of commuters and touring bikes.
Cons- Only open on Saturday, also in Centerville.
Items purchased- None (yet)
Score= 9 shorts



Wild Rose Mountain Sports
Pros-Great selection of mountain and road bikes, good service. They have a dog.
Cons-Expensive!
Items purchased-Oury grips, spacers
Score= 7 shorts



Contender
Pros-Amazing selection of road bikes a few track bikes, I didn't even look at the mountain bikes, (couldn't stop drooling) Staff helpful if not excessively friendly.
Cons-Expensive! Also I felt inadequate just being there, which is my own fault, but still a factor on whether I will go back.
Items purchased-Brake pads
Score=7 shorts



Cyclesmith
Pros-Always very friendly staff, good selection of stuff that other shops don't carry. Also a cool blog on their website - http://www.cyclesmithslc.com
Items purchased- Brake pads (do you see a trend?), fenders
Cons-None so far
Score= 10 shorts



Guthrie
Pros-Sometimes good service, used to have two locations, including one close to Traxx, but now they don't, so it's not really a "pro."
Cons-Sometimes lousy service, snobbish staff, only one location nowadays.
Items purchased-Wheel
Score= 5 shorts



Bicycle Center
Pros-Good selection, helpful staff, good service.
Cons-Bad location for anybody without a car.
Score=7 shorts



That's pretty much it. There are other shops, of course, but I haven't been to those so I can't say. I'd have to say overall I have been extremely impressed by the level of service and helpfulness of bike shops here in the Salt Lake area. I've lived in the valley about 3 1/2 years, and the only time I ever felt like someone was condescending and dismissive was at the Guthrie downtown. And then again at the other Guthrie.

a Bicyclist's New Year's Resolution

bike twice as much.


eat better.


curse autos less.


get more involved with the slc bike collective.


discover a new bike route home from work after every shift.


ride a century.


ride bicycles twice as much with my wife.


make sure becker continues to support bicycling.


take more pictures at bike events. buy headcam if needed.


spread the salt of saltcycle to encourage others to bike slc.


help reclaim the ubomb.


stop making lists and simply ride.