The Bikestation’s new home is located along First Street between Long Beach Blvd. and Pine Avenue. It is an integral part of the downtown transit hub.

Bikestation is about day-use and long-term safe bike parking for commuters, and it is about rental bikes. Also, staff mechanics can fix your flat tire or do a bike tune up. Bikestation is run by Mobis Transportation Alternatives, Inc., a firm specialized in multimodal transportation systems. Mobis runs Bikestations in a growing number of cities, including Washington, D.C.  The very first Bikestation was here in Long Beach, California.

The following images trace Bikestation as it has moved four times over the past fifteen-some years.

Back in the mid 1990s, Bikestation Long Beach was a brand new idea. The first temporary Bikestation structure was placed on what had been an empty plot of land along First Street immediately west of the Promenade. (Since then, a multi-level condominium with first-floor commercial spaces was built on that parcel.)

East Village artist Anna Wooten created the following drawing, celebrating the Bikestation in its first Long Beach home.

In 2000′s, the Bikestation moved several hundred feet east into a second temporary structure.

In 2009, that second structure was demolished.

Between 2009 and July, 2011, Bikestation was housed on Broadway, one block to the north.

On July 27, 2011, Bikestation moves into its new, permanent, two-story facility on First Street east of the Promenade.

Go to www.mobisinc.com for more information about multimodal transportation system projects in planning and underway in many cities. Also, check out www.bikestation.com.

To learn about projects coordinated by the City of Long Beach to help make our city a great place for cycling safely on city streets, check out bikelongbeach.org.

Also, you are encouraged to participate and support the activities of the various cycling groups in the region… most of us operating on little more than shoestrings and enthusiasm.

Ideally, we can find secure places for us to lock our bicycles when we go about our shopping, and at banks, cafés, restaurants, and at work. Do you lock up the frame and both wheels? Do you prefer locations ‘out front’ or somewhere ‘tucked away’? Rosscott reminds us to have along a strong lock, so that we can leave our bicycle without worrying about coming back later to find it gone.

The System is created by Rosscott—a cartoonist who is also a cyclist. Rosscott makes thought-provoking and humorous observations about urban life, conditions at the office, transportation issues, and more.

Posted at LongBeachCyclists.com with permission. To see more of Rosscott’s work, go to www.notquitewrong.com/rosscottinc/.

our friends over at Pedal Movement had started, some time back, an event called Tune-Up Tuesdays. they put it off when they started up the Hub over on Longbeach blvd/esther st. now that another group has taken up the Hub, the free bicycle Check-Ups are back in action, but the time and location has changed: Thistry Thursdays at Cheapshots is the place to be! as this is a bar, you must be 21+ years of age to figure into this equation. This is an on-going event at the time of this posting. so look forward to free bike check-ups every thursday night at Cheapshots until otherwise noted! see you there.

You’d think that there would be some sort of relaxation and rest involved after more than a year of pretty much nonstop pedaling and traveling and the like. But no.  After a week or two in Portland, Russ is already adding value to the already bustling Portland bike scene by producing Pedal People, a series that profiles Portland bike folks. Check out this one about Geoff Franklin of Walnut Designs, who creates the coolest leather accessories for bikes, including my favorite, the Portage Strap, which caused BikeSnobNYC to coin a brilliant new word, ‘dandycross.’

Congrats to Russ for hitting the ground running in Portland. Try to stay dry.

We suggest that Scott try pedaling from Long Beach to Catalina Island… and if that works, then he should consider a longer voyage. The image of the T.S.S. Volendam is included here to inspire him. Perhaps Scott may wish to pedal across the ocean in the surf of a very large ship.

On the other hand, we ask ourselves how is it that Scott accumulated so many corks. (What does he stuff into his bike bag?) Also, we ask ourselves how much air Scott pumps into his corks, because his knees might get wet if the corks are low. And we ask ourselves how Scott’s wheels spin, given that they don’t have real axles.

Scott, happy cycling on your beautiful cork bike!

