4 Year Anniversary Party

Big social ride to celebrate 4 years of BicycleSPACE! Thanks for the support. It's inspiring watching the D.C. bike community grow every year. Join us each week for more Rides and Events.

Trolley Relic Ride

The P Street Trolley Tracks was where we started our first #adventuretimes ride. As avid cobble goblers (#steelisreal) we decided the P street trolley tracks were the place to start. In Georgetown there are the remnants of the Cabin John trolley system, or the original H Street Streetcar. The Georgetown trolley tracks we're installed in the 1890's, and only retired from service in 1960. Pretty sweet little bit of history to start our Friday adventure!

Steep cobbles ahoy! My All City Macho Man disc had no problems with the steep cobbles, Kevin, seen here getting low and pro, had to be careful with his cantis though (can't stop, won't stop). Disaster was averted, we impressed a couple tourists and headed to our destination, a retired trolly trestle.  

Here's the trestle! Look how fast I'm going, I'm blurry! We had been talking about visiting this trestle for a while and I'm stoked we finally visited it. Being from the San Francisco, Yay Area I have a soft spot for anything trolley related, and being a male raised on Thomas the Tank Engine anything train-ey makes me happy, so this pushed all sorts of buttons.

Not content merely gawking at the trestle we wanted to scramble to the top, portaging our bikes--hey, cross is coming! The ascent was a little sketchy, boards+nails, rusty rebar (I'm convinced rusty rebar will kill me someday) and a lot of random detritus. 

The run up was totally worth it. We found a tree that was growing around an old Schwinn! Just like that famous internet picture! We have our own treebike, #BikeDC!

The ride to the trestle was shorter than anticipated so we decided to zip down to the towpath and log a few extra miles, you know, for the Strava (In all seriousness, if you want to peep the route click here).

Kevin and I were pretty smiley because, a) we were riding for work b) the towpath just does that to you, everytime I think I'm getting bored of the C&O I'll ride it with friends and have a blast, and c) we're riding our All-Citys, so we're hella #partybrand.

The ultimate goal was to get rad before showing up to the shop for our shifts. Obviously that happened, as you can see from this photo of Kevin, catching some sick air, towpath style. Just look at Kevin's face. Much concentration. Many stoke. So air.

This C&O jump is way better, one can totally send it. I made sure my elbows were out--for ultimate braap-age. Seriously, I love the All City Macho Man, it's such a blast to ride, I'm definitely looking forward to purchasing a Macho King when they are available. Until next time, #bikeDC, go have your own adventure times!

If you build it they will come

BicycleSPACE co-founder, Phil Koopman, operates a bike storage facility business. Phil remembers installing some of the city's first bike racks over 20 years ago. 

Phil and Simon are working on contract for the Downtown BID and do all their installations by bike. 

The pair sometimes visits up to 15 sites in a day. 

 It's often a surprise what's underneath the sidewalk. Not all developers fill things in properly.

Phil applies some loctite to ensure the racks aren't going anywhere anytime soon. 

Fresh racks for M Street. As the city's biking population explodes there is some serious demand for more bike parking. Phil has installed at least 100 racks so far this year. 

Story and Photos by Francis Tatem, Marketing Manager 

Brewing History Tour

With author Garret Peck as our guide, we dove into the the brewing history of our wet city. After leaving from the shop, our bike tour began just down the road on 7th Street at a monument to the fruitless pursuit of the temperance movement...

The Temperance Fountain, once voted "the ugliest fountain in the city", was built strategically between one of the seediest parts of town and in close proximity to the Capitol building, notes Peck.

It’s builder hoped that by providing clean drinking water, the residents would happily give up their spirits and brews. Prohibition had the opposite effect, the 270 saloons operating in the District that were forced to close were soon replaced by nearly 3000 speakeasies. 

Parking lot H and I by Nationals Stadium used to be waterfront property, and at the foot of the canal stood Washington’s first brewery, aptly named the Washington Brewery. The first wave of brewers were of English and Irish descent and thus produced ales, Peck explains. This Brewery stood from 1805 to 1836 and was one of the first industrial sites in D.C. The surrounding Navy Yard provided many happy customers for the brewers. 

Ride participants included friend of Peck, the legendary local reporter, Tom Sherwood.

Eventually, in the 1850’s, a wave of German immigrants brought the perfect cure to humid D.C. summers, the lager. This style of brewing quickly gained popularity. Due to demands of the lager brewing process this industry ushered in technologies such as air conditioning and mechanical ice production. 

