Share the Ride - SLO Regional Rideshare

Biking for a Cause

Isn't it amazing what people will do for a cause?  Check out this story of a fantastic senior from New Jersey who just keeps giving!

I need to follow her pedal participation,

Cindy

Another triumph for cycling!

Recently there was an article in the L.A. Times about a car-free cyclist who was unable to purchase food at a drive-through in Portland, Oregon.  Read all about it and how victory was attained!

Absolutely Amazing

Have used/old/new bike tubes? Recycle them with the Bike Kitchen.

Taken directly from the SLO Bike Kitchen Email Newsletter...we wanted to share this with our readers, because we think it is really neat.

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Recycle Those Tubes!
SLO Bike Kitchen is taking a step forward in fulfilling its goal of local environmental stewardship.  Effective immediately - you can drop off used bicycle tubes to be recycled/remanufactured at the following locations:

- Foothill Cyclery
- Wally's Bicycle Works
- Art's Cyclery SLO
- Cambria Bicycle Outfitter (CBO)
- San Luis Rides

Sizes accepted: 26" (mountain bike), 27" (vintage) and 700x35 or larger (fat road tires). Sorry, we can't accept 700x23. If in doubt, drop it off and we will figure it out.

No slimed tubes please - do not cut or otherwise modify the tubes you drop off.

We'll be doing a second round of drop-off points at non-bicycle shops next month.  If you have somewhere you want to see a recycling bucket, let us know!  We are also looking for volunteers to bring buckets to locations outside of SLO (city) and bring the tubes to SLO periodically.

Also, if you notice that one of the buckets is full somewhere, drop us a note so we can go empty it.

Want more info? Visit www.slobikekitchen.org.

SLO Kidical Mass #2

Following on the first Kidical Mass, which attracted more than 100 parents and kids on all types of self-propelled set-ups: scooters, tag-a-longs, trikes, bikes with training wheels, and trailers, the second event will be June 4th, starting at Mitchell Park  and ending at the Bike Valet in Farmers' Market.  This time the Children's Museum will be at the park prior to the event to assist kids to make their own bike flags.  For more information click here. 

On the same evening, the 9th anniversary of the Bike Happening will be celebrated, everyone will meet up at the Mission at 9:30 p.m. "Dressed to the Nines" is the appropriate theme.  Check out the website for more details.

Cindy

A Couple More Statistics....

Did you know that casual biking burns up about 173 calories per hour?  Another very good reason to ride!

Also, the average family spends about $8,000 on operating a car but a yearly bike tune-up only costs about $50!

Have you heard about the Cyclists' Bill of Rights?  Download for more information....

Finally, here is some of the music played at the Downtown celebrations of the Bike to Work Day in Minneapolis:

Pedal your blues away - Cheap Suit Serenaders

Cycling is Fun - Shonen Knife

Bicycle Race - Queen

Schwinn 24 - Kinky Friedman

Bicycle Rush - The Maccabees

Have a great pedaling weekend!

Cindy

Kidicle Mass - Woo Hoo!

What a huge success. A BIG thank you to Vanessa who organized the event, to all the volunteers and of course to all the families that showed their support. That was fun! Pictures are posted in the photo album (right hand nav).

Also, for you parents who would like to see this sort of thing happen at your school (called a Bike to School Day), let us know and we can help. Our Safe Routes to School program provides all the tools to promote biking to and around schools.

Great work everyone!
-MNM

Bike Month Poster Contest Winners

A big Shout Out to Ms. David's 5th Grade Class at Nipomo Elementary for winning the Bike Month Poster Contest! It was a tough decision with lots of great entries. The winning poster(s) are hanging up at the Bike Month Art Gallery (1190 Osos Street) along with other Bike Art pieces. For winning the poster contest, Mrs. David's class has won a Pizza Party sponsored by Pizza Fusion and tons of other fun prizes. Congratulations!!

Ode to Poly

A fun day of flyering campus. Shout out to Cal Poly Bikes!

No better time than the present

I'm amazed that Bike Month will be here on Friday. Time sure does fly by. In fact, I think that is why so many of us never seem to do the things we want to accomplish, like riding a bike to work. It takes time, and an ouncee or two of courage to change things up from the regular routine. For example, a few weeks ago I had to drive into work because I was delivering a bunch of stuff for our outreach events. I usually ride my bike, so this was somewhat of a rare experience for me. I didn't realize how much time it takes to drive, mostly to find parking and to take major roads. Also, it took a little bit of courage to parallel park and hustle my way through morning traffic. In this case, I realized that many have the opposite dilemma. Riding a bike to work for the first time can be somewhat unnerving! It is not until we have done things a few times that we feel a knack for it and it becomes easy.

This is why I'd like to encourage you, if you don't already, to ride your bike to work. Try it at least a couple times to get a good feel for it. There is not better time than the present. Also, with Bike Month around the corner, you could win prizes and get your team closer to the Commuter Bike Challenge Grand Prize by riding.

For those of you who already ride, I think Bike Month is the perfect time to spread bike love. Wave to fellow bikers (if you need tips, watch our corny Bike Month commercial or view the picture below) and be friendly to drivers.

It's time to celebrate bikes, and more importantly, responsible mobility. There's no better time than the present!

~MNM