We are very pleased that the entire city council is supportive of bicycle-friendly initiatives. The following three photos feature Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal. We wish everyone would opt to cycle often—especially for local activities.

In the first image, (taken by Diandra Jay of the Press-Telegram, dated June 5, 2009), we see Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal and other cyclists during a ‘First Fridays’ event. Suja rides her orange-colored beach cruiser—a fun bicycle for slow, easy, local riding. A cruiser can be a happy choice for stopping at local cafés… riding along the beach path… going to the library.

In the second image, (taken by GarySe7en, dated April 5, 2009), we again see Suja Lowenthal, this time riding a tricycle. It’s night time and Suja’s trike doesn’t have a headlight. Yikes! Yet if your knees can take it, we see that a child’s trike can be a delightful way to go. Perhaps not the most comfortable or efficient vehicle if you’re heading to the top of Signal Hill.

In the third image, (taken at Jax Bicycles, dated July 6, 2010), we see Suja (and Jax employee Holley Limpach, and LBC president Bernadette McKeever). Suja has selected a new hybrid bicycle—part racer, part urban friendly. Suja’s Trek is relatively lightweight, it has comfortable handlebars, it has upright geometry, and it has plenty of gears. A bicycle of this type feels sprite and nimble. Suja may soon be seen cycling to all corners of Long Beach with her new bike… and, who knows, she may even cycle to the park at the top of Signal Hill.

Might there be yet other types of bicycles in Suja’s future? We’re not going to encourage her to fill ALL the rooms in her house with bicycles… although perhaps this is just the beginning. There are many, many types and models of bicycles out there nowadays, each with its own riding characteristics and personality.

Which types of bicycles do you suppose YOU will be riding in YOUR future?

The next time you cycle along PCH south of Long Beach, say hello to our friends Dominic and Jenny at Out-Spoke-N Cycles.

Out-Spoke-N is a new bike shop. July 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th is the grand opening. Hours 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Out-Spoke-N will give away one great prize to somebody each of the four opening days.

Out-Spoke-N is located in Sunset Beach (technically it is in Huntington Beach), along PCH near Anderson/24th Street. Address: 16400 Pacific Coast Highway, Suites 100-101. That’s about half way between Long Beach and the Huntington Beach pier. You can also reach Out-Spoke-N on Facebook.

That’s what ’ReCYCLE Your BiCYCLE’ is all about. Friends at Pedal Movement / H.U.B. bike cooperative are working with City of Long Beach Waste Management and with Parks and Recreation to receive donated bikes.

Bikes in salvageable condition will be collected at various local parks. Waste Management will truck them to the H.U.B. to be recycled. H.U.B. volunteer mechanics will piece together old bike parts to create recycled bikes. Later, the recycled bikes will be given away to local youth. Old bike parts that cannot be reused will end up as recycled scrap metal. 

Saturday, June 5th and Saturday June 12th between noon and 4:00 pm, Waste Management vehicles will accept bicycles at donation locations at many Long Beach public parks. El Dorado Park West, Houghton Park, Cesar Chavez Park, McBride Park and Silverado Park. Click on the poster icon on the left for details and park addresses.

That’s what ‘ReCYCLE Your BiCYCLE’ is all about. Friends at the H.U.B. bike cooperative (on Long Beach Blvd. one short block south of PCH) love to fix up old bicycles. Now the H.U.B. and Waste Management of the City of Long Beach are working together to recycle old bikes… so that after donated bikes are repaired they can be given away to Long Beach children.

Saturday, May 22nd between noon and 4:00 pm, Waste Management vehicles will accept bicycles in any condition. There will be donation locations at many Long Beach public parks—addresses listed on the poster on the left.

Bikes in salvageable condition will be taken to the H.U.B. to be recycled. H.U.B. volunteer mechanics will piece together old bike parts to create recycled bikes. Later, the recycled bikes will be given away to local children. Old bike parts that cannot be reused will end up as recycled scrap metal. 

Donate your old bicycle Saturday, May 22nd (or Saturday, May 29th, or Saturday June 12th) at one of several local parks listed in the poster.