Matt's blog

It was a rainy day in the Inner Richmond today- the perfect kind of day for staying inside and taking some stuff apart!

Everett Middle School's Bike Club went to Civic Center on Tuesday to check out the preparations for the parade and make sure everyone there was ready for the Giants.  We fully tested all of the playground equipment and determined it to be sturdy.

On Thursday morning Dan from SFUR and I went out to survey the trails we're planning on using for Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Sunday, 10/3.  It was great to see that Parks & Recreation had come out and done some trail work since we'd last been there, but there were a few spots that needed some minor improvements so we got out our picks, adzes, rakes and buckets and put some elbow grease into it.

What does YBike do when we need more bikes for our kids to ride, fix and take apart?  We go to our good friends at MUNI or the SFPD and liberate some of the more functional bikes they have in their warehouses.  Unfortunately, not all the bikes pass muster... sometimes we just harvest a few parts and leave the rest of the skeleton to meet it's maker.  Could we have a moment of silence for a bike funeral officated by none other than YBike's own Mr. Mark:

Bike to work day is one of the few weekdays each year when I don't work...  I'm always to busy helping out with the event itself!  This year I convinced Carolyn and Mark to bring some of the students from Francisco Middle School to visit me at our Chinatown Energizer Station.  They were the best outreach volunteers I could ever hope for- just give them some snacks, and they flag down every biker who comes within their line of sight.  Here's some photos of them working:

Wow- 167 bikers and scooterers made it to Monroe Elementary for Bike to School Day!  Here's a video of some of the bikes parked there:

Do you remember 8th of March?  I do.  It was the wildest weather I've seen in SF all year- maybe in many years... 

Over spring break those of us who did not have fabulous plans to meditate on tropical beaches or scale Himalayan peaks came into the office to do some long-overdue spring cleaning/rearranging.  We now have a dedicated shop area with room for 3-4 workstands, a tranquil office area, and a comfy (or potentially comfy once we get a better couch) lounge/meeting area.  Needless to say, we are quite pleased with the results! 

Much thanks to Ben, Kareem, Mark, Tanya, and Ted for their hand in designing and building our new digs.

Early release day at Roosevelt today.  We took advantage of the extra time by riding to China Beach and playing in the sun.