Posted By Colin on May 18, 2013

East Bay Tweed Ride!

Saturday, May 23rd, 2013

1pm at the Pillars, Lake Merritt

hosted by B. Spoke Tailor

Facebook Event

EastBayTweed

Who: Everyone who loves cycling, merriment, having fun, old-timey tweed outfits, and dancing to old-timey music

Where: Beginning at the Pillars at Lake Merritt, 577 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA and ending at B.Spoke Tailor, 989 40th St, Oakland, California

When: We will be gathering at 1:00 PM and rolling-out at 2:00 PM on May 26th, 2013.

Why: Bicycles are awesome, cyclists are awesome, Tweed is awesome, and the three are

What (we’re doing):  We’ll be cycling to UC Berkeley with a stop at a Pub on the way. We’ll go up Telegraph (once we get near downtown), and stop on the campus to dance and socialize. Afterwards we’ll go back down Telegraph and end up at B.Spoke Tailor for beer and music; there will be a live band or two.

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Posted By Colin on July 25, 2012

Just have to take a moment to promote the overwhelmingly classy Two Man Gentleman Band to all our classy readers. They are playing live this Sunday the 29th at Amnesia Bar in SF and well worth the $10.

Here they are playing their classic song William Howard Taft…

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Posted By Colin on July 17, 2012

Rubin, photo by Morleyroarly

I thought I’d take a moment to talk about bike safety and helmet use. This topic has come up a few times and I thought it was time to address it for a number of reasons. Reason #1 being that Rubin Starset one of the main organizers, and my good friend, was sadly recently hurt in a bicycle accident — one in which his helmet definitely saved his noggin from potentially serious head injury.

As evidenced by the jolly Tweed Ride photos, many tweed riders choose to cycle sporting fancy hats rather than helmets during our rides. The tweed rides are safer than normal urban riding seeing that we cruise at tweed speed and are protected from traffic by riding in a group. However, this is of course is not a guarantee of safety.

Personally, I am a stickler for wearing a helmet and advocating helmet use whenever I ride — except during the Tweed Ride*. This may be bit hypocritical but I feel that encouraging cycling is better than discouraging cycling by laws or rules enforcing mandatory helmet use. Bike safety is more than about helmet use. Some studies have shown that fatalities decrease the more cyclists there are on the road so encouraging more cycling is important. Also, oddly “countries with the most helmeted cyclists also have the highest rate of cycling head injuries.” (sources: Bicycle Safe, Cycle Helmet). All this said, wearing a helmet is certainly better than not wearing a helmet, and I am a strong advocate for bicycle helmets — I am also a strong advocate for haberdashery and I often bring a fancy hat along that I don immediately at my destination.

Whether you yourself choose to wear a helmet during the tweed ride is up to you — protecting your smarts certainly the smarter thing to do. I nor anyone else will look upon you as uncouth for wearing a helmet rather than wearing a snappy cap during the tweed ride, nor will anyone chastise you for being unsafe for not wearing a helmet. If you want to be both fashionable and safe Yakkay makes great dapper helmet covers, or better yet make your own style’n helmet cover!

* This is all of course only the opinion of myself, Colin. The other main organizer Rubin most likely has his own opinion on the matter of helmet use.

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Posted By Colin on July 12, 2012

Don your best caps and hats! It’s the SF Tweed Summer Ride!

Our Summer Ride contest will be for best limerick about hats and bicycles (or helmets).  Remember presentation counts! Prizes sponsored by Goorin Bros. Hat Shop!

SF Tweed Summer Ride 2012
Saturday July 28th
1pm — Sally Forth from Justin Herman Plaza.
5pm-ish — pop-in at North Beach Goorin Bros. for drinks and revelry!

UPDATE: The wonderful and talented McPuzo & Trotsky have offered to play for at Saturday’s Tweed Ride! Hip hip hooray!

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Posted By Colin on June 13, 2012

What an absolutely splendid bicycle wedding! Such fashionable class and style too! We at SFTweed congratulate the lovely couple Mel & Greg on their lovely ceremony!

Found via SFist – Painfully cute bicycle wedding.

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Posted By Colin on May 29, 2012

Hey Tweedsters! It’s been a while since we took to our steeds. So come and join us this Sunday starting at noon at Justin Herman Plaza as we tour the city in style! We will be heading towards the Valencia to join the wonderful Sunday Streets festivities!

First Tweed in Ages
Sunday June 3rd, noon
Justin Herman Plaza, near Embarcadero BART station in San Francisco

I know this is last minute but we want to ride! We have more full fledged at Tweed Rides both in SF and East Bay later this summer, but don’t let that stop you from coming to this one.

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Posted By Colin on April 22, 2011

Spring is upon us! It’s time to ride through our fine Bay Area in the finest duds!

Come join your fellow tweedsters Sunday May 1st at 2pm for a lovely ride in the East Bay.

East Bay Spring Ride 2011

May 1st, 2pm
Jack London Square, Oakland

At 2pm we sally forth from Heinhold’s First & Last Chance in Jack London Square, Oakland.

Midway stop in Preservation Park for games and contests!

Ending with quality ales at a fine Oakland pub (location to be announced).

Facebook invite.

Contests and prizes sponsored by B. Spoke Tailor!

