Photo Credits: Rob Forbes (left), John Hill (right)

The two best pieces of design in Washington DC are the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the new Capital Bikeshare program. They actually share some qualities and characteristics other than the fact that they are located in the heart of the nation’s capitol. Initially, both the memorial and bike share were met with skepticism. Now they are both positive symbols of vision and change.

Earlier this month we were in the nation’s capitol for the annual National Bike Summit. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, and NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan were among the noteworthy spokespeople who gave talks.  The overarching message was this: “ Positive change is coming to US transportation policy, but don’t wait for Washington DC to make it happen. Take action in your own communities. Our mayors and locally elected officials make the important local land use decisions that determine how our communities are designed and developed.

Washington DC has good reason to direct people back to their communities. It is one example of what’s gone wrong with US cities. A recent Financial Times article sums up the issues, Commuting: Best of Both Worlds? by Jurek Martin, Lucy Warwick-Ching, and Enid Tsui.

“Washington DC, the nation’s capital, last in baseball, is a perennial contender, along with Los Angeles, for the prize of the worst commuter traffic in the US (public transport use is up, though still spotty in its reach).” -Jurek Martin, Financial Times

Photo Credits: Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press (left), Rob Forbes (right)

How is it that our nation’s capitol does not embody a model for modern transportation solutions with efficient transit in all forms? DC has not always been a laggard. When the DC Metro was built in 1976 it turned heads. It was slick, quiet, clean, and modeled after the elegant Parisian Metro. It was a hugely optimistic venture that reflected well on our democratic values – comfortable, safe, affordable transportation for everyone. It was a great symbol for the US.

What slowed the progress since then? Why was an affordable transit link between DC’s airport and the city not been planned until recently? What do tourists and foreign dignitaries think when they sit in traffic around the beltway? As I experienced the traffic snarl on my way from the airport, this was on my mind. How do we get people to think differently about mobility? What are some examples of progressive visions coming from DC? One great example dawned on me right there on the Capitol Mall, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In 1982 when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial first went up controversy stirred the air. Traditionalists did not like it. It seemed un-American and the visionary artist Maya Lin had an Asian surname, causing misguided angst for some people.  For centuries men in uniform on horses putting flags in the ground defined the form of American monuments.  This low-lying dark wall of names seemed entirely inappropriate or heretical to many. But when it was unveiled, it won almost everyone over. It is one of the boldest and most provocative designs in Washington DC. An impressive and courageous jury of designers selected the winning design by Maya Lin. Politicians with guts and a vision accomplished this monumental change.

DC now has a new bike share system called Capital Bikeshare. It is the best bike share system I’ve experienced yet – more simple and easy than the Paris and Barcelona systems. Minimal, smart, red bikes in pristine shape can be found almost anywhere you’d need them. But like the Maya Lin piece, it was initially controversial. Bike transportation asks us to challenge conventions of the past. The Capital Bikeshare system is bold, visual, and impossible to ignore. Just as Maya Lin pushed the boundaries of American monuments, the bike share program in DC pushes the limits of how one can move through the city. It may seem anti- American to some who are stuck in the old car-centric ways. By expanding mobility choices, the bike share program offers individuals an easy opportunity to take action themselves and make an immediate difference. We hope that the new bike share system can earn the same symbolic value of the Maya Lin over the years.

Photo Credits (clockwise from top left): Unknown, Rad-Spannerei, Unknown, John Von Pamer, Randy Harris, Dustin Jensonn

All right, so women don’t really “rule” the biking world as the title suggests, but something is definitely going on.  At PUBLIC many of our customers are women and we have many on our staff – so it’s altogether fitting and proper for us to acknowledge National Women’s History Month.

