The Bitter Cyclist

New Bittercyclist Homepage

2005-09-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hi!

Why the hell haven't I been doing any posts? I know! I hate not adding to this blog, but I'm trying to make the bittercyclist website more interactive with anyone who wants to use it. I added a new calendar of events where anyone can post an event. You can register for the site, and this will allow you to post stories about bikes, and also be eligible to receive free stuff such as T-shirts, stickers, and anything else I can think of. You can also go to the "Bitter Discusions" forum ... although this may not be quite up yet. Also, weblinks will be in a directory and have proper categories, and a gallery with easier picture viewing capability will be added in the next couple of days. To test the site out, go to:
http://www.toptencity.com/bitter/

A Great Selection of Cool Bike T-Shirts

2005-09-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Definitely go to www.microcosmpublishing.com for a great selection of Zines, and tons of cyclist related posters and T-shirts at rock bottom prices (11 bucks for my shirt!) I honestly don't know how they stay in business. I met the owner of this small publisher on Sunday at the SF Zinefest at CellSpace. He's a great guy, too.

Knowing Your Bicycle: Sites of Great Importance

2005-08-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I find myself referring people along to yet more sites. This can be kind of annoying if it's just referral after referral without really adding anything of substance. STILL, I'm going to do it any way. Referrals can be like a funnel to get you where you need to go. So please forgive me for yet another referral to a resource without being a resource myself. This referral: Knowing your bike!

Sheldon Brown - If you need to know ANYTHING about your bike, then this is the place to go. Go to his "Fix It" Link to find several articles on bicycle repair. If you want to know about arcane topics such as gear ratios, it's here. If you want to know about comparative cantilever brake geometry, it's here. Dman near everything is here.

Wikipedia Bicycle - Thank the lord for Wikipedia! The contributors have created a very comprehensive entry on the bicycle with tons of opportunities to explore the bike. Do not miss this.

Bicycle Repair Wikibook - And if the wikipedia entry wasn't enough, there is also a wikibook on bicycle repair that is incredibly helpful.

BicyclingInfo.org - For cycling advocates across the country, this is the place to start. There are, of course, dozens of local bike coalitions, but this is the grandaddy portal for the U.S. This isn't totally related to know your bike, per se, but I don't give a crap.

Bicycles on Airplanes and Trains in U.S. and Italy

2005-08-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

This seems to be a very important topic top people interested in bike touring, so I put a very short list of what certain airlines and trainlines say about their bicycle accomodation policies. It all seems a bit depressing to me.

Bike boxing rules:

American Airlines www.aa.com:
"Item Allowance/Requirements: Bicycles 1 non-motorized touring or racing bike. Handlebars must be fixed sideways and pedals removed. Or pedals and handlebars must be enclosed in plastic foam or similar material.
Cost: $80 Exception: If bicycle and container are less than 62 dimensional inches and under 50 lbs., the bike is free in place of one 62 inch bag in the free allowance.
Maximum Size and Weight: 70 lbs / 115 inches - Acceptance conditional on aircraft size and load conditions - Exception: If a bike is less than 62 dimensional inches and 50 lbs., the above conditions do not apply
- If this item is in excess of the number of pieces allowed in the free baggage allowance, excess baggage charges apply in addition to the $80 special items fee."

United Airlines www.united.com:
"Bicycle Non-motorized bicycle must be prepared for travel by the customer. United does not provide tools. Handlebars must be turned sideways and protruding pedals and accessories removed. Bicycle must be contained in a protective/durable case, bag or box. Within U.S./Canada: $80.00 USD 50 pounds
62 linear inches - Allow an extra 30 minutes at check-in.
- If travel includes United Express, please contact United for information regarding aircraft cargo hold limits."

Delta www.delta.com:
"Item Conditions of Acceptance
Bicycles Non-motorized touring or racing bicycles with single seats for carriage are accepted as checked baggage, with certain limitations.
Any bicycle presented in a box with overall dimensions not exceeding 62" or 157.5cm (length + height + width) and checked in lieu of one bag is accepted. Bicycles exceeding 62" are subject to charge. A $100 fee applies for each checked bicycle.
Your bike must be packaged in a cardboard or canvas container in one of the following ways:
1. Handlebars fixed sideways and pedals removed, or
2. Handlebars and pedals encased in plastic, Styrofoam, or other similar material
Some connection carriers and aircraft may not accept bicycles as checked baggage, and may have different limitations. "

Northwest / KLM www.nwa.com:
"Northwest accepts non-motorized touring, racing or tandem bicycles as checked luggage only. A bicycle is not included in a customer's free luggage allowance. Northwest only accepts bicycles weighing 100 pounds or less. Bicycles over 100 pounds must be sent air freight.
The following charges apply for transportation (each way) per bike between the US, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean:
1st Bicycle: $80.00 USD
Additional Bicycles: $180.00 USD

Northwest accepts bicycles only if the handlebars are fixed sideways and the pedals removed or if the handlebars and pedals are wrapped with protective packing material. Northwest recommends bicycles be placed in a bike box.
Northwest only accepts tandem bicycles for travel between the US/Canada/Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands. Tandem bikes are only accepted on 747/D10/757 type aircraft.
Northwest does not accept liability for loss, damage, or delay of bicycles. Excess valuation insurance may not be purchased for transport of bicycles."

Air France www.airfrance.us
"Bicycles can be checked into the baggage compartment. You may purchase special boxes for them at the check-in counter." That’s it!!!

Lufthansa www.lufthansa.com
"You may certainly check in more than your free baggage allowance. Please understand that we charge a fee for this extra service.
On international routes
• to and from the USA/Canada
• via USA on sectors to and from USA
• between Europe and Mexico
• with a fare origin in West Africa to and from West Africa
• with a fare origin in Brazil between Brazil and Europe/the Middle East
• with Star Alliance Round the World fare
a fixed charge will be made for each additional, larger or heavier piece of baggage. For example, approx. 110 EUR / 127 USD between Germany and San Francisco."

Amtrak www.amtrak.com

Many Options for Our Bike-Riding Passengers
We offer several options for transporting your bicycle with you on your Amtrak journey. Options include:
Bicycles stored onboard in bike racks.
Bicycles checked as baggage in a box or other secure container.
Bicycles checked as baggage secured by tie-down equipment, not in a box.
Folding bicycles brought onboard as carry-on baggage.
Bicycles Stored Onboard in Bicycle Racks
On some Amtrak trains you can roll your bike up to the train and secure it in a bike rack, unboxed.
Availability: Availability of this service varies widely from train to train, and station to station. Please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800- 872-7245) to determine whether bicycle rack space is available on a particular train and route.
Please reserve space early: You can reserve space for bicycles when you make a ticket reservation. We charge a fee (generally ranging from $5 to $10 depending on route and distance traveled) for reserving a space in the bike rack. If space is available, you will be issued a ticket for bike rack space. Please be prepared to give this ticket to the conductor when boarding with your bicycle.
If a space on the bicycle rack is unavailable, you may be able to check your bike as carry-on baggage. See below.
Secure your bike: On some trains, bungee cords and locking mechanisms are incorporated into the bicycle rack. You may find it useful to bring your own bungee cords to further secure your bike to the rack.
No unusual bikes allowed: Please note that bicycle racks will not accommodate tandem, recumbent, or other unusual bikes. Such bikes must be transported as checked baggage, in a box. Please see below.
Specially designated spaces only: Bikes may not be transported in the vestibule of any car, except in spaces specially designated on certain limited trains.
Liability: Amtrak disclaims liability for loss of or damage to bicycles carried onboard and stored in bike racks.
Bikes as Checked Baggage
You can bring your bicycle on Amtrak as checked baggage between all cities where checked baggage services are offered. Keep in mind that not all stations or trains have checked baggage service, and that baggage service may not be available every day. For more information, please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245) or your agent.
Tips for successfully packing your bicycle:
Check your bicycle at the station at least an hour before departure.
Bicycles usually must be partially disassembled: Loosen and turn the handlebars sideways, and remove the pedals. Both wheels must remain in the forks. Nothing may protrude from the box or make the box bulge. Nothing except the bicycle may be placed in the box.
Please bring your own tools. It may be helpful to disassemble and reassemble your bike before your trip to avoid any surprises. Some parts, especially pedals, may be especially difficult to remove.
You may bring your own box or purchase one at the station. Bicycle boxes (new or used) are also usually available for purchase at staffed stations that accept checked baggage. The cost of each box is $10. Call ahead for details and to make sure that boxes are available. Local bicycle shops also may be able to provide you with boxes. After your trip, you may keep your box and use it again if it is in good condition.
You may also use a container especially designed for transporting bicycles. Such containers must have handles and must be fully closed and latched, with no portion of the bike exposed.
Attach your name and address to the box.
Tandem bicycles may be checked and require two boxes, telescoped together.
The fee for checking a bike as baggage is $5. This is subject to change without notice.
Bikes as Checked Baggage on Trains with Tie-Down Equipment
Some trains have tie-down equipment in the baggage car or other areas designated for checked baggage. Where such equipment is available, you can check your bike without a box or other container.
This space is limited, and you must reserve it. Typically, there is a reservation charge.
You must accompany your unboxed bike on its journey on the same train. We will not accept unaccompanied bikes.
Bicycles not in containers are more likely to be damaged in transit. Accordingly, we disclaim liability for bikes shipped unboxed.
For assistance, please call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).
Folding Bikes Brought Aboard as Carry-On Baggage
Folding bicycles may be brought aboard certain passenger cars as carry-on baggage. Only true folding bicycles (bicycles specifically designed to fold up into a compact assembly) are acceptable. Generally, these bikes have frame latches allowing the frame to be collapsed, and small wheels. Regular bikes of any size, with or without wheels, are not considered folding bikes, and may not be stored as folding bikes aboard trains.
You must fold up your folding bicycle before boarding the train. You may store the bike only in luggage storage areas at the end of the car (or, in Superliners, on the lower level). You may not store bikes in overhead racks.
Bicycles on Auto Train
We cannot carry automobiles with bicycles loaded on the roof. Please see our Auto Train Vehicle Requirements for details.
Bicycles on Amtrak Express
Regular bicycles, tandem bicycles, and unicycles may be shipped on Amtrak Express. Bikes must be securely packed in a box. Bicycles are generally exempt from Amtrak Express size requirements. More information is available on our Amtrak Express page."

Trenitalia www.trenitalia.com
"BICYCLE TRANSPORT
Given the availability of places, bicycles may be brought on Surburban, Regional, Direct and Interregional trains, marked in the Timetable by the appropriate pictogram. A supplement of Euro 3.50 must be paid or, alternatively to the supplement ticket, a second class full price ticket having the same characteristics of the ticket in the passenger's possession.

On some Intercity, Eurocity and Euronight trains, also marked in the Timetable with an appropriate pictogram, a supplement of Euro 5.00 and Euro 12.30 (for international trains) is to be paid for such transport. The supplement is not refundable

Furthermore, on all trains free transport of bicycles are admitted in appropriate sacks, with the following limitations: in the SL (sleeping cars) and carriages with bunks they are allowed only in specifically allocated compartments; they are admitted on board of Eurostar Italia trains provided they are placed in the areas situated in halls of the carriages. If there is no further space, they may be placed elsewhere, provided they do not cause hindrance or inconvenience for other clients or personnel on board.

