Unboxing the Stradalli “RED-PRO RP14” Carbon Bike

Texbiker.net Posted on by

On Tuesday March 11, 2014, I received my highly anticipated new bike from Stradalli Bicycle. After some negotiations I ordered the bike last Wednesday (March 5th). I like the component selections, the size was correct, carbon fiber wheelset and the bold graphics. Much different from my previous bike purchases this bike comes as a kit. I will assemble the bike. The unboxing illustrates the many pieces that it takes for a complete bike. While I have worked on my bikes for many years and removed and installed about every part it will be interesting to see how I assemble the bike.

Thanks to my wife, Hazel Marie, for filming the clips for this video project.

The next videos will show me putting all of the pieces on the bike frame.

Texas Bicycling News and Blog Digest March 11th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Cyclists believe driver deserves citation after fellow rider struck

by Drew Karedes / KHOU 11 News

LA MARQUE, Texas — The cycling community is voicing a lot of concern after an accident that left a 23-year-old injured from head to toe.
It happened Saturday morning on TX-146 in La Marque.
A group of riders were traveling from Market Square in downtown Houston to Galveston to train for the MS 150.
The accident brought the ride to a screeching halt 40 miles in.
“It was excruciating to say the least,” explained Greg Chapa. “From what I hear from witnesses, I was wrapped around the bike.”
Greg Chapa was the…

Keep Gateway Beautiful March 22nd

Fort Worth Mountain Bikers’ Association

Sean Meredith of Bicycles Inc’s (Granbury Rd.) is organizing a FWMBA contingent of volunteers to clean up the east-side of mountain bike trail where it nears Interstate 35 during the Cowtown Clean-Up on Saturday, March 22 from 8am-11am. …

Emily Penn Rides to Cure FA

yourplano.dallasnews.com


Imagine hearing these words: “We’re so sorry, but you have a rare disease that is currently untreatable.”
That is what twenty-one year old Emily Penn of Murphy, Texas heard from her doctor a few weeks after she turned fifteen. The diagnosis was Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a progressive, debilitating neuromuscular disease. A teen athlete, Emily learned that the trouble she was having with balance and coordination would progress over a short period of time to a life altering loss of mobility and a serious risk of life-shortening heart disease. An estimated 15,000 people worldwide live with FA, and 1 in 100 people are carriers, making FA the most common type of hereditary ataxia. There are no current treatments or cure.
Initially, Emily kept quiet about her diagnosis. “I was afraid; afraid that people would feel sorry for me,” she said. But she knew she had to face the challenges in front of her head on. After high school, Emily became involved with Ride Ataxia Dallas, a cycling event presented by Outback Steakhouse that raises awareness and funds for research to find a cure for FA. Through volunteering for rest stops and helping with the ride, she…

Beginner and Intermediate Group

El Paso Bicycle Club

The Beginner and Intermediate Group (B/IG) rider training program kicks off the 2014 season on March 29th with a ride for new riders. The first Tuesday evening ride will be on April 1st.
If you are just getting into cycling, want to learn more about the sport, or would like to meet new friends to ride with then the B/IG ride is for you. B/IG rides are designed to be both educational and fun. Each week before the ride a different cycling related topic is presented. Topics range from riding in a group (pace line) to bicycle maintenance and repair. Riding skills are discussed and practiced while out on the ride that follows.
The group will meet once a week around 5:45pm at Rio Plaza. For the ride that follows the presenation the group will break into two or three smaller groups of riders with similar ability to ride an…

Southside Mission Park Ride

San Antonio Wheelmen

Date:     03/16/2014
Time:     09:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location:     Mission San Jose
San Antonio, TX
Details:     Southside Mission Ride (S) [F to R]. Route of 27, 39, 51, and 61 miles. The routes begin at the parking lot of the Visitors Center at Mission San Jose and travel along the lower section of the Mission Trail past historic missions and the SA River before heading into the flat to slightly rolling terrain of southeast Bexar County. Take exit 137 from I-37 South, turn right on Hot Wells and continue 1.7 miles (road curves to the right after crossing RR tracks just past S. Presa), then turn left onto VFW Blvd. for 0.5 miles, left on Roosevelt for…

