Texas Bicycling News Digest October 12th

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Local physicians to give away safety helmets to children

www.eparisextra.com


The physicians of Lamar County want to help ensure the safety of local children by giving away free safety helmets Saturday, October 18, 2014 from 4:30-6:30 pm at the Paris Family Fun Center, 2625 Spur 139, Paris.
The Lamar Delta County Medical Society safety helmet giveaway is part of a statewide effort — Hard Hats for Little Heads — launched by the Texas Medical Association in 1994. The program promotes fun exercise and teaches parents and children about the importance of wearing a helmet.
The event is sponsored by the Lamar Delta County Medical Society, in conjunction with the Texas Medical Association. October represents the 20 year anniversary of the…

We Don’t Just Ride Horses in Fort Worth

fortworthtexasdentist.com


Since riding a horse through downtown Fort Worth isn’t really an option these days, one of the best ways to enjoy the great city of Fort Worth – while also getting some exercise – is by bike. Cycling groups are popping up all around the city, and more and more people are turning to bikes to minimize travel costs to work. Bikes are a great carbon-neutral transportation method and cycling groups  offer great opportunities to getting some serious exercise and some serious fun.

But the biggest issue with biking is safety. Cyclists are vulnerable – it’s not as though bicycles have airbags that can cushion a hard fall on an asphalt road. Car drivers often don’t respect the rules of the road when it comes to cyclists, and regard them as more of a nuisance than a fellow traveler. There’s a negative stigma surrounding people that wear helmets, as if…

Anyone wanna do Austin to Houston this weekend?

by heartk        www.reddit.com

I recently finished touring the Pacific Coast – Vancouver to LA. I’m from Houston and got a rideshare that’ll get me to Austin Friday night and, given there’s no crazy thunderstorms, I plan on riding back to Houston over two days on Saturday and Sunday. (I could also do it over three days).
Anybody interested in joining me?

Vignettes From a Ride

Bike Noob

Our Sunday morning club ride promised to be routine. The A’s were going some distance southeast of Austin, while Maggie and I decided to do a B ride to the south. The forecast was promising: in the 60s (18C), partly sunny, and zero chance of rain.
My glasses were covered in mist as I pedaled over to the ride start, and it was chilly enough that I wondered if I had underdressed. After faffing around and finally starting three minutes behind schedule, we made a long line along the road as we struck out from our Starbucks.
But at our first left turn, we left one behind. Jerry had taken off his windbreaker and stuffed it in his pocket, and lagged behind us at the…

Bike Around the Bay-2 day event

Saturday, Oct 18, 2014, 7:00 AM

Royal Purple Raceway
2525 South Farm to Market Road 565 Baytown, TX

1 Cyclists Went

Bike Around the Bay is a fully supported two-day, 180-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay that showcases the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefits the Galveston Bay Foundation. Now in its eighth year, Bike Around the Bay began with the goal of bringing people together from all over to see and experience Galveston Bay. Many people are unaw…

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Saturday Beginner Ride

Saturday, Oct 18, 2014, 9:00 AM

Performance Bicycle
4750 Fm 1960 Rd W Houston, TX

1 Bicycle Enthusiasts Went

Leaves from the store to Cypresswood, Cypress wood to TC Jester going north an then back.Please bring a helmet, spare tube, waterbottle, positive attitude 🙂

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Farmer’s Market Ride

Saturday, Oct 18, 2014, 8:00 AM

Ardovino’s Desert Crossing
1 Ardovinos Dr sunland park, NM

11 Cyclists Went

Meet at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing at 8 a.m. for Beginner/Intermediate-friendly (15-17 mph) ride through Upper Valley. 30 miles. Bob Clark,[masked]. Advanced group (18+ mph) will go 45 miles (La Union, then Border Crossing). Randy Limbird,[masked]

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Bandero to Blanco, TX 12 Oct 2014

by Brian        www.brothersbikeride.com        Video

Today we rode 77 miles, some of it in the rain, all of it without any headwinds (or crosswinds either, for that matter), but much of it in some very hilly terrain.  The hills of Texas Hill Country definitely made the ride very challenging.  I took two videos and half a dozen photos, which I provide below for your entertainment.  Ok, it won’t be as entertaining as Beth’s blog will be, but hopefully you’ll enjoy my post nonetheless. …

Texas Hill Country Bandera to Blanco

by Tim        www.brothersbikeride.com

After a scrumptious breakfast at the Diamond H B&B, we started today’s ride in a light rain. By the time it stopped raining, about an hour later, we were pretty soaked. A few drizzles here and there but no more rain. We would come upon wet roads, but somehow we avoided the rain. Lots and lots of hills, but at least the wind was not a factor today. We got a little lost in Comfort, TX, but no big deal.
We arrived at tonight’s destination in Blanco, TX around 4 pm after a 77 mile ride. Tired but not as tired as last night. Got barked at several times but not chased except for dogs in fenced yards.
I’m having a mechanical issue. My best guess is a bearing in my crank shaft is shot. The noise started around 25 miles into today’s ride, but doesn’t seem to affect the pedalling. I plan to call…

