Lock your Bicycle - Keystone Cops Edition

Bike theft in Philadelphia is a problem, but to the police this is a “quality of life” problem, viewed in the same light as graffiti and broken windows. In light of the more serious crimes the Philadelphia police have to deal with quality of life crimes have a very low and understandable priority. Short of catching someone in the act the police do not have the time and manpower.

But on Saturday night, January 12, a bike thief made an attempt to steal two bicycles that would have been straight out of a Keystone cops movie. Had it not been for the fact that the two bicycles he stole were property of the Philadelphia Police department and he tried to escape the scene by loading the bicycles onto a SEPTA bus. The police had locked their bicycles to a signpost while making a security check.

The question that needs to be asked is; what did the police officers lock their bicycles with, shoe laces? Clearly whatever the Philadelphia Police Department use could not stop someone with a bolt cutter purchased at a hardware store. I'm sure the police never thought someone would steal a police bicycle; then again people tend to underestimate just how ingenious or stupid criminals can be.

If you're going to take the time to lock your bicycle do it right, invest in a Kryptonite chain or u-lock. You should review the two videos in this post by Hal Ruzel which provide real world examples of what to aovid and what to do when locking your bicycle.

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Doomsday is Coming

Doomsday is coming. Not in the time that Harold Camping predicted or due to the misinterpretation of the Mayan Long Count calendar. Rather its the failing infrastructure that SEPTA has and the inaction of legislators at the state and federal level to provide the needed additional funding. Over the years I have lived in several cities, some with extensive rapid transit systems others with nominal or none what so ever.

Its been long known that SEPTA is operating many of its power substations and tracks that its trains and trolleys run on are substandard. Unfortunately due to severe underfunding SEPTA is no longer able to use temporary fixes and has to resort to more drastic measures. Repair is not an option, shutting things down is. The first sign of the oncoming apocalypse is the 101-year-old Bridgeport Viaduct, which allows the Norristown High Speed Line to cross into Philadelphia.

Time and 2400 passengers per day has taken a toll on the bridge; the ties are so rotted that the spikes that hold the rails in place have been glued down to prevent them from pulling loose. This summer the bridge will be permanently closed as the glue will not hold the spikes in place and the corrosion of the steel framework and concrete foundations will be to much. In order to repair the bridge SEPTA will need 30 million dollars that they don't have.

Regrettably this is the tip of the iceberg. This needed repair is just one of 5 billion dollars in repairs that includes power substations, failing bridges, and other systems. Worse yet the funds that are needed to make these repairs come from state and federal transportation bills and since much of the country uses highway as a primary mode of transportation. What most of these legislators cannot grasp is that there is a greater concentration of population in major cities that rely primarily on public transportation. The fact that SEPTA has to allow system failures to occur and reduce services is appalling. Short of another bridge failure like the Minneapolis bridge collapse in 2007, this will only get worse.

2012 Bilenky Junkyard Cross - Its a wrap

What started a company party has transformed into one of the première and unique regional cyclocross races. No longer a local Philadelphia event; there were cars, vans, and SUV's with license plates from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Indiana parked at Bilenky Cycle Works. This race attracts everyone from competitive racers to people who come out to try their luck; as one racer put it, “I just want to finish”. While not everyone can win their were some crowd favorites; the guy who rode all of his heats in a unicorn mask and the young lady in the women’s division wearing black Uggs.

The Mighty Unicorn

Nothing about the Bilenky Junkyard Cyclocross can be described as standard or regulation. The barriers include cars as hurdles, a mini van as a tunnel, and the narrow pathways where parts are stored become a maze. The surface of the course includes dirt, concrete, and gravel with a mix of oil, transmission fluid, metal fragments, and pebbles of safety glass. 

A tight squeeze

 

 

What Hurdle?

The spectators often have as much fun as the riders and in some small ways influence the race. In two incidents at the car hurdles riders experienced major mechanical failures, spontaneous pit crews from the spectators got them back into the race. They also redesign the course by adding ramps at the car hurdles in time for the bmx/alternate bikes and men’s finals. In one instance when a racer squeezed between the edge of the course and a car hurdle, only to find on the next lap that tires barricaded the hole.

Spontaneous Pit Crew

Catching big air

They don't look like soccer mom's.

There were plenty of cyclocross and mountain bikes and every year there is a growing mount of BMX and single speed bikes. Along with tandems, and modified beach cruisers. This year one rider brought a Pugsley, with tires close to 4 inches wide tires this bicycle was like a steamroller on the course. Some of the fastest and most aggressive riding came in the BMX/alternate bike heats, were the two car hurdles were bunny hopped instead of being hurdled. One BMX racer was a big crowd pleaser as he did wheelies through the start/finish zone during each lap. 

Pugsley in the pit

 

King of the Wheelies

Another factor that makes the Bilenky Junkyard Cyclocross are the prizes for the winner each category. This year crowns for the men and tiaras for the women were designed by Bilenky Cycle Works employee Isis Shiffer. With their unique design and Steam Punk esthetic these are the type awards that will make this memorable to the winners more so than any trophy. 

