Newest articles on The Sacramento Press written by John Boyer

First Sacramento tweed ride a grand success!

2009-11-09T17:43:27Z

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, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago to name a few.

Erin and Rick Houston organized the ride with great care and the stops were spaced out perfectly so we all could admire such a great turnout. The ride started at the Sacramento Bike Kitchen with Old Soul Coffee to give us the kick we needed.

First stop the Capital for a group photo. More than 80 perhaps close to 100 cyclist on the steps of the dome of all things poitico. Then a nice slow paced ride to Onespeed Pizza for some breakfast where we peacefully took over the fine eating establishment. The restaurant was literally encased with over eighty+ fine bicycles. Riding a Yellow Schwinn tandem for three, One speed creator Rick Maham was also on hand to see first hand the ever increasing bike culture paying tribute to Ricks own love for fine food, bikes and good companionship. If you havent you simply must check out this place and if you can, ride there on your bike.

Our next destination was the famed Bon Lair pub on 37th and J st. It was the perfect place to have a pint and feel a bit Scottish. Again the bikes and great beer gave the feel of a wonderful Dutch or Danish neighborhood.

Next stop was a wine tasting at Revolution Winery Sacramento's one and only urban winery. Great people with a passion for wines and it showed. It was here where we had our best dressed contest and handed out prizes, As Rick Houston said so elequently "after all we are all winners".

Feeling the need for more Carbs our next Stop was Hot Italian where we gorged on wonderful pizza and drank Racer 5 from exotic hand blown pitchers. Hot Italian is yet another great eating establishment that embraces the bicycle as a viable mode for a day on the town.

Finally last call at the Rub. Thats Rubicon for those that frequent the grand daddy of riding destinations.

ALL in all it was simply marvelous to see so much enjoyment on the greatest machine ever created by man.

"Devils night" in the fab thirties and forties

2009-11-01T09:29:23Z

They came in packed SUVs to fill the streets of East sacramento. Several hundreds of them for the effect of a totally calm,safe environment and to give their kids a night of pure bliss and the motherload of all sugar highs. Perhaps also to get scared and pass on this American pleasure moment to their progeny and to show them the higher levels of living and community.

There was no controversy here . People of all subcultures of the human race coming together and sharing whats good about america. Lots of first rate Holloween effects here as many of thr houses looked like Hollywood sets for a certian film genre and the jack-a-lanterns were almost all cut to perfection. My gut feeling is it will hardly see a word in print do to the very fact that this was a glaring example of how we can really get along. No story there the running dog press will tell you!

Being my first Im not sure the history of this but this community never to my knowledge prevented this sort of onslaught but seems to have embraced it and never looked back. I couldnt help but think that my least favorite holiday was so alive and well in East Sacramento and that i couldnt help but revisit how wonderful it used to be as a child.

My astonishment of this civil and obedient mass of scary people is do in part of what I do. You see Im entrusted in delivering wonderful pizza, pasta and salad creations for Onespeed, a restaurant on 48th and Folsom, by bicycle. As I split the massive crowds that were in search of the ulimate scare and the highest of sugar highs, I was fully amazed how cordial and caring everyone was in my path. How could the favorite holiday of Detroit be such a joy for all concerned here? Inquiring minds want to know.

All I do know is that I bow to the wonderful people of East Sacramento for opening their doors to all walks of life despite all reasons they shouldnt.

John Boyer

Ediblepedal.com

Spike in Bike Theft in Sacramento

2009-10-25T19:52:59Z

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 hour when they decides to make their move. After I went inside I went to the back of the restaurant where I witnessed these 2 riding the bikes through the back alley to make their getaway. A car chase came up empty as they must have used the light rail to lose me.

im writing this unfortunate experience as a call out in getting these bikes back and as a wake up call to all cyclists. We must all double lock our bikes with both cables and bar lock. Most bike theives cary one tool.

Prevention is our best weapon on this heart breaking problem.

One bike is a newly painted Italvega size 51cm with bullhorn bars and a leopard bianchi seat and a fixed gear.

The other a SWOBO commuter single speed all black.