Bandera to Blanco: Another long day in the saddle in Cowboy land

By Mark Sullivan        Another Week in Texas

Sunday October 12, 2014, 77 miles (124 km) – Total so far: 199 miles (320 km)
Last night was a good sleep at The Diamond H. Breakfast was great and Nancy and Jim were enjoyable and entertaining. Jim had many a story about his race car driving days. The weather was not what was predicted. Cloudy and rainy all day with cool temperatures in the mid 60’s all day but no wind which really made all the difference. I’d rather ride in rain with no wind. We are back on the Adventure Cycling route having rejoined in Comfort, TX. We will stay on the route all the way to Navasota. Tim mapped a great alternative route from Brackettville to Comfort. We experienced Texas hill country without being completely overwhelmed and today for…

Thousands flock to Sunday Streets event in the Heights

By Michelle Iracheta        www.chron.com


People walked, ran, bicycled, danced, hula hooped and socialized Sunday afternoon on a vehicle-free 19th Street in the Heights, as part of Mayor Annise Parker’s Healthy Houston Initiative.
The lively, dog-friendly celebration took place between Shepherd and Heights Boulevard Sunday afternoon. Launched earlier this year, the Sunday Streets pilot program has been so successful that the city has opted to continue them on the first Sunday of every month. The next two are scheduled for Nov. 2 in the Third Ward and Dec. 7 in the East End, respectively.
“Each time they get better,” said Sandra Simmons, 54, whose been to…

Texas Cup Action — Cyclo-Cross

www.txbra.org


Red licorice was the hand up of choice during the Junior U10 race at the Bicycle Sport Shop’s Six Shooter.
Photo courtesy of Carla Jennings.

Tweets

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Smooth Chain and Gears Come Together

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Ah, the sound of smoothly meshing gears. I received the new Shimano CS-6800 11-28T rear cassette yesterday. For most of the day I figured it would be delivered on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday for USPS) because the email tracking did show the package out for delivery.  After watching the University of Cincinnati vs. Miami game and the first half of the TCU – Baylor football game I walked to Subway to get dunch (what I call lunch and dinner together) for my wife and I. While I was gone the mail came and low and behold the cassette package arrived. After eating I went out to the garage and installed it. The nice shinny silver looked great compared to the black oily old cassette. After installation I spun it a few times and it looked perfect.

I was looking forward to biking today to test the gears out. Leaving home at 1:47 under cloudy skies and 77 degrees I headed to Huffman. Nothing unusual about the route or ride. I did see one other biker at Atascocita Shores Drive and FM1960. I was turning east onto FM1960 to go over Lake Houston and he was turning off of FM1960 to go south. We exchanged waves and went on. Making the turn onto FM1960 I shifted the rear gear to the 34 x 13 combination and starting pedaling. This was the combination that skipped on the old cassette. No skipping now and I sped up going to the east. Up to this point my average speed was below 15 mph. Using the 34 x 13 gearing I slowly increased my average to 15.3 mph when I reached the Huffman Chevron for a break. By now the temperature in Huffman was 85 degrees with an 8 mph breeze from the SSE. While I was there I looked at the weather on my phone and saw a big storm to the northwest.

After a 25 minute stop I left heading west on FM1960 still in the 34 x 13. With the long stretch of straight road and only one traffic light I increased my average to 15.6 mph and maintained that until the 30.6 mile point of the 33.4 mile long ride. By the time I got home at 2:29 it was still 85 degrees and cloudy. As I write this the rain and thunder have arrived and I am glad I didn’t ride further.

I am pleased with the new cassette and my legs are not as tired from spinning the 34 x 14 gears to go 18 mph. I did try the big ring again today to move the cable some and try to prevent the rust in the future.

Where I stand:

  • 167.62 miles for the week
  • 308.96 miles for October
  • 5840 miles for the year

Today was the 50th time I rode the “Atascocita – Walden – Huffman” route out of 168 rides this year. The ride comparison image shows the different times and the metrics for each.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS metrics and maps.

