AIDS/LifeCycle Expo

AIDS/LifeCycle Expo - Saturday, February 17, 2018
Different Spokes is honored that our club - along with The Chain Gang - have been asked by AIDS/LifeCycle to produce an official training ride on the morning of their annual Southern California Expo. This event is open to the entire community, so please come to our training ride and stay for the Expo. The ride meets at 8 AM; the Expo is from Noon to 4 PM. An easy 25 mile route and a moderate 37 mile bike route will be offered.

2018 Kits - Order Your Kit Today!

Order your new Different Spokes 2018 kit today!  

The “store” remains open! Your kit will be shipped directly to you. Order a jersey or a full kit today. Get it in 4 weeks!

Jerseys Come in 3 Fits

Slim Fit Next-to-body style provides form fitting performance through a streamlined 'next-to-body' design. The Slim fit tightens up in the waist and arm holes.

Standard Fit Balanced performance style provides regular fitting, by balancing aerodynamic performance with comfort functionality. The Standard fit is for typical North American build - wider in the shoulders and more tapered at the waist.

Relaxed Fit Loose comfort style provides looser fitting in the shoulders, torso, neck and arms. The Relaxed fit loosens up in waist and arm holes.

2 Ways to Get The Right Size

There are two ways to pick the right size kit from Jakroo:

Use the sizing charts on Jakroo's website. Click on the links below.

Jakroo's Guaranteed Fit Service. If you don't like the fit once you receive it, you just pay postage to return it and they will make you a new one and send it to you for free.

Four products will be available for ordering. Click on the item name for a complete description, then scroll to the bottom to see the sizing charts.

• Fresco - Sleeveless Jersey - $51.75 (Relaxed or Standard fit)
• Tour - Short Sleeve Jersey - $74.25 (Relaxed, Standard or Slim fit)
• Velo Pro - Bib Shorts - $89.25
• Velo Pro - Regular Shorts - $78.25

Note about Guaranteed Fit Service:  Jakroo recommends using their sizing and dimensional charts, but encourage all customers to contact them for a guaranteed fitting.

To receive a guaranteed fitting, please call Claire Sayle at 1-800-485-7067, ext. 117. You may also get a guaranteed fit by using the chat service by clicking on the blue chat icon on the Jakroo website.  Be prepared to provide the data points shown below.

Height
Weight
Chest
Waist (at belly-button)
Hips
Inseam

It doesn't cost extra to get a guaranteed fit, so you are encouraged to take advantage of this service.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER - Use discount code DIFFSPOKES25 to get the prices shown above.

Port Hueneme December 17 Cancelled

Due to high winds and smoke, today's ride - December 17, 2017 - is cancelled. Sorry about that.

COMING LATER IN NOVEMBER DIFFERENT SPOKES TEAM KIT FOR 2018! We have selected Jakroo as our manufacturer for our 2018 team kit. We will begin accepting orders before the end of November. The “store” will be open for a 3 week window. Prices are shown below. Sales tax and shipping direct to you will be added to your order. Here is the pricing: Fresco - Sleeveless Jersey - $58.65 (Relaxed or Standard fit) Tour - Short Sleeve Jersey - $78.20 (Relaxed, Standard or Slim fit) Velo Pro - Bib Shorts - $93.50 Velo Pro - Regular Shorts - $89.25

SWEATSHIRTS, TEE-SHIRTS AND TANK-TOPS UPDATE Ordering closed on Monday, October 30. All of the shirts are expected to arrive at Bryan & Mario’s house by Monday, November 13. SWEATSHIRTS!  TEE SHIRTS!  TANK TOPS! We are very excited to be celebrating our 35th year with sweatshirts, tee shirts and tank tops.  We're going with grey and hot pink because our 2018 club kit will also be grey with hot pink. You may order any number of any combinations shown below.  There are pull over or full zipper sweatshirts; tee shirts and tanks for the ladies and tee shirts and tanks for the men. Note:  The appearance of the artwork below is computer generated. The artists at CustomInk will assure a proper placement of our club design and a consistent shade of pink on all items.  In fact, the pink will be Pantone 213 C to match our new kits. PLEASE HURRY!  Ordering closes on Monday, October 30, 2017. Your club president is so excited about this that he's going to order a full zip hoodie, a tee shirt and a tank top.  What will you be ordering? Once the ordering deadline closes, all of the shirts will be shipped to Bryan & Mario's house. You make pick up your shirts from Bryan or Mario at their home or on a club ride. If that doesn't work for you, then please contact Bryan to arrange for him to mail your purchase to you. To order:  CLICK HERE

