1,000 Words for Sunday

Moving Frankenbikes From Maker Faire to Main Street

Yesterday I went to the Maker Faire in San Mateo.  I got to go to the one in New York a couple of years ago and enjoyed the MacGyver-esque vibe walking around with really nice people dressed like Lord Humungus’ minions. 

I originally wasn’t going to go to this one since I’d only get to visit for a couple of hours, but I’ve been feeling intellectually malnourished lately and thought I'd counter that sensation by peering at the talents of others.

My plan was to bring my homemade cargo bike which, at 79 and 15/16” long, would have fit right in at Maker Faire but also drawn a lot of scrutiny by the Caltrain conductor. In the end I brought South Norwalk - which was good because it was standing room only on the train from Mountain View to Hillsdale.  

The first five minutes at Maker Faire was worth the admissions price. The list of things that create awe and provide inspiration is a long one. In the first five minutes I saw power tool drag racing, pedal and electric powered cupcakes milling about, and a guy being pulled on a chariot by a robot (which I posted yesterday). 

I was also drawn to the Frankentrikes booth.

It was there I met a talented artist named Segue, who created Frankentrikes years ago.  We chatted about MIG vs. TIG welding and related topics while I learned her backstory: Based in Oakland, she has made several electric assist trikes as custom builds but now wants to move Frankentrikes to a business model that would put more people on these things. 

I got to ride her original creation which reminded me of the rickshaws I’ve seen in India and in Singapore. She claimed it can carry 500 pounds in the cargo hold and the way it was made told me she wasn’t lying. 

The canopy gave me shade, the electric assist (powered by a twist throttle) gave me power, and the trike was surprisingly maneuverable without feeling cumbersome. It felt like she finished making it ten minutes before I walked up. 

It made me wonder about how much technology has evolved since then - but how little we have evolved.  Think about it for a minute: flip phones were common when Segue set down her welding mask when this first trike was completed but anyone seen with a flip phone now is stared at and puzzled over. 

And yet we drive on highways designed seventy or more years ago in vehicles that rely on a technology first created well over a century ago and think to ourselves: “Oh, I think we can stick with this. I need a 3,300 pound vehicle that has a 150 s.f. footprint to pick up my 85-pound child and I won’t connect any dots between my kid’s asthma inhaler and the stuff that comes out of my SUV’s tailpipe.”

Frankentrikes has an Indiegogo campaign so Segue can employ engineers and pay for other things to grow her company. The campaign ends on May 26th, which is this Thursday. Save for an unexpected asteroid or the like, that day will come and go like any other, but we have a chance to make that day bring us closer to a world where people - especially those in cities - can more easily choose ‘not car’ when it comes to everyday travel. 

So I urge you to donate to the Frankentrikes Indiegogo campaign and get your friends to do the same. If that laughing chewbacca mask lady can get 1.5 million+ hits on YouTube, this campaign can raise $49,000.

I thank Segue and the others I met at Maker Faire for doing their part to inspire makers of all ages. If there is a Maker Faire near you, I hope you can go. If you see a Frankentrikes cycle on the road, I hope you decided to be one of the backers who put it there. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

1,000 Words for Sunday

Welcome to San Jose, Bernie! Let's Go Biking!

I just learned from the San Jose Mercury News that Bernie Sanders is doing a rally tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1pm at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in Tully Road.

Bernie, if you are reading this, please answer my #BikeWithTheNextPresident invite and beat Hillary and Donald to a photo-op goldmine and an inspiring message to all voters. I'd also love to talk transportation policy with you. I have tea, coffee, bananas and Clif granola bars  at my house which is conveniently close to your rally. Your people don't have to talk to my people - your people can just talk to me. My people have the day off

Also for the rally attendees: the SCCF is easily bikeable so I will use those Thirteen Words: If you have a bike and can ride it safely, please ride it.

If you're biking you can head south on Monterrey Boulevard and take a left on Tully (both roads are very busy but have bike lanes) or come via bike and VTA by getting off the Alum Rock/Santa Teresa light rail at Curtner and just follow Curtner all the way.

