Spring Bicycle Riders

David Gerstein belongs to a group of painters, all top craftsmen, whom you come across, and whose expanding body of work - increasingly filling the country - is worthy of close scrutiny.

Bicycle Boulevards, Northwest Side of Chicago

Many of you have provided valuable feedback about cycling in the Northwest Side of Chicago. Bicycle Boulevards has gathered some great information and is growing excited with the possibilities.

If you haven't had a chance to share your ideas for a neighborhood greenway, it isn't to late! If you've said all you care to say on the subject, then let's shift gears and talk about Protected Bike Lanes - they're not just for downtown anymore! We have some excellent candidates for Protected Bike Lanes on the Northwest side!

The ultimate goal is to build a network of bicycle lanes around the city that actually GO SOMEPLACE. No more signs declaring "End Bike Route"

Dunning Public Library 7455 W. Cornelia Avenue, 60634 Wednesday Feb 29 6:00 PM

Spring is coming...

Does your bike look like this? If so, bring it in on Wednesdays and Thursdays from Noon - 7PM, or on Friday and Saturdays from Noon - 5 PM. We do all kinds of repairs, at reasonable rates. You will get your bike road ready and when that first 60 degree day hits, there will be no more excuses. See you soon.

Bike MS

Love to bike? Hit the road with Bike MS on June 23rd and 24th and help bring us closer to a world free of MS! Be a part of Bike MS: Tour de Farms 2012, their 31st annual two-day bike ride along the beautiful backroads of DeKalb, Illinois (50 miles west of Chicago.) Select your own route length--up to 200 total miles!

The Best Damn Bike Tour in Chicago

The Best Damn Bike Tour in Chicago™ is coming spring 2012. Offering tourists of cycling abilities a revealing look at Chicago’s amazing transformation from mud-hole to metropolis, the Best Damn Bike Tour in Chicago™ is the Best Damn Bike Tour in Chicago.

Other tours take sleepy cruises along the Lake Front.
The Best Damn Bike Tour Chicago™ will take riders from the mansions of the turn of the century Elites, to the muddy banks of the River, under the city streets and through its narrowest alleys to reveal the amazing epic ascent and heart of Chicago.

The city’s magnificent skyline and lakefront will evolve as we traverse Chicago’s most scenic avenues.There will be no shortage of great views and you will learn the riveting tales of the men and women who shaped Chicago for better or worse. Learn of the great inventors and innovators like the Reaper King and the Merchant Prince of Chicago. As we stop at Chicago’s most imfamous spots you’ll hear the tales fantastic tales of the vice over-lords, two faced alderman, and rober barrons that onced ruled the City.

Interested? The Best Damn Bike Tour in Chicago™ will be offerered exclusively on the weekends. For booking information and reservations please contact chicagobiketour.com

Don't have a bicycle. Check our workingbikes.org

Active Transportation Alliance

02/29/2012
Chicagoland needs faster, more reliable, more frequent, expanded transit service. Our transit system should be moving forward, not backward!

Volunteer for the first Transit Day of Action to demand better transit!

The day starts with coffee and a call to action regarding transit funding. Then they will spread out to a few downtown train stops to pass out action alert flyers.

Wednesday, February 29th
7:30am-9:00am
Pritzker Park: at the corner of State and Van Buren, off the Harold Washington Library L stop.

To join, please RSVP to Brenna Conway, Brenna@activetrans.org

Happy Birthday George Harrison

What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you anytime of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed

Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side

February 25, 1943 - November 29, 2001

What constitutes a Community Bike Shop?

There are specific criteria:

Non-profit bicycle organizations
Bike shops that are accessible to people without money
Shops that have an educational focus, teaching others how to fix bikes
Shops that are volunteer run
Organizations that ship bikes to communities in other countries.
Shops that provide free or low-cost services to the community.
Organizations that recycle bicycles and parts

There are 100's of these organizations world wide. Check out bikecollectives.org
Check out the directory. Click on a country, a state, a city and it will take you to their website. I love the artwork that incorporates a bicycle theme and the name. Featured here is artwork for the Community Bicycle Organization Network, a bicycle incorporated into a tree, a tree of life. I will feature others in future blogs. Have a great day!

