Perfect Timing to Not Get Soaked

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I delayed the start today because there was scattered rain showing on the weather radar. The sun kept shining over our house and no rain came so I rolled out the driveway at 11:26. As I exited Kingwood on Adams St. I encountered the first wet street but it didn’t last long. By the time I reached Loop 494 the streets were dry. They stayed that way until FM1485 and Gene Campbell Road. These roads were damp but I still had not been rained on. The sky had some dark clouds but not directly over me. I did get a few stray sprinkles from time to time.

FM1314 had places that were damp on the shoulder as I rode towards Porter. I wasn’t thinking it would rain as I was riding to the Stripes station. I was not able to use the “big ring” because the wind and my legs were not cooperating.

As I neared Stripes I had to stop on the shoulder to wait for the east bound traffic to pass. When a break came I moved to the center turn lane and then into Stripes. I rode to the paper towel dispenser to dry off some and all of a sudden the rain came down heavy. My timing was pretty good and I did not get wet. I waited for the rain to stop and went inside to refill my water bottle and get a Gatorade drink. I went back to the pump canopy to eat and allow the streets to dry off some before riding toward home. Stripes was 26.8 miles into what turned out to be a 37.71 mile ride. My average speed was 15.4 mph for most of the ride until I got into Kingwood when it dropped to 15.1 mph overall.

Leaving Stripes and going to Briar Tree the streets were damp until I got to Oakhurst. From there to home the sun was out and the streets dry. The temperature at home was 90 degrees. Summer is hanging on but supposedly a cold front moves in on Monday.

I am waiting for a new rear cassette to arrive. It could be Tuesday with Monday being Columbus Day and the USPS not delivering. I also ordered a new 34 tooth front chain ring, the one I use almost all the time. Today since I didn’t use the big front ring my legs were spinning madly to get the speed up to 18+ mph. Fortunately the 9 mph south wind didn’t hold me back too much.

At home I washed the Stradalli down. A clean bike looks great. Maybe I can go faster now.

Mileage markers:

  • 134.21 miles for the week
  • 275.55 miles for October
  • 5807 miles for the year

I have biked 167 times this year, 21 of those were on the “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road” route I used today.

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.

Ride Route Google Earth
Ride Metrics
Porter Weather
Home Weather end of Ride
Ride Comparison
Week to date
October to date
Year to Date

Texas Bicycling News Digest October 9th

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South Texas man sentenced to 18 years in prison for fatally striking bicyclist while drunk

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS        www.therepublic.com

EDINBURG, Texas — A South Texas man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after fatally hitting a bicyclist while drunk and driving off with the body in the bed of his truck.
A Hidalgo County judge delivered the sentence Wednesday to 24-year-old Emilio Gomez, who pleaded guilty last month to intoxicated manslaughter.
Police say Gomez killed 38-year-old Eddie Arguelles in April. They say Arguelles was cycling with a friend before dawn when he…

Cycling Legalese: Steel Road Plate Dangers

by brad        urbanvelo.org

Steel road plates are commonly used to cover trenches dug in a roadway for utility work, and are particularly dangerous to bicyclists. Most everyone has a story about them — a friend once fractured his eye socket due to a gap between plates. Everyday cyclist and Chicago based injury lawyer, Brendan Kevenides helps to fill us in on what some local ordinances require of steel plates and what can be done about them.
Q: There are steel plates all over the city where I ride. They are dangerous, especially when they are wet. Are there any rules protect bicyclists from the hazards they pose?
Steel road plates suck. Ask any urban bicyclist and they will tell you from experience about steel plates. They are often not installed flush with the pavement or at least with ramping around there edges. Many times they shift so that dangerous gaps exist between them and the street, or between two or more plates. Even when they are installed correctly they get very slippery when…

A 64-Mile Bike ‘Superhighway’ Will Connect Fort Worth To Dallas

By Stephanie Kuo        keranews.org


Bicyclists in car country just got some good news: Transportation planners took a $7 million dollar step toward a commuter bike and pedestrian trail reaching from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas.
The money approved Thursday will help build about 10 more miles of connecting trails.
As is stands today, studies rank North Texas at or near the bottom for bicycle commuting — in one survey of the country’s 70 biggest cities, Fort Worth was at No. 60, Dallas No. 65 and Plano dead last.
Urban planners and city agencies are calling it the…

