Texas Bicycling News Digest October 23rd

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Bike Around the Bay 2015

by JONxBLAZE

These Bluetooth lights turn your bike wheels into turn signals

by Nick Summers        www.engadget.com


Safety lights are one of the most important pieces of bicycle equipment, especially if you ride at night or in low-visibility weather conditions. Most look the same — a large, forward-facing beam under your handlebars and a slim row of red LEDs under the saddle. But Revolights are a little different. For years now, the company has been experimenting with lights that attach directly to your wheels and, by constantly analysing your speed, illuminate at just the right moment to create two arcs of light. The new Eclipse, which it’s pitching on Indiegogo, is its most ambitious set to date. For starters, …

Taichung report: Tire makers talk standards

by Matt Wiebe        www.bicycleretailer.com

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN) Anyone who has had to cut a tire off a rim with a knife, take heart: bike tire makers have finally had enough too.
Tire makers Challenge, Continental, Mavic, Schwalbe and others met with the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry at Bike Week here this week to kick off a discussion about establishing meaningful standards for the way a tire and rim interface. Josh Deetz of Felloe is drafting a set of measurements he thinks will better define the tire-rim interface and then the group plans to come together, with interested rim and wheel makers, to discuss dimensions maybe during the Taipei Cycle Show next spring.
The current tire and rim standard, …

Heights and Killeen ISD discuss growth

By Lauren Dodd | Herald staff writer        kdhnews.com


City of Harker Heights and Killeen Independent School District officials met Monday evening for a joint workshop meeting to discuss infrastructure and provide updates on areas in which both entities work together.
“It really does take a village to raise these children, and we appreciate KISD for being a part of that, Harker Heights Library Director Lisa Youngblood said. …

… What we are doing is a truly multi-modal plan utilizing every mode of transportation in the city, Molis said. We are looking at biking, not just as a form of transportation but also a form of recreation. We are planning to create adventure trails, where a hiker or BMX biker would take these trails as they …

Mountain biking research project survey

by Jessums7        www.reddit.com/r/MTB

Hey r/MTB, I am working on a senior research thesis about mountain biking culture. I want to learn/analyze what the reasons people go mountain biking are, and get a sense of what the experience of going mountain biking is. I can’t say too much more about it here because doing so would add bias to the data.
To collect data for the project I have created this short survey and I would really appreciate it if you filled it out. {https://denison.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_exhQGMltJ89aQiV](https://denison.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_exhQGMltJ89aQiV)
The survey is completely anonymous. If you are interested in learning the results of my research, or a more detailed explanation of what my hypothesis is, my email is provided in the introduction of the survey.
This project not only fulfills my last major requirement for my diploma, but I am also going to try and get it published in an academic journal. I am an avid mountain biker myself and am grateful for any help the mountain biking community gives me with this. …

EDITORIAL: Troubling RGV road trend threatens cyclist safety

THE MONITOR EDITORIAL BOARD        www.themonitor.com


This week’s launch by the City of McAllen of its low-cost bike sharing program is a terrific idea. The only problem is that given the recurring number of accidents involving bicyclists here, our roads don’t appear safe for cyclists right now.
It’s terribly discouraging for those of us who want to exercise on two wheels, or get around town via a less pollutive method, that we are risking our lives to cycle here. This is because motorists either are not courteous, don’t know the rules of the road and/or are driving distracted, which includes texting, talking on …

CANCELLED (RAIN) Fredericksburg Fall Foliage Frolic

Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club        www.hcbtc.com

October 24 @ 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Fredericksburg Fall Frolic, Oct 24, Fredericksburg. Ride starts at 8:00 am. This will be a unsupported ride, open to everyone who wants to enjoy a great ride of 25, 40, or 60 miles through the beautiful Hill Country of Texas. After the ride, lunch …

Sweatin’ Burnt Orange Bike Tour

Texas Cycling        www.facebook.com

Texas Cycling Supporters –
Out of an abundance of caution and hours of thoughtful consideration Texas Cycling has decided to cancel this year’s Sweatin’ Burnt Orange Bike Tour. This event is a student-run initiative and the safety of our volunteers and the riders is our priority. The SBOBT team prepares for Sunday’s event by marking the course and prepping the rest areas during the …

Dallas Bicycle Coalition December Meeting

www.facebook.com

Wednesday, December 2 at 6:00pm – 7:30pm in CST
City of Dallas – City Hall
1500 Marilla St, Dallas, Texas 75201

