Chula Vista Bike Rodeo and Bike Giveaway Brings Holiday Joy

Do you remember your  first bicycle or your first bicycle ride? On Saturday December 12th, the Bike Coalition held a special Bike Rodeo and helped lots of volunteers give away bicycles to third graders in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. For many of these children, it was their first bike and their first time riding a bicycle. For some children, the bicycle may be the only gift they receive, according to Nancy Kerwin, the District’s Executive Director for Student, Family and Community Services, who coordinates the event. 

Employees and volunteers distributed more than 250 bicycles on Saturday. District employees and other volunteers assembled the bicycles prior to the Giveaway.  Many also returned on Saturday to help adjust seats and fit the bikes to the third-grade students who received them.  It was all part of CVESD's partnership with the “Bikes for Kids Foundation,” an annual bike giveaway now in its eighth  year in Chula Vista. 

For the last five years, the students who received the bikes participated in a “Bike Rodeo” by the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. This year over one hundred students learned proper riding techniques and safety tips. More than twenty students learned to ride at the Bike Rodeo even though it was their first time to actually ride a bicycle!  There were no training wheels and some kids were wobbly but excited. Coalition board member Randy Van Vleck offered praise and encouragement along with a helping hand to teach balance and riding skills. Joy spread across the faces of parents and children after gaining an ability to balance on a two-wheeled bike!  Some kids already knew how to ride so they maneuvered through an obstacle course set up in the parking lot of the ESSC. Michelle Luellen of the Bike Coalition coordinated the Rodeo.  Juan Antonio Ramirez provided instruction to many children.

After receiving a bicycle, helmet, and instruction, the children proceeded to a "Thank You" station where they wrote thank you cards to the “Bikes for Kids Foundation,” a San Diego non-profit, CVESD, and all the volunteers that help put smiles on two wheels.

Are you or someone you know teaching a child to ride a bicycle? Here is link to an REI article filled with expert advice:

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/teach-child-to-ride-a-bike.html

It's fun to talk to about bike memories. What is your first bike memory? Your first bike ride memory? Tell us on social media by using the hashtag #FirstBikeMemory and tagging @sdbikecoalition or email your memories to judi@sdbikecoaltion.org and we will put together a compilation of first bike memories.

2015 Joyride

We had a wonderful evening at our 5th Annual Joyride, held last Thursday on December 10th. Approximately 70 joined us for our lighted bike ride, starting and ending at Panama 66 in Balboa Park. 

We were quite a sight to see, as we casually rode up 6th avenue, through Hillcrest via University, and back down on Park Blvd.

We spent the rest of the evening treated to music and food as we listened to a great presentation by Andy. He reviewed the highlights and milestones from 2015, and handed out the 2015 Golden Gear Awards - those who have gone above and beyond in the name of bicycling.

Thank you so much for everyone who was able to attend and ride with us! We appreciate your support! 

Meet FloraVelo!

Hi!

We’re FloraVelo, a growing family business in San Diego designing great new cyclewear for women.  

Trish and Pam of FloraVelo at a triathlon expo
in Palm Springs

We started our company a few years ago after taking up cycling and being totally frustrated by the lack of cute, comfortable cycle clothing options in the market.  It seemed like most women’s jerseys fit like poorly re-sized men’s jerseys; uncomfortable and unflattering.  We thought it was time for a change; time to make room for a new type of cyclewear - designed by women, for women.  We wanted to create fun, comfortable, functional cyclewear for everyone – from cycling beginners to casual riders to advanced, seasoned veterans.

Once we got started, we spent almost a year creating our jersey design.  

"We spent time finding just the right performance fabrics, working with graphic artists to develop the fun, unique prints, and designing the pattern to achieve a great fit for almost any figure."  

Finally we road tested, made some adjustments, and began production – all here in the US.  We’ve been selling our jerseys online (www.floravelo.com) and at cycling events for about 2 years now, and we’ve been amazed at the wonderful response we’ve received.  Our jerseys are also available in a few retail locations, including CycleQuest here in San Diego.  In addition, we recently began offering custom jerseys for cycling tours and riding groups.