Recently The Daily Beast asked me to contribute a piece on meaningful developments in the US biking industry. The editor couldn’t help but notice the recent media attention on bicycles and assumed that there must be some technological advancement behind it. I came to the conclusion that the opposite was the case. The wave of new bicyclists seen on the streets has almost nothing to do with new technologies.  It has everything to do with the bike being repurposed and rediscovered for daily social activity, health, fashion, community, local culture, and general well being.  As a result, women from all walks of life are participating in the biking movement, and in some places they are the most influential bicycle advocates.

Eurobike, A Guys World?, photo by Rob Forbes

The prominent role that women play in the industry may not always be immediately obvious. If you judged by the percentage of guys working in bike stores, managing bike companies, or attending bike shows it would appear that the biking industry is like the auto industry; largely a man’s world. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see that women today are driving many of the major changes in the industry and advocacy, especially in the realm of how bikes fit into our communities with social purpose. This tradition of modern urban advocacy begins with Jane Jacobs who is something like the Mother Theresa of the Livable Cities movement. Her seminal book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) is a classic read for all students of urban design and a textbook on why grassroots efforts are needed to keep our communities in tact.  She goes at the top of my list of women who make a difference.

Here is my list of fifteen women who are making a significant and positive difference today. It’s constructed of only women I’ve met (with the exception of Audrey Hepburn), so is thoroughly personal and absolutely incomplete.   Please bring other names to our attention and we’ll make them PUBLIC.

Janette Sadik-Kahn
Sadik-Kahn is the current Transportation Commissioner of New York. Her work extends beyond the NYC city limits, as she is recognized internationally for improving the rights of pedestrians and bicyclists. In 2010 we sat down with her for an interview.

Barbara Bigolin
As the CEO of Selle Royale, Bigolin took the company to the next level by bringing together the finest and most legendary names in bike accessory design: Brooks, Selle Royale, Fizik, and Crank Brothers.  At the recent Eurobike show, her new high performance racing shoes under the Fizik brand were the most inspiring new piece of product design.

Carol Coletta
Coletta is the CEO of CEOs for Cities and a powerful advocate for the Livable Cities movement. Follow her on Twitter to appreciate her contributions.

Leah Shahum
As the head of the San Francisco Bike Coalition with over 12,000 members, Shahum is a tireless advocate for improving the biking infrastructure of San Francisco and an eloquent spokesperson for urban biking.

Ulrike Saade
A legend in the biking world of Germany, Saade heads up the world-class European bicycling movement.  Recently she led the VeloBerlin exhibition business operations and on-site organization.  Test your German with this YouTube.

Mia Kohout and Tania Lo
Momentum, the bicycle lifestyle magazine, transpired from the publishers, Kohout’s and Lo’s dream to shift transportation culture in North America from car-centricity to a balance of public transportation, appropriate car use, walking and bicycling.

Vanessa Marie Robinson
A Brooklyn-based designer shares her love of bicycles on the blog, For the Love of Bikes.  Robinson’s design eye and inspirational visions of bike friendly cities align well with PUBLIC’s mission.

Sky Yaeger
During her time as Product Manager at Bianchi from 1990 to 2006, Yaeger helped spark the fixed gear movement with her work on the influential pista design. Her designs for Swobo established a fresh point of view in the city biking scene.  Here is a great interview with Yaeger.

Christena Mackay Gibbs
Gibbs owns the hip Manifesto Bikes in Oakland – a rallying point for urban riding in the Bay Area.

Julie Hirschfeld
Hirschfeld is the owner of Adeline Adeline, a NYC bike shop that has brought the Manhattan fashion world into bicycling culture.

Circe Sher
Sher added a new spin to the hospitality industry in Sonoma.  Her hotel, h2hotel includes bicycles among the basic amenities offered to its guests during their stay. h2hotel is offering PUBLIC fans a $25 dining or spa credit for every night booked by clicking this link.

Liz Lambert
Lambert started Bunkhouse Management, an Austin based company that developed several of the most unique boutique hotels in the world, each of which provide bikes for their guests.

Missy Park
Title Nine is an online retailer of women’s gear that aims to bring functional, athletic apparel to every day use.  Park’s background in biking led her to start up Title Nine.

