A Very SkullTape Happy New Year!

As part of your New Year Ringing In Activities, stop a while and appreciate the glory of an all new Los Angeles band, SkullTape! They played a beyond sold out show at PehrSpace earlier this week. Behold & Happy New Year!

Double Rainbow over Los Angeles

Thanks @gabbat for the heads up on this double rainbow explosion over Los Angeles just now! I quick scamper up a soaked hillside offered a spendid view of the majesty of Iris & Sun Ra!

Last Minute Los Angeles Holiday Gift Guide

Pickle of the Month Club from Full Moon Pickles $40/month

One of the many benefits of being engaged to a foodie, is the abundance of tasty treats that come across my plate. Among the best is the pickled sorcery of Jen Smith. Her pickles arouse all the senses and bring nothing but joy and happiness to my taste buds.



STRiDA LT in Creme from FoldingBikeLA.com. $625

This bike cures L.A. traffic. The genius of the triangular frame is that it can quickly fold. In five seconds, you have a light, compact form that you can easily wheel onto a bus or subway, load in your car or stow by your desk in your office. Don't believe me? Just ask Jeana!



Le Mini Sac from Clare Vivier $169

Clare's the undisputed Bag Lady of Los Angeles, and it's a known fact! She's got you covered from this lil number to full bore weekend getaways. I'm getting one myself for use as a proper tool bag.



Silver fleur de lys cufflinks from Kathryn Bentley $120

Being a lover of all things ancient, I am completely obsessed by the handiwork of Kathryn Bentley. Her pieces look like they could have been unearthed during an excavation of a medieval silversmith's shop in a little hamlet near Newcastle Upon Tyne.


Epoisses Cheese from The Cheese Store of Silver Lake $22.99

This is one of the tastiest cheeses I ever had! Clare's husband Thierry introduced this to me last night and I cannot wait to get some for myself, though my kitchen will stink to high heaven. Who cares? Napoleon would approve.


Mohawk (Khaki Suede) Shoe from Generic Man $82

Doesn't every guy need a decent pair of shoes? This is the shoe. It's basic, or rather, generic, but has a little bit of flair. It dresses up and down, and you can't go wrong with a name like Mohawk.

See & Be Seen

Biking in an urban environment such as Los Angeles has many challenges. The one that makes me most nervous is not being seen by motorists. The most obvious solution is to have really bright bike lights front and back. But what about cars approaching from the side? As important as it is to have adequate lighting to see where you're going, it's also critical to be as visible as possible from all directions. Front and rear lights will only provide limited visibility to cars traveling perpendicular, ie at intersections. Intersections are the most dangerous places on the road, so this is where visibility is arguably most critical.



I had the opportunity to try out a novel new product called Reflecta-Tyre that makes your wheels into glowing circles of light. They're made by a company in Australia called Be Seen Reflective. From their website:

Reflecta-Tyre is designed to stick onto the actual bike tyre,so as not to interfere with brakes.this comes in 1 size that is designed to fit on all size wheels/bikes.
Reflecta-Tyre comes with 32pieces per pkt(16pieces per tyre,8 per side).Reflecta-Tyre usually needs replacing 12 - 18months, depending on riding conditions,frequency of bike use

These highly reflective little stickers pack a powerful punch! The faintest amount of illumination sets them blazing in the night. Mount them on your tires and they create Tron-Like circles of light when you ride at night, making you extremely visible to cross traffic. I'm stoked to have them on my bike and I hope I'll never know just how safe they're keeping me!

Learn more at BeSeenReflective.com

Tonight: A Fireside Chat with Stephen Box

Between company holiday parties and last minute gift buying, try to squeeze in this important event tonight. I'm hosting a Fireside Chat at Taylor De Cordoba with Stephen Box, candidate for Los Angeles City Council. Please pass this along to anyone you think might be inspired by Stephen's vision. There will be refreshments, wine and beer as well as an excellent exhibition of new works on paper by Kyle Field. I hope YOU can make it!

Fireside Chat with Stephen Box: Community Organizer - Transportation Activist - Candidate for Los Angeles City Council

Wednesday, December 15 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Taylor De Cordoba

2660 S La Cienega Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Stephen Box is a first-time candidate, newly-minted American citizen and a veteran of civic engagement, community campaigns and grassroots politics.

Seeking the fourth district seat, Box's “Moving Forward” campaign is a vision-driven, active solution alternative to traditional City Hall politics. You can learn more about Stephen's vision for Los Angeles at his website:

http://StephenBox.com/

Join us for cocktails, light appetizers & candid conversation on city politics.

We're requesting a $50 donation towards the Box for City Council 2011 campaign to get Stephen Box elected. Please make check payable to Box for City Council 2011 and write in the memo Campaign ID #1328214. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds, so if you can donate less or more, all your support is appreciated and welcome!