Thanks for your time reading this unfortunate news

Whole lot of love

2009-09-28T22:02:32Z

The fifth annual Mustard Seed Spin was held yesterday on the American River Trail with guest speaker Mayor Kevin Johnson showing his support for the need to take care of our children and keep what safety nets we do have in place from disappearing.

The fundraiser benefited Mustard Seed School for homeless children of all ages. The ride featured area kids riding for their less fortunate counter parts and showing grit riding in temperatures well into the nineties.

The goodwill and the social responsibility on display was breathtaking not to mention the smiles on the young riders determined faces.

Mayor Johnson reminded us we all needed to step up and pitch in the best we can during the hard economic times ahead.The Sacramento Bike Hikers a local recreational cycling club was well represented with heavy support on all ends.

Velo Cab a pedal powered cab company owned by Marc Christianson was giving free rides while Cycling for Hope repaired bikes nonstop.

All in all an awsome display of caring for ones fellow man on display. No controversy just a whole lot of love. This fact makes me shudder to think why there were no other media outlets covering such good news.

John Boyer

Building a new world with broken bikes

2009-01-17T19:17:33Z

The Sacramento Bike Kitchen (SBK) has been open for a week and the buzz is all over town. A DIY bike workshop that spreads bike culture with its unique approach to getting 'er done. Volunteers help YOU know your bike by showing you how to fix and maintain it. The result is that you are much more at cause over your 2 wheeled friend NOT the effect. Your affinity skyrockets for all things bicycling and simply cannot go anywhere unless it's on a bike. Well alright thats a little over the top but I hope you get my point.

At the kitchen we have a theory that most entry level bicyclists have had their hearts broken with the box store variety of bicycles that are not long for the dumpster. Poorly fitted and ill advised in keeping their bikes in working condition, most bikes from Walmart, Kmart etc. end up given away or even abandoned on the street. A once promising idea of going green filed away in the bad idea category of our memory banks.

We highly recommend one find a local bike shop and let them earn your business with their great service. Many come to mind like Steve Loebach from Carmichael cycles, Whit Brooks from the Bicycle Chef and Terry Cox from College Cyclery, just to name a few. These tireless experts can assist you in making your cycling goals come true. Others like Steve Rex can build a bike that's so beautiful you will never want to drive a car again.

The SBK is a nonprofit organization built on the goodwill of area bike enthusiasts. Our shop subsists or thrives on the donations of like minded folks that want to spread the idea that the bike is the most genius from for moving the body from A to B. We here have plans shoulder to shoulder with the local bicycle shops to increase the numbers of commuters that will make Sacramento the place it should be, a great place to live, work and play. A place free from noise polution, congestion, bad air and most importantly the disconnection from our fellow man. You see, a cyclist is more likely to wave at complete strangers on the road. He has so much fun he or she must share it with someone else!

Here at SBK our natural enemies are pollution, obesity, body apathy and doing nothing for the greater good. Our friends are all people who want to make a difference including those here at Sacpress who have given us the chance to blow our horn.

Please join us in making Sacramento the greatest biking city in California and then who knows what other goals we can tackle.

Portland and Amsterdam watch out!

John Boyer

SBK donations
1915 I street
(916)-442-3177

Donations gladly accepted 8-10am M-F and Wed,Thurs and Friday evenings 6-9PM

Hoop dreams a tail of a Sac State womens basketball win

2009-01-09T18:17:52Z

http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/wbball/release.asp?release_id=7729

What happens to those who are in the rut of a losing streak? They know they have the talent and determination. They need that little window of opportunity to change the vector.

The Sacramento State Womens Basketball team got that opportunity and took advantage. You see to beat the tall women of Montana State they needed to come out perfect in everyway and that they did, building a 19 point lead on hot shooting behind the arch by Charday Hunt and tenacious D of the team variety. On paper the Montana State squad was superior at every position.

As basketball is a series of runs the hard charging mountain gals came back with lazer sharp precision tieing the game with a 3 with single digit seconds on the clock. Most teams on a losing streak would have collapsed after squandering such a lead yet the hornets held their poise. With great focus at the charity stripe and a few drops left in the tank, they held on for the win. This proud father of one of the players was exhausted but content.

Best entertainment value in a long long time.

Support your local teams be it high school, junior college or Sacstate sports!