Numerous people involved early on in the local brewing industry were buried at Congressional cemetery. This victorian era park was designed to encourage leisure and picnics alongside relatives who may have passed. One of the most prolific brewing families, the Beckert's, are buried here.  

At one point, breweries were the second largest employer in the city behind the Federal government. In recent years craft brewing has seen a renaissance, and there are now more breweries in the city than at any point since prohibition. One such brewery, is Shaw’s own Right Proper Brewing Company. 

Riders, Brad and his daughter Claire, survey the offerings.

Thor and the crew at Right Proper were happy to serve up a wide array of their beers. Peck happily signed copies of his latest book Capital Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in Washington, D.C. 

You ride through history every time you get on your bike in this city. With the help of local experts like Mr. Peck, we can uncover some of these hidden gems and get a true taste for where we live.

By Francis Tatem, Media Specialist

Bike to Work Day 2014: Freedom Plaza

Rain or shine, D.C. commuters make a splash at the annual National Bike to Work Day celebration, on Friday May 16th. 

BicycleSPACE cofounder, Phil Koopman welcomes the flock of faithful riders. Phil has been a part of organizing local Bike to Work Day events for over 20 years. Phil recalls, "all nighters fueled by stale bagels, putting packets together for the snail mail, to ensure organizers got all their necessary materials ready for the events." It's inspiring to see how far D.C. has come, now nationally recognized as a cycling city. 

Acting United States Surgeon General, Rear Admiral (RADM) Boris D. Lushniak, was just one of the many dedicated commuters on hand this morning at our Bike To Work Day station at Freedom Plaza. Dr. Lushniak emphasized the importance of not only physical health, but equally the importance of social and mental health that events like Bike to Work Day inspire.

 U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx greets crowds of commuters. 

From bikeshare users to bike families, we're proud to see the the many sides of bikedc that came out to support Bike to Work Day. 

by Francis Tatem, Media Specialist

Bunnyhop Velohunt

Spring has finally sprung into DC, and what better way to celebrate it than with a bunny-themed velo hunt! The weather was definitely more agreeable than our last velo hunt, so people had no problem getting out and silly with rabbit puns and hopping all over DC.

The first task of the hunt was to take a portrait in the BicycleSPACE bunny photo booth:

After that, we gave the riders clues and sent them on their merry ways, or rather, upon receiving the clues, they stood around and tried to make sense of them.

What was on the line? $50 to Baked and Wired, DC’s best bakery, so they didn't stand around for too long! Riders had to ride out and take a photo of each answer to each clue, whether an item, action, or place, and post it with #bunnyhopdc. 

As the riddle master, I had the pleasure this time of watching the #bunnyhopdc photos pour in and send me into water-shooting-out-the-nose fits of laughter back at BicycleSPACE HQ. 

At this point, I’ll just share some of the clues, and let the creative photo-answers take you on this wild ride.

Clue #18: Get off my lawn punk! Don’t be a grasshole on the mall. They say no walking on the grass, but nothing about hopping… 

Clues #14 and #16: Find this very pensive rabbit in the sculpture garden and Do the futterwacken like the mad hatter in front of his favorite hat shop!

Clues #19 and #15: Don’t get egg on your face! and Pick out a nice day’s meal for a hungry rabbit at the grocery store:

Clues #7 and #12 :Attention DDOT: There are rabbit holes EVERYWHERE. Please fix immediately. and Find a flower bed with all the colors of the rainbow

Clue #6: Photobomb! Give a stranger "bunny ears” 

Once everyone returned from their tasks, I had a great time checking out everyone’s photos and videos. If you want to see even more for yourself, check out the #bunnyhopdc tagboard!

Clue #17: Eagles are rabbits’ natural predators: find an eagle and duck and cover! This photo below on the left won a Basil front basket for making me laugh the hardest, as well as for the scale and willingness of the riders to trust a stranger with their phone!

Of twenty-one total clues, the winners, Emily and Taylor, managed to take photos of 16 clues in less than two hours—they were busy little rabbits!

Thank you to all who came and bunny hopped, hid from eagles, and generally goofed around! I hope you had as much fun as I had checking out the #bunnyhopdc photos! 

By Kevin Sundeen, Event Coordinator

Grace's Trusty Torch

Riding back and forth between Hyattsville, Maryland and BicycleSPACE has forced me to invest in a good lighting system. Day or night, I use my Light & Motion Urban 400 to light my way home, to school, or to work. Because of my varying destinations and schedule, my commute takes me across the Anacostia Tributary Trails in MD into the streets of DC, and on to the Metropolitan Branch Trail, during all hours of the day...