Shelia Moon
Biking is not just for spandex clad athletes.  With fashion and function equally in mind Shelia Moon started the cycling apparel outfitter, Shelia Moon.

Audrey Hepburn
We just like to get a photo of her in wherever we can.

One of our favorite getaways is h2hotel in Healdsburg, CA. Just a short drive away from San Francisco, it is a perfect place to get away in the heart of Sonoma wine country.

h2hotel is offering PUBLIC fans a $25 dining or spa credit for every night booked. To take advantage of this offer, click on this link.

Several PUBLIC team members have stayed at h2hotel.  We love its eco-design and central access to fine restaurants. Even better, we don’t have to bring our bikes because h2hotel has a fleet of PUBLIC bikes. Guests can enjoying biking around town and through the exquisite wine country roads.

h2hotel is the first hotel to offer guests PUBLIC bikes. We’re excited that other fine hotels have followed the lead of h2hotel.

If you’ve got a favorite hotel you think should offer PUBLIC bikes for their guests, let us know.

For many of us, a bike is not really complete without a basket or some form of carrying device to hold the various things we need when we ride through the city. In most European cities where people ride bikes for daily transportation, a carrying device is a necessity. In many cases, we place a small backpack or messenger bag inside our built-on racks and baskets for convenience instead of strapping a bag across or on our shoulder. Basket solutions are endless and they vary by culture – examples shown below. Our goal at PUBLIC is to provide you with a full range of solutions, and over the next few months you’ll see a lot of racks and baskets added to our product line. We are delighted to offer WALD baskets at PUBLIC.

Wald Baskets: Made in the USA. In stock and ready to ship.
The US company WALD has been manufacturing bike products since 1905. You will see their baskets everywhere in the US, used by pizza delivery guys in New York and hipsters in Portland. Their baskets are a common basic utility with a minimal look that’s easy on the eyes. While many baskets require bulky systems to attach them to the frame, these secure with two bolts on the handlebars and another two on the front forks. Made of lightweight aluminum. They are very simple to install requiring only an Allen wrench and a screwdriver. It is a fifteen-minute exercise. They fit on almost every type of bike (not just ours). Especially handy for purses, small pets, locks, sandwiches, yoga wear, burritos, and anything you pick up spontaneously on the road. Used with a bungee cord, you can even pack in a coffee.

We have 4 different sizes and shapes.

Photo Credit: top row, middle photo by Gil Garcetti from his book “Paris: Women and Bicycles”

Yes we love hot Italians.

So of course we also love HOT ITALIAN, one of the coolest restaurants offering the best artisan pizza in Sacramento.

HOT ITALIAN also loves PUBLIC so much that they’re selling our bikes to the growing number of bicyclists in the Sacramento-area.

It’s a fabulous place, which is why we’re excited to join HOT ITALIAN at a
Bikes + Gear Pop-Up Shop Launch Party on Saturday, March 12 from 6-9pm at 16th and Q in Midtown Sacramento. Please join us – the Facebook event details are here. PUBLIC’s founder Rob Forbes will be at the March 12 event.

Tutto e Possibile, the belief that “anything is possible” connected the two passionate, thirty-something founders of HOT ITALIAN—one from an Italian-American family of artists and the other, an artistic pizzaiolo from the Italian Riviera.

Founders Andrea Lepore’s and Fabrizio Cercatore’s mission was to build a place where pizza brings people together to celebrate Italy’s new generation of art, music, sport, food and wine combined with the urban, California lifestyle.

HOT ITALIAN hopes to inspire, make a difference, and create better neighborhoods – all goals completely aligned with PUBLIC’s mission.

HOT ITALIAN became the first LEED Certified Silver restaurant in the region and features bike parking for 32 bicycles on-site.

And at the upcoming March 12 event, HOT ITALIAN will announce a very special recognition that they just received as a testament to their commitment to bicycling.