Ride Route Google Earth
Ride Metrics
Huffman Weather
Home Weather End of Ride
Ride Comparison for this route
Week to Date
October to Date
Year to Date

Texas Bicycling News Digest October 11th

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FY 2015 – 2016 Task Order Contract for Bicycle Projects

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Bike Pedals

By Bill Cullens        Team San Angelo

Most new cyclists and some experienced riders overlook the importance of the pedals on their bicycle.
They assume that pedals are pedals — just something that you push down on to make the bicycle
That’s not quite the case — in fact, there are multiple types of bike pedals and the type you use can significantly impact your cycling.
The earliest bicycles did not have pedals. Frenchman Baron von Drais built what is believed to be the first bicycle (called a Draisienne) around 1817. Riders propelled these early two-wheel machines by simply pushing with their feet while sitting on the bike’s seat.
In 1839, a Scottish blacksmith named Kirkpatrick MacMillan came up with the idea of mounting pedals directly to the front wheel of those early push bikes. His pedal bike had a…

Days 1 and 2: Groovy Times

by SAG Lady        www.brothersbikeride.com

Do you listen to podcasts? If not, I have come here from 2005 to tell you that podcasts are a great way to entertain yourself while cooking, cleaning, attempting to nap, and riding in airplanes. The internet kept telling me to check out Serial, a non-fiction investigative podcast that unfolds in real time. From the Serial site: “We’ll follow the plot and characters wherever they take us and we won’t know what happens at the end of the story until we get there, not long before you get there with us.” It’s from the creators of This American Life, and while their peculiar, wistfully matter-of-fact public radio announcer style of presentation irritates me, it’s also very effective. My first flight flew by, and I was sad to run out of episodes.
On the second flight I listened to some guys talk with Jeff Bridges about how to have a successful marriage. Jeff is charming, if a little wackadoodle. He may be one of the few remaining people who uses the word “groovy.” (Has he been saying “groovy” this whole time, or is this a…

Uvalde to Bandera, TX 11 Oct 2014

www.brothersbikeride.com

We met for breakfast at 7 a.m. and then had the car packed and were ready to go by 8 a.m.  We decided to use TX Farm Road 1023 to start out, instead of riding along US 90, which was four lanes and a bit “trafficy.” TX Farm Road 1023 was quite desolate, which was exactly why we used it.  Along the way we passed several cattle ranches, and at one of them the cattle were very active, which I was able to catch in this video. …

Uvalde to Bandera Cows and More Cows.

www.brothersbikeride.com

The day started ominously with a light rain, a first for the Brothers Bike Ride. But the rain wasn’t the issue today. The wind was. It was coming out of the northeast which was the direction we were going. We went east for 21 miles; then north for 25 miles, almost always dead into a stiff wind and then northeast for 30 miles. A little wrong turn and some backtracking gave us a total for today of 79.7 tough miles.
We are whooped tonight. Tomorrow is 65 plus mile day. No rain expected but the direction of the wind is unknown as I write this post. The highlight for me was…

Uvalde to Bandera,TX: 76 miles if not for one wrong turn

By Mark Sullivan        www.crazyguyonabike.com

Saturday October 11, 2014, 80 miles (129 km) – Total so far: 122 miles (196 km)
Here is the route we took to avoid the gigantic hills around Vanderpool and Camp Wood. It was still a hilly ride but not as bad as the route on the Adventure Cycling maps. From Uvalde we took Farm Rd. 1023 east for 18 miles to Rt. 90 E for 2 miles to The small town of Sabinal. Then we took 187 for 21 miles to Utopia. From there we rode Rt. 470 E to Rt. 16 which heads into Bandera, the Cowboy Capitol of Texas. Here are today’s photos. …

Brownsville bike group organizes event, petition

By Miguel Roberts        www.brownsvilleherald.com


The Brownsville Bike Brigade hosted a public meeting called “We need your voice!” Wednesday at the Dean Porter Park Ringgold Civic Pavilion.
The event was to rally support for continued improvement of the walking and biking infrastructure in Brownsville, which the group says will promote economic development and…

Tweets

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Texas Bicycling News Digest October 10th

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FrankenBike #45 ~ I Cycle (1503 W 18th St)

houston.craigslist.org

FrankenBike #45 ~ I Cycle ~ TC Jester Bayou @ 19th ~ Saturday Oct 11th ~ 10am till 4pm ~ 1503 W 18th

NCMEC SPONSORS INAUGURAL “TEXAS RIDE FOR MISSING CHILDREN”

By Nancy Mullins        yourlewisville.dallasnews.com

DALLAS, Texas, Oct. 8, 2014 – The Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is holding its first “Texas Ride for Missing Children” on Oct. 17, 2014. The 100k (62-mile) bike ride in Denton County will raise awareness and funds for education programs that help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation.
Riders will be joined by law enforcement partners from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Denton County Sheriff’s Office.  The ride’s route will include stops at four area schools where children will…

John Burnett On Cycling From the Rio Grande To The Red River For A Good Cause

By Courtney Collins        keranews.org    Audio


Two public radio journalists have spent more than a week picking their way from the Rio Grande to the Red River by bicycle. KUT’s Hawk Mendenhall and NPR’s John Burnett are riding through rural Texas in the name of charity: specifically a project that equips high-school students in Kenya with books… and bikes.
John took a break from the road for this week’s Friday Conversation with KERA’s Rick Holter. …

