Urban Bike

Bike Month continues.

I've always had a soft spot for the Penny Farthing bike, but never though to it as a race bike, until I saw this rather exciting video of such a race. The race starts at about 1:15.

Murals On McDowell

April is looking to be a great month, more so since it's Bike Month - a month of great weather and many events to engage cyclists of all ages, but from the looks of things, all the people riding the streets, it's always bike month. Check out what's happening below by clicking on the title of the event.

Upcoming Events

Safe Kids East Valley Bike Rodeo

Cardon Children’s Medical Center
1400 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa. 
9:00 a.m. to Noon
Bring your kids along with bike or scooter to practice safety… 

Chandler Century Ride And Expo

Chandler Tumbleweed Park
2100 S. Hamilton St., Chandler
6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
39 or 65 mile rides, 6:30 a.m. (fee)
7.4 mile ride… 

7th Annual

Urban Phoenix or really anything from uptown to downtown Phoenix is an area rich in diversity and is quickly getting gentrified with all the stages in-between. One of thoes gentrifying signals is the creative community. Roosevelt Row somewhere along Roosevelt between Central Avenue and 7th Street is commonly know for First Fridays and Third Fridays. This is one of those creative communities.

In recent years these wall murals - seen below - have become a staple of this little village. What they remind me of is advertising murals from Poland which used to cover large multistory buildings, sometimes up to 15 stories or more high, all painted, not printed. These advertised a play, and new theater show or a popular state brand.

The photos below are a

Giant Coffee just opened recently and I've had several chances to have some coffee there and lounge around: once by car and twice by bike.

I like the bike part better because it just feels right to ride up to this modern contemporary building lay the bike against the wall along the the many others and walk into the fully opened front while fuses the interior and exterior space together.

It's the openness and fairly nice interior that make this place quite pleasant to be in: it's got the looks and feel of a truly great place: add to that friendly service and good, not great, coffee.  The coffee could be better, but it's acceptable especially

The trip Sunday took me from North Phoenix past the Phoenix Mountains down Dreamy Draw.  Just south of Glendale once of the canal I met a couple who were asking for some directions, their bikes packed solid and bulging out with packages.  They were headed from Florida to San Diego on bikes, now into day 63 of the journey.  That's something I'd love to do and

I probably won't have the time to take part in all these, but you may see me on the urban streets of Phoenix: take a look at our Urban Bike Series for some of the adventures in urban cycling.

The crisp air bites the skin, probably the last until next fall: the cool air brings tears to the eyes as the buildings, benches, singes, posts, rocks, sand whiz by as the tires quickly roll along the rough sidewalk of Central Avenue.

Rocks crunch: ladies punch and screem, as I roll right behind them unexpectedly: the dog barks, the cat scuttles away, the car honks, as I cross the street across 5 lanes feeling the bumps, white, white, yellow, yellow, white, white: a short flight up a curb onto the next sidewalk, between the hedges to a bumpy ride on the cobbled sidewalk of Rancho Solano.  South on Central: stop, ding, ding the train rolls by on the light rail.

Time for a coffee at Lux.