Showing posts with label Biking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biking. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

CicLAvia: 10/10/10





Hey cycling peeps of LA. Dust off your bike and come on out to ride 7.5 scenic miles on the streets of LA on Oct 10, 2010 from 10am to 3pm. The 7.5 miles route will be completely shut down for social integration and no cars will be allowed. CicLAvia will be open to all walks of life including bikes, pedestrians, strollers, skateboarders, roller skaters, dance troops, dog walkers, street artist, etc. I hope we will bump into a breakdancing battle just like the old days with the brown paper cardboard on the pavement so the dancers can perform those fancy head spin moves. This is an experimental event just like the ones that was in NYC and Columbia where for a few hours, the city has rezoned the streets for the community usage and enjoy the area without cars. Wooo hoooo!


More info:
http://www.ciclavia.org/

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

ThinkCure! Bike Challenge | Sunday Nov 14, 2010


Photo of my dad and I in Saigon, Vietnam circa 1975 chillin’ on his baby blue Vespa


The Lams have experienced 3 very tragic cancer episodes and have lost our love ones to this terrible disease. We have lost our Grandma, my father and just this past weekend our auntie Anh to cancer. This is a very sad week for the Lams, but it is also a bittersweet feeling knowing that the scientific cancer research community is gaining grounds in search of a cure for cancer for future generations. We feel so helpless witnessing our love ones in the hospital being consumed by cancer and ThinkCure! Bike Challenge is one way we can empower ourselves and help fight the battle against cancer.

To celebrate their lives, our studio has formed Team Lam to help support this cause and we hope you will find it in your heart to help this wonderful cause with your generous donation. Better yet, come join in the fun with Team Lam and ride with us to help raise more money for this cause. Any amount is appreciated. We are hoping to raise $500 and know that we can make this goal in no time. Please help us spread the word and copy the link below to your friends and help us raise our $500 goal for this wonderful cause.

Team Lam's ThinkCure! donation site: http://www.thinkcure.org/goto/teamLAM

click here >> to Join Team Lam



Q&A's

1. What is the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge?

ThinkCure! Community Ride is a 22 mile bike ride of family-friendly fun. We will cruise on the 110 freeway into Pasadena and ride on their beautiful streets and then finish the ride at Dodger Stadium. There will also be a Metric Century (63 miles) and a Century (100 miles) ride also happening on the same day.

2. When is the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge?

All three rides take place on Sunday, November 14th, 2010, while the ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival will begin Friday the 12th and run through Sunday the 14th of November. They'll start in the early morning, but sign up for emails and check back later for exact times!

3. Who is ThinkCure!?

ThinkCure! is an innovative, community-based nonprofit that raises funds to accelerate collaborative research to cure cancer. They rely on community support, calling on everyone in the community to get involved and make a difference in the fight against cancer. ThinkCure! is the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers and has already donated over $600,000.00 to the fight for a cure since its inception in 2007.

4. How Much Does it Cost to Enter the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge?

There is a $50 activation fee along with a $50 minimum fundraising commitment for the 22 mile Community Ride and a $100 activation fee and $1500 minimum fundraising commitment for the other two Challenge Rides. The ThinkCure! Bike Challenge is a community fundraiser to fight cancer, not just a cycling event.

5. Is there a Fundraising Requirement?

Yes. The Community Ride’s minimum fundraising requirement is $50 while both Challenge rides have a fundraising minimum of $1500. This is in addition to the activation fees. The main focus of the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge is to raise money to fight cancer through collaborative research at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

6. Is The ThinkCure! Bike Challenge a Charity Event?

Yes. The proceeds from the ride will go through the ThinkCure! grant process, which gives the money to collaborative cancer research at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope.

7. What happens if I don’t meet my fundraising minimum by the recommitment date?

If you have not reached your fundraising minimum by our recommitment date, ThinkCure! will notify you and charge your credit card the remaining balance. Riders can continue to fundraise up to December 14th to reach their goal and ThinkCure! will refund the previous charge to your credit card.

