Hey Ladies...

Girl's Night at the Bike Collective is coming up next Wednesday! Come out to work on your bike with other friendly, savvy, two-wheelin' women!
Wednesday, May 7 from 5:00-9:00
feel free to print and distribute this flier as much as possible. Draw on the streamers with a pink highlighter on black and white prints ;)

Best Picture @ the April Critical Mass

(((more pictures from this photographer @ the April Critical Mass)))

350

i also added the 350 ride video. check it out!

midnite mass

this is a short video i put together for those of you who missed the ride or are wondering what is midnite mass all about. just click "midnite mass".

Dontcha Wish Your Bike Was A Freak Like Mine?

...always a work in progress the Ubomb Pirahanna:


...and for you ubomb freaks, get your 'g' on.

if any of the other contributors have progress picts on their worked on bicycles, freaky or not, throw them onto S.C. lets admire the beauty of a bicycle in the making.

Film Festival Poster Alley Cat

"We need your help putting up the posters for the Pedal Pusher Film Festival, so we decided to turn it into a fun alley cat. Meet in from of Ahhh! Sushi and Oh Shucks to get a list of a addresses and the location of a party afterwards."
-Jonathan for SLC Bicycle Collective

•google calender event listing
•upcoming yahoo event listing

Thatcher Alleycat Rehash v. 3.0

Hey guys, I posted this as a comment in tom's report on the race, he convinced me to re-post it on the main page. So here's my longwinded narrative. Jump ahead to the last couple paragraphs if you're not particularly amped on the details:

This bad boy was HARD! The first point was a perfect hustle distance away, near the delta center trax stop. The grid riding at the beginning was really intense, lots of crazy close gaps and a good amount of foot traffic. At this point I thought: 'oh, ok, all is well, we'll just cruise around downtown in a mad dash and be back in 30 minutes or so...'

No way. The next stop was at the top of capitol hill. Burning to the top was stupid hard on fixies, and going down was insane. Tim was in front of me on his brakeless Guerciotti, and Tyler right behind on his brakeless rig, I don't know how they bomb down state like that...

We had two awesome mix ups in a row, at one point we're all massed around the English Market's door, a dozen sweating out-of breath dudes looking for a little ball of papers, and Tyler cruises in, right as we're bugging the shop owners, and snags the checkpoint papers out back by the dumpster. Everyone scatters back uphill, to Kings English, straight up the east bench. I was dying, and took the worst route ever, straight up seventh.

At this point I look behind me and catch Tate following me block for block from King's English, down to the Collective (!!). I think we hit every red light, and didn't even slow. I was hitting them like magic, Tate told me later that everything turned into knots by the time he got there :).

Next was straight back up to Liberty park, Tate still right behind. It was like having a very persistent red Italian shadow the whole race. We weave through the throngs of people celebrating at the Earth Jam, another very nice touch, and head to the Library. The clue: Top NW corner of the library stairs. You've got to be f**king joking.

Tim, who's been in front nearly the whole race, disappears at this point. We clamber up those bastard stairs, blearily taking in the city, and limp-run back down from the lonely clump of paper. A grim looking security guard looms behind us.

It was a tired sprint back to Gallivan. We'd been hammering for over an hour up the two best hills in Salt Lake, and through every red light the city has to offer. I turn to Tate at the finish. "Nice job dude!" Turns out he's not even from here, he's from Vegas and had no idea where we were headed. He just grabbed onto the nearest person who looked like they knew where they were going and chased like mad. On a brakeless bike in an unfamiliar city. What a monster.

In fact, everyone was monstrous. After we got to the library the security guard closed the gates, and Tim had run up and down the circular stairs twice before we even got there. Everyone had to hustle back to Gallivan empty-handed.

It was such a grueling, intense race, but I loved every minute of it. Somehow, by choosing the route carefully and sending us to all these cool little nooks of Salt Lake, we hit all sorts of crazy obstacles and jams and weirdnesses that made the cat feel like a real event in a much bigger city. Lots of close calls, lots of bemused bystanders, and lots of happy camaraderie. We need more events like this! and twice as many riders! Wahoo!