Ride Tour de Foothills with Brian Osterwalder

Our club secretary Brian Osterwalder invites you to join him to ride a century in the foothills with well stocked rest stops and great SAG support. It’s the annual Veterans Day Tour de Foothills!

The century route includes just over 100 miles of the great cycling, just over 5000 feet of climbing and 5 rest stops.

Upon your return, you will be pampered with great food as a part of your ride registration with an optional Beer Garden and Wine tasting to complete your fantastic day.

The event is on Saturday, November 11, 2017 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM and meets in downtown Upland, California.

Speaking of veterans, you can register for the ride for free! Everybody else pays, but we’ve got a $10-off discount code for you:  bikelink01

So please follow this link to register:  Click here to REGISTER!

Finally, please send an email to Brian at brianosterwalder AT gmail DOT com so that you can make plans to meet him at the ride.

Flying with your Bicycle?

Our member Martin Keleti wants to share with our club his tips for saving money if you're traveling with your bicycle.  Some of these tips can save you money if you're flying to San Francisco for AIDS/LifeCycle next year, or if you're just going on vacation.

Alaska Airlines $25

Virgin America $50

Hawaiian Air $35

Compare those prices with United for $150

Training for the Cookie Ride

Training for Phil Gaimon's Cookie Fondo Continues

Pete Demirai has requested a series of really hard Santa Monica Mountain rides to prepare for Phil’s Cookie Fondo, which is on October 15, so we're going to have a series of rides on Saturdays to train. These difficult rides are open to EVERYONE!

The first ride was on Saturday, August 19. Did you go? Other club members going on the Cookie Ride are Christian Shopinski, Brian Osterwalder and Bryan Blumberg.

Training for the Cookie Ride
Sat, Aug 19 – Fernwood – Cold Canyon – Agoura – 47 miles and 5,000 feet

Upcoming Santa Monica Mountain Rides
Sat. Sept 2 – Helen's Monthly Group Ride (Piuma, Schueren & Old Topanga) – 45 miles & 4,900 feet
Sat. Sept 9 – Las Flores – Mulholland – Decker 48 miles & 5,250 feet
Sat. Sept 16 – Látigo to PCH & Piuma to Stunt – 52 miles & 6,000 feet
Sat. Sept 30 – Up Encinal – Down Mulholland – Up Yerba Buena – Down Deer Creek – 45 miles & 5,800 feet

Pos Peds Co-hosted Rides

Different Spokes member Salvatore Ianniello recently became Ride Coordinator for the Los Angeles Chapter of Positive Pedalers.  He is going to be setting up one AIDS/LifeCycle training ride per month on Saturdays from August 2017 through May 2017.

He has asked that the rides be co-hosted by Different Spokes.  So, look forward to the addition of Saturday rides being added to our calendar.

Of course any of our club members who are Certified Training Ride Leaders will be welcome to volunteer to co-facilitate these rides.

Thanks Sal!

Voting Has Closed

THE 2017 ELECTIONS ARE OVER!

These are the winners of the Different Spokes annual election of officers:

PRESIDENT & CEO - Bryan Blumberg (24 votes yes, zero opposed)
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR & CFO - Mario Rivera (24 votes yes, zero opposed)
SECRETARY - Brian Osterwalder (24 votes yes, zero opposed)

Different Spokes is moving along into its 35th year!  Thank you all for participating in your club.

Nominations for 2017-2018 Are In

Voting ended on Tuesday, July 18 at 6 AM.

