On The Brink Of A Bicycle Renaissance

By Russ Roca
my.style Contributor

Long Beach is a great bicycle city; it just doesn’t quite know it yet. Usually when people think of cities with great bicycle culture, Portland, San Francisco and New York top the list. However, Long Beach is poised on a bicycle renaissance.

Throughout the city there is a wide demographic of people riding bikes, from commuters and cruisers to racing enthusiasts and fixed gear riders. There are several bike clubs — like City Nuisance, the Boneshakers, Velo Alegro, and PABST (Post Apocalyptic Bike Street Terror) — that are creating communities for cyclists of all types.

Encouraging the growth of bicycling in Long Beach is the weather (you can ride year round), access to bike paths and facilities like the nonprofit Bikestation, which provides secure parking and repair services for bicyclist. The first of its kind in the entire country, the Bikestation is strategically located near the Metro Blue Line so people can park their bike and take the train instead of driving.

“Our goal is to promote cycling and get people out of their cars and on to bikes,” says Bikestation Executive Director Andrea White. With rising gas prices, the idea of the bicycle as a means of serious transportation is becoming more of a possibility. “Everyday, we get calls from other cities that are interested in opening a Bikestation.”

Beyond the ubiquitous beach cruiser with flowers and streamers, there is a growing fixed gear culture in Long Beach. Once only the steeds of hardened New York bike messengers, fixed gear bikes are showing up in Long Beach. Fixies don’t allow for coasting and are sometimes ridden without brakes. The rider is constantly pedaling and controlling their speed with their legs.

“You feel more connected to your bike and you become hyper sensitive,” says Crystal Talbot, who uses her bike to commute to work and school.

Another bike oddity that is slowly emerging in Long Beach is tall bikes. Tall bikes are made by welding two donor bikes together. Their sole purpose is for the fun of creating something unique and to turn a few heads.

With all the new cyclists there are safety concerns. Many drivers and cyclists are poorly educated on what constitutes safe and legal riding. In California, bicycles are legally allowed to ride on the street. Drivers often wrongly assume that bicyclists must ride as close as possible to the curb or line of parked cars. However, that is the most dangerous position for a cyclist to be, due to the danger of opening doors the lack of peripheral vision of drivers.

“You have the same rights as a car and you have to remember that for your own safety,” says Crystal, who was injured a few months ago when a person in a parked car opened their door without looking. She cracked her helmet and bruised her ribs but still she rides. “There is nothing negative about riding a bike. It’s healthy. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for the community.”

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