Bikettiquette

I have been moved recently by the evil Bike Injunction being partially lifted. I was cruising up The Wiggle on my way home and I saw that the bikes in the road had squiggly arrows painted before them. Then up on Scott I saw a bike with blue bike lights all over it. I had a feeling something big was about to happen. At the light of Oak and Scott there was another bike with blue lights on it, and a sound system, along with the Bicycle Coalition Welcoming Committee. They were there in a pack of four or five just to tell passing bikers to enjoy their new left turning lane and green bike box, like Portland has (minus the big bike stencil that our city is lacking). I pulled over and saw a fellow bike polo player who was part of the jam. I hugged him a little too close because it was a huge celebration. A big win in safe cycling in the city. I started to cry as I heard the team announcing the new bike lane to fellow wigglers and them proclaiming extreme happiness. I admitted my burgeoning tears and Patricia and Marc admitted theirs earlier. What a good experience! I rode my bike the whole way home with an Obama-esque smile on my face.

Riding around the city I have been feeling a few things I need to get off my chest. Call them Bikettiquette or my own pet ppeves, but just hear me out.

1: Stop Signs
Dearest Cars, you cannot get mad at us bikers for running stop signs if you always let us go for it. I always yield at a stop sign, and if someone has the right of way, then I let them go. But if you just EXPECT us to run the stop sign, by you pausing, you are giving us the right of way. Which, I am thankful for because it takes much more personal energy to stop and go on a bike as opposed to pushing your foot on a small pedal. I think it is very courteous of you to give me the right of way. I just wish we could put it into law so we can all know what to do at the intersection in question.

2: Signaling
This is not just for dorky commuters. While I don't see the need for signaling a stop unless I know some motha effer isn't paying attention, I see the true slick awesomeness that these alert signals have on my ride. Bikers: if you cant hear my chain coasting and you don't know I am behind you, take out your ipod because it's CODE BLACK:ninja time. Your life depends on it. But my life depends on your awareness. I am behind you and you are slow, but you are also turning right when I can pass you. If I know where you are going, I won't make you wish you wore a helmet.
Sometimes I signal if no one is there. It's good exercise. It's a dance. It's sexy.

3: Exiting your car
What the fuck. Seriously. Have you ever thought to look out the window? This is a city. Not the country. There are crackheads and tourists and, yes, bikers that have to survive in a treacherous 3 foot margin in between one ton metallic moving things. How in the hell can you be mad at a biker that you hit with your car door? Why is your first reaction to be angry at us? You didn't sustain the injuries for which we don't have insurance.
BIKERS: Why the hell do you think it's okay, in the heat of adrenaline before any of the aches and pains have set in, to NOT get the insurance information of the driver at fault? Listen, I know you are alive and you are thankful for that, but what about the chiropractic adjustments you need to get back to normal instead of sucking it up and having over 50 suck? What about a new bike because yours was cracked and is no longer safe? Seriously, you need to snap out of it and get out your show flier and tagging marker and at least get their license plate as they casually drive off.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR DOORING! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!

4. Ego
Dear Bikers: PLEASE be thankful when a car stops opening their door when they see you.
Please be thankful for when a car lets you have the right of way at a stop sign.
Please be thankful for the car that goes into the other lane to pass you.
Remind yourself of all the good drivers and try to pay it forward.

Again, I may even break these rules from time to time, but I think we need to be on the same page and get a better groove going. We can coexist. It may be better with separate but equal streets. Why must you hold on so tight to streets when we could keep your car drives less stressful for you if we were free to swerve so slightly (that slightly that drives you insane) in our own boulevard?
It would be better if we didn't have to breathe in all the exhaust of the cars, ma

SF BIKE EXPO sat. 21st 4:30

Derailleurs
Bike Fashion Stage
SF Bike Expo
Cow Palace
4:30pm

Be there.

Trackstand competition
Bike Fashion Show

Cycle Japanese newspaper article on Derailleurs

Summer 2009

Thanks May Z for the great meeting of the minds!

The Age of Bike Dance

Wielding BMX bikes, a unicycle, a trike, colorful wheel parasols, and whips made from inner tubes, The Derailleurs take the stage to perform “dance on, with, and about bicycles.” Their moves include lifting girls mounted on bicycles, twirling wheel parasols in unison, BMX tricks, gliding across the stage on flaming bicycles, and mostly just moving to the music. The image put forth is a quirky mixture of fly girls meets a group of teenagers on stage at a middle school talent show.

