They come into the bike shop with eyes darting from corner to corner.  You can actually feel their fading hope that  at any moment the stolen bike that gave them so much pleasure or secured them a swift passage to their livelihood will miracuosly show up. Then without a hello or how are you, the tragic mental record of loss unfolds. With their face quivering they often confess of the ommision of forgetting to lock up their trusty steed.The carelessness and absent mindedness is afterall a part of modern day life.     If the loss makes them just plain mad the next reaction is to get another bike to make up for the loss but this time its going to be invisible to the common bike thief. the

The City of Sacramento Transportation Department is considering a redesign of traffic lanes along Freeport Blvd between Sutterville Road and 4th Avenue. This part of the roadway is scheduled for resurfacing in 2013 and last August the city approved a Bike Lanes Project to study options for redesigning Freeport Blvd into a "complete street" as part of the resurfacing effort. From the National Complete Streets Coalition website: "...a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities."

If you’re a medical marijuana patient and a bicycle enthusiast, Sacramento is the perfect place to combine your quests for medicine and exercise — kind of like those popular pedaling pub crawls, but without the drunkards. With more than three dozen dispensaries in the city and twice that number in the county, Sacramento bicyclists pedal past a plethora of places peddling pot to Prop. 215 patients. Cruising Midtown and downtown on your fat-tired cruiser? There are 12 dispensaries you can bike to, half of which are on designated bike routes that cross-hatch The Grid. Easy rides, all of them. Touring the American River Bike Trail on your Cannondale? From Old Sacramento to Folsom Lake, ther

(click on photo above to see larger image) Hundreds of cyclists came out to celebrate Bike to Work Day on the west steps of the Capitol on Thursday. The festivities included vendors, free t-shirts, ice cream and a raffle for bicycles and other cycling-related prizes. The Sacramento and Folsom Area Bicycle Advocates hosted a free bicycle valet parking service for those who rode to the event. Cyclists who have registered on the Bike Month website were eligible for a free t-shirt and raffle prizes. Riders are encouraged to log their miles on the website in order to accomplish a goal of two million miles cycled in the month of May. More photos of the Bike to Work Day event are available her

The second stage of the Amgen Tour of California ended with Ben Swift winning a wild sprinting contest to the finish line in front of the State Capitol building. Swift, from Team Sky Procycling, raised his arms in victory after crossing a rain-soaked finish line on L Street. Weather delays left Amgen racers longing for a contest after race officials cancelled the first stage in Lake Tahoe yesterday. Today's start was moved from Squaw Valley to Nevada City to avoid snowy conditions. Ironically, the event was moved from February to May last year to take advantage of better weather conditions. Thousands of race fans lined the downtown streets to get a close look at the racers. The cyclists

Sacramento Jane’s Walk 2011: Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8 Jane’s Walk USA is a series of free neighborhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Since its inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has happened in cities across North America, and is growing internationally. Sacramento’s Jane’s Walk series incorporates elements of urban planning, neighborhood advocacy, urban history, and architectural history, to demonstrate how a neighborhood’s physical form promotes its walkability, sustainability and economic and social vitality. All tours are free o

The weather should be perfect this weekend as May is Bike Month kicks off in the Sacramento region. Get your bike tuned up and ready to ride this weekend and then ride to work on Monday, May 2, and come out for a lunchtime ride led by the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates. The kick-off will start at 11:30 a.m. along the Sacramento Riverfront Promenade, located at 1800 Front Street in Sacramento, just south of O Street. The low-speed bike ride will start at noon, traveling through downtown and midtown and ending by 12:50 p.m. Bicycling has taken off in the Sacramento region as an easy way for people to get to work or school, run errands, or just ride for fun. Sacramento was recently ranke

May is just a few days from now, so tune up your bike, visit May is Bike Month.com, and get ready for a month of great events, promotions, and rides. Spend a few minutes today at Mayisbikemonth.com and register for 2011. Every week that you log miles in May, you'll be entered into a drawing for bike socks and gift certificates to local bicycle shops. Once you're on the website, click over to the calendar and see over 40 events scheduled. Check back whenever you visit the site, as we're adding new events every day. We'll have Bike Month gear to giveaway at many of the events, so come out and get yours. New this year, our Pedal Saver discount program will earn you freebies and discounts w

Where should we spend money on transportation as our region continues to grow? The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is hosting workshops throughout October to gather input from residents on transportation and land use planning in the Sacramento region. SACOG is a regional planning agency for Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. As part of the transportation planning process, SACOG updates the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) every four years. The MTP includes investments in transit, freeways, roadways, and bike and pedestrian improvements. In an effort to plan thoughtfully for all regional travel needs, SACOG will host nine public workshops

"Here is to camaraderie, lugged steel, and plus fours. Here is to the (truly) social ride. Here is to tippling from hip flasks, maintaining a leisurely pace, and flaunting with style." The quote from Sacramento Tweed's blog reflects the invitation the group extends for bicyclists to join a jovial "Seersucker Ride" June 27. Sacramento Tweed, founded by Rick and Erin Houston last November, is an inclusive group that organizes bike rides emphasizing the activity as a social and leisurely event. Ride organizers include Chris Tafoya; Lorena Beightler, creator of Sac Cycle Chic; Jim Brown, communications director for California Bicycle Coalition; Brad Gleed; and Alan Barnard, creator of EcoVe

For the third consecutive year, the Sacramento region has traveled one million miles by bicycle in a month. Since May 1, 7,108 (and counting) people young and old, students and commuters, families and friends have chosen to bike rather than drive. Commute, recreation, errands and work trips have all contributed to the million miles. What does a million miles mean for our region? One million miles of bicycling removed over 5,000 pounds of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen from our air. Air pollutants lead to many illnesses, including asthma, which is the most common reason for missed school days in Sacramento County. Just looking at commuting or doing errands by bike, individuals saved a

Amgen Tour of California teams were announced Friday morning. The roster includes seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong as well as Levi Leipheimer, winner of the last three consecutive Tour of California races, among others. The Sacramento Press will continue to cover the Amgen Tour of California, which rolls through the city Sunday, May 16. This will include a pre-race press conference May 14 and race day coverage. The following is a press release about the team announcement, via Bob Burns of the Sacramento Sports Commission. The world-class roster of teams and cyclists scheduled to participate in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California has been announced by race presenter AEG.