Edward Jones’ Tour de Ted set for Saturday in Houston

katytimes.com         Subscription Required

Nine cities throughout Texas are participating in a bike tour commemorating the life of Ted Jones, who was instrumental in opening Edward Jones’ first branch office. The tour, beginning in Houston on Oct. 11 and concluding in Dallas/Fort Worth on Oct. 19, is aptly named Tour de Ted – Ride the Lone Star.
The bike tour celebrates the life of the firm’s second managing partner, Ted Jones, and…

Cycleast moves to bigger digs, barre3 studio opens in Circle C

By Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


And in shop news this week …
The Cycleast crew at the new shop.
East side bike shop Cycleast is moving to a new, larger location at 1619 East Cesar Chavez Street. The shop opened 18 months ago on Pedernales Street, but has since outgrown its digs. The new 2,500-square-foot location will include a 600-square-foot community space for yoga, fitness, music, art and events. The shop focuses on repairs, restorations and custom bikes. Plus, it’s run by a bunch of cool people, headed by owner Russell Pickavance.
“We are excited to have a new space that enables…

Rolling Wheels In My Neighborhood On A Street Named After A Fungal Disease

Durango Texas


Today I rolled  my bike wheels without rolling my motorized vehicle’s wheels first. In other words I took my handlebars on a tour of the neighborhood.
The roads to the west of my neighborhood power line greenbelt are smoothly paved, wide, hilly, and with little traffic.
At one point I stopped my handlebars to take a picture of the odd item springing from the ground you see on the left. Is this some sort…

L4 or Bust

by Beth

We made it to Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, Texas. It’s a former army barracks and is nicer than the internet’s whiners make it sound. But there is no wireless connection and I can only get a weak mobile signal from my Dad’s room, so this is just a short missive to let everyone know we’re okay.
The minivan is a dark red color. Help me think of names.

Dinner and Bikes rolls out again!

takingthelane.com

The fifth annual Dinner and Bikes tour is upon us!
Josh, Aaron, Joe, and I will be rolling out yet again this May, hitting the road in some sort of gas guzzling behemoth, making a sort of lopsided shape that defies geometrical definition. Our easternmost extreme will be Chicago. Our westernmost extreme will be Amarillo, Texas. Our southernmost point will be Brownsville, Texas, which is about as far south as you can get around here without crossing into Mexico. From there we head to New Orleans, and from there back north.
At one of our events, the audience serves themselves from a gourmet vegan, gluten-free buffet, Elly talks about powerful Bikenomics movements around the world, Joe shows a selection of very short documentaries about bicycle…

Grace Creek MTB Trail Work and Ride Day

Longview Bicycle Club

Saturday 10/11/2014 at 9:00 AM
Come out Saturday morning and help us make final touches to the new section of trail.  This new section has some hills and provides more of a challenge than the rest of the trail.
We will also be marking more new trail and test riding the new section.  Bring any of the following tools: loppers, rake, shovel, saw, etc.
Meet behind the old movie theater on Hwy 31 at 9:00 AM.  Rain or shine.

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Carbon Fiber vs. Rust

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After yesterday’s ride I went to the garage to investigate why I could shift the front derailleur. Putting the Stradalli in the work stand I tried the shift lever several times but nothing moved. I flipped the bike upside down to look under the bottom bracket. Where the cable entered the bottom bracket I could see some rust. Trying to move the cable it would not move. After several attempts I cut the cable and tried to pull it out. It would not budge yet but pliers enhanced my grip and I finally got the cable out of the hole. Removing the cable from the lever I tried to insert a new cable into the hole but it would not go in. Looking at the old cable and new one I saw the new one was slightly larger in diameter. I decided to take the bike to my local bike shop, Bike Werks in Kingwood, and went inside to shower.