In Memoriam – Bill Reams, 1961-2014

Violet Crown


Much loved husband and father, friend, talented engineer, enthusiastic cyclist, racer, winner, club-member, teammate, former officer, wit, and all-around great guy.
Bill, a long-time Violet Crown member, passed on Sunday, March 9. He is survived by his beloved wife Linda, two wonderful children, Rachael and Ryan, and countless friends in the Austin and Denver cycling communities. Bill and his friend Ted Dunbar originated the B&TETA—Bill & Ted’s Excellent Training Adventure, now known as the Bagel Ride—in the ‘90s. He was an accomplished racer and…

New 94 and 65 mile routes are planned

Waggin’ Tril Bike Ride

The 94 and 65 mile routes have been established.  They both avoid the chip/seal road surface issues of past routes.
This year, the 40, 65, and 94 mile routes all follow the same course until the Brandon Rest Stop.  At that point the 40 mile route returns to Hillsboro as in the past.
The 65 mile route does a loop from Brandon, east on Hwy22 to Mertens, the South to Irene on FM 308.  At Irene, the route takes FM 1946 west to Bynum.  At Bynum you turn right on Hwy171 for just a bit and then take FM1243 north to Brandon to end the loop.  Once back at Brandon, you then go west on hwy 22 back to Outlets at Hillsboro.
The 94 mile route does a double loop at Brandon – an outer loop and an inner loop.  The outer loop takes…

March 15th and 16th Rides!

Steiner Ranch Cycling

NEXT WEEKENDS RIDES
TRIPLE B’s has been cancelled two weekends in a row due to weather so in an effort to ward off the bad weather gods Brice Shelton will be sponsoring a post ride Triple B’s beer sacrifice at his home which is a couple blocks away from Cups & Cones.  Maps and details will be handed out pre ride on Saturday before you all roll out from Cups & Cones.  If you want more details feel free to reach out to Brice Shelton or Thomas Lea.
Triple B’s – Saturday March 15th at 8:30am at Cups & Cones
The Triple B’s ride is approximately a 52 mile bike ride that will roll out from Cups & Cones at 8:30 am morning. The ride is scenic and it follows around the lake via lime creek and volente and there is about 2,100 feet of climbing.
We will bike out from Steiner Ranch and make the climb out to the 620 via the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse route then head down the 620 and make a left on Anderson Mill Rd. and then another left on 2769 (turns into Volente Rd) and head into Volente Village.  When we get to Volente Village we will make a right turn up the hill on Lime Creek Rd. towards the…

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 66: Marathon to Marfa: Hell on Wheels
Tuesday March 11, 2014, 40 km (25 miles) – Total so far: 3,861 km (2,399 miles)
We were awakened by the sound of a wind roaring in (now normally a sentence like this would continue ïn the trees”, but here there are no trees, except at the campsite we did have one, so..) the tree (above our tent). Our first thought, after “Oh, my”, was Headwind or Tailwind? Someone got sent out to find out, and came back with the bad news. Later the weather network gave the direction as “W”. None of this hedging with “NNW” or anything like that. And it gave the speed as 20-30 mph. That’s 32-50 kph in Canada, eh!
The thought of sticking in Marathon briefly crossed our minds. Couldn’t do that, though. If we would stick or bail in the face of every adversity, we’d still be in Key West. At least, that’s what we told ourselves. So we dragged all our gear to the shelter of the adobe walled garden. Dodie found some embers alive from last night’s fire in the fireplace, and soon we had a warming blaze going, with the stock of mesquite kept by…

Charity bike ride season has arrived

By Pam LeBlanc        www.austin360.com

The Rosedale Ride celebrates its 20th year on March 22. Cyclists can choose from routes of 20, 40 and 60 miles or a 2-mile children’s ride.
When it started in 1994, the ride drew 50 participants. Today it’s grown to more than 1,200 riders, who pedal through the rolling countryside of eastern Travis County. The money they raise benefits the Rosedale School of Austin, which serves students ages 3 to 22 who have significant medical, physical and cognitive disabilities.
This year’s event, presented by Samsung Austin Semiconductor, starts at 8:30 a.m. March 22.
The annual Rosedale Silent Auction will precede the ride by two days. The auction, set for 5 to 8 p.m. March 20 at the Rosedale School, 2117 West 49th Street, will feature items from local…

