This Weekend!: Street Art Rides in Tijuana and San Diego!

This is going to be a blast!



I love riding Tijuana. I've been riding from SD to TJ since I was 15 years old as a mountain bike-loving high school kid growing up in Chula Vista (several miles from the border).

The ride in Tijuana tomorrow is going to be very special--Sezio and Rurista Libre are leading the ride to a number of secret spots featuring sick street art.

The TJ Ride (the first of two rides) is meeting at the south side of the pedestrian border crossing in Colonia Federal at 1pm.

The second ride is the SD Ride goin' down this Sunday. That ride meets at 11am next to Shepard Fairey's new piece that he put a couple weeks ago on the Urban Outfitters in Hillcrest.

More info at the Facebook event page and on the Sezio website.

Both rides are fully backed by Los Cruzadores, the SD to TJ transnational bike crew and this blog, Bic Control: Bicyclists on the Mic!

Defiance, Ohio Bike Workshop--A Belated Photo Recap

Thanks to everyone who came to the Bike Workshop at The Che Cafe! This is an incredibly belated "thank you" on the blog, but as I mentioned at the workshop and in person, we're all incredibly grateful that so many people came out to support!

Every aspect of the nite was on-point. The ride was fun, the veegun dinner was yummy, Death Pedal 2 (attended by Gus Molina and Andy Compton from Fast Pace Zine) was killer as per usual, the Bike Maintenance 101 by Bikes Del Pueblo was well done, the Make Your Own LED Light 101 by down-to-earth genius Cairie Riney was incredible and unique, the Know Your Rights 101 was delivered in between bands to 200 kids under one roof, and the bands were super sick and rowdy.

Overall, we found the evening to be empowering. It was everything we wanted it to be. Thanks to everyone who was apart of it!

Been delaying this follow-up entry for far too long, so I'm just gonna keep it simple:




Cairie Riney designed the LED light and lead the workshop.




Ryan from Defiance, Ohio doesn't fuck around. The band brought their own soldering iron. DIY or die.


Kon w/ the Swampdonkey piece in the back.


The materials for the 30 lights got called for quick. Huge 'Thank You!' to the SD County Bike Coalition for providing the funding for materials for 30 lights!

(Above photos by Nick Never Die).


The completed double LED light made out of a Tic Tac box.


This photo was taken in a completely dark room w/ no other lighting. As you can see, the double LED light is quite powerful. The guide (created by Cairie) that we used to assemble the lights will be posted on up on the blog when I fix my scanner.


Bikes Del Pueblo covering the basics at the Maintenance 101.


Ken from Bikes Del Pueblo.

(Above two photos by La Keev).


The Che was packed! By the time we rolled up at 6pm there were already 40-ish kids there. More and more kids kept showing up to fully pack The Che to its 200 person capacity!--making the evening the first sold out event at The Che in about eight months. Thanks to Scott at Animal Spirits for promoting this event so well.

The first band of the evening was Jehova's Fitness, one of my favorite bands in San Diego. As I've said on this blog before, and as I claim to this day, there isn't a single musician in SD who has more mic control than Jehova's Fitness' Danny Munoz.

After Jehova's Fitness was the Know Your Rights 101. It was really rad to have 200 kids present for this section.

Following that was Koalacaust who I had never seen before. They were super fun and are definitely worth making a point to see in the future.


Defiance, Ohio draws a crowd--and rightfully so. Few bands of today are as raw and as important and as down-to-earth as Defiance, Ohio.

(Above photo by Alex Kacha).


(Photo by Nick Never Die).

(The following photos are by Alex Kacha):











This workshop was one of the most amazing bike events I've ever been a part of. It was both unique and empowering. Once again, thanks to all who made it possible. If you weren't there, you missed out. That is all. Goodnight.

-B.C.

Up the Bike Punks...and Nerds

The widely anticipated San Diego Comic Con is goin' down this weekend! Shit sold out like 3 years ago. So you gotta be Bansky to get in. If you're not Banksy then I recommend that you get to work on your Kaneda costume so at the very least you can do a few laps around the Convention Center on your track bike, scopin' out the sitch' on afterparties:

(Kaneda from the greatest Japanese animation film of all time, AKIRA. If you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend it; especially if you love the idea of post-apocalyptic cities run by kids in motorcycle gangs. This fixed gear rendition of Kaneda is by Shera One).

See you at the Storm Trooper Dance Party this Saturday nite?

This Saturday: Tour De Fairmount by Bikes Del Pueblo

This Saturday the Bikes Del Pueblo crew is organizing Tour De Fairmount, a benefit event and bike party:

I know Jehovas Fitness is playing but I'm not sure who the other bands are at this point.

Come support this co-op, volunteer operation. Should be fun! Dance off?! Say word!

New Bike Polo Chapter in SD County---Chula Vista

When I showed up to SD Bike Polo last Wednesday I was stoked to see that there was a whole new crew of poloists present. When I learned that they were all from Chula Vista--my hometown!--I was ecstatic.

For those unfamiliar w/ Chula, the city is technically it's own independent municipality that's located in south San Diego County, several miles from the most crossed international border in the world. The best thing about C.V. is the underground punk rock scene (i.e. The Zeros in the late '70s and an internationally respected hardcore punk scene that blew up in the '90s). The shittiest thing about C.V. is the terribly unfriendly bicycling environment. The city is an uninspiring, sprawled, post-WWII, suburban, auto-centric, tract home design. The side-view mirrors of "fuck-you-all" SUVs often fly by w/in a foot of your head all while the motorist--more than likely not a cyclist--yaps on the phone.

