Saturday, December 18, 2010

Lights ~**~ Luces

It is fun to ride in the evening by illuminated streets with Xmas lights! Last year I went to Spain very early in December and pretty much missed seeing all the lights up in my neighborhood. It has been pretty magical to ride with La Relampago after work and see the fun decorations. And, only 4 days to be Guada and eat turron!!!

Me gusta pasar con la bici por calles ilumindadas con luces de navidad, ya que las anteriores navidades, me fui a casa a principios de diciembre y aun no habian puesto aqui las luces. Es un poco magico salir del trabajo y subirme en La Relampago y ver la decoraciones. Ya solo quedan 4 dias para estar en Guada y comer turron!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

New shoes ~**~ Zapatos nuevos


Cycle chic moment of the day: riding to worth this morning with my new cheetah skin penny loafers!

Momento Cycle Chic del dia: De caminito al trabajo con mis mocasines nuevos de charol de piel de pantera!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Pizza & Beer ~**~ Pizza y Cerves

Finally on Sunday I got to go on a longer ride after my ankle incident, I went for almost 10 miles, and although it's not a long distance, the hills and the lack of practice made me feel tired and ready for a treat. And what is better than oven fired pizza and local beer? This pic is from Sunday evening at Full of Life in Los Alamos. I love their oven, their flatbread pizza and the Telegraph beer!

Finalmente, el domingo sali con la bici por 10 millas, un tanto más largo desde mi incidente del tobillo y aunque no es una larga distancia, las colinas y la falta de practica me hizo sentir cansada y lista para un darme un capricho. Y que es mejor que una buena pizza de horno de leña y cerveza artesanal? Esta foto es del domingo en Full of Life en Los Alamos. Y como me gusta su horno, su pizza y las cervezas de Telegraph!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Warm weather ~**~ Buen tiempo

Reading some of the post of bloggers from colder parts of the US and Europe such as Let's Go Ride a Bike, Simply Bike, Cycle Chic from Copenhagen makes me appreciate that I leave in Southern California, and although I love the idea of hats, gloves, scarfts and coats when I experience the cold I can't handle it very well. I'm preparing myself for Guada's cold winter as I'll be going home in one week but meanwhile, I'm enjoying the sun and I loved the warm weather we are getting in Santa Barbara. And although the leaves are down, over the weekend we had over 70F weather.



Leer los blogs de bicis de otras partes mas frias de Estados Unidos y de Europa como Let's Go Ride a Bike, Simply Bike, and Cycle Chic de Copenhange me hace apreciar el vivir en el sur de California. Y aunque me encantas los gorros, guantes, bufandas y abrigos, la verdad es que el frio me pone de mal humor. Ya me estoy empezando a preparar para el frio de Guada ya que me voy a casa en una semana a pasar las fiestas, pero mientras tanto a disfrutar del buen tiempo que hemos tenido en Santa Barbara estos ultimos dias, las hojas se han caido pero durante el finde las temperaturas eran de mas de 21 grados centigrados.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Folding Bikes ~**~ Bici Plegables

It seems that folding bikes are getting very popular around SB. This pretty white one was parked in front of the my fave coffee shop and the right across the street at the same moment there was this lady on her red one. I see the appeal and would like to own one!

Parece que las bicis plegables se se estan poniendo de moda en SB. Esta blanca estaba estacionada en frente de mi cafeteria favorita y al otro lado de la calle al mismo tiempo había una señora con una roja. Veo como son de practicas y no me importaria para nada tener una.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Pola Bear ~**~ Oso Polar


In my way to work I see this cool polar bear family everyday! The shop is a "member only barbershop," and you can get a hair cut and smoke a cigar....not sure I approve of the exclusiveness but I love their decorations....

En el camino al trabajo veo a esta familia de osos polares cada dia! El negocio es una barberia para limitada a miembros exclusivos donde te puedes cortar el pelo y fumar un puro. No me parece bien su sistema exclusivo pero me encantas sus adornos de Navidad....

And this is one of the the fancy window displays of The Bici shop State Street. They do such a nice job, the Halloween display was truly artistic!

Y este es uno de los escaparates de la tienda The Bici en la calle State, y es que ellos hacen un trabajo excelente con sus decoraciones, las de Halloween eran realmente artisticas.