Wind In My Wheels- A Journey Across America

By Richard Ostrowski        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Rain Rain Go Away Come Again Another Day: Kountze to Kirbyville
Friday October 23, 2015
Well we couldn’t avoid the rain today. We cycled in a light to medium rain throughout todays ride from Kountze to Kirbyville Texas. We rode a distance of 41 miles and I had an average speed of 12.2 mph. This may be my highest average which only occurred because it was a very flat route.
I had a light breakfast of cereal, waffle and a cup of coffee at the Super 8. After about 12 miles I had my second breakfast at McDonalds in the town of Silsbee.
We cycled today thru and beyond an area called the Big Thicket. Its a large forested area about 100 miles long and 50 miles wide. It has areas so thick and brushy with undergrowth its known to be impenetrable jungle. The Thicket has served in the past as a handy hiding place for outlaws and smugglers. During the Civil War, the Thicket became a …

10/24 & 10/25… suck

by Thomas        steinerranchcycling.com

Tomorrow there won’t be a club ride. Armadillo Hill Country Classic is also canceled. This is a great time to try out Zwift before it goes to $10/month on the 29th!
Sunday is probably not going to happen either, but keep an eye out to our SRC media outlets. Or if …

Eastbound from California

By Kevin OLeary        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Day 19: Las Cruces to San Elizario, TX
Thursday October 22, 2015, 73 miles (117 km) – Total so far: 872 miles (1,403 km)
My warmshowers hosts made a wonderful breakfast this morning; I had steel cut oats, granola, yogurt, and toast with peanut butter. The also had a couple of cups of excellent coffee. It was a great way to start the day.
I needed to stop at a grocery store to get some food for the day and the 3 of us mounted our bicycles and headed for SaveMart. When we got there I was informed that Walmart had a better selection and was just a short distance away so we cycled there. It rained last night and after all the rain Las Cruces has had recently some of …

CANCELED: Rock Stacker Challenge Oct 24

Permian Basin Bicycle Association        www.pbbatx.com

This event was canceled.  Much of the park is under water.
The Rock Stacker Challenge Mountain Bike Time Trial Race is Saturday, October 24

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/EPMPO/status/657589653613113344

https://twitter.com/COABikeProgram/status/657607642815307776

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Texas Bicycling Event Reminders

Texas Bicycling News October 22nd

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Over 1,000 bike riders tour through Chambers County on 170 mile trek

www.thevindicator.com


With more than 1,100 registered riders, the Galveston Bay Foundation (“GBF”) hosted the Bike Around the Bay this past weekend! Bike Around the Bay is a fully supported two-day, 170-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay showcasing the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefiting GBF. The proceeds benefit projects that preserve wetlands, protect natural habitat, and enhance the water quality of the bay for present users and for posterity. GBF again welcomes Shell as Bike Around the Bay’s title sponsor.
“I am very pleased that Shell is the title sponsor for a sixth year in a row of our signature fundraising event”, said Bob Stokes, President of the Galveston Bay Foundation. “Our partnership with Shell helps advance habitat restoration and …

Dallas’ bike czar has many miles to go before she’s done

By CLAIRE Z. CARDONA        www.dallasnews.com


Since Ashley Haire became Dallas’ latest bike czar a year and a half ago, almost 27 miles of bicycle lanes and shared-lane markings have been added to the city’s network.
Dallas is now up to about 40 miles. And officials hope to reach 101.5 miles by the end of 2018, Haire told a group of about 30 cyclists — including City Council members — on …

Dallas bike accident a reminder of the need for more education

By CLAIRE Z. CARDONA        www.dallasnews.com


There’s not much 26-year-old bicyclist Deb Culbertson could have done to avoid the crash that injured her last month.
But area transportation officials hope new efforts to raise awareness of riders can help prevent similar accidents.
Culbertson had waited for traffic to stop for a red light at a crossing on the Santa Fe trail in Old East Dallas.
But a car that …

Student gets new bike after old one destroyed in auto-pedestrian accident

By Estephany Escobar    www.kxxv.com


HEWITT – A Midway Independent School District student received a new bicycle from a local business after his old one was destroyed during an auto-pedestrian accident earlier this month.
Woodgate student Patricio was unharmed after the accident on Oct. 5 thanks to Midway ISD crossing guard Debra Richter.
Bicycle World in Waco recently …

Mountain Biking at Squabble Creek in Rockwall Texas

www.cyclingnews24.com

This is me taking on one of the technical trail features out at Squabble Creek MTB Trails in Rockwall Texas. This is one of the trails that is managed by Dorba – for more info please checkout the following;
Dorba Website: http://www.dorba.org/

