The tree branch got stuck under my fender and completely bent the aluminum fender and warped the fender attachment (the wire to the left of the blue fender).
I've never had a bicycle with fenders so I didn't think about a tree branch getting stuck under my fender and essentially destroying it.
Now my bike has one less fender so I hope I can order a new one soon.
Consider this a warning: if your bicycle has a fender, watch out for tree branches!
I'm quickly discovering the limits to my Globe Live 3. It's not a beach cruiser so I didn't make much progress riding in the soft sand. But that doesn't mean we can't admire a beautiful winter sunset over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
My computer bag is a brown Fi-Hi stereo bag with built-in 3-watt speakers and amplifier.
The bag perfectly sits in the front basket of my Globe Live 3 to connect to the iPod on my handlebars.
Unlike my other speaker systems, this doesn't require me to carry any additional equipment since the system is built into the bag. The sound doesn't project too loud, but it's fine for riding on my own or with a few other people.
While enjoying the late afternoon light on a dock in the Bay, I couldn't resist playing a setting-appropriate song. One man I rode by complimented me on my "perfect song for the occasion."
I'm pedaling on the dock back towards AT&T Ballpark, the home of the San Francisco Giants. Then I turn right along the marina to enjoy the outdoor sculptures along the waterfront.
Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed that we haven't reached the mountaintop until more people ride bicycles.
Okay, not really, but The Martin Luther King Memorial at Yerba Buena Gardens is a lovely spot in the midst of a bustling part of San Francisco.
"No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. - Martin Luther King Jr.
On Saturday I took my Globe Live 3 to the SF Bike Expo.
The SF Bike Expo is almost everything you can possible imagine under the bike sun: part-swap meet with people selling used and refurbished parts and bicycles and part-expo with vendors selling the latest bicycles and accessories.
The route to Cow Palace is not the most bicycle-friendly with relatively fast-moving cars, but we had a group so we took the entire lane during most of the ride and became a relatively fast-moving, visible, music-grooving mass of bicyclists.
The bike ride was made even more fun since I was playing music from my sound system that was sitting in my Globe front basket. The music in the video was not edited into the video, but was actually projecting from the sound system hidden underneath my yellow Rickshaw messenger bag.
Before the bike ride to the SF Bike Expo, I stopped in Dolores Park to catch up with my friend Cindy W.
When we arrived at SF Bike Expo, we were greeted by smiling, friendly volunteers. Why wouldn't you be happy to be at the expo if you're a bicycle lover?
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition provides free, secure bike valet. In fact, I love that San Francisco requires that any event that leads to significant street closure or anticipates greater than 2,000 person attendance must provide secure bike parking within a one block radius from the entrance.
I never have to worry about anyone stealing my bicycle when I go to a major outdoor event in San Francisco when bike valet is available. Notice my Globe bike with distinct orange-colored helmet parked in the corner in a sea of new friends.
I just picked up my Globe Live 3 from Mike's Bikes.
It was great to see the other Live models in the store. I didn't notice any Hauls displayed but that's because one of the bike shop employees said the Haul already sold.
I think these Globe bicycles will sell quickly.
Below are initial photos of the bicycle. Notice I've already attached my Felt drink holder, my iPod bicycle mount, and my favorite "I ♥ My Bike" bell.
One of the many wonderful benefits of living in San Francisco is that it's one of the cities that New Belgium's Tour de Fat visits.
Every year the Tour de Fat organizers bring many wonderful bicycles for participants to try out. Riding these crazy bicycles, like the shoe wheel bicycle or the many-wheels bicycle, is one of the highlights of Tour de Fat.
I love the Ten Commandments of the Tour de Fat, especially the first two commandments:
"1. Put no means of transport before thy bike: Come by bike because not only are bikes fun, but they help stave off some of our most wicked ills: Traffic, laziness, and pollution. Tour de Fat has a solution: ride this day, every day, and definitely when Tour de Fat heads your way.
2. Honor all other bikes: All bikes are good bikes, and all those who ride them are good people. This is the one Bike Festival that cherishes bicycle diversity on our Cruise-ade through town."
This is my friend and bike advocate Janel, who is dressed tweed-style for a film featuring her performance group The Bay Area Derailleurs.
She usually doesn't wear a fake mustache. San Francisco Tweed is an increasingly popular bike ride for those who prefer a more casual, sophisticated, and well-mannered ride through the city.
Until I receive my Globe bike, I'll continue to regularly post photos of some of my favorite pedal-powered vehicles that I've seen in San Francisco, at Burning Man, or wherever my travels have taken me.
Here is the Stardust tricycle making a stop at the base of "The Man" at Burning Man.
Many bicycles made an appearance at Dias de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead festival.
Even the "dead" bicycle against oil wars. Click on the photo to see a larger photo image.
I don't know what kind of verbal exchange is taking place in the photo, but it looks like the pedestrian is yelling at the bicyclist that "you f$@#ing ran over my dead foot!"
This is my pink beach cruiser that I take to Burning Man every year.
For one week each year, the desert in Nevada becomes the temporary home to over 45,000 inhabitants.
One of my favorites aspects of Burning Man is that pedal-power is the primary mode of transportation in Black Rock City, the name of the town that springs up every year in the Nevada desert.
If you ever wonder what it would be like to live in a city where 80% of inhabitants ride bicycles, Black Rock City during the week before Labor Day is the answer.
I love that Burning Man specifically emphasizes: "Crummy is Cool. Do NOT bring a 'good' bike to the event. Dig: the desert will reduce a valuable bike to a rust bucket posthaste."
Bike parking and riding dominate the Burning Man desert landscape:
Yes that's my damaged front fender of my Globe Live 3. I've been riding my new bicycle everyday.