Having a round-trip 15 mile commute means that I need to have a light that can last and still be easy to charge up on the fly, if needed. All Light & Motion's lights are USB-rechargeable which makes my life super easy-- I can charge my light as I'm researching or studying and have a full battery when it's time to roll home.

Light & Motion manufactures all their lights in the United States and provides an awesome 2 year warranty so you can trust the quality. 

The Urban 400 has four different modes ranging from the super bright 400 lumens (as the name suggests) to a medium, low, and then flashing. Those different modes allow me to adjust the lighting as needed.

I definitely use the super bright mode to avoid roots on trails and potholes on Route 1! And it has held up quite well, proving the Urban 400 is a game-changer for any commute.

By Grace Pooley, Sale Associate

Arundel Looney Bin

BicycleSPACE would never condone drinking while cycling. But portaging booze by bike to enjoy at your destination is a totally acceptable thing that we definitely encourage! Enter the Arundel Looney Bin, a uniquely adjustable bottle cage that can be used to carry wine, or maybe even a fifth of Evan Williams--Mmm-mmm! 

Of course, it's great for Nalgene bottles or even a roll of paper towels too, making it truly one of the most versatile bottle cages out there. So if you find yourself bending and breaking regular aluminum cages to fit that tankard of coffee, I would have to suggest you try out the Looney Bin.

By Tony Pelton

Your Donations at Work: Pathfinders Cycling Club

The BicycleSPACE yoga community was thrilled to welcome Pathfinders Cycling Club to the shop to share the proceeds of our "give what you can" yoga classes over the last several months-- a total of $2500! 

Representing Pathfinders were club leader, Olanza Badger, his wife, and son. We were treated to a detailed description of the Pathfinders activities and how they use cycling and community service to help youth develop healthy lifestyles. The donations from BicycleSPACE will help contribute to these efforts, allowing young riders to have the right cycling equipment to support their activities. As spring approaches and our group rides pick up steam in the warmer months, we'll be seeing more of Olanza and his crew on rides. We can't wait to hear how the season goes! 

All of us at BicycleSPACE remain deeply moved and grateful to the yoga community that comes to the shop to practice and give back. It has been incredible to see all the generous donations at work. We are proud to be part of this vibrant community-- together we have been able to make a big impact!

By Suzanne Wnek, Yoga Program Manager

Ladies Lead the Way

Pick one category for your team: Hardcore (messengers only), Softcore (experienced urban rider), or Applecore (first time at an alleycat).

Race organizer, Stef, takes a quick straw poll to gauge the experience of the hundreds of riders that filled into the bike polo courts of Brentwood Park NE for the first annual Sadie Hawkins Alleycat. For the vast majority of riders this was their first alleycat. And, unlike most alleycats, every team competing had women members or was an all-female team, which was precisely the goal.

Dance through for some more glimpses from this bike soiree...

The Sadie Hawkins AlleyCat was created to bring women together in what has often been a male-dominated world of alleycat racing. The race had varying levels of competitiveness and encouraged you to be as serious or as silly as you wished. All proceeds went to benefit WABA's Women & Bicycle Program. A few mini-messengers in training were onhand to witness their first alleycats from the view of their childseats.

The Virginia Ave Park checkpoint in SE tested your balance and teamwork in a "double time" challenge. You and your teammate had to navigate the windy paths on one bike.

The race required you to make stops at various local bike shops to pick up items and then deliver them to the next check point.  We put out some balloons outside the shop,snapped some fun photos, and handed out coupons that asked participants to check off their answer to our plea: "Would you go to the races with us?"

Checkpoint "Change Up" at the Duck Pond in SW. You and your partner did some wardrobe swaps and a few laps around the park.

The race took riders through every quadrant of the city.

Sunny Meridian Hill Park provided the perfect dancefloor for the "Cut a Rug" challenge.

Finish Line at Red Rocks on H Street NE. The beautiful sight of overflowing bike racks.

Stef welcomes teams to the finish line. Our own Kate Schrock and her teammate Bruce took first place! This lively event was the perfect way to introduce newcomers to the exciting world of alleycat racing. It's always a party when the DC bike community comes together, thanks to everyone for participating and to Stef for putting together an awesome event!

Story and Photos by Francis Tatem, Marketing Manager