And our Xmas tree!
Y nuestro arbol de Navidad!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Just pedal ~**~ Dale al pedal

After quite many days off the bike due to injury, I finally rode La Relampago today. I was so excited this morning that I couldn't stop smiling! Riding back home in the evening was great, although my ankle was a little swollen and tender...but I didn't care, seeing all the Xmas lights up from the bikelane was really lovely. I'm bringing the camara and will post some pics tomorrow and for now enjoy this beautiful sunset!

Despues de no montar en bici por muchos dias, hoy por fin sali con La Relampago y estaba tan contenta que no podia parar de sonreir en todo el camino al trabajo. De regreso a casa en la tarde desde el carril de bicis la ciudad estaba preciosa con todas las luces de Navidad, aunque al llegar a casa me dolia un poco el tobillo y lo tenia hinchado... ah, que le vamos a hacer!....Sin falta pongo fotos mañana y por el momento disfrutaz de esta hermosa puesta de sol!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Coffee ~**~ Cafe

Before I messed up my ankle, I visited the SB Natural History Museum as they have an special exhibition about coffee and found it to be really informative and nicely done!

Oh, and Blue Whale skeleton restoration it done and is really cool!



Visite el museo de historia natural como tienen una muestra especial sobre la historia del cafe, me gusto mucho!

Ah, y ya han terminado la restauracion del esqueleto de la ballena azul, ha quedado chulisimo!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December Bike Moves ~**~ Bicis en Movimiento de Diciembre


Won't be able to join Bike Moves tomorrow, really bummed! but if you are around, join the fun!
Theme is awesome: Bikemare before Christmas.

Realmente estoy "j@#$%da" por no poder salir con Bike Moves este jueves pero si andas por aqui, unete al grupo, es super divertido.
El tema del disfraz es estupendo: Bikemare before Christmas basado en la peli the Tim Burton!

TCS Music ~**~Musica de los TCS



And since I can't still ride, I have been watching others do it with style. Check out Scottish Frank, lead singer from the TCS, riding around San Diego on this beautiful orange Schwinn. I love this band!

Y como no puedo montar, me paso el rato mirando a otros que lo hacen con estilo. Fijate en Frank, el cantante escoces del grupo TCS, montando en una Schwinn naranja por San Diego. Me encanta este grupo!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Turkey weekend ~**~ Finde de accion de gracias

Had a nice Thanksgiving weekend in San Diego, although for Southern California it was chilly!
Enjoyed all the vegetarian side dishes (pass on the big bird as I'm vegetarian) and had lots of fun playing outdoors.

Went for a hike in Cuyamaca, a sunset stroll in the OB pier and enjoyed some yummy pizza in Filippis after a walk in the farmer's market in Little Italy!

Everything was great until yesterday Sunday in our drive up to Santa Barbara we decided to stop for a coffee break and rolled my ankle to the point that I had to see a doctor as it was so swollen this morning and couldn't walk. Nothing is broken but I have to rest and stay off the bike for a while. I'm so so f&*$*# upset.



Un buen fin de semana de Acción de Gracias en San Diego, aunque para el sur de California hacía frío! Disfrute mucho de los platos tipicos vegetarionos de estas fechas ya que al ser vegetariana no como pavo. Salímos a dar una caminata en Cuyamaca, un paseo al atardecer por el muelle de OB y una pizza deliciosa en Filippis despues de deambular por el mercadillo de los granjeros en el barrio italiano!

Todo estaba muy bien hasta que ayer domingo de regreso a Santa Bárbara decidimos parar para tomar un café y me doble el tobillo hasta el punto que tuve que ver a un médico, ya que estaba super hinchado esta mañana no podia andar. No hay nada roto, pero tengo que hacer reposo y no voy a poder montar en bici por un rato y esto me j%$#@ intensamente.


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Rain ~**~ Lluvia

Fun happy hour on Friday with friends but rain lots riding back home. Never before I had ridden in such a heavy rain but it wasn't actually so bad. I'm glad I have brand new brakes and rims...leather gloves were also helpful. It took a little longer to make it home but the ride was peaceful and almost "magical"....warm clothes and a little Jameson was all I needed once I got home.