Tour de Cypresswood Bike Path

Thursday, Oct 16, 2014, 6:00 PM

Cypresswood Bike Path
1/2 Block East of Cypress Wood Crossing Blvd. Cypress, TX

4 cyclists Went

Tour de Cypresswood Bike PathIf you’re wondering what to do about that mountain bike hanging up in the garage, Come out and enjoy the trails of Cypresswood with us.People ask me sometime, “Tommy, It’s so hard to get out and ride my mountain bike”. As an Expert Rider, I tell them, ” First of all, do not hang your bike up on hooks. This will make i…

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Things You See On Rides

Bike Noob

Took a mountain bike ride on the Slaughter Creek Preserve Trail this morning. When I came out of the woods to the trailhead, a gaggle of mountain bikers lined the trail. It turned out they were the Austin Police Department’s bike patrol, getting in some off-road practice.

Brackettville, TX to Uvalde, TX – October 10, 2014

by Brian        www.brothersbikeride.com

Yesterday was a travel day for all of us.  Tim, Mark and I flew from Philadelphia to San Antonio, TX and Beth flew in from Newark. NJ.  Once we had all arrived, we drove about 150 miles from the San Antonio airport to Brackettville, TX, sopping to eat dinner at an Applebey’s Restaurant, for an unremarkable and forgettable meal.  Once in Brackettville we assembled our bikes and went to bed.  As usual, my bike assembly was challenging, but with help from Tim and Mark, I eventually got it together.
Not too far out of Brackettville, while riding along US 90, a herd of buffaloes came out of the brush and trotted along just in front and to the right of us.  We were all very surprised to see them, but I managed to get this video of them racing along just ahead.  Hope you enjoy it! This experience, together with a little light rain during our ride today, were “firsts” for…

Brackettville to Uvalde

by Mark        www.brothersbikeride.com

Week 4 has begun. We left Fort Clark Springs at 8 this morning and headed East on Rt. 90 to Uvalde and arrived around noon. Temperature stayed at 79 and the clouds were thick but thankfully it never did rain except for a brief misting. The Fort Clark Springs motel was decent. No breakfast service so we had snacks in our rooms for breakfast. Tonight we are in the Holiday Inn Express in Uvalde and it’s great. Already did the hot tub and pool immediately after our ride. Tomorrow we rejoin the Adventure Cycling route in Bandera. I will miss Texas route 90. We have been on this road for about…

Cycling Skills Clinic – Traffic Skills 101

Plano Bicycle Association

Date: October 19, 2014 depending on sign ups and weather
Time: 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
Location:  Allen Community Outreach, 801 E. Main Street, Allen, TX 75002
Cost: $35.00 – $ 20.00 for BikeDFW members or BikeDFW Club sponsors, such as PBA, GDB, DORBA, CCC, etc.  (payable at the door or paypal)
Sign up: Contact Jerry Hubbard, jhubbard@hcgtelecom.com, 214-356-1363
Traffic Skills 101 (TS101) is a fast-paced class that will give you the confidence to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. You will learn how to conduct bicycle safety checks, fix a flat, on-bike skills and…

BikeFest, Viva! Streets coming in late October

By Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


We’ve got two big bicycling events coming up, two-wheeler fans.
The city’s first BikeFest is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 25 at Govalle Park, 5200 Bolm Road. The day kicks off with an 8:30 a.m. ribbon cutting for the (sort of) new 7.3-mile section of the separated bike path known as the Southern Walnut Creek Trail, which we wrote about in July. (See my article about the trail here.)
A group ride along the new paved trail, which extends from Govalle Park to the Johnny Morris and Daffen Lane intersection, will start at 10:30 a.m. (Check in first.) Go to the event to check out the new trail, but stay for the food trucks, beer garden, kids’ activities, live music, bike fashion show, vendors and demonstrations of bicycle polo and…

How to Make the Best Route for a Ramble

BikeHouston

The BikeHouston Moonlight Bicycle Ramble is just around the corner. Saturday October 25th around 1800 riders are expected to come to the George R. Brown Convention Center for a magical midnight ride with a touch of Halloween.
In order to guide everyone safely through Houston’s streets every year, David Dick plans the routes very carefully. David is a native Houstonian, so he is very familiar with Houston’s streets. He is always thinking about the best ways to make the ride safe and enjoyable, and there are several important considerations in designing the routes.
When 1800 riders show up for a ride, especially at night, it is best to use multi-lane streets that are well lit and can handle the bike traffic during the ride. This allows the riders to use one lane, while other vehicles still have room to pass. David avoids left turns, especially at busy…

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

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