Third Eye Blind by Bicycle

Stephan Jenkins: Semi Charmed Life, filmed in the Mission - mostly on our street.Stephan Jenkins: Semi Charmed Life, filmed in the Mission - mostly on our street.

Lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins - who lives and rides in San Francisco, will be riding his Mission Bicycle to thier secret show at Bottom of the Hill on Monday.

How many rock stars commute to a gig by bicycle? He's on a Mission.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It

It's been a long winter of waiting, but our spring journals are here and they're beautiful. The spines are crisp, the corners sharp, and the stories engrossing. The Ride Journal Issue #7, and Boneshaker Magazine Issue #11 now available.

The Ride Journal

We introduced The Ride over the holidays and our original shipment was a Christmas ghost. It was sold out before we could even put it on the shelf.

This 200+ page journal is devoted to sharing the passions and stories of cyclists. No gear reviews, no race results, just people. Full of original illustration, photography, and great writing, The Ride is a compendium on the most beautiful bicycle themed images and stories.

It's a new year, and Issue #7 is here. Quantities are limited so be decisive. Grab your copy here.

Boneshaker

Global in geography, discipline, and style, Boneshaker's 60 pages provide insight and inspiration for all riders. Curated to share the stories of people and projects doing great things with bicycles, Boneshaker is empty of advertising and loaded with original art.

If you bike, and we know you do, there's something here for you. Grab your copy here.

The Ride Journal $20

Boneshaker Magazine $12

 

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4 Rules For Sidewalk Riding

There's some confusion about when to join the bipeds on the sidewalk. To clear that up, we've put together the definitive list.

When To Ride On The Sidewalk?

1. If you're under 13 and have, as defined by Transportation Code Sec. 1007, a "Sidewalk Bicycle." Whatever that means.

2. If the streets are swallowed by Hollywood-style sink holes and left passable only by dangling sidewalks.

3.  If this is your bike, because hey, it's basically walking.

bike by Todd Kundla

4. If you live in Salton City, CA, or Centralia, PA.

Ironically, these are the last places you'd ever need to ride on the sidewalk, but you could if you wanted.

Salton City: Roads and sidewalks, but not much else.

Centralia: The fire still burns.

 

If none of the above scenarios apply to you, please join us in the streets.

 

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A 6,935 Mile Journey

This bike is on its way to Tim in New Zealand right now.

That's 6,935 miles, or for Tim, 11,160 kilometers. It's a truly cosmopolitan machine, built here in San Francisco, from parts sourced all over the world:

Tires Italy • Spokes Switzerland • Crankset Japan • Saddle England • Headset United States • to name a few

New Zealand is the 25th country outside the US with a Mission Bicycle on the street. To celebrate and say thanks, we're offering $100 off international shipping.

Now, through March 1st, $100 off international shipping any where in the world.

You can find Missionaries in: Australia | Austria | Canada | China | Denmark | England | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Hong Kong | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Mexico | New Zealand | Norway | Philippines | Puerto Rico | Scotland | Singapore | South Korea | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland and 33 States in the Union.

If you live behind a foreign border, use coupon code SHIPPING100 to get your Mission Bicycle to your door. Click here to design your bike.

Click here to design your bike. Offer ends March 1st, 2013.

 

Got a great shot of your Mission Bicycle roaming the world? Share it with us at kai@missionbicycle.com.


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Update: How Bikes Can Win You Love and Fame [video]

Last year for Valentine's Day our friend Payam wanted to do something special for his girlfriend back home in Toronto. He imagined a heart as big as San Francisco for her... so he went out and made it.

27 miles and 1,100 calories later, Payam, his Mission Bicycle, and a GPS app had inscribed the whole of San Francisco with a Valentine ride for Clare.

But that's just the beginning of the story.

On his way home from the ride, Payam stopped by Mission Bicycle world headquarters. Still out of breath, he told us about his ride. With his blessing, we published an email and blog detailing the gesture.

Our fans shared it with their fans. It. Blew. Up.

The story was picked up on both local and national blogs and news outlets. Clare was smitten, and men across the country were annoyed.

Fast forward in time and space. A London production company is hired by a big client to make a 30 second TV spot, and they love Payam's heart. Our phone rings first and we play old-timey operator and connect the two.

Within a week the production is rolling, starring Payam and his Mission Bicycle. These folks could have cast anyone, but they sought out the actual guy who had the idea in the first place.

We quickly built an exact replica of his bike for his body double to ride. The tight schedule and closed streets demanded two Payams, not just one. Hundreds of people worked to share this story with millions of viewers. A story, originally meant for just one lucky girl.