If coming from the south, you can use Monterrey Boulevard or the Coyote Creek Trail to get to Tully.

I'm not sure what the bike parking situation will be there but will add more if I find anything out. Use the hashtag #BernieByBike to talk with other cycling friends and encourage them to ride as well. And if you see Bernie, tell him you want to see him on a bike - preferably a DIYBIKING.COM exclusive.

Have fun at the rally. #FeelTheBern - Save on Parking. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

1,000 Words for Sunday

Bay Area Bike to Work Day

Bay Area Bike to Work Day began at sunup. It went well until I parked in a loading zone.

As you know, I am a telecommuter. 

However, phase two of Bike to Work Day involved boarding my adored VTA light rail. It's pronounced Veetee-ay and I'd write a song about it if that rhymed - and If I had talent.

Then it was a meet-up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coaition, the VTA, the mayor and a whole lot of other cool people for a ride up the Guadalupe River Trail.

It was when I took this shot that a thought struck me about biking to work vs. driving: you can choose to surround yourself with a leather, steel and glass room that loses value over time, or you could surround yourself with friends that will gain value over time.

I also got to visit some great energizer stations. And I must say this about Oracle: you are a staple of Silicon Valley and a leader in cloud applications. But you also run a spectacular energizer station.

I returned home to work from my home office for a while before the day was done. This meant phase three of Bike to Work Day: going to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition's Bike Away From Work Bash.

I brought my homemade cargo bike so as not to confuse the valet. But I didn't have to worry: every bike was different and the assortment did well to show off the diversity of the people who bike to work. Old friends met. New ones made.

Phase four of bike to work day: thanking the people who rode to work for the first time. In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi: you've taken your first step into a larger world.

I will put up links tomorrow but tonight I have put away the sign from the sign bike. I peeled off the '2' and stowed it with the proper labels so this will be easier to make next year. Thank everybody for making this Bay Area Bike to Work Day possible. National BTWD is the 20th so I hope you take part for any reason. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

 

Bay Area Bike to Work Day

Bay Area Bike to Work Day began at sunup. It went well until I parked in a loading zone.

As you know, I am a telecommuter. 

However, phase two of Bike to Work Day involved boarding my adores VTA light rail. It's pronounced Veetee-ay and I'd write a song about it if that rhymed and I had talent.

Then it as a meet-up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coaition, the VTA, the mayor and a whole lot of other cool people for a ride up the Guadalupe River Trail.

It was when I took this shot that a thought struck me about biking to work vs. driving: you can choose to surround yourself with a leather, steel and glass room that loses value over time, or you could surround yourself with friends that will gain value over time.

I also got to visit some great energizer stations. And I must say this about Oracle: you are a staple of Silicon Valley and a leader in cloud computing. But you also run a spectacular energizer station.

I returned home to work from my home office for a while before the day was done. This meant phase three of Bike to Work Day: going to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition's Bike Away From Work Bash.

I brought my homemade cargo bike so as not to confuse the valet. But I didn't have to worry: every bike was different and the assortment did well to show off the diversity of the people who bike to work. Old friends met. New ones made.

Phase four of bike to work day: thanking the people who rode to work for the first time. In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi: you've taken your first step into a larger world.

I will put up links tomorrow but tonight I have put away the sign from the sign bike. I peeled off the '2' and stowed it with the proper labels so this will be easier to make next year. Thank everybody for making this Bay Area Bike to Work Day possible. National BTWD is the 20th so I hope you take part for any reason. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.

 

Five Ways to Prepare for Bike to Work Day (Even if You're a Telecommuter)

Bay Area Bike to Work Day is May 12 (National Bike to Work Day: May 20th) and I urge you to take part. Given the pollution in the air and the congestion on the roads the Prius and Tesla-worshipping direction California has taken isn’t working. So it’s time to bike more - and since about 40% of Bay Area residents live less than five miles from their workplaces, optimal conditions to ride to work are already there. 

As a freelancer, I am a telecommuter so I easily fall in the five-mile-or-less group. I also just took the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition pledge to bike to work (I admit my distance is shorter than most, but riding any distance on Bike to Work Day is an accomplishment - especially for those who don’t ride much.)

