this is the entrance at city yoga on the hill. katie gehn keeps the studio simple and peaceful. she maintains a quiet space for yoga students. she gently guides students through her classes, offers alternatives for those of us who need to take it easy, and then she leaves some quiet time for your mind to wander and for your body to sink into the poses. less experienced teachers tend to fill the silent spaces with chatter, telling you what you should be feeling, counting out every breath, explaining how your fingers should be spread out, etc, etc. katie, like all great teachers, gives you the necessary information and then steps back to let the learning happen. she trusts her students and allows them the freedom to explore and learn for themselves.

many thanks to katie for inviting us to share our stories and for offering to share her peaceful space. pedals2people collected 10 donated bikes, and we met some interested future volunteers!

i think the bike is a tool–a vehicle that brings people together, that empowers folks, and builds healthier communities. we all hold those beliefs in our hearts at pedals2people. we love biking. it’s fun. and it makes us feel good.

critical mass is a bike event that brings people together, usually about 20 +/- in spokane. for the most part, they’re fun. my young daughter has come with me on a couple rides. she honks her horn and waves at people. i ring my bell and smile.

this year’s halloween ride pushed the envelope more than i was comfortable with.

it’s hard when you’re riding in a large group, especially a leaderless group :,,) how many lanes do you occupy? do you block intersections or split up and wait at the next light? how do you respond to angry drivers? celebration ride or protest? ask 10 different critical-massers these questions, and you’ll likely get 10 different answers.

if i’m answering, i say…

share the road, so don’t take more than two lanes.

split up and catch the group at the next light (the way lights are timed downtown, this works easily).

ignore the anger, or smile and wave it away.

and, of course, celebrate bikes!

tomorrow is karma yoga night at city yoga. beth and i will be joining the class. we’ll also give some info about P2P afterwards. and, if your old bike is just hogging up space in your garage, bring it on by! your old wheels will bring mobility, independence, and new skills to people in ghana. this karma yoga class will benefit our organization and also the Village Bicycle Project in moscow, idaho.

it should be fun. i haven’t been consistent with my yoga practice lately (i.e. haven’t done any in about 3 months), so i’ll try and take it easy :,,) see the link for some guidelines.

*505 E. 24th St

*5:30pm

*see you there!

here’s my DIY tshirt. the orange and black fit for this halloweeny time of year.

check out george’s flipped-and-chopped DIY rack. mike met george at the farmer’s market where he snapped this photo. nice use of a mesh-aluminum folding chair.

soooooo nice today. it was a perfect fall day: 60 degrees, vivid orange and red bursts of color, busy squirrels scurrying about. i didn’t go for a long ride, just downtown for lunch and back up the hill, but i’ll take what i can get. 2 or 20-miler, doesn’t really matter. i had to stop at cannon hill park on my way home to take this picture.

speaking of pictures…patrick sullivan is putting together a photography show at his shop. patrick is the owner of The Scoop, where they serve the best ice cream in town. he’ll be accepting submissions of bike-related photos for his december-january show. sales and proceeds will benefit pedals2people. thanks patrick for the generous offer! more details to follow.

also, we have a date and a time for our Karma Yoga class at City Yoga:

• Friday, November 2nd, 5:30 pm
• 505 E 24th Ave
• Bicycle donations happily accepted for the Village Bicycle Project
• Join us in “promoting positive change within our community”

katie gehn at City Yoga has invited pedals2people to take part in her Karma Yoga series. we’re psyched! think yoga, think bikes, think “positive change within our community.”

city yoga devotes one evening a month to this community-building program, where the studio is open to local non-profit organizations and spreading their missions. yoga students partake in the friday night class, and city yoga donates their space, time, and fees to the charitable organization. P2P will also be collecting bikes for the Village Bicycle Project at this event.

thanks katie for thinking of us! we are so honored!

check back to find the November date and time for this Karma Yoga class at 505 E. 24th St. and YES, they have a bike rack!

the Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW) was in spokane for a reception last month. this is a picture of louise mcgrody from the BAW and a happy supporter.

we spent a few minutes at the start of the evening introducing ourselves and saying how we’re connected with bicycling. we heard from local BAW folks, Bicycle Advisory Board members, an REI outreach represenative, INW Trails Coalition members, and other bike folks. it was great to see so many of us out on a cold thursday night, talking about biking in spokane.

one topic that came up was if our city needs a full or part-time BAW representative. we were all excited about that prospect. someone to help organize events around bike-to-work month? someone to help get a bike boulevard or two in our city? someone to possibly work with the city on other bike-related issues? oh, hell yeah!!!