The day of the shoot arrives. Two Payams, two bikes, an army of staff, and one scary cool camera truck attack San Francisco streets.

Watch

 

What does Payam have planned for this year? "Chocolate and flowers."

 

Photos by Bill Coggon

Payam and Clare

 

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Go Ahead, Take It

There's a bumper sticker that reads, "You aren't stuck in traffic, you are traffic!" Well guess what, bicycles are traffic too. Legitimate traffic afforded all legal rights to the road, same as cars.

Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch

So when necessary, take the lane, your lane. Take the whole damn thing.

When is it necessary? Glad you asked.

Share The Road

When you can, share the road. If you can travel safely with car traffic on your left then share and share alike.

Take The Lane

If you can't travel safely with car traffic, for any reason, merge into an empty space and take the lane. The whole thing. For some this may be intimidating, but asserting your right to the road is often the safer way to ride. Allowing yourself to get crunched because the roadway narrows or construction ate the shoulder or any other reason is unnecessary and unsafe.

In California there's a law allowing you to take the whole lane, CVC 21202.

Is there one in your state? It doesn't matter. Being safe is more important than being right. If you need it, take it.

 

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Bars + Basket = Handlebarsket

In order to produce the cleanest, most elegant bicycle possible, we designed our frames to be free of the unnecessary braze-ons, guides, and hangers that usually clutter city bikes. So when we augment our bikes with fenders or baskets, we choose products that will compliment our clean build, not detract from it.

Say hello to the Bike Porter: the basket that minimalist dreams are made of.

Hand welded from aluminum, this integrated handlebar-basket installs easily on any stem with a removable face plate. At just over 3.5 lbs it adds little weight, but can carry over 30lbs of goods, relieving your back and bag of the heavy lifting.

Last week we announced the winner of our 2012 Customer subMission Photo Contest: this Mission Bicycle Valencia with an electric blue Porter on San Francisco's Ocean Beach. Photo and feet by Brooks Hassig.

Turn heads and haul gear. Find your Porter here.

 

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Wet Roads, Dry Chains

It's the rainy season here in San Francisco, and while it may seem counter intuitive, that means dry chains. You see, wet roads create dry chains, as rain water strips the lubricant right off.

We've got a solution for your bike and the earth. Orontas high performance chain lubricant is 100% biodegradable, sustainable, and petroleum free. It's made with care and wind in Canada, and available in the United States exclusively at Mission Bicycle.

Every time you ride, you support a more sustainable and petroleum independent city. With our plant based lubricant, you can continue that support as you care for your bike.

Want to try it out for free?

We're offering a free sample with all online orders between now and February 1st. Just place an order and we'll throw it in, on the house.

 

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Announcing Our 2012 subMission Winning Photo

Announcing Our 2012 subMission Winning Photo

Maybe it's because the temperature keeps dipping below 40˚ F here, and the sand and sun flare look so damn nice. 

Or maybe it's because this shot tells such a great story that anyone can crawl into for a little while. 

Or maybe, just maybe, it's because we've got a soft spot for matte black Valencias.

In any case, congratulations to Brooks, the lucky owner, rider and photographer. Great shot, nice feet.

Details: 56cm matte black Valencia with an electric blue Copenhagen Porter, shot on the fine sand of Ocean Beach, here in San Francisco, CA.

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Trust the Source, Not the Reflection

Most bikes from most bike stores come with reflectors everywhere. Even though they are mostly useless.

The problem with reflectors is they only work in a very particular configuration. For you to see a reflector at night, your eye, the light source, and the reflector have to be perfectly aligned. As soon as any one of those three elements moves out of that line, the effect is lost.

The concern is some riders forgo blinky lights thinking with reflectors alone, they're all set.

If you want to keep your reflectors in addition to lights, great, go for it. If you want to remove the reflectors in a beautification process, we can help. I mean, we can't help. That would be irresponsible.

 

How NOT To Remove Your Reflectors

You won't need two hands, a screwdriver, or a garbage can.

  1. Don't unscrew the cheap mounting bracket from your seatpost, bars, pedals and/or spokes. Don't worry if it brakes, cause it likely will.
  2. Don't promptly throw them away in the nearest garbage can, or if applicable, recycling container.
  3. Do consider blinky lights as an alternative. If you need some, we've got animated wheel lights, innovative smart lights, and even lights with music.

The next time you're in a car, at night, around cyclists - see for yourself. Reflectors rarely funtion the way we all wish they would. We think you're much better off with an actual electrified illuminated blinky light. 

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