Outside the Bike Lane

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Bicycles are an increasingly important aspect of the landscape. Our work includes pragmatic two-wheel issues such as parking and storage or planning for bicycle commuting. This day-to-day focus on the practical may account for our fascination with aspects of  bike culture beyond the mainstream; past blog posts have looked at a coffee business based on bike delivery (http://www.vallierdesign.com/blog/bike-to-work-day/) and collaboration on bike rack with an artist friend (http://www.vallierdesign.com/blog/a-bike-stop-for-palms-springs/).

Recent travels around Oakland have provided further glimpses at the distinct approaches to customization and alternate bike cultures – phenomena that we find interesting as expressions of design.

Saturday June 11th saw the Grand Opening of “The Shed”, a youth-led bike work shop in East Oakland. Housed in a former shipping container at the 81st Avenue Branch of Oakland Public Library, the project is the brain child of the Original Scaper Bike Team, a group that builds and rides Hip-Hop inspired scaper bikes.( (https://bikeeastbay.org/events/scraper-bike-team-grand-opening-shed  and  http://originalscraperbikes.blogspot.com/)

Custom bikes of a different sort were on display Sunday the 12th at the Temescal Street Fair where groups like Krudo Kruzers, the Outlaw Bike Club (OBC) and Calaveras BC showed off bikes that defy easy description. Here are photos from that event and also last year’s “Pedalfest” at Jack London Square. (http://pedalfestjacklondon.com/)