Past BFBC Events, 2003
Here is information on major BFBC events which happened in 2003.
LAB Road I / Street Skills Class offered
Fri-Sat Nov 14-15: LAB Road I / Street Skills class at the BCAT. Mike Cobb and Shane Rhodes, League of American Bicyclists Certified Cycling Instructors (LAB LCI's) and Pedal Express owners, will give a Road I bicycle safety course for all interested cyclists.
Day One: Fri Nov 14, 5-9pm. Day Two: Sat Nov 15, 9am-4pm. Tuition is $15.00 for Day One, $35.00 for Day Two. Location: the BCAT, 1336-C Channing Way (between Sacramento and San Pablo), in Berkeley. Required equipment: bicycle, helmet, and high spirits. For more information, phone Shane Rhodes at 510-540-7190 or e-mail him at shane (at) pedalexpress (dot) com.
Scholarships
BFBC proudly offers ten half-scholarships ($25 value each) for this course
to BFBC members.
For more information, phone Dave Campbell at BFBC, 549-RIDE (549-7433).
General Information
You already know how to ride a bike ... Now learn to drive one! Whether
you are a current or prospective bicycle commuter, a recreational rider, a
touring or club cyclist, a parent who bikes with your family, or just want to
get around town, you will enjoy cycling more when you know how traffic
operates, and how to operate your bike smoothly in traffic. The entire Bay Area
is just a bike ride away when you know how to travel safely and confidently on
streets and bike-friendly transit.
Street Skills for Cyclists classes give students the information they need to become proficient street cyclists on their own, and can be taken by itself. Street Skills (Day One) is the first 4 hours of the 10 hour Road One adult bicycle driver education course that is administered nationwide by the League of American Bicyclists (http://www.bikeleague.org). For Street Skills graduates who wish to complete the full Road One course, (Day Two) sessions are held periodically on weekend days by League Cycling Instructors throughout the region. Instructors are League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructors (LCI's). Course formats are designed to be uniform throughout the Bay Area. Courses consist of two parts.
Bike Month, May 2003
May 2003 is National Bike Month. BFBC and other local groups have organized a variety of events in Berkeley to increase awareness of bicycling and to celebrate its joys and benefits. (Note: minor changes are possible. Check back just before an event to confirm details.)
Sat 03 May Bay Trail Bike Tour. This will be a "slow and easy, beginners-welcome" bike ride along East Bay shoreline to explore the East Shore State Park and Bay Trail. Participants must have a functioning bike, helmet and water. Bring or buy lunch. Meet 10:30 a.m. at the North Berkeley BART Station (Sacramento and Delaware Streets). Raffle for all who arrive car-free! Co-sponsored by the Sierra Club. Leader: Mike Daley, (510)599-3216. Rain cancels (call leader if in doubt).
Sun 04 May Grizzly Peak Century. From 7:30-10:00am, over 800 cyclists will ride through Berkeley on Grizzly Peak Blvd from the south to north city limits as part of this all-day 107-mile tour of the East Bay hills.
Wed 07 May Presentation: The Future of Bicycle Travel. 6:30-8:00pm, Berkeley Public Library, Main Branch, Community Room. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition, in cooperation with the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition and other Bay Area bicycle coalitions and in cooperation with the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, has proposed a Safe Routes to Transit plan for improved bicycle access to transit and better bike parking at transit stations. A $129 million proposal is being considered for inclusion in State Senator Don Perata's Toll Bridge increase legislation. Robert Raburn, Executive Director of EBBC, will present this bold vision of what our bicycling future could look like. Dave Campbell, President of BFBC, will show photos of how Germany and Holland have implemented an even bolder safe routes to transit plan over the last several decades.
Sat 10 May Bike Day at Farmer's Market, Center St. between Milvia and MLK, 10:30am-3:00pm. Pros and cons of folding bikes; bikes as vehicles for transporting goods; how to make minor bike repairs; how to lock your bike properly. Schedule:
- 10:30-11:30 Traditional and Practical Bicycles for Transport and Shopping. Kai Matsuda of MoMoVelo will speak about low maintenance bikes designed for use in transportation, including folding bikes, European roadsters and modern urban commuters.
- 11:30-12:30 How to Lose 3500 Pounds in a Single Day -- or: Utility Bikes, Your Tool for Errands. Learn to carry more than just yourself: Take the kids to school, pick up groceries, drop off videos, and get to work. Presentation by Shane Rhodes, seven-year cargo cycle courier and co-owner of Pedal Express.
