A Tran's Bay Bike Shop: Cycling to Thrive

 I'm a local small biz owner

who brings the joy of cycling to the world! 

 Photo: Fotorebelxt Photography

 

Please help me share my joy by making a bike rental, cyclist's buy or bicycle repair purchase here with the convenient PayPal button, visiting A Tran's Bay Bike Shop for the highest quality bike repairs and service out there, and spreading the word.

I share content and information here that will be of interest to cyclists, transsexual people and allies, LGBTQ persons of experience, people who love the Bay Area and alternative transportation and much more. Excerpting posts with bloggers' commentary and linking to full articles is standard blogging fare. If you find you're offended by my linking to your content or don't want me to, please let me know by messaging me at Facebook or leaving a comment here.

Thank You So Much!

Tammy

https://www.facebook.com/atransbaybikeshop
www.TransBayBikes.com    
We Love BiCyclists! | Visit Us Online
~

Thanks to Janet Mock for sharing my story.

Thanks to Janet Mock for sharing my story.

 I'm a local small biz owner

who brings the joy of cycling to the world!

San Francisco to Tax ‘Google Buses’

• 
  

• January 6, 2014, 7:27 PM ET

San Francisco to Tax ‘Google Buses’

ByJeff Elder

AP

San Francisco will tax the “Google buses,” a little bit, anyway.

The luxury buses cruise the sometimes cozy streets of San Francisco’s neighborhoods, picking up and dropping off commuting techies. They’ve become symbols of the growing resentment around gentrification and rising rents in the Bay Area. Many companies  in Silicon Valley to the south pay for the bus service, but the derisive nickname “Google buses” has stuck.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced an 18-month pilot program Monday to charge the shuttle companies fees based on the number of stops they make in city bus zones. The shuttle companies would be charged $1 per stop, which the mayor’s office estimates will bring in approximately $1.6 million in total revenue for the entire pilot. That total is intentionally limited: State law limits such fees to the cost of providing a service or policy. So all of the fees will go into policing the program.

The city and Silicon Valley companies including...

Read more at the Wall Street Journal

Benefits of Strength Training For Endurance Athletes

Benefits of Strength Training For Endurance Athletes

There's a big misconception that circulates the endurance community. This false idea is the idea that strength training in heavy rep ranges and without any type of bosu ball will make endurance athlete's big and slow. Whether its runners, triathletes, rowers, or just about any other endurance athlete, it seems to be the prevailing notion that high repetition weight training and circuits are the only acceptable protocols to improve endurance performance through strength training.  And this just isn't true.

Exercise Economy

Exercise economy refers to the the metabolic cost of a given exercise. When an athlete runs or performs at a given speed there is a specific energy cost typically characterized by a relative percentage of the athlete’s VO2max. Simply said the harder the athlete is running the greater the cost. So if two endurance athletes are identical in all skills, qualities, and attributes, but one athlete is stronger, the stronger athlete will be able to produce the same levels of force, but at a lower energy cost and thus has better economy. It takes less effort relative to their maximum effort to perform each stride they make in the race. This means that if the two athletes were to run at the same speed the stronger athlete will be able to perform longer before they are exhausted, or if they both run for the same time the stronger athlete will be able to run faster for the given time.

Strength Doesn’t Equal Bigger

After reading the above paragraph, I’m sure some runners are thinking something along the lines of, “But lifting heavy weights will make me bulky and slow.” Which is understandable given that most people equate strength training with bodybuilding. But I’m not advocating bodybuilding. I’m advocating strength training. Low reps, heavy weights. This is the good stuff. Training in lower rep ranges will allow an athlete to develop strength without hypertrophy because the training is predominantly neurological. The athlete begins to learn to contract the working muscle groups with greater force and efficiency, getting stronger without getting bigger or heavier.

Read more at strongmadesimple.com

March 4 - March Forth Safely on Your Bike With Help From the California DMV

Sharing the Road (FFDL 37) - Safety Tips for Bicyclists and Motorists

(PDF) Version
Each year in California, more than 100 people are killed and hundreds of thousands more are injured in bicycle collisions. Some bicycle related crashes are connected to the bicyclist’s behavior, while others are due to the motorist’s lack of attention.

• Bicycle riders on public roads have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists, and are subject to the same rules and regulations. Refer to the California Driver Handbook to become familiar with these rules.
• Motorists must look carefully for bicyclists before turning left or right, merging into bicycle lanes, and opening doors next to moving traffic. Respect the right-of-way of bicyclists because they are entitled to share the road with you.

Four Basic Safety Tips

Here are four basic bicycling tips:

• Maintain control of your bicycle.
• Protect yourself–reduce the risk of head injury by always wearing a helmet.
• Be visible, alert, and communicate your intentions.
• Ride with traffic.

Maintain Control of Your Bicycle

There are many things you can do to control your bicycle, even in an emergency. First, ensure your bicycle is the right size and properly adjusted to fit you. A properly fitted bicycle is easier to control, more comfortable, and causes less fatigue. A bicycle shop can help you choose the correct size bicycle. Ensure your bicycle is in good working order by inspecting it regularly.
The California Vehicle Code (CVC) contains specific laws pertaining to bicycle riders. For example, it is unlawful to operate a bicycle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage or a drug (CVC §21200.5).
Convictions are punishable by a fine of up to $250. If you are under 21, but over 13 years of age, your driving privilege will be suspended or delayed for one year once you are eligible to drive.