8. Are donations tax deductible?

Yes. As a 501c(3) charity all of your donations and your supporters donations to ThinkCure! are tax deductible. Activation fees are not tax deductible.

9. Where will the ride take place?

All three rides will begin and end at Dodger Stadium and will leave via the historic 110 Freeway. The Community Ride will loop through the beautiful City of Pasadena before heading back to Dodger Stadium. The Metric Century Challenge ride will skirt the base of the San Gabriel Mountains before heading back to Dodger Stadium while the 100 Mile Challenge Ride will go over the top of the challenging Glendora Mountain Road.

10. Do I have to wear a helmet?

Yes. Safety is our first priority so helmets are required for all participants. To learn more about bike safety be sure to attend one of the bike safety seminars at the ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival.

11. How old do I have to be to participate?

Riders must be 18 to participate in either Challenge ride. The Community Ride is open to adults and children 10-17 with parental permission. Children 9 and under must be accompanied by an adult with either a bike trailer or bike extensions.

12. Is this a race?

No. The ThinkCure! Bike Challenge is a ride designed to get the community together to support the fight against cancer. There will be no timing and aggressive dangerous riding is not allowed. While many of the roads, including the 110 Freeway, will be closed, all riders must still follow the rules of the road and challenge riders must be aware of traffic on open roads.

13. What type of bike would be best for the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge?

Any bike in good and safe working order will be fine for the 22 mile Community Ride. The Challenge rides will offer more difficult terrain and a longer day in the saddle. A multi gear road bike would be the best choice but even a mountain bike will do.

14. Can I listen to an iPod or use a cell phone during the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge?

No. In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone using headphones or riding while distracted by your cell phone is strongly discouraged. This is a community event. Take the time to enjoy the ride and get to know the riders next to you!

15. Should I bring a water bottle?

Yes. In fact, Challenge riders should bring 2. Hydration is perhaps the most important consideration when spending a day on the bike and there will be many pit stops along the route to refill your bottles.

16. What will be available at the Pit Stops?

Pit Stops will have stations to refill your bottles as well as nutrition provided by ThinkCure! Bike Challenge sponsors. You can also expect to see fruit, pretzels, PB&J Sandwiches as well as other snacks. There will also be designated Lunch Stops with sandwiches and additional healthy foods.

17. Can my family or friends support me from a personal SAG vehicle?

No. Personal SAG vehicles are not allowed to ensure the safety of all participants. The definition of a personal SAG is any non-staff motor vehicle that is providing any type of aid, assistance, or motivation to any rider.

18. Are Tandem Bikes welcome on the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge?

Yes. Tandems are very welcome. Just remember, fundraising is per person not per bike so both riders will have to pay their activation fee and meet the minimum fundraising requirement for the ride they have chosen.

19. Is bike storage available at the ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival?

Yes. Bicycle Valet will be offered at the ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival.

20. How can my Friends and Family who aren’t riding support me during the ride itself?

The ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival is free open to the public to allow your friends and family to be there to cheer you on as well as take advantage of the vendors, informational seminars, and health food. Your friends and family can also volunteer to make the ThinkCure! Bike Challenge a safe and successful event for everyone. Send an email to volunteer@thinkcurebikechallenge.org for more information.

21. What Vendors will be at the ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival?

Brands that put a priority on Health & Wellness will be there to share their knowledge and products with everyone at the ThinkCure! Health & Wellness Festival. Check back for a complete list of Vendors in the near future as the festival takes shape.


Check out one of ThinkCure! Ride Challenge upcoming information meetings for all of the details on their upcoming Training Program!

