The Recession has not hit bike industries hard…

Lance Armstrong outgrew cyclists and everyone else… Lance Armstrong is a powerful man who went through a lot of bumpy roads in his life… and look at him right now! He is very successful and healthy… he is a genius on a bicycle! He is our “japa mala”, defined as hindu and Buddhist prayer beads. Hindus and Buddhists use, in the past and present, “japa malas” in order to stay focused during prayerful meditation. Lance Armstrong is our “japa mala”, because every time we learn of his accomplishments, he has emotionally touched each of us, inspiring us with full of tears in our eyes. His determination, motivation, passion, achievement is “one of the every bean”. It is a saying that his tough struggles have become a structure, which is a string; thus, it is japa mala.

Today, in our generation, we have become very educated with how we should be able to preserve Mother Nature by using bikes or walking with our own legs. Pedaling will save us from using cars and reduce harmful emissions which is the cause of global warming. By biking, we nurture the earth. Also, people should work out everyday. It can be hard to go to the gym to keep in shape and be healthy. Most people exercise compatible to their free time or never exercise at all due to lack of motivation. By biking everywhere, even going to the food market, the bank, your work, and around your neighborhood, you will be ahead of the game and you’ll also enjoy Mother Nature at her best. By biking, we will make a positive future for our neighborhoods, our communities, but most importantly our world, and our future generations.

Personally, I believe America should give free bikes to everyone so everyone can play a role in saving the world and keep healthy. Sadly enough, this does not exist yet in America. Today, we feel that the government does not give a crap about our health, with their main focus on money see in huge money symbols in their eyes. Yet, we should remain hopeful that the new presidential administration not only works on the huge money issues that are present in America, but also focuses on improving the lives of the American people. We must remain hopeful.

Fast Forward--->
I, true biz, cannot believe we are leaving in a few days!!
First of all, I am very thankful to have Global Deaf Women, who have sponsored our bike tour. They covered the charge of a Schwinn bike that I recently bought. It is in a “bike hospital”, where they are fixing up the saddle, the pedals, and adding up a drop-handle bar. I, of course, would love to get a BMW-trek bike, but I couldn’t because it would cost me a thousand dollars. BMW-trek bikes are like luxury cars such as BMW or Mercedes BENZ… However the Schwinn bike will definitely carry me all the way to California for a month and a half… IT IS STUNNING!

I could keep telling you guys and go on and on about how cool Sid’s Bikes NYC is! They believed that our destination is so amazing and they are very fond of our bike tour.
First of all, I typed “BIKE IN NYC” in a search engine (yep, a big fan of http://www.google.com/ and my friend’s boss is scared of google.com- hilarious!) Anyway, google came up with several bike stores such as Bicycle Habitat, Frank’s Bike Shop, Bicycle Renissance, Metro, Gotham Bikes, Toga Bike (sounds like a combination of Ancient Greece and Yoga), Bike Works, and Sid’s Bikes NYC. I called all of these stores and spoke with their managers. Not many of them would give me a discount or were willing to meet my budget. The manager at Gotham Bikes said he would try to work with me if I came in and checked out the bikes. I did…
… and I fell in love with this white Trek bike immediately when I walked in the store (there is a video of me in a brown-dress-I-came-from-work-so-I-did-not-have-time-to-change-my-outfit). Frank, the owner of Gotham, was very kind to measure my height for the bike and my height is 48 inches. He took my height and added a special biking measurement. He told me that he would give it to me for $800. I told him truthfully that I couldn’t afford it because my budget was (is) very tight. He understood it however it seemed like he couldn’t do anything for me, sadly enough. I had to break up with the white trek bike.

As I walked out of the door, I actually felt totally unprepared for my trip… I really wanted things to go smoothly but I kind of have three-unstable jobs that had fenced me from doing anything in order to bike across America. I also felt that I betrayed my bike partners, friends, audiences, and myself. I really needed someone to push me hard… Sofia’s patience and faith in me have kept my ball rolling…
As the ball is rolling… DRUMS… DRUMS…
I called Sid’s Bikes City and had a good conversation with Mark who is a manager at the store. He was kindly helping me with a care package for my trip and he knew my budget, yet willing to work it out with me by offering me the best deal… yet very reasonable. Mark had seen that my trip was a great investment. He even stayed on the phone with me for an hour.. And in person, We worked out the details together for almost 2 or 3 hours and 834746 papers that we kept writing back and forth. I admire his patience and knowledge with bikes. Mark offered me a Schwinn bike, adding it up a drop-handle bar, saddle, and pedals at $480 (excluding tax) with 21 speed. It put a big smile on my face. You definitely could see that in the picture below.
He had his people to measure my shoulder for the drop-handle bar. I was actually thinking about getting black but I changed my mind, asking for the white one and it wasn’t in the stock. Mark told me that the store had it in grey, red, blue, and black. My mom and friend named Shiran came with me and they strongly recommended me to get the red one due to safety… you know good for the night visual. Of course my mom was very worried for me, yet she is very excited for me. I appreciate her optimistic support.

Mark ordered a brand new red bike and it will be born on Wednesday, July 11, 2009 or Thursday, July 12, 2009. I cannot wait to meet her/him…. I am going to name it and will ensure I fit the bike perfectly. Such a perfectionist (I may have to go to a perfectionist-ic rehab.)



Go to http://www.sidsbikes.com/html/news-events.php such a cool store! Very resourceful and helpful…
You also can go to http://www.sidsbikes.com/html/pick-a-bike.php to see what kind of bike you should get… I, of course, got the road bike because it is good for long trips and is fast enough to carry me to California in a month and a half, HOPEFULLY! I definitely do not want to be stuck in the middle of America… don’t worry we will have a compass and a gps (from my blackberry phone- thank god for it!) with us and… we will definitely have backup tires.



I have to go…

Please come to our farewell party who is hosted by Zavier Sabio of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services, Inc.


Copper Door Tavern

272 3rd Avenue

New York, NY 10010


July 17, 2009 (This Friday)

5:00 p.m. to ???


Happy Hour Drinks (Happy Hour ends at 8:00 p.m.) $3 Drafts, $5 Wells. $5 Margaritas and $5 Svedka Martinis


Come and wish the three courageous riders who are about to embark on an unforgettable journey lots of luck as they will ride on their bikes from New York to California. The trip will last a month and they will get to experience a lot of new things that most of us might never have a chance to experience. The purpose of this party is to support them and donate some money to cover their expenses. A donation of money can be made at the party and will be greatly appreciated by them! For more information about Global Deaf Women Bike Tour, please go to www.gdwbiketour.blogspot.com.

Spread this word to your friends. The more, the merrier.