They perform choreographed moves in unison, but their real essence lies in the varied dance styles that each girl brings to the group. Agent Double00* explains “everyone adds their own flavor to the group since we all come from different backgrounds. And everyone has their own bike trick that they like to do.” For example, Agent Double00's special trick is called “The Get Down, Get Up” which involves bringing the BMX to a stop, dropping the handles down, and pulling them back up again. Among their ranks lies a ballet dancer, a breakdancer/double-dutch aficionado, a sexy vixen, a unicyclist, and a bicycle acrobat, not to mention the fire dancers. With all these forces combined, they form the Derailleurs, the all female bike dance troupe hailing from the Bay Area around San Francisco.

This motley crew of girls appear on stage in their own unique individualized costumes, matching in color only. Like street gangs, most bike dance teams have their own colors; the Derailleurs have claimed turquoise and black. In their mismatched outfits the group takes on a misfit style eschewing the nature of the group. They really are just a random group of women with lots of sass, bubbling with enthusiasm, a love for bikes and a drive to dance, who have come together in this new form of bicycle enjoyment.

And they are one of a larger community of bike dance groups that span across international cities, from the B:C:Clettes in Vancouver, Canada to The Spokes from Manchester, UK. Of course it all started with the Sprockettes from Portland, Oregon in 2004 and it just keeps growing. Agent Chaos exclaimed at the end of our interview, “Japan is a good place to have a bike dance team start up” and she, like the other girls are excited to meet a new dance team from this side of the world.

*Bicycle dance team members generally adopt Agent names, like spies.

National Geographic write-up on Portland Bike Culture

http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/feature/portland-text

OMG!!!!! and then there were 12.....

I would like to announce the newest members of the Bicycle Dance Revolution:

Gacharinco! - Bicycle Dance Team Nagoya

check it out!!!!!
http://www.candycranks.com/archives/3924/comment-page-1#comment-590

Old article on Zoobomb

I found this article from six years ago. It's a succint depiction of the Zoobomb Phenomenon while it was happenening.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GenesBMX/message/5045

Pics I found while sick

Reporting the Spreading of Rad America to Raonoke:

I like to keep you updated when a new chapter of Bike Love opens up in the world. The following correspondence was sent to me from Rev. Phil, Bike Pornographer, in Oregon. He will be making his way through the cuntry on a bikesmut tour. (bikesmut.com)

"On another note, some exciting things have happened in Roanoke since I
came back from Oregon. 1)Ciclovia has been adopted as a Parks and
Recreation program, so it would be insured by the City (yeahh), I
will continue to be the organizer and mostly in charge of fund
raising. 2) Roanoke has established an official StarBomb ride
(inspired by ZooBomb , it got pick up after the Movie Veer was
showcased here few weeks ago). We also have a zoo on top of Mill
Mountain which also has a Neon Star, so instead of calling it ZooBomb
they’re calling it StarBomb . I don't personally have the fear to
do it, but the crowd was huge and they had a blast. Check out the
facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138944124685.


Andrea Garland, MS CE
Planning Technician
Roanoke Valley-Allegheny Regional Commission"

More Tweed:

SF Weekly did a photolog of the event:

http://www.sfweekly.com/slideshow/view/28488758/



More Tweed photos from Seagravy!:









http://www.flickr.com/photos/32260602@N06/sets/72157622276270811/with/3929788037/

Tubular Tweed Ride!

It ruled.
People look really good in tweed.
Any the participants were great at doing what we wanted. With smiles.
I couldn't stop smiling.
Mustaches always make for a good time.


Here are some photos I found today: (thanks flickr.com)


Gary Fisher starting the game with the mallet throw:


In action:
"

The Crowd celebrating the goal:


thanks Russel Daniels
http://www.flickr.com/photos/redhorses/

Sigh.

Back from a great week in Nevada. Right back into working it. Run Run.
My wifey in a coma went to Tennessee on saturday.
I missed her departure.
We have been filming short films with the Derailleurs, so I have been starting to think "in movie".
I wanted to have one long shot of Hollis' journey from the room to the airport transport.
I wanted to get everyone who loves her to line the hallway, the elevator, and the exit.
I wanted them to be smiling, standing tall, and maybe whisper-chanting an uplifting phrase.
The night before I left for Burningman, I slept the night in the hospital with her.
I wish I could imagine it very intently, right next to her, and somehow transfer the image into her mind in the form of a memory.


http://www.wsmv.com/video/20831362/index.html

Political Piece on Bike Lane FAIL:




Git ya Shakin' It!
Bicycle Samba:




Dude plays music on a bike pump:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r3BNoBD7J0

Polo is my favorite spectator sport.

