BFOC Member Profile: Zac and Heather Lytle

Zac and Heather Lytle

Zac and Heather Lytle moved to Oak Cliff from Austin, so Heather could begin medical school at UT Southwestern. Though they both are casual commuter cyclists, Zac is also big into the racing scene, and will often pack up his higher end road bikes to head out to various races around the world where he races at the amateur elite level. Zac studied Modern Urban Planning at the University of Texas in Austin, and was a founding member of BFOC. His tireless work in championing bicycle infrastructure in Dallas was the match that lit the fire in our organization’s earliest efforts to mobilize.

On a sad note, Zac and Heather are about to leave us so Heather can continue her Medical School training at UNC. Before heading off to the East Coast, they’re planning a vacation to Morocco and Amsterdam. While in the bicycle haven of Holland, they’ll be meeting up with other BFOC members to take in the sites and report back. We’ll be sure to highlight that trip on the site soon.

Which OC neighborhood do you live in?:

We live in the King’s Highway Conservation District.

Occupation:

Zac – Urban Planner / Land Development
Heather – Medical Student

Tell us about your bikes:

Zac – I picked up the one you see from Craig’s List. It’s a JC Penney single speed that I added a front basket to. It’s one of 7 bikes I own…I have a bad habit of impulse buying cheap bikes from Craig’s List. Mine range from high-end Carbon Fiber road bikes, to tandems, cruisers, and cycle-cross bikes. The JC Penney bike is my beater that I use to cruise around the Cliff.

Heather – I picked mine up for $50 on Craig’s List. It’s a Puch Metor Luxe 3-Speed, with a Stermey Hub. I got the basket from Cynthia’s Twigs online and tailored my own lining into it.

What are your favorite local spots to ride to?

Zac – We just had a romantic anniversary picnic ride to Lake Cliff Park that was a lot of fun. You can often find us riding to Eno’s in the Bishop Arts District where I’m usually ordering Ten Fidy beer in my personalized mug.

Heather – My favorite places to ride are the one’s that give me the BFOC discounts!

BFOC’ers Report from the Road

Since it’s summer, we’ve got BFOC members reporting in from all over the world while on vacation, helping document bicycle infrastructure and culture in other cities. Here’s some recent comments and pics they’ve sent us from the road:

“Super-bike-friendly in Munich! Bike trails everywhere!…Our hotel actually hands out bikes for free!”
BFOC member Tanya Muerer in Germany

“it’s been a blast. Florida has done so much for bikers. It made me want to make a photo book of bike lanes. from as many cities as I can.”
BFOC member Colin Clarke, in Pensacola

“Parking in Amsterdam! In front of the house we are staying at-…ahh, the bike life.”
BFOC Member and Rosemont Teacher of the Year, Jill Stegall, in Holland

Keep sending us your pics…we love to see’m!

Little Cyclists in the OC

(photos by Ange Fitzgerald at the Tyler St. Bicycle Block Party)

It was great to see so many little ones out and about at the bicycle block party on Saturday. BFOC has several plans in the works to reach out more to young families and kids in the near future. For starters, we’ve met with the faculty at Rosemont Primary Elementary school and are planning a big event at the school in early fall. We’re also hoping to pull off a “kiddical mass” ride, like what is seen in Eugene, Oregon.

Another happy coincidence we stumbled across while the kids’ were getting ready for school the other morning, the regularly broadcast cartoon “Arthur”, on PBS, has an episode titled “Room to Ride” featuring Lance Armstrong, where the kids’ rally to get bike lanes brought into their neighborhood. It’s even inspired our 8 year old to start a campaign of his own! Part one is here (and part two here):

And here’s more pic’s of the tiny cyclists from Saturday:

Block Party Wrap-Up

Thank you all for coming out and making the first ever Tyler Street Bicycle Block Party a success. The BBQ sold out within three hours, we floated a keg along with emptying 10 cases of beer…music was a blast, Go-Go Girls were in windows dancing away, the bike-in movie was hysterical, and the bike shop was officially christened! We couldn’t of hoped for anything better. You can view full pics from the night here. Here’s a few highlights:

Oak Cliff Bicycle Company receives C.O.!

