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The Rider’s Eye

dcrites — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:34:48 +0000

In our recent mailer, SF Urban Riders were urged to send in their views, their thoughts and their opinions. The first response was by our very own Rezz, an invaluable supporter at many a trail day, and a rider who knows how to get the most out of the trail without having to purchase the latest, snazziest components. Often seen passing roadies riding 5000 dollar carbon chariots up towards Sutro while pedaling his flat pedaled 80’s mountain bike w/ plastic storage buckets on the rear, Rezz is a fine example of an SF Urban Rider. Not to mention a fine photographer.

In his own words, “These are from Mt Tam in May, featuring the rarely seen mating dance of the amorous Turkey Vulture, followed by Lake Del Valle near Livermore.”

-reZz

McLaren Outreach Project

dcrites — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:41:54 +0000

In an effort to better get to know our Neighbors and fellow users in McLaren Park, this last Sunday, SF Urban Riders set up a free bicycle repair area in McLaren Park. We got to meet lots of great people, and better yet, were able get some kids stoked on riding their bikes. Lots of smiles were had, lots of food was enjoyed, and we certainly left with the feeling that we should get out there and do it again. Stay tuned for the next outing.

Bike Build – Thank you!

Mo — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:05:35 +0000

A great many thanks to the volunteers that came out to our bike build, and unpacked bikes.

They built a small army of bikes,

smiled in the sun, wearing beautiful, matching tshirts,

All so moments of beauty and raditude could happen.

Group Rides Every 3rd Sunday

Dan — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:38:27 +0000

Lets get together shall we? Enough of this working business. Time to invest in your sanity, throw a leg over a mountain bike, get ready to explore, and come out and ride with us.

The THIRD Sunday of every month, we will be meeting anyone who’d like to come and ride. The rides will be geared toward intermediate riders and up in both skill level and physical fitness. Most rides will have a ‘Bail Out’ option , but expect them to be strenuous and challenging – lasting about 3-4 hours. We will have a loose itinerary and the destination will be up to those that show and the weather on tap. SFUR promises good off road adventure, good people, and good fun. Heavy rain cancels

TIME DATE START LOCATION

9am May 16th Arizmendi Bakery – 9th, between Judah and Irving

9am June 20th Precita Park, Corner of Folsom and Precita

9am July 18th McLaren Lodge, 501 Stanyan street

After all, when it’s all said and done, it’s all about riding your bicycle. We hope to see you out there.

Bikes Flying Everywhere!!!

dcrites — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:50:39 +0000

Happy to say that the RideSFO expo was quite a success. SF Urban Riders extends a great hearty thank you to everyone who bought a raffle ticket, everyone who came out, and everyone who stopped by our booth to offer words of support and thoughts.

Through the community’s contributions, we were able to raise about $900 selling raffle tickets for a Dirt Jump bike donated by Marin. Half of the money goes to SFUR and the bike park, and half will go to the winner of the AT’s DJ comp, Cam McCaul (center). That crazy, high flying guy.

We set up the Triple Feature, or “Triple Threat” as it has been called by some. As usual – a skills based bicycle feature was erected, and fun loving folk flocked to it, smiling, laughing and concentrating in no particular order.

Our booth had maps on display of the proposed Mclaren skills park and GGP trails, two of the major projects that SF Urban Riders are making forward progress towards.

We talked to a ton of folks, handed out cards, got names and
emails for our email list and SF Dirtlab DJ’d and MC’d the event. And now for a picture worth thousands of words. Did we mention there were big jumps?

Mapmaker mapmaker, make me a map…

dcrites — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:56:48 +0000

Want to see what we’re dreaming of? What we’re going to rally public support for? SF Urban Riders is still in preliminary discussions about the details with SF RPD, but the proposed location has received tremendous initial support. Meanwhile, Dustin Smith and Mitch Monroe have developed a first draft of what we see evolving into some world-class bicycle skills features within McLaren Park.

Click below to have a look at the proposed Mclaren Bicycle Skills Park!!! Just as some folk can remember the days when San Francisco had no skate parks, one day people will strain to remember when McLaren Park wasn’t home to an amazing bicycle skills park.

Don’t Ride Naked. Buy our T-Shirts.

dcrites — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:47:45 +0000

Fresh off the silk screen, we just got in some stylish new threads for all those that love off road cycling in and around San Francisco. This Saturday will be your first chance to buy these t-shirts. Know that all funds will go to support our advocacy efforts and raise funds for more trailbuilding and the eventual installation of a San Francisco Bike Park.

Come out to our work party on National Trail Day, June 6th, from 9am-1pm at the Woods Lot @ Mt Sutro. We’ll help you get your old shirt dirty while building some great trail, and you can buy a nice new SFUR shirt afterwards. Or buy a new SFUR tee and roll in the dirt with it. The choice is yours.

Putting the ‘Ride’ in Riders

Peter_D — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:11:48 +0000

After a hard day of trail work, SF Urban Riders led a Sunday off road Adventure through McLaren Park. Accompanied by the IMBA trail care crew, the purpose was to educate the fellow riders about the impending Trail Projects in the Park and how those relate to the needs of the cycling community.

