Mission Mission

Last Saturday, a car crashed into the bike rack area in front of Zeitgeist, destroying a bunch of bikes and breaking some poor guy’s leg. Uptown Almanac has the scoop and some more bike snuff pictures.

In case you bailed early, dragging your useless pile of spokes and gears home while sobbing uncontrollably, you’re entitled to an insurance claim from the car’s owner. That’s right, bikes are vehicles too, and are covered under standard collision policies. The SF Bike Coalition informs us:

If your bicycle was one of the bikes damaged in the crash, go to the Mission Police Station and provide a description of your bike. You will receive a case number and details to file an insurance claim.

[photo via Uptown Almanac]

So this means that I can finally *actually* use the marvelous bike lines that were striped over a year ago!  Although they were a much-needed addition to a very hectic section of the street, the problem used to be that the concrete over which the bicycle lanes were painted was jacked up so badly that riding within would at worse cause one to wipe out or at best come away with a serious butt-massage.

Now we are treated to the smooth buttery bliss of fresh pavement and I don’t have get in the way of cars anymore!  Everyone wins!

Previously:

• Treacherous 17th Street Potrero crossing gets bike lanes!

Although I’m on record as a skeptic of bedazzling bike helmets, the fact remains that nowadays everyone seems to be wearing those rad Bern helmets with the visor, so the only way to differentiate yourself from the crowd is to really do it yourself.  And who better to help you out with this fabulous task than the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who recently launched their new Bike Safety Campaign back at the last Sunday Streets.

Should you find yourself aching to try your hand at your own disco ball protection, they’ll be holding a HELMET BEDAZZLING workshop this Saturday the 14th from 4-6pm at Alley Cat Books on 24th and Treat.

RSVP and invite your friends here!

[Photo]

Previously:

• Disco ball helmet is either the greatest idea ever or the worst folly in the history of cycling

As everyone who has had a bike stolen knows, there’s really no way to make a bicycle 100% secure – you’re basically balancing an equation where the amount that you spend weighing down your bike with locks only increases the difficulty of the heist. (And according to bicycle law, all bikes should weigh 50 pounds.)

Gizmodo put 4 standard locks through the paces to see just how hard it is to steal a bike secured with a u-lock. Although a few of them fended off a beating from bolt cutters and a hacksaw, not a single one could stand up to a 5-second assault with a $40 angle grinder. Check out the video here – how does your lock fare?

Photo by dpwk

It’s been a few weeks since we noticed that the previously synchronized street lights seemed to be all out of whack, and judging by the comments in that post, it wasn’t just our imagination.  Further investigation revealed that a maintenance issue was the culprit and that the situation would take about two weeks or so to resolve.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the green wave appears to be back!  I’ve been able to coast all the way down Valencia for the past week or so without encountering any red lights as long as I keep a steady, relaxed pace.  Similarly, I can make it all the way from Folsom past Valencia up 24th without stopping, catching all of the green lights on the way.

What about the rest of you? Are your morning commutes back in sync?

[Photo via Streetsblog]

Previously:

• Who messed up the timing of the Valencia street lights?

Pedestrians, please be wary of this menace. He’s basically doing EVERYTHING wrong. Who knows, he may even be on meth.

Hey, looks like BART Police actually do stuff other than stand around holding their belts!

Today BART posted that that they caught 47-year old Brett Major of San Francisco in the act, and want your help in identifying some recovered stolen frames:

BART Police Officers booked Major at San Francisco County Jail for burglary, theft, possession of  burglary tools, and an outstanding warrant originating from Alameda County. A subsequent search of Majors’ home turned up seven bicycle frames and parts, which BART Police believe to be stolen. BART Police Investigators are looking for the owners to identify and claim their property.

My bike (stolen in January from the same location) wasn’t in there, but maybe you can identify yours so they can throw the book at this dude… multiple times. Hopefully they are heavy books with sharp edges like hardcover, large print editions of Infinite Jest. I don’t think I’ll be retiring the busted-ass Murray that I lock down there yet, but this is a good development indeed.

If you’ve had a bike stolen out of 24th St. recently, head over to BART’s site and see if a picture of your frame is listed.

Update: Also, don’t forget that Ingelside station posted a ton of pictures of recovered bikes in May. Worth a look if you haven’t checked it out already.

What was once a green wave has now become a red tide, as the excellent system in place on Valencia street that allowed cyclists and motorists alike to encounter a consecutive string of green lights so long as they maintained a steady 13 mph pace seems to have succumbed to some obstacles.  MM reader Alex reports:

It used to be that I could zip straight from 25th to 16th (heading North, that is) on my bike without having to stop a single time, because the lights were perfectly set up to be a bitchin’ bike corridor.  Now I always gotta stop around 20th and 21st.  Why?  Who killed the good light timing?

I’ve also noticed this alarming trend, not just on Valencia Street but also on 24th where the same 13 mph speed could be employed from Folsom to Valencia (and probably Guerrero) to get through every green light with plenty of time.  Now I seem to always get stuck on Capp unless I seriously gun it.

Are these changes the result of some recent decision to move away from the Green Wave initiative, or could they just some random coincidence or malfunction that upset the timing of the stoplights?  Anyone know what’s up?

[Photo via Streetsblog]

Previously:

• Valencia Street Green Wave Here to Stay

Our pal Erik just bought a bike off the street that he thinks is probably stolen, and is wondering if it may belong to you:

I just bought a bike off the street that is probably stolen, so that hopefully the real owner sees this and can claim it.

Green frame, though it may have been painted. Ritchey stem. Carbon bar ends. Plus plenty more that I won’t list here.

If this may be your bike, write to me and describe some other things about it- parts you put on, component brands, mis-matches, whatever. If you convince me that it’s yours, I’ll let you come take it back.

You may remember Erik and his fiance from the bizarre incident back when some crazy motorist hit them on Shotwell and proceeded to yell at them before speeding away.  I wonder whatever happened to that wacko?  Anyway, please spread the word and if you think this may be your bike, let Erik know on Craigslist here.

Answer: 6! One to write the ticket and the other five to cork it in. It’s like a reverse Critical Mass that gives you tickets instead of running red lights.

Has anyone ever been pulled over by a bicycle cop? Unfortunately I missed the chase scene so the mechanics are murky at best – do they always work in packs?