What makes Sacramento Press Great, An open letter to the editors and contributers

2009-01-03T20:07:17Z

Since the beginning I have been in a guarded state of well being since the creation of this format. An information via that brings usable and more important constructive data to me for my daily life. No school shooters mug plastered all over the front page raising my concerns that copy cat horrors might emulate from the daily fishwrap. Very little politico dogma and best of all hope for the future. For me this works and I am slowly getting addicted to what is happening here. Guarded as it is as I know todays reality and journalistic code is you must somehow shock your reader to attention. The gossip,scandal, blood and guts are designed to hypnotize its readers this bike advocate thinks.

Thus we have very few solutions to mans problems rising to the top.

So my open letter to the Sacramento Press is simply keep doing what your doing and try and refrain from the daily horrors of life on our mudball.

We need all the optimism we can get so leave the muckracking to that other media.

Yours truly,

John Boyer

Help is on the way; The grand opening of the new Sacramento Bike Kitchen

2009-01-02T18:01:00Z

Its party time come this Second Saturday. You see the Sacramento Bike Kitchen has a new center and we are throwing a grandopening party. The Bike Kitchen otherwise known as SBK is a nonprofit org(501(c)3) with the intention of keeping you on your bike and more importantly creating more advocates who create a more bike friendly community, one bike at a time.

Heres how it works. For a small fee you can have someone show YOU how to fix and maintain your bicycle. A sort of teach a man to fish philosophy. We survive on donations such as unused bikes and bike parts. Unused, tools, and bike stands are gladly accepted as well. 2 hats we are wearing is the recycler and educational center for all things cycling. We are made up of bike advocates who simply want to accelerate the bike boom in Sacramento. Less cars and more bikes will make Sacramento a happier place to be.

Safety classes, how to fix a flat, as well as how to adjust your brakes will be part of our tools in creating a better biking Sacramento. Your old parts will be recirculated into your community, creating affordable quality bikes on the streets which will intern create a demand for new bikes and so it goes. The only people that should fear us are the big box store owners who sell poorly made bikes that are not even fitted to the rider. (boy do we have stories)

Our new building is at 1915 I street, on the tracks between H and I The space is well, spacious with high ceilings. The exterior is Ivy covered industrial with a big roll up door.

So come to our grand opening this Second Saturday. Refreshments will be available. We only ask you to ride your bike and if you would like to, donate to the common good a bike that is just gathering dust . We will find someone who badly needs a good affordable mode of transport. Our help is yours.

See you at the party.

go to www.sacbikekitchen.org for more info

Old Sac a destination and meeting place for cyclists

2009-01-02T17:51:23Z

Working downtown out of Old Sacramento I am noticing a significant rise in bike traffic here. Be it a meating place and/or hub for riding the American River bike trail. Many do not know that this gem known as the American River Bike Trail ends or begins here depending on your POV. Rumours on the club scene are an organized ride from Old Town Folsom to Oldtown Sacramento are being planned.

It behooves the planners for old town to cater to cyclists as they bring cash and credit cards to old town. Cyclist by and large are quiet adding to Old town ambiance, dont polute and love Oldtown charm. Steamers coffee, a popular destination and resting spot for area cyclists have no outdoor seating as the price for permits are too steep at this juncture.

Why are the powers that be making it so hard on the businesses of oldtown to draw in tourism? There are also a few choice vacant buildings that wouldbe perfect for a bike shop. Anyone interested let me know here.

Bicycles vrs cars: How yellow journalism creates problems

2008-11-20T20:45:14Z

http://www.sacbee.com/740/story/1399234.html Its getting harder and harder to be heard since yellow journalism reared its ugly head.

YOU MUST HAVE CONTROVERSEY to sell fishwrap. Sorry for the loudness but its important to the above story. Might as well rename the article "how to create a mob."

You see day in and day out I'm amazed on how much kindness and room I get on my daily bike commute. Despite the cruddy roads we are given. Does that become a story? Nah no controversy in it! Doesnt rile up the masses!

Open letter to the writer of this piece Try finding a moment and writing about how great we are despite all our differences. How my daily commute is the thing I look forward to each and everyday and the fact we do share the road more and more everyday.

Yours,

John Boyer