Every week, the Mercury keeps its eyes peeled for a pair of hot wheels around town, bringing you photos of one sexy bike and a mini-interview its equally scintillating rider.

Joel's patterned reflectors caught my eye as he rode a flew blocks ahead of me down NW Davis and I didn't think I'd be able to catch him, but he stopped at every stop sign. I rolled through a couple and pulled up beside him -- turns out he teaches school kids about bike safety for the Bicycle Transit Alliance AND is the keyboardist for the local band Hurtbird, which is playing the Aladdin on Friday. So he's a smart cookie who helps kids and plays music? Lordy lordy.

This Week: Safe Sexy

Bike: Centurion frame with extra-wide handlebars and partially cut-off pink fenders.
Rider: Joel Holly
Spotted At: Third and NW Davis, right next to the BTA.

joel.JPG

parrot.JPG

fender.JPG

frame.JPG

Do you really always wear a helmet?
I always wear a helmet, even if I'm just riding one block to the store. It's true - actually, I'm very paranoid about crashing.

How have you tricked out your bike to be safe?
Well, it has this charming bird that honks. And it has this bell that rings constantly while I'm riding, which drives some people crazy but it's a good pedestrian alert system. Also I have a ton of reflective tape on my bike and the eye-catching pink handlebars that make motorists think twice before running me over.

I like that bird.
It's very regal looking, huh? You'll also notice I have both brakes. There's a tendency among people to remove the back brake for God knows what reason.

You don't think there's something sexy about unsafe bikes?
I used to be a snowboarder, but I'm 30 and I think I've gotten that flirting with danger thing out of my system. I think it's a bummer that they require brakes, though, it should be a personal choice. I'm against the helmet law, too. Most of those things are turned into a way for the police department to generate revenue.

What kind of questions do the kids in your safety classes ask?
Why are your tires so skinny? Also, why is pink on my bike since I'm a boy? They always ask that. I tell them I like pink.