- 12:30-1:30 Bike Repair Demo. Jonathan Feldman, local independent bike mechanic, will demonstrate basic maintenance such as fixing a flat tire, lubing your chain, measuring chain wear, and more. Come with questions and a desire for trouble free riding!
- 1:30-2:30 Bike Theft Prevention. The Berkeley Police Dept will demonstrate methods to secure your bike, share notable bike theft stories, and describe ways the BPD has to tackle the problem.
[CANCELED: Tue 13 May The City Council Proclamation of Bike Month, which was to have happened this day, is canceled. Sorry.]
Wed 14 May Presentation: Tips for a Slug-Free Commute. 7:00pm, Recycles Bike Shop, 3120 Sacramento St (near Woolsey). Workshop given by Loren Evans, owner and head mechanic at Recycles Bike Shop. Join him for this informative and fun evening that will get you psyched up for Bike to Work Day the next morning and help to maximize your safety and comfort for bike commuting.
Thu 15 May Bike-to-Work Day. This is the day when, if you never bike to work, it's time to join the throngs and give it a try. At main intersections throughout Berkeley, you'll find support stations with refreshments and information during the morning commute hours. So get on your bike and join this joyful celebration of bike commuting. Here are Energizer Station locations in Berkeley:
| LOCATION | TIME | SPONSOR |
| Berkeley Civic Ctr. Bldg - 2180 Milvia Street | 7:00am - 9:00am | City of Berkeley |
| 1 Sproul Plaza @ UC Berkeley - Bancroft & Telegraph | 7:30am - 11:00am | UC Berkeley |
| The Missing Link -1988 Shattuck Ave | 7:00am - 7:00pm | Missing Link |
| Downtown Berkeley BART BikeStation | 6:30am - 8:00pm | BikeStation |
| Russell & Telegraph | 7:00am - 9:00am | BFBC |
| Northgate UC Berkeley - Hearst & Euclid | 7:00am - 9:00am | BFBC |
| Dwight & Hillegass | 7:00am - 9:00am | BFBC |
| Hearst & Milvia | 7:00am - 9:00am | BFBC |
Be counted as a bike commuter --
register online for Bike-to-Work-Day (also enters you
in the BTWD raffle; grand prize is a $750 gift certificate).
Visit the Bay Area Bike-to-Work-Day
web site -- has a full list of Bay Area energizer stations.
Visit the California
Bike-to-Work-Day web site -- home of the bike-to-work T-shirt.
See a full list of East Bay energizer stations
plus a printable entry form for the BTWD $750 gift certificate raffle
(this is a largish 2 page PDF file) --
print it and circulate as many copies as you can!
Thu 15 May City of Berkeley Bike-to-Work-Day Event. 7am-10am, in front of the Civic Center Building, 2180 Milvia St. Free treats. Discounts on bicycle helmets and safety lights. Possible photo opportunity with elected officials. City staff will provide information on programs to help City employees use bicycles in their commute or work travel, including: the City's Fleet Bicycle Pool; access to secure employee bicycle parking; and the Eco Pass and Commute Check programs. For more information, contact: Carolyn Helmke, City of Berkeley Office of Transportation, chelmke@ci.berkeley.ca.us, phone (510)981-7062.
Sun 18 May Hidden Gems of Berkeley Ride. A Magical Mystery Tour of the Little-Known Byways and Beauty of Berkeley by Bicycle. 10am-4pm. Led by John Steere and Judith Reich. Come out to sample a treasure-trove of unusual natural and domestic places, public and private sites about Berkeley. We'll spend a day discovering them, peering into hidden gardens filled with fanciful sculpture, seeing a creek day-lighted in a schoolyard and another pavement made into a magical farm, stopping by unique domestic architecture, some that tell stories, finding shaded paths, and murals painted by young children. See rich signs of other times, and places out of time. Explore the vernacular side of Berkeley you've never noticed before. This 10-12 mile ride will have few, if any hills. Bring a lunch, snack, and water. The ride will begin at Halcyon Commons, a small neighborhood-built park, on Halcyon Court, beside Prince Street, one block west of Telegraph. For more information, or to sign up, call John at 849-1969 or Judith at 841-4303. Rain cancels (if in doubt, call a leader).
Sun 25 May Bike Fair at REI Coop. San Pablo Ave at Gilman St. All ages and levels invited.
- 10:00-10:30 Where to Ride. The Map Dude will speak on the best places to ride in the East and North Bay.