In any case the sacks are transported at the risk of the client. The insurance policy, foreseen for luggage situated in hallways and in bunk and sleeping car compartments, covers, in case of theft, a maximum of Euro 260.00

It is also possible to deposit, for free, the empty sack in all stations predisposed for such service, for a period of 24 hours following the validating of your ticket."

Cycling Italy 2004: Milan, Siena, and Beyond Part II

2005-08-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

One of the side trips that Stacey and I did was to visit Florence for a day. I took these pictures at the Boboli Gardens. I couldn't get the range I wanted, so I took a dozen shots and kind of stitched them together to get the overall view I wanted.

A great little flea market in the center of Florence.

Florence also has a great produce market that goes on pretty late in the afternoon.

Another produce market pic.

And another produce market pic.

This is funny. We did a lot of shopping at this supermarket in Poggibonsi. It's not unlike a Safeway. All of the Italian products seem perfectly normal, but something is weird about the concept of Uncle Ben's Nacho Chips. Wasn't Uncle Ben a freed black slave who learned to cultivate and make the best rice product available? Was Uncle Ben part Mexican?

Speaking of foodhttp://bbaunach.zoto.com. These were the most delicious home made ravioli I've ever had. I believe they were stuffed with porcicni mushrooms and spinach with truffle oil.

You might be thinking, " Who is this starving gypsy you've invited to your table?". In fact, this is Stacey Lewis, My wife. She real cute!

One of the most exciting days for me in Siena. It's the naming of the contrade for the July edition of the Palio horse race. I swear to you there were about 50 people in the piazza just 5 minutes before this picture was taken.

The procession of drummers leads the overseers of the Palio lottery to town hall.

Siena in the rain. I really like these crazy little trucks. They're called APEs and they buzz around like bees.

A church in Cortona. I'll try to get some more pics of Cortona. This was the first destination of an epic bike ride that I had that day. The ride went from Siena, up the endless switchbacks of Cortona, along the shores of Lago Tresimeno to Montepulciano.

This had to be one of my favorite days in Siena (again starting in the Piazza del Campo). Siena has a respectable contemporary art museum that sponsored an installation artist to create this huge array of hundred foot tall baloon arches along the perimeter of the piazza. The weather was not cooperating, though. Later that evening, the museum had an opening party featuring DJs and a whole pig cooked in the ground Hawaiian Style and featured on a huge table at the enty of the museum.

Another image of the baloons.

Final baloon image.

Cycling Italy 2004: Milan, Siena, and Beyond

2005-08-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

I took a month off in May of 2004 to bicycle throughout the region of Province of Siena with excursions over to Cortona and Montepulciano. I also spent a week in a house my wife and I rented near the town of San Gimignano. I've pretty much put these in chronological order, but these pictures do no scratch the surface of what I saw and did. I always seem to caught up in the moment to take pictures!

I flew in to Milan, so my journey begins here, in the Milan train station.

My friends, Joe and Allison, made me take this picture! If you look closely in the center of the pic, there is a little clown with blue hair. Apparently, this thing travels extensively. I took it in my pannier for good luck.

Silhouette of the Milan Train Station. I took the train from here all the way down to Siena. This is an all day affair because I had to take iR trains which don't go directly to Florence. The reason I took these trains is that bikes cannot be brought on the Eurostar trains unless they are in a bag. Keep this in mind for anyone interested in taking the same journey.

My arrival in Siena! I stayed just a block from here in a cheap, clean, but extremely sparse hotel called the Tre Donzelle. They are so damn sweet there!

My first meal out on the town (I was by myself, unfortunately). The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was simple and beautiful, and the waiter smelled funny.

Baskets of fruit in front of a small produce market in Siena.

Another picture. I snapped these pics before I noticed the sign that said don't take pictures of the fruit. I guess it's bad luck for the fruit to be photographed? Hell no! We all know the truth. Tourists would rather photograph fruit than eat it. So, the owners just kill all pleasure of the snap happy tourists, like myself. Or should I say, they try to redirect pleasure.

View from my room in Siena. You can just catch the top of the Torre di Mangia. BTW, it was 25 Euros per night for this place. If you're not spending much time in the hotel, then why pay more?

I took a ton of pictures of the countryside I biked through. Here are just a few of the pics. This view is south of Siena looking back to the town.

Aview south of Siena look towards the road ahead. Not too far from here is the start of the Crete where the landscape gets totally barren and chalky. In May, it's totally green, like it is in this picture, but in September it's grey and wheat colored.

You'll find cypress lined dirt roads throughout the countryside. Love Em!

Here's a view just south of San Gimignano looking towards the town. I rode from Siena to San Gimignano on this ride which crosses one fairly steep and windy ascent. At the very top of the ascent was a bar and a huge barbecue place that opened in the evening. Surrounding this area is a dese protected forrest that is used for truffle gathering.

More of San Gimignano from a vineyard south of town.

Yet more of San Gimignano from a vineyard south of town.

The view from the place we rented. It was right outside of San Gimignano. It had a pool and was surrounded by scruffy vinyards. I liked it.

A field of wildflowers between San Gimignano and Poggibonsi.

More flowers. I can't get enough of them!

San Francisco Vertigo Bike Tour

2005-08-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend Aaron Leventhal, author of "Footsteps in the Fog", and I lead a bike tour that highlighted location shots from scenes of Hitchcock's movie Vertigo. I unfortunately took only a couple of shots as we rode down Lombard street which, consequently, is one block away from the "Scottie's" apartment. Scottie, as you may know, is the protagonist in Vertigo. I can't thank Aaron enough for making this ride a fantastic journey for all the participants. We had somewhere between 30 and 40 riders, and everyone survived the hills.

Touring Tuscany: Internet Resources You Should Know

2005-08-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

I have managed to go to Italy three out of the last five years spending roughly 1 month cycling around. My favorite area, as is many people's, is Tuscany! So, I've put together sites to explore, and why you should explore them.

WayTuscany- A great place to start with this site is the "tradition and folklore" page. Check out the tons of great events going on including food and wine festivals.

The Siena Tourist Board's website is great. I personally have used the bike routes they have suggested on a dozen occasions. In fact, I had hopes of writing a book on the subject of cycling Tuscany, but have found this resource so useful that I've reconsidered. The map's leave something to be desired, but hey! It's free!

I like slowtrav because it has quirky little bits of information you just don't get anywhere. Also, it kind of emphasizes food which I really like. For instance, this month there is a neat little article about wild mushroom hunting in Umbria that I liked.

I've been writing in Lonely Planet's Thorntree Forum for the past few months, and I've found that you can get even the most obscure questions answered... although not always quickly. It's even a place to make a hookup if you're looking to make friends in a particular place.

I love the food and wine of Tuscany! I also ride my bike all day, and sometimes wonder if I just passed a great winery or famous osteria and didn't know it. One place to plan your Tuscan wine roadtrip (by car or bike) is La Strada Del Vino. You will find a few tours there, but I suggest googling "la strada del vino" simply because every region has their own wine roads website and they don't coordinate (future post! All the wine road websites!).

Omnimaps offers what I believe to be the only credible online resource for extremely detailed maps of central tuscany. These maps are made by a German company called Kompass. They show all the same stuff Michelin maps show, but in greater detail. The best feature about these maps is they also show trails, dirt roads, and preferred bicycle routes making them essential.

For those less interested in biking the countryside, check out Firenze.com for the most user friendly site on Florence.

Hitchcock's Vertigo Bike Tour

2005-08-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Vertigo Bike Tour
Sun., Aug. 21 | 10:30am; Meet at Mission Dolores at the corner of 16th and Dolores Street (4 blocks from 16th Street BART)

Join Brandon Baunach and special guest Aaron Leventhal, author of “Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco” as we ride our way through many scenes of what is arguably the most important San Francisco film ever made: Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. We will stop at such scenic locations as Claude Lane, Mission Dolores, and the old Argosy Bookshop where Aaron will discuss the movie and the importance and history behind it’s location. The ride will last approximately 3 hours and cover approximately 8–10 miles. Some of the climbs may be moderately difficult. Ride is FREE for SFBC Members. Non-members will be asked for a $5 donation.

San Francisco Amusement Park History Bike Tour: Google KMZ

2005-08-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have made yet another great bike tour in Google earth format for San Francisco complete with tour stop images and descriptions. I hope you enjoy! To be honest, when I saved the file, it seemed too small. Let me know if it actually works and email me at bbaunach@yahoo.com
Click on links below for your preferred format:
PDF
KMZ

Westpoint Inn, Mount Tamalpais Hike

2005-08-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today, Stacey and I met up with some buddies and did a hike to the Westpoint Inn near the summit of Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, California. They're well known for their pancake breakfast offered during the summer. It's a great break from a long morning of hiking and biking and can only be reached by these two modes of transportation. Well, maybe they'd let you parachute in?

The morning started off foggy and a bit cold.

Fog through the live oaks.

Our thirty-something crew in full effect complete with major baby action. Oh yeah, and one forty-something.

Even more fog through the trees.

I liked this picture because when I got home, I could not figure out which way this picture was supposed to be oriented. That's about how we all felt walking through the stuff.

The road to nowhere.

The blue sky showing itself

Foggy light streaming through the trees.

Blue skies on the trail at last! Just 500 feet below us, they won't see blue todayhttp://bbaunach.zoto.com. or for the next few weeks.

A view down from the Westpoint Inn.

The cook who took our order. She was happy.

Our buddy Erika with cute baby, Emmy.

Cyclists ariving at the Westpoint Inn. I believe they rode up along the Old Railroad Grade.

Emmy, with dad, Rob, acting cute again.

Some of the flora is still here after a dry summer.

It looks like a little straw hat.

New Energy Bill a Plus for Green Business

2005-08-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in previous posts, besides bicycling I like to mention green business opportunities when I see them.

With the new energy bill passed I see some optimism for green businesses. I will use the senate bullet points to discuss the opportunities that are newly available. Unfortunately, I think that many of these green-giveaways are specifically targeted for huge multi-national corporations. For instance, the bill includes $105 million to help demonstrate more railroad efficiency. GE is the big provider of engines among other things for the railroad industry. I imagine the sum could be earmarked for them. I don’t know this for a fact, but that’s my speculation.

Still, I think there may be great opportunities for the entrepreneur or small business. Let’s look at Title VII: Transportation-

- “Reforms the EPACT alternative fuel vehicle mandate program to encourage the use of alternative and renewable transportation fuels.” and “Authorizes $200 million grant program to assist states and localities in acquiring alternative-fueled
vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and ultra-low sulfur diesel vehicles”
Here’s a great opportunity for the small cap fuel cell providors, suppliers, and so on.

- “Authorizes $2.1 billion for the President’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Initiative to develop clean, renewable hydrogen cars.” Again, lot’s of opportunity in the fuel cell industry. Hydrogen is of course produced USING energy, so the hope is only renewable energy will be used to produce hydrogen. The major advantage of hydrogen, though, is it’s bi-product of water and oxygen, and it’s storability.