        FloraVelo jerseys have several unique features, but the most popular is our combination cell phone pocket and  “hidden” key/ID pocket.  Those two pockets, along with our two large back pockets, allow you to take just about everything with you when you ride.  And our jerseys are not just for riding…  you’ll also see them out running, hiking, kayaking, playing tennis, traveling – this is not your typical cycling jersey!

We got involved with the Bicycle Coalition in our first year in business – and we love working with them.  We’re so proud to help sponsor such a great group of committed cyclists working for such important changes! 

Head over to FloraVelo's website to see the latest and greatest from this awesome, local company! 

Carlsbad Taco Tuesday Social Ride October

Taco Tuesday Social Ride in Carlsbad! We hope to see more at our next one, November 24th.
We meet at Frazee Beach at 6PM to do a 3-4 mile social ride then get tacos! The monthly taco Tuesday ride will repeat every last Tuesday of the month and visit different Mexican restaurants in the Village.

This month was the Halloween edition, with costumes! The Nite Rider lights provided ample visiblity for the person riding the bike and people driving cars.  Thanks to North County Family Bicycles for the continuing support.

Walk + Bike is a partnership led by the City of Carlsbad, Circulate San Diego and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to promote walking and biking around Carlsbad, with a special focus on the downtown Village and surrounding areas. The 12-month campaign is funded by a grant from the San Diego Association of Governments and includes events, outreach to schools, business promotions and other activities to get more people walking and biking instead of driving on short trips around town. For more information, visit www.carlsbadca.gov/walkbike. 

Carlsbad WalkBike Adventure Run

Walk + Bike is a partnership led by the City of Carlsbad, Circulate San Diego and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to promote walking and biking around Carlsbad, with a special focus on the downtown Village and surrounding areas. The 12-month campaign is funded by a grant from the San Diego Association of Governments and includes events, outreach to schools, business promotions and other activities to get more people walking and biking instead of driving on short trips around town. For more information, visit www.carlsbadca.gov/walkbike. 

Member Spotlight: Fred Beasley

Meet Fred Beasley! 

Area of San Diego You Reside: UTC

1. We hear you like biking to breweries! Tell us more.

San Diego County has 115 operational brewhouses and I love beer!  I moved to UTC four years ago when the scene was starting to get really big in nearby Miramar, and I thought it was just awesome that I could check out industry icons like Alesmith and Green Flash right at the source and just a few minutes ride away.  Now I'm trying to add all the county's breweries to my visited list, but they open so fast I'm always about 10 shy!  Checking out a new location for a flight is a perfect excuse to take a 10 or 20 or 50 mile ride.  I've biked as far as Oceanside, Poway, and Barrio Logan for a taste!  I'm also a huge fan of events like Bikes and Beers and the Tour de Fat, I just love how this city celebrates my passions the way I do. 

2. Mountain or road?

I never ride anything other than a mountain bike even though these days about 99% of the riding I do is on roads.  I like the freedom it gives me to take spontaneous short cuts or scenic detours off the asphalt (I love the Sewer Trail bypass of Torrey Pines!), and I definitely appreciate the extra defensive maneuverability I get in hairy traffic situations.  Plus, all that extra weight turns my daily commute into a nice little workout...

3. What is your favorite or most useful bicycle accessory?

Haha, I'm a brutally minimalistic kind of personality and I'm notorious for rejecting accessories!  But I will admit, I've been using a gel saddle seat cover for about ten years now and I don't think I'll ever be able to get my pampered butt off it again.

All About Folding Bikes! Meet TERN Bicycles

We asked TERN Folding Bikes three simple questions...

1. How do you best describe a TERN bike?
   
2. Who is best suited for a folding bike? What kinds of rides around San Diego can you cover with a folding bike?
3. How has TERN been involved with the San Diego Community? 

To begin, let's meet the faces of TERN Bicycles - Elayne & Steve!

Elayne: Local Agent

Many of you have met Elayne Fowler at all types of bicycle events around San Diego, as she has long supported the SDCBC through her work in the bicycle industry and her consulting firm, Phinelli Group. Elayne is Tern's local agent in San Diego working on bicycle integration and partnership programs with corporations and organizations both locally and nationally.  