Divertida Hola Feliz el viernes con amig@s pero de regreso a casa llovia a mares y nunca antes habia montado en bici con tanta lluvia, pero la verdad es que no fue tan mal como pensaba. Fue un alivio tener frenos y ruedas de aluminio nuevas, ademas de guantes de cuero. Me tarde un poco mas que de costumbre en llegar, pero fue super tranquilo, casi "magico" y cuando por fin llegue a casa ropa seca y un chupito de Jameson fue todo lo que necesite.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Owls ~**~ Búhos

Last weekend I got to go an open house of a raptor sanctuary in Ojai and got to see lots of wonderful birds that are in the process of being rehabilitated. My favorite ones the owls; they are so cool looking!
Este pasado fin de semana fui un la apertura de un santuario de aves rapaces en Ojai y pude ver una gran cantidad de aves maravillosas que están en proceso de ser rehabilitadas. Mis favoritas los búhos, y es que son tan chulos!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

100 posts ~**~ 100 artículos

And this is post number 100 so to celebrate it I'll do a review of my bikes and what they mean to me. I know it sounds cheesy, but I love them and they each of them at a particular time have brought so much joy to my life. I can't longer imagine not riding a bike and do appreciate so much being part of my local bike and the bikey bloggy communities.

Y este es el post número 100 y para celebrarlo voy a hacer una revisión de mis bicis y de lo que significan para mí
. Sé que suena cursi, pero me encantan y que cada una de ellas en un momento determinado ha traído mucha alegría a mi vida. Yo ya no puedo imaginar el no andar en bicicleta y ahora aprecio que es una gran parte de vida y me connecta con la comunidad ciclista local y con la biciblogesfera del mundo mundial!


My first love: La Buenva Fortuna, a Schwinn Fair Lady from 1971. When I got this bike I basically did not know how to ride and was going through some rough times in my life. This bike gave me confidence and helped me to realize that I could basically do anything I put my mind to it.

Mi primer amor: La Buenva Fortuna, una Schwinn Fair Lady de 1971. Cuando compré esta bici básicamente no sabía cómo montar y estaba pasando por momentos difíciles en mi vida. Esta bici me di
ó confianza en mi misma y me ayudó a darme cuenta de que podía hacer básicamente cualquier cosa que me propusierá.

Sanity Theraphy: La Pajarita, a Raleigh Space Rider from 1965. I got this bike during the time I was unemployed and rode around everyday. It kept me sane, connected me to some wonderful new friends and cyber-friend and got me started on this blog.

Terapia de cordura: La Pajarita, una Raleigh Space Rider de 1965. Compréesta bici durante el tiempo en el que estaba desempleada y me paseaba todos los días para no volverme loca. Eso me mantuvo cuerda, me conectó con algunos maravillosos amig@s nuevos de mi ciudad y con amig@s cibernétic@s y me inspiró a escribir este blog.

Back to myself: La Relampago a mixte Univega from 1978. This bike means employment to me, riding to work everyday and a sense of myself. This bike has also been a road to learning about restoration and the art of mechanical work on a vintage bike. Oh, I love my faithful lightening bolt!

Volver a mí misma: La Relámpago una mixte Univega de 1978. Esta bici simboliza el empleo y el montar en bici para ir al trabajo cada día, recuperar un sentido de mí misma. Esta bici me ha servido tambien para aprender sobre de la restauración y el arte del trabajo mecánico en una bicicleta antigua. Hay come adoro a la relampago!

Fast times: Bianchi Brava from 2011. Newest member of the family and fast, fast, fast and with her unique personality. We are getting used to each other and enjoying climbing together the nice hills in Santa Barbara. I think we'll be together for a long time.

Rápidos tiempos: Bianchi Brava de 2011. El nuevo miembro de la familia y rápida, rápida, rápida y con una personalidad única. Nos estamos acostumbrando la una a la otra y lo pasamos estupendo escaladando juntas las cuestas de Santa Barbara. Creo que vamos a estar juntas por mucho tiempo.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Back at work ~**~ De nuevo en el trabajo


And La Relampago is back looking fantastic! She spent some time at the Wheelhouse and Thomas did an outstanding job! Here she is parked at work, she even got a new pair of panniers! At lunch today I went for a one hour ride around town and must say that she rides smooth like butter!

Y La Relámpago ya está de vuelta en estado excepcional! Pasó unos dias al cuidado de Thomas, mecanico de Wheelhouse, quien hizo un trabajo excepcional! Aquí está toda radiante aparcada en el trabajo, toda guapa está con su nuevo par de maletas! En la hora del almuerzo en el trabajo hoy la saque para dar una vuelta y estoy completamente satisfecha ya que ahora va suave como la mantequilla !

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Upgrades ~**~ Mejoras

I miss La Relampago so much, she is in the shop getting upgraded, new wheels and tires, brakes, and levers! Can't wait to bring it back home and take it for a ride.

