In this our modern age where Gen X and Gen Y fight over aesthetic and street credibility (hint: Gen Y wins, but only because they have youth on their side), fixed gear bicycles have typically signified the presence of a hipster during this war. What is a fixed gear bike, you ask? Well, a "fixe" will only allow a cyclist to ride using a single gear and the only way to brake the bike is to pedal backwards to skid the bike to a stop. They're also more pleasing to the eye than, say, a Schwinn ten-speed—is that still a thing?—which could be the main reason why so many young chic freaks enjoy riding the dangerous yet unfairly maligned bike. more ›

Mission Mission brings word that Martha Stewart, one of the most critical yet underrated philosophers in these our modern times, fell prey to San Francisco's sensitive cycling community over the weekend. It seems that, while shopping at Paxton Gate's Curiosities For Kids on tony Valencia Street, the (wrongfully!) convicted inside trader/domestic thinker parked her presumably gorgeous vehicle in the bike lane for a scant, very necessary five minutes. more ›

This nifty infographic (which you can click to enlarge) comes from the Christensen Law Firm ("Utah's bicycle lawyers"). It uses data from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute; Bicycle Safety Almanac's statistics on safety, fatalities, and injuries; bicyclinginfo.org; Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's bicycle fatality facts 2008; and the American Academy of Family Physicians Bicycle-Related Injuries sheet. more ›

Granted. We're supposed to boycott mega-chain store Target for... wait, are we still supposed to be shun them? It's so hard to keep track here in San Francisco. We need some sort of multi-tabbed Excel spreadsheet to keep track of what corporate American cog we're supposed to boycott or not. So confusing. Whatever. Because we'd be fibbing if we said we weren't slightly giddy about the impending Missoni collection heading to your closest anti-gay Target store. ("Misso-who?" Google it, o' richly-texted DIY one.) more ›

Similar to the way electric cars have regenerative breaking, the very attractive Maxwell von Stein, 22, a graduate of The Cooper Union, invented a bike that harnesses your pedaling power. His beta bicycle uses a flywheel (pulled from an old Porsche) spinning between the crossbars to create energy. According to NPR's Science Friday, "The flywheel stores the kinetic energy until Max wants a boost, then he can transfer the energy back to the wheel using a shifter on the handlebars." more ›

NBC Bay Area has an update on the Saturday disappearance of Mike Martin, who had been cycling in the Berkeley hills when he suddenly vanished, dropping his cell phone along Tunnel Road for another cyclist to find shortly thereafter. It turns out Martin was at a bit of a crossroads in his life and career, and was scheduled to move to the East Coast on Tuesday. His girlfriend spoke to him via cell phone just a half hour before a stranger called her from the same phone to say he'd just found the phone on the road. Amaya James says he had been fasting for three days and was malnourished, and she fears he may have made a stupid decision to go off on a long bike ride without telling anyone. more ›

Gee, this is harrowing. Two fools who crashed into each other over the weekend were allegedly both drunk while riding their preferred modes. "Jose Luna, 40, of Redwood City was turning from northbound El Camino Real onto Berkshire Avenue in his Ford F-150 pickup truck when he struck bicyclist Alejandro Chavez, 31, of Redwood City at about 11 p.m. Saturday," reports SFGate. "Chavez, who had been riding against traffic while pedaling in a northbound lane, suffered a broken back and leg." Both were reportedly smashed, if you will, at the time of impact. Oy. [SFGate] more ›

Since our morning commute involves moving from the bedroom to the living room -- don't hate! -- we're (almost) jealous of those of you who get to take part in next week's Bike to Work Day. Last year's ride accounted for 75% of the morning roadway traffic on San Francisco’s Market Street. And this year's ride, happening next Tuesday Thursday, promises to be even better. "Commuters will be enjoying more than a dozen miles of new bike lanes, hundreds of new bike parking spaces, and long stretches of 'green carpet' that are physically separated from car lanes — all of which have been added since last year’s Bike to Work Day," beams the San Francisco Bike Coalition. For more details, or to volunteer at one of the 25 energizer stations, please visit SFBike.org. more ›

To the two-wheeled speed demons who spoke out against the proposed 10 mph speed limit on the Golden Gate Bridge: the Bridge has heard you and the Bridge will reconsider its plan. According to the folks at Streetsblog, several prominent cyclist groups spoke out during public comment to explain they felt they were intentionally left out of the cycling safety study, prompting the bridge's Building and Operating Committee to postpone the vote indefinitely while they seek additional community input. Over at the Weekly, SanFrancycle also speaks out while dropping a little knowledge on what the bridge's accident rate and usage numbers really mean (Hint: there aren't really that many accidents.) In the meantime, cyclists will still need to slow down this summer when the western walkway is closed for retrofit work an they're forced to share with foot traffic. more ›

Not the actual Bridge itself, mind you, but the GGB Highway and Transportation District will be considering a 10 mph speed limit for cyclists this coming Thursday. According to Bay City News, if the plan goes through CHP will be enforcing the speed limit which would carry a $100 fine for violators. While this potential throttling of cyclists is intended to cut down on the number of bike-related accidents on the bridge, it comes just before a retrofit project is set to close the bikes-only western sidewalk (where the majority of accidents occur). When the four-month project begins on May 9th the 6,000 bikers and 10,000 walkers who use the bridge on a busy weekend day will be forced to share the eastern sidewalk, meaning it'll probably be best to avoid strolling over the bridge anytime until the end of August. more ›