Village Bicycle Project

It is important to remember where the bicycles you donate end up. One of our partners is The Village Bicycle Project in Ghana, Africa.

Bikes provide power and opportunity, allowing people to lift themselves from poverty. Riding a bike is five times faster than walking, the only choice for millions of Africans. People with bikes get to schools, markets, farms and health care in one-fifth the time, improving their lives and economic futures.

And it appears goats enjoy the ride....

Fair Season Starts in March

GOING GREEN MATTERS COMMUNITY FAIR
Wilmette Community Environmental Fair to be held March 11, 2012. www.goinggreenmatters.org. Go Green Wilmette and the Village of Wilmette present Going Green Matters, Wilmette’s sixth annual green fair on Sunday, March 11th from 1 – 5 pm at the Woman’s Club of Wilmette, 930 Greenleaf Avenue.
Working Bikes will collect used bicycles in any condition for local and international bike projects. 312-371-4286.

Fat Tuesday Chicago style

Nothing says Fat Tuesday like gumbo - and it doesn't get any better than Lagniappe Creole Cajun Joynt on the city's South Side.


A Mardi Gras celebration wouldn't be complete without a bowl of gumbo, of course, but this traditional one-pot meal is more than just a stew. It is a symbol of the necessities of life in the bayou. At Lagniappe, a Creole-Cajun joint in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side, gumbo is practically a religion.

"Well it's very significant. Traditionally gumbo came about as result of people cleaning out their refrigerators at the end of the week. And it was a compilation of leftovers," said Lagniappe owner Mary Madison.

Madison begins by making a roux - always flour and fat - in this case, oil. They're cooked together, slowly, until the roux turns color. There are blonde rouxs and black rouxs, but Madison cooks hers until it's the color of peanut butter, then it's held until later. Chickens are submerged in a giant pot with water, then a flavorful soup is made by adding the "holy trinity" of celery, peppers and onions, plus dried seasonings like garlic, onion and bay leaf, plus Old Bay and Cajun spice.

Once the chicken is cooked, it's pulled out and the flavorful stock is strained. The roux goes in first, which will thicken the gumbo. Then the holy trinity again, along with fresh garlic; spicy andouille sausage is sliced into small coins and added. This is where patience pays off.

"We like for it to cook slow. Because the more you cook it in the slower it is, it brings the robust flavor out of each and every vegetable. It comes together better," Madison said.

File powder will help thicken the gumbo some more, and then the cooked, pulled chicken goes back into the pot. After another hour or two of slow-cooking, the gumbo takes on the hue of the original roux, and is thickened to a stew. Madison says it takes a long time to make, but it's just not Mardi Gras without her favorite dish.

"Got to have gumbo," she said.

Lagniappe Creole Cajun Joynt
1525 W. 79th St.
(773) 994-6375
cajunjoynt.com

Ellen Page

Juno Tuesday February 21st is Ellen Page's birtrhday?

Nice ride Ellen

Underground Railroad cycling route expanded

MISSOULA, MT (BRAIN) Feb 14, 00:01 MT—Five years after unveiling its 2,000-mile Underground Railroad Bicycle Route, Adventure Cycling Association on Tuesday announced the release of the final map section for the route’s new Detroit Alternate.

The 518-mile Detroit Alternate provides alternate routing, and a host of new historic sites, for cyclists traveling between Oberlin, Ohio, and Owen Sound, Ontario. Departing from the main route in Oberlin, the Detroit Alternate guides cyclists up through Toledo and Detroit, around Lake St. Clair, tracing the shoreline of Lake Huron before heading to Owen Sound.

