Esther's Bicycle

I was visiting my family this week in California and my sister was home as well. She has a pretty nice bicycle that she brought home with her from college on the east coast for the summer so I was lucky enough to snag a bit of time to ask her some questions about her experiences as a cyclist and I got to take a few photos as well.

Frame: CYCLEPRO Optima step-through (Cr-Mo double butted tubes)
Rims: Araya 27
Hubs: JoyTech
Spokes: stainless steel, brass nipples
Tires: Michelin A2 World Tour
Saddle: Vento Propizio
Seatpost: Kallou
Headset: yst-corp SunTour
Stem: unknown
Handlebars: Champion drops
Bottom Bracket: unknown
Cranks: Sakae SX double

Pedals: HTI
Chain rings: SX-307 52T, 42T

Cassette: SunTour
Chain: unknown

Brake Levers: STAR

Caliper: Chang-Star Forged

Gear Shift: SunTour 3000

Derailleur: SunTour LX 3000

How’s life treatin’ you?

pretty good I guess its good to be on the west coast. You, oh twin brother of mine, take bikes super serious so here I go.

How long have you been riding?

I rode a trike when I was a little kid then I used training wheels only for a very short time, probably a day because I was a boss of a child, with one of those big fat styrofoam looking helmets and then I was cruising.

What makes you want to ride your bicycle?

I mostly ride to get around when I don't have a car available. But knowing how good I feel after I get to where I need to be is motivating. When I was living by lake merritt in Oakland, I biked to work everyday which felt good because I would really be awake by the time I got to work and it was the best workout EVERRRRRRR going up the hill to my house on the way home. I would ride to Bart more now that I've moved but I get annoyed bringing my bike on bart when I don't realllly need to. 

but if the weather's nice like a cool morning or a hot night and there's not too much uphills its the BEST.

Also, massachusetts landscape on a day with a breeze and I have nothing I have to do

Do you have a favourite route when you ride? Anywhere you especially enjoy?

If I were to pick I'd say down Gilman to Frontage rd. along the bike path along the bay to Emeryville but thats a pretty windy one. To work, my route is down E. 18th to Lakeshore and around the lake to 14th, all the way down to Broadway, through Frank Ogawa Plaza and down the steep ramp of the parking garage where I lock it for the day. I decided to ride from Oakland to Albany one day and I went down W. Grand to Telegraph then all the way down Telegraph to Bancroft to Oxford and then I stopped at Nations and continued down Sac. to Gilman..that was probably the most intense ride I've done all summer. 

One of the most beautiful places I've ridden my bike is Groveland, CA at the Evergreen Lodge which is close to Yosemite, that ride downhill to a swimming hole has not been topped!! In Massachusetts, the best ride besides to the reservoir to swim is one I just did one time it was a Yellow Bike RIDE wooooott, to the Northampton Bridge with beer and pizza Intense ride back lots of uphill BEASTING IT best place to watch the sun set over the Connecticut River.

What do you fancy besides bicycles?

I FANCY A LOT. I fancy my studies in school, which are Public Health and Art. I think a lot about how to improve American's quality of life through increasing access to resources like food and health care, I want to be a Nurse I want to influence policy changes around community development and be involved in working to eliminate Environmental Health Disparities!!!! GOOGLE IT.

I do art (estherdane.com coming soon, thanks to Nick Powers) mostly illustration but some plaster body casting and woodwork as well as painting. I had a show and made some money last summer in the Mission of SF and this summer I have my work up in a cafe called Au Coquelet in Berkeley. I'm also doing some commission work. I fancy spending time with my family and friends and my AMAZING little niece. I love to sleep and eat too.

If you had to pick one place on earth, where would you ride?

Where is beautiful and flat? ....Once I go outside of the U.S., If I could get a bike, I would ride in New Zealand, I would ride in Egypt with the pyramids, I would ride in tropical forests if there was a path and a big forcefield around me to catch big spiders and bugs that would fly in my face. I would ride right here in the bay area probably accross the bay bridge or the golden gate. I would ride in antarctica with the polar bears and go ice fishing. and probably Fiji!!

What’s your favourite part on your bicycle?

I think my favorite part are the brakes because they keep me alive My handlebars are really cute and I like the fade from blue to white on my frame because you've got to admit, that's a Great blue!! But above all, the best thing about my bike is me on it and the fact that I got it for $60 and it was in perfect shape all vintage and well taken care of. Also I got it just in time to ride it in my school's famous Tour de Franzia bike race. Thanks, craigslist western mass, you actually served a purpose.

We all know helmets save lives, do you wear one?

 yessir

What's next for you? Got any plans?

I'm about to go to sleep.

And do you have any words for the bicycle riders of tomorrow? 