Arriving at Bike Werks I carried the bike inside and explained the problem. Jeremy took the bike into the shop area and started to insert a cable in the bottom bracket hole. It would not go in more than 1/2″. Several attempts later it was decided the hole was blocked with something. The cable was not stiff enough to move the blockage. Several squirts of penetrating oil didn’t help any. Searching for something stiff one of us, there was another mechanic named Tom, suggested a spoke. Tom tried a spring he straightened out but no success. The spoke was too big of diameter and Jeremy used a grinder to make it smaller. Sevral stabs with the spoke didn’t do anything. I asked if the hole could be accessed if the crank was removed. Jeremy tried that but no good there. I suggested heating the spoke with the grinder and inserting it. A couple more squirts of penetrating oil and Jeremy inserted the heated spoke. Now he started twisting the spoke and a little black powder came out. More twisting and oil and the black stuff broke loose and the spoke went through the hole. Next a cable with lubricant went in and out and the hole was opened. By mow I had been there about 45 minutes. Jeremy installed the new cable and adjusted the shifting. I told him about the chain skipping and the extra links I left in the new chain. He said the skipping was caused by the worn cogs in the cassette but took the links out just in case. I headed home relieved with the repairs and shifting front derailleur. I am not sure what the black stuff was but my guess is a combination of Teflon from the old cable and rust jammed in the hole. I don’t shift the front derailleur much so the rust isn’t disturbed.

With the Stradalli now fixed I planned a longer ride on my “Stroker Road – Huffman” route. I wanted to enjoy the smooth flowing chain and gears. Before leaving I put a couple of drops of oil on the cable where it enters the bottom bracket housing and shifted the cable a few times to help the oil go down into the hole. I left home a little later than I wanted at 11:52. I was delayed by a trip to Baker Paint and Body to get the last part installed on our Jeep Grand Cherokee. Rolling out the driveway I was on my way. The weather was good with the temperature in the upper 80’s, a partly cloudy sky and a light breeze.

Heading south to Atascocita the bike was going great. As I made my way through Atascocita south of FM1960 two bikers rounded the corner probably going home. I waved and said hi. Even though the wind was not that much I worked hard to get my average speed up to 15 mph. Coming out off of Atascocita Shores Drive I turned east on FM1960 to go over Lake Houston. The long straight stretch was a good place to check the skipping gears. I shifted to the third smallest rear gear and the chain went a round the gear but quickly began to skip. This confirmed the gears are worn and I was glad I ordered a new cassette last night. Today though I was able to compensate using the big front ring. I shifted the rear gears up two and shifted onto the big ring. It worked perfectly. I stayed in that gear for several miles as I rode to FM2100. On Fairlake Drive two more bikers passed going the opposite direction. I waved and said hi to the women bikers. On Old Atascocita Road I had to wait for a long, long freight train to cross. Then I rode to FM2100 and turned right. I was still in the big ring but after about a mile or so the wind was slowing me down so much I shifted to the small ring and moved to the smallest rear gear that didn’t skipped.

I hoped turning east onto Stroker Road the wind would not be so strong but it was and I stayed in the same gears. Once I reached Ramsey Road and change direction to the north the wind was behind me and I shifted back to the big ring again. I used this gearing all the way to Huffman and the Chevron station. With all of the effort i was looking forward to a cold Powerade and the snacks I brought. When I arrived at the Chevron I walked over to get some paper towels to dry off some and then back to the bike. That is when I realized I forgot to put my seat bag back on the bike. I removed it to put it in the work stand. It was laying on the workbench and it was in my sight when I brought the bike back from the shop but I guess the joy of a fixed bike blocked my senior mind from remembering to put it back on. Without the seatbag I had no money to get the Powerade so I settled for water from my water bottle. As I was getting ready to leave I went inside to refill my water bottle and there was sign on the Powerade dispenser that it was out of order. I couldn’t buy any even if I had the money. Good thing I didn’t need to patch a flat.

Back on the bike I headed home to finish the 39.29 mile long ride. With the help of the big ring I built my average speed up to 16.1 mph where it stayed until the 36.8 mile mark when the starts and stops in Kingwood slowed me down. It ended up at 15.8 mph. I will wait to see how much my leg muscles complain about those big miles.

Looking at the Marshall weather forecast for Saturday the chance of rain has increased for the morning. The Tour de Fireant will have to wait another year unless there is a change in the weather.

Mileage standings:

  • 96.51 miles for the week
  • 237.85 miles for October
  • 5769 miles for the year

Links to Garmin Connect and RideWithGPS.