Thursday, July 8, 2010
Pasadena Cyclery
1670 East Walnut Street
Pasadena, CA 91106
7:00-8:30 PM

Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Bay Shore Neighborhood Library
195 Bay Shore Ave
Long Beach, CA 90803
6:00-7:00 PM

Thursday, July 15, 2010
REI-Manhattan Beach
1800 Rosecrans Ave
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
7:00-8:30 PM

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
REI-Santa Monica
402 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
7:00-8:30 PM

For info:

thinkcure.org

Team Lam's ThinkCure! donation site: thinkcure.org/goto/teamLAM

To join Team Lam email our studio at info(at)stevenlamphotography.com

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Topeak TrolleyTote Folding MTX Rear Bicycle Basket








We found this amazing cute little darling Folding cart from Topeak, famous for their MTX QuickTrack quick release system and this cart just totally adds another dimension of fun to our urban biking lifestyle. This cart is a nice modern reinterpretation of the old school milk crate that have been made famous by DJ's all over the world using it to store their prized vinyl collections. In this modern remix of the cart, it is much smaller in size (13.4” x 17.4” x 10.1” when open) compared to the milk cart but is totally has more spunk, full of personality wit with it's numerous ingenious design details.

We really appreciate the well thought out design and aesthetics of this cart. First off the telescoping handle is very smooth. Once the handle is pulled all the way up it locks in place nicely. Problem is when you collapse the telescoping handle back down it does not lock in place so you won't be able to carry the folding trolley with it's handle (a minor design flaw that I hope will be revised on the next generation). The folding and expanding of the cart is beautifully engineered to perfection. the plastic used feels very sturdy and there are two additional items inside the walls of the cart that allows you to strengthen the cart once it is fully open. On the two opposing folding walls, there is a yellow sliding locking mechanism which will slide to lock both wall panel to prevent accidental folding of the wall. There are also two removable 4 inches caps that you can lock the tops of the same opposing folding wall's rim to keep it's sturdy structure nice and rigid. The wheels are very smooth. One other design oversight that would be great to implement on the next generation is having the proper size holes on the bottom part of the 4 walls to accommodate the cargo net hooks for a quick and easy hook and release. At the moment the cargo net hooks is a bit tedious to latch onto the cart but it's not a deal breaker. Despite the minor design flaws, it is still the best cart available on the market working with Topeak's QuickTrack rear bike rack on our frequent trips to the local grocery store and farmers market. The basket will even fit a small camera bag nicely for my digital SLR. On my recent grocery trip to Fresh and Easy, I was able to fit 4 bags of carrots, 2 bags of celeries, a bag of onions, a bag of nectarines and my bike lock nicely. The trolley sits a few inches away from the seat and the cart has enough clearance from our butt while riding which means Topeak actually have field tested this product for real life usability and functionality, kudos to the R&D and design team! The Topeak TrolleyTote Folding MTX Rear Bicycle Basket is a joy to own and it is the perfect companion for all outings.

Please note that you will need to have the Topeak MTX Explorer rack to use the folding basket in order for the basket to sit securely on the rack. Using this basket on universal rear bike racks is highly not recommended.

Specs:

Capacity 25 L / 1525 ci

Added features: Foldable Frame, Telescopic Grip, Trolley wheels, Clip for tail light, Optional Cargo Net

Size (L x W x H):
34 x 35.8 x 14.2 cm
13.4” x 14.1”x 5.6” (Folded)
34 x 44.3 x 35.8 cm
13.4” x 17.4” x 10.1” (Open)

Weight: 1800 g / 4 lbs

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Biking Safety + Fun

May is the official Bike to Work month so we thought we would share a few nifty bicycle accessories to keep you safe on the road and having fun during your ride.

