Recap: Midnight Mystery Ride June 2013

My first Midnight Mystery Ride (MMR) was about two years ago and it was probably the most amazing group ride I have ever done. It was SF-esque- mysterious, intimate, and awe-inspiring. I was very lucky to experience it on the night that it was hosted by Mission Bicycle Company (they organize the best ones). MMR is held on the 3rd Saturday of every month at midnight with very little information. The only information you will get are the organizer’s name (that could be anyone) and the location of the meetup on that day. I think this concept is what keeps MMR special and underground. The three times that I have been to MMR, I was taken to places that were off the beaten path and even those that a native would never experience.

I have a friend, Dante, who just got bitten by the bicycle bug and I wanted to show him what the cycling community is like at midnight. Also, I haven’t been to one for quite awhile, so it was a good time for both of us to check it out. We met at Truck and Bar Kitchen on 1900 Folsom St. in the Mission minutes before the clock struck midnight. Complete strangers were introducing themselves to us when we arrived. It was welcoming since I haven’t been to one for almost a year.

MMR meetup spot

In the photo below is the leader, Gary (left) for that night. He planned for a leisurely ride, and that was pretty much a chill ride for conversational cycling.

MMR Gary_leader

We headed NW on Folsom St. and stopped at the corner of Folsom and 2nd St. for our first social gathering.

MMR_first stop

After 20-30 minutes at our first stop, we started heading toward the Embarcadero on Folsom St.

MMR_on our way to 2nd stop

When we arrived at the Embarcadero, it was barricaded off for the 36th SF Marathon taking place the next morning, but the security patrol was nice enough to open it up to let us through. The cool thing was that there was not a single car on that street!

MMR_2nd stop

The second stop was a beautiful view of the Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge. We met a couple from Sacramento who visit SF on a monthly basis but haven’t seen the Bay Lights. That was pretty special to them.

MMR_2nd stop_2

The final stop was on the Ferry Building pier behind a night club I think. It was pitch black so I couldn’t get any good photos. We did get free music coming out of the night club, but it was pretty bad. =)

There were about 24 people on bikes, all very nice and friendly. It was easy to strike up a conversation with complete strangers and because we all have this underlining understanding and interest in this Midnight Mystery journey, it makes it a whole lot more intimate.

This intimate night was how I remember San Francisco three years ago when Nellie and I first moved here. A peaceful and beautiful night wherever you ride. Personally, I think it’s almost sad in order to feel that again, I have to ride in the middle of the night to get this wonderful experience.

Watch our video of that night:

News and Upcoming Events of the Week

Image courtesy of Gizmodo UK

Image courtesy of Gizmodo UK

- Helicopter bicycle (see image above) developed by the Czechs (Gizmodo).
- Park your bike by a robot in Japan (Business Insider).
- Seattle has a public library on a bicycle (LA Times).
- Market St. bike barometer registers big numbers (SFGate).
- Growing bike culture improves local economy (model D).
- A week on a saddle of a Citi bikeshare (Daily News).
- Daily Show with John Stewart’s take on Citi Bikes (YouTube).

- East Bay Bike Party! this Friday.
- Midnight Mystery Ride this Saturday.
- Butter Lap every Wednesday at 7pm at the Ferry Bldg.

10th Anniversary WNBR SF 2013

group photo

This weekend was filled with many fun bicycling events such as the SF Bike Party on Friday night, the World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday, and Sunday Streets on Sunday.

Being that it was the 10th Anniversary of the World Naked Bike Ride (they had a smaller ride earlier this year) and the weather was pretty nice, I went out to report on the event hoping for a full blown turnout. I was a little disappointed in the turnout but the participants still appeared to have a great time.

As usual, it was held at Justin Herman Plaza in front of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. Their message was to get off oil dependence and their choice of location on a sunny Saturday was a great place to get any message across. After meeting up and embarking on their ride as a group of nude cyclists, they rolled through Fisherman’s Wharf, the Marina, Lombard Street, North Beach, back along the Embarcadero, over to the Civic Center, the Haight, and past Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach. These are all touristy hotspots for them to be seen by the gaping public, some surprised at the mobile mass exhibitionism.

teamwork bandits bikes not bombs
girls getting prepared start of the ride woman on bike 3
start of the ride 2 3 amigos evolution
woman on bike 2 zebra WNBR!!!

Related post:

World Naked Bike Ride SF March 2013

News and Upcoming Events of the Week

Image courtesy of Haighteration

Image courtesy of Haighteration

- Wiggle Bicycles shop (above image) opens on the Wiggle (Haighteration).
- Cyclists will have a comfortable ride on Market Street due to repavement (SFExaminer).
- BananaHama more comfortable than a beach cruiser (gizmag)?
- Cycling app Strava not blamed for rider’s death in Berkeley (theVerge).
- A bicycle that sprays mist in your face (Atlantic Cities).
- Google Maps adds bicycling directions to 6 more European countries (eweek).
- Cycling 100 miles a week at age 92 (Huffpost).