Somehow, somewhere (near a roller hockey rink in east Chula, to be exact) a bike polo community has risen up.

(CVBP visits SDBP).

CVBP plays on at-least a weekly basis at a hockey rink in the Eastlake neighborhood of east Chula Vista. If you live in South Bay hit 'em up on their Facebook page to find out when they're gonna play next. Great crew of kids w/ a unique playing style! And make sure to get their killer logo tattooed on your brain!:



Done and done.

RIP ATIP

Tonite marks two years since our fallen friend Atip collided w/ a motorist at the deadly Park Blvd. & University Ave. intersection. At that same intersection friends will gather tonite at 7pm in remembrance of his life, taken far too early.

(Atip Ouypron will never be forgotten).

Tonite: Velo Cult Two Year Anniversary Party w/ Scott McDougal

Velo Cult and friends are celebrating the two-year birthday of the South Park bike shop. Scott McDougal, acoustic traveler/"ramblin' man"-esque folk rock artist will be performing in the shop, which respected farm-to-table restaurant owner Jay Porter once described as a communal space.

In addition to selling world-class vintage steel bikes, Velo Cult has kindly opened their doors on numerous occasions to host important events such as open Q&As w/ local politicians, film screenings, and bike advocacy discussions in their South Park shop for the past two years.

It's hard to believe that Velo Cult has been in South Park for two years now. Sometimes it still feels like they just moved in. But then again, upon reflection--if I may be a contrarian here--Velo Cult owner Sky Boyer has been involved in the city-area bike scene for quite awhile.

I first met Sky on a Critical Mass ride in the spring of '06, back when there were only about 50 people on the monthly ride. Today, there are over 1,200 who attend on a monthly basis. While 4 1/2 years ago may not seem like 'quite awhile' to some, in San Diego bike scene terms, it is. That's because SD, as I claim, is the fastest growing and most progressive bike scene in the country. It's changed a lot--and for the better--during the last 5 years.

Sky Boyer, who travels to bike swaps across the West Coast in order to bring more steel bikes to SD, has undoubtedly played a significant role in that development.

Congrats to Sky and his employees, Alex, Anthony, and Tom.

Celebrate w/ them and friends tonite at Velo Cult.

This Saturday: Manivela Delivery One Year Anniversary Alleycat & Party

Show some love for Manivela, your favorite carbon off-setting, human/bike-powered food delivery service this Saturday nite at the One Year Anniversary Celebration Alleycat Race and Afterparty:


This is what Manivela is about:


Big ups to Matthew, founder of Manivela, and all the riders and customers for keeping this business going and growing.

This Monday, July 5!: Defiance, Ohio + Bike Workshop @ Che Cafe!

This is it! This coming Monday July 5 is gonna be out of control! It's easily one of my most anticipated days of the year. Here's why:


Yeah boiii!!! The day is gonna be packed to the brim. Defiance, Ohio, Jehovas Fitness, Koalacaust, Animal Spirits (whose booking the show), The Bike Kitchen (doing the Maintenance 101), Cairie Riney (doing the Light 101), The Che Cafe, SD County Bicycle Coalition, and Bic Control are coming together to bring you a slammin' and empowering day!

In case you're overwhelmed by the awesomeness crammed onto the flier, here's what's goin' down in chronological order:

-4:30pm: Bike ride to The Che meets at the Big Fountain at Balboa Park.

-5:30pm: Vegan dinner cooked by the amazing and talented Che chefs and you if you'd like to volunteer!

-6:00pm: Screening of UCSD Alumni Kareem Shehab's Death Pedal 2 during dinner.

-6:30pm: Bike Workshop organized by Bic Control: Bicyclists on the Mic!

Workshop section 1: Maintenance 101 by The Bike Kitchen aka Bikes Del Pueblo.

Workshop section 2: Know Your Rights 101. Ever wonder exactly what it is you're entitled to on the road? The socio-cultural behavior of many motorists pressures cyclists into the gutters. But what does the law say? Knowing your rights can help you ride w/ greater confidence.

Workshop section 3: Make Your Own LED Bike Light 101. This section will be lead by Cairie Riney, UCSD Alumni and one of the founders of UCSD's Interdisciplinary Computing and Arts Cult (ICAC). Cairie has designed her own prototype light and on Monday you can learn how to make one, too.

The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition has very generously provided funding for light materials! The funding will allow us to buy materials for 30 lights. To get a light you must RSVP at BicControl[at]gmail[com]. Hurry up because there are only several lights left for RSVP!


After all that, it's time to dance w/ Koalacaust, Jehovas Fitness, and finally, Defiance, Ohio.

Defiance, Ohio is one of the best live bands in the history of punk rock. There could be no better venue for this show than The Che Cafe.


(Defiance, Ohio in Brooklyn. Photo by Konstantin Sergeyev).

Monday, July 5 is not to miss. One disclaimer, though: Be respectful of other people or don't come at all. Racist, sexist, or homophobic behavior will not be tolerated. It's a serious policy but a quite simple and reasonable premise.

As if you needed further encouragement to come out, SD City Beat's 'If I Were U' picked this show as Plan A for Monday, July 5.

After the bands, we'll ride back down to North Park area in solidarity, illuminating the roadway w/ our new hand-made DIY LED bike lights.