Yes, You Really Can Take It With You

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I once moved myself from an apartment in one part of town to another on my bicycle.  I still take pride in that, even if it's somewhat undeserved:  I didn't have much at the time.  Still, it helps to reaffirm what I've always known:  You can carry just about anything you need on a bicycle, as long as you pack it properly.  

Anyway, I now realize that I might take too much pride in my accomplishment.  A native of Sacramento-area Roseville towed his house with his bicycle.

Ike owned a local business but got sick and lost it all.  When he became homeless, he decided he didn't want to stay in one place.  So he fashioned a portable home for himself.  It seems to be made from scrap lumber and other materials from an old building.  Whatever its origins, it shows ingenuity on Ike's part.





He's also built a few others, he says.  He hopes to interest people who might help him build more by donating building materials or bicycles. As he sees it, his bicycle-towed home could be an alternative for other homeless people.

You might say that Ike is turning into an evangelist for his idea:  As he travels, mainly in and around Natomas (just north of downtown Sacramento),  he holds a small ministry.

Reverend Ike on a bike? You gotta love it!

(When I lived in Washington Heights, my daily bicycle commute took me past Reverend Ike's "Palace Cathedral."  It was housed in one of those beautiful or grandiose, depending on your point of view, Art Deco-with-Egyptian motif movie theatres from the 1920s.)

R.I.P. The Bicycle Chef

A few days ago, I wrote about Stephen Ambruzs' bike shop/ cafe, "Downshift", and how it--and other bike cafes--could be affected by the repeal of "net neutrality."

Today, nearly any municipality with a community of a few hundred or more cyclists has at least one place where you can have espresso or Earl Grey--or even a craft beer or cider--and chat, check your e-mail or check out some books and magazines while your brakes are being adjusted.  It's sometimes hard to believe that just a decade ago, very few such places existed.

One of the first bicycle cafes--or, at least, one of the first places to bill itself as such--opened in Sacramento (near Davis), California in 2005.  Business owners, especially restaurateurs, often name their enterprises after themselves.  Well, the fellow who started the bicycle cafe I'm about to mention did just that--well, sort of.  Bicycle Chef was indeed begun by someone who was a bicycle racer--Category II, to be exact--and a certified chef.

Actually, by the time he started the cafe, he was no longer racing:  a back injury ended his career. But he never gave up his passion for pedaling:  He continued to ride and coach young riders--as well as football (soccer) players--even as the responsibilities of his business and family took up most of his time.

Christopher Davis-Murai with his wife, Jennifer Davis-Murai, and their children, Naomi and Toshiro.

It never seems fair that, like the rest of us, such a person has only a limited amount of time in this world.  For Christopher Davis-Murai, that amount of time totaled 51 years, and it ended last Thursday when he collapsed just after stepping outside his house. 

Jennifer Davis-Murai has just lost her husband, and Naomi and Toshiro their father.  Many others in their community lost a mentor and friend.  And, many of us could say we've lost a pioneer who helped to create an idea--a bicycle cafe--that is part of today's cycling landscape.