- SF Bike Party! this Friday.
- 10th Anniversary World Naked Bike Ride this Saturday.
- Oaklavia! this Sunday.
- Sunday Streets! this Sunday.
- ButterLap every Wednesday at 7pm at the Ferry Bldg.

SF Bike Style – A Sunday Afternoon On The Wiggle

bike to match
Shoes and tires are of the same function, body and frame are of the same form…

socks and shoes
Colorful socks are never old…

turquoise/orange bike
Turquoise and orange go together as well as butter and bread…

military pair
Military style in pair…

kids on xtracyle
Nothing is as fun as riding a bike except when taking the back seat on one…

News and Upcoming Events of the Week

Image courtesy of Kickstarter.com

Image courtesy of Kickstarter.com

- Loopwheels could replace spoke wheels on bikes (above image) (CNN).
- 6,000 Citi Bikes are ready to roll in Manhattan and Brooklyn (CBS NY).
- Are helmet laws effective at reducing injuries (Atlantic Cities)?
- Minorities cycling in America are strong (Atlantic Cities).
- A Kickstarter for eating and cycling (treehugger).

- SF Critical Mass this Friday.
- SFBC Rec Ride: Architecture Ride: The Reid Brothers in SF this Saturday.
- ButterLap every Wednesday at 7pm at the Ferry Bldg.

A Small Improvement on King Street

Bike sharrow is placed in the middle and the original sharrow near the gutter is gone.

A bike sharrow is now placed in the middle and the original sharrow near the gutter is gone.

Three months ago, we wrote about how Diana Sullivan was killed by a cement truck driver due to a poor bike lane design (or lack threreof) on King St. Any cyclist that was heading westbound on King St. would have soon found out that the bike lane they were riding fairly safely in would suddenly disappear right under their pedals when they reached midblock between 2nd and 3rd Sts. Not only did the bike lane disappear, but it was followed by a strangely placed single bike sharrow that told cyclists to ride closer to the curb. It was an odd set up because the sharrow was placed off to the side and not in the middle of the lane where it should’ve been and there were no other bike sharrows to follow. By riding close to the curb, drivers would try to squeeze by cyclists and perhaps clip them because the width of the car lane is not wide enough for cyclists and cars to share. It was also possible that drivers, especially large truck drivers (large blind spot to his right), would not see a cyclist and could run them over (as in the case of Diana on this very street and the recent death of Dylan Mitchell in the Mission District).

Well, a couple of weeks ago I was riding home from a 6 hours ride in Marin County. I passed that one oddly placed sharrow and to my surprise, it seemed to have been moved to the center of the lane. I then saw another sharrow following and then another one… and they all were placed right in the center of the car lane! I was really exhausted that day from the long ride and from a bad crash I had on a train track, and I wasn’t so sure about what I saw. Was I imagining things? I had to go back the next day to check it out again. Low and behold, they were all there!



Although I am grateful for the small improvement the City has made to this important corridor, it still needs a lot more work and I still have some major complaints about it. If the City has now put down more bike sharrows, why not extend them all the way to the Caltrain Station on 4th St. I don’t know what’s the point of having bike sharrows that end at 3rd St. Does the City really think cyclists are just going to disappear on 3rd St. after the bike sharrows are gone? Or maybe the City is expecting cyclists to risk their own lives after 3rd St. to the death monsters (aka cars).

In actuality, bike sharrows are stupid and they are even more stupid on a fast and busy street such as King. There are still no speed limit signs posted, intersections are far from each other, and it leads directly to a freeway on-ramp:  this encourages motorists to speed. As I mentioned in a previous post, the minimum design requirement for a street such as King are dedicated bike lanes.

So, it looks like the SFMTA and DPW still have their work cut out for them in regards to King Street. They’ve checked off only two of the items on this list, below. Anyone think they will ever be able to do all that needs to be done?

What’s Wrong with King Street Checklist:

1. Fix single bike sharrow placed oddly off to the side which encourages cyclists to unsafely hug the curb

2. Fix that there are no bike sharrows to follow after that one bike sharrow

3. Need to paint bike sharrows all the way to the Caltrain Station not just stop at 3rd St.

4. Need bike facilities on the other side of King Street going in the opposite direction from the Caltrain Station to the ballpark

5. Auto speed limit signs need to be put up

6. Reduce auto speed limits

7. If sharrows are used, at least put up a “Share the Road” sign as some drivers still don’t get the message from the sharrows

8. At minimum, a dedicated bike lane should continue from the Embarcadero onto King Street and go all the way to the Caltrain station without interruption

9. The same as #8 for the other side of King St. going from the Caltrain to the ballpark (Also, similar to #4 except this explicitly calls for a dedicated bike lane and not just wimpy sharrows)

Related reading:

A Letter to AT&T Park Management

In Memory of Diana Sullivan, Ghost Bike Memorial

Cars are not king on King St.

Diana Sullivan, may you rest in peace