One of the most important thing when you are riding your bike with friends is not having the proper communication tools, instead we find ourselves yelling out warning and instructions like make a left at the next light, etc. Well BlueAnt has this clever device that you can finally talk to each other via bluetooth called interphone. There are two modes, you can either sync to pair your headsets so you can talk to each other while riding or when you're riding solo, you can have it synced up to your iPhone via Bluetooth as well. Although we use the interphone originally for scooting around town on our electric scooter. We repurpose the interphone system for our bicycle riding helmet and it works like a charm. The Interphone is incredibly helpful when riding in groups or in pairs. Being able to communicate with each other is vital while riding to avoid those pot holes, warning other riders of emergency stops, etc. Since the actual interphone unit is detachable, we order two extra mike boom accessory kits and rigged it up on our bike helmet in no time. Come to think of it, this would be sweet on my snowboarding helmet as well. P.S. BlueAnt also has a great little bluetooth Speakerphone device called Supertooth 3 for the car and it works seamlessly for those who wants to have the hands free driving experience without wearing a bluetooth ear or headset. The battery will last up to two weeks on standby mode and the unit will automatically sync to your bluetooth enable cell phone like the iPhone when you get in your car without even taking your iPhone out of your bag. How's that for convenience!



The other product from iHome that is a must have for all music lover is the iHome2go iPod Speaker System. This is a safe and effective way to listen to your iPod while riding your bike. The housing of the speaker is made in the shape of a water bottle and it also holds the iPod inside nicely protecting it from all the shock that you put through during your ride. Speaker is decent, good quality sounds. Best part of the iHome2go ipod speaker system is the wireless remote control that can be attached to your handle bar to control your iPod (Stop, Play, Next Track, Previous Track and volume up and down). This little guy has made our rides around town so much more enjoyable. And we always get a kick out of people staring at us wondering where the music is coming from.

Happy trails...




Blue Ant Interphone Bluetooth intercom system. New generation F4



Blue Ant Interphone Bluetooth intercom system (first generation) on a motorcycle helmet



iHome2go iPod Speaker System


Attachment on bike to hold the speaker, carrying case, wireless remote for the handle bar sitting on top of the speaker cover (protects the speaker when not in use)

Metro 2nd Annual Downtown LA Bike Ride 2010



Today was the 2nd Annual Downtown LA Bike Ride sponsored by Metro for Metro Bike Week LA. We heard about the fun 4 miles ride looping around downtown LA and thought this is gonna be so much fun being able to ride with other Angeleno cyclists. We started the day by heading out to Olvera Street in Downtown LA from Eagle Rock. Thank god Eagle Rock is a bike friendly town, because without all them lovely visibly marked reflective bike path lanes plastered all over town, us bikers would have a hard time trying to share the lane with those speedy drivers. Especially during peak traffic hours. Boy I tell ya some of these drivers are on auto pilot and totally do not have a clue about bikers they are sharing the streets with. Thank goodness team Lammie Pie had our bright flourescent riding jackets on. One hour later we arrived at the starting line and we were pleasantly surprised to see at least 75 other bikers, Metro staff and other local press and journalists joining in the fun. At 8:30 am we started off from Olvera Street / El Pueblo up to Civic Center, then through the Financial District to the Historic Core trekking down into Little Tokyo / Arts District and back to Olvera Street. The best part of the ride was having the LAPD Rampart Division bicycle police escort and stopping traffic through out the path as we tour the streets of downtown LA. We all did the 4 miles loop around Downtown LA in 30 minutes. A wee bit fast, but heck it was totally worth it. We met alot of wonderful people and also made a couple of friends along the way.

A big thank you to LAPD bicycle division, Metro and The City of LA for supporting this event. We had so much fun and will definitely be back for next year's ride. We hope everyone will catch on next year and join in for the fun festive ride. Heck maybe some one will be getting marry during the bike ride next year, we would love to shoot that wedding!

Psst, want more info on our bike accessories? Click here.

More info and blogs about today's ride:

2nd Annual Downtown LA Bike Ride 2010 route

Metro / The Source

LA Streets Blog

Photos on Flicker by photographer Rubin Carter

KTLA video news coverage

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Acura LA Bike Tour 2008



21 Miles later...Yah!



4:15am at the starting line...Brrrr



Glad we made it to the finish line



Oh no, man down



Once a year, the streets of LA gets shut down for the Acura Bike Tour, 5K Run and the big kahuna of them all, the LA Marathon.