Wednesday Night Ride

Wednesday, Oct 28, 2015, 5:15 PM

River Run Plaza
1071 Country Club Rd El Paso, TX

1 Cyclists Went

The leaderless rides of 18-22 miles begin at 5:15 p.m. (some riders may leave earlier or later) from River Run Plaza, 1071 Country Club; and at 5:30-5:45 p.m. from Rio Plaza, 6205 Upper Valley Rd (at Artcraft). The favorite route is a loop to Gadsden H.S. Optional dinner afterward at Hello Pizza, 1071 Country Club Rd. Start time varies later in sum…

Check out this Meetup →

Wind In My Wheels- A Journey Across America

By Richard Ostrowski        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Another Long Day in The Saddle: Richards to Shepherd
Wednesday October 21, 2015
We had a leisure sit down breakfast in Richards and was on the road by about 7:30 AM. Richards has a population of about 300. The town has some antique shops and other shops and their buildings are really old and ancient looking. Our destination was 64 miles to the town of Shepherd, Texas.
The terrain was hilly with some nice down hills but had to work to reach the top of the long and gradual up hills. Will we ever see the end of hills in Texas? My average speed was 9.7mph.
We traveled thru the Sam Houston National Forest that contained Hardwoods and Longleaf Pines. The tall pines and forest provided a nice shelter from the 15 to 20mph cross winds. There were many logging trucks on the route today but they always provided us a good clear distance. The smell of recently cut pines was a …

Will It be A Torrential Downpour?: Shepherd to Kountze
Thursday October 22, 2015
We awoke to a cloudy overcast sky and threatening rain. It stayed cloudy all day with only about 15 minutes of light drizzle.
We all prepared our own breakfast this morning in the kitchen at Shepherds shuttle. I made oat meal, Tea,a bread roll a cheese Danish, and a hostess cupcake Ok it was a little heavy on the desert side. No store nearby and its hard to carry eggs and bacon on a bike. Well my breakfast was good enough to get on the road and ride to the first gas station for a egg burrito if I am still hungry. Well never did come across a gas station or restaurant for a second breakfast.
The terrain today was relatively flat with very few hills to climb. The challenge was fighting the wind. Well one out of two isn’t bad. Maybee we will …

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

https://twitter.com/COABikeProgram/status/657280156197888001

https://twitter.com/GWCChuck/status/657276183516725249

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/657213643998674944

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Texas Bicycling Event Reminders

Texas Bicycling News October 21st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A natural high: Bike stunt team touts drug-free life to local students

www.bigspringherald.com


BIG SPRING, TX
The United Freestyle Stunt Team showed Washington Elementary students you don’t have to use drugs to get high.
The team, consisting of …

Pasadena PD: Woman arrested in hit-and-run that killed cyclist

KHOU Staff, KHOU.com


PASADENA, Texas – Police in Pasadena say a woman has been arrested in a hit-and-run incident that killed a bicyclist last month.
The Pasadena Police Department identified the suspect as Selena Calderon, 20. She was arrested and charged on Wednesday, police say.
The cyclist, identified as 48-year-old Henry James Vickers, was found dead along …

Cyclists rally at City Hall for more bicycle lanes on Dallas streets

by Elizabeth Findell        cityhallblog.dallasnews.com


Bikers pedal to Dallas City Hall Wednesday.
The bikers pedaled slowly through the fog to Dallas City Hall Wednesday morning.
Soon, they promised in a rally at its front doors, they’ll be able to bike all across the city.
Some two dozen people joined council members Philip Kingston, Scott Griggs, Adam McGough, Adam Medrano, Mark Clayton, Jennifer Staubach Gates and Lee Kleinman for …

White Oak Bayou – Moderate Pace Bike Ride

www.bayoucityoutdoors.com

We are meeting at Shelterwood and Wister at 9:50am; ride at 10 am.
This is a great chance to explore on of the nicer bike friendly paths in Houston. We will take the White Oak Bayou Trail to Antoine – out and back for a total of 17 miles. Pace: 13-15 mph. …

I am including the following article because the author commutes by bike in Houston.

Can You Afford to Live Here?

By John Nova Lomax        www.texasmonthly.com

Housing prices are at record highs as buyers are scrambling to land the home of their dreams. Is Texas the hottest market in the country—or wildly overvalued? I toured our four largest cities to find out.
Five years ago I moved to the greater Houston Heights area, and since then, what has happened to my neighborhood, and all of the west side of the Inner Loop, has been fearsome to behold.
Over much of that time, I worked downtown and rode my bike to and from the office. The trip was five or six miles each way, depending on the route, but no matter which way I went, the scenery changed month by month, season by season. And the change was always toward bigger, denser, costlier, and more. Before oil hit the skids last fall, there was more residential construction going up in the Houston metro region than in all but two U.S. states. “What used to be here?” I found myself wondering frequently, passing yet another fenced-off construction zone.
I could pedal due east and traverse Lawrence Park, one of a couple of historically black enclaves carved out of the Houston Heights. Until recently it was a warren of narrow, ditch-hemmed streets lined with hundred-year-old …

Tweets About Texas Bicycling

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Texas Bicycling Event Reminders

I Almost Got Home Dry Bike Ride

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As I got ready to ride I thought I would ride the “Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman” route. After getting everything together I rolled out the driveway (12:19) and I looked to the south. The sky was gray where I saw rain clouds on the radar before I left. Seeing the gray clouds I change my route to the north where the sky showed a few blue spots among the clouds. Changing to the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route could take me away from the ray clouds so I wouldn’t get wet.

