Q. I just moved to Sacramento and have noticed many people riding bicycles around town. Biking to work would be ideal, but I’m worried about dealing with traffic in certain areas and would be tempted to ride part of the way on sidewalks. I have a hunch this is illegal, yet I see cyclists doing this pretty often. Could I be ticketed for riding my bike on a sidewalk? - Dan A. Sidewalks are invariably appealing to bicyclists: smooth, level surfaces that facilitate cruising and offer a cushion of safety from approaching vehicles and their drivers, some of whom may still be using handheld devices to talk or text. Despite popular belief, sidewalks can be lawful segments of bicycle routes, but

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011, legislation that would require each state’s department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization to put in place a Complete Streets policy that ensures all Federally-funded transportation projects accommodate the safety and convenience of all users. Complete Streets policies ensures roadways are built with all users in mind – including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, motorists, freight vehicles, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities. This bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Congresman Steven LaTourette (R-OH). “Complete Streets policies are a win-wi

New bike lanes could be added to 65th Street if the city receives enough cash from the state. The City Council is expected to approve the application for funding to install bicycle lanes on 65th Street between Fourth Avenue and Folsom Boulevard. The issue will be reviewed at Tuesday night’s council meeting. The city’s transportation department estimates the new bike lanes will cost $337,000 to install. California would pay most of the project’s costs if it selects the city’s application for the state’s Bicycle Transportation Account grant program. The city would pay 10 percent of the cost from revenues from Measure A, a local half-cent sales tax applied to street projects, according to E

This is not a news story. It is not even opinion so much as it is a few words to accompany the photos attached to them. If the old saying has any truth, each shot is worth 1,000 words. The Easyriders Bike Show Tour traditionally makes its annual Sacramento pilgrimage this time of year and unlike last year, the weather did not present any hindrance to the literally thousands of motorcyclists who parked their bikes on J Street and on every other street around the Sacramento Convention Center. Although the show caters to all motorcycle enthusiasts, the vast majority of those in attendance hold allegiance to one brand in particular – Harley Davidson. As one might expect, the majority of the

Bicycle theft in Sacramento’s central city is an ongoing problem, but cyclists can take steps to minimize their chances of becoming victims. “People come in here every day telling me their bikes got stolen,” said Simon Garcia, assistant manager of City Bicycle Works at 2419 K St. “Every day. I’m not exaggerating.” The obvious tip for keeping a bike from being stolen is to lock it up, but it isn’t that simple, according to Garcia. “I consider all locks deterrents,” he said. “(But) if someone wants the bike, the lock won’t stop them.” Having said that, he added that some locks are better than others, and U-locks like the ones pictured below are the best easily transportable locks for sec

Midtown resident Sheila Wages treasured her brand-new bicycle – a seven-speed cruiser her boyfriend had put a lot of effort into picking out for her. She kept it in her back yard, from where it was stolen in August. Wages started a Facebook page for stolen Midtown bicycles within the next couple of days. “It started out as a joke,” she said, adding that the Facebook page has since taken on a life of its own, where users will post details of their stolen bikes and possible places to look out for them. “When my bike was first stolen, I didn’t realize what an epidemic (bike theft) was,” Wages said. “You’ve got to lock them up and take them inside if you can.” According to Wages, one of th

A shop called Pedal Hard opened Friday in Midtown, becoming the newest addition to Sacramento's growing bike scene. Sacramentans Tom Hoang, 27, and his buddies – identical twins Robert and Tom Johnston – have launched the city's only single-speed and fixed-gear bike shop and clothing boutique. The idea was to create a skate shop vibe for a bike store, said 28-year-old Robert Johnston. "We want it to be a place for people to hang out and talk about bikes," Hoang said. Hoang and the Johnston twins got into bike culture just a few years ago after discovering fixed-gear bikes. The niche was already big in cities such as San Diego, Portland, Chicago and New York and the entire state of Wisc

The 3rd Annual Clean and Sober Poker Run benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Great Sacramento will be taking place this Sunday, September 19th. The fee for each rider is $20, which includes a meal, ride pin (for first 1,000 riders) and best high and low hands. Enjoy a live band, raffle, bounce house, food, beverages, fun and so much more! The starting point is at Folsom Harley Davidson, located at 115 Woodmere Rd., Folsom, Ca 95630. Registration is at 10am and the run starts at 11am. Also, this afternoon is the Poker Run Pre-Party taking place from 4pm-7pm at the Folsom Harley Davidson. There will be music, food, beverages, raffles and more. Showgirls in bikinis will wash your motorcy

A festive, county fair sort of atmosphere prevailed as people milled around with frames yoked over their shoulders, talking bikes, and revving their engines Sunday at the Vintage Bicycle and Motorcycle Swap Meet. A line of eager cycle enthusiasts stretching a quarter mile waited for the gates to open as early as 7 a.m. Sunday morning where Sacramento 6 Drive-in hosted the Vintage Bicycle and Motorcycle Swap Meet. Up to 1,000 people showed up to the event, which Marshall Topping of Topping Events, Inc. called “the world’s largest motorcycle garage sale.” “There was a guy here today who ran into the man he bought his first bike from,” Topping said, pointing excitedly. “They haven’t seen ea

Sixteen of the top BMX riders in the world, including contest veteran Ryan Nyquist, competed in the Megaramp ASA Triples Tour at Arco Arena Saturday night to the delight of about 5,000. Fans oohed and aahed and occasionally screamed incomprehensible gibberish as riders from Australia, Mexico and the United States dropped in from a 25-foot-high ramp and flew over two 25-foot-long ramps, flipping and whipping their bikes to advance to the next round in a ladder-style competition. Winning a competition like this is as easy as clapping your hands behind your back while inverted 20 feet in the air. Brett Banasiewicz, 15, from South Bend, Ind., found that stunt to be no problem and took first

