Myth No.1 No-one Rides A Bike in Los Angeles*
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05.23.06
The LA Times has a story with lots of the good oil (umm, make that biodiesel) on cycling in Los Angeles. For example, they make note of Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s 30 page commuting primer (PDF) that sets out to dispel 11 cycling myths. For example, “Myth 1: Nobody rides a bike in Los Angeles.” The resource guide suggests that up to 240,000 ride their bikes every day with 10% of them pedalling to work. The article also mentions The Bicycle Kitchen/La Bici Cocina, a cooperatively-run bicycle culture and repair space. They've the modest mission of being “dedicated to improving the lives of Angelinos through environmental justice, cultural awareness, community and youth outreach using the bicycle as it's tool.” Whew! The kitchen also have a weekly ladies-only night, where you might “experience the satisfaction and joy of building, fixing or souping up your own bike with a group of women who love bicycling.” Sounds like the sort of place that might've inspired the band The Ditty Bops to release a 2006 Bicycle Bikini calendar to promote the sustainable transport that is cycling. Via ::LA Times. (Might need a free subscription.)
* Of course its not a myth we ever believed. See some previous cycling in LA posts, like Bike Summer and Phat Cycles.
Had to bop over to the Ditty Bops page.
Nice antlers!
I could definitely see that calendar hanging up in some low-rider bike garage....
Ah, but what you did not mention is our themed monthly Midnight Ride! Picture about 500 people in costume cruising through skid row, chinatown, echo park, boyle heights... For more info, go to the bicycle kitchen site. Another wonderful resource for LA riders is the bikeboom calendar at bikeboom.com. RIDAZZ!!!
They also didn't mention the combo LA River Ride at the "tail end" of Bike to Work Week. To promote biking and awareness of the LA River. Two great causes!
It should also be mentioned that the Ditty Bops are starting their bike-across-the-country summer concert tour tomorrow 5/25/06 in Venice Beach!
Another L.A. based valuable resource for bicycle lifestylists in all areas is www.CICLE.org. They have a Los Angeles focus, but they have bicycle news and stories, stickers you can download for free, and cool t-shirts and stickers that you can buy too. Definitely worth checking out.
the bike guide is
http://www.la-bike.org/downloads/resource_guide.pdf
you guys left out a "/"
cool article.