Last week I wrote about the racks we induced LADOT to install at Village Idiot, and how they added not only the usual rack out front, but a mini-bike-corral on the side street. A small success, but a significant one, in a city that’s long ignored the transportational cyclist.

But as good as it felt to see those racks, their placement wasn’t the real success–the real success came a couple of nights ago, when we rolled over there for a brew and found the racks already in use–in fact, almost full!

We managed to lock up among the other bikes–all handily within view of the doorman–and very much enjoyed our Craftsman 1903 lagers and a bit of pub food. (Afterwards I had Gina snap the picture on her iPhone.)

And so, in the spirit of good eating, drinking, and riding, I’d like to list a few establishments within a half-hour’s ride of Orange 20 that I consider “cyclist friendly”–whether it be because they have racks out front, or because they’re run by cyclists, or because they are simply friendly to the two-wheeled crew.

First off has gotta be the round of shops at Hel-Mel, comprising our beloved Pure Luck (savory vegan fare and excellent brews), Cafecito Organico, with its conscious coffees and inventive breakfast grub, and Scoops, who doesn’t even need a website to keep them coming in. If you hang around the 20, you already know these spots. But here are some others you might not have got to yet:

Mao’s Kitchen
7313 Melrose Ave. at Poinsettia
The sole bike-friendly element here is a couple of racks out front (called in by yours truly at the same time as Village idiot’s), but that’s enough to get it on the list, as the kitchen’s clean, symphonic northern dishes, mostly based on the country’s huge variety of regional street foods, satisfy without stuffing or intimidating the causal eater. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan options too. The long-box hipster-white room bears artwork riffing on pre-Red-Guard revolutionary posters, and there’s an outside patio as well. While we lunched there Friday, a fellow wearing a handlebar moustache and Edwardian duds rode up and down the block repeatedly, on a unicycle, whilst juggling Indian clubs. This is Hollywood.

Sabor y Cultura
5625 Hollywood Blvd., at Gramercy
Great neighborhood coffeehouse with plenty of espressos and teas and worthwhile sandwiches. Spoken word and music many nights, relaxing atmosphere always, plenty of room, and of course WiFi. Two bike racks…and when I used to work on the same block and came in half an hour early just to enjoy the place, they let me bring the bike inside every morning. (No racks back then!) Need a change of pace? Pailin Thai a few doors east also has racks and friendly service, and my favorite Thai curries in LA.

Paru’s Indian Vegetarian Restaurant
5140 Sunset Blvd, near Normandie
I’ve been going there for thirty years or more, and knew owner Kannan when he was still working for mom and dad. Savory South Indian dinners and desserts, great beer, a patio, and absolutely no racks outside–but they will cheerfully ask you to bring your bike into the locked patio if you don’t do so on your own. Exotic yet relaxing atmosphere. I’ve met my crew there more than once, with all the bikes piled up by our patio table. Don’t miss it. Even dedicated carnivores love the fixins.

The Coffee Table
2930 Rowena Avenue, near Hyperion
They finally got a bike rack out front, the only thing they were missing. Another great neighborhood coffeehouse, with espresso, sandwiches, and pastries. Patios front and back, lots of local traffic, plenty of room. A change of pace on the back side of Silverlake.

Massimo’s Mudspot
759 S. La Brea at 8th
Okay, this one’s a bit far from the 20, but it’s close to Bicycle Fixation HQ, and not only is the owner an ex bike racer, but he put in the bike racks at his own expense! You can bring your bike in without qualm if it’s raining or you forgot your lock. Coffees, teas, some unusual sandwiches, good seating in a small but bright, big-windowed room. Same owner keeps the Little Bar next door, which also has racks out front.

Okay, I know there are plenty more. Tell us about them in the comments! What shops, stores, bars, and restaurants do you find to be particularly accommodating to the urban cyclist, either by providing parking, being cyclist-owned, or just being overtly friendly to our peeps. Let us know in remarks below! Because when business owners know that cyclists are spending money with them, they’ll be on our side in battles with the city for lanes, parking, unbiased policing, and all the rest.