Some people asked me to provide additional informationa about Stephen's platform. It has 4 key features:

A Vision that Connects: The City of Los Angeles must make connectivity the foundation of our Great City commitment, from streets that work to engaging the public in City Hall, from partnering with neighboring cities to connecting with federal and state funding sources, it's time for Los Angeles to connect with its destiny as a Great City and CD4 is the place to start.

A Plan that Endures: The City of Los Angeles must bring its vision to life with a General Plan that endures. The people of L.A. can no longer afford to live in an environment where they are forced to sit by as growth follows the whims of outside developers. CD4 is attractive to developers for all the wrong reasons and it is imperative that the community grow according to a "plan that endures."

A Budget that Sustains: The City of Los Angeles must develop and implement a budget that is based on a commitment to the city's vision and plan. CD4 is an abundantly diverse community with a vigorous economy and it is imperative that the city's budget commit to supporting the quality of life with a commitment to performance, efficiency and effectiveness.

A City that Works: The City of Los Angeles must put people first, engaging them, serving them, and evaluating performance based on the delivery of city services. There is no better time than now for L.A. to move from a complaint-driven system to a standards-driven city, one that delivers on its vision, commitment and potential. Most of all, L.A.'s greatest asset is its people. It's time for the City of L.A. to make its priority putting people to work, starting with CD4.

If you're inspired to make a donation ($5, $500 or anywhere in between), and you're not able to come to the fundraiser on tonight, you can donate at his website:

http://stephenbox.com/contribute.html

or you can send a check to

Box for City Council 2011
5629 Hollywood Blvd.
P.O. BOX 44
Hollywood, CA 90028

Looking forward to seeing you all tonight!

-Alex

Schism in Los Angeles Critical Mass

While most Angelenos were figuring how they could stuff 3 plates of turkey into their pie holes, a dedicated and perhaps obsessive group of cycling enthusiasts were furiously debating the schism that has formed over the future direction of Los Angeles Critical Mass. On the Midnight Ridazz website there are at least 3 active discussions full of divergent opinions, various theories, ideas and strategies for tonight's ride. Also, there are 3 rides listed tonight called LACM, and 1 ride called Alternative to Critical Mass. On facebook there is the Los Angeles Critical Mass Event Listing.

Let me see if I can sort this out a bit.

It would appear there are at least 2 different rides tonight riding in 5 different packs.

The Alternative to Critical Mass will seek to have 4 different groups of riders observe all the laws of the road, riding in the right lane, stopping as required at all controlled intersections, and generally doing nothing to warrant a citation from LAPD.

Los Angeles Critical Mass will most likely be closely monitored by LAPD, which may or may not enforce CVC.

So the choice is yours. How are you going to ride tonight?

Alternative of Critical Mass meets tonight at Lafayette Park at Wilshire and Hoover at 6pm and rides at 7pm.

Los Angeles Critical Mass meets every last Friday of the month at Wilshire and Western at 630pm and rides out at 7:30pm

A day at the Los Angeles Auto Show

Yesterday I visited the Los Angeles Auto Show with my dad. Dad was interested in seeing the Porsche Cayman, a car he's been lusting after ever since it came out.




We discussed why Porsche hasn't yet placed a 600hp engine in that body, creating a mid engine super car. If they would, their 911 flagship would probably be spanked by this upstart, so, for now, you can only get 320 horses in the Cayman.



Dad even got to go back stage and view the Ruby Red color sample that would make for a fine looking car someday. Someday Dad!



Next I wanted to see the Fiat 500, and inquire as to its performance potential. Unfortunately, no one at the booth has even driven the car yet, so we'll have to wait.



The original Topolino was by far the cutest car at the show.



Plus my STRiDA made a new friend.



After that, we checked out a few other marks before Dad's interest level dropped and he took off. Luckily, I had my STRiDA and happily continued viewing the show, while people ignored the cars around them and asked me to transform my bike for them. Between STRiDA sales pitches, I saw the Nissan Leaf,



visited Subaru and Ford and got to have a nice conversation with the Dutch about their vision for Saab moving forward, which includes deprogramming all GM errors and returning the mark to Swedish heritage of hatchbacks that kick ass in the snow, perhaps even electric.



I also learned why Volkswagen won't be bringing the Corrado/ Scrirocco to the USA. With the exchange rate being where it is, that car would cost $80k in the US. I love me some peoples car, but not that much...



I also got to scold SMART for putting such a low tech engine in their forward thinking car, thus giving it fuel economy worse than a Prius with less than half the space. At least they brought a bike! It caught more than a few eyes as I was standing there.



I also got to scold Ford for not importing their euro-spec Focus with an advanced 300hp engine to the US.