After the race we headed over to Disorderly house, where the BFC was putting on a get together that served as a great afterparty. They sponsored all the snackies and gave out prizes to the trick competitors, and Tek-Tek played some great Electro-death-disco (whatever the kids are calling it these days). I took some sweet pictures that are on the Saltcycle and FG groups here.

Thanks Tom, Salt Cycle, Salt Lake, and everyone who rides bicycles. Fun fun fun.

Garden @ the SLC Bicycle Collective!

Volunteers are needed on this much neglected project. With donation applications and decisions on plants pending we still need to gather several items to begin. Donators will be integrated into the flower bed in the form of pottery markers having names imprinted onto them. If you know where to get items free, donated, or want to help me undertake any of the below projects...

Please add a comment!


WANTED:

• rock/stone
• soil/mulch
• underground irrigation
• gardening supplies
• plants
  

and...

• metal art
• movie theater light boxes
• paint and/or graffiti artists

ubomb oh four twenty-seven oh eight.

Ubomb Me Baby!

sunday.
7:00 pm.
meet at the "Bike Rack" (the bicycle rack that spells out "Bike Rack") at the City Library (about 210 East 400 South) (just east of the reflecting pool and by night flight comics).
ride trax.
ubomb.
rinse.
repeat.

come bomb some kids bicycles down the hill with us. or if you want to long board, skate, or use any other manner of non motorized gravity spiraling insanity contraption, then come!

bring $2 for trax fare. lights & helmet recommended.

we have quite a few bicycles ready to go at the location, so bring friends.

Alleycat Results and Review

I'm sure there will be more additions and posts under similar titles, but I'd like to post results, photos, and feelings I had as an organizer rather than a racer. Obviously I can't give a detailed overview of exciting events during the race because I didn't race it, but rather this is just some tidbits we got waiting for racers to finish back at the Gallivan Center.

EDIT: Here is the map...



Out of 14 registered racers/bikes, the results were as follows...

1st - Davey Davis - Schwinn - 1:11:03
2nd - Tate Litchfield - Tirelli - 1:11:11
3rd - Dallas Green - Trek - 1:14:00
4th - Tim Matthews - Guerciotti - 1:15:32
5th - Issac White - Giant - 1:15:50
6th - Tyler Carruth - Peugot - 1:16:20
6th - Seth Relitz - Lotus
6th - Tyler Bloomquist - "Red Hot"
6th - Justin Shaik - Marin
6th - Tyler Stegemoller - Specialized
11th - Scott Sorensen - American Flyer - 1:22:10
12th - Esther Meroño - Trek - 1:40:00 +
Mark Polichette - Fuji

And here are some pictures taken by the lovely Elizabeth Clifford, alleycat press corespondent, and myself.


Eleven of the fourteen who registered, before the race.


Bikes ready at the start line.


Instructions.


Rules at the start line.


Ready, set...


Go! Some ran, and some walked to their bikes.


Tate was our second place finisher, and on his cell phone with Hollywood.


Davey Davis took first place, and raked in 9 dollars.


Davey and Tate together relishing in their spoils.


Tim Matthews finished 4th at 1:15:32.


Tim (4th) and Tyler B.(6th) recovering, post-race.


The pack cooling off and sharing stories at the finish.


Finishers 1-12!!


Thank you to everyone who came out and to those who helped pass the word around. Let me know what you'd like to change for the next one and what worked best and worst for you individually.

Our next alleycat will be organized by Patrick Beecroft on May 10th preceding the BFF at The Depot. Thanks again!


-Tom Millar

Earth Jam Valet Bike Parking

What
Earth Jam Valet Bike Parking
When
Sun Apr 27 9pm
Where
Liberty Park

Volunteers are needed to assist Earth Jam (www.earthjam.org) with their Valet Bike Parking. Ride your bike to Liberty Park, the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective Bicycle Parking is located where that inlet goes into the park, on the nothern portion of the Earth Jam festival.

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/517007

I was left solo at this event for 40 minutes with ticket stubs that weren't correct (they didn't have a tear off portion). There was no signage indicating where the valet parking was located besides the banner behind the booth which was pretty obscure as it was in bad location. Not very happy with the coordinating/executing efforts of this event. Want to help out, but can't do valet parking by myself.