I was over at Two Rabbit’s Studios and my friend Dada had this amazing Craigslist find. She picked up this beauty for a mear 70 dollars. The paint job sparkles nicely and has a easy to find sweet spot for wheelies. This is the type of bike you keep in your stable forever. Enjoy!

He’s American, I’m Amarican. What do American’s do? We do drugs!

Found this on Bike Snob NYC. Hilarious!

One of my favorite pubs is Village Idiot at Melrose and Martel–good food and a great selection of brews–it’s the only place I know of so far–besides Hel-Mel’s own beloved Pure Luck–that carries Craftsman on tap!

But going there used to be a bit of a hassle–no place to lock up the bikes except a few parking meters–technically illegal, and besides they were usually taken up when we got there.

Well, last week we had a nice surprise, which you can see in the photo below:

That’s right–not just one bike rack, but four–look on the left there for a mini-bike-corral. Room for eight bikes!

The surprise, though, wasn’t that they had arrived, but that they had arrived so quickly.

You see, I had recently filled out the LADOT bike rack request form for the location, and usually it takes them two months to get around to installation.

The other surprise was that I had asked for two, and they put in four!

Being the squeaky wheel pays off.

So here’s the deal: start using all these high-tech resources your taxes have paid for to make LA a better city for bicycling. Don’t be satisfied with locking to meters and signposts when you can have an easy-to-use, sturdy rack that no cop can hassle you over.

Here’s the URL:

Where it says “Contact Name” and “Telephone Number,” put in your own. And instead of using their link to the City Council districts map (they ask for council district), use the “Neighborhood Resources” form a few inches down on this City of LA page–it’s much, much easier to use.

After all, it’s kind of pathetic to get somewhere by bike and then not be able to park. Tens of thousands of acres for car parking, and no room for bikes–just pathetic!

But you can change that now.

Frame/Fork: RedLine Conquest Pro
Drive Train: Shimano
Wheels:OEM
Cock Pit:Custom OEM w/ Shellacked Bartape

I could find things to complain about in this bike lane that my wife Gina photographed in Portland during our visit there last year.

For one thing, it’s right in the door zone, blatantly so. It’s a little narrow, too. The Dutch and Danish bike path fanatics would complain that Omigod it’s actually in the street! Segregate! Segregate! The vehicular cycling crowd would curl its lip into a sneer and growl, “You don’t need those damn things; just ride as traffic!” And we’d all be right.

But not as right as Portland. They’re saying a lot with this bit of paint.

First thing, of course, is that bikes belong here. It ain’t a cars-only world anymore.

Second thing it’s saying is that pedestrians belong here too, and they’ll be in the street getting in and out of buses, taxis, and cars, so watch out for them. Jonathan Maus of Bikeportland.org got ahold of that city’s DOT, who said of these lanes that “This is a message to cyclists to go slowly through the area because of the level of activity and congestion, especially in the presence of many out of town visitors who may not understand bicycle lanes. It’s somewhat analogous to ‘SLOW SCHOOL ZONE’ warnings.”

Maus doesn’t seem to like them, but I think they’re fine. There are situations on the road which are more complex than they appear from the driver’s seat or the pedaler’s saddle, and this is one of them. It’s not too different from a “Dangerous Curve” sign on a mountain road. Gives you a heads-up.

And it does one more thing….

It treats urban cyclists as grownups whom we the people expect to be responsible for their actions in a crowded world.

For too long, policy in the US assumed that bicycles were toys or sporting goods, not transport, and cyclists were treated as if they were kids in a sandbox. (Of course, a lot of rebel-without-a-clue types want to act like brats on the road, but they’re just the pedal-powered equivalent of SUV louts.)

To me, signs such as this one say, “Welcome home; the road is yours.”

It always was, of course…but it’s good to make it official.