Mission Mission

Everyone’s doing it! Mission Bicycle posted this purdy HD video about their purdy bikes.

Things I did not know before watching this video:

• Bike shopping is a family event, like going to IKEA. Bring your children.
• If the shop is too busy, you can order their bikes from the wifi-friendly cafe down the street (requires your own laptop and knowledge of how to use the internet to visit web sites).
• You can cyber with Jefferson over gchat directly from their the order page.
• I’m not the only one who screws around customizing virtual bikes I never buy while I’m supposed to be working.

You also get to see parts of their manufacturing and shipping processes, from the painting of the frames with decidedly girly colors to the exhilarating un-boxing at one dude’s apartment. Is there anything better than un-boxing something you bought? It’s like Christmas without gift wrap and the element of surprise.

Contest* Guess when this was shot based purely on the placement of construction markers on Valencia St.

*Prize for this “contest” is self-satisfaction.

This October, Box Dog Bikes is hosting a bunch of bike maintenance classes. Here they are:

Tuesday 7:30pm-9:30pm   October 5th Know Your Bike

Tuesday 7:30pm-9:30pm   October 12th Brakes and Gears

Tuesday 7:30pm-9:30pm    October 19th The Bicycle Wheel

Tuesday 7:30pm-9:30pm  October 26th Bearing Systems

All classes are at Box Dog Bikes; 494 14th Street, in SF.  Call the shop 415-431-9627 to sign up.  Classes cost $35 for one, $65 for two, $90 for three, and all four for $120.

Click here to see more detailed descriptions of each offering.

[PEUGE' PARTY by Honey Jets.]

Although on the surface this seems like a terrible idea, it’s definitely one way to get to see Elvis Costello at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival today.  It doesn’t seem quite as safe or elegant as our previous “rack & belt-loops” solution, but at least it gets the job done (until you have to stop, that is!).

Previously:

2 Guys 1 Bike and 2 Bikes 1 Guy

Pushbike, the premiere cycling apparel and accessories shop in the Mission, which since its inception has been housed inside the Mission Skateboards storefront on 24th Street, is finally getting its own spot. And it looks rad — a nice quiet corner not not at all far off the beaten path.

They leave their 24th Street location this Friday, and the new location doesn’t open until probably most of the way through October, so if there’s anything you need (from a Mondrian saddle to a Tecate cycling cap, or a badass Freight Baggage messenger), snap it up quick.

Stay tuned to the Pushbike blog for updates like today’s.

Photo by Google Maps.

The Mission Bicycle Festival commenced this past Sunday despite the efforts of concerned NIMBYs and was (as SF Citizen would proudly say) a huge success, thanks in part to the beautiful 80 degree weather and diligently organized volunteer corps.  Locally crafted bike gear by artisans and vendors such as Box Dog Bikes, Rickshaw Bagworks, and Mission Workshop were on full display in a friendly environment that was far less daunting than the massive Interbike convention I checked out in Vegas last week:

(BTW, way better Interbike photos can be found over at Box Dog Blog)

Thanks to the Mission Bicycle Company for organizing such a wonderful representation of velo-culture in the neighborhood (and the Women’s Building too, of course)!  While I wasn’t brave enough to enter the trackstand competition to compete for a brand new Valencia frameset, it was still cool to witness along with the bunny hop contest and unicycle basketball.

Also, I’m pretty sure Interbike didn’t have a S’mores-cycle!

See you next year!

Mission Local over the weekend published a series of portraits of bike owners in Dolores Park. Each portrait is accompanied by some commentary from the subject regarding the way they use their bike. Casey here uses her bike for transportation! Read on.

Met these guys on the strip last night after they had cycled through Flamingo and gotten chased out by the security guards.  One of ‘em was on the phone trying to meet up with the rest of the gang to find out the next spot to hit up.

For the Flamingo run, phone guy was the leader and picked the route through the slots on the fly, scattering drink girls and bronzed, pot-belly’d Medicare recipients in his wake.  Meanwhile, middle finger dude carried the rearguard, security officials nipping at his heels.  Celebration by track-stand up the escalator.

For anyone wishing to join them on their cyclical adventures:  these rapscallions can sometimes be found at SF Bike Polo by 21st and S Van Ness (since they got kicked out of Dolores) when they’re not terrorizing Las Vegas casinos.  Tryouts next weekend!

Even over a century ago, bikes were hot stuff in SF. Streetsblog tells us all about it:

The bike clubs organized century rides around the Bay Area and annual “Bike Meets” where the fastest cyclists would compete against each other before large audiences. One of the biggest ever was during the 4th of July weekend in 1893 when an estimated 20,000 spectators would jam a special track built at Central Park just south of City Hall to watch the scorchers as they hurtled around the loop.

Daaang! I guess cycling isn’t a newfangled hipster fad after all. I mean, look at that dude up there… one of the original cool dads.

Read on for even older pics, talk of “boneshakers” and more.

[Thanks, Joshua!]

It has something to do with rich people getting richer, and it probably won’t go anywhere near Bayshore Blvd. Ice Tubes has the full story.

Photo by Anne Hansen.

This must what happens when you apply string theory to this bike.

Obits courtesy of Married to the Sea.

(Thanks Sally!)