Here's our two cents of the event. Woke up at 3am way before the crack of dawn, WTF!! Yeah, we didn't even know what we got ourselves into. Wifey almost wanted to kill me when she found out the wake up and start time...yikes! So we ran through our check list: We got our bikes tuned up, got our gloves (muy importante), windbreaker, helmet, bibs for our shirt, bike and helmet, water bottle, power bar, cash for parking, directions, all checked. And we're off!

Fireworks and the bike tour start gun goes off at 5:45am. It's way too early and cold (50 degrees) for us to make sense of this all. Thank goodness our adrenaline was in full throttle.

What's great about the Acura Bike Tour IS NOT A RACE! I repeat, THE BIKE TOUR IS NOT A RACE! It is purely for enjoyment purpose and a chance for all bikers of all skill levels to unite and ride together on a route through LA. Beginners are totally welcome. The minimum speed you have to maintain is 9 mph and you're set! Easy.

This is our first year at the Acura Bike Tour and man despite the early am traffic, parking congestion and of course the 21 miles bike ride. It was all worth it. Yupe, we are officially hooked. This is one of those event that just can't be missed if you have a wee bit of that bicycling spirit in you. The thrill of riding with an estimated 15,000 fellow bike enthusiast is reason enough for us to be here. The icing on the cake is being able to tour the various part of Los Angeles with no cars on the streets, that is absolutely priceless. The bike tour allowed us to rediscover the city again at a slower pace and it was such a pleasure. Places we've been and would not dare be in at the wee crack of dawn. With the streets closed off to autos, giving us the privileged to ride and appreciate the natural raw urban beauty of this city is just way too cool of an experience to pass off. Too often we tend to drive hurriedly from point A to point B with blinders on and missed all of the nuances in between our journey. This tour really gave us a chance to feel the heart beat of LA in the flesh, uninterrupted, unfiltered, traffic free, smog free and 90% people free! Nothing but you and the spinning sounds of wheels hitting the pavements, that's it. No honking, no road rage shouting matches, no sirens, no machinery or factory sounds. Just us and the city! Wow, what a day! We were also lucky enough to have our family there for support at the finish line.

We hope we will be lucky enough to continue this tradition annually and join our fellow Los Angeles bikers from all walks of life, nationalities and ethnicities. From kids to elders, this event is a must if you call yourself Angelinos.

Okay, now you wanna ride, what to do. Well the official website sucks.
The website do not have any specific details or giving you any other options to sign up except through their website which they charge an online registration fee on top of the Bike Tour registration fee. This event is organized by Divine so the website is a bit self serving to help generate addition cashflow for them. My advice is to wait and drive down to the Life Expo which takes place at the LA Convention Center during the two days prior to the Marathon and Bike Tour event day. This way, you can save some money from the online registration service fee hacked by Divine. Even if you sign up online and pay for the convenient service fee, you still have to drive down to the Life Expo to pick up your goodie bag which will have your bib and race's number and instruction, route map, etc. Therefore, save yourself a few bucks and just head down to the Life Expo, wait in line a bit and then just register and pick up all of your goodies all in one stop. Make sure to go and register early if you want to grab your free t-shirt in small sizes. Otherwise, by the last day of the Expo, all they have left is Large sizes.

IMPORTANT
Please note that The Marathon and Bike Tour route might share route but they may not have the same starting and ending location. This changes so make sure to read up ask all of these important questions at the registration desk at the Expo including parking location, very important. For the bike tour, make sure to get there a couple of hours early if you can to avoid traffic from the freeway exit and into the parking lot.

I've added addition links below since it is so hard to find any info for the Acura Bike Tour due to the overshadowing by the LA Marathon event.


Acuralabiketour.com

Facebook Acura LA Bike Tour

Not Bike Tour related but have some really helpful biking articles

Myra VanInwegen's Bike Articles