My Alleycat Experience

Riding into the Gallivan just in time to receive a number and the first set of directions for the Margaret Thatcher alleycat, I was completely unprepared for what I had just signed up to do. Alleycat had been described to me as a messenger-style scavenger hunt around town. My mind had immediately conjured up childhood memories of birthday party scavenger hunts, where we'd run around the yard excited to find the next clue. I found the first marker and made my way up to the Capitol building for the next one. After climbing the hill, my childish glee was quickly sweated away. Anticipating a treasure hunt of sorts with a 5 block radius, I didn't come prepared with water or good shoes (but I CAN ride in those shoes I'm usually wearing!) and knowing I was far behind everyone else, it was difficult to motivate myself to keep going. Emilio soon came to my rescue, however, and kept me company through the remaining of the race though he wasn't registered!



Climbing one more intense hill up to King's English on 15th East, I decided that all I wanted was to finish the race, though receiving updates from Mark, Emilio and I knew that it was nearly over for everyone else. Down to the Collective, on to Liberty Park, and (skipped the library 'cause we knew the markers had been taken away) back to the Gallivan Center. I rode in with a satisfied grin on my face and my fist raised in triumph as I touched the center monument.



The other competitors were long gone, but I could care less. I competed in my first alleycat, was the last to ride in, but I finished!!! Hopefully someone who was at the front will post about their experience as a serious competitor and the results. I'm excited to participate in the next alleycat, and maybe go up a few spots! Oh and WOMEN: we need some more estrogen-driven rides so get all your girl friends and come out to the events and don't forget about Girl's Night at the Collective coming up soon!

Critcal Mass Tonight!

@ 5:30 Gallivan Plaza.

I am hoping for this to be a huge one to usher in National Bicycle Month.

I tweaked my mix a little more, deleted some stuff, added some stuff and will play this on my bicycle stereo tonight (now a 20.6 MB file of assorted artists):

DOWNLOAD

Hope to see you all there!

Steal My Fixie

Anyone want to embark on an epic project? This one was thought up in some of the bicycle conversations during Critical Mass... here is an idea:

Basically the idea is a really odd geared fixie that has no brakes, left in a high bicycle crime area unlocked. Then someone hides with a camera and gets all the footage of the event. The videos are uploaded then to a youtube account by the name of stealmyfixie (reserved by me currently, for use by anyone interested in this project...): http://youtube.com/user/stealmyfixie So basically, we would need a fixed gear bike with a completely unusable gear ratio with no brakes and a disclaimer on it, a camera with good zoom functions, and a good location to place it. If we have someone brave enough, we could even have someone chase the individual on the bicycle. If it gets big enough, it could even be expanded to user contributed videos on a community website like this(again, reserved by me currently, for use by anyone interested in this project...): http://www.youtube.com/group/stealmyfixie Then stealmyfixie dot com? Who knows. This project has a lot of potential for laughter and greatness. Anyone into this type of project? (((Feel free to steal the idea as you see fit. I did. The biggest push on it, is getting to actually start.))) x-posted to the SLC Critical Mass Mailing List.

$100 fill-ups arrive, alternatives sought.

Do you remember the 1970's oil crisis?
I don't. (I wasn't even born yet.) Yet, a similar anomaly is occurring that is vastly affecting our two wheel friends once again. Thats right, two wheel: the bicycle. When I read about the 1970's oil crisis I didn't find signficance in the long lines at gas pumps or the "Sorry No Petrol" signs blanketing the land echoing a message of rejection. No, I found significance that a large portion of those workers put down their steering wheel and picked up handle bars to commute to their jobs. Suddenly the bicycle was a tool, a utility of purpose and not simply a childrens toy of play.
Today, $100 fill-ups have arrived in the United States. While this spills disaster for the many lives that use the automobile, it can also spill an outcry for better more efficient means of travel. Ethanol, natural gas and electric are all being hoisted up as the solution to our problem, however, the final problem is in the source, not the means. Automobiles, no matter what you take to run them create sprawl and place a large burden on the environment that they are rolling over. Of course, nothing that I say of environmental concerns will dramatically convert the masses. That would take the likes of Al Gore. Like the 1970's oil crisis lines of old, the numbers on the gas pump billboards will be the conversationalist and hopefully in that conversation the bicycle will be found once again.