If you drove your car to work today please look out your windshield on the way back and think about how many times you sit at a traffic light and watch the light change from red to green and back again. Think of how much money you pump into your car every week to go what is probably a pretty short distance. Think about how nice it would be to put some space between you and your next $1,000+ car repair bill. How nice it would be to interact with humans with your voice and your smile instead of with a horn. 

I could go on. 

1) Choose the right bike for the terrain.

The perfect cycling outfit includes a mountain bike for trails, a fast road bike for Strava-bragging, a cargo bike for hauling things and a folding bike for travel. There may also be a hybrid bike good for all-around use. But what about telecommuting? 

As it so happens I recently acquired a bike from a metal scrap pile that, after repairing, is just perfect for my Bike to Work Day - and the checklist works for non-telecommuters as well:  a comfortable seat, a decent gear ratio for the landscape, functioning brakes, and added comfort of full suspension for when transitioning from carpet to laminate. I have no idea who made this or why. 

If you don’t have the right bike I recommend Mike’s Bikes and Good Karma Bikes (I know there are other great shops in the Bay Area but I really don’t shop anywhere else).

2) Take ownership over your safety

Make sure your bike is safe to ride and you (and it) have the proper safety equipment. A properly fitted helmet is a great idea but I also recommend bike lights - even if you don’t tend to ride in the dark. 

Lucky for me I have the best bike light: A Blaze Laserlight, which sends an image of a bicycle out in front of my bike. It was designed to remind motorists to be on the lookout for cyclists when making a turn or opening a car door after parallel parking, but I’m using it to make sure I don’t hit anyone on foot who enters or exits  Bathroom Lane when I’m leaving Bedroom Boulevard at speed. 

3) Know your route

Before cycling a route that you are used to driving on - or even walking - it’s important to look at everything with the lens of a cyclist and ask yourself some simple questions: What are the high traffic areas? Where am I likely to encounter pedestrians? Is there construction or are there obstacles I should be aware of? Where does it make sense to ride on the shoulder vs. taking the entire lane (or, rather, hallway?)

A lot of large thoroughfares in Silicon Valley have bike lanes. My house does not so I will have to share the road (floor) with other users. I have already made a note that the first right turn has a laundry basket I have to avoid and it is followed by a sharp left into the home office. 

If you want help finding a route, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition actually has a personalized route service called Virtual Route Scouts you can use. I just used my Measure Master (cutting through the bathroom would have added an unnecessary 19” to my trip). 

4) Know your Energizer Stations

I think these went by a different name when I did Bike to Work Day in Connecticut, but peppered around Silicon Valley are Energizer Stations, which is a catchy way to describe folding tables containing or surrounded by food, drink, giveaways, and nice people. Whether you are a first time bike commuter or not they’re fun places to stop. 

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has built a handy map to show you where the 80 or so Energizer Stations are. They lack in several key locations such as the East Side of San Jose and my living room, but if there’s one near you it is worth going out of your way to visit.

I’m going to have to create a DIY energizer station in my kitchen: my plan is to buy a pound of Chromatic Coffee - which has been recommended to me by someone at Cowgirl Bike Courier - and after parking the bike I’ll have a cup of coffee. This will make my commute about 60’ - more than double the original distance but I’m pretty sure I can do it. 

5) Know where the Bike Away From Work Bash is located

I actually got to do this last year when I was still getting over internal combustion engine-lag after driving across the country from Connecticut. It’s fun, there are interesting and attractive people there, and you can buy a T-shirt/become a member of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition if you aren’t one already. SVBC has a Bike Away From Work Bash in San Jose. If you're not able to make it, create your own little gathering of fellow bicycle commuters and it may just turn into a bash. 

And that’s all I have for now - I will live-blog about my commute on Bike to Work Day - but I will not use my phone while my bike is in motion (good advice if you bike indoors or out). Please encourage your motorist friends, family and colleagues to Bike to Work. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

Follow me on Twitter: @michaelknorris

1,000 Words for Sunday

May the 4th Be With You

Bay Area Bike to Work Day is May 12

Do you drive your car everywhere? Do you live within five miles of your workplace like 40% of Bay Area residents? Do you want to put one more day between you and the next time you have to throw thousands of dollars at your car for a mysterious repair?