Bicycle Riders of Tomorrow, invent something cool that's not a prone bike. Do not attach your children in a cart that should hold groceries and bike in the street. Don't think that just because you're reducing your carbon footprint by riding your bike you have the right to scorn others for not doing so. So BE POSITIVE!!!! Smile when cars go by you, soon they will all be priuses so watch out because you won't hear them sneak up on you. do not get to cocky, do not act like a douche and think you know everything cause you look like a douche. BE SAFE

Bike Riders of Tomorrow give your balls a breather from those frito lay sponsored spankies . Open a local bike shop. go on a lot of tandem bike rides with your pals and buddies and hold hands at stoplights and look both ways and get glittery powder coats on your bike and other shiny things!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions! I'm curious to hear about the other bicycle you have back east. Ride safely.

- RideaBicycle

Henry's Bicycle

A buddy of mine, Henry May, is an avid cyclist. I always look forward to our rides because he's got that "I want to go and never stop" attitude that I share and appreciate in other cyclists.  Thanks for sending these photos, man!

IRO

SCHWINN

A lot of the parts on these have come from bicycle swaps and have no real identification or signature.

IRO
Frame: 53cm IRO Angus frame (orange)
Handlebars: no name
Grips: OURY black
Stem: no name
Headset: Shimano 105
Saddle: Specialized unmarked
Seat post: Campagnolo Brevetti
Brake lever: Dirtech 99
Brake Caliper: Ultegra
Rims: Mavic CXP22
Hubs: Formula
Crank Set: Dura-Ace

SCHWINN
Frame: 54cm Schwinn LeTour (red)
Handlebars: Sakae Champion
Saddle: San Marco saddle
Brakes: Diacompe
Crank Set: Speedlight
Pedals: MKS
Cassette: Suntour freewheel cassette
(The rest of bike is STOCK from Schwinn factory.)

How's life treatin' you?
Life is pretty good right now. The weather here in the East Bay is always perpetually mild, so rarely are there days when I can't ride. Off the bike, I've been pretty focused on my studies and trying to go on as many day trips as possible, there's a lot to discover in the little outlying towns around the city.

How long have you been riding?
I've been riding bikes my whole life. I'd say that I started taking cycling most seriously 5 years ago, when I started high school.

What makes you want to ride your bicycle?
When I wake up in the morning and the sun is already shining through my window. I think about taking a ride out to Oakland, everything's green and you don't have any plans for the rest of the day. It just makes me want to ride and not stop.

Do you have a favourite route when you ride? Anywhere you especially enjoy?
I have a couple of fun routes that I always like to do. Most are short, easy rides that I can invite friends on. There's one that runs from Emeryville along the shoreline, and down to Pt. Richmond, which is super nice. You can stop in town and get a burger and walk through the old rail road tunnels to the beach, it's awesome. Another favourite ride would be from Richmond through Berkeley, up to Claremont Ave. where you can stop and get coffee before continuing up into the hills or down Claremont into North Oakland.

What do you fancy besides bicycles?
I love my cameras, a Nikon F3 and a Canon T2i. I like to draw, paint, read Haruki Murakami books, and eat. I like railroad museums too.

If you had to pick one place on earth, where would you ride?
I've heard of guys riding up the coast to Canada, through Oregon and Washington, which sounds really fun. I'd like to ride in Georgia too, it's really beautiful in Atlanta and everyone's pretty bike friendly.

What’s your favourite part on your bicycle?
It's gotta be the saddle. Without a comfortable seat, you're not going to get very far on the bike. I think it's overlooked a lot of the time.

We all know helmets save lives, do you wear one?
Helmets are a necessary thing for cyclists. We ride on roads dominated by cars, and you can't always predict what the drivers are going to do. I've been in one very serious accident, in downtown Oakland, where I was t-boned by a car. The impact threw me over the bars a couple of yards, where I landed directly on my face. In the hospital, the doctor told me that if I had landed any other way, it would be probable I'd have serious brain damage. I don't always wear a helmet, even now, but for long rides I think it's very important.

What's next for you? Got any plans?
In the next month I'll be moving up to Chico, California. It's a college town west of Sacramento, and has a huge bike culture. I'm excited to make new friends and go on some awesome country rides. 

Do you have any words for the bicycle riders of tomorrow?
I'm no authority on the subject, I'm not a professional cyclist or an experienced mechanic. With that being said, I think there's something really special about just getting on a bike and riding, with no clear destination in mind. You fall into a rhythm, and a lot of the stress you carry with you all the time seems to melt away. You focus on your breathing, the wind around you, and the things quickly passing you by. It's a very pure, unadulterated experience, and one that I think everyone should have a chance to enjoy.
Thanks Moses!

Thanks a lot Henry! And I hope that the next time I'm in town we can go for a sweet ride somewhere. Maybe we can take that ride out to Keller's Beach in Pt. Richmond.
Keep in touch, man.

Photo Credit: Henry May

- RideaBicycle