Steve: Co-Founder, TERN Bicycle Company, U.S. Distributor, & BioLogic accessories 

Steve's commitment to the bicycle industry began by working for a bicycle shop straight out of college as he pondered what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Loving bikes and after racing in all types of categories from BMX, downhill, and triathlon, Steve moved into management and held a senior sale position at Giant bicycles helping grow that company into a leading bicycle brand. He later helped launch TERN Bicycles, the only bicycle brand to launch worldwide at inception, rolling out in 28 countries simultaneously. Today, through a collaborative international development process, the company is bringing exciting product innovation to market. Beyond winning many product design awards for their bicycles, the team has been acknowledged to have invented many exciting bicycle accessories including the phone mount category, the first phone recharge kit that works off a wheel hub, an integrated seat post pump, added a multi-use tool into t he handlebar grip, and much more. 

1. SDCBC: Okay, let's dive right in! How do you best describe a TERN Bike?
Steve: It's pretty simple. It's all about the ride. Once you've tried them you'll know what I mean and we have several product patents that help deliver that point of difference. Getting the ride right includes having many gearing feature configuration options with high quality components to match your needs and price points. Then it’s about the looks.  We set out to make a great riding bike that looks great, and folds. We don’t think you have to sacrifice anything to have a great bicycle that you can take everywhere.

http://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/technology

Elayne: I summarize it by saying, Tern bicycles provide a general transportation, commuter, and fitness cycling solution that folds down into a lightweight, compact, easy-to-carry package fitting easily into office, mass transit, car, boat, RV, home storage or in a suitcase on a plane.  And they look fantastic! This is the one I ride most often when enjoying quick fitness rides up and down the north county coastline.

Elayne's favorite ride!

2. SDCBC: Who is best suited for a folding bike? What kinds of rides around San Diego can you cover with a folding bike? 

Sport fitness riders will like the Tern models with high-end road components such as SRAM XO, FSA carbon cranksets and Kinetix Pro wheels. 

Commuters will like the internal hub, fenders, racks, adjustable stems and integrated light system models.

Touring, day-trippers, farmer’s market faithfuls and families will love the new Tern Cargo Node model. In fact, Steve was instrumental in developing this new offering after many years of pedaling his kids to school on a Tern Cargo prototype bike.

Steve pedaling his kids to school!

All around town, general transit riders have an abundance of choices to fit their particular needs.

Commuting made easy.

Really anyone that can ride a bike can ride a Tern. In fact, sometimes it’s easier to learn how to ride a bike on a Tern because you can lower the saddle and easily touch the ground when learning, and stopping and starting.

Tern bikes adjust to fit most-sized riders. Tern bicycles also offer a wide variety of wheel and tire options to suit most all terrain.

3.  SDCBC: How has TERN been involved with the San Diego Community?

In addition to being a multi-year corporate sponsor of SDCBC, some of Tern’s partnership efforts that Elayne has spearheaded in San Diego have included:

Elayne (left), Steve (right)

City of San Diego:

The City of San Diego’s Bike Program, in the Transportation and Storm Water Department, added a fleet of Tern Link P7i Bicycles to help with the implementation of bike facilities identified in the City’s new Bicycle Master Plan. The staff will use the bikes to get into the environment at street level to assess and document facility conditions, which is a key requirement as they design new and improve existing facilities. The bikes give staff the proper perspective on road conditions, street structure, space allocation, placement of signs, and cross visibility that was not as easy to achieve in a car or walking, and to access areas that cars are not allowed.

Car2Go:

Tern bicycles have been used by the logistics team at Car2Go to strategically move cars around the city during the high-use period during Comic Con; the largest convention of the year in San Diego. In addition, Car2Go brand ambassadors pedaled Tern bicycles around the city to promote the Car2Go eco-friendly system. Tern bicycles easily fit in the back of the compact Car2Go vehicles.

SDCBC:

Tern also provides bicycles for the SDCBC staff to use for any and all trips around town and events.