Y cuanto hecho de menos a La relampago, ahora esta en el taller y le estan haciendo unas mejoras, para que ademas de esta guapa vaya mas suave. Le vamos a poner ruedas y llantas nuevas y frenos. Que ganas tengo de que regrese a casa y sacarla a da una vuelta.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Avila Beach ~**~ Playa de Avila

Lovely weekend up in Avila Beach, a small coastal community. Took the Bianchi and rode it around, I'm still getting used to it and scare myself when it goes too fast! There were lots of casual cyclists out, and whole families with the children, the moms & the dads, of course with amazing hills and nice country roads in the area there were lots of folks in full Lycra kit.

Fin de semana estupendo en Avila Beach, un pueblecito costero a una hora y media de Santa Barbara. Me subi la Bianchi para pasear por esta zona y como todavía me estoy acostumbrando a lo rápido que va, de vez en cuando me doy un buen susto. Había un montón de ciclistas y familias enteras con los niños, las mamás y los papás, por supuesto con las colinas tan increíbles que hay por la zona había much@s al estilo lycra!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Mustacheers ~**~Bigotud@s


It was so much fun to go last night to Bike Moves after having missed the last two rides. The weather was great and there were so many folks out and about. It was also very nice to see familiar faces and say hi bike moves friends! I think the theme was fun and simple, which made it super easy for people to participate without lots of preparation.

Fue muy divertido ir anoche al Bike Moves "Bicis en Movimiento" después de no haber podido ir a los últimos dos paseos. La buena temperatura hizo que mucha gente se animará a salir. También fue muy agradable ver caras conocidas y el poder saludar a amig@s del mundillo de las bicis aqui en SB! Pienso que el tema fue muy divertido y sencillo, lo que hizo muy fácil para tod@s el participar sin mucha preparación.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Mustache Ride ~**~ Bicibigotes


If you are in the area tomorrow Thursday November 4th join us for the Bike Moves Mustache Ride.

Si estas en la zona, vente con nosotros en la Bici Bigotes el primer jueves de Noviembre.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween

Happy Halloween! Safe pedaling and trick-or-treating!

Feliz dia de las Brujas! Que lo paseis bien pedaleando!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Girly Death ~**~ Las Muertitas

Last Friday I volunteered with my co-workers at the Santa Barbara Zoo for a non-profits lead trick-or-treat event. The theme was "Day of the Death" and we had a blast distributing over 1,000 children toothbrushes. Riding back home later in the evening I scared quite a few people with my scary make-up! There were many smiles as well as some people realized that I was Frida!

I can't wait for Halloween, it's my very favorite Holiday here in the US! What will be your costume? Will you ride to a party?

El viernes pasado yo y mis compañeras de trabajo fuimos al Zoológico de Santa Bárbara para una fiesta de ONGs para un evento de Halloween. El tema de los disfraces fue del "Día de los Muertos" y nos lo pasamos genial distribuyendo mas de 1.000 cepillos de dientes a los niños. De camino a casa con la bici asuste a bastante gente con mi terrorifico maquillaje! Y tambien hubo quien sonrio al darse cuenta que era la calavera de Frida!

Me encanta Halloween, es mi fiesta favorita aqui en Estados Unidos! ¿Cuál será tu disfraz? ¿Vas a una fiesta de disfraces en bici?

Saturday, October 23, 2010

2011 Bianchi Brava




Well...I finally did it, after thinking and thinking, pros & cons., I decided that I wanted to experience the feel of a new road bike...and here is the Brava. I'm still getting used to how fast it rides!
I'll do a whole post soon about all the details.

Bueno ... después de pensar y pensar, pros y contras., al final decidí que quería experimentar la sensación de una bicicleta de carretera nueva ... y aquí está la Brava. Todavía me estoy acostumbrando a lo rápida que es y como responde!
Pronto escribire un post sobre los detalles.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Sore ~**~ Dolorida

Yes, I'm pretty sore...I felt down and it hurts....hubby said "better bruised leg and broken spirit" and he is right...but it does hurt indeed!
I got pretty mad when I went done not because my hills and purse were in the middle of the road, I was really upset because the only reason I felt was because a touring bus was parked illegally in a red zone and I couldn't see if cars were coming at a one way cross intersection.
Suddenly a car came pretty fast and I got scared and lost my balance and went down. I'm glad I was able to react promptly and got off the intersection quickly.
I didn't call the police, I just got back on my bike and rode to work...but now that the day is almost over and all my bones hurt, I think I should had call the cops and report the f ^&%$ illegal bus parking....