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Tweets

FedEx Truck Arrives and I Go

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I waited today for the Fedex truck to delivery my new bike. It arrived about 12:15 so I was free to get out and ride. At 1:00 I rolled out the driveway headed to the south. With daylight savings time and 72 degrees I figured today would be great to ride a little further than I have lately. The ride was through Atascocita, Eagle Springs and Walden before crossing Lake Houston to Huffman. I rode past the spot where I had my car collision last September. This time school is out for spring break and no traffic was moving around Atascocita High School. That was a reason why did not mind riding there. Since then I pay extra attention to cars pulling out from side streets.

IMG_0989

The weather was sunny under partly cloudy sky. The temperature was 72 at the start and 78 when I returned home at 3:56. While I was stopped at the Huffman Chevron I looked at the weather on my phone. I saw a wind advisory starting Wednesday 7:00AM to 7:00PM with a cold front moving through. This could mean no biking tomorrow.

This ride was 35.98 miles long and I averaged 15.4 mph. I saw one other bicyclist and waved at him but did not get a response. Later I saw a couple of trail bicyclists out on their mountain bikes.

March miles: 200.59. 69.6 miles this week. 905 miles year to date. 305 miles left to reach my March goal.

[wppa type=”slide” album=”288″ size=”auto”][/wppa]

[iframe http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/459385306 470px 570px]

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2332566/embed 95% 700px]

Save

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Digest March 10th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Expensive Organized Rides

Bike Noob

As I sat indoors on an unseasonably cool, gloomy day today, it occurred to me that an organized ride is coming up that I was thinking about doing this year. I got out the laptop and jumped onto the ride’s website.
Oh, no! The ride was Saturday — and today is Sunday! That’s what I get for “thinking” about doing a ride, but not adding it to any kind of a schedule, and holding off on registration until I’m “sure” I want to ride it. I just — forgot.
I wonder, though, if that forgetting was any kind of a clue that maybe I really didn’t want to do the ride in the first place. I’ve written before about my ambivalent feelings toward organized rides — how they’re a way to get an expensive t-shirt. Then I changed my mind, and rode a…

Court rules for landowner in trail dispute

Associated Press |     www.valleymorningstar.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has sided with a Wyoming property owner in a dispute over a bicycle trail that follows the route of an abandoned railroad. The decision could force the government to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate landowners.
The justices ruled 8-1 Monday that property owner Marvin Brandt remains the owner of a 200-foot-wide trail that crosses his 83-acre parcel in southern Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest. The trail once was…

Mayor Parker says she aims to change cycling culture in Houston

By John Donnelly, Reporter

HOUSTON (FOX 26) – Cyclist Phillip Niccum knows riding the streets of Houston can be a deadly game.
“I’ve had several friends killed riding bicycles on the streets of Houston and in the surrounding area. So I try to stay off the streets when I ride bicycles. That’s why I like mountain bikes. You can jump the curb and get on the sidewalk and stay out of the traffic,” says Niccum.
It certainly has been dangerously lately. On Tuesday night, Hoang Nguyen allegedly struck and injured cyclist Andrew Fitzpatrick as he rode along FM 1960.
On Dec. 19, 2012, a hit-and-run driver struck and killed Stephen Belle as he rode on Normandy on the east side of town.
On Dec. 1, a hit-and-run driver struck and…
Houston weather, traffic, news | FOX 26 | MyFoxHouston

HBC Urban Challenge Ride Ride

Houston Bicycle Club

Location: In Town
Sunday 03/23/14    9:00AM
Distances: 40 to 45 miles
The Urban Challenge Rides are in-town group rides, faster and longer than the EZ Rides, each time taking you to different parts of the city. You should be able to maintain a pace of 15 mph for a distance of 40 to 45 miles, usually with one rest stop. …