Made by Janel Sterbentz

Haha.

I have officially been called out as WRONG on the bicycle dancing front.
My "Modern History of Bicycle Dancing" doesn't include , at all, trick bikes and track standers.
While I believe these to be future Olympic Sports, my goal for focusing on the "street style" dancing is because it is a newer phenomenon.
I focus on this sector because it sprung not from years of gymnastics, but from the zeal to express the love for the bicycle. The videos listed below are what I have drawn inspiration. They do not neccessarily prove me wrong, just one sided.

I digitally DARE someone to come up with a trick-bike-gymnastics-inspired bike dancing history.
I would love to see it.

Here is what was written on Craigslist in Washington DC:
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/bik/1341330578.html

Bike dancing is the traditional name for “trick riding” on fixed gear bicycles. It isn’t new, it isn’t from Portland and these German Ballerinas can do it far better then those kids from the Sprokettes.



http://www.shredordie.com/videos/051328113e/crazy-german-bike-dancing

This blogger is totally wrong…
http://agentchaosproductions.blogspot.com/2008/06/modern-history-of-bike-dance-team.html

As is NPR…http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5613188

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX9phXawPc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48C_KHwt53c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okPoeUiGwIE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csFXnIpDTrE&feature=fvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZjd9pBmLoU

Midnight Ridazz encouraging the Scraper Movement!

It constantly baffles me that more folks aren't scrapering their wheels.
With this new fast technology, things spread far a wide so quickly.
That is why I am stoked to run into the LA crew keeping it creative.

Check out this post:
http://midnightridazz.com/viewStory.php?storyId=3436

SF Tweed Ride and Bike Polo

Save the Date:
September 16th 6:30pm
Dolores Park Tennis Courts

Dear Friends and all the hirsute able,
The Derailleurs are teaming up with SF Tweed Ride and SF Hardtop Bike Polo for a special night of movies and your chance to be in one.

What:
Derailleurs will be filming a scene from our upcoming movie.
The scene is supposed to be back in time, so bring your cruisers and derby caps.
MUSTACHES ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.
Our performance is fairly short. We might perform it twice or thrice for all the detailed delight.
Then off to the movies with the dapper riders.

Our movie has the intention to give a shout out to local bicycle badassery.
That means we want you to come out in full, handlebar mustache effect.
Find those suspenders, bloomers, and blouses.
You will be a VIP at the screening!

For more background info:
http://sftweed.com/

See you there!

ps: If anyone has lightning we could use, send and email to bayareabikedance@gmail.com

fire on youtube

DP to FUNLAND!

Dead Baby Downhill is AWESOME!

First Friday of August every year.

Check out this video from a couple years ago:

Bombshells at SWIG last Thursday

DP to Funland! Be in our movie!

You are highly encouraged to join the SF chapter of The Midnight Ridazz, Cyclecide, and The Bay Area Derailleurs for an adventurous group ride. There will be bicycle competitions, fire, and d.i.y. mini golf.

JULY 25th
Meet:
9:00 pm at Dolores Park
10:00pm we ride

Chicken Fight Drag Racing
Foot Down
Jousting
Fire!

This collaboration has been spawned by The Derailleurs recent movie production. We will be filming scenes for our upcoming release, slated for viewing in October. We want to give a big shout out to bicycle culture in San Francisco, so you are encouraged to represent your local flavors.
Did we mention there will be prizes for the winners of the competitions?
The ending point is a rent party at FUNLAND, Cyclecide's recent mini-putt putt endeavor on Bayshore Ave. and it totally lives up to it's name.

Mayhem, Blood, and Glory!
See you there.
$5-10 s.s. benefit for Funland

This is so CUTE!

New Stuff in the Bike Dance World:

THE SPROCKETTES(Portland):




THE BICYCLE BELLES(Seattle):

World's Greatest Joust

This is what happens in Virginia.



Cutthroats Bike Club is what's up!

