Brews-4-Bikes is a social beer/food fundraising event to benefit the SF Urban Riders non-profit organization, and the Mclaren Bike Park project.

Hosted at the SOMA Streat Food Park, the event will feature some of the best ‘Food Trucks’ cooking Special Menu Items made with Alaskan Beer!

Your $30 contribution includes Unlimited Beer Samples from 11am-5pm, and THREE Raffle Tickets to increase your chance of winning the great items listed below. PLUS get a COMPLIMENTARY McLaren Bike Park or Alaskan Brewing T-shirt when you pre-register through Eventbrite!!!

Additional Raffle tickets can be purchased at the event for $5 each. Beer will be served a la carte at $5 a glass.

With your support (Socializing, Drinking & Eating) SF Urban Riders will raise much needed funding to advance Urban Mountain Biking opportunities for youth of all ages and abilities in San Francisco!

REGISTER On-Line at Eventbrite:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5898680111

Cheers!

SF Urban Riders 1st Annual BREWS-4-BIKES Celebration

DATE: Saturday May 18th, 2013

TIME: Open 11am – 5pm

LOCATION: Streat Food Park 428 11th Street San Francisco, CA 94103

COST OPTIONS:

$30 Adult Unlimited (Unlimited beer samples, Complimentary T-Shirt, and THREE Raffle Tickets)

$5 Adult Single-Serve Beer

$5 General Single-Serve Raffle Tickets

NO ADMISSION COST to Youth, General Public, or Designated Drivers

Alaskan Brewing Company has generously offered to donate beer in support of SF Urban Riders!                           All Food Truck kitchens will be cooking dishes featuring Alaskan Beers in the recipe, which will deliver something unique for the daily menu.

Beer On Tap:

• Alaskan Amber Ale
• White Ale
• Summer Kolsch
• Freeride APA
• Bitter Billiken ESB
• Black IPA
• Hopothermia DIPA
• Oatmeal Stout
• Select Pilot Series releases

REGISTER On-Line at Eventbrite:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5898680111

VOLUNTEER Help welcome:  https://www.facebook.com/events/233322670144141/

Win This Bike!

RAFFLE ITEMS:

• Specialized P24 Cruise (Complete Bike)
• Pivot ‘Point’ Dirt Jumper (Frame only)
• Go Pro Hero 3 Silver Edition
• BoomBotix BoomBot Portable Speakers
• Chrome Gear
• BetaBrand Fashion
• Gamut Guide and Chain Rings
• Sports Basement Gift Certificates
• McLaren Bike Park T-Shirts
• Alaskan Brewing Surprises

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

• McLaren Bike Park Display
• Map of the SF MTB Festival Course
• Complimentary Raffle Tickets (w/ Paid Admission)
• Fresh Music
• New and old friends to share bike adventures… and plan new ones!

WHAT TO KNOW:

Plenty of Bike parking in area (racks, poles, etc).

Vehicle parking nearby on street and paid lots.

All ages welcome. Streat Food Park serves food and is family friendly.

Raffle with take place between 3-4pm.

Adult Participant Ticket is good for Alaskan Beer ONLY. Food is a la carte.

Dress in Layers, city weather is unpredictable.

REGISTER On-Line at Eventbrite:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5898680111

VOLUNTEER Help welcome:  https://www.facebook.com/events/233322670144141/

NEW SPONSORS: 

Over the past few years SFUR and its volunteers have worked alongside SF Rec & Park, park advocates, and neighbors to improve and maintain the trails in McLaren Park. It is time to take one day to just enjoy the fruits of all the hard labor!

San Francisco Mountain Bike Festival @ McLaren Park

Date: Saturday March 30^th, 2013

Time: 9am – 6pm

The next generation of riders are psyched by the McLaren Bike Park project.