Sí, estoy bastante dolorida ... me caí y me duele .... mi esposo dijo que "peor tener la pierna rota que el espíritu demolido" y tiene razón ... pero me duelen de verdad todos los huesos!

Me enfade mucho cuando me fu
í al suelo con mi bolso y tacones en medio de la carretera; mi furia se derivaba de que la causa era que había un autobús estacionado ilegalmente en una zona roja y no pudía ver si los coches venían para cruzar la intersección.
De pronto apareció un coche muy rápido, me asusté y perdí el equilibrio y me ca
í al suelo. Me alegro de que fuí capaz de reaccionar rápidamente y me salí de la intersección con rapidez.
No llamé a la policía, me sub
í a mi bicicleta y continue mi camino al trabajo.... pero ahora que el día está a punto de terminar y me duele todo creo que debería había llamado a la policía para reportar el estacionamiento ilegal del jodido autobus.. ..

Monday, October 4, 2010

Son Jorocho




Mexican band Pura Pulpa straight from Mexico performed on Saturday at Casa de la Guerra as part of the Son Jorocho Music Festival. It was super fun. There were many other bands, great food and amazing churros!















El grupo Pura Pulpa de Mexico actuando el sabado en Casa de la Guerra en Santa Barbara durante el festival de musica son jorocho. Fue super divertido, habia un monton de grupos, excelente comida y churros increibles!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sol food ~**~ Comida del Sol

Saturday fun at Santa Barbara's Sol Food Festival! Folks from Traffic Solutions did a great job illustrating the benefits of riding your bike to the Farmer's Market.

Lots of information, people, fun things to check out and great beer and wine garden with local products. The end of the festival was great, I end up winning a great bag full of produce and flowers!
Mucha diversión el sábado en el Festival de "Comida del Sol" de Santa Bárbara! La gente de Soluciones del Tráfico hizo un gran trabajo ilustrando los beneficios de andar en bicicleta para comprar en el Farmer's Market.

Gran cantidad de información, personas, cosas divertidas que mirar y un lindo jardin para degustar cerveza y vino locales.El fin de la fiesta fue genial, me acaban de ganar una gran bolsa llena de productos y flores!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Measurements ~**~ Medidas


I continue considering the purchase of road bike, and today I got measured/fitted by super helpful Mr. Cranky's, but can't make up my mind...I'm considering the Bianchi Brava but not sure if it might be big for me... any advice to the novice road biker?

Continuo considerando el comprar una bici de carretera y hoy Cranky's me tomo medidas pero no puedo decidirme ya que no se que bici es mejor para mi, quiero que no sea demasiado grande, por el momento estoy considerando la Bianchi Brava pero necesito consejos!!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Road Bike ~**~ Bici de Carretera




After considering all summer long to ride a road bike being inspired by Meli and Veluria's experiences, I finally got the guts last weekend. I was up in the Monterrey Peninsula for a wedding and the hubby and I decided to rest bikes and do the 17 mile drive by bike. His plan was to get me tired so he didn't have to dance! His plan worked out perfectly, the heat, the hills and my lack of experience on a road bike left me completely wiped out!

Anyway, It was my first time riding a road bike and it was quite an experience! I loved going fast and how light the bike was in comparison to my vintage bikes. The bike was a rental though so it was not very well maintained, the harder was the brakes, by the end of the ride my hands were very tired....some of the hills were pretty big and it took me a while to climb them.

All and all it was a nice experience the ride was nice, I find myself considering the thought of getting a road bike...let's see!



Después de considerar durante todo el verano el montar en bicicleta de carretera al estar inspirada por las experiencias de Meli y Veluria finalmente el pasado fin de semana logre sacar el valor para intentarlo cuando estaba en la Península de Monterrey para una boda, asi que mi maridito y yo decidimos alquilar unas bicicletas para hacer las 17 millas en bicicleta. El plan de marido era cansarme para así que no tener que bailar! y su plan funcionó a la perfección, el calor, las colinas y mi falta de experiencia en una bicicleta de carretera me dejo sin aliento! Era mi primera vez andando en una bicicleta de carretera y fue toda una experiencia! Me encantaba ir rápido y lo ligera que es la bici a comparación con mis bicis antiguas. La bici que use era de alquiler, y no estaba muy bien mantenida, lo más difícil fue que los frenos estan mal ajustados y al final del paseo mis manos estaban muy cansadas .... algunos de los cerros eran muy grandes y me tomó mcuho tiempo para subirlos. Todos y todo lo que fue una experiencia agradable y me encuentro a mí misma considerando la idea de adquirir una bicicleta de carretera ... vamos a ver que pasa!