Different Spokes is happy to announce that voting has ended.  We had a total of 24 votes.  The results are:

PRESIDENT - Bryan Blumberg - 24 votes for, no votes against

TREASURER - Mario Rivera - 24 votes for, no votes against

SECRETARY - Brian Osterwalder - 24 votes for, no votes against

We will attempt to install the new officers by August 1, 2017 and will then schedule a Board Meeting.  The meeting time and location will be announced and any Different Spokes club member may attend.

Nominations for Different Spokes Club Officers are now being accepted.

Different Spokes is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation. Membership dues are tax deductible. The club is required to have nominations and elections of officers annually. There must be periodic board meetings with minutes.

Official responsibilities of the officers are as follows:

PRESIDENT - The president is the chief executive officer. Conducts board meetings; has access to the bank account; is the agent for service of process for the corporation. Filing a statement of information with the California Secretary of State.

TREASURER - The treasurer is the chief financial officer. Responsibilities include maintaining the membership roster; reminding expiring and expired members that their renewals are due; has access to and maintains the bank account; renewing the club’s membership in the League of American Bicyclists; renewing the club’s liability insurance policy.

SECRETARY - The secretary is responsible to take minutes at meetings of the officers.

Different Spokes is a cycling club with a primary outreach to the Southern California LGBT community, but everyone is welcome to join Different Spokes.  Different Spokes has no affiliation with AIDS/LifeCycle. However, some members form a Different Spokes AIDS/LifeCycle team each year. Therefore a number of the club’s activities or bike rides are integrated with AIDS/LifeCycle.

Other duties which are usually performed by club officers, but may be performed by any member of the club are:

Planning the ride schedule.
Maintaining the club’s website, calendar, Facebook group and weekly email newsletter.
Designing the jerseys and shorts for the club’s kit/uniforms,
Planning, organizing or hosting club social events.
Coordinating club involvement in other community bicycling events.
Planning AIDS/LifeCycle training ride schedule.
Coordinating club ride schedule with club’s AIDS/LifeCycle Training Ride Leaders.

To be a club officer, one must have a current active membership in Different Spokes Bicycling Club of Southern California. This can be accomplished simply by paying your $15 annual membership dues.

To nominate yourself or another club member to be President, Treasurer or Secretary, please post a comment to this blog post. We will have elections in July. Officers will assume their roles in August.

Registration is now open for the 2018 AIDS/LifeCycle
If you register this week with discount code ALC2018, you can sign up for just $40. That is the lowest registration fee that will be offered. AIDS/LifeCycle is a 545-mile, 7-day bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Different Spokes has a team in this ride every year. Our team is riding in the 2017 ride RIGHT NOW! AIDS/LifeCycle is a life changing experience, which is why many riders sign up to participate again and again. This is a charity bike ride, so all participants must raise $3,000 in donations towards HIV-services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Please sign up and join the Different Spokes team. Your team captains, Bryan Blumberg, Mario Rivera and Mark Ostensen will be available to help you fundraise and help you iron out all of the logistics involved in participation.

Registration is now open for the Tour de Laemmle: Vérité
Join Different Spokes members Brian Osterwalder and Bryan Blumberg for the 4th Annual Tour de Laemmle!  This is a 130 mile bike ride on Sunday, July 23rd. The ride tours all of the Laemmle theater properties in Los Angeles County. It starts in Santa Monica and heads all the way to Claremont, then through Pasadena, Glendale, North Hollywood and Sherman Oaks. Registration is FREE, but the event does fill up. So, if you want to participate, sign up NOW!

San Fernando Valley Loop is Cancelled

San Fernando Valley Loop is cancelled on Sunday, March 5 due to expected rain starting around 9 AM, unfortunately. Please join us for Sunset Plaza – Roscomare - Stradella on March 12. Check our calendar for all of our upcoming rides. Different Spokes Calendar, Click Here!

South Pasadena to Citrus is Cancelled

South Pasadena to Citrus is cancelled on Sunday, February 26 due to rain, unfortunately. We have two great rides coming up next week. On Saturday, March 4, we have the I. Martin Annual AIDS/LifeCycle ride and sale. On Sunday, March 5, We have the San Fernando Valley Loop. Check our calendar for all of our upcoming rides.