Businesses in the heart of Sacramento still have time to order free capital city-inspired bike racks as National Bike Month winds down. The city's Department of Transportation has installed 81 racks since a pilot bicycle parking program launched last year. That means there are still another 19 left out of 100 rack installations planned to help build a bike-friendly downtown. Their unique appearance has earned them the nickname "Sac racks." Each green rack comes with a Capitol bicycle logo — an identifying symbol made from fusing the silhouette of a tiny two-wheeler inside the outline of a Capitol dome, said city Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Ed Cox, who designed the logo. The bike

With the nights finally getting warmer, Sacramento Raceway opens its doors to motocross fanatics. This facility is definitely one of Sacramento’s gems. Motocross is a very popular sport and it is very important for our city to support its riders. The fact that Sacramento is able to provide local riders with a race track is very convenient for those who are unable to travel far for practice. The 2010 season has begun recently and you can catch its second race this Friday, April 23. Enjoy watching your local racers battle it out on the track! This outdoor facility provides riders with an exciting supercross-design track for all riders to enjoy. The track is fully lighted at night and is

From now on, Doug Koleada will be a law-abiding citizen when he rides his bicycle on the K Street Mall. The city of Sacramento has installed new signs on K Street that list rules for bike riding. Cycling can now commence legally on the Mall from Seventh to 13th Streets and in the tunnel between Second and Fourth Streets. Koleada was riding his bike near the Westfield Downtown Plaza Wednesday afternoon. He readily admitted to biking on K Street in the evenings; his nighttime rides will now be perfectly legal. The Pyramid Alehouse Brewery employee said he knew about the city’s former ban on bicycling on K Street Mall, so he didn’t bike there when police officers were in sight. Koleada al

The Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen and the Friends of Fremont Park held the first Sacramento Bicycle Swap in Midtown on Saturday. Dozens of people turned out to sell, buy, trade or just talk shop at Fremont Park. The swap offered a little of everything, from well-worn Bianchis to classic banana seats and cutting-edge bamboo machines. Danilo Masuelli and his crew from Masuelli Bicycles in Stockton were there to show off their sustainably built, locally grown bikes. The bamboo frames take 40 to 60 hours to make by hand and use bamboo grown in Rocklin, said Masuelli, a native of Argentina. While Asia has long had bikes made of bamboo, the Stockton shop is one of no more than four making bambo

Depot Bikes and Cafes, a conjoined bike repair and retail shop, cafe and social area, plans on opening its doors at 431 I St, Suite 102, in mid-May. This location sets the business at the convergence of the Sacramento Amtrak and Capitol Corridor train stations, SacRT bus station and Sacramento light rail stations. Owner Tim Fallis said he hopes the shop will foster a stronger trend of bicycle commuting and commerce in Sacramento. Fallis' family has always been full of cycling enthusiasts. The business venture started as Fallis began reselling Strida compact bicycles independently from the manufacturer. His success pushed him to pursue opening a specialized bike shop, focusing on commuter

Practical Cycle bike shop opened Thursday in Old Sacramento. On Friday, Tim Castleman and his son, Cassidy, were busy unloading a shipment of at least 35 Worksman bikes at the store at 114 J St. The grand opening will be held on April 22, Earth Day. But fans of Worksmans and electric bikes already have started stopping by to talk about their favorite rides, Cassidy said. The shop has bikes made in the United States for sale and for rent, as well as accessories. They include Pedego electric bikes and Worksman models such as cruisers and two-person side-by-side trikes. The Castlemans said they expect bike rentals to pick up as word gets out that Old Sacramento once again has a rental sho

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Sunday marks the Sacramento Tweed Picnic Ride, an event where bicyclists dress up as old-fashioned dames and gents. 'Tweed' can conjure up the classic image of a newspaper boy yelling the morning headlines, which is exactly why the sight of more than 100 passing bicyclists, cloaked in tweed, would cause a double-take. The bike ride will start at 8:30 a.m. at The Zebra Club for breakfast and finish at 4:30 p.m. at Hot Italian for dinner. After breakfast, riders will cruise to The Sacramento Bike Kitchen where coffee will be provided by Temple Coffee. Riders will then trek over to the Capitol, capture a group photo and make their way to Land Park for a picn

Hundreds of motorcycles lined both sides of J Street in front of the Convention Center on Saturday while their owners attended the annual Sacramento stop of the Easyriders Bike Show Tour. Although the rain Sunday reduced the number of bikes parked on the streets, attendance at the two-day event was as good as or better than last year, said event manager Kari Roben. Inside the Convention Center, the main floor was full of exhibitors and vendors displaying custom motorcycles and related goods and services, including accessories, apparel and custom fabrication. Sacramento was the second stop on a five-city tour that started in Pomona on Jan. 9. “This is our second biggest show,” Roben said

 Below are images from photographer David Roberts, taken during his bike rides around Sacramento.                     Check back for more from his series of photographs

Thanksgiving normally brings family and friends together around the dinner table, but only a Sacramento Thanksgiving brings them together around the Capitol Mall roundabout, whooping and yelling on bicycles. Give thanks for the Appetite Enhancement Bike Ride. The annual underground bicycle parade attracted over 500 people to the California Stage early Thursday morning. R and 25th streets were littered with road bikes, penny-farthings, low-riders, vintage cruisers, every bike imaginable, plus a giant toaster mobile. DJ Larry Rodriguez' international beats and raffle ramblings rang out over the block. What started out as a casual ride with a dozen bikers 21 or 22 years ago — no one can rea