Title XIII is also very cool!

- “Provides a new credit to an eligible contractor for energy-efficient property installed in a qualified new energy-efficient home during construction, and a new credit for the purchase of qualified energy efficiency improvements for existing homes.
- Provides new deduction for energy-efficient commercial building property expenditures.
- Provides a new credit for the production of energy-efficient clothes washers and refrigerators.
- Provides a new personal tax credit for the purchase of qualified wind energy, photovoltaic, and solar water heating property that is used exclusively for purposes other than heating swimming pools and hottubs.
- Provides a credit for certain high efficiency electric heat pump hot water heaters, electric heat pumps, natural gas furnaces, central air conditioners, natural gas water heaters, and geothermal heat pumps.
- Provides a new 30 percent business energy credit for purchase of qualified fuel cell power plants for businesses.
- Provides accelerated depreciation for qualified energy management devices and water submetering devices.
- Provides new credit for the purchase of combined heat and power projects.

Check out the Department of Energy Website for specific information of how to take advantage of these programs.

Cycling Memorabilia at the Alameda Flea Market

2005-08-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, I went to the Alameda Flea Market. I figured I would seek out any sort of cycling ephemera available and buy it if it was cheap. I came up with a couple of nice things that I wanted to share. But before I share this information, I wanted to let anyone interested in the subject know that cycling stuff is very hard to come by. Out of hundreds of dealers, only two had items for sale. Maybe this is the wrong place to look for cycling memorabilia, but still. Two posts down, if you want more bicycle collecting information, I put together a very small resource list that may be helpful.

So here's what I found:

This first book was a very fun find. It is a memoir named "Round the World on a Wheel" by John Foster Fraser. The book was published in 1899 by Thomas Nelson and Sons and it is an account of Mr. Fraser's 19,000 mile bike trip around the world three years prior. I've only read the first couple of chapters and have been amazed at the notion of riding a one speed bicycle this far in wool suits! I'll give more reports about how the book turns out, but so far he sounds like an idiot. But, since bicycle touring is one of my passions I'll probably read it with great interest.

If anyone has an interest in this book, let me know because I'll copy any chapter for you or send more info about the locations covered.

The Boy Scouts Cycling Guide is One of those pamphlets that when you buy it, you think it's going to be kitsch and enjoy it for it's dated " those were the days" quality. It was, in fact, a good read and the text is still useful for any kid getting into bikes. Also, the pamphlet appears that is hasn't been touched since 1949. It has a just-off-the-press quality to it.

Another Big Sur Trip

2005-08-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my wife, Stacey, and drove through Big Sur

READ CAREFULLY

My Wife, Stacey acting coy.

More Coy, up close.

Bixby Beach from high above.

Beggars - Big Sur Stylin'

I will CRUSH the rock with my fingers!

It's real pretty around these parts.

Bicycle Memorabilia and Vintage Bicycles

2005-08-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put together a collection of links to people interested in the history of the bicycle in America. This is after a day at the Alameda antique flea market where I found only three examples of bicycle memorabilia in hundreds of booths. The thing about vintage bicycle stuff is it's rare. People just didn't ever seem to want to keep stuff bike related very much. List list is not comprehensive in any way, but will give you a good start on where to look besides e-bay.

There are several bikeswaps around the country, but one stands out over all the rest: The Copake Auction in New York. They have a fantastic free catalogue of last year's auction with all the prices paid. The items are outstanding and inspiring for the collector or bike junky.

Also, the classic and antique bicycle exchange is a great resource.

For books on the subject of collecting, check out San Francisco's own Cycle Publishing.

Another local Bay Area gem is Rideable Bicycle Replicas. Here, the most useful resource are the reprinted catalogues available for purchase.

The Wheelmen also provide catalogues among other valuable information.

For vintage bicycle art, I've found two sites with a decent collection of original posters. These are La Belle Epoque and Galaplus.

And finally, if you are simply looking for interesting antique cycling pictures then you should check out the Library of Congress photo collection. If you use this link, you will need to type in the word "bicycle" in the search box, and a few hundred images should be available. When the search results are complete, click the purple box that says "preview images" to create a galley of bicycle images rather than clicking through all the entries. I believe that these photos are royalty free if you use them for non-commercial purposes, so go for it.

I'm out!

Italy Italy Bike Tour 2001:South of Siena

2005-08-05T00:28:00.000-07:00

South of Siena there is a land called the Crete which is almost like a desert. The landscape is barren grey dotted with green Italian Cypress.

As you can see, the road is well paved, curvy and rolling with no cars in sight. This is the perfect bike riding country.

In the middle of the Crete is the small valley town of Asciano. We had planned to stop here and the decision was perfect. Once in town we discovered yet another festival complete with baton twirlers. Later that afternoon, we got our hotel room and took a nap. My sleep was punctuated by a continuous pounding music. It lasted in the evening, and we finally investigated and found a carnival occupied with the children of Asciano and surrounding villages. The bumper cars were fun.

Which way to San Quirico?

Every town in Italy is special. Searching for it's beauty is simple. After Asciano, we made it to the town of San Quirico di Orcia. The day was hot punctuated by thunderstorms. When we got into town we didn't route around. We just took a shower and went to bed. The next morning , I woke up early and found this fairy tale sculpture garden 25 feet from our hotel. There was still an early morning mist when I took these picture which gave the place a gauze like dream scene from a bad Lady Chatterly movie.

Another view of the San Quirico sculpture garden.

Pienza is a small town east of san Quirico full of fantastic Renaisance Palazzi. Why didn't I get a picture of them? Oh well.

Close to Pienza is the hill town of Montepulciano. More Palazzi, this beautiful park, and 360 degree views all around. I don't know why I focused on the park.

Another pic from the Montepulciano Park

When it comes to lodging in Montepulciano, there is only one place to stay. I can't remember what the heck the name of the place is in Italian but in English it means the Porcupine Inn. The image is of a 14th century mosaic in the courtyard of the hotel. Imagine views from every room, fine linens, featherbeds, awesome in-room stereo, and a rooftop terrace that overlooks the valleyhttp://bbaunach.zoto.com. and cheap! 80 euro!

From Montepulciano, we headed east towards Cortona. As we got closer to the town, we noticed this beautiful, flat lake and decided to ride around it into the province of Umbria. We stayed in a small resort town that was competely dead because it was out of season. Damn, I have to look up the name of that lake!

Tour's done for now. Maybe I'll pick it up next yearhttp://bbaunach.zoto.com.

First Experiments with Google Earth

2005-08-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hi All! I will start producing detailed bike ride maps using Google's .KMZ file format. You can download the Google application to view these maps for free at this link. This software allows you to make maps that have several great features:

First, you can make tags to all of your favorite spots simply by clicking on the map of where you want the tag. Google Earth automatically makes a placemark at that point. That placemark can be filled with not only geographic information, but also pictures, links, and a host of other information. I gave some of these placemarks URL links that will take you to photographs of the location.

Second, you can trace a route (such as a bike route) and Google Earth will animate the pathway that the route follows with a well done aerial perspective viewpoint to fly through the route.

Finally, you can add other Google search infomation to the map you've created. For instance, I made a bike route, then searched Google for the closest bike stores along that route, then simply included the locations of those bike stores on the map.

Below is a route I made for the Vertigo Bike Tour: A Collection of Locations where Hitchcock's Vertigo was shot in San Francisco

Another Route I made is a ride to Point Bonita Lighthouse from San Francisco. The fly-by is quite spectacular through the Marin Headlands.

If anyone is interested, I will email you the .KMZ files for the rides, and I will post links to the KMZ files in the next couple of days.

Feedback is always appreciated!

Exploring Google Maps API

2005-08-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

I found out today that I don't know what the hell I'm doing! How the heck do I create a Custom Google Map using the Google Map API?

This is what I want to do: I have all these weird bike tours I've led over the years. Now, I'd like to put them online with images and links in the tag for a particular geographic point. It can't be done by the layman. What would be super cool is if there was a place that hosted my Google Maps with all these particular tours with some overlay capabilites as the API documentation says it can.

Does anyone know about this stuff, so I don't have to waste too much time figuring it all out?

I love you all.

Thanks!

2005-07-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

I want to thank a bunch of people for inspiring me to start this blog whether they know it or not. There is really not much to the blog yet, but I'm going to get some people's opinions on this topic in the near future.

First, Thanks to the beautiful Laura who has put my link up on her blog and actually seems to read the blog (although, it's mostly for the cyclist in SF)

Thanks to Phil McKinney and the Killer Innovations website. Phil Does a podcast that has proven to be the most interesting content concerning business and innovation. For me, it's very exciting.

Another Podcast of Merrit is the Cubicle Escape Pod which is a 30 minute show about 2 guys bootstrapping a new company. The information is critical inspiration for anyone starting their own business.

Thanks to thisevilempire.com for making the cutest baby films I've ever seen. The movies are a mixture of cinema verite, Woody Allen, and America's Funniest Home Video. Definitely check this site out.

Finally, Thanks to Plan B for their recent Non-Marketing book which is a good primer for anyone interested in the evolution of BUZZ.

Thank You!

Bitter Cyclist Stickers!

2005-07-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Free Stickers to anyone who wants them! The logo is the same as the entry page to the website. Just email me at: bbaunach@yahoo.com and I will send you a few stickers.

Bike Tour Italy 2001: Tuscany and Umbria I

2005-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

This will not be a comprehensive photo tour of our trip. We went to tons more places than the images I will show, but I wanted to get something up for people to enjoy.

The Duomo as seen from the Boboli Gardens. I have never been one for the crowded areas, and the Boboli Gardens is the perfect place for R and R from across the fiume in touristland. Also, I'm a big fan of the collections at the Palazzo Pitti which affronts the Boboli garden and can be seen in the foreground of this picture. They have the weirdest stuff ranging from a costume collection to a fine china collection.

While chilling out one day in Florence, I decided to take a bike ride around the outskirts of the city and this is one view. I'm not sure why I'm including it, but whatever.

This is a view of Castellina in Chiantiwhich was a fairly easy ride from where we stayed the night before in Panzano which is a fantastic and extremely modest little town. The only thing around there, really, is this famous butcher's market that sells about 300 different cuts. They know they're good, and they flaunt it by bringing in a string quartet into their store on the weekends.

This leg of the ride started in Florence and ended in Siena. The road we took was 222 which is also known as the Gallo Nero. It's one of the ultimate wine roads, although I prefer the rugged beauty south of Siena.

This is the view I had as I rode into Siena-complex urban puzzles interspersed with a dense nature. The ride from Castellina on 222 is almost completely downhill. I think it took me 30 minutes to get there. I ended up freaking out a couple of tourists with my speedy ride into town. These tourists were staying in Castellina as well. We met them at a bus stop and talked for a bit. I told them I was biking into Siena and they wished me good luck. When I got to Siena I headed straight for the Piazza del Campo and took a nap in the sun there. I woke up to the tourists standing next to me wondering how the hell I had beaten them there. That felt nice.