“We’re thrilled to offer this new alternate route between Oberlin and Owen Sound. Cyclists can now experience even more landmarks and historically important communities along the Underground Railroad,” said Carla Majernik, Adventure Cycling’s routes and mapping director.

Thanks to Bicycle Retailer for this fine article

Cranks and coffee in Lakeview

A barista stands in Heritage Chicago, a hybrid bike shop and cafe. Lakeview's brand new bike/coffee shop, can be summed up in one word -- local. Owner Michael Salvatore, a fifth-generation Chicagoan, strongly believes in the power of locally sourced, family owned business.

His innovative shop, at 2959 N. Lincoln Ave., is truly mom-n-pop. Salvatore lives in the space above the cafe with his wife Melissa and his newborn son Bennett. A baby monitor sits behind the counter just in case the little guy needs some attention while dad is busy brewing.

(Taylor Ervin/RedEye)January 24, 2012|By Taylor Ervin, RedEyeThe ethos of Heritage Chicago

Cycle Messinger World Championships

CMWC 2012 Chicago

The 2012 Cycle Messenger World Championship will be held over the weekend of August 3rd–August 5th, 2012.

The venue for this year's Cycle Messenger World Championships:

Soldier Field Campus, Chicago Illinois

"Bicycle Dreams" Movie

Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at the ViaDuct Theatre, 3111 N. Western Ave., Chicago. Film screening at 7 p.m. followed by guest speakers from RAAM and after-party in lobby.
Tickets are $11 in advance ($10 plus $1 service fee) and $15 at the door the night of the show if any tickets remain.

Happy Valentine's Day

We love helping developing nations.

We love our volunteers.

We love our customers.

We love Working Bikes!

North of the Border

Thursday Feb 16th - 17th, 2012
7:00pm - 12:00am

Location
Riverwest Public House (ride meet), Secret Venue (show)
815 E. Locust
Milwaukee, WI

Sponsor: MKEBKE
URL: http://mkebke.com
Email: stevenroche@gmail.com
Phone: 4146304081
Google Map

Description: ‘MKEBKE Secret Show Series’ (hosted by MKEBKE & do414.com) w/ The Daredevil Christopher Wright (Eau Claire), Big Falls, and Loup.
“MKEBKE Secret Show Series is a monthly group bike ride that goes to a promoted show, but unannounced venue. The point of the ride is to have a fun, social event that promotes bicycle advocacy in the city, while being supportive and exposing people to other positive things happening outside the bicycle community.”
Link: http://mkebke.com

Wright Brothers First Bicycle Shop to be Torn Down

A building which was home to the Wright Brothers' first bicycle shop could be torn down after falling into disrepair.
The Wright brothers opened their first shop in 1892 in Ohio, before their pioneering flight.
The building in 1005 West Third Street, Dayton, was then taken over by the Gem City Ice Cream Company when the brothers moved to another location in 1893.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2098261/Wright-brothers-bicycle-shop-site-torn-down.html#ixzz1lzQpWNFs

What will your bicycle look like in the future?

Perhaps like this. Peugeot has established a long tradition of producing not only fine automobiles, but progressively designed bicycles as well. The Peugeot B1k Concept Bicycle is the latest and clearly the greatest in this tradition, a serious speedster with a range of next gen performance components. Its seat is raised higher than its joystick-style handlebars, its solid pedal-and-crank turns a chain-free rear wheel, and a carbonized construction means this bike weighs little more than a standard road bike. The Peugeot B1K Concept Bicycle may be what you will be riding in the future.

Vintage Beer Festival

On Saturday, February 11the from Noon to 5 pm, Delilah's hosts its Fourteenth annual vintage beer festival. More than one hundred beers, primarily strong ale and live beers, from over 50 breweries will be tasted - side by side, for the first time ever in Chicago - many in multiple vintages.

Regionally, Three Floyds, Goose Island, Capital, Two Brothers, Half
Acre, New Holland, Central Waters, Bell's & Lakefront Brewing will be
represented, and many of these brewers will be in attendance.