Margaret Thatcher ALLEYCAT!

Hello,

It's official. Come all, come all. Salt Lake's next alleycat is Saturday. April 26, 2008 at 4:00 PM at the Gallivan Center.

See the flyer for more information. Bring a bag, you'll need to carry some stuff. This'll be an all legal/Thatcher/British style alleycat to mark the anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's usurpation of the Prime Ministership on May 3, 1979 (original date was May 3rd, moved to April 26. I guess we'll just celebrate early!). This is a checkpoint race. All points have been marked and are being set up now.

See you there!

Flyer:

More freak bikes and bike freaks.

When you do a flickr search for zoobomb you find love. Bike love.

A bike to sail through the streets for boarding gas guzzling business men's Hummers as they talk about synergy and competitive salaries. Once taken, you might forgo the general burning of the boarded vessel, but can enjoy plundering the business mans hidden stash of stock market secrets for the latest up and coming. Riding away to plunder another victim, the tall bike pirate sails again!






Salt Lake City Cycling community, you have your mountain bikes, your road bikes, your fixed bikes, your vintage bikes, your tall bikes, your minis and even a swing bike or two. So you can do skids, track stands, ride backwards and ride on your head... now try it on a Penny Farthing. But I have yet to see your Penny Farthing bike. We need at least a dozen of these for Critical Mass.

I lag on the freak bike factor myself owning one 16inch front tire/20inch back tire of freakness and though the spiked helmet love will spread, I believe we need more freak bikes and bike freaks to ride those bikes. Portland is still the pillar for all things freak bicycle, we should use their fine bike community as a template. As always, the best place to start new ideas for events is the slccriticalmass.org forums, and the best place to steal ideas is as previously mentioned - Portland:
http://www.zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ , http://bikeportland.org/.. and google is your friend.

More freaks! More freak bikes! More freak events!

Single Speed Sunday Sprints for Speedy Stoners!

Well, another 420 has passed, and despite the odds against us with the blustering weather (not to mention the holdiay, which does not encourage sprightly behavior) we managed to have some 40 dedicated riders show up to the Sunday Sprints yesterday.
We met at Gallivan and zipped over to the racing strip in a skipping, skidding mass, racers of every shape and size testing out their sprinting legs.



We raced against a crazy headwind at times, which for my first heat wasn't bad, but in some of the others it was preposterous. In Greg's words after an improbable heat win on a 40 lb schwinn varsity fixie: "Dude, heavy bike+headwind+easy gear=domination!"

Greg's a burly mothaf**ker though, and sly too. Don't trust a word he says.

Anyway, the win went easily to Andrew Love, heap-big speedskater and general cool dude. Check out his blog post on the races and this super sweet picture I snapped of him:

Note the legions of defeated Fuji's before him and scads of inspired lads.

All in all, it was great fun, and I expect to see ya'll there racing next month. One thing though, we need more women! Lindsey was the only female racer, and she didn't report being lonely but I'm not a very faithful journalist so I say she wept a bitter tear in her solitude. So come out and race, girls and boys!

In other news, the dude in the middle of the first picture with the neon pink/yellow bike won the trackstanding competition. And his bike's super hot.

FrontRunner better for Bikes than Trax? ..or the same story?

FrontRunner commuter rail from Salt Lake City to Ogden opens Saturday, April 26, 2008. At that time they will do free trial runs from 2pm onward...

But what about your bicycle?

"Mr. Kinney discussed ways to promote cycling within the community. He said UTA is looking at implementing a program that would allow bikers to lock their bikes in an enclosed locker at all Front Runner (commuter rail) stations. There will also be bike storage areas on the Front Runner train so bikers can take their bikes all the way to their destination. Hopefully, these options will decrease the number of cars coming and going from the station. He said Centerville can help promote this program and encourage people to bike rather than drive. "
- http://www.centervilleut.net/displayarticle2057.html

I scoured the Internet for pictures of these supposed bicycle onboard storage areas, but came up empty-handed.

I did find this brief blurb:
"Bikes are permitted on the lower level of bi-level FrontRunner cars in the designated area near the exits."
- http://rideuta.com/projects/commuterRail/overview.aspx

I am worried it is set up in the same tired way that the UTA Trax is, and that people will have to stand next to their bicycles or face harrasement from trax cops, dirty looks from passengers and general hell for being a cyclist.