- 11:00-12:00 General Bike Maintenance. Clinic by a certified REI bike tech.
- 12:30-1:30 Bike Safety. Clinic with an REI cycling specialist on maximizing your safety on the road.
- 1:30-2:00 Bike Advocacy. Workshop with Robert Raburn of EBBC.
- 10:00-2:00 Bike Demos. Try out the bikes that R.E.I. carries.
- Tabling: BFBC, Safe Routes to School, Grizzly Peak Cyclists, Oakland Yellowjackets.
Sat 31 May Bicycle Rodeo for school-age children and families (City of Berkeley). 10am-2pm, San Pablo Park. Activities will include: skills and handling workshop, bike maintenance workshop, a "mock city" set up for young kids that teaches safety basics with a kid-size stop sign, crosswalk, etc. For older kids there's an obstacle course that helps develop riding skills such as quick turns, a slow race, and other skills-building activities. There will also be carnival booths, food stands, a police booth where people can register bikes, events for non-bike wheeled-vehicle users (i.e., scooters & skateboards), a place for kids to be fingerprinted for ID purposes, raffles throughout the day, information booths, and more. For more information, contact: Tasha Tervalon, City of Berkeley H&HS, ttervalon@ci.berkeley.ca.us, phone (510)981-5347.
If you can help with these or other events, please contact contact Cynthia Powell, our Volunteer Coordinator, at vc (at) bfbc2 (dot) org or call BFBC at 510-549-7433. We especially need people to help with Bike-to-Work day.
BFBC's 7th Bicycle Film Festival!
Every year, our bicycle advocacy coalition holds a fabulous fun-filled film festival.
When: Sunday, February 9, 2003, 4-9 p.m..
Where: La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave.
2 blocks east from Ashby BART. Bus Line #43.
- Movies, Music, and Merriment.
- $10-20 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds.
- Free valet bike parking.
Come join us for great shorts, advocacy/education flicks, fun films (a special bikollage collection), and a feature length movie -- all bike and appropriate transport related! Plus a special appearance by MC Fossil Fool and his band doing Velocentric raps. As well as games, an auction, and more! Mark your calender!
See the Film Festival poster (400K jpg).
Tentative Schedule. We don't have time for everything so there will still be some cuts from this list. The Auction, Bikollage, & Fossil Fool music will start around 6:00pm.
| Shifting Gears (25) | Bike education film from Canada |
| EcoUpdate (20) | Grassroots/Critical Mass work from NY City |
| On Your Left (5.5) | Comedy skit about the "polite" passing phrase |
| Motion Sickness (25) | Computer animation Matrix-themed future view of pedestrians in a freeway based society. |
| Detroit Project (1) | SUV ad spoof |
| Late (3.5) | Fast paced through the streets of SF |
| The Car Song (3.5) | Marcus Orealius - cars cars everywhere |
| Monday Morning (4.25) | Comedy short |
| Donovan Sell (5) | Trials riding in SF set to music |
| Lifebike (25) | The Xtracycle medical bike documentary |
| Detroit Project (1) | SUV ad spoof |
| Workbike Video (7) | Pedal Express based workbike video |
| Silent auction wrap-up (15) | |
| Bikollage (30) | Special collage of bikes in all kind of movies |
| MC Fossil Fool (30) | Velocentric tunes, raps, & music |
| Bejing Bicycle (113) | Our feature length movie, storyline based on the classic Italian Bicycle Thief |
Submissions. The film festival needs your creative film work. Your contributions are welcome--tell a friend!
Grand Prize: $200
2nd Place: $100
Please mail your VHS, SVHS, or 16mm piece to:
BFBC Film Festival
PO Box 13357
Berkeley, CA 94712
Submission deadline: Thursday, January 30, 2003. Subject matter: ANYTHING about bikes, alternative transit- and/or auto- issues. Length: No length requirements -- anything from shorts (5 minutes or less) up to full length features. For returns: enclose a self addressed stamped envelope. For more info, contact:
Shane Rhodes
510-540-7190
shane (at) pedalexpress (dot) com
Volunteer for the Film Festival! We need volunteers to help with our film festival! We need people to: collect auction items from bike shops; conduct media and advertising outreach; staff the event: front door, valet bike-park, BFBC table, etc. If you can help, please contact Cynthia Powell, Volunteer Coordinator, at vc (at) bfbc2 (dot) org or call BFBC at 510-549-7433.