texbiker.net

from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times (full article link)

Event kicks off today with racers filling downtown

By Mike Baird (Contact)
Originally published 04:22 a.m., September 28, 2007
Updated 04:22 a.m., September 28, 2007

The Chamber of Commerce and some members of the local bicycle club that founded Conquer the Coast have collaborated for some new races, some honoring the club’s fallen leader.

Donny Kloster, former president of South Texas Area Runners, Riders and Swimmers, died July 28 during a morning ride after colliding with a pickup.

More than 125 club members will kick-start the event today with a memorial lap of the Criterium to honor Kloster.

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from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times (full article link)

As Daniel Ruidant tackles a 65-mile bicycle ride a week before he turns 60, he’ll have some inspiration from a five-time Tour de France winner.

In his debut Conquer the Coast ride Saturday, the downtown hairstylist will churn the pedals of a nearly 27-year-old Italian-made steel-tube bicycle given to him by five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx.

"I’m antique," said Ruidant, stroking his pencil-thin mustache. "The two antiques go together, and it’s never too late to achieve something."

Today I was listening to #81 The Fredcast podcast and two things perked my ears up. David was interviewing several manufacturers at Interbike in Las Vegas about products they plan to launch or are launching.

The first was a product called Tire Balls for mountain bike tires. These will replace the single tube in the tire with up 29 individual inflated cells. The beauty is that if one or two cells are punctured the tire does not go flat. Pinch flats go away. For mountain bikes the cells will be more of sausage shape than a ball. The product is not available for the general public yet but they are seeking beta testers.

The other product replaces the chain with a carbon fiber belt. Spot Bikes is introducing bikes with this belt drive. Quietness, weight and cleanliness are major selling points. This not ready for cassette use yet but for wheels with internal gearing this could be the cat’s meow.

Thanks to the Houston Chronicle’s Ken Hoffman for the warning. Several new rules but still limited to 13,000 riders.

MS150 website.

This is different; a video summary of the 100K on a recumbent point of view. Thanks to markleuck for the video efforts.

Youtube.com link.

BikeDFW will soon be offering bike education courses based on the League of American Bicyclists curriculum. Classes will include basic cycling skills for beginners, group riding skills classes, advanced cycling skills, and possibly a race skills course.

More information.

from The Houston Chronicle (full article)

By RAD SALLEE

The big transportation news last week was that traffic congestion in the Houston area and around the country is getting worse.

That fairly obvious observation — verified every year or two by researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M, and reaffirmed last week in their 2007 Urban Mobility Study — usually draws two kinds of feedback.

Some drivers blame the supposed waste of highway dollars on mass transit, or the wrong kind of mass transit. Transit advocates, and some who say they’d ride transit if only it went where and when they want it to, blame the waste of potential transit dollars on concrete.

Peter Wang took a third path, pedaling serenely from his home in Copperfield to a meeting 12 miles away near Dairy Ashford and the Katy Freeway.

Dave Moulton, a former frame-builder, has the conversion charts and other information. It is based on a study by Dr. Edward Coyle at the University of Texas. It all boils down to speed and time. Cycling 15 mph for 20 miles can equate to 5.6 miles of running.

Read Dave’s blog story here.