Anyone else find any pictures of the UTA FrontRunner onboard bicycle storage?

If you find something, post it here. You will be rewarded with much needed bike karma.

the Gallery Stroll & Roll Art Show

I am planning an event called the Bike Gallery Stroll & Roll Art Show for May 16th in honor of National Bicycle Month.

The idea is simple. Bring bike art (bikes, gear, etc.) and esp. freak bikes to the Broadway street sidewalk and show them off to the Gallery Stroll goers.

I intend on bringing a bicycle cart, and displaying works of art in the back of it. So basically we will be rolling around between No Brow Coffee over to the Frosty Darling area, sharing the art of bicycles.

Any interested participants?

Drop a line over @ the Critical Mass forums with your ideas, rants, raves, criticisms, concerns, ideologies and suggestions:

SLC Critical Mass Forum

Road Signs for Cyclist Safety Petition

A Petition from a local Bicyclist:

To: Utah Transit Authority


I got in a bike accident on Wednesday. I was biking from the Fashion Place Trax station to my parent's house. I rounded the corner and was going north on 300 west. There were UTA workers around in trucks and they were testing a new TRAX route and a train passed me heading SW. I slowed down, but once it passed I began picking up speed. As I crossed that very track (perpendicularly), something terrible happened. Somehow the track caught my tire. I don't know how but it was like hitting a concrete wall and I fell to the ground onto my face. I don't know if I blacked out, but I heard some drivers stop and ask me if I was ok. My parents weren't answering their phone and I was spitting blood all over the road. My face and mouth were swollen and bleeding. These unbelievably nice individuals got me out of the street and took me to my parent's house. During this time none of the UTA personnel "noticed" anything had happened. My rescuers told me this was not the first time this sticky track has claimed a biker and they talked to the UTA workers once they took me home and they seemed uninterested.

Last summer at the same track my sister also fell. I didn't realize it was the same track until later, but it was. Her tire was also caught and she fell into another biker. The fall damaged her clavicle which bothers her to this day. She is a cross country runner for UVU and it aches from time to time after a long run or when she sleeps on it.

My rescuers told me that since they work at a local business by that TRAX stop they have been the rescuers to more than one biker; several, and I wasn't the worst off out of the bunch.

I want UTA to put a sign up that warns bikers of this danger and asks them to WALK their bike across this track. I am not asking for them to pay for my medical bills, I just want there to be a sign or some other precaution taken to make this popular route safer for cyclists.

Sincerely,

Sign the Petition

Bike Porn Tour 2008 Slideshow Video

Not having enough bicycle porn, I made this video to do a tribute to bike porn landing in Salt Lake City.

I took all the photographs and compiled the slideshow.

The song is Liebe zu Dritt by Stereo Total, remixed by thezed. (thats me!)

a Call for Content Contributors.

i have sent out a large amount of requests for individuals to join me, Chelsea and Mikey. Hopefully, those lucky golden spoke card holders will enter into the SaltCycle factory to contribute writings, pictures, videos, ideas to the community about bicycling.

So, maybe, just maybe everyone can stop telling me SaltCycle is mine, and instead it can be ours.

SLC RideCall is now merged with saltcycle Events.

In an effort to kill two birds with one stone, SLC RideCall is now merged with saltcycle Events.

Post your ridecalls here:

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/group/3849/

Be sure to check out http://www.saltcycle.com too, as it has been remodeled, and is hopefully easier to navigate.

Always taking suggestions.

Ride on.

National Bicycle Month is Less Than 15 Days....

To celebrate, I made an mpthree mix by yet another moniker, thezed.
It is entitled, 'MayisNationalBicycleMonth' and celebrates bicycles through a range of music, bells and general random acts of auditory exploration.

>>download it.<<

>>listen to it.<<


(duration: 19:56 // file size: 18.3mb)

It will be playing at Critical Mass once through, so I hope it isn't going to make any ears bleed.

One Got Fat 1963 Bicycle Safety

Gallery Roll this Friday

(click image for larger preview.)

the more artistic the bike that you ride, the better.

event details: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/433055/

Thanks Ubomb Crew

Just dropping a note to all those who showed up for the Ubomb Repair Workshop of gratitude for helping repair some amazing bicycles to bomb down the Salt Lake City hills.