I. Martin Annual AIDS/LifeCycle Event

Saturday, March 4, 2017

An AIDS/LifeCycle Training Ride

Different Spokes is joining forces with Shifting Gears Cycling, Team FUBAR and The Chain Gang for a pair of training rides hosted by I. Martin Bicycles Los Angeles. It's the I. Martin Annual AIDS/LifeCycle Event! Taco truck, discounts and sale.

THE EVENT:
I. Martin Bicycles Annual Aids/Lifecycle Sale will be held Saturday March 4, 2017.

The day will start off with two great routes followed by a Taco Truck and Flat Tire Clinics at 1:30 & 2:30 PM.

You’ll also have an opportunity to speak with Josh Cohen, cycling advocate and board member of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. He’ll be around to discuss the laws and your rights as a cyclist in LA!

Take advantage of GREAT DISCOUNTS! Up to 30% off on Apparel, 20% off on Accessories, 15% off 2017 model Bicycles and 30% off any 2016 model.

RIDE DESCRIPTIONS:
Long Route: (65 miles) For those of you who want to do some climbing this is the ride for you! We’ll start with a short warm up before starting our first climb up Nichols Canyon. The route will continue across Mulholland down Sepulveda to Brentwood for a quick stop at Jamba Juice. Next climb is 2.5 miles up Bundy followed by a 5-mile climb up Mandeville. You’ll return through Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey to Ballona Creek and back to I. Martin Bicycles.

Short Route: (36 miles) This is a great flat ride through the city to Ballona Creek down to Playa del Rey with a lap up Westchester Parkway. We’ll stop at Flowers by Felicia Coffee Bar for a quick stop before returning back to I. Martin’s.

RIDE HOST:
Both rides are supported by Different Spokes, Shifting Gears Cycling, Team FUBAR and The Chain Gang.

DISTANCE:
Distance: 65 miles or 36 miles

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS:
I MARTIN BICYCLES 8330 Beverly Blvd. 323-653-6900
Parking available two blocks north on Rosewood Avenue - PLEASE CHECK SIGNS!

MEET TIME AND ROLL OUT TIME:
Meet Time:  8:00 AM
Mandatory Safety Speech:  8:15 AM
Roll Out Time:  8:30 AM

La Tuna Canyon - the proper direction ride is cancelled

The "La Tuna Canyon - the proper direction" ride is cancelled on Sunday, January 22 due to rain, unfortunately.  It will be rescheduled for April 30.

Meanwhile, hopefully we'll see you at the Garfield Park to Turnbull Canyon Road ride on January 29!

Orders for the 2017 Kits have been placed.

Different Spokes 2017 Jersey

Bib Shorts

Jersey 3D View

Mario Rivera designed the Different Spokes kit for 2017.  We stopped taking orders on February 13, 2017!  The kits are being manufactured and are expected to be delivered by the end of March, 2017.

2016 Jersey

We also are still accepting orders for the 2016 jerseys and shorts if we meet the minimum 10 piece requirement.

Click here to order last year's 2016 kit.

Different Spokes to Offer AIDS/LifeCycle Training Rides

Different Spokes Bicycling Club of Southern California plans to offer eleven official AIDS/LifeCycle training rides between January and May 2017.

Lida Street Plus La Tuna Canyon (Los Feliz) (New Year’s Day)
Sun Jan 1, 2017 9:45am

La Tuna Canyon & Lida - the proper direction
Sun Jan 22, 2017 8:45am

Pasadena Rose Bowl to Encanto Park
Sun Feb 19, 2017 8am

South Pasadena to Citrus
Sun Feb 26, 2017 8:30am

San Fernando Valley Loop
Sun Mar 5, 2017 8am

Montecito Heights Pasadena Loop
Sun Mar 26, 2017 8am

Rose Bowl to San Gabriel River Bike Path
Sun Apr 2, 2017 8am

Antelope Valley CA Poppy Reserve
Sun Apr 9, 2017 8:30am

Arcadia to Claremont (Easter Sunday)
Sun Apr 16, 2017 8am

Arcadia Three Rivers Loop
Sun May 7, 2017 8am

14 City San Gabriel Valley Tour
Sun May 21, 2017 8am