later, there was another question. there we were, a diverse bunch of biker/hikers, roadies, mtn bikers, commuters,educators,advocates, etc. as a rapidly growing city, how do we work together to maximize our influence? how do we stay connected and in touch with what we’re all trying to do?

diversity is fantastic. it’s evident in nature when you have a more diverse populations (bugs, plants, animals, trees species), the whole ecosystem benefits. the system is stronger, more resistant to destructive influences, more productive, more better : )

diversity is a strength when it comes to our budding bike culture and our city as well. we have several bike shops, bike clubs, trails, trail supporters, and cyclists. what we don’t want to do is become splintered. maybe the BAW can be the group that brings us all together. i love the idea of an annual reception. let’s have more pizza, more drinks, more bike rides, more meet-and-greets. bring it on bicycle alliance of washington! i think we’re ready.

this little guy just turned 3. he’s been riding a two-wheeler since he was 2–wow! i was stunned, so i asked his mom if i could take his picture. i’ve only heard of these mythological creatures, never seen one in person. he’s one of those kids that just starting riding one day–no pressure from the parents, no guidance. amazing.

this kiddo and many others came to shadle park with their families to participate in the Group Health kids’ bike races. the races are low-key, mildly-competitive, and fun. they take place around spokane, so people don’t have to drive all over to attend. some folks like them so much, they make it to several races. if you don’t have kids or particularly like them, this event wouldn’t appeal to you. i love these types of events. not for the competition, but for the organized chaos, the energy, the interaction with cool people. i love seeing spazzy kids on bikes,ringing their bells,strutting around in their gear–leapord print sweatsuits for some, lycra for others. REI does the tech-support for the races, so i was there pumping tires and adjusting brakes. i was cheering-on the racers as well.

i hope the kids had a memorable time. i hope they keep on pedaling.

it usually takes me about 5 attempts before i feel comfortable and confident with a new skill. do something correctly the first time, and it could be dumb luck. do that thing correctly several more times, and you are SOLID

beth hit that magic number and even went beyond it the other night at our tune-up event. she patched 7 holes in a tube! and not because she couldn’t get the patch to stick. beth had aced the fine art of vulcanization on her first try. she patched 6 more holes in the same tube because the tire was ridden around when flat, and the rim had cut 7 different holes in the tube. beth was determined and vigilant, and she sealed every one of those snake bites. she was even showing another woman how to prep and patch a tube.

here’s how to fix a flat if you’ve never done it. or just ask beth next time you see her. i bet she’d even give you a demo…

Patching a flat 101:

1. pump the tube up with air and encircle the tube with your hand. run your hand around the tube to feel for air while it escapes the tube.
2. after locating the hole/s, prep the surface by scratching the inner tube with sandpaper. the prepped area should be larger than the patch that you will apply.
3. cover the prepped area with rubber cement. the area should be slightly bigger than the patch you will apply. this ensures that the entire patch will attach, even around the edges.
4. wait 5 full minutes!!! this is critical! you can wait longer, but DO NOT continue until the rubber cement is fully dried.
5. peel the patch from the foil backing and attach it to the prepped area. place the patch squarely over the hole.
6. firmly attach the patch by rubbing it with a tire iron, a nickle, or other hard object. pay special attention to the edges of the patch.
7. carefully peel off plastic backing. this is not like a band aid. do not peel this backing off quickly. if the edges of the patch pull away from the tube, try to remove another corner of plastic backing.
8. fill the tube with a bit of air to check that your patch is holding. redo if any air escapes.

one thing our group really enjoys doing is community outreach–one shot events where we go into the community and do stuff. it’s wonderful for lots of reasons. we don’t yet have a space where the public can come to us for services, so we need to hook up with different community centers, etc. the outreach events generally don’t cost very much money, so that’s great. generally, we print a few fliers, and that’s the bulk of our “cost.” the time commitment spans 2 hours (or so), so we’re not devoting long hours to program development and implementation. and, we love hanging out in spokane’s distinct neighborhoods, chatting with folks, and enjoying the outdoors.

last night, at emmanuel lutheran in browne’s addition, we held another free bike tune-up. it was a small group that showed up. two graduates of the P2P basics class,catherine and one of her sons,came for a derailluer fix, and they brought a friend who was having problems with his primary transportation: a mongoose mtn bike. we got the mongoose running, “better than it’s ever been,” exclaimed the owner as he sped off, testing his new brakes. we were also able to catch up with catherine. she said her kids have been teaching other kids in their area simple bike fixes. how cool?!?!