The Invisible Cyclists of Los Angeles ~**~ Los ciclistas Invisibles de la Ciudad de los Angeles

My friends from Bibi Centro sent me this article published in the PlannnersNetwork.org about The Invisible Cyclists of Los Angeles. It's long but pretty amazing!
Sorry, this one is only in English...

***********************************************************************
The Invisible Cyclists of Los Angeles
By Omari Fuller and Edgar Beltran (PlannersNetwork.org)

Night has fallen and you’re driving through a gritty urban center when you approach an intersection. Just as you turn right through the crosswalk a dark figure materializes before you. You slam on the brakes and stop just a foot or two away. Without pausing to acknowledge the near miss, the figure cruises to the far side of the street and disappears down the sidewalk in the murky glare of streetlights.

You’ve just glimpsed an invisible cyclist.

Thousands of working-class people use bicycles to traverse cities and towns across the U.S. every day. In the city of Los Angeles, this group of cyclists is as dedicated as any other, riding through the wet of winter and simmering heat of summer.

Yet you won’t see invisible cyclists at Los Angeles City Council meetings demanding bike lanes. You might not see them in the street either, as these cyclists tend to ride alone, often intermingled with pedestrians on the sidewalk, and without lights or reflective clothing. These cyclists are also often Latino immigrants, and nearly 20,000 of them in the L.A. metropolitan area use a bicycle as their main means of transportation to work

As we’ll explain in this article, this particular group has different needs than other cyclists, yet their interests receive little attention. This article will also examine a program called City of Lights, which aims to bring invisible cyclists out of the shadows using a combination of self-empowerment training and advocacy work. We found City of Lights to be a promising model for assessing the needs of an under-served group and pursuing a more equitable distribution of resources.

Profile of an Oppressed Group
Working-class immigrant Latino cyclists face a multitude of challenges that are more pronounced than those facing most other cyclists. These include sub-standard bicycles and safety equipment, no knowledge of cyclist rights, more dangerous streets with fewer provisions for safe bicycling, increased danger of bicycle theft and robbery, police harassment, lack of health insurance, minimal publicly available data on the aforementioned conditions and no political representation. We will look at these challenges in detail to make a case for the need to address the particular oppression that this group faces.

We’ll rely on tenets from critical race theory (CRT) to help structure our arguments. A key CRT tenet considers racism to be endemic and pervasive in our society and institutions. We will note subversive effects that are specifically directed against Latino identity. CRT also uses personal narratives to amplify the other voices that challenge the dominant narratives in society. Throughout this article we’ll hear the voices of those closest to this struggle. CRT also recognizes that there are unique challenges presented by the intersection of a plurality of identities related to race, class, gender, citizenship status and innumerable other characteristics. As such, we must acknowledge the multiple identities of this group of cyclists and the oppression that members of this group must endure in the form of unfair treatment as a result of those identities.

Less Money = Less Choice + More Danger
Low-wage workers have limited transportation options, compelling them to bike. Since work may not be steady enough or income high enough to be able to afford a car, or perhaps even a monthly bus pass, some are effectively captive cyclists. Limited mobility means fewer accessible job opportunities, which perpetuates low-income status.

Many can only afford to live in older, less affluent neighborhoods. In Los Angeles, these neighborhoods have older and narrower streets with no space for bike lanes. As one cyclist in the majority-Latino neighborhood of MacArthur Park put it, “I don’t know who put all those bike lanes in Santa Monica [a more affluent and less diverse neighboring city], but they did a good job, and we need that here!”

The dangerous biking conditions that result from crumbling pavement and no separation from car traffic in these older neighborhoods disproportionately affect low-income people of color. Their affordable, second-rate bicycles strain unreliably under these conditions. Bicycle helmets, which should be indispensable for hazardous urban riding, are seen as expensive and optional.

A further hazard is the high volume of truck traffic that low-income cyclists encounter when traveling to and from work in industrial areas. According to Allison Mannos, program coordinator at the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, accidents between cyclists and big-rigs are not uncommon. When injured, cyclists and their families, many of whom lack health insurance, may suffer the additional hardship of expensive medical bills.

