Road bikes, mixtees, touring bikes, middleweights… and more.

If Audrey Hepburn herself shows up, I suppose we won’t be too surprised.

The ride starts at 1824 E. Broadway —The Bicycle Stand shop — about one block west of Bixby Park. Show up shortly before 10:00am last Saturdays of the month. Velo Caravan rides are organized by The Bicycle Stand, phone (562) 279-4936.

perhaps beer’s not your thing for a saturday. perhaps you’re more into the art scene? well, this Saturday, the 9th, is also the East Village’s 2nd Saturday Art Walk. and for this month Phantom Galleries will be opening 3 new spaces while having 9 openings starting at 6p.

maybe you’re thinking, “y’know.. downtown long beach is a li’l too close. i really wanna get out of town and go for a long ride. but i still wanna check out some fantastic bike related art.” well we have just the event for you! there’s a new location for UCR’s Sweeny Art Gallery and they’re celebrating with an exhibition which explores the effects of bicycles on art and culture. the fun starts Thursday, Oct 7th. “woah.. wait. Riverside? how do i get out there?” glad you asked, here’s the plan: the metrolink 404 leaves from LA’s Union Station at 4.14p and costs $11.75. there are other trains if you can’t make that specific train. once there, the group will be taking in the art and a bit of riverside before heading back to downtown LA via bicycle at 12a. the distance is about 50 miles and should bring you to LA by 5a. you interested? give Allen a call for more information: 562 673 0643.

have old vintage bikes you need parts for? come out to Cyclone Coaster‘s 5th annual Vintage Bicycle Swap Meet this Sunday, October 10th. it goes from 7-10.30a. space, admission & parking are free!

and finally, let us not forget about LA’s grand opening of their first-ever CicLAvia! the plan for this one is to meet up at the downtown LB transit mall blue line station at 8.20a—in time to catch the 8.35a train—exit in LA, bike to Hollenbeck Park and meet up with a bunch of LACBC folk for a tour of the CicLAvia route starting at 10a.

but wait, a final final: Long Beach Cyclists’ general meeting this wednesday (Oct 6th), 7.17p at Polly’s Gourmet Coffee Shop in Belmont Shore. go to our Events page for more information.

ps. sorry, Lee, for pushing your post down so soon…

And another option, because it’s fun to be two places at once:

Each first Sunday of the month, friends riding vintage bikes and other bikes with character meet up at Portfolio Coffeehouse (Junipero at Fourth). At 10:30 a.m., the HUGE Cyclone Coaster group will depart from Portfolio for an easy-paced local ride, all wearing Cyclone Coaster t-shirts.

Click www.cyclonecoaster.com for more information, including details about the July 4th Cyclone Coaster BBQ at Bixby Park.

Roller derby! Vintage bicycles! Live music! Bike films at the Art Theater! Kids activities, including a cycling safety course! Vendors! All of Long Beach celebrates bicycle life throughout the month of May. The 9th will be a special day spotlighting Retro Row!

Of course, Long Beach Cyclists volunteers will be there to offer free bike valet.

Cycling to this kind of event is exactly what makes living in Long Beach so special. We’ll be happy to watch your bicycle while you enjoy the fun.

While you talk with us, ask about other upcoming events and activities. We’ve got much of the month of May, and a whole summer ahead of us!

Many things related to cycling are happening these days. Click EVENTS at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com page to help plan your week. Rides. Meetings. Places to go for fun. Areas where you can pitch in.

The first official Long Beach Cyclists board meeting and election will be held March 9th. We are taking steps to complete our transition to tax-exempt, nonprofit corporate status.

Ladies Night at Jax Bicycles (March 10th) includes free workshops, and perhaps some wine and cheese. Life is good!

The folks who organized the recent Metro Station Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Audit invite you to look at the audit summary, provide feedback and give additional input. Meet them at Sipology on March 17th.

Participants in the ‘Bike-Camp-Train’ ride around San Luis Obispo are making preparations this week. And Long Beach Cyclists will do a ‘Fools Ride’ under the full moon at the end of the month.

CSULB Cyclists and Pedal Movement organize rides weekly. Meeting dates are also posted on the calendar. Allan leads a monthly Port Tour ride, and Cyclone Coaster does a monthly vintage ride. Local restaurants offer monthly discounts for cyclists on first fridays. The H.U.B. (the bike-repair cooperative and community space run by Pedal Movement) is getting ready for its grand opening on April 3rd; now is a great time to help. Race practices for beginners and advanced cyclists take place weekly at Douglas Park and at El Dorado Park. The Los Angeles Street Summit 2010 is scheduled for March 20th. Preparations are underway for the Long Beach Bike Fest and for Bike-to-Work Day, both scheduled for May.

And more!  Bike polo, sprints, fixies. Lightning Velo and Velo Allegro rides. What else?  Pitch in. Join us. Get YOUR event listed on the calendar. Happy cycling!

Lee Tracy took this great shot of Bernard and Karen of Cyclone Coaster. They both enjoy lindy hop and other early dance styles.

While there were plenty of vintage bicycles, several of us from Long Beach Cyclists with newer bicycles joined in the fun as well. The air was filled with twinkling bike bells, a-hooo-gah horns and much laughter.

The recent afternoon Mardi Gras sidewalk parade started near the Aquarium and, to the delight of all onlookers, danced its way to Parker’s Lighthouse. It was a noisy, happy hour of fun. Belly dancers, music, umbrellas, raz and ma-taz, echoes of Brazilian carnaval and tastes of New Orleans.