This post is for you: Bay Area Bike to Work Day is May 12. This is not to be confused with National Bike to Work Day on May 20. (I’m still not sure why California comes a week early. I blame gluten.)

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has all of the information you’ll need to help make your commute - even if you riding to work means you’re losing your Cycleginity - as easy as fun as possible. They are even going to have ‘Energizer Stations’ set up at around 80 locations, so you’ll be able to meet some fit and fun people on your way to work - something that never happens when you drive your car.

If your bike is really dusty, is being used as a condominium for spiders, etc. take it to Good Karma Bikes on 460 Lincoln Avenue in San Jose between 2pm and 6pm on weekdays and hire them to fix it up. Also, if you just want an all-around good bike to use for your trip, they have a lot of good deals on their shop floor. You may spend $100-$400+ depending on what you get but remember: when was the last time you brought your car in to have them find what was causing a mysterious noise and they said ‘It’s only going to be $100!’

So make the air we breathe a little more breathable, make the roads we travel on a little safer, and make yourself - somehow - look even better when you’re naked. That’s right, I went there. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 

Give to Good Karma Bikes for Silicon Valley Gives Day

Today is Silicon Valley Gives Day and I’d like it if you could please make a donation to Good Karma Bikes - an organization that helps homeless and at-risk youth earn bikes and learn life skills. 

It’s very simple: simply visit svgives.razoo.com/goodkarmabikes and make your donation. It literally takes less time to give than it took me to add the word ’TODAY’ to my bike trailer. 

When you give, please remember one thing: when people like you or me get a flat tire on our bike, we take a picture of it and whine on Twitter. When a homeless person gets a flat tire, it can affect their entire life. The smallest donation can make a big difference and just like yesterday when I said not to take people for granted I want you to not take your ability to fix what’s broken on your own bike for granted either. 

So please give for Silicon Valley Gives Day and tell your friends about it on social media using the hashtag #SVGives. Thanks for reading, thanks for riding, and thanks for giving. 

For Uncle Wayne (1955-2016)

My Uncle Wayne - the stepdad to the Mountain Bike Jedi Master and grandfather to Mountain Bike Jedi Master’s son (pictured) - died in Connecticut on Thursday. I live in San Jose, California now - I began the cross-country trip from Connecticut to Silicon Valley a year ago yesterday - and can’t attend calling hours today. 

Some of you know I traveled back to Connecticut the last week of March to go to my grandmother’s funeral. Uncle Wayne couldn’t be there since he was admitted to the hospital unexpectedly. Twice-weekly phone calls with my parents turned into regular updates on his condition. When things appeared to be looking up a couple of weeks ago, I reasoned we should rent the man a convertible for a month as soon as he got out. 

But then, four days ago, I got the dreaded Phone Call From Mother On Your Cell Phone In The Middle of the Day. I don’t remember most of what she said but I remember feeling feeling more sad than I could remember feeling in a long time. He should have lived a lot longer and had a much more fitting end. 

Uncle Wayne, as far as I could tell, stopped aging in or around the mid 1990s. When my cousin and I would go to Bluff Point State Park during family reunions in Mystic, he’d often come with us. I was always glad when he did just in case my cousin would need help carrying me out of the park.

A police officer for decades in Connecticut, he was always an entertaining storyteller - especially when it came to his job. After he retired, the stories grew even more entertaining but the subjects noticeably shifted from law enforcement to whatever it was he and his grandchildren had done or were going to do. 

I took the picture above during Thanksgiving a few years ago holding his first grandchild without him knowing and meant to give him a framed print for Christmas. I never got around to it. 

I can’t give him this picture and I can’t ever go mountain biking with him again, but I can ask you to do what I just did: make a donation to the Colchester Land Trust - a nature conservation group he was a big part of in the town he’s called home for a long time. Also, that thing you were planning to do for someone special but haven’t gotten around to it yet? Get around to it now. 

Thanks for reading and thanks for riding.  

1,000 Words for Sunday