Another infrastructure problem is the dearth of bicycle parking in high-crime neighborhoods where bikes are more likely to get stolen. Allison Mannos comments, “Even if not so many of them have a bike, at least 50 percent of them had a bike. So they’re still cyclists in the sense that many would ride if their bikes hadn’t been stolen.”

Biking while Immigrant
As immigrants, this population of cyclists experiences other challenges on top of those that arise from being low-wage workers. The many undocumented immigrants of L.A are legally barred from obtaining California driver’s licenses, limiting their transportation options by legal means on top of economic ones.

On the road, immigrant cyclists face more challenges when they have to deal with L.A. drivers. According to Adrian, a Latino student who is also active in the burgeoning Los Angeles bicycle movement, “Older Latino immigrants don’t know their rights. Due to language issues or being misinformed, they let cars push them to ride literally right next to the curb, almost pedal striking it.” (Pedal striking is bike lingo and refers to the dangerous situation arising when the pedal strikes something, which can cause the bike to swerve wildly and the cyclist to be thrown off the bike into traffic.) Thus, although the California Vehicle Code states that bicycles have all the rights and responsibilities of vehicle drivers, including full use of the roadway, ignorance of the law contributes to immigrant cyclists being intimidated and forced into even greater danger at the margins in the gutter and on the sidewalk.

Biking while Latino
Does being Latino contribute to being stopped by police while biking? Although the Los Angeles Police Department doesn’t release data on police stops by race, we know that one of the few places they’ve set up stings to enforce a no-bikes-on-sidewalk law is in the MacArthur Park area where around 80 percent of residents are Latino. Also, adult cyclists are not required to wear a helmet, but comments like “I’ve been stopped by the cops three times for not wearing a helmet,” were common when we interviewed working-class Latino cyclists. In these instances, possible police targeting compounded by ignorance of the law leaves Latino cyclists vulnerable to mistreatment that other groups may not face.

There is little opportunity for this group to redress these and other oppressions due to their lack of representation in the civic arena. Limited English language proficiency and a community-wide mistrust of the authorities help explain why it is uncharacteristic of this group to walk into City Hall and demand better police treatment or more resources for safe biking in their neighborhoods. Complicating any effort to make such demands is the absence of accident statistics or data on police stops and ticketing that might illustrate the degree to which heightened risks affect this particular group of cyclists. That is why, according to Allison Mannos, “Any data at all, quantitative or qualitative, that we can get on the experiences of this population is a good thing.”

Who Benefits? Who Loses?
Because they ride at the margins with little evidence of their plight and without a voice in the civic arena the public is oblivious to these invisible cyclists. Critical race theorists suggest that for every disadvantaged group, another group receives some advantage. We wonder who benefits from the challenges confronting invisible cyclists. One possibility is law enforcement, which increases its revenues and police power by ticketing and detaining members of this population on questionable grounds. Motorists are another group of beneficiaries who gain in time and convenience what invisible cyclists lose in safety. In other neighborhoods of L.A. that have better amenities, residents and bicyclists may benefit from infrastructure improvements that should be shared with less affluent parts of the city.

More work should be done to identify the beneficiaries in this scenario and to eliminate the incentives that perpetuate it. In the meantime, let’s consider the current efforts being taken on behalf of the invisible cyclists.

Illuminating the Shadows: Critical Race Theory and Advocacy
City of Lights is a program of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition that was created to reach out to working-class Latino immigrant cyclists who have limited English proficiency. The program is working to ameliorate the oppressions that affect this group through advocacy and education, in the form of community workshops on safety issues, legal rights and bike maintenance.

City of Lights bike safety workshops educate cyclists on the rules of the road and safe riding techniques, essential knowledge for the dangerous areas where these cyclists ride. The educational programming is reinforced with the provision of donated safety equipment such as lights, helmets, locks and bike maps to cyclists for whom the expense of such equipment would be too great. A bike maintenance workshop might stress the importance of maintaining the proper tire pressure, which not only helps prevent having a dangerous blow-out while riding in traffic, but can save cyclists money by avoiding the costs of tire repair or replacement and travel delays. These workshops are hands-on and designed to foster self-reliance, teaching cyclists how to maintain their bikes against the strain of riding on L.A. streets. Some workshop participants have expressed that their new bike maintenance skills could open a door to employment opportunities or business ownership, which could have a very positive effect on their income. Legal rights workshops are designed to curtail the number of unwarranted citations.

