Mission Mission

So says local blogger Vic Wong in the description of the short film from whence the above still came. He also uses the phrase, “You’re a pussy.”

Click here to read all about it and watch the film in its (very brief) entirety.

And yeah: “The North Beach.”

Says Inhabitat:

The program will allow registered members to unlock bikes electronically with a “smart card” or credit card for a set amount of time, with fees determined by how long the bikes are taken out (much like Zipcar). Trips for half an hour or less would be free. And in order to deter would-be thieves, each bike will be outfitted with GPS units and RFID identification tags.

Rad! Bike sharing always looks like so much fun! Read on!

[Photo by Barcelona Cycle Chic]

Mission Bicycle is getting into the spirit:

Everything in our window is Giants orange. Including a special bike that Esther built on Sunday to celebrate our victory. Hours later it caught the eye of JackJones.com who was in town to for a photo shoot. So whoever buys this bike get’s a set of beautiful professional photos. This baby should be $870 but if the G…iants win on Wednesday, we’ll let her go for $799. 59cm frame. First come first serve.

Check out their Facebook page for more!

This troublesome stretch of Market between 8th and 9th Streets seems to be giving everyone a lot of trouble, and this morning was no different.  Everything is wrong with this picture.  For instance, a white pickup double-parked in the right lane, which wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that the right lane needs to be used by cyclists because delivery vans and trucks are blocking the bike lane up ahead directly after the barrier ends.  And how did that sedan get across 9th?  Doesn’t look like Muni or a taxi to me.  Hrmph.

Maybe I”m just grouchy because of the weather, but it still is nice to see some justice once in a while.  Luckily, it’s Wednesday, which means Butterlap Day!  See you there probs!

Previously:

Taxi Strikes Cyclist Who Happens To Be Me

Reader Keith B. sent this in saying, “local fixie riders need to practice!” And I wasn’t gonna post it because this video is like a year old or more, but then I watched it.

This video is exponentially more exciting than anything by Macaframa. And their outfits are way better. Watch it now:

But could they do it on hills, in traffic? That would be the pinnacle of human achievement. Now where can I see some bloopers?

Jessica over at Mission Local today continues her series spotlighting Mission cyclists and their bikes. Again, the consensus seems to be that bikes are good for transportation. And this guy Johnni brags that he’s never been in an accident. Knock on wood, bro! Read on.

Previously:

Portraits of Bike Owners

Vélo Vogue just published an interview with Taco Bike Timmy. Asked if he has any wild Dolores Park stories, he answers:

Wow, many, but my favorite was the 20 year old guy who walked up, ordered two tacos and then proceeded to take out a whip-it cartridge and cracker. He cracked and huffed right in front of me. When I asked if he wanted sour cream he responded with that very deep, sluggish voice “hell yeah man”! Almost pissed myself.

Read on. (But beware the crazy angles of all the photography; I forgot to pop a Dramamine and now I’m all dizzy.)

Previously:

You Forgot Your Whip-its!

The waterfront was a shitshow obviously, but it was kind of fun flying in formation past miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic as the Blue Angels flew around in formation overhead. Plus, it seems they close Columbus to automobile traffic from Washington Square to Broadway, which was fun.

See you next year!

P.S. Look at that handsome Mission Workshop messenger bag on the lead rider up there.

This one was fucking WELDED ON. And still gone in 60 seconds. Its owner left the bike locked up Valencia Street near 16th — for no more than four minutes. And solid gone.

Apparently this doesn’t only happen in the Tenderloin.

WELDED ON.

It had to happen sooner or later given the jungle-like chaos of Market Street.  You may have witnessed it yourselves from time to time, or possibly have been inconvenienced while waiting on piled-up Muni buses from an occurrence several blocks ahead.  You just never expect it to happen to you.

First, a little back story:  I was hustling down Market on my bicycle as I usually do and crossed New Montgomery onto that weird block where vehicles in the right lane turn onto 2nd Street while the cheese-gratered left lane is reserved for through-traffic.  Knowing this, I stayed in the left lane while also being careful to avoid the treacherous Muni tracks and BART vents when all of a sudden a taxi cab pulled out directly in front of me from the line of cars waiting in the right lane. 

I only had time to yell before I collided with the window above the rear left door side and tumbled onto the pavement (I’m sure his passenger was quite surprised as well).  I popped back up (as many bikers do instantly after getting in accidents of various severity–why does this happen so often???) and walked over to the side of the road where a bunch of bystanders immediately came over to see how I was doing. 

I was actually overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who stopped to help.  One kind woman even offered to take me upstairs to her office so I could wash up in the restroom (my elbow was bleeding quite a bit).  Another person walked by and asked what happened, to which a witness responded, “That crazy taxi just hit that guy!”  Someone else said, “I’m calling the police.”  Just as I mumbled, “Oh, please don’t do that,” a squad car pulled up behind and buzzed the siren.

Before I could say anything, another person exclaimed “That taxi over there hit him!”  The officer asked if I was injured and required any medical attention, but I said I just needed something to soak up my now quite-bloody arm, which he quickly provided.  Then he went over to get the taxi driver who had been waiting in his cab after pulling to the curb.  Since I wasn’t too badly hurt, the officer said he was just going to provide collision information cards for the driver to fill out in case I woke up the next day and couldn’t move.

The cab driver, a young and polite African fellow, was terrified, however.  While the officer was getting the cards from his car, the cabbie pleaded with me, begging me not to report anything, saying he would lose his job and imploring me with sad details about his family.  He kept repeating “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, please, tell the man, please,” over and over again.  I told him I felt fine and didn’t think I would have to make a statement or anything, but I just wanted his info as a precaution in case I ended up with some freak injury once the adrenalin wore off.  At the same time, I also warned him that he needed to be much more careful in the future, especially on a crazy street like Market, and that the move he pulled would have been unsafe under any circumstances.

With the situation resolved, we all went on our separate ways.  Hopefully the whole incident left a lasting impression on the cab driver so he drives a little more carefully from now on!  It’s not like he did it on purpose, but there’s a reason why cabbies in this city have such a notorious reputation.  As for me, hopefully my sore elbow won’t affect my drumming during the recording we’re planning on doing in the coming weeks.  It could easily have been much worse, so I’m happy that we were all able to walk away and go about the rest of our day.  Be careful out there, folks!

Previously:

Pedestrian Struck by Taxi on Market; Muni gives up

Cyclist Down at Fremont and Market

Cyclist Dead After Hit and Run Collision

Creep In An SUV Targeted 4 Cyclists Last Night