The temperature was 82 degrees and the humidity was 68%. I figured this combination would produce lots of sweat and I was right for a few miles when the ESE 13 mph wind turned a little cooler. I think those gray clouds got closer bringing the cooler wind. I stuck to the route and no rain so far. That wind was moving me along when I rode to the north or west but I fought it going the opposite directions. Making the turn around at Cumberland Crossing put me back into the wind all the way to the Stripes store at Valley Ranch and FM1314. I took a break there after riding 22.05 miles arriving at 1:54. After getting a Diet Snapple I settled under the gas pump canopy to eat a trail mix bar and fruit bar. I watched the large flag in the middle of Valley Ranch Parkway stand straight out to the north most of the time and wondered how the ride be going on the southbound service alongside US59. The weather screen shots while I was at Stripes.

Leaving Stripes I rode north on Valley Ranch Parkway to reach US59. The wind was hard riding into going east but once I was on the service road riding south the wind wasn’t too bad. I rode at 17 to 19 mph and improved my overall average speed to 14.9 mph hitting 15.0 mph at one point. I made the u-turn at Northpark Drive and took the north service road to Knox Drive to get back to Kingwood. This meant riding into the wind until I got to Woodridge Forest Drive. So far no rain but as I reached the 30+ mile point in Woodridge Forest the rain started to fall event though the sky in front of me didn’t look like rain. The closer I got to Northpark Drive the more it rained. I got soaked but by the time I stopped to cross Northpark Drive the rain stopped. In the matter of 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile I went from dry to soaked. Crossing Northpark Drive I rode the last 2 miles to home on damp streets but no rain. I got home at 3:13. I ended up riding 33.56 miles.

After I got home I washed the Stradalli before putting it in the garage.

Today’s ride was number 15 on the “Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch” route this year. I reached my goal for October with today’s ride, 640 miles.

[iframe https://connect.garmin.com/activity/embed/934290319 465px 500px] [iframe https://www.strava.com/activities/417645079/embed/866840082d4e0e254a6cdf2b5502601d7bfcc2bd 590px 500px]

Activity Name Start Time Distance Elevation Gain Avg Speed(Avg Pace) Max Speed(Best Pace) Calories Total Strokes
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Wed, Oct 21, 2015 12:19 PM 2:17:41 33.56 220 14.6 20.8 1556 8356
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Fri, Oct 16, 2015 12:19 PM 2:30:01 36.15 243 14.5 20.2 1658 8738
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Fri, Oct 9, 2015 2:29 PM 2:19:48 34.71 151 14.9 21.3 1626 8212
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Fri, Sep 4, 2015 12:27 PM 2:25:15 35.15 525 14.5 20.2 1862 9092
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Thu, Aug 13, 2015 11:14 AM 2:26:13 35.15 479 14.4 19.9 1889 8759
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Fri, Jul 10, 2015 10:56 AM 2:19:15 34.75 509 15 19.9 1857 8765
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Tue, Jun 30, 2015 12:17 PM 2:15:45 32.9 463 14.5 21.5 1772 8354
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Mon, Jun 15, 2015 9:59 AM 2:20:53 34.82 528 14.8 27.3 1905 8491
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Wed, Jun 10, 2015 11:04 AM 2:27:33 35.28 417 14.3 19.7 1857 8679
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Wed, Jun 3, 2015 9:30 AM 2:11:51 33.04 407 15 21.3 1775 7962
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Thu, May 28, 2015 11:07 AM 2:12:14 32.76 482 14.9 20.5 1780 8365
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Sun, May 3, 2015 11:19 AM 2:03:04 31.53 709 15.4 21.7 1805 7891
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Wed, Apr 22, 2015 12:25 PM 2:13:56 32.78 646 14.7 21.2 1818 8275
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Wed, Apr 8, 2015 11:06 AM 2:14:18 32.53 919 14.5 21.1 1889 8192
Oakhurst – Cumberland – Valley Ranch Wed, Apr 1, 2015 11:57 AM 2:10:08 32.32 692 14.9 21.4 1843 8096