Data backs up the advocacy efforts of the City of Lights program. As Allison Mannos describes, existing cyclist data provides little information on Latino immigrant cyclists, who may not feel comfortable responding to conventional bike surveys. City of Lights tries to rectify this by conducting their own surveys with questions that capture the difficulties and experiences of this group of cyclists. Quantitative data is of interest, but collecting personal narratives also affords invaluable insights. For example, asking cyclists about their riding experience in the U.S. and in their country of origin can reveal a person's economic, social and environmental motives for riding.

The next advocacy step is to raise general awareness of invisible cyclists. To that end City of Lights staff attend conferences to highlight their data findings and workshops in the low-income Latino immigrant cycling community. They also push the Los Angeles City Council and municipal departments to provide more bike lanes and bike parking where these cyclists live, work and ride and they communicate with law enforcement to request data on how often and why invisible cyclists are stopped and cited, potentially revealing and deterring oppressive police tactics.

By focusing on invisible cyclists and establishing their concerns as worthy of attention, the City of Lights efforts build on another tenet of critical race theory: centering and validating the experiences of marginalized people. According to Allison Mannos, the key is to rely on the narrated experiences of members of the specific group to identify their needs, rather than imposing on them external ideas about what their needs are. “When we talked to these cyclists,” says Mannos, “we found out they aren’t that into racing or wearing spandex, but they are interested in having a place where they can work on their bikes and see other people like them. Our priority now is to create spaces like that where they can build their own cycling community.”

Bringing invisible cyclists together and out of the shadows should help address their numerous challenges and, hopefully, make your next encounter with them far less harrowing.

Omari Fuller and Edgar Beltran are master’s candidates in the Department of Urban Planning at the UCLA School of Public Affairs.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Helmet hair ~**~ Pelocasco






The fog, the sweat and the helmet give me this sort of cool helmet hair, there are days I like it, oh well!

La niebla, el sudor y el caso me dan este simi-artistico pelocasco, hay dias en los que incluso me gusta...que le vamos a hacer?

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Independent ~**~ El Independiente















Great article in this week Santa Barbara's Independent about the bicycle scene in Santa Barbara. This was my favorite part of the article: "The most obvious shift in ridership is the number of women on the roads. "

The article touches on CycleMania, the Fashion Show, the Bicycle Film Festival, and !st Thursday Bike Moves (pic is from my first Bike Moves, alien theme).

Articulo fabuloso sobre el ciclismo local El
Independiente de Santa Barbara esta semana. Mi parte favorita de la pieza es "el cambio mas obvio es el numero de mujeres que estan montando en bicicleta en la carretera."

El articulo tambine menciona el CycleMania, el desfile de moda con bicis, el festival de cine de bicicleta y Bike Moves del primer jueves del mes (la foto es de mi primer bike moves y el tema era de aliens).

Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Getty ~**~ El Getty




The last couple weeks have been so busy and hard to find the time to connect with the blogsphere and missed being connected. Finally got a little break here...Last Saturday spent the day in LA at the Getty and it was a really nice day. I liked the exhibits, "Engaged Observer" was my favorite and of course strolling around in the gardens and enjoying the beautiful flowers.

The rest of this week went so by so fast, but I did managed to scape the office and get a cup of coffee at the French Press with the lovely Christa from Bikes by the Sea and volunteered yesterday morning at the Santa Barbara Bicycle Swap Met.


Las últimas dos semanas han estado tan ocupadas y me ha sido difícil encontrar el tiempo para conectar con la blogosfera aunque he hechado de menos a tod@s. Finalmente he consegido un poco de descanso y aquí estoy de nuevo ... El sábado pasado pase el día en Los Ángeles en el Getty y fue un día muy bonito. Me gustó la muestra, "Observadores Comprometidos" y por supuesto disfrute paseando por los jardines viendo las hermosas flores.

El resto de esta semana pasó tan rápido, pero sí que logre escaparme de la oficina un ratito para ir a tomar café en el French Press Christa de Bikes by the Sea. Tambien ayude como voluntaria en la mañana en el mercadillo de bicicletas de Santa Barbara.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Bicyle Swap Meet ~**~ Mercadillo de Bicicletas






So excited about the Bicyle Swap Meet and the bicycle film festival coming up!

Con un muchas ganas de que ya sea el mercadillo de bicicletas y el festival de cine de bicicletas!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Shadow ~**~ Sombra







I ride over this bridge at least twice a day and couldn't resit to take this pic of my shadow with this beautiful late afternoon light.

Subo y bajo este puente al menos dos veces al día y no me pude resistir el sacar esta foto de mi sombra con la hermosa luz de la tarde.