Bamboo Bike

I started biking on a regular basis when I was an art student at UC Santa Barbara. Bicycling was the best way to get around because the campus has bike lanes and a bike co-op. Isla Vista, the small town next to campus, was also a pretty safe and relaxed place to get around on a bicycle when I was there in the 80's.

The streets in Los Angeles are not as inviting as the streets in Isla Vista, but if you venture out and explore, you find that there are ways to get around town on a bicycle. There is a bicycle renaissance these days and there are many people in our city working in order to improve the infrastructure for biking safely. I joined the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition because there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to make Los Angeles into a safe and enjoyable place. We should all be able to move around without having to get in a car to do it. There are serious issues in our city that have to do with mobility and pollution. We all need to get involved because if we don't nothing will happen. It's politics at the grass-roots level.

I started biking to work after my truck was stolen. I got it back, but I found out that I enjoy riding my bike more than driving a car, so I sold my truck and now my wife and I share a car. We're saving thousands of dollars and we are exercising more that ever. It's great!

About six years ago I became aware that there were people making bamboo bicycle frames. They are so beautiful that I decided to get one. Once I had it I rode it to work and all over town. People stop me and ask me about it all the time. I don't mind talking to people about it because bamboo bikes are still very rare and I know how attractive and exotic they are. Thanks to the people at The Bamboo Bike Studio I learned how to make the frames myself. I made one for my wife and one for myself. We like to go to the farmers markets on Sunday mornings. That is the best day of the week to ride a bike in Los Angeles.

Visit us at the Mar Vista Eco Car Expo on April 10th at the Mar Vista Farmers Market  at Pacific and Grand View. See their Bamboo Bike, meet the owners and learn more!