This was the bedroom of the convent we stayed at. We almost didn't get to stay here. The nuns kept looking at me funny with my bike shorts and http://bbaunach.zoto.com. bulges. They weren't impressed. Raquel used some sweet talking, though, and we were in. If you stay in Siena, then this is the best place for the money. I think we paid 20 buck per night and this was our view:

Our view from the convent.

The Palazzo Publico in the Piazza del Campo

Chillin' in the Piazza.

Bike Tour Italy 2001: The Veneto and Po Valley

2005-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Our First day of Riding! We rode from Mestre along the Brenta River spying many beautiful Palladian Villas to Padua. We really didn't ride too much that first day just so we could get used to our enormous amount of gear. My only real impression of Padua is that evryone rode bikes as the picture attests.

Padua to Vicenza: The same Palladian Villas but a different fiume. This one is Palladio's Villa Rotunda which is just about the most famous Italian Renaissance building

Our arrival to Vicenza brings us square in the middle of a festa.

Vicenza's Carnival on the outskirts of town. Italians love their carnivals, God bless 'em! This was the first of 3 that we attended.

Vicenza to Verona: Field after field of pure beauty. In the distance, you can see the foothills of the Alps. Fun! We didn't ride any alps which is cool with me because the Tuscan hills were relentless.

Fair Verona: There's too much good to say about this town, so I'll keep it short. My impressions of Verona is if you were to much Rome and Florence together, make it smaller, and take the crowds and the heat away, then stick it by one of the most beautiful lakes in the world (Lake Garda). That's Verona.

Lago Di Garda. Ha! Sorry! Couldn't find a picture of the lake, but this is pretty much all we saw when we were there. We did a lot of laying around that day.

Some Town Outside of Mantua. Life is pretty slow around these parts. This was shortly after September 11th. Actually, I think it was the 12th. We struggled to keep focused. We did, however, have a fantastic time no matter how bleek this picture looks. In a town next to this one, we rode over to a traveling gypsy circus in the evening. The circus audience was comprised of 100 screaming Italian children and two American cyclists. I really miss how innocent and fresh that felt. It definitely revived our faith in humanity.

Later: Tuscany and Umbriahttp://bbaunach.zoto.com.

Bike Tour Italy 2001: Venice

2005-07-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Venice was our first Stop on this trip. We arrived with our bikes boxed up at the Venice airport at midnight. and we didn't reach our hotel until 1 am. I don't suggest carrying your bikes into Venice. But I think we got a kick out of people staring at us since we may have been the only two people to bring bikes here in years.

I have a bunch of picture of Venice which has little to do with our bike trip, but it's just so damn pretty there!

So there are bikes in Venice! Here's a shot caught by my cycling partner, Raquel. I think she wanted to capture the vibrancy of the posters, and only mistakenly caught the only other cyclist in Venice.

Venice along the Grand Canal

Raquel in a Venice square facing what I recall was a good book store.

Another shot of Raquel in the Piazza San Marco

The Piazza San Marco

Birds Attacking in the Piazza

A Fountain in Venice by Carlo Scarpa: One of my favorite architects.

A Detail of the Fountain.

Venice at Sunset: This Picture was taken at the Lido where we went to the Venice Film Festival that evening.

More Venice at Sunset. Tough Life, huh?

Venice, Italy: Hostels, Schools, and Convents

2005-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

Many people wonder how to stay cheaply in Venice. I often contribute to the Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum , and people ask this question all the time. Here's my two cents: There are very few options for cheap places to stay in Venice, and I want to consolidate them for you in one spot.

If you have never stayed in a convent, then I HIGHLY reccomend it. I stayed in several Convent, and they have turned out to be the cleanest, safest, and most beautiful options. The convents lack TV, private bath, services, wake up calls, and these sorts of ammenities. The convents, however, house very interesting religious icons, have strong historical significance, and are guaranteed quiet at night. So, here's my list for Venice:

CASA SANTA DOROTEA
Youth Hostel
Cannaregio2927 - 30121, VENEZIA
Phone: 041717022 Fax: 0415226269
26-52 Euros

CENTRO CULTURALE DON ORIONE ARTIGIANELLI
Religious guesthouses
Dorsoduro919 - 30123, VENEZIA
Phone: 0415224077 Fax: 0415286214 E-mail: centrart@tin.it
30-50 Euros in Dorms

DOMUS G. B. GIUSTINIAN
Youth Hostel
Santa Croce326/A - 30100, VENEZIA
Fax: 041719258 E-mail: asilogiustinian@libero.it
20 Euros

EX JUNGHANS
Youth Hostel
Giudecca394 - 30122, VENEZIA
Phone: 0415210801 Fax: 0415210801
16-80 Euros

Instituto Canossiano San Trovaso
Religious guesthouses
Dorsoduro 1323 - Venezia
Phone: (+39) 0412409711 Fax: (+39) 0412409712, E-mail: cvenezia@fdcc.org Web: www.fdcc.org/province/sanmarco/santrovaso/home.htm

Instituto Solesin
Religious guesthouses
Dorsoduro 624 - Venezia
Phone: (+39) 041 5224356 Fax: (+39) 041 5238124

ISTITUTO CANOSSIANO
Religious guesthouses
Dorsoduro, 1323 - 30123, Venezia
Phone: (+39) 041 2409711 Fax: (+39) 041 2409712

ISTITUTO SAN GIUSEPPE
Religious guesthouses
Castello5402 - 30122, VENEZIA
Phone: 0415225352 Fax: 0415224891 E-mail: sangiuseppe.venezia@virgilio.it
32-35 in dorms

PROVINCIA DI VENEZIA ISOLA DI SAN SERVOLO
School with guestroom
Isola di San Servolo - 30100, VENEZIA
Phone: 0412765405 - 0412765001 Fax: 0412765402, E-mail: sanservolo@provincia.venezia.it Web: www.sanservolo.provincia.venezia.it
9-33 Euro in Dorms

SANTA FOSCA
Youth Hostel
Cannaregio 2372 - Venezia
Phone: (+39) 041715775 715733 Fax: (+39) 041715775-715733 E-mail: ostello@santafosca.it
21 Euro in Dorms

The Cat at Work

2005-07-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Her Name is Kati. Her Job: To Sleep.

She loves her job. Here's Kati reviewing drawings.

In this photo I've managed to capture Kati at her most active. Notice she has raised her head. Not a common sight in our office.

Now, back to work.

Yeah! Nap time once again!

C'mon Kati. Love the camera. Feel the camera.

"Please, you must stop photograghing me!"

"No, I'm serious dude. I'll get up. I mean it!"

"Oh, what's the use. Back to sleep"

Milan Sticker and Stencil Graffiti

2005-07-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

The graffiti I shot in Milan is over a two hour period walking around the area between the duomo and the Castello Sforseco I highly enjoyed seeing such artistic graf, and I hope you like it as well!

Randon Graffiti Pics Below

2005-06-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

I will soon add a random photo log page as a link to my blog. I'm thinking I need some color up here, so heres a few graf pics I've taken around town. Truth is, you could take graf pictures night and day, and it wouldn't tough the volume we have in San Francisco. there are several distinct genres of graffiti as well. For a good tour, check out my may posts for links to several good spots around town.

2005-06-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

SECTWANTO mega graf, high up on Illinois Street Power Plant

2005-06-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Graffiti up high on the Crane, India Basin

2005-06-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

One of several graffiti vans rolling around the mission

2005-06-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

Obey Action, 20th Street, Mission

2005-06-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

Angel Skull, Clarion Alley, The Mission

Bike Tours 101: Is Your Bike Ready for Anything?

2005-06-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

I want to touch quickly upon looking at your bike in terms of how you would fix it if you were deep in a foreign country with no special parts or mechanics available. Why would you do this? Because if you don't you may have to leave your bike once you've got mechanical problems. I will go through groups of parts and analyze what could go wrong. This, in turn, should help you decide what components to have on your bike for this sort of trip.

Keep in mind, most places in the world will be close to something you need. Some places will not be close to a good selection of mechanics or parts. My only rule for picking parts is KISS, or Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Let's start with the headset, handlebars area: What could go wrong? Well, the shifters could malfunction, for starters. Of course, the best solution is to use the part with the simplest mechanism which is bar end shifters that use a click/friction setting. Easy to use, hard to break.
The brake levers are very simple, so easy to fix. What's left? The neck and the headset. I like the threadless for it's simplicity, but there is always a possibility of a stripped bolt, so I suggest keeping with you a few hex bolts that would fit various items such as neck or seatpost clamp.

Now wheels are a tough call. What if you bend the rim? You definitely can't carry and extra rim. You can go as tough as possible, though, which means 36 spokes minimum on each rim. You should also go with a schrader valve tube because the rim hole is the largest you will need. It's much easier to go from larger to smaller. The wheel size is important, too. Go with with a metric 700C rather than a 26" wheel that are common on a mountain. Spoke breaks are not uncommon. A few spokes in your parts kit will definitely save the day if you know how to thread the wheel.

Hubs, axels, and cassettes are a tough subject to tackle. My thinking on this is to consider that you may temporarily need to keep the bike in a single gear for a day or two if the cassette gets bent or something of this nature. I bring an extra rear axel and a single speed sprocket that can be used if the rear derailleur fails. As well, you will definitely want to bring a bunch of spacers to make up any width difference of foreign parts that you may have to put on. There is not much that can be done with bent hubs or rims except that you would try kicking them or bending them back to a rideable shape.

Also, great tire is critical. My tire of choice is the Conti. Top Touring. I've never had a flat. I have seen sidewalls fail for various reasons, and in this case good electrical tape and paper come in handy. You use these tools to cover any sidewall failure, and this seems to work as an indefinite fix.

Cranks and bottom brackets have been reliable for me, except I don't believe that the spindle style crank would be the easiest to work on in a pinch. In fact the spindle cranks will strip immediately if they accidentally slip away from the bottom bracket. I suggest using the conventional square spindel bottom brackets and cranks and carry whatever cone wrench or tool you need to remove the crank. These cranks won't strip, even if they come loose. If you have stripped spindle cranks and there is no way of replacing these, then plan B is drastic but effective: you need to drill into the crank and force a hex bolt down onto the spindle so it won't move. Or, epoxy the crank arm to the bottom bracket if epoxy is available.

I have several more bits to add to this, but I'm done for the night.

Italy: When to attend the 2005 Venice Biennale

2005-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Recently, I aswered questions about the Venice Biennale in the Lonely Planet Travel Forum, and I thought I'd offer it up here as well:

I have been to the Biennale the last couple of times, and I really, really wanted to go this year!...but no. I guess 2007 is the next time for me.... So, when to go? I can't say that I've been in either July or August. It's so hot and humid then. Also, August brings a crush of people. I went once in early September and once in early October. the October trip was fantastic because the pavilions had plenty of people, but it didn't feel at all crowded.