The San Francisco MTB Festival will showcase McLaren Park to local cyclists like never before, and provide opportunity for the cycling community to gather and celebrate our organizations 5^th Anniversary and it’s achievements. The event will most certainly feature a McLaren Bike Park display booth to share the Design Plans and other exciting information including the SFRPD Community Opportunity Fund grant, which was recently awarded to the project ($250,000). SFUR will also be inviting local youth groups to attend the event, watch the demo riders perform, and hopefully expose them to another healthy, recreation option right in their backyard.

Ride SFO crew working with the kids at the Visitacion Valley Street Fair.

The festival will feature local/professional BMX and Trials rider demos, a youth BMX Skills Area, industry sponsor booths, several bike raffles, and a competitive challenge for the more adventurous cyclists.

The McLaren Short Track Challenge will be a 4-mile, mixed-surface loop, with approximately 500-feet of elevation per lap. The course will offer an urban challenge to even the most skilled riders, as they strive to roll 24-miles with nearly 3,000 feet of climbing in just 90-minutes. More information to drop soon!

The 2013 McLaren Short Track Challenge Course Layout

Bike Raffles are the way most mountain bike advocacy groups keep the lights on and pay the bills, SFUR is no different. In fact, our organization may even be overdue. Many of our industry partners are stepping forward and delivering some outstanding raffle prizes. More than one person will end up riding home on a new ride!

Now for the important part… SFUR is busy with the many details involved in planning this epic event. For instance, the media department is busy crafting event logos and promotion materials, and the planning committee is reaching out to sponsors. Event planning also involves temporarily realigning traffic flow on Mansell Street and temporarily closing a short section of Sunnydale Ave for the day in order to create the space needed. This requires detailed discussion with several city agencies including SFRPD, SFMTA, and SFPD who are doing there best to accommodate.

There will be plenty of ways for everyone to get involved with SFUR, and we will need all the volunteers we can get in 2013.

It all starts with a Trail Work Volunteer Day in McLaren Park on Saturday March 30^th, 2013. Check the Facebook Event Page for Info/Directions: http://www.facebook.com/events/308834362571655/

Time has come when the adolescent youth side of SFUR needs to think in mature terms about long-term sustainability of both the organization and the message.

Since SF Urban Riders sprang from the peleton in 2008, the organization has worked tirelessly on anything and everything that would improve or promote off-road recreational cycling in San Francisco. Our members have been tremendously generous with donations and  volunteerism, and our community partners have embraced and supported our efforts. In five years SFUR successfully initiated a vision which is highlighted by multi-use trails on Twin Peaks/Mount Sutro/Interior Greenbelt corridor, the McLaren Bike Park conceptual designs registered with SF Recreation & Park Department (SFRPD), and a series of youth programs including the popular Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.

Now SFUR has turned a corner and needs to adjust its strategy to account for the changing conditions and new terrain out front…. in this case a grinding bureaucratic headwind known as ‘San Francisco Politics’, and the real-life business climate of ‘money speaks’.

Priority One is working with SFRPD on Permitting an ANNUAL Fundraising Event in Golden Gate Park.

An annual fundraising event will provide SFUR the anchor it needs to grow sustainably. The event will be a great fundraiser for SFUR, but  at the same time it will also elevate awareness for the organization, and create an entry-level opportunity for the cities youth and beginning riders. Year after year the event will grow in size and generate more leverage for SFUR to complete other trail and bike park projects. We are not kidding ourselves, we know this process could take a long time to ‘Negotiate’ with SFRPD….. but thats okay, because the riding community has plenty of time and will enjoy riding, building, and sculpting are favorite trails while ‘the process’ plays itself out…. and 2012 is shaping up to be a good summer to be out riding!

Just one 'potential' 5-Mile Loop course SFUR is discussing with SFRPD.

Preliminary routes are being scouted now, and will continue until a proper 5-Mile loop can be identified. Golden Gate Park offers many possibilities, and with the average 5-Mile loop racking up between 275-375 feet per lap and with lots of corners it appears to be a level playing field for Cyclocross and Mountain Bike styles. Not sure what time of year SFRPD will be able to schedule this event, but this is classic San Francisco terrain and the course will be perfect for early spring warm-up, or as a fall lead into the cyclocross season.