On Saturday, candid cyclists gathered in San Francisco to take part in the World Naked Bike Ride. How did it go? Don't ask us. This editor is saddled with red hair and thus diaphanous skin. There's not high enough SPF in the world to get us on a bike at noon with our blinding, milky flesh on display for the world to see. Perish the thought. Immediately. However, according to worldnakedbikeride.org, the fleshy ride was a smash. more ›

A bicyclist suffered a nasty head injury after colliding with a car at 19th Avenue and Ortega on Monday afternoon. "The driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene and cooperated with authorities," reports SF Appeal. The cyclist, whose injures have been described as "non-life-threatening," is expected to make a full recovery. [SFA] more ›

Oh oh! It looks like gas prices are increasing again. At this 76 gas station on California Street yesterday, a gallon of regular was going for a cool $4.39/gallon. What's more, according to USA Today, "GasBuddy has San Francisco now as the most expensive city for gas in the country at an average of $3.93 a gallon, followed by 15 other cities in California." more ›

Saturday evening, a cyclist headed against traffic on Haight Street was struck by a car heading south on Masonic says Bay City News. It's likely the driver, who cooperated with authorities, didn't see the 42-year-old woman riding in the wrong lane. The rider was taken to SF General with a serious head injury and a broken leg. So there's your weekly reminder to please wear your helmets and obey all relevant traffic laws or patterns. Your nervous family members will thank you. more ›

"Force Push" by Bhautik Joshi. more ›

Another SF Bike Party ride pedals around the city for your Friday night pleasure, and you shouldn't miss it. The theme for the evening? Female icons. Since march is Women's History Month, and March 8 is International Woman’s Day, SF Bike Party wants to celebrate with a "Favorite Female Icon" ride. All riders (gender be damned) should dress as your favorite female icon and/or role model. more ›

In southern Brazil last week, around 100 cycling activists were mowed down by an angry driver. Associated Press reports: "Cyclists in the Critical Mass ride tell the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that the man argued with some riders, who had taken over all lanes of the street on Friday." more ›

BikeNOPA has some wound-relieving wounds for cyclists who bumble their way through Golden Gate Park on a daily basis. The long stretch of Golden Gate Park will receive a much-needed repaving in time for Spring. more ›

According to Clarence Eckerson Jr. of Streetsblog NY, "television and print media portray cyclists as if they were a menace to society, like bedbugs in need of extermination. The constant barrage of late has been unrelenting, depressing and biased." That goes for the coverage in New York City, as far as Eckerson is concerned. Why? He explains: more ›

Good news for San Francisco’s downtrodden biking class: soon you may be able to ride directly from Rainbow Grocery to Philz Coffee with complete vehicular impunity. The SFMTA’s Sustainable Streets Division is holding a public hearing this morning at City Hall to review a number of proposals, the most noteworthy of which would install northbound and southbound bike lanes on Folsom between 13th and 24th streets. (Related proposals would establish sidewalk extensions and create and/or move bus zones at certain corners toward the southern end of Folsom.) more ›

This might be an oldie - yes, we assume it's appeared on Laughing Squid or any number of other sites that consider bicycling a personality trait; by all means, relish the fact that you saw it elsewhere eons ago, way before we did - but it's still very amusing. Enjoy. more ›

Your monthly reminder that, yes, tonight is Critical Mass, the non-violent group ride around the city. It starts around 6-ish. more ›

As we mentioned earlier in the week, the San Francisco Bike Party rolls out its inaugural ride tonight. This ride meets at 7:30 p.m. at AT&T Park, starting at 8:00 and ending at Civic Center. Make sure to wear your helmet! (And Speed Stick. We kid! But not really, stinky-butt.) more ›

Bike NOPA has images and facts on the bike counters placed under city streets. They're used to tally the details of cyclists' routes and numbers. This one here is Baker Street and Golden Gate Avenue. Cute, yes? According to BN, here's how they work: more ›

Billed as a monthly celebration of biking, this Friday, Jan. 7, San Francisco Bike Party rolls out its first ride of the year. This ride meets at 7:30 p.m. at AT&T Park, starting at 8:00 and ending at Civic Center. Exactly what is S.F. Bike Party, you ask? Let's see: SFBP is new and meant "for all riders of different ages, types, and skill levels to enjoy." Exactly what is S.F. Bike Party, you ask? Let's see: SFBP is new and meant "for all riders of different ages, types, and skill levels to enjoy." more ›

Last year, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition held a Treasure Island bike rack contest. Kirk Scott, Todd Gilens, Daly Genik Architects, and Ryan Dempsey won the opportunity to create bike racks in the spirit of Treasure Island, which, as of Tuesday, can now be seen in San Francisco. more ›

Now that the city's Bicycle Plan is back on track (har), fanciful new ideas are coming to light. One idea that we like best, which was highlighted Streetsblog today, is the Brian O'Neill Peopleway. more ›

"Planet Telex" by Justin Beck. more ›

Christened the Cyclisk, two California artists, Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector, built this obelisk made entirely out of (unusable) bike parts in Santa Rosa. According to Inhabitant (via Wired), who have other images of the artwork, "the monument is an ode to bike culture constructed from 340 bicycles and one tricycle." more ›