We now have around 10 Ubomb bicycles in operation ranging from Princesses to our newest addition the Piranaha which welds the power of a 16" front wheel and 20" backwheel, all bombing bliss to regain the fountain of youth:

This week event will be amazing, details here:
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/316404/

Ubomb Repair Workshop This Tuesday

Ubomb Repair Workshop

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
2312 S. West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115-2623

We are going to be repairing some mini (childrens) bicycles for the Ubomb. Some basic fixes (tire replacement, chain tightening), so if you are like me and know only bits and pieces about bicycle repair, come out anyways.

Also, if lack a mode of transportation to make it down, you can take the UTA Trax for $1.75 and walk a few blocks to the Bicycle Collective:
Ride to the Central Point 2100 S location.
Walk 0.6 mi to the bicycle collective.
(on the west side of the street on west temple. look for the sign and bike above it.)
(A map is located here.)

Ride Call A Go-Go.

Had the first successfull slc ridecall and ended up riding Emigration Canyon. So many bicycles, so beautiful. Now it is on to the Ubomb in 15ish minutes. If you think SLC is lacking in bicycle culture, you are closing your eyes. I can barely keep up.
It started last fall with the creation of Midnight Mass, the Blackout Hustle & the Ubomb and has gained momentum since. If you have ideas for rides, please share:

http://www.slccriticalmass.org/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,26/

Right now, the organization of an alleycat is going on.

We can't have an awesome bicycle culture without the contributions of the community. Always looking for new ideas, new ways to improve SLC Bicycling. Drop a line, lets make this work.

Next big event: May, Bicycling Month. Watch for it, help with it, ride it.

cheers.

IN Utah This Week Article: Wheel Life

Pedal Pushers

Salt Lake City cyclists promote ’fun and awesomeness’ while raising bike awareness.

by Kelly Ashkettle

kashkettle@inthisweek.com

originally posted @ http://www.inthisweek.com/articles.php?id=348#article

Last weekend was practically a Bicycle Festival for Salt Lake: Bike enthusiasts could attend six different organized events. While a traveling film exhibit called "The Pornography of the Bicycle" was one of the most popular among cyclists, the one that received the most media attention was the Rally for a Healthy Planet at the SLC Government Center on Saturday.

Among the most visible participants were a few dozen bicyclists, many wearing facemasks to protest air pollution as they made loops around downtown. They rode to demonstrate that air quality is a crucial issue and would improve if more people used bikes instead of cars. In talking with some of these enthusiasts, however, their commitment to riding bicycles sounds more influenced by fun and camaraderie than sacrifice.

Cory Bailey, 26, has been married for four years. He and his wife do not own a car; they are committed to riding bicycles and using public transportation. Bailey, who posts online under the moniker of "Zed," maintains a Web site called saltcycle.com and is one of the local bike scene’s more visible participants.

I first encountered him the previous weekend at Critical Mass, a monthly event in which cyclists take to the streets in a pack to raise bicycle awareness. He was then riding a child’s bike he’d dubbed "The Silver Bomber," but at the rally he rode a full-sized bike decorated with caution tape. He likes to go for an "industrial, neo-punk look," he explained.



"I’ve always enjoyed the community aspect of bicycling," said Bailey, a native of Idaho. He adds that some of his interest in organizing events was inspired by a visit to Portland, where he witnessed that city’s bike scene, but that he thinks Salt Lake has even more potential because of our wide streets, and that the scene here has grown a lot since he moved here four years ago. "I think the summer is going to be huge, especially with gas prices," he said. "People are going to start biking a lot more."

One event that Bailey has spearheaded is the UBomb. Participants meet with children’s bikes each Sunday at the downtown library. They then ride TRAX up to the University of Utah and "bomb" the bikes down the hill, a process they repeat several times. Bailey said his favorite part of Friday’s bike porn screening was not the depiction of sexual acts with bicycles, but an exhilarating film of people bike-bombing down a hill.

Another cyclist at the rally, Mark Polichette, explained that exhilaration: "You feel like a kid again," he said. "You go back in time, and you’re riding on this tiny little bike, and the road’s flying by you, and you’ve either got no brakes or a coaster brake or your feet on the ground to slow it down...it’s so much fun."

