Band of Bicycles

Check out this awesome spray chalk art project! I am so sad that it is so temporary but it makes me so happy to see stuff like this on my daily commute as a bicyclist who wants to encourage climate friendly and sustainable neighborhoods! What else can we do other than keep biking?

It turns out the project taken on by a bunch of creative anonymous bikers who were inspired by the 350.INSERT_HERE campaign popping up all over the city (and the world) that was initiated through by designer, artist and Pratt professor Eve Mosher to help bring attention for the global day of climate action coming up on September 24th.

The INSERT_HERE idea is spreading like wild fire and other community groups have adopted the INSERT_HERE artwork to promote the climate savvy initiatives they are enacting in the community. Some other one’s I’ve spotted are:

• Highland Parks/Ridgewood Reservoir working to preserve the 50 acres of wild land on the boarder of Queens and Brooklyn.
• 596 acres: 596 acres of unused land in the form of vacant lots.&
• Liz Latona’s creative students from the Preston School in the Bronx are interested in eating more local and healthy food on a daily basis, so they talked with their school administration and will be starting a Farming Club and anticpate planting in the Spring!

Check out all the pictures on the INSERT_HERE website where you can find easy to download stencils and artowork for those with community climate initiatives they wish to announce!

So when it comes to INSERTING_BIKE LANES_HERE and INSERTING_CYCLISTS_HERE what should we do to make sure it actually happens and that the art becomes a bike lane not just a temporary installation?  I know that Trans Alt, Times UP! and Recycle a Bicycle address all of these issues in various ways–if you are interested I think the best way to collaborate is to get a helmet, a bike, bright expressive lights, a lock, a sliding wrench, a multi-tool, a travel bike pump and patch kit and start riding seriously. Ride across all the bridges on a Sunday. Ride around your block. Just start riding and be safe, visible and self sufficient while doing it!

My personal answer:  Get all this stuff for cheap from Recycle A Bicycle, then maintain your bike at Times Up!skill shares or or 3RD WARD classes and join Transportation Alternatives and meet other bike enthusiasts and take awesome group bike rides–like the Century Tour Ride which was today and went through all 5 boroughs.

for the full report visit: Love, Larken

The Natural Ass Sessions – NYC from Pedal Power NYC on Vimeo.

For more info check out PedalPowerNYC.org

Have you ever set out on a bike tour in a foreign country?

Emily Van Halem writes that The Road to Revolution will be Planted, Not Paved as she Heeds the call of the road, on her summer spent on a solo food themed bike tour.  Check out her article in Shameless Magazine Read more on her awesome blog: Feel Good Food

Performer and Playwright, Monica Hunken, is also interested in permaculture and food practices and leaves for her 3rd solo bike tour in TWENTY FOUR HOURS.  She is conducting research on her 3rd solo bike tour and plans to stay until Halloween. She will bike across the UK performing her one women plays The Blondie of Arabia and The Wild Finish (which are both hilarious, terrifying and heartwarming and) based on her other bike rides.  Now she is bound for: Poland, Bulgaria, Syria (if they let her in), and Egypt where she will document revolution and document dissapearing landscapes due to climate change.

We will be speaking every other week of her trip and I will post our skype chats here and at Momentum Magazine.  Did I tell you that I will be blogging on cycle culture for Momentum Planet Online?  Also in October I will join Monica in Palestine to ride with hundreds of others for the Follow the Women Bike Ride.

More info on Monica’s Revolution Ride at her Kickstarter Campaign:  She needs to raise only a tiny bit more money to reach her goal. Let’s help her get there!

If she raises $1,000 over her goal she can go to Iran too…

Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels Studied Metalsmithing at Appalachian Center for Craft, has been working on staff for Burning Man for years and is an amazing jewelry maker and visionary muse.

Michael Kravit is a master creator of experience, an exquisite Designer and was named by Washington Magazine as one of the 10 Warriors who are the Future of Green Design.

Both Serra and Michael have been huge contributing artists, designers and brain engines behind the Artistic Evolution.  Check out this synchronicity:

Michael  is behind the Bottle Logo for Honest Tea which uses stevia, a calorie free sweetener in their Classic Lemonade.

Serra painted this logo and designed and styled the outfits for the Band of Bicycles Bike Blended Lemonade Stand  when we bike blended smoothies for 3rd Ward Events, Google, and Central Park Earth Day.

Great artists think alike!

Bicycle Blended Lemonade is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to ice, lemon and stevia.  Thought Bike Blended Smoothies were only a reality in the Bay Area with Rock the Bike and in Brooklyn with Band of Bicycles?  Want a bike blender or a bicycle powered lemonade stand of your own? I have a blender coming to LA and I’d be glad to host a demonstration to bring some bike blended libation your way and help you decide what kind of bike powered goodness is right for you!

Love,

Larken

From top to bottom: Lock, Extra Bike Tube, Pen, Sliding Wrench, Contacts, Medication, Ear Phones (Sike! Earphones are a horrible idea for a bike ride–don’t wear them while you are biking, you won’t be able to hear what is going on around you!), money, ID, sunscreen, helmet, tire levers, patch repair kit, keys, bike pump, water bottle and bike map.

Instead of headphones, if you want tunes on your bike here are some other really great options:

Until you’ve experienced a Soul Cycle social ride, you won’t understand the power of seamlessly combining bikes and music. Picture a group of friends (old and new) cruising to the sounds of Marvin Gaye, his lyrics of peace and love coming through rich and clear, while your friends sing along, “Brother, brother…” The scenes of the city flowing by, people giving you a thumbs up or a shout of support, spreading joy, pied piper style, as your group increases in size with more bikers.

The Soul Cycle from Rock the Bike

&

The Acouztic from Xceon It is a light and an MP3 player in One

Yesterday Band of Bicycles moved out of 3rd Ward. Steven Ma will be teaching Bike Classes at the Ward and working with Fossil Fool to get the bike powered sound system up to speed. A HUGE THANK YOU to Baby, Oliver Person, Vanessa, LMNOP, Travis, Bobby Dagerously, Scarlet and Brett Lord who helped make the transition possible!