Protect Yourself

Even a simple fall can cause a life threatening head injury. The brain is fragile and often does not heal the way that broken bones can. The damage can stay with you for life. Properly fitted helmets provide protection. By law, bicycle riders under 18 years of age must wear a bicycle helmet while riding on a public road (CVC §21212).
Wear your helmet per manufacturer directions.

Read the rest at the California DMV. 

Bike Safely!

xo,

  - Tammy

Go Get 'Em, Girl! Ava, Baby Skateboard In the GoPro Spotlight

Have a laugh and scoot along the beach with Ava, the super-cool, super-cute baby skateboarder!

Shot 100% on the HD HERO3® camera from http://GoPro.com.

America's Most Walkable, Cyclist-Friendly Cities

More people walk to work in Cambridge, Mass., than any

other large city in the country. Wikimedia Commons

The Most Walkable Cities and How Some Are Making Strides

Nationally, only a small fraction of people walk to work. But some cities' policy and planning efforts are making walking an everyday means of commuting. View data and maps for dozens of U.S. cities.

by Mike Maciag | 

 

Densely populated neighborhoods, commercial district city squares and multiple public transit lines all span the city of Cambridge, Mass., creating an environment ideal for walking.
The most recent Census counts estimate nearly a quarter of the city’s residents walk to work, far more than any other larger U.S. city.

Many localities across the country are continuing to push policies and planning initiatives aimed at making communities more walkable. Recent census figures depict a wide variation in commuting habits among the nation’s urban centers, showing some have done much more than others.

Read the Rest at Governing

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#Cyclist Friendly and Auto-Free: Check out Sunday Streets San Francisco!

Discover auto-free, cyclist-friendly fun at:

http://www.sundaystreetssf.com

Top 10 Post Bike Ride Rituals - Recover Like A Pro

Top 10 Post Bike Ride Rituals - Recover Like A Pro

Great tips for taking care of your bike--and better yet--taking optimal care of yourself.

Recover like a pro with GCN's Top 10 post ride rituals!

Off Roading on Segways? Why Not?!

"SegwayNM shows X2's and i2's Off road, jumping hills, going down stairs, dropping off ledges and more. Ever wonder what a Segway will do? Watch this video, and find out, these guys push the limit on a Segway."

How to Choose the Best Bike and Gear for Your Ride!

Biking is a fun way to get outdoors, get some exercise, and get around town, if you do it safely. Part of doing it safely is choosing the right bike for the terrain you'll ride on, making sure you have the right gear for your ride, and learning some of the basic rules and lingo required for a safe ride. This graphic from Greatist will get you up to speed on all of it.

Aside from outlining some good reasons to get out and ride, the graphic does a great job of breaking down the general types and styles of bicycle available and what type of ride they're best suited for. If you're planning on riding on trails and unpaved paths, for example, it's probably not a good idea to grab a fixed gear or a road bike. Even if you are riding on the road all the time, you may consider avoiding drop-bar handlebars on your road bike, especially if you're a beginning rider.

The graphic goes on to outline some of the basic gear you'll need, like a helmet, a good lock, reflectors or lights, and how much you should expect to spend on your ride. There are some basic road safety tips in there too that are important to review (and to review the laws in your state or city), along with a little lingo to learn if you're really planning on getting into biking as a pastime. Scroll down to check out the full graphic, or hit the link below.

Read the Entire Article at Lifehacker

Swedes Develop Invisible Bike Helmet

Leave it to the Women: 2 Swedish Women Develop Invisible Bike Helmet

 

You know what kind of sucks about riding a bike? Other than all that pedaling? Bike helmets. Sure, they keep that overrated "brain" from getting splattered, but they take a lot of the open-air-joy out of things, and they're not comfortable. A pair of Swedish women have developed a remarkable solution: the invisible bike helmet.

Tired of strapping ugly, uncomfortable styrofoam-and-plastic turtle shells to their heads, the pair came up with a pretty revolutionary solution that does manage to give you full head protection without, remarkably, wearing anything on your head.

I'd like to just come out and tell you the secret of how their Hövding helmet works, but this video does such a nice job of building suspense I kind of don't want to ruin it. So I won't post any pictures showing the operation, and don't follow that link to their site if you don't want to spoil a minor surprise.

Once you see how it works it all makes sense, and is a very clever solution that draws from a number of technologies that are well-established and familiar.3

Read the rest at JaloPink.com

Check out the video!

Trials Biking on the Streets of San Francisco

"Viral YouTube cinematographer Devin Super Tramp recently worked with Ford to produce a ride along video that combines BMX and parkour on the streets of San Francisco. The acrobatics were performed by a team of riders that included Tim Knoll, a BMXer known for his unusual gymnastic riding style.

"Watch as the team undertake a bevy of ridiculous stunts and tricks.
Read more at Hypebeast.com."

Discovered at Regrit

One to Watch: Kelly Crowley - Paralympic Games Champion!

 


One to Watch: Kelly Crowley - Paralympic Games Champion!

Kelly Crowley is a self-described: "Pro cyclist single-handedly shifting the balance of power! Born with...a love of sports. World champ, gold medalist, coach, writer, speaker." 

Visit her at: http://www.teamkelly.org

#itgetsbetter | #SanFrancisco Police Officers Video

     'It Gets Better' Video LGBT Officers Release Inspiring Message: San Francisco