Polichette was one of two riders at the rally who were on "tall bikes." These bikes are twice the height of a normal bike because they’re made up of two frames welded on top of one another. Polichette explained that the height of the bicycle helps him see and be seen in traffic, and he enjoys the attention it attracts. "It’s about fun," he says. "Fun and awesomeness."

A race between tall bikes was scheduled for that evening; it was dubbed a "Tallie Cat" race because it was in the style of Alley Cat races (bike-messenger-style races in which participants must stop at specific locations).

The Tallie Cat race also permitted other kinds of "freak bikes," like the swing bike ridden at the rally by Portland’s "Reverend" Phil Sano, the curator of the bike porn screening. A swing bike has independent steering on each wheel, making it appear double-jointed. Sano’s propulsion of his swing bike involved opening and closing his legs to move each wheel. He lagged behind the other riders a bit, but looked like he was having more fun.

Besides the bike porn screening, the Healthy Planet Rally, the Tallie Cat race and a UBomb on Sunday, there were three other events last weekend: a mini bike gymkhana (in which bicyclists competed on a course on children's bikes), a Midnight Mass (Critical Mass gone "midnight and wild") and "Blackout Hustle," a 20- to 30-mile ride in which participants tested themselves in a pack.

While last weekend was especially packed in honor of the bike porn screening, regular rides do occur almost every weekend, and new ones are being formed all the time (like the "Bike-in Mass" Polichette wants to have at a drive-in movie theater). "We’re trying to just get new rides out there to get people out and try to create somewhat of a community to get people having fun," Polichette says.



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

a big thanks to Kelly//k3llya for this article. see more of her photographic work over @:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/629275@N21/pool/
..and an additional blogging by her w/text & photos:
http://www.inthisweek.com/blog/?p=63

hopefully, we will see her out at bicycling events from now on...


also thanks to you Salt Lake City Cyclists for making last weekend insanely great. next month is National Bicycle Month.
Which means Film Festivals, Centuries and more wacky bicycle hijinks than you can shake a spoke at.
Watch for it, live for it, bike for it.

blogger -> wordpress

i am in the process of moving this here Cycle of Salt to Wordpress, as wordpress seems more kind to the eyes and functional.

if anyone knows of a cheap way, (ie. cheap//or//free wordpress hosting) drop a line @ thezoed_AT_gmail_DOTT_com or leave a comment.

BlackOuts & 747s

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

Finally, Ubomb! Insane! Insane! Fun! In that order. We bombed for our last bomb down 3rd south starting at 13th east, and I was high on the rushing wind, and by the winds of Eurus, greek God of eastern wind I was a 747 driven to the sky, but remaining on the pavement. An E.T. bicycle flier of sorts without the funky dried out alien or poor return play on Atari, I reached the sky and gained my eternal youth.

It came at the price of break neck speeds and unpleasant potential encounters of the automobile kind, but by God of Eurus, it came.

Church of the Big Ring, you want your salvation, youbomb ubomb.

amen.

CO2 350 Ride / Tallie Cat Photographs

a short introduction on the tallie cat photos of sorts. the Tallie Cat was following one participant mostly, and their quest for tallie cat winnings wrought with the failures of a broken chain.

pictures from the CO2 350 Ride / Tallie Cat Photography:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/629275@N21/

Also! Ubomb is tonight @ 7pm at the Salt Lake City Library Square Bike Rack:

Library Square Bike Rack (map)

Bike Porn Tour Photos

Beginning with the ins and outs of the gymkhana, going to the bike porn viewing, watching the stationary sprints and then to midnight mass. I am tired. But ready to go for more bike adventures tommorow @ noon.



I will never look at my saddle the same way.

http://flickr.com/groups/629275@N21/

Bike Events this Weekend!

FRIDAY

Mini Bike Gymkhana Jefferson Park (map) - details - 6:00 PM
Bike Porn (age 18+) -
Parking Behind 1130 South Richards Street (map) - details - 9:00 pm

Midnight Mass -
Gallivan Plaza, North Side (map) - details - 11:45 pm

SATURDAY

350 CO2 Cyclists -