Funny that an American car company hides their best cars in europe where Americans can't have them.



I have high hopes for So Cal based Coda and their all electric sedan that boasts better mileage numbers than Nissan's Leaf. Good luck boys, may the electrons be with you!

Oh, and here's some 4 wheeled candy that also caught my eye:

Jaguar's Concept Car







Morgan then and now





The ultimate driving machine



The best bang for your supercar buck, tried and true



Ballsy Upstart Suzuki is more than a flash in the pan



Tuner heartthrob Honda CRX 2010 edition



See the rest:

Riding around town

Some recent group rides I've been on:



Santa Monica Critical Mass





Taco Tuesdays





Ride With No Name







This coming friday is Los Angeles Critical Mass. There's been a lot of discussion about how the LAPD will be monitoring the ride. In the past few months, we have seen various strategies employed by LAPD ranging from rolling street closures and full escort to haphazard enforcement of CVC. This has resulted in many cyclists complaining of a lack of clarity on behalf of LAPD. Are they here to keep us safe and escort the ride or are they here to crack down on violations of the vehicle code? I think LAPD will attempt to bring greater clarity to what they are looking for LACM to provide in terms of compliance with CVC. Here's what I'd like to see happen:

LAPD fully enforce the following violations:

1. Crossing the double yellow
2. Tagging
3. Harassment by cyclists of pedestrians and motorists and vice versa
4. Unsafe riding, especially if it leads to injury of fellow ridazz
5. Blantant public consumption of alcohol and other controlled substances
6. Littering

LAPD turns a blind eye to the following violations:

1. Red Light Violations committed by the Mass, including cyclists stopping in intersections to control cross traffic
2. Bicycle Light and Brake Equipment “Fix It” citations
3. Helmet citations for minors

LAPD either assists the ride by providing rolling street closures or allows the Mass to "cork" intersections as they have done safely for many years in hundreds of cities around the world.

LAPD has recently offered some of these concessions if the route were to be made available to them. Critical Mass is inherently a group with no leader and routes are not preselected. Could there be a compromise between these two poles? Come out this Friday and find out. Be prepared! Bike Lights, Hemlets, Spare Tubes and an Understanding of California Vehicle Code are highly recommended!

What do you think? More importantly: What does your council member think?

UCI Cyclocross L.A. Weekend in Griffith Park!

I knew riding bikes was fun, but cyclocross ups the ante. This must be the funnest thing ever invented! Plus these riders have an amazing sense of humor. Behold classical chamber music at the top of a set of stairs!








There were many levels of competition from beginner to UCI Elite pro racers. Some rode single speed bikes, some rode advanced cyclocross bikes, some rode hard tail "29er" mountain bikes, but they were all having fun and going all out on this 1 mile course that included stairs, hurdles long uphill climbs and endless turns.





I tried riding it on Heather's Trance and with over inflated tires managed a 7 minute lap time. The fastest elite races rode the course in 4:58. Humbled, yes. Inspired, most definitely! As soon as I can find room for one, I'll be buying a cyclocross bike!













Ryan Trebon




Adam Craig




Chris Horner


Ben Bostrom

I know nothing about this sport, so forgive me for only recognizing Tour De France veteran and 10 place finisher Chris Horner decked out in Radioshack attire, as well as AMA Superbike Champ Ben Bostrom. These stars were no match for the pair of elite men at the front of the race, Adam Craig and Ryan Trebon, who put on a "clinic" in cyclocross 101, finishing well ahead of the rest of the field.








I did meet the mother of a young up and coming racer named Casey Williams from Big Bear. At 16 years of age, Casey has shown tremendous skill and potential and will certainly be a name to watch in the years ahead. He has a brother as well, and the two are very competitive, which reminds me of the Schleck brothers across the pond. American cycling is in good hands with these young men.

Thanks goes to the organizers of this event, So Cal Cross and the hard working series director Dorothy Wong, who's dedication and perseverance resulted in this amazing race in Griffith Park. I hope this is just the beginning of more competitive cycling events in Los Angeles. Thanks Dorothy!

Here's all my photos from both days:

Kyle Field and his Waxing Marks at Taylor De Cordoba

Last night, I met Heather at the gallery to finish installing and lighting Kyle Field's latest solo show, Waxing Marks. I have to say, it's one of the cleanest shows we've ever installed, and it's Kyle's best work yet. Ten jewels sparkle on the walls like little worlds full of wonder. He even made a video promo for the show which I was so stoked to put on YouTube!

It's really an honor to work with such talented artists like Kyle. He has such a great spirit and his creativity is contagious! I'm literally stopping myself from hopping on my bike, tuning Little Wings on my iPod and riding to Baja California in search of some tasty waves, warm sun and desolate pueblos to photograph.