Not only did we have Jason and Inga, but lots of the folk who had attended the training and trail work on Saturday came along for the ride on Sunday. In total our group had 27 riders of good spirit and ability.

We gathered at the Crocker Amazon skatepark. While we waited for the stragglers (you know who you are) we took a leisurely circuit on the Pilarcitos cyclocross course, stopping to take in the view of San Bruno Mountain where we would later be riding. Once we had the full crew we set off for the grind up South Hill Blvd. and then a circuit of lower San Bruno Mtn. County Park. We stopped off for a break and photo-op at a vista point looking north back at Crocker Amazon.

Coming out of the park, we crossed Guadalupe Canyon Parkway and took a nice bit of single track/fireroad back toward the Cow Palace. That short stretch took its toll on the hardware, with one broken frame and one flat tire. Fortunately, when you’re on bikes some kind of entertainment is always at hand. A long stretch of freestanding curb served as a skinny to challenge the waiting riders.

We finished the ride back to Crocker Amazon with a high speed pavement section down Carter Ave and then set off over to the adjacent McLaren Park. We followed a clockwise route around the park, first up to a vista point at the water tower, then on trails to the Jerry Garcia amphitheater, and then back up and over Mansell to the old BMX track. The track’s heyday was in the 1970 – 80’s. The big sweeping berms are still there, but long gone is any family activity which was so prevalent during its BMX days.

As we pedaled north parallel to Mansell, we looked down on the web of singletrack that has built up over the years on the hillside above the Gleneagles golf course. It looks inviting, but we’re not headed that way today. Instead we continue on until the roadside trail pinches in at the quarry above the water tanks.

Here we found a secluded bicycle play spot with drop offs, some jumps and a few bermed turns. Not everyone was up for this sort of riding, but we soon had six or seven riders trying out the features. One of our woman riders (Becky) took the lead on a big drop, followed by some of the seasoned freeride hands and then several other riders slowly worked through the visualization process and took the plunge. One rider went a little too big on the lower hip jump and landed “off by inches”. The result was a bit dramatic, but after a careful inspection by a wilderness first aid responder in our group, he was back at it in no time.

From the quarry, we proceeded down a nice bit of singletrack to the main path and back over to Crocker Amazon. That was about it for the ride. It was great to share it with our friends.

It certainly won’t be the last day we get together to enjoy the flow, friendship, and beauty that comes from riding a bicycle through trails and trees. Stay tuned to this site for mention of upcoming group rides and events. Thanks to Ruedyshots for the keen eye and swift shutterfinger.

Seattle leads the way with the I-5 Colonnade Bike Skills Park

Jason VH — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:24:26 +0000

When the I-5 Freeway was constructed through the city of Seattle, it effectively split parts of the community into halves. The no-man’s land underneath the freeway became a place no one would want their children to come near as it was problem area, with rampant drug use, prostitution, garbage littered everywhere.

: Inga Beck of IMBA rides a fun rolling ladder feature at the Colannade in Seattle. Image courtesy of Jason Van Horn www.ihatebikes.net

That all has changed at the Colonnade, thanks to the efforts of their local bike club, the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance.

While it was something that didn’t happen overnight, through their dedicated efforts and the aid of the community, they succeeded in creating a major success story. This dead urban space is now a draw for the local community, and also brings in mountain bikers from all over, bolstering the local economy. It now is a destination on the local bike path, and also features a dog park for local community residents.

There is much we can take from the example of Seattle. It clearly is possible to create an urban riding destination, and a safe place for children as well as riders and enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels. Let’s remember to shoot for the sky- there is no reason San Francisco shouldn’t be the next major city known for its urban riding opportunities. We have a great need for a place to ride for all user groups in the cycling family, and we can and will make it happen.

Here is a great documentary on the I-5 Colonnade Project:

For another great feature on the Seattle Skills Park, click here

IMBA is coming to town

Jason VH — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 04:06:44 +0000

The IMBA trail care crew have perhaps one of the most amazing jobs in existence. They work to improve trails the world over.

They travel together, in a new Subaru, stuffed full of living, building, and riding tools. For an entire year, they travel around the United States and beyond, instructing local land managers and trail advocates on how to build sustainable, long lasting, and ecologically sound trails. Trails that you, me, and generations to come will enjoy. They are trail designers, builders, trainers to the trainers.

This April, they’re coming to San Francisco to host a weekend of trail building, advocacy building, and of course, a little bit of mountain bike riding. Right here in urban San Francisco!

Saturday, April 4th from 9am until 5pm will be an in depth morning classroom component, followed by the afternoon field work session. The focus will be examining sustainable trail building techniques and practices. Registration is free. The trail work will be focused on the multi-use trail system on Mt. Sutro, and we’ll be holding class at the UCSF Parnassus campus.

Class size is limited to 50 people, so we encourage all interested parties to register here. Or, send us an email to loamgnome yahoo com

For the entire weekend schedule and details, stay tuned. We will post updates on this website as the date and more details close in.

Thursday Evening: SF Urban Riders social, at a local watering hole. TBD

Saturday day: Trailbuilding school and practice

Sunday day: Big ol’ fun group ride, location TBD.

4/2/2009 – 4/5/2009 Save the dates. Come to class. You’ve never learned like this before.