There is always potential to ‘build up’ select areas of the course with dirt, rock or wood features to enhance the flow of the loop… again this could take a few years to integrate, but the long-term results will be spectacular and ever evolving…. just like the first segment of the journey has been.

The first 5-Years was a pleasure riding with everyone…. Looking forward to riding the next 5-Miles with everyone as well!

This is a SF Urban Riders community event in partnership with the Sutro Stewards, UCSF, Bay Area Ridge Trail, One Brick, and other local organizations.

SFUR members working hard on the Edgewood Trail in 2009.

WHAT: National Trail Day

WHERE: Mount Sutro / UCSF Parnassus Campus

WHEN: Saturday June 2^nd, 2012

TIME: 9am – 1pm Work / 1pm – 2pm Party

Detail Map Can be Found: HERE

For More Information: info@sfurbanriders (dot) org

Today the trails on Mount Sutro are an incredible experience for all users… however, just a few years ago that opportunity did not exist. Originally built in 1887, the trails began suffering from lack of routine maintenance in the 1950′s which prompted Mother Nature to take this community asset away with fifty years of steady vegetation overgrowth. For more information, and photos on the subject of trail reclamation on the Interior Greenbelt Trail Click Here.

The important lesson learned from this history is that trails require serious maintenance to remain enjoyable.

National Trail Day is the single most important day of the year that SFUR members can Volunteer and make a difference in our community. It is an opportunity to maintain the expanding urban trail network, a chance to build community by working alongside other user groups, and this years event will also highlight the hard work, skill, and dedication of the cycling community.

The Project Scope for this event is to improve the East Ridge Trail by adding a few rollers that will mitigate some elevation, and maintain better trail flow for all user groups. This project will require lots of fun rock work for both stability and aesthetic value. Other tasks will include tree stump removal, vegetation clearing, and general trail maintenance.

Not to mention…. National Trail Day is simply the biggest Trail Party of the year in San Francisco!

This years event is sponsored by the ALASKAN BREWING COMPANY from Juneau, Alaska and will feature several selections including Amber Ale, White Ale, IPA, Black IPA, and Summer Kolsch.

Food as always will be provided by UCSF and catered from local Inner Sunset business.

Whether you come on out to volunteer or come on out to hike/bike recreate…. Please stop by the Aldea Community Center at 1pm for Social Hour!

Right now we are simply asking for year end donations, as this is the time of year for giving. Since every little bit helps, SFUR will be continually working on fun and interesting ways for its supporters to get involved. One such way is joining the recently launched McLaren Bike Park Founders Club. In the new year SFUR promises to step up our game with more exciting special promotion/fundraising events that can turn fun into money (TBA).

Why is it important to support SFUR?

Over the past couple of years SF Urban Riders has managed to create some great cycling opportunities for riders of all ages and abilities. Taking a moment to reflect,  a few standouts include: providing huge support toward the Interior Greenbelt/Mount Sutro trail system, hosting Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day annually, and working with SFRPD and the community to conceptually plan the McLaren Bike Park. SFUR has managed to produce good results while running on a lean budget. Now things change as SFUR looks to partner with SF Rec & Park on a large scale Capital Improvement project, a.k.a the McLaren Bike Park. Although grants will be applied for (and awarded) for the construction of the bike park, SFUR is responsible for raising funds to pay for much of the design and other documents and permits. That cost could reach $75,000-$100,000 to obtain a world class bike park. A small price for a bike park that will also serve as a venue for a variety of future bike events. It is important to note, that the funds SFUR raises locally is also part of the requirement to leverage the larger construction grants. So it’s time to start!

McLaren Bike Park conceptual design plans

Who is Donating? Specialized Bicycles (w/ Mike’s Bikes of San Francisco) awarded SFUR a Dealer Grant ($5,000) in July 2011,the  Single Speed Cyclo Cross World Championships recently hosted in Golden Gate Park raised $360 in November,  Gamut USA ($1,000) became the first to join the Founders Club just last week. Now we are spreading the news to our members and anyone else who wants to support a positive change in San Francisco’s youth bike culture… and already individuals have started showing their generosity. So far SFUR has raised over $7,500 toward our goal.

