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It’s nice how things work out sometimes. In 2020, I lost my job because of something called coronavirus. I’ve been in event planning for most of my career, and events came to a halt during a global pandemic. I was getting a little worried about money, so considering that I rode my bike basically every day, I figured to start delivering around Downtown LA for extra income.

I hit up the fam at Road Runner Bags (RRB) to get a decent-sized backpack for this endeavor. But fate would have it that I qualified for unemployment support, which helped float the bills until I got a new job. Even though I never did take a step into mess life, I now had this sick backpack. My Large Anything Backpack has been so helpful in all the other facets of my cycling life. I lead a group called Trash Panda Cycling (TPC), so whether it was carrying t-shirts for group members, picking up prizes for races, or loading up for a picnic at the top of Griffith Park – it has been essential.

Work is still great (I’m putting on fundraisers for the non-profit I work for), and I get to commute by bike all the time, dodging the traffic. RRB has been a long time supporter of TPC and supported our fundraisers ever since our very first food drive. When looking for ways to carry more, I picked up a new West Coast Burrito earlier this year to stuff all my tools and even strap my bluetooth speaker for those rides. I even foresee using this for a little overnight bikepacking, and it’s definitely big enough. I’ve had other Burrito Bags from RRB, and the fact that I still use those after so many years is a solid sign.

If you come down to a Trash Panda ride on our usual Tuesday night, you’ll probably see quite a few other Road Runner Bags donned by the riders.

Words: Raff

Photos: Juan Gomez

This past Sunday I took Juan on a mixed terrain ride around Bonelli Park. It’s one of my favorite, local to me, spots to ride. It’s about 2 miles from my doorstep, and it has trails for any bike and any mood. Full road, gravel, or mountain trails, and you get great views of Mt Baldy, Cal Poly Pomona, Puddingstone Lake, and even DTLA. 

Growing up near the park, I've never experienced much of it on the bike. I've been on many family trips to the lake, but biking through the park is a different experience. With the nice views of the lake, people water skiing and fishing, it's nice to hit the dirt trails and then relax by the lake and watch the sunset.

The bike I chose to ride was my 90’s KHS Montaña. Got the frame from the Bike Kitchen and built it up with a Surly fork and some Velo Orange Klunker bars. Super fun for just cruising or getting shreddy.

I have bags on all my bikes, and this one usually has a basket up front with a Burrito Supreme as a saddle bag.

I put it in “shred” mode by taking off the basket, moving the Burrito Supreme up front, and a Drafter out back!

I love bright colors, and the frame, if you look at it closely, has pink splatter on it. So when I found a Burrito Supreme with Pink in it, I had to get it.

Can’t wait for more bags and more rides! Without them, where the heck am I going?

Words: Dr. Ew

Photos: Juan Gomez

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Makers LA recently featured our very own Brad and Ester in their final episode in a 4-part series. So, tune in for insight into our early days and behind-the-scenes shots of our DTLA workshop.

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Cycles of Change was founded in 1998 as an after-school bicycle education program operating out of the basement of Roosevelt Middle School in East Oakland. Combining bike mechanic trainings with after-school bicycle adventures, their programs became wildly popular and developed a huge following. Since then, they have expanded to offer in-school bicycle safety trainings and watershed education to thousands of students in Alameda County and beyond. It's beyond rewarding to work with Cycles of Change over the years from fundraisers to collaborations. They are the heart of the bicycle community in the East Bay opening the hearts and minds of the youth and empowering them with bikes.

Support their Winter Campaign  and get to know the students through Bike Club Stories and how bikes inspire them. If you donate by this Saturday, Jan. 28, the deadline to the campaign, you'll have a chance to win a custom CoC Burrito Supreme, tie dye Bike Club shirt, and Reflective Key Chain! Click here for raffle details.

| Natalie Ramos, with Cycles of Change, shares a more in depth look at their mission and the importance of their programing:

At Cycles of Change, one of our greatest missions is to empower youth of color to safely and independently navigate their streets on two wheels and to become leaders in their communities. This learning and growth is on full display in our after-school bike clubs, which are currently going strong at three Oakland schools: Bret Harte Middle School, Madison Park Academy, and MetWest High School: Huerta campus.

The participants of our bike clubs range from outgoing, ever-enthusiastic types to introverts who may or may not care to show their interest in their chosen after school activity. However, what they all have in common is the sense of pride and autonomy that they have gained throughout the course of this school year’s bike club.

Some of these students started the year having never ridden a bike before. Bike clubs begin programming by building essential riding skills as well as basic mechanic knowledge and rules of safe riding. Throughout this process, students are encouraged to contribute to the planning of the rest of the year—what landmarks in their city do they want to pedal out to?; how can they become teachers to students who join the group later in the year?; what kind of community will they build together?

At this point in the year, more experienced bike-clubbers have gotten the opportunity to lead their peers in off-campus rides and teach new students how to ride safely. They are excited to tackle the steepest hills and navigate the busiest streets of their city, all while looking out for each other and enjoying the process.

This process of community building is not without struggle, however. Throughout the twists and turns of a school year complicated by politics, normalized violence, and a pandemic, what stands out to us more than ever is our students’ steadfast resilience; they are adaptable and strong, even at such young ages. This gives us perhaps even more hope about what amazing leaders these kiddos are capable of becoming. They don’t shy away from the hard stuff, but throughout it all, our students have worked hard to ensure that bike clubs remain a space for collectivity and joy.

We are so grateful to be able to continue growing in community and learning from our youth.

Thank you for supporting us and empowering our work!

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