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…

Check out this Meetup →

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

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BikeMSValero/status/520766793288138753

Event Reminders

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

Texbiker.net Posted on by

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.

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

https://twitter.com/CAIHouston/status/520318300283490304

https://twitter.com/elementina1122/status/520054926190211072

Event Reminders

Carbon Fiber vs. Rust

Texbiker.net Posted on by

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