Camp Tipsy: July 25- Aug 2

From Chicken John explaining Camp Tipsy
I am looking for team mates.

http://chickenjohn.wordpress.com/



"So you may have heard me or someone else talking about Camp Tipsy, and may want to know more about it or want to be invited. OK. Your now officially invited. It’s really fun. Funny. Stupid. It’s about embracing your commitment to leisure, while thumbing your nose at the leisure class. It’s a boat building contest. It’s a camping trip. It’s a fundraiser. And it’s really the best event I have ever thrown. It’s a little over 100 miles north of SF, in a little reservoir near the town of Ladoga. You come, and camp out. Car camping. You can bring a boat. Or not. We bring like 20. Row boats, canoes, paddle boats. Inflatables. We will likely build a small dock this year. There is a huge lake. You camp right by it. It’s gonna be super hot. The water is great to swim in. We have a common kitchen you can use with burners and grills and all that. We have enough tables so that 150 people can eat at once at 1 table.

But the fun part is the boat building contest. Did you know that you can build a “boat”? You can. There is a contest. You can win. How can you win a boat building contest if you have never built a boat before? Simple: the top prize is for the worst implementation of the worst design. So if you have ever felt like these fancy pants over-achiever types have been dominating the landscape in our community doing the alpha male one-upmanship crap… this is your chance to make ‘em all look like they’re trying too hard.

Lemme ‘splain… you can, and should, build a boat. Once in your life. How? Well it’s easier then you could possibly imagine. A truck inner tube is a boat. Sure it is. You won’t win the contest, but I’m just sayin’… you can do what Spy did last year and blow up some balloons and put them in milkcrates and flip ‘em upside down and paddle away with a broom. And it totally worked. Ms. Reecy inflated garbage bags with an air compressor and put a piece of plywood on ‘em. That didn’t work out as well, but it was funny and quite regal when she went down with her ship. Styrofoam offers like 25 lbs of ‘lift’ per 1 foot square. You can glue milk cartons closed and put them under traffic control signs and paddle away with flip flops. Old coolers. A dumpster. Wood has been disappointing in my career as an art guy: it’s doesn’t burn or float as much as you want it to… but it doesn’t sink. So with a little help it’s a good building device. But you can totally do it. People will be there to h elp, if you wanna come a few days early and put the finishing touches on. We bring a proper shop out there.



And we have a bunch of boats… you can borrow ‘em. We built a huge barge that we yuck around in as well. It’s a bar, made of drift wood. We’ve got giant clams. A bunch of paddleboats. And of course the hot tub boat. It’s an effort, but it’s worth it. If you never get to simply muck about with boats, you’ll love it. The lake is huge, but not so much that if the wind strands you on the wrong side you couldn’t walk back in an hour or 2. You can easily swim across it. Kids love it there. There are other boaters and campers, but they stay away from us. There are far less of them there on the weekdays.

I’ve been building propulsion systems for HUGE junk boat trips every summer. Camp Tipsy is the fundraiser for the junk boat project in the Adriatic Sea in Europe summer 2010. But don’t be confused: Camp Tipsy is a donation based event. The camping is free. You are under no obligation to pay. But if you’d like to see us continue to do boat stuff, you’ll be SUPER generous. If you come to Camp Tipsy for a few days and enjoy all boats and the entertainment and the food and stuff, you should kick in like $100 or more if you’ve got it. Or pay nothing, and use all the resources and you’ll have something to complain aobut in the future when I can’t do these things anymore because I don’t have the financial support. But in any case, there is nothing enforced. You can do whatever you want and no one will ever know. Last year 50 people paid for Camp Tipsy that didn’t even show up. So there ya go. The junk boat project this year cost $200,000. That’s what it takes to make mind-blowing in ternational cultural exchanges between artists. ALL art exchange programs were eliminated under the Bush administration after 9/11 when they made it impossible for people to come to the USA under an exchange visa not affiliated with an accredited educational institution. So, for example, when we tried to bring Thai puppeteers to Burning Man 4 years ago we failed. Spent thousands and still failed. Hundreds of hours and phone calls and 2 trips to the Thai embassy in Bangkok IN PERSON. Just for your 411. Art for all purposes indeed.

We go up to the campgrounds on the 23rd. The event is both weekends, July 25th and 26th, and August 1st and 2nd, and the week in between as well. The contest is on Auguest 1st at 4:00 in the afternoon. Thanks for reading, chicken."