 



4. SDCBC: Awesome! Anything else you'd like to share about TERN?
Tern has three local San Diego dealers to test ride and learn more, visit ternbicycles.com, or contact elayne@phinelli.com to discuss partnership programs.

	Store	Address
1	Metro Cyclery	1211 Morena Blvd. San Diego, 92110 United States			Driving Directions
2	Black Mountain Bicycles	9860 Hibert St., C1 San Diego, 92131 United States			Driving Directions
3	North County Family Bicycles	300 Carlsbad Village Drive, Suite 300SB Carlsbad, 92008 United States			Driving Directions

Tern offers a full line of accessories with a universal fit, making them suitable for other bicycle brands as well.

 



TERN loves San Diego!! 

Request for Coronado City Council to Reconsider Bike Lanes

September 28, 2015

Mayor Casey Tanaka

Councilmember Bill Sandke

Councilmember Mike Woiwode

Councilmember Carrie Downey

Councilmember Richard Bailey

Dear Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers:

The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is writing in response to the action taken by the Council at its September 15, 2015 meeting and your decision to suspend further bicycle safety markings that were previously approved. As advocates for bicycle safety throughout the San Diego Region, we are very concerned about the impact that this decision may have on not only the residents of Coronado but the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to the city and ride their bikes there; whether for transportation or recreational purposes.

Coronado is a beautiful city that offers a very enjoyable riding experience for everyone. On any given day, one can witness dozens of families riding along many of the wide, comfortable bike lanes and paths that have been in place or were recently implemented as part of the Coronado Bicycle Master Plan. A plan that seeks to increase ridership and reduce the negative environmental and traffic impacts of automobiles. The plan will also increase opportunities for active, healthy living in the city and perhaps most importantly improve the overall quality of life for residents and visitors.  We believe this is a good plan and we applauded the city for recently taking action to implement the elements of the plan.

So why stop now based on the concerns of a few who seemed to be more concerned with the visual look of bike lanes rather than the actual safety that they provide?  It’s unimaginable to think that the city would take steps to decrease the safety of its citizens based on this recent action largely due to the comments that were presented related to the aesthetics of the safety markings. 

The City of Coronado recently applied for and received funding for a Safe Routes to School outreach and education campaign that we are very pleased to be partnering with you on. Through this effort, we should be able to teach bicycle safety to thousands of elementary and middle school children in Coronado. Ironically, it is estimated that some 60-70% of school kids are already biking to school. An incredible number that the city should take pride in; yet this recent decision could compromise any further efforts to improve safety for those riding to school.

We are asking you to please reconsider your actions of the September 15^th meeting and continue your previous efforts that were making Coronado a safer, more accessible and bicycle-friendly community which is deserving of its Silver designation of the League of American Bicyclists. This recent action could not only damage Coronado’s impression for attracting bicyclists but other cities across the region. We strive to make San Diego County one of the safest and best places for anyone to bicycle and we ask you to join us in helping us achieve that vision. We welcome the opportunity to work together with you and hope that you understand the value and importance for the safety of all who live, work and play in Coronado.

Respectfully,

Andy Hanshaw

Executive Director

San Diego County Bicycle Coalition

Carlsbad Taco Tuesday Social Ride September

Taco Tuesday Social Ride in Carlsbad! We hope to see more at our next one, October 27th.
We meet at Frazee Beach at 6PM to do a 3-4 mile social ride then get tacos! The monthly taco Tuesday ride will repeat every last Tuesday of the month and visit different Mexican restaurants in the Village

 

New Bike clubhouse- Barn Find Kustoms. 

With North County Family Bicycles, they will keep organizing the Carlsbad Taco Tuesday Social Rides.

 

(Tandem rider not on the phone, but covering ear as train goes by)

Walk + Bike is a partnership led by the City of Carlsbad, Circulate San Diego and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to promote walking and biking around Carlsbad, with a special focus on the downtown Village and surrounding areas. The 12-month campaign is funded by a grant from the San Diego Association of Governments and includes events, outreach to schools, business promotions and other activities to get more people walking and biking instead of driving on short trips around town. For more information, visit www.carlsbadca.gov/walkbike.