After attending the May is Bike Month kick off press conference and ride last Saturday, I rushed home to register and log my bicycling miles online. I found the May is Bike Month website to be quick and easy. It also has a lot of cool features like commuter clubs, an employer directory, programs for schools, and you can even challenge a friend! If you live in the Sacramento region, please visit www.mayisbikemonth.com and help make this a Million Mile May. I especially appreciate the May is Bike Month effort because it encourages people to actually use their bikes to commute and get things done. Since America's love affair with the automobile and subsequent addiction to cheap oil, bikes ar

The weather should be perfect this weekend as May is Bike Month kicks off in the Sacramento region. Join us on Saturday, May 1, at 1 p.m. for a kick off event and a ride led by the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates. The kick-off will be at River Walk Park, 651 2nd Street in West Sacramento, right next to the Ziggurat and CalSTRS buildings. Bicycling has taken off in the Sacramento region as an easy way for people to get to work or school, run errands, or just ride for fun. Sacramento was recently ranked fourth in the nation for bicycle commuting and the region is a prominent part of the Amgen Tour of California, racing through cities from Auburn to Winters. May is Bike Month is a campa

The first bicycle was used as a replacement for a horse, required a saddle and was propelled like Fred Flinstone's car. According to University of California, Davis, Bicycle Program Coordinator David Takemoto-Weerts, an early bicycle-like invention was a "Draisine," a 19th-century invention of German forest ranger Karl Von Drais, for whom the the proto-bike is named. Similar machines were tweaked by engineers until bikes evolved into what we use today. Takemoto-Weerts helped facilitate the purchase of a Draisine, part of the Pierce Miller collection that U.C. Davis bought in 2000 for a little under $400,000. It is now one of the dozens of historic and modern bikes displayed at the U.S. B

With May is bike month fast approaching, The Friends of Fremont Park and the Sac Bike Kitchen are teaming up to what looks to be Sacramento's first Bike Bazaar in the Park    Located between 15th and 16th and P&Q,the event looks to be a sure way to load up for the summer with lotsof 2 wheeled fun.  Be it building a commuter,grocery getter or Tweed bike,Townie this is an excellent opportunity in scoring hard to find parts and classics to round out your collection.  Need a classic cruiser for second saturday? Mike from Vintage Bicycle Supply will be on hand with all your cruiser needs. Mike will be  showing  off his Velo Orange assortment of goods now in stock, Whit from Whitworth cycles i

Famed author from Carmichael Willie Weir has booked 3 shows for next week at REI. The world traveller by bicycle puts on a fine show that combines humor, drama and inspiration. The timing is perfect as Sacramento suffers through its  economic woes. Willy brings answers to the dilema of how one can travel on the cheap.  When Willie gets on stage its clear his objective is to create  pedal powered world travelers with every breath.  The fear mongering  intention that makes up the Media world of today is overmatched when it comes to Willies message. We have all heard it before, the family member who tells you "oh you mus'nt go there! Its too dangerous!"  Simply put Willie Weir is a native tr

At 9:00 am, nearly a hundred cyclists showed up for  Sacramentos first Tweed Ride sunday for the all day neighborhood bike ride. Amazing as  the idea gave birth just a little over a month beforehand. Thanks to powerful internet networking the idea traveled fast and soon the restaurants that accepted  to participate got what they reserved, a lot of love from the enthusiasts dressed in fine vintage tweed.  The scramble to amass the finer vintage look was on and the final result a best dressed contest showed us the need for such an event.  The enthusiasm was contagious as was the creative impulse for both vintage bike and dress alike. Many cities have such a ride already in place. New York,

I am still reeling from a theft of 2 bikes stolen at Onespeed last night.  My heart is in my throat as I write this account of horrible loss.  Some will say its just a few bikes but in my sphere of influence it brings great sorrow. 2  well loved commuter bikes  were stolen last night by 2 lost caucasian  teenage boys wearing black T shirts and short haircuts. They were short and thick around the ankles with heavy and slow shifty eyes which  earmarked them as up to no good. One said they were waiting for a ride and the other noted he had 4 bikes in the shop, one a Torker another a Cannondale  when they commented on my delivery bike outside of Onespeed Pizza. They waited what seemed a half

At about 9 a.m. Thursday, three-time Amgen Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer announced via a "tweet" that he was going to defend his title in 2010. It was part of a high-profile Twitter conversation started by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that went something like this: "@schwarzenegger: Great news for American cycling fans and CA. The 2010 Amgen Tour of California will be better than ever. @lancearmstrong will you join us? @lancearmstrong: Absolutely! @schwarzenegger, I've decided to ride the #Amgen Tour of California in 2010. Can't wait. What about you @levileipheimer? @levileipheimer: I'll definitely be racing the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, defending my title." Then at 4:30