Although I loved the Biennale in October for the easy access to the art, I loved the Biennale in September for the glamour. Why? Because September is the month that coincides with the film festival. As you may know, the festival has a pretty broad selection of movies including blockbusters, so I wouldn't call it high-brow, but it is damn fun to go to a movie premier in one of the 19th century casinos that are scattered along the Lido. Actually, most of the movies in the festival are on the Lido and not in Venice, but it is a great excuse to explore that thin spit of land. First, the views of Venice are breathtaking at dusk. Then, the casinos themselves bring the excitement of human drama. There is a thrill I get seeking out the movie stars, but just watching the paparazzi gossiping between premiers was fascinating to me. In fact, just the process of procuring a ticket made me feel like I was being let in on a part of some ancient royal court.

One final though: I think that mid to late September is really the best time because this time coincides with the grape harvest in other parts of Italy. You make ask the Toscana APT for information, but as I recall, there are tons of food and wine festivals happening at this time. I mean tons. Maybe 20 or 30 good ones all over Tuscany. It's a pretty easy train ride to get there from Venice, too.

For some further reading:

Here's a link that you may have seen, but here it is: Venice Biennale

Here's a blurb from Art Forum

Good article from New York Press

An article about from the first timer perspective from the Guardian

And from the BBC website, an article titled "European Angst Explored in Venice"

This should be a good bit of inspiration

Making an MBA knowlege base for free-Part I

2005-06-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

This is not on the subject of cycling, but I really give out what I think are fantastic tools for people interested in pursuing an MBA and who are not familiar with business management but want an edge into getting into a competative school.

The tools I'm linking to in this segment will contain the inspiration and, often times, the concrete and specific knowlege you will need to either succeed in your business or succeed in attending a top business school. The links go specifically to lectures given by the top business leaders and thinkers brought to you by the highest ranked schools as a way to promote a new theory of innovation I'll call "open source knowlege distribution". In other words, free classes on video! In future entries, I will also include a collection of fantastic free business white papers and books!

M.I.T. Sloan Business School is the leader in the free classes arena. There are actually two great links to check out: The Sloan Video Gallery and The MIT World. These are simply fantastic.

Harvard Business School does not make their video collection easy to find, but I managed to find it. It appears that this knowlege is completely restricted. Not for long, though, I bet. Here's where it is, if you've got a hack.

Stanford GSB has an excelent array of speakers which I find exciting to listen to through the dot com to dot bomb days.

The Wharton School at Penn has what it calls Knowlege at Wharton. The informations (especially webcasts) are not as significant as at other schools and you have to sign up, but it is still pretty fantastic.

At Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, they have a fantastic speakers series. Unfortunately, they have no free classes. Although, I consider hearing these important leaders as classes in themselves.

This is certainly a good start, but many more schools have free info that can be very helpful to you. Obviously, the one missing step in the self taught MBA is the discipline it takes, and the inability to network and pad your resume.

A Word about Promoting your Blog

2005-06-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

A word about promoting your blog.

Maybe this totally aparent to people who write blogs, but how do I promote a blog and get traffic to my site? Here's what I've done, and here's what I could do. If anyone actually reads this, more feedback is highly needed.

Writing in a forum focused on your interests: This has been the most fun way of promoting my blog as well as the quickest way to generate content that could be valuable to my blog. How? Well, let's take an example. First, I identified a forum that is very active and has a large membership such as Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum. The forum contains three topics that I would consider myself an expert on: bicycle touring, traveling in Italy, and San Francisco, California. There are probably 10 entries per week that ask a question on one of these three subjects. I try to answer these questions with valuable, useful information and do it in a fun, interesting way. Then, at the end of each message on the forum I add my signature which contains a link to my blog. It's not terribly overt and I'm not trying to force people to view the blog, I'm just letting people know it's there. The lonely planet forum shows the number of people that have viewed a particular entry, so I can kind of figure out how many people have probably seen my entry. The average number of people viewing the entries are in the hundreds. On top of the traffic being generated, answering key questions can spark some of the best content for a site. So, when I write something, I just don't leave it on the forum, but I copy it as an entry to my blog.

The most obvious promotional tool- the search engine: I take advantage of this without a doubt. Every web hosting service comes standard with a tool to make promoting sites easy. This technique is so ubiquitous, that I won't go any further.

Focus your blog: I'm a stong believer that if you have a several strong personal interests and want to write about them for the masses, then you should have just as many domain names or blogs each focused on a particular interest. I like this simply because there is no reason to inundate a potential reader with information that isn't relevent to that reader. Most of the time, people that come to the bitter cyclist website will only be concerned with cycling related issues in San Francisco. To be quite honest, the content is thin at my site, but I have kept up with another cycling website produced by Sheldon Brown, and I've seen his site go from one that had some very useful bicycle information to one that is now what I consider the main repository for cycling questions on hundreds of topics. So, I had to start somewhere. Also, by focusing the titles of the blog, you end up using the same words over and over again which creates more possible hits from search engines. Allmost all of my entries have the words "San Francisco, Bicycle, Tour, or Cycling" in them because that's what there about and also because this will show up more readily on the search engines.

Newsletters and mailing lists: I have not developed either an email list or a newsletter, but this works on the word of mouth concept. One thing that I haven't tried is to tell my friends to send my website announcement email to 5 people that you don't know. Now, I have good friends all over the country, if I could get my friends to send this email announcement to 5 of their friends ( I have about 100 pretty close friends), then that would be 500 people. If you could get those 500 people to send it to 5 friends, then that's 2500, and the key is to get to the third branch of the email tree which means friends of friends of friends get your email which puts the number at 12,500 people. This technique would not work for everyone. My topic is really focused on cycling, so I wouldn't really benefit, but what if you made a really funny film of George Bush idiotisms? This might appeal to a broad range of people. I recently read an article that a guy got 800,000 downloads in a week of a funny movie he made. The movie was so hilarious, that friends emailed other friends with the link, and so on... Let's say these movies are a hobby of his, but he's got Google Adsense on his site, Well, he just made himself $ 10,000 in a week doing nothing but enjoying himself while making fun of George Bush.

Another promotional tool that I have not used which is renegade stickering. Make a logo, make some stickers with your website on it. Stick it on things. I have no idea how effective this is, but it's fun. You can't get in trouble either. There is no way to say who stuck a sticker somewhere especially if you distribute a bunch of them for free in bars and cafes. I like stickers because it develops some level of brand recognition. Every time anyone goes to take a pee at any club in town, if they see your funk sticker, they're gonna think, "wow, this guy's got sticker's everywhere! And what a funky logo." I think this might possibly create a buzz, especially if you don't put a website but let people google the logo name. Create some mystery. People like solving puzzles. So for instance, don't put "www.bittercyclist.com" on the sticker but put The Bitter Cyclist and let people that are really curious find out for themselves.

There are a few other techniques such as partnering or creating web rings, having people put links to their website, and so many other things. I would do it all if time permits.
Finally, Put lots of links in your blog and wesite because if anyone follows those links this information shows up on the statistics page of the person linked to. So for instance, If someone went to Sheldon Brown's website from my website, he would be able to see that it came from my website, and he would be more likely to link to my website.

Gosh, there is so much you could do, but this is a great start.

Experiences in Rome Italy

2005-06-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but overhear a conversation that a man and a woman were having on the train today. Both of these people had probably just graduated college and were speaking about what kind of trip to take this summer. The woman, maybe 25 years old, suggested to the guy Rome. He Said, " Yeah, Yeah! Dude, they party there so good. Let's go there." It immediately sparked my memory of Rome. I have a love-hate relationship with Rome. There is no doubt that Rome has so much fantastic stuff to see and do, but the pace of the city is exhausting, and the options for the poor traveler, or should I say the poor but pampered traveler, are meager.

The first time I found myself in Rome was after one month on the road with my buddy Raquel and my bike. I was tired. We were both tired. And if the exhaustion of riding our bikes to a different town each day for 25 days wasn't enough, we arrived there a couple of weeks after the World Trade Center collapse.

This, of course, affected us in several ways. Emotionally, we were weak because we knew we had to face an America that we had never seen before. We would see a population that was scared and somber. The trade center bombing had actually happened 3 weeks before, but outside of the first day of hearing the news and checking up with relatives and friends we managed to simply concentrate on the matters at hand which was to enjoy our bike ride. We had also booked our flight on an airline that was in a sad financial state to begin with, and 9/11 pushed that airline into bankruptcy 1 day before our flight was to leave Rome. We were forced to buy a new set of plane tickets with money we had saved for gifts. By the way, there's some irony in that the world's most prominent bankink center, Switzerland, can't even keep their national airline solvent. This is a lesson for all of you!

Come to think of it, we had set ourselves up to hate Rome. Despite all the obstacles, Rome gave us one of the best days of my life.

World Environment Day: Duboce Triangle Walking Tour

2005-06-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Please have a look at a brochure I produced for the WED which was here in San Francisco this year. It's a fun little tour for those interested in looking at how specific urban mechanisms engage their enviroment. You can find the tour map HERE , or on the sidebar.

Woodward's Garden Performing Bear

2005-06-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

Woodward's Garden Main Building

2005-06-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Woodward's Garden Conservatory

2005-06-17T17:43:00.001-07:00

Woodward's Garden Entrance

2005-06-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Amusement Park History Bike Tour: Woodward's Garden

2005-06-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

OK. Until I've finished a decent synopsis of each stop on the San Francisco Amusement Park History Bike Tour, I will publish each one seperately With a picture or two.

The site of this former park is probably the most central, but least well known of all the former amusement parks in San Francisco. It’s main entrance was located at the corners of Duboce and Valencia Street where the elevated freeway is now located. The contrast of the current and former conditions of this site is shocking. Today, the site is flat and densely filled with warehouses and run down apartment buildings. In 1891, the site was a great hill overlooking the Mission. There was a park dotted with attractions, and culminated in a 6000 seat theater that resembled a turreted mosque. Nothing remains of the 6 acre park except an alley by the name of Woodward.

Robert B Woodward, the owner, made his money as the proprietor of the “What Cheer House” which was the most popular hotel in San Francisco during the gold rush. Woodward built his edifice with great audacity sparing no expense on Victoriana’s fad-entertainment and “viewing curiosities from around the world”. His park included several exotic plant conservatories, a zoo, an art gallery, an aquarium, a mineral collection. He also offered vaudvillian shows the likes of Admiral Dot, the world’s smallest midget.

Of course, the offerings in Woodward’s collections waned in popularity, and many gimmicks were concocted to keep the park alive such as killing one of the bears in the park and cooking its meat for an exclusive feast. Finally, in 1891 the park closed, and two years later the site of Woodward’s Gardens was split into parcels and sold.

Cycling in L.A.: Nobody Bikes in L.A.

2005-06-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about this the other night when debating someone about the merits of San Francisco Versus Los Angeles. My thought is Los Angeles has many problems for cyclists. First, when riding through town, I noticed a surprising number of homeless cyclists. I passed one up in Santa Monica, for example. He was dirty from head to toe, and he was hauling a homemade basket full of his life's possesions behind him. He looked very healthy, though. He represented the majority of cyclists I saw riding around Los Angeles.

Which brings me to a weird observation: When I biked around LA, people thought I was some sort of tramp. Why? Because they only associate people on bikes as being homeless. The branding of cyclist as dirty beggars in LA has been sizzled on their brains. It seems to me that the homeless there are, in fact, showing some serious initiative in Los Angeles. They also appear to get much more exercise than the general population down there. I just hope that eventually the population of LA will see the bike as a useful tool as the homeless instead of an ornament for their garage to meet their Bush mandated consumerist quota. Cool Down B.C.... Your bitter side is coming out.