How to Participate:

Make secure On-Line donations of any size HERE

If you want to pay by check, please make them out to SF Parks Alliance, and note SF Urban Riders on the check. Mail to: SF Urban Riders c/o Dustin Smith, 221 Warren Dr., San Francisco, CA 94131.

75% goes directly to McLaren Bike Park Design and Development. 20% to the SF Urban Riders general fund for operating costs and youth programs. 5% to SF Parks Alliance, SFUR’s non-profit fiscal host.

For more info contact info@sfurbanriders.org.

Thanks for your continued support. Let’s make San Francisco a better place to learn modern bike skills!

Youth group ride in McLaren Park

TKMBD 2011 Event in McLaren Park

Youth Cycling programs are so much more than riding.

YOUTH INTRODUCTION TO MOUNTAIN BIKING  -  Course begins October 16th at Upper Noe Valley Recreation Center.

To Register –  CALL SF Rec & Park at   415-831-6800

Online Registration: is currently NOT WORKING. When it is functioning it will be listed under the ACTION SPORTS Activities.

Like any monumental undertaking, this is just the beginning of positive change for off-road bicycle recreation in San Francisco. SFRPD is already listening to, and working with SF Urban Riders on several projects like multi use trails and the much anticipated McLaren Bike Park. Although these larger projects will take time they will be worth the effort. In the meantime, SFUR is busy reaching out to the next generation of cyclists and bringing smiles to their faces. SFUR is confident that a successful SFRPD Youth Mountain Bike Program will be able to expand to other Recreation Center locations in 2011.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD

Official SFRPD flyer for the Youth Program - Introduction To Mountain Biking

Dan Schneider and Chris Ruedy inspect the Interior Greenbelt Trail Corridor.

Its been rumored about for quite some time, there have been community meetings, and there was even an emotional vote of approval from the SFRPD Commission, but nothing tells the story like a photo.

The long awaited Interior Greenbelt Trail project, or better known as the Stanyan Street trailhead, finally breaks ground on Saturday October 2nd, 2010. The project is a partnership with UCSF and SF Rec & Park since the trail corridor shares property lines. Visit the SF Urban Riders Volunteer Page for more details on getting involved in this exciting and historic project.

The Interior Greenbelt trail was originally established in the 1880′s when Adolph Sutro owned the land and planted the trees that would become the infamous Sutro Forest. At that time Cole Valley was farm land, UCSF had not been constructed, and the newest train stop was at Stanyan Street to bring visitors close to Golden Gate Park. In order for Adolph Sutro to get weekly laborers to his Nursery at Clarendon and 7th Avenue he needed a connecting trail, so he constructed it and made it into an official route. It went on to become another of Sutro’s amazing recreational gifts to the city he loved, only to be improperly managed and lost to the public in the 1950′s.

This project will take 6-9 months to complete, and thousands of hours of volunteer work. It will add approximately 1/2 mile to the current Mount Sutro trail system, and more importantly direct access to Mount Sutro from Stanyan Street and Cole Valley. This trail project also signifies the beginning of a dream to build a trail that will continue from the Stanyan Street trailhead all the way around Mount Sutro, continuing over to Twin Peaks, and then  down into Glen Canyon. Its a big dream shared by many open space organizations, and just One Big Reason why the cycling community needs SF Urban Riders to be at the big table and advocate to keep this dream accessible to bikes!

Please be excited for this NEW Trail Project, but be RESPECTFUL. Please do not try to use the trail during construction, as it has NO EXIT.  Local neighbors thank you in advance for your courtesy!

The best way to check it out is to VOLUNTEER at the monthly trail building party.