Ride Route Google Earth
Ride Metrics
Huffman Weather
Home Weather Ride Finish
Ride Comparison for this route

Texas Bicycling News October 8th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Race Preview – San Antonio CX : It’s a Bexar – 10.11-12.14

by joeyTWOwheels        texascx.com

San Antonio CX : It’s a Bexar (pronounced “bear” – as in the county – for all the non-Texans) is up second on the 2014 #TXCX schedule. Drew Akin of Kickstand Racing has been promoting this race for some time, and you can read the previous previews for a taste of what the weekend is…

Ride to the River: Annual Bike Ride for MS Research Returns to New Braunfels This Weekend

radionb.com


(New Braunfels, TX)  –  The 25th Annual Bike MS: Valero Ride to the River is this weekend, an event that raises funds and awareness supporting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  The bike ride starts on Saturday from one of two start lines: 8 AM at the Wheatley Heights Sports Complex in San Antonio and 9 AM at Vogel Elementary School in Seguin.  Both routes will lead cyclists to an overnight celebration at the Comal County Fairgrounds here in New Braunfels.  On…

Cemetery Bike Ride

Sunday, Oct 26, 2014, 8:15 AM

Onion Creek Coffee House-area of Saturday Farmer’s Market
3106 White Oak Drive Houston, TX

4 Katy bicyclist fun riders Went

Subject: Cemetery Bike Ride & River Oaks Bike RidesWe will meet at 8:00 am at the Onion Creek Cafe at 3106 White Oak Dr in the Heights.  We will start at 8.15 am and our first stop will be the Hollywood Cemetery on North Main. From there we will bike towards the Glenwood Cemetery to see where Howard Hughes is buried.  We will also see some famous…

Check out this Meetup →

River Oaks and Tanglewood Bike Ride

Sunday, Oct 19, 2014, 8:15 AM

Central Market
3815 Westheimer Road Houston, TX

1 Katy bicyclist fun riders Went

Subject: Cemetery Bike Ride & River Oaks Bike RidesWe will meet at 8:00 am at the Onion Creek Cafe at 3106 White Oak Dr in the Heights.  We will start at 8.15 am and our first stop will be the Hollywood Cemetery on North Main. From there we will bike towards the Glenwood Cemetery to see where Howard Hughes is buried.  We will also see some famous…

Check out this Meetup →

Outdoor Waco store sold to Texas Endurance Sports

By MIKE COPELAND        www.wacotrib.com


Waco-based Texas Endurance Sports, which owns cycling and triathlon stores in Katy and Houston, has bought the Outdoor Waco shop at University Parks Drive and Franklin Avenue and will continue to sell the current product mix there that includes bicycles, kayaks and cycling accessories and apparel.
“We are excited about the opportunity to enter our home market, and we are thrilled with Outdoor Waco’s well-established location and talented personnel,” said Todd Behringer, chairman and CEO of Texas Endurance Sports LLC, in a prepared…

Cyclists take on Purgatory challenge

By MARY PERKINS/The Lufkin News (Subscription required)


Nearly 500 bikes and bicyclists came together Saturday morning for the 23rd annual Pineywoods Purgatory bike ride over some “hellish” hills through the “heavenly” East Texas countryside.

Do You Shave Your Legs Yet?

Bike Noob

You should. At least, if you’re a racer guy type of rider.
Even since I began road cycling, I’ve been reading of the debate over leg shaving. To me, the arguments in favor never seemed compelling enough. Band-Aids will come off easier after a crash. It’s more aerodynamic (Yeah, right). It’s easier to slide tights or leg warmers over them when it’s chilly outside.
Then, I learned that some friends were shaving their legs. Heck, even one of our fine guest posters gave in to the craze. Bosh, says I.
But another friend pointed me to a video posted by the folks over at Specialized bikes. They actually conducted experiments in a…

Guess Who Won the REI Bike?

mammajammaride.org


Pam Stone and Debbie Shepherd were kind enough to conduct the drawing for us while they were in the office yesterday.  Thanks ladies!  And the winner of the Novara Flyby Folding Bike from our awesome sponsor REI is Christina Duhon! Christina, who rode with Team Survivor in this year’s Mamma Jamma, purchased her raffle tickets at the Kick Off Party back in May. In addition to being sold online and at the kick off party, raffle tickets were available for sale from…