The Second problem cyclists face is a lack of bicycle network. I saw many wide roads in LA, but no bike lanes. I'm sure they must exist, but I didn't see them. But I guess before a city does this, they have to be forced to do this through their local coalition. Do they even have one?

Well, after I've cooled off a bit, I realized that maybe all is not lost for LA! They have an increasingly stonger Bicycle Coalition. And in 2005, BikeSummer is in Los Angeles and promises to offer many exciting events. Please check out the links above and rejoice in their hope.

Bicycle Tour Leader Education

2005-06-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

After a recent event that made me rethink leading bicycle tours, I decided to find out where all the tour leader resources were. I cobbled together a number of certifications that every tour leader should have:

Every tour leader should at least have a bike ed course. See https://www.sfbike.org/?edu. In San Francisco, these are generously offered by the san francisco bicycle coalition.

If you want to go into more depth and become a bike ed teacher, see the League of American Cyclists at. http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/education.htm

The best course offered specifically on touring is given by The Adventure Cycling Association. This is a three day course covering all aspects of a long tour.

I suggest mixing these skills up with a first aid course. A good local spot to take a first aid course is through the San Francisco Paramedic Association

Finally, don't forget the importance of bicycle maintenance. If you are truly serious about being the best tour leader you can be, you may want to become a certified mechanic and attend the United Bicycle Institute or the Barnett Bicycle Institute. At the very least, I would pick up a book such as the Haynes Manual or Park Tool's Big Blue Book.

SO that's safety and maintenance training in a nutshell.

Bringing Bikes on Trains in Italy

2005-06-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

First, here's the very small explanation in english from trenitalia's website. Now I'm not going to read this explanation, and see at the end if I'm on the right track. OK forget about the Eurostar trains. You won't get a bike on the train unless you pack a bike bag and stuff your bike in it. These bike bars can get rather small, but it's still taking up a good chunk of real estate in your panniers. If you want to travel sans bag, then you have to take the iR (interregionale) trains or pretty much any second class train. All the trains you can take are marked on every departure schedule in every train station. You will know that you can take a train by the bicycle icon on the right of any particular departing train. you can also tkae bikes on most regional or direct trains. Mainly it's the Eurostar. So lets move through the process next.

First, purchase your supplemental bicycle ticket. I think it's a couple of euros per bike, and it lasts for 24 hours. This is a green ticket and the ticket has a sticker so you can attach it to your handlebars. But before you put the ticket on your handlebars, you have to stamp the ticket in one of the yellow machines. This machine stamps the time on the ticket so the conductor knows when you boarded.

Second, wait in the middle of the platform when your train arrives. Why? because the bicycles will either go in the first car or the last car. There is no way to determine which car it will be ahead of time, I promis. Keep a keen eye out for a large bicycle icon on the lower corner of the end cars because this icon will be the car that you want.

Third, haul ass to get to that car because many times these smaller trains get in and get out quickly. Once on the train, you will see an almost empty car in the very front that has a little conductors office. There are some bike racks in this room. shove your bike in there and chill. Last thing. Look at a map and be prepared to get off with at least a minute to spare. The conductor may not wait for you.

Here are some other weird situations: What if the station doesn't sell the tickets for the bike? The small stations don't have tellers at all times. Usually you can get this ticket at the closest tobacconist along with regular train tickets. What if it's siesta time, and I can't get the ticket because everything is closed. Don't even worry. Just get on the train and learn the phrase for, " the ticket machine was broke." They love to hear people struggle with bad Italian because it sounds kinda cute to them. At least that's what I've been told. These people understand and are sympathetic 99% of the time.

Where do I leave my bike once I've arrived? I almost insist on bringing it to my room, and with only one exception was there no accomodations within the walls of the hotel that were made.

Another piece of advice that you should take to heart. There are plenty of little trains that run through rural areas of Italy that allow you to take a bike on. Some of these trains are used almost like a school bus. Avoid these trains like the plague! School children are evil no matter where you are in the world.. and they don't mind cramming in a train like it were a sardine can... and acting as if you weren't there when your stop comes up. Learn one simple word: "Permiso! Permiso!" They will be annoyed, but they will move.

So, let's say you have to make a really long journey, but you didn't bring a bike bag? What would you do? Let's say from Milan to Siena. I had to ride on three seperate trains and it took me most of a day to get there. If it were a Eurostar, it would have cut off about 4 hours of travel time. I like the smaller trains, so it's no big deal. Just expect longer travel times.

Muir Woods Bike Tour

2005-05-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

The tour of Muir Woods ended rocky on Saturday, but we had beautiful weather and a mostly glorius ride. As we climbed back over the hill to the town of Mill Valley, one our riders took a bad spill on one of the steepest curves I've ever seen. I rode that curve maybe a dozen times, and each time I creep along at about five miles per hour. I had not lead a tour with this rider on it, but over the course of the day she proved to be a very strong climber. She also seemed to be enjoying herself on the downhill stretches. I think we all were. But, when we got to the bottom of the last hill, we were there only a moment when a guy came screaming down the street frantic to call an ambulance. We counted off, and in fact were missing a rider. About 5 of us went back, and when we got to the accident scene, I could hardly believe what I saw. We had a rider of ours down, and several people were around her already checking her out. Within minutes, the EMTs had arrived, and they quickly stapped her to a board with her neck isolated. There must have been 8 of them. As it turned out, the rider had no broken bones, but she did receive a deeply cut ankle. I really regret not going to the hospital with her, although there was here bike and stuff to attend to which we got settled pretty quickly.

After 5 years of leading rides, this was the first major accident on one of my rides. There were two other accidents that were minor that occured several years ago. All three of these accidents happened in Marin County. I feel very responsible for these accidents. Although I usually give some warning to the dangers of the roads, skilled and unskilled cyclists alike can be more proned to accidents in Marin because of the steep, unsure descents. I think that I may never lead a ride again in Marin County. Rather than jeopordize more people on one of my rides, I think I might go back to researching new and safer routes through Marin paying careful attention to road conditions and traffic conditions.

BC

A blurb about the Cinque Terre, Siena...

2005-05-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

In a forum recnetly, someone asked about Siena Pisa, and the Cinque Terre in Italy. Here's what I wrote. This is only a taste, and I'll go into more detail soon!

"I stopped in Pisa Once on a layover train. I had my bike with me, so I cruised over to see the tower. Took me half an hour to see, and boom, back on the train. That seemed like enough. By the way, Pisa sits in a flat plane close to the Mediteranean Sea. In the middle ages, this flat area that runs north south through western Tuscany was known for it's stench and its malaria. It has neither now because the Italians managed to reclaim a great deal of land and make it less boggy, but it's like a sweat ball in Pisa in July.

Not too far from pisa, is what I consider to be the gem of this region: Lucca. This is the most lovely, casual, and easy going town that I've been to in this area. The town is also ringed by a fascinating medieval wall which is fully intact. The wall is a great active diversion because they've turned it into a park, and you can rent a bike and ride around this ring in about 30 minutes. It's kind of like a bicycle freeway where you can hop on and off at different spots around town.

A couple of years ago, I spent 5 days in the Cinque Terre! Loved it! There's really not much to do there in terms of museums, but I could spend the whole day hiking to hidden beaches and swim in the beautiful blue water. The terraced vinyards in the Cinque Terre are the real treasure. There are a few terraces that can even be hiked through.

Finally, Siena is the masterpiece! I spent a month there last May riding my bike through every nook. With the dates you chose, you just miss the Palio Festival which might be just as well because of the immense crowds. This festival is unparalleled in the spine tingling excitement it generates. The Palio is basically a horse race where each neighbohood has one horse entered in the race. Actually, they have a lottery in May to draw for the race, but the race happens once in June and once in August, so every neighborhood gets to compete. You know, it's very hard to convey the Shakespearian drama that unfolds over the course of several months. Let's just say, it surpasses Pamplonas' running of the bulls, the super bowl, god, almost anything is uncomparable. Word of warning: locals get very pushy at this time which is to be understood. They are very excitied about seeing their contrada, or neighborhood, do well. So, be prepared to get beat up a bit if you go.

Another thing about Siena: I absolutely love the Cathedral. This is my favorite. As you will see, the cathedral in Florence doesn't compare. Bruneleschi's dome in Florence is a VERY fun diversion, however. The dome, by the way, has a much shorter line in the morning. If you are claustrophobic or have a fear of heights, I suggest not going. Last time I was there, my friend litteraly had to be lead up, and she cried from fear at the top. I think that was mainly because when you walk through the dome, the stair narrows to about 2 feet with no end in sight.Back to Siena: One of the greatest treaures, I think, is the Ospedale museum across from the Cathedral. It's slightly shabby, but they have recently built this labyrinth in the very lowest level of the building which is about 30 feet below the entry. The labyrinth takes use of the numerous caves underneath the building and turns it into a fine etruscan museum. This was absolutely fun. I've been back three times."

Cell Cycling

2005-05-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is totally irresponsible, but I used to bike to work while smoking and talking on the phone. I promise you I don't do this anymore, but I had fun doing for the sheer frustration factor. In fact, I think this used to bring disparate groups together in their sheer hatred of me. On the one hand, the spandex cycling types were thinking, " Why the hell would you bike AND smoke?". And the automobile drivers just didn't like cyclists in general (this is while living in Boston) let alone a cyclist smoking and talking on the phone.

Well, I must say I paid for it. While drinking a steaming hot cup of coffe while on my bike I missed the pothole in front of me, caught my wheel in it and flipped over the front of my handlebars. Karma has paid me back.

I should mention that in the really flat small towns in Italy, which you only find in the Veneto and the Po Valley, the Italians smoke and talk on the telephone as if they were born to do so. This is while thy're carying babies on the back of their bikes. I love that they just do whatever comes naturally. To them, the bike is more of a tool than a cultural statement, and that's refreshing sometimes.

Cycling Forums

2005-05-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

There are two great forums (or fora?) for the traveling cyclists. I have been writing in those regularly lately, so I've slacked on the posts here. Let me point you in the direction for anyone interested in asking questions about upcoming cycling trips. These forums are:

The Lonely Planet and...
The Info Hub

The info hub is really up and coming, so check it out. The Lonely Planet is fascinating!

B out

Muir Woods Bike Tour this Saturday

2005-05-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

A small map of the Muir Woods Bike Ride happening this Saturday at 10 am at Mclaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park. The Lodge is located at the corners of Fell and Stanyan Streets. The ride is about 30 miles long and bring plenty of water and a helmet.

San Francisco Graffiti Bike Tour

2005-05-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today, a coworker of mine asked me about some previous bike tours I've organized, and I immediately thought of the Graffiti Tour I lead in February. There was an element of surprise in this tour from the very start of the ride. In San Francisco, graffiti and bikes equals anarchists of the messenger breed. Maybe I should back up a bit and mention a strange occurance that happened the night before the tour. At the Roxie Theater in the Mission, Stacey and I were lucky enough to see the premier of a local documentary on the subject of graffiti history in San Francisco called Piece by Piece.