2012 Philly Cranksgiving - The results

Cranksgiving was back in 2012 bigger and better than ever. More riders, improved routing, and plenty of donations. This year Tattooed Mom's stepped up by matching the total amount of money spent by riders purchasing donated food. What makes Philly Cranksgiving unique is not the event itself; it’s the people who organize it. This ride is not planned by a for-profit or a non for-profit which have the resources and funding to make this type of event run smoothly. But by two individuals who commit their own time and energy outside of their normal schedules. CJ and Gary took some time to answer some questions about this years ride.

1. With 46 riders, how many pounds of food were collected. (not including the amount Tattooed Mom's added)?

CJ: We actually had 62/63 starters, so I am hoping that most of those people finished and added their donations, and just didn't hand in a manifest. But when the day was over, we had 798lbs!

Gary: CJ is correct, we had 62 riders sign up and most of them were recorded as finished and I'm pretty sure the rest trickled in after the time limit.  We ended up collecting just shy of 800lbs of food.  In addition to the food, we had $1250 in donations ($1,000 of which came from Tattooed Moms in place of their food matching).  The cash donations were just as significant of a help, and according to Philabundance, were able to assist in feeding well over 2,000 people!

2. What was the time for the 1st place rider?

CJ: The first and second place riders (a couple) had actually gotten to Tattooed Mom a second or two before I did, around 1:30. Gary and I were trying to decide when to leave Whole Foods at 10th and South for the finish....he decided to stay for stragglers while I headed down to Tattooed Mom. Glad I left when I did! We started at maybe 12:05 or 12:10, so their time was around 1:20 or so?

Gary: I totally forgot to keep track of time, but around an hour and a half finishing time seemed about right.  We tried to mix things up by adding a mandatory 3rd stop on the manifest, where we introduced a mystery stop to keep riders on their toes.

3. This year you moved the starting point out of Center City; did this help avoid any issues with the Philadelphia Marathon?

CJ: I don't know explicitly if it helped or not, but since the riders were starting further from the Marathon course, I suppose it gave us more of a time 'buffer' between the Marathon and our event. I know last year we had some people not being able to take the Spring Garden bridge; not sure if it was the same case this year or not. The scene at the finish was too hectic to mingle and get race reports, hah. In any case, I did like our Penn Treaty start more because it gave us a bit more room to have everyone hang around and chat while waiting for manifests, and not be in anyone's way or raise any suspicion. I couldn't imagine 60+ people standing around LOVE right across from City Hall, where we started last year.

Gary: The marathon was certainly a part of the decision to move the starting point, however the minimal interference we had last year also played into the decision.  Mostly, it was that we were expecting a significantly larger crowd this year with the increased promotion and awareness, and having the extra room for people to hang out before the race certainly helped.

4. When are you are not working non-stop on Cranksgiving, what do you do for fun and work?

CJ: Fun: road rides in the suburbs, DIY basement shows, poker with high school friends, and drinking bottomless coffee at Grindcore House.
Not Fun: I'm a second-year Master's student at Towson University, in Towson, MD. Experimental Psychology. Graduating in May, hoping to be able to get into bicycle transportation research. Until then, it's a lot of driving back and forth just so I can ride my bike and see my girlfriend/friends/family.

Gary: Outside of the wonderful world of Cranksgiving, I lead a fairly busy life (at least I think so...).  During the week, I work a 9-5 as a web designer/developer for a company just outside of Philadelphia.  I'm also an avid cyclist, racing cyclocross on the weekends, riding (as much as possible) otherwise, and riding around the city!  

More info (results/summary/photos) are/will be available on our website (www.cranksgivingphilly.com)   

2012 Bilenky Junkyard Cross

On Sunday, December 16, 2012 the Bilenky Cycle Works Junkyard Cross will start at 10:00am.

Before I go into details about this race there are some very important questions to be answered.

Will there be beer?  $1 beers to help pay for renting the junkyard.

Will there be food? Sold by Chewy's Food Truck.

This annual event first started as company open house it has evolved into one of the most competitive unofficial cyclocross races in the region. Held in a junkyard the course is a classic example of a cyclocross held in an urban setting.  The course features a wealth of man made and unforgiving barriers and obstacles. Add Stephen Bilenky and his crew of ingenious bicycle gremlins and you never know from one year to the next what to expect from the course.

In the past the course has included steep flyovers (bridges) hurdles from wheel rims, a pit filled with sofa cushions, tunnels using a van and a semi trailer, narrow alleys turned into a leaf filled tunnel, and a seesaw.  The surface of the course is dirt, gravel, and pavement covered with debris and various oily fluids. This year there may even be explosions, according to a recent Facebook post on the Bilenky Cycle Works page. 

The easiest way to get to this event is to bicycle there, as parking is very limited. A group ride is departing from Bicycle Revolutions. The Junkyard Cross opens at 10:00am with the first heats by 11:00am and should conclude by 3:00pm