Strong ales have been traditionally brewed during and for the winter and
early spring months and are quite suitable for aging - often being
brewed a year before release. Many of the ales for this tasting will be
sampled in vintage with a few vintage verticals and there will be an
emphasis on barrel aged beers - the J.W. Lees Harvest Ale, for instance,
will be available from the 2004 vintage aged in used Lagavulin Scotch
Barrels. There will be a King & Barnes Festive Ale from 1997 plus ten
vintages of Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Barley Wine.

A very unique experience to sample all these strong beers together -
along with vintage dated brews including: Anchor Old Foghorn, Avery Hog
Heaven, Thomas Hardy's Ale, George Gale's Prize Old Ale, Scotland's
Skull Splitter, Portland Brewing Adam Barley Wine, Dogfish Head Immort
Ale, Trois Pistoles & La Fin Du Monde from Unibroue, Malheur Brut,
Capital Blonde Dopplebock - multiple vintages, Two Brothers Bare Tree
Weiss Wine, Maredsous 8, EKU 28, the French Belzebuth, Rogue Ales
Imperial Porter 2008. The cost is $20 for 20 sample tickets. Information
concerning each product will be available.

This tasting is a must. Feel free to call or email for more info.
(2771 N. Lincoln - (773) 472-2771)

Form Follows Function

Jordan Hufnagel is justifiably heralded for his bicycles, but this handmade brake lever deserves even more praise. Look at it — the lines are elegant, flowing, pleasing to the eye and likely even more pleasing to the fingers. Imagine what you’d remove or hone, polish or file — absolutely nothing. I can’t stop looking at it. It’s the kind of part you’d build an entire bike around, if you could find other components worthy of it

Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s quote is overused and rarely accurate, but in this case it couldn’t be more right:

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Mark Your Calendar

15th Chicago Bike Winter Art Show

Gala Gallery

Friday February 24, 2012 - March 9, 2012

Ghana Shipping Party - 2-11-12

Bikes provide power and opportunity, allowing people to lift themselves from poverty. Riding a bike is four times faster than walking, the only choice for millions of Africans. People with bikes get to schools, markets, farms and health care in one-fourth the time, improving their lives and economic futures.

Start: 02/11/2012 - 10:00am
End: 02/11/2012 - 4:00pm
We will be filling a container with bikes, etc., bound for our partners at the Village Bicycle Project in Ghana.

Bob Marley

Happy Birthday, Bob

A Chicago Original

Tuesday February 7th, 6:00pm-11:00pm

5 Rabbit Night featuring Randy Mosher at Northdown Cafe & Taproom
Join them for 5 Rabbit Brewery Night! They are featuring Huitzi, 5 Lizard, and 5 Vulture beer.

Randy Mosher, author and creative consultant for 5 Rabbit, will be in attendance selling and signing his books, including “Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink.”
Come early, drink late!

Northdown Cafe & Taproom 3244 N. Lincoln Chicago, IL 60657 northdownchicago.com

Portland Oregon Bicyclists' House Built For Two

Avid bicyclists who race nationally and internationally, Tim and Sue Butler began their new-home search looking for a place with a garage to store their bikes.

They ended up spending more than $1 million building a dramatic three-story wood-and-glass contemporary house with a roof deck far above neighboring roofs, giving them a 360-degree view of the city. A separate 600-square-foot "garage" houses their 22 bikes plus many extras a bike enthusiast might want, including a hot-water washing station for muddy bikes, a repair station, a sauna and a fitness room.

"We realized we wanted something different, said Tim Butler, 45, a financial analyst and master's-level bike racer. "But when we said different, we never imagined this," added Sue Butler, 40, a pro racer who has raced on the U.S. team

Super Bowl Pick

Tom Brady, his super-model wife, and family.

Since I couldn't find a picture of Eli on a bicycle, I'm going with the Patriots. Go Pats!

“When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.”

Emo Philips