Photo in flyer is copyright Gordon MacKenzie

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Posted By Colin on October 6, 2010

I know it’s been a while since our last ride and you all likely have your knickers in a bunch. Well the wait is over! The unbearable heat of summer has finally left us. Autumn is here so it is time to take that tweed out of mothballs, set that dapper cap upon your fair head, and straddle your two wheeled steed for the…

SF Tweed Autumn Ride!

Sunday Oct 17th, 2010

2:00 pm ~ Convene at Justin Hermin Plaza in San Francisco.

2:15 pm ~ Sally Forth!

3:00 pm or so ~ Refuel with some fine libations (Our midpoint stop will include an option for those underage or those more interested in partaking in tea rather than ale or spirits)

5:00 pm or so ~ Jovial shindig at Rickshaw Bagworks with the musical stylings of McPuzo & Trotsky!

As always the ride will sport your fellow dashing riders!

Ending Festivities & Contest Hosted By Rickshaw Bagworks

The ending festivities and contest is sponsored by the San Francisco based Rickshaw Bagworks, makers of fine stylish bags — including their quite dapper tweed messenger bags! Rickshaw Bagworks is a supporter of the SF Bicycle Coalition and makes their bags right here in San Francisco. The SF Tweed Autumn Ride festivities will be hosted at the Rickshaw Bagworks location on 904 22nd Street, San Francisco, CA.

McPuzo & Trotsky

The Musical Stylings of McPuzo & Trotsky

During the festivities, the fabulous McPuzo & Trotsky have agreed to entertain the tweed brethren! This local Bay Area banjo and fiddle pair have been writing fine Songs which Satirize and Amuse since 1917. Before that it was pretty much all crowbars and playing with leeches.

original photo used in the flyer by Gordon Mackenzie

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Tags: Events, san francisco, sftweed

Posted By Colin on March 29, 2010

East Bay Tweed Riders photo by flickrawwwr

Last Saturday was a beautiful day for a ride! The sun was out and citizens of Berkeley all waved graciously as the East Bay Tweed Ride traversed the streets in style. The marvelous Corpus Callosum once again played for us, but this time they actually played while we rode! Thanks to the ingenuity of Rubin Starset, each member of the band was pulled along the route with their instruments either in a trailer or on the back of a tandem. It was quite the feat and I thank the band and every bicyclist who wore out their legs towing a musician to make it happen!

Cesar Chavez Park, with it’s amazing view of the bay, turned out to be just the spot for a picnic and concert. We also had a contest for the most graceful mount and dismount of their steed with prizes graciously donated by Nan Eastep of B. Spoke Tailor. Nan donated two wonderful recycled tweed tube top covers and a lovely pair of tweed fingerless gloves. Local to the Bay Area, B. Spoke Tailor is well known for their fitted and fashionable bicycle wear and I encourage everyone to follow them on B. Spoke Tailor facebook page and come to one of their fittings.

We ended our day at the Albatross Pub, Berkeley’s Oldest Pub, which was the perfect spot to wind down after the fun filled day. Who can argue with a pint of beer, darts, popcorn and such well dressed company.

The SF Tweed photo pool has been filling up with some wonderful photos from the ride. We have also due to popular request created a SF Tweed Facebook Fan Page.

But really don’t take our word for it. Listen to Joe P., one of our most dedicated and dashing riders who sent us this lovely letter…

Joe P. dashing as always, by Greg Hefner

What a Wonderful Ride That Was!

I had a wonderful time! It was so good to see old friends as well as all the riders from SF make it over to Berkeley, starting not one mile from my house. The seaside was beautiful in the warm afternoon, bridges and sailboats in the distance. And the rolling musicians of Corpus Callosum were the perfect touch (The toy piano was especially charming). Waltzing to the band mere feet from the palisades below at the end of our great promenade could not be topped but only by a visit to the Albatross pub with the most stellar company.

Ah, so far away it seems when looking back from the rain filled morning presently; I say let the rains come and have their time, that we may have ours come April!

Joe P.

Thank you for the letter Joe. It is always such a pleasure to see your smiling face on the rides!

Till next time tweeders, Cheers!

p.s. Our next ride will be in San Francisco and should be in late April. Stay tuned through either this website (rss), our Jaunty Mailer, Twitter, or Facebook

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Tags: berkeley, cesar chavez park, East Bay, tweed ride

Posted By Colin on March 20, 2010

East Bay Tweed Spring Ride

March 27th, 2 pm

2 pm — Sally forth from Ohlone Park (near North Berkeley Bart)

Midpoint — Cesar Chavez Park (games, contests, and a special performance)

End (5-6 pmish) — Albatross Pub (libations & darts!)

[facebook event page]

Spring is the air and the rain has let up, so it’s time to dust off your smoking pipes and take your tweed out of mothballs! Put that dapper cap on your head, oil your chain, and get ready to pedal with panache!

Join us for the first SF Tweed Ride of 2010, this ride will take place in the lovely town of Berkeley, CA. The ride will be anywhere from 6-8 miles with a break midway through. We have plenty of enjoyment planned for you all including games, contests, and a special performance by the wondrous Corpus Callosum! As always, the tweed ride will end at an establishment that offers libations and cheer.

Photo of the J.D. as the fabulous Twettle, the Tweed Beetle by the excellent photographer juicyrai

Update: We will be flyering the Critical Mass on Friday Mar 26th. If you’d like to help you can print your own flyers to hand out: East Bay Spring Tweed Ride March Flyer-6up [pdf]

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