Bike Buzz: January 2018

“Dad, it’s beautiful. But windy today! And I thought it would be warm enough to bike in shorts in January here.” Follow @nwsbayarea for weather updates. And while we do appreciate rain, see “Piping in the New” for our weather assurance: no snow.

People who bike all respond differently to rain. Many take a break from biking—making rainy days or nights a good time to fill out the Weekly’s poll…

Show some bike love: Nominate your favorites.

See Bicycling Monterey’s post http://bit.ly/Best2018MRY for details regarding the Monterey County Weekly’s annual Best of Monterey County® Readers’ Poll. Learn about the opportunities to bring attention to bicycling and the best bike-related places, organizations, and more.

Through January 28, 2018, the Weekly invites everyone (county residents, visitors, or admirers from afar) to suggest nominations for categories such as…

Best Green/Eco Trend: BICYCLING.

Nice article on the care and feeding of Big Sur, geared toward bicyclists

— bigsurkate (@bigsurkate) December 31, 2017

1. For new and updated Bicycling Monterey posts since the last “Bike Buzz” went out to subscribers (10/28/17), check the archives in the sidebar. New posts, e.g., include:

• Biking to Elegant Venues
• Regulations for E-Bikes / Electric-Assist Bicycles and Other Non People-Powered Bikes — in Monterey County and Elsewhere
• Conference Call Option for TAMC Bike-Ped Meetings
• Sharing Monterey County Parks and Other Public Lands: Administration, Care, and Use
  
• 8th anniversary edition guide for the HER Helmet Thursdays Project — ICYMI, the project now includes more places where you can shop-by-bike and get Thursday discounts: bicycle shops!
• Making the most of every minute: Ciclovía Salinas, Monterey County Open Streets

• Whether international, national, state, or regional, Bicycling Monterey teams up with others on bike advocacy efforts. Other locals do too—like this Velo Club Monterey member who participated in California Dream Ride 2017, a benefit for the California Bicycle Coalition.

2. Another way to stay in touch is to check Bicycling Monterey’s Instagram or Twitter accounts now and then, and HERHelmetThurs on Twitter too.

3. Locking your bike to a tree? As advised in a Dec 2017 post, Feb 1, 2018 is the deadline to apply for free bicycle repair stations, racks, and lockers for Monterey County locations. Who qualifies to receive these? Private businesses, local jurisdictions (e.g., local cities), school districts, and other public agencies in Monterey County.

4. Stay tuned to Bicycling Monterey in 2018 for guest posts by a Del Rey Oaks teen who bikes to school—and elsewhere, by a Monterey County native / now NYC-based travel blogger and photographer who has an eye out for bicycles, as well as others.

Want to subscribe to Bicycling Monterey? Click here.

In 2017, Bonifacio Plaza finally got a bike rack to serve some of the many bike-to-work commuters and others who’d been locking to stair railings. For related information, see Bicycling Monterey’s sections in the Tips for Bicycling Monterey County guide on bike parking and etiquette and bicycle security (theft prevention).

Perennials are among the many visitors who like to rent a bicycle, or bring one, to Monterey County.

Don’t know whether they made it to Critical Christmas Monterey / Lighted Bike Parade, but they were spreading holiday cheer in the Uptown Monterey / Trader Joe’s parking lot in December.

5. Support this public service. Volunteer, contribute project supplies, or make a one-time or automatic monthly financial contribution. As 2018 begins, Bicycling Monterey remains an entirely unpaid volunteer effort for the founder,  as it has been since 2009.

6. Questions? As usual, phone calls welcome anytime. See Contact/Subscribe page for phone number and other details, including about online social media.

Check the bike calendar for more happenings.

Skirt guard spotted in New Monterey.

Help care for the beaches of Monterey County — including Carmel Beach.