Your invited to join us for “Scavenger Hunt 2 -The Trinity Groves Experiment”

Saturday, Oct 18, 2014, 3:00 PM

Babb Bros BBQ & Blues
330 Bedford St Dallas, TX

8 Participants Went

We want to invite anyone in the DORBA meetup group that would like to join our Meetup group (Dallas Cycling Trail Riders and Weekend Pub Crawlers) for the afternoon of 10/18/14 at 3pm and participate in our meetup event “Scavenger Hunt 2 -The Trinity Groves Experiment”http://www.meetup.com/Dallas-Cycling-Trail-Riders-and-Weekend-Pub-Crawlers/even…

Check out this Meetup →

TOTS (Tour Of The Stars)

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

When: Nov 02, 2014 09:30 AM
Where: Behind Chili’s – Dallas
Category: DATES ride
Description
This year we decided to slip the TOTS Ride out to Nov 2nd from the usual early October slot.  We’ve been talking about changing-up the route a bit… so I guess it’ll be “TOTS Nuevo” this year.  It will be the morning after the time change (roll back a hour), but we didn’t want to delay further since the DATES Business Meeting will be the following week.  I’ll try to put out an update regarding the “Nuevo” route via email as it get closer.
Hope y’all can make it.  Thanks… lee & beckie…

DATES Gunter Fall Ramble

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

Sunday, November 9, 2014
Meet at 9 a.m. in the Gunter High School Parking Lot (US 289 and Tiger Lane – across from the Sonic Drive-In)
Ride starts at 9:30 a.m.
(Restrooms located at the Exxon Station in Gunter on State Highway 289)
Three routes:
31 Miles: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6113596
41 Miles: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6113515
51 Miles: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/6113564
Map to Gunter High School: https://goo.gl/maps/OBCv9
About Gunter:
Gunter is at the intersection of State Highway 289 and Farm Road 121, twelve miles southwest of Sherman in south central Grayson County. One of the later towns to be…

October Newsletter Published

Dallas Area Tandem Enthusiasts

The October edition of the DATES-Line Newsletter is published and available for download from the newsletters page. This month’s edition includes the following:
TOTS (Tour Of The Stars)
DATES Gunter Fall Ramble
Tandem Article in Washington Post
Taste of White Rock
Ride Report – Round and Round the Lake Ride…

Exercise is helping me cope during my dad’s illness

By Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com


I’ve always known that exercise kept me steady. But the past two weeks have been some of the hardest of my life, and my bike, my running shoes and swim practice have gotten me through it.
My dad is dying of non-smoker’s lung cancer.
He was diagnosed last December. After almost nine months of chemotherapy, doctors told him two weeks ago it wasn’t doing any good. They gave him about a month to live.
This sounds awful, and in many ways it is. My heart is broken. But as crappy as these days have been, they’ve also been magical.
We’ve made the most of the time he has left, talking about…

East Side Bike Shop Cycleast is Relocating!

www.cycleaustin.com

East side bike shop, Cycleast, has grown rapidly over the past 18 months and is moving to a bigger location at 1619 East Cesar Chavez that will include a multiuse community space.
Just under two years ago Cycleast became the newest addition to the East side bike scene.  Focusing on repairs, restorations and custom bikes, Cycleast quickly outgrew its current location at 501 Pedernales and is making the move to a much larger space.  The new 2,500 sqft shop, located at 1619 East Cesar Chavez, will also include a 600 sqft dedicated community space.  The Cycleast Community Space is a dedicated indoor and outdoor space for yoga, fitness, music, art and events. We have created this space to help build community on the East Side.
“We are excited to have a new space that enables us continue to make bike dreams come true. More importantly…

Bike Safety for Kids

by Bill Cullens        Team San Angelo


With public schools back in session, it’s time to remind kids, parents and teachers about some important safety practices for kids who ride their bicycles to school.
Riding bikes to school is a healthy fitness activity that should be encouraged if kids ride safely and do not put themselves in harm’s way due to the risk of collisions with a motor vehicle or falls on their bicycle.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 400 children and adolescents die each year in the United States due to bicycle-related accidents with another 400,000 ending up in emergency rooms because of bike injuries.
Almost all of those accidents are avoidable if children are taught to ride in a safe manner.
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (http://saferoutespartnership.org) has…

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