The best way to stay informed of all things Mount Sutro and Trails is the Sutro Stewards website:

This section the Interior Greenbelt trail has been closed to the public for 50 years

Chris Ruedy, Craig Dawson, and Bandit at one of the hidden Chert Rock outcrops that are waiting to become cool trailside features.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Come to China Camp State Park in San Rafael, CA for guided rides and professional skills clinics, bike demos, beer tasting from seven (!!!) local breweries, live music and a gourmet bbq from the Culinary Institute of America. All proceeds go to IMBA California’s advocacy efforts!

2010 Event Highlights:

• Guided Rides/Skills Clinics – beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Bike Demos – Marin, Specialized, Ibis, Scott and Santa Cruz
• Free Bike tune-ups
• Skills Progression Zone
• Gourmet BBQ
• Beer and Root Beer Garden
• Live Music from the Greenstring Farm Band
• Silent Auction
• Dirt Rag Photo Contest
• Local Hero Awards
• Shimano Youth Series Race
• Marin Bikes Gold Sprints

For the last seven years, this has been one of the best mountain bike parties in the bay area, if not the best.  We’ll see you out there.

Visit www.alesandtrails.com for more details and to purchase discounted tickets!

Join the Sutro Stewards, Nature in the City, SF Urban Riders, SF Rotary, One Brick, and all our partners and friends united for a better outdoors experience, for the biggest trail party of the year. Traditional work event in the morning…. but a much bigger celebration afterwards with prizes, pizza, beverages and genuinely great sponsors. Come and join us to work in a beautiful space.  Food and beverages will be served following work activities! Snacks by Clifbar! Pizza delivery!

Taps flowing by Oskar Blues Brewing (and by tap we mean hikeable, bikeable cans of delicious delight)

Scope of the trail & habitat work will be around Woodland Canyon restoring trail tread, and removing overgrown vegetation along the Fairy Gates trail and the upper Edgewood trail. Please wear adequate shoes and bring layers of clothing as the weather is unpredictable in the forest. Gloves, tools, instruction, and supervision will be provided.

Section A – Comprehension: Please read the following paragraph and answer the Questions Below:

Bike Build.  The Rotary Cub of San Francisco, Supported by Mission Creek Parks, Kinders BBQ, Sunset Scavenger, SF Urban Riders,Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, Variety Children’s Charity and Playworks San Francisco .  All tools will be provided – but feel free to bring a few basics if you have a favorite. There are 100 bikes to build and that says something about what is at hand.

1. The Above Sentence would be improved with:

a) More information about the event

b) More information about the sponsors

c) More information about the bikes

d) Any information about the kids getting the bikes

e) All of the above

2. Pick the word that best completes the following sentence:

Mission Rock Park on Saturday Morning was filled with _________

a) bikes in boxes

b) Kids

c) SF Urban Riders

d) Parents

e) All of the above

3. Finish the following sentence:

SF Urban Riders ____________.

a) need dirt to show their passion

b) like bikes

c) like kids

d) use tools well

e) All of the above

ANSWERS, SECTION A – All, E, all of the above.

Section B: Arithmetic

Please solve the following.  Calculators are not allowed.

4. How many hours will SF Urban Riders need to build 117 bicycles?

a) 5

b) 6

c) 2

d) can’t be done in a day

e) my head hurts

5. (bonus probability question) – Please show your work for full credit.

What is the probability that 117 department store bicycles will have any structural problems beyond SF Urban Rider’s mechanical capabilities?

ANSWERS, SECTION B:

4) SF Urban Riders needs 2 hours to assemble 117 bicycles.  It could not have been done without 24 SF urban riders working hard – the 24 included Brad, Chris, Matt, Dane, Tom, Christy, Dawn, John, Dan, Jason, Wilson, Hector, Matt, Jon, Thomas, James, Zach, Gary, Al, and a few more non mentioned (sorry, we’ll get your name next time)

5) Bonus Answer: 0.854%  Only 1 bike did not go home with a kid.  Yeah…. that’s way, way upper percentile for wrenching on department store bicycles.  We are way above, outside, and backflipping over that curve.

Go ride your bikes now.  Report back Saturday, May 1st at 9am for trail building on Mt Sutro.  Usual Place.  Usual beer and pizza at noon forty five.