With a burgeoning market for bicycles made for practical urban commuting, a new company based in San Francisco has a vision for bridging the divide between the cruiser market and high-end racing models and possibly change the perspective about the role bicycles can play in American cities. Public Bikes, founded by designer Rob Forbes, has positioned itself as a manufacturer of bicycles that are more practical and durable than the carbon-fiber rockets used solely for recreational riding and more stylish and functional than beach cruisers. The target rider, according to the company, is the everyday urbanite who might be inspired to ride a bicycle for most trips if it met their city mobility needs and had a stylish flair.

Riding a bicycle down Market Street may not be a completely hassle-free experience just yet, but new soft-hit posts installed on the bike lane today between Gough Street and 8th Street are a big hit with bicycle riders. Crews from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) traffic sign shop were out early this morning installing the posts (or "delineators") along portions of the Market Street bike lanes that already have a wide paint buffer. Along with the traffic diversions at 10th and 6th Streets, it's the latest step in the SFMTA's efforts to make Market Street safer and more appealing for those on bikes.

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The 2010 Bike Commuter of the Year nominations are now open! Click the link and nominate away!

Last September, Stephanie and Tim Reed biked out their Oakland front door and pedaled to the Bay Trail, a 21-year effort to create a continuous, 500-mile hiking and biking trail along the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay, linking the area’s nine counties. With 298 miles completed, the trail is a work in progress with pieces added in chunks, each addition attended by some civic hoopla. Last November, a deal between Chevron and the East Bay Regional Parks District will add two more miles along Point Molate in Richmond, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.