Waxing Marks opens with a reception from 6-8pm this Saturday November 6th at Taylor De Cordoba.

2660 S La Cienega
Los Angeles

An Open Letter to the leaders of our City concerning the Los Angeles Bike Plan

2 generations of Los Angeles Native Cyclists enjoy CicLAvia on 10-10-10

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa, Council President Garcetti and all members of the city council not currently under criminal investigation (just kidding, you to Councilman Alarcon ;),

Let me start with you, Mayor Villaraigosa. It annoys me to no end that you broke your elbow in a bike accident, and now you aren't leading the charge to make Los Angeles a bike friendly city. All the research shows we could reduce pollution, improve health, improve commute times, improve business activity and realize the dream of making Los Angeles a Green City by adopting robust cycling infrastructure measures. You have a bully pulpit and yet you don't say anything inspiring at all. This bike plan totally sucks and you say nothing? Mayor Villaraigosa, are you hearing us? We're just asking for an improvement over 1996 plan, and actual implementation of said plan. This is a joke! We're not stupid! Don't insult us and insult yourself by remaining silent on this.

At least email the Planning Commission with your own private thoughts on this crappy bike plan if you're not man enough to say it in front of cameras!

Better yet, appoint the experts of BikeSide to be your personal bicycle advisors to whip this plan into shape! They have some excellent talking points here.

Eric and the rest of the peanut gallery, please please please wake up and listen to your constituents. We are demanding a safer Los Angeles, where the streets are not machines of danger, death, pollution and sorrow, but can serve to unite us. We will support you if you support us. If you choose not to, we will fight you with all our hearts, this I promise.

Your Watchful Employer,

Alex de Cordoba

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Los Angeles Critical Mass October 2010

Jen takes a spin with the rickshaw on Venice Blvd.

I am still sore from Critical Mass. In celebration of Halloween, I thought it'd be fun to decorate the shopping cart rickshaw I had made for CicLAvia and ride that around, with lights, flags and love. It worked! People were freaking out when I passed them with 10 feet of steel behind me. Drivers and pedestrians alike smiled and appreciated the Cyclists Bill of Rights flag flying proudly above my rig.

Critical Mass started off great but because of a few simple mistakes, ended up neither critical nor massive, but simply a few hundred riders in the bike lane on Venice Blvd. Critical Mass is only as good as the riders, regardless of police presence. By following a few basic tenants, we can keep the ride, safe, fun and most of all MASSIVE.

The major problem with the ride is the people at the front of the mass. They forget to stop at red lights when in front to allow the rest of the ride to “mass up” behind. They actually forget to wait maybe 2-3 signal changes so that all the stragglers that are 3-4 lights behind them have a chance to catch up. The gaps in the mass must be filled. Cars among massers is a big no no and leads to confusion and frustration. The cars stop at red lights, and the massers are left behind.

Since it's mostly young kids with little mass experience at the front, they forget about the 1200 people behind them and ride their hearts out, which, to use tour de france lingo, "explodes the peleton" and fragments the mass. If the riders in the front simply stopped regularly (no matter how slowly they thought they were going, the gaps would always come back together.

Some might blame the police riding with us for fragmenting the mass, but that's too simplistic. They did write tickets for running red lights and for riding without bike lights. (I'd rather see them handing out 99 cent blinkies instead of giving tickets.) I personally saw a few cyclists who were unable to follow the simple instruction to stay to the right of the double yellow line and I have no problem with the police citing cyclists for that. As for running red lights, this is our fault, not the police. If the riders at the front simply slowed down enough for the mass to be tight and continuous, there would be no way for police to enforce red lights against individual riders. The bike cops I spoke to agreed and wished they weren't in the position of having to enforce red lights against cyclists, but that's their job, and we shouldn't harp on them for doing it. We need to be better organized so that there is no way they can cite 1 rider.

Here's my plan for a better Critical Mass!

For Critical Mass to regain it's splendor with 1000+ riders, we're going to need a select group of "CM Deputies" to train riders at the front, keep them riding slow, keep them stopping at red lights and keep them respecting the Dos and Donts of Critical Mass. These deputies should have walkie talkies and be stationed throughout the ride, advising the front when a group gets lost at a red or makes wrong turn. I'd guess we'd only need 3 deputies at the front, 2 at the back and 3 in the middle to pull this off.

Deputies need uniforms, and weapons! Well, not weapons, but tools that convey authority, like patch kits and innertubes and tire irons. They also need lights, bright lights that blink front and rear. They need to look like police from the future, not robocopy but high techy.

So who wants to enroll in Critical Mass Academy? I nominate DancerALaMode, GraphikDeziner, JonTheLam! LosAngelesCM? You in?