I showed up about a half hour early to get tickets for this movie and found mobs of, well, mobs. Or should I say crews. Graf crews. Probably every major and minor graffiti crew was there, in line with me, to see this movie. The movie featured about ten years of San Francisco history, and when any particualr crews tag showed on the screen, there was a chant of " hoot-hoot!". Sometimes, the documentarians managed to catch an artist on tape, and the reaction was almost unanamously, "Oh, Snap!".

I knew there was a bunch of taggers there at the show, and let's face it, I looked pretty square that night... I guess what I'm getting at is...Some tagger made me out as a sucker and tagged me! He tagged me! In fact, the tagger is one of the most prolific in the city and goes by the name of "Ribbiti". Ribbity has put his frog character of buildings all around town. He has covered whole buildings with this frog. All I got was a sticker on my jacket applied when he tapped me on the shoulder to ask what time it was. I got a good look at Ribbiti, though. He's probably 20, white, brown hair, some sort of chin scraggle, and imagine this: an oversized hoodie and baggy pants (original!).

Back to the bike tour- So the next day for the bike tour, about 50 people show up. It's like a miniature critical mass. There were a bunch of anarchist types in the crowd and ( more power to 'em ) they pulled about 15 of the riders on the tour into a new splinter tour that followed some other route. I have no idea where they went, but it made the size of the tour a little more manageable.

I'm getting tired now, so I might quicken up the pace of this story and get to the meat: What did we see on the tour? We saw a post-appocoliptic mess at what used to be the Esprit Outlet.No joke, imagine burned out buildings inhabited by insane people, threadbare couches, and layers of fantastic graffiti. At one point at the Esprit building, I turned a corner to find a guy where only shorts and eskimo boots building a wall out of concrete rubble collected from a crumbling foundation. Later that day, I got yelled at by an overzealous dockworker who, try as he might, wasn't able to keep us from seeing his building's precious graffiti. Fuck him. Definitely the most fun part of the ride was I managed to talk 30 people into breaking the law several times. There is something to be said for power in numbers. For pictures of some of the tour stops, check this out- Satan's Laundromat.

Here's just a few of the great graf spots in town. I hope they always will be:

15th and Caledonia

6th and Bluxome between two warehouses- this spot attracts the best graf artists from around the country. A real gem.

16th and Illinois- Bring a buddy and wander around. This will probably be gentrified pretty soon with the Mission Bay project so close by.

20th and Illinois- A whole giant warehouse devoted to the spraycan

24th and Michigan- Warm water cove park has the best view and easiest access of the Muni Graveyard. The park also has the longest number of continuous pieces in the city without going in the Muni tunnels.

24th and Osage- another dead-end alley full of paint.

Also, for all you Twist -heads, I know of two nice McGee pieces still up (not Market Street). Email me if you want to know where they are, and let me know of any I missed.,

A word about the Affordable Housing Bike Tour

2005-05-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

The tour happened on Saturday with great success. About 20 people showed, and we managed to see all the projects we planned to see, although people started to look a bit tired. We revived somewhat at the 8th and Howard Harvest Market which was recently opened. They are spendy but good.

The highlight of the ride was seeing the new Folsom and Dore Streets project. The project is a sign of what's to come for people who need a special amount of care whether it be taking care of their children while their at work or if they were formerly homeless. The Folsom and Dore project gives people a home with dignity and enjoyment. My favorite part of the project is that the landscaping adds an instant warmth to the project, and the children's playgroud is beautifully designed and should be a requirement for projects of this nature.

Thanks for all of you who showed! Some pictures of the tour are below.

A-Plus for cycling Supervisor

2005-05-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's Bike to work day! I made sure to put my camera in my bag this morning for some photo ops of the hard-working volunteers at the various Bike to Work Day stations around town. And what fortune I had to be passing by the station at Market and 9th Streets, when I ran into fellow San Francisco Bicycle Coalition volunteer Burt Hill and with him was SF supervisor Sean Elsbernd of District 7. I even took a picture to prove it.

As you may recall, this is the district of former supervisor Tony Hall known for his blistering neighborhood meetings where people left frothing at the mouth chanting "N-I-M-B-Y!". Quite honestly, Tony was not as squeeky of a wheel as the radical NIMBY group called Preserve our Neighborhoods. This group killed the much needed Stonestown project. Although the original 12 story project seemed out of scale, the compromise was solid as a rock. The group, PON, managed to manipulate the California Environmental Quality Act laws in their favor by creating unending requirements for the developer, and although the tactic was smart it wasn't terribly well suited for this project. Anyway... I digress. This is about the bike, afterall. I can't say for sure, but I bet Tony never biked to work. This is impressive Mr. Elsbernd!

And as riders in San Francisco know, it's exponentially impressive when the supervisor can ride to work from the far reaches of district 7. There is no easy way to get to district 7 nor will there be because of the gigantic hill between the district and downtown.

Rainy Days on the Bike

2005-05-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

My energy is low this evening, so maybe I'll keep this one short, but I have to say that on the eve of Bike to Work Day there is rain. Why lord!

I have a natural aversion to rain. Rain makes me more bitter than usual. But as an avid cyclist, I have to trudge on right? I guess... but I'm not going to like it. I think this hatred of the wet stuff started about 8 years ago when I participated in my first and only organized multi-day bike tour. This tour was not of the froo-froo ranks. It was a Diabetes fund raiser through New England. It was about an 85 mile per day tour that lasted 8 days. This is a pretty brisk pace for me back then, and I came ill prepared. The topper was the weather forcast for the week: rain.

Something I learned on this ride that I never knew: When riding in the rain, make sure to lubricate your thighs thoroughly.Who would have thought? I managed to dodge the rain the first day of the ride, but the second day started with ominous skies. It was definitely going to rain, and I rushed to get on the road. Someone even said to me that I should use some lube. "Hah!" I thought. I can deal. Sure enough, the rain started about 10 minutes into the ride. Maybe a 20 mile ride would be okay without lube, but 70 miles caused my legs to blister and chafe to the point that they started to bleed. At the end of the day I resembled a bowlegged old man, and I said something to the tour organizers that I may not be able to go on. They encouraged me to ride one more day which I did.

Unfortunately, this 100 mile day turned from driving rain into a sweltering 90 degree cauldron of humidity when I reached the White Mountains. I had to get out of my seat every five minutes just to endure the pain between my legs, and I was riding so slow that I was attacked by the ubiquitous horse flies that plague this area of New England. At the end of the day, I was toast. I took a bus back to Boston, and decided not to ride for a couple of days. I had about 5 days left before my flight home to wander about Boston, and as it turned out, I had a fantastic time riding around the city. I even ran into a college friend who was in Boston for a couple of days. We ended up spending our evenings seeing some fantastic Jazz Musicians at Wally's in the South End.

Since the New England affair, I have decided to NOT ride in the rain... although I have been forced to ride in the rain many times since then. I think I'll save those stories for another day.

Small Notices of Past Bicycle Rides

2005-05-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

In preparation for pormoting this blog to friends and collegues, I decided to google myself to see if this blog would show up. It didn't, and I'm working on this problem. What did show up, however, was a number of news articles chronicling some of the very fun rides I have lead in the past. Most of these articles are no more than blurbs about the rides, but two of them were a bit more in depth leading to the SF Weekly and the Chronicle interviewing me. Please have a look at what what I've found and I hope you enjoy!

SF Graffiti Bike Tour
SF Punk Rock History Bike Tour : This is a bit more substantial account of the punk heyday. I managed to have V.Vale, owner of Re-Search Publications, as a speaker on that tour! I asked Jello Biafra, but he's a loser. Apparently, he doesn't get up before 1 pm.
The 49 Mile Bike Ride: The 49 Mile Scenic Drive is an icon of San Francisco. Everyone has seen the signs around SF, but few have attempted the drive. I especially like this article because the author manages to convey how difficult this ride is in a car while I convey how simple it is on a bike. In fact, the group I took on this bike ride finished the ride about an hour short of the time the automobile finished the ride. This says something to me.

Shoot! I can't find a little write up about a very popular tour I did last year called the SF history of Satanism Bike tour, A.K.A. "Hell on Wheels". This was one of my most popular tours. About 40 people showed. Believe me when I tell you that San Francisco has, over the years, been host to not one but four different Satanic sects. Everyone knows Anton Lavey, but few are familiar with the Temple of Set which is the only functioning Satanic Church in San Francisco right now. By the way, I'm not a satanist. I usually pick my tour topics based on one thing: gore!

Cycling Through Big Sur

2005-05-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a friend of mine from Austin, Texas gave me a call to ask me where he and his wife could stay in Big Sur, and instead of simply calling him back I figured that I would write an entry for all those interested in spending some time in Big Sur.

I've cycled through Big Sur twice on my way from San Francisco to Los Angeles and this stretch of Highway One is by far my favorite section of the journey. First, I'd like to meet some specifics of where to stay. There are five types of accomodations in Big Sur: places that you stay for free because you know someone that owns a piece of Big Sur (the best!), public parks with campsites, private campsites, motels and cabins, and exclusive spas. Oh! And the sixth type which is spiritual monasteries.

I've stayed in each type down there except for exclusive spas. Don't waste your time with these unless your recovering from plastic surgery, and you're a high-profile but fading starlett from the Southland. An example of this exclusive spa is the Esalen Institute. I was amazed to find this sanctuary on my first ride through Big Sur. The spa is on a large but artfully hidded compound, and the only way I knew it was there was that a small sign announced it.

Motels and cabins are the easiest to come by along with private camp grounds. They range in price from $20 for a campsite facing the Big Sur River to $80 for a nice, simple room at Ripplewood Inn. I stayed in the Ripplewood Inn on a bike ride I did in 2002. The room was a 1940's style wood paneled affair straight out of a Twin Peaks episode. The Ripplewood Inn also runs a fantastic restaurant which serves the best breakfast in the area.

The main public campsite is Pfeifer Big Sur State Park. The park also has a beautiful but expensive Inn, and I highly suggest avoiding the Inn and "roughing it". In fact, you could just pull up on your bike and plop down at the campsite and call it a day. The river and the mild weather in the valley makes this spot perfect for an outdoor sleep. Also, thispark has several trailheads for somefantastic hiking. Here's a tip: ask about the hike to the hot springs! There is no documentation in the brochures about this hike, but those in the know should go. I warn you that it's a treacherous day-long hike to the springs in the park, but the hike is worth it.

The best spot to stay in Big Sur is often at someone's piece of paradise. My fiance sweetheart, Stacey, works at City Lights Publishing in San Francisco. Her boss, the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, has a little cabin in the Bixby Canyon. I've only managed to get down there once with Stacey and our friends, but I was almost brought to tears. Twice in my life, I've crossed the Bixby Bridge on my bicycle. The bridge hovers several hundred feet over the most pristine pieces of beach I've ever seen. Both times I crossed that bridge, I daydreamed of being on that beach as I looked down on it. And then, one day, thanks to Stacey and Lawrence, one of my life dreams was realized. I'll try to find some pictures to post!