We just got word from the guys at Oak Cliff Bicycle Company that they were finally able to secure their Certificate of Occupancy from the city. This is great news, and means that the OC is still on track to have a shop open shortly!

Be sure to swing by the Tyler Street Bicycle Party this Saturday to see the space (which is still under construction), and meet the owners first hand. They should be able to provide more details on the shop, events, and upcoming lines. So far, the rumor is they’ll be carrying SWOBO‘s!:

BFOC Member Profile: Malina Pearson

Since we’re nearing the 500 mark for the BFOC Facebook group, we thought it would be fun to start regularly profiling members and their bikes. We hope to make this a weekly feature, so feel free to forward us pics of you and your ride!

First up:

(photo by Andrea Roberts)

Malina Pearson

Which OC neighborhood do you live in?:
i live in the l.o. daniel neighborhood ( which my friends like to pronounce with a british accent as if to say “‘ ‘ello daniel! “)

Occupation:
i am a prop stylist for print photography, mainly catalogs & editorial.

Tell us about your bike:
i bought my bike on craigslist from a really cool guy named larry in mansfield, tx..
he styled the bike out for his daughter, complete with wicker basket, funny horn, leather grips & a super cushy seat.
but i guess she was looking for an upgrade, so lucky me!
she’s a trophy, a brand that no one seems to have heard of.
her name is shirley 2, as an homage to the original trusty shirley that saw me through many years & miles in manhattan.

What are your favorite local spots to ride to?
currently my favorite bike trips in the o.c. include my friends’ houses, el si hay, kavala, stopping to check out the progress at oak cliff bikes and most recently the ice cream shop on davis near edgefield.

Stop in the Name of Shop

Repost from Copenhagencyclechic.com:

Ah, the freedom of the bicycle. Riding along the safe, separated bike lanes in the rain she spotted something in a shop window that tickled her fancy. Hand up, coaster brake gently to a stop and in under 20 seconds she was inside the shop.

It’s no secret that bicycle lanes are good for businesses anywhere. Not only are cyclists better shoppers according to studies, bicycle infrastructure also serves to increase property values and the profit margins of businesses along the routes and the streets are transformed into lovelier urban spaces, encouraging not only more bicycles but more pedestrians, too.

Balloon Tire Beauties

After posting an article on the stylish Velorbis Scrap Deluxe commuter bike with its beautiful silver finish and big white Fat Frank tires, I’ve since run across several other European manufacturers making nearly identical bikes:

Retrovelo Paul City Bike

Viva Kilo

Velorbis Churchill Balloon

Pashley Phantom Roadster

And after reading the CommuteByBike review on the Churchill Balloon, I’m completely sold…only problem is, I can’t find one within 100 miles of Dallas, and for anything less than $1000.

Some day…

Baguettes & Bicyclettes

The classic french image of bicycles with baguettes could almost be a trademark for Paris. And now, Oak Cliff may follow suit. The Rush Bakery in Deep Ellum is pulling up stakes and moving to our side of the river. Their specialty: French Pastries! They’ll be located just 3 doors down from Spiral Diner.

Bon Appetit!

Dallas home to some of the angriest drivers. 88% of teens text or use cell phones while driving

A recent survey picked up by the Dallas Observer notes that Dallas ranks second in the nation for angriest drivers.

They also link to a second AllState survey of Texas teen drivers — 52 percent of whom say they’ve driven after drinking alcohol (or with a driver who’d been drinking). And “88% say they text message or talk on their cell phones while driving.”

This is exactly the reason we advocate for the creation of safer bicycle infrastructure and dedicated bike lanes over the philosophy of “sharing the lane”. It’s sad that Fort Worth understands this more than Dallas.

UPDATE: Something we failed to note…Portland’s driver’s ranked lowest in road rage in the same survey. The detractors of bike lanes in Dallas typically state that seperating out the modes only makes drivers more angry at cyclists. The reality follows exactly what we’ve stated all along, and the same that Tempe, and Portland’s planners have noted to us in recent interviews…adding bicycle infrastructure makes drivers more aware, accepting, and in the end, increases safety.