This Week’s Rides

San Antonio Cycling Club

Sunday, Mar 16th,
Elmendorf Ride
9:00 AM
Meet at the carpool parking area located at Loop 1604 & Hwy 181. Map S3. Cruisers or Roadies can choose distances of 21, 44, or the optional 53 miles. (The 53 mile route will be leaderless, however maps will be available). These rides have everything from flat to rolling hills to a few small hills. Ride Leader, David, 210-849-5663. Join us for lunch at a nearby cafe. Guests welcome.
Directions: Take Hwy 181 South towards…

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 64: Sanderson to Wild Camp 35 km east of Marathon
Sunday March 9, 2014, 54 km (34 miles) – Total so far: 3,786 km (2,353 miles)
The handimart across the street from the motel (called Stripes) was really pretty good. Not only do they have fresh fruiit for less than Walmart, but they have breakfast tacos, in eight varieties. These are only 99 cents each, also an excellent deal.
I zipped across the street to pick up some of these, at 6 a.m. when the store opens. To my horror, the same headwind that had stopped us yesterday was still blowing out there, in just the same way. I returned wondering if I should tell Dodie about it. She was in front of our room loading the bikes and remarked that the headwind was gone. It was just the sheltetr of the building, but I let it pass. The weather forecast called for NNE winds, so why NW was blowing out there was a mystery.
We ate our tacos and in about 30 minutes were out at the road. No wind, nothing, not a breath! Wow, who’s asking questions, let’s go!
It’s worth noting that although this was 6:30, it was still dark because daylight savings time was now in effect. So it was our standard drill of…

Grampies Go South

By Steve Miller and Dodie Miller

Day 65: Wild Camp to Marathon
Monday March 10, 2014, 35 km (22 miles) – Total so far: 3,821 km (2,374 miles)
We made the run to Marathon quite handily this morning, kicking ourselves gently for not having made it yesterday.

Looking at the map, it was clear that there was no advantage in rying to go further than Marathon today. The next stop could have been a picnic site 35km further on, but then the stop after that would be a picnic site after Alpine or maybe after Marfa. Our basic choices through this area are to go motel to motel, in Marathon, Alpine, and Marfa before launching into the void, trying to reach Van Horn, 125 km from Marfaor to go picnic site to picnic site, before jumping into the same void.
Picnic site to picnic site would leave us with no power (since the failure of the rim on the wheel that had the dynamo). On the other hand, with no cell service or internet, why do we need power? Well, there is the camera, the lights and flashers, the ipod, the movies! We can theoretically, but not happily, do without those, and the solar panel could actually maintain at least the camera, so ..
Part of this issue was resolved for us when we found the most likely motel at Marathon filled up. Spring Break is the culprit. It could easily seal us out of…

Current Ride Info

Carrollton Cycling Club

Irving  Bible Church rides start Monday March 17 at 6:00 pm.  Pump the tires, polish the helmet and let’s get started!
Monday and Wednesday, Starting March 17 at 6:00 pm
“No-Drop” ride, Irving Bible Church, Irving. About 23 miles at an average
13 MPH No-Drop pace.
Contact: Don /Jean Blackard: djblackard@verizon.net
Monday and Wednesday, Starting March 17 at 6:00 pm
“Intermediate” ride, Irving Bible Church, Irving. About 27 miles at an average 16 MPH+
Moderate to Intermediate pace.
Contact: Don /Jean Blackard: djblackard@verizon.net

Dallas REI — Northeast Texas Trail

Dallas REI Store

Date: 3/20/2014
Event Location: Dallas REI
Event Fee: Free
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM CDT
Leader: NETT
Group Size: 50
Description: Joseph Pitchford will review his 130-mile bike trip on the Northeast Texas Trail (NETT). Pitchford and Steve DeBauge completed the first thru-bike of the entire NETT corridor in 2012, stopping overnight in small towns along the route. The NETT runs from Farmersville to New Boston, through 17 other small towns along the way. When complete, the NETT will be the 5th longest rail-trail conversion in the United States. The first 40 attendees will receive a free copy of “The Cyclist’s Guide to the Northeast Texas Trail.”

Tweets

https://twitter.com/BBQ44/status/443253461887377408

https://twitter.com/DrewiferdLee/status/443054145768292352

https://twitter.com/txbikeracing/status/443049338428596224