And finally, for those more spiritually minded than myself, there are a couple of different monastic retreats. There is a budist retreat which I haven't been to but looks fabulous, and an Aruvedic retreat. I don't know what these people do, but for 50 bucks you get to stay in a pyramid overlooking the ocean and wear ancient Egyptian hats. Don't ask me why.

So what is there to do? Hiking is the one of the most popular pastimes. If you want night life, there is a fantastic road house in the town of Big Sur. This is not a road house ala cheesy chain steakhouse next to the mall. This is a real roadhouse, so if you dont like being around rowdy hell's angels then don't go. I think the biker atmosphere is key to having fun there. The ownership has even made several effigies to the motercycle in the form of exhast pipe wall sculptures that adorn the roadhouse. I should also mention the large stone fireplace and $10 all-you-can-eat barbeque buffet at this roadhouse.

I guess I'm a bike freak because my favorite thing to do in Big Sur is ride to simply ride down Highway One. For even the most fit cyclist, a veil of fear drops over those who see the "no food no gas for 70 miles" sign that is posted just south of the town of Big Sur. In a car, this doesn't seem all that interesting. On a bike, whoa! The fear is ratched up one more step the closer you get to the southernmost Big Sur town, Ragged Peak. By the way, There is nothing of Merit in Ragged Peak except really expensive power bars. If you've made it this far down on your bike, though, then you've passed through two of the most beautiful state parks in the country: Limekiln, and Julia Pfeifer Burns (not to be confused with Pfiefer Big Sur. The Pfeifers owned this whole area!). Stop at both of these park headquarters to learn a bit about the crazy history of this place.

The last thing I should say is this area has always been the haven for writers, and a stop at the Henry Miller Library is essential.

I hope this is useful. If I've neglected to add links to anything that sounds interesting then let me know and I'll dig it out.

The Future of Innovation

2005-05-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah.. I know this blog should folow one line of thought: Cycling. But this is one of the most exciting business models I've heard of in a long time, and I just had to write a quick blurb about it. The Company: Brain Reactions. The idea: Generate innovations for companies by creating the perfect (brain)storm. How do they do this? they bring the right combination of thinkers from a diverse pool of disciplines to brainstorm a company's problem. The results can be amazing as I heard in an interview from the Killer Innovations website. I highly suggest taking a look because their model could create a large nitch in the industry of innovation.

Cycling Stories: Venice

2005-05-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've considered documenting my cycling exploits in Italy, but I've never really done anything about it. Maybe over the next few entries or possibly over a few years I will document some of the things that I've experienced while cycling through that beautiful country.

My first rule of thumb: don't attempt to cycle in Venice. Just don't. This is not something Venicians do. They paddle their boats around, and walk up and down bridges, and quite honestly, they stay out of Venice so they can rent their places for a lot of money. I did not cycle in Venice...much.

This was my first destination on my first trip to Italy. I packed my bike in a cardboard box that I wasn't going to reuse. This is how I entered Venice at 1 o'clock in the morning: 2 pieces of luggage, and one gigantic bicycle box... which brings me to my second rule of thumb: Don't even bring a bicycle in a box to Venice because hauling it to your hotel is going to be a bitch. Fortunately for me (and my friend Raquel) , our hotel was next to the train station which happens to be the most convenient place in the entire city that you could be staying if you had to bring a bicycle into the city of Venice.

I should mention that I thought about this event for a long while before the trip even began. That is, how the hell do I get the box from the airport to our hotel? I packed a dolly wheel just for this occasion. This wheel, I thought, would be my triumph over the much more prehistoric method of simply dragging the box. Not so. I had never fully thought out how the wheel would be attached to the box, so the first time I hit the ubiquitous Italian cobblestone the wheel immediately popped off the box. A good segue into rule number three: the Venice train station is inconspicuously filled with good quality luggage carts that are free and do quite well over cobbled streets. Look for these carts!

As it turns out, showing up at 1 am was the right thing to do. The town is absolutely dead and moving through Venice, as anyone knows whose been to Venice, is impossible in the middle of the day. Also, once we were settled into our hotel, we managed to find a good Irish bar that had convenient parallel boat parking adjacent to the bar. Thank god for the Irish or at least their bars.

One more quick rule of thumb, then I'll try to curb this practice: drinking and finding your way around Venice doesn't mix for most. For me, it's just as well. Being completely disoriented somehow makes me feel more with the nature of the world. Like I have no control and that's simply just the way it is. Venice, makes me feel even more like this than anywhere else I know. Every alley looks vaguely similar to every other alley. There are no peaks and valleys, so one never gets high or low enough to view the entire city. If you've ever read the book House of Leaves then you would know what Venice feels like. While walking in Venice I sometimes feel as if I could walk myself into an alley that is somehow completely surrounded by water where the only way out is to jump into the canal and cross. The helplessness is thrilling.

I could go on and on, but I will let you know that at the end of our four days in Venice, when Raquel and I left for a month long oddesey to reach Rome by bicycle, we both had two functioning bikes. One of which, I rode up and down the alleys of Venice very early in the morning just to say a did.

So let's review what we have learned, shall we? Venice = no bicycle, unless you're a badass like me.

Cycling events coming up and WED walking tour

2005-05-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

To anyone interested: I am leading a bicycle tour for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition next Saturday that goes out to Muir Woods. I hope to have a PDF map and description of the Ride on this blog sometime this week for those intersted in doing the ride. I frigured that it's probably a good idea to have some content before I tell too many people about this blog because its pretty thin at this point. Also, you can find information about any of these bike tours at www.sfbike.org .

The following Saturday, my boss and I will be leading another bike tour that we call The Affordable Housing Bike Tour. Is there really affordable housing in San Francisco? Not really... at least not in the global scheme of things. But at my work we try to do as much as we can. You can see my office and find a map of the ride at www.dbarchitect.com .

Finally, on June 7th (date may change!!) I will be leading a walking tour of the Duboce Triangle neighborhood for the United Nations World Environment Day. This walking tour is called Mechanisms for the Contemporary Urban Area and is sponsored by the Housing Action Coalition. Essentially, it's an opportunity to show visitors a beautiful neighborhood in San Francisco, but there are several real world examples that we will show our guests. These mechanisms include car sharing, urban gardening, permeable streetscaping, side walk bulbs, bicycle lanes, and dense infill housing. What I hope people gain from this walk is that they ask questions on how to get these things done in their city. The speakers during the tour have worked first-hand to develop these mechanisms in their neighborhood, and they can give you a step by step process on how to develop these mechanisms in other cities. Excitement!

A'ight. Maybe I'll write more later today?

Business Plan Ideas

2005-05-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Since I can't imagine too many people are going to read this thing, I was thinking that I would just start posting some business plan ideas so I can go back to it later. I tend to forget things. So, let's do this in no particular order:
1. Bitter Cyclist Publications: A series of pamphlets or books devoted to three things I love: Food, Wine and Cycling. How to start?
Choose a subject: I live in San Francisco. How about cycling the Napa and Sonoma Wine Country.
Research a series of 8 rides: This is long enough for a book and short enough to complete fairly quickly. Contact cycling clubs in area and wineries along the routes that I choose.
Do those rides: Check mileage, landmarks, elevation change, ect...
OK, I gotta brainstorm here...
2. "Green Life Magazine" The market for green products is growing quickly. How about a publication that is different than other eco-pubs and focus on total lifestyle a bit. Think: " Better Homes and Gardens, Eco Style". Fashion: non-labor exploitative products, architecture and home, organic gardening, food and cooking, product spotlights, transportation and alternatives, one gripping piece per issue on the new emerging economy...
3. The Eco Village( but don't call it that. It's not so marketable). This is a much more complex idea involving many long stages of development, but the essential idea is this: A Modern Modular Village that is built in a factory at very low prices and made with a much stricter eye on construction waste, recycled products, energy efficient design, aesthetics, cooperative spirit at a much cheaper price with more and more clever storage and amenities. My idea is to contract a modular housing manufacturer to build this at 75$ per square foot at a higher quality than a standard stick built complex.

Damn. I could go on and on, but I won't. I think I'll save it for future entries.

Just too much to say

2005-05-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a forum for discussion, let me give props out for so many things that I've been studying in no particular order.

First, my homey, Stephen Elliott has a great blog. He is part of the inspiration for my own blog, and he was my housemate for a time here in the Mission SF. He also writes for McSweeney's which is a local literary journal. His last fiction book, Happy Baby, was fantastic and I can't wait for the next one to come out. Props to you, dog.

Second, a shout out to Phil McKinney who runs the "Killer Innovations" podcast. I am not a salesman. I am not a marketing or business expert. And, although this podcast is geared for this industry, I still find the information he gives compelling, and HE GIVES IT FOR FREE! Very helpfull for unlocking your mind in so many ways. Props to you dog light.

Third, I have loves for my home girl, Stacey. We'll be married on July 3rd and I can't wait! She really wants to do a blog. She's got the goods on the literary tip fo-sho. She works at a progressive publisher here in SF...and hell, I'll let you wait for her blog to come out to learn more.

Fourth, a shout out to anyone with enough guts to ride a bicycle in San Francisco. If you are bitter and ride a bike let me know, and I'll include your story in this blog. Damn the car!

Fifth, hmm... This list could go long, so let me cut it short for now.

I'm going to start filling out my links, and if you see the topics I'm into and can shed light on any of these things please don't hesitate to send me information.

B-out

My First Post (pretty original!)

2005-05-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

I have exactly ten minutes to write my first post, so no time to waste. Think of the first few posts as background: newly engaged, will be married to Stacey in July, live in the Mission Distric of SF where Stacey and I co-own a building. I work at David Baker + Partners Architects which is a residential architecture firm. I bike everywhere and am moderately obsessed with riding my bike, although much less so than the past few years. I like to listen to podcasts all day while I grind through massive amounts of architectural drawings. Really, I have no idea what is useful to know up front, so you know, let's just let the rest of my life unfold on these posts like the layers of an onion... after you cut into it deeper it will make you cry... Hmm... that sounds good. In fact, it would have to be more like an onion that would make you laugh or just put you to sleep. I will try to develop a style of recent finds or observations to entertain my dear readers, but I just thought of that, so I don't know what that style will be yet. Let's just call it: The sage of the Bitter Cyclist.

Oh! But first, why call yourself the Bitter Cyclist? Simple. I'm a cyclist and I'm bitter. Also, I own the domain name bittercyclist. (which I was able to buy, first try, without having to add a hyphen or any other annoying additions to the web address). On my bittercyclist website, I had intended to make my own little gallery of retribution dedicated to the fuckhole drivers of the world (can you write fuckhole in these things?) I'm less bitter now, by the way. The idea to chastise these bad drivers is simple: if you're on your bicycle and you almost get run over, get off your bike and record ad much information about the automobile and driver as possible including descriprion and license plate number, and then add all these details to a database that is on the website. This is pretty bitter, huh?

Finally, I have an enormous amount of diversions or interests. My current one is listening to the world's greatest contemporary thinkers by listening to them or watching them on webcasts. Here is one of my current favorites: the nuerologist, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran. Here is the link to the lectures:http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith/

Thanks!