“Where are you guys going?”  asked the lycra-clad road cyclist as the Cyclone Coaster bicycle riders pedaled through Belmont Shore side streets.

“Everywhere,” replied a cap-clad cyclist riding a vintage bicycle.

And while we didn’t go literally everywhere, we went around a lot of Long Beach, and in style.

Every month, Long Beach Cyclists has a great ride, and this month was no exception. We teamed up with the Cyclone Coaster for their first annual Mustache and Tweed Ride. Around 100 cyclists, many with classic vintage bicycles, enjoyed the beautiful sunny day. 

The ride started, as so many good things in Long Beach do, with good coffee, and great company, at Portfolios.

One reason that folks come from far and wide to the Coaster rides, which happen the first Sunday of each month,  is to enjoy the huge array of classic bicycles—many pre-World War II in vintage. 

Fittingly, the Ride began by cycling down to 1st, and then heading East through Bluff Park, passing houses as old as many of the bicycles.

One needn’t dress to the nines to enjoy a good bicycle ride—you can wear most any clothing and cycle— but on a Mustache and Tweed ride, we’re reminded how perfectly well-dressed ladies and gentlemen and cycling go together. 

After riding through the backstreets of Belmont Shore, we headed down the Long Beach Bike path, where the dozens and dozens of cyclists formed a winding snake that slithered down the beach.

By the Belmont Pier we took a break and enjoyed the scenery and conversation.

Back on the bike path, we encountered a section still flooded from the previous day’s thunderstorm—the brave souls pedaled through, while the rest of us rode around it. 

Not all the riders were human—two dogs accompanied their human companions on the ride. This one had the best eyewear on the ride. By far. Dogs love going along on bike rides – it’s easy to train them to ride in a basket, backpack or trailer. 

At last, we arrived at the Rainbow Harbor lighthouse.

The lighthouse was a perfect place for a break, with gorgeous views of the Queen Mary and the downtown Long Beach skyline.

At last, we found ourselves at the Pike in Alamitos Beach, where many riders enjoyed a great lunch to end the ride. Every month’s Long Beach Cyclist’s ride is a new adventure, and you never know where you’ll end up. But rest assured, you’ll have lots of fun with great people.

You can see more photos of the February 2010 Tweed Ride in Long Beach, California, organized by Long Beach Cyclists and Cyclone Coaster. Check out the photos by Lee Tracy posted at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yoshiyahu262/.

Also, check out the photos by Michael Bos at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46493017@N04/4342352351/in/set-72157623261435211/

Trophies will be awarded for Best Tweed Garb-and-Bike Combo, for Best Beard, for Best Mustache, and for Most Creative Undergarments.

Click EVENTS at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com web page and scroll to the February 7th entry of the calendar to see a map of how to get to Portfolio. You can find the Tweed Ride blog page at: http://lbtweedride.blogspot.com/

The Drake Park neighborhood (Willmore City Historic District) is one of the oldest in Long Beach.

Docents from Long Beach Heritage awaited us at the Bembridge House near Drake Park. The Bembridge House was built in the early 1900s.

We made sure we didn’t scuff up the old, restored wooden floors.

A typewriter of sorts, that only types numbers.

Carlos is a cyclist and a pianist. He was given permission to play a tune on the old piano.

After the Bembridge House tour, we cycled north along the LA River trail. In places the river is very pretty. Decades ago, before levies were built to make the Los Angeles River run straight, all lowland areas were subject to seasonal flooding. The Bembridge House and other houses in Drake Park were built on high ground. The Bembridge House looked out over lowland areas that were considered ‘mud flats.’  Areas that were once ‘mud flats’ are now residential neighborhoods.

We get a great view of the Metro Blue Line as it crosses the river.

The river also includes a beautiful area where water can soak into the earth, to replenish our aquafers. You can see egrets, ducks and other wildlife here.

We enjoyed a rest, and picnic lunch, in a small park just off the river bike trail.

Many Long Beach Cyclists rides are for the entire family.

We cycled to Rancho Los Cerritos, which goes back to the first half of the 1800s—long before this area became known as Long Beach. You will want to visit Rancho Los Cerritos to learn about early California history. There were no bicycles in the early days… and of course no motor vehicles. Imagine how nice and quiet it was around here. 

Rancho Los Cerritos was home to various families over many, many decades. Can we guess when this horse-shaped tricycle was new?  Note that one operated this tricycle by hand, not with one’s legs. The hand pedals connect to a chain that runs to the rear axle.

A group photo in the Rancho Los Cerritos garden.

Long Beach Cyclists organizes or participates in group rides and other fun events throughout the year. Click EVENTS at the top of the longbeachcyclists.com web page to see our calendar of upcoming activities.

If you wish to see more photos of the Historic Highlights Ride and Picnic, which took place on January 10, 2010, additional photos by Michael Bos and Jacob Dickinson have been posted on Flickr. For Bos’ photos, go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46493017@N04/sets/72157623267925108/

Additional photos by ride participant Jacob Dickinson are now posted at:

http://flickr.com/gp/jjldickinson/m2g76j

Happy cycling, Michael Bos / lbcyclists@gmail.com

Check out the story behind this bike.  Thank Ecovelo!

http://www.ecovelo.info/2009/12/22/rental-bike/