Missing Bolts – July 18th Bike Ride

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As I started the ride the sky was filled with blue and some small puff of white. I left home at 12:06 with the temperature at 90 degrees. After yesterday’s rain the humidity was a tolerable 54%. By the end of the ride at 2:50 the humidity dropped to 41% while the temperature was 94.8 according to my home weather station. Later when I stopped at the Huffman Chevron the sky was filled with more clouds but blue was still poking through.

No bike ride yesterday due to rain until afternoon and an hour or more to dry the streets off. I took the day to perform some maintenance when the postman delivered the replacement 110x34T inner chainring and 11T rear derailleur pulleys. I got ready to remove the chainrings and found that two of the bolts had disappeared from not tightening them enough the previous time. That left three bolts so after I put the new chainring on I went to Bike Werks to see if they had any but they did not. They are going to order the bolts and should receive them tomorrow. The pulleys were an easy install and the old ones were grimy with all of the paraffin from the chain. I decided the three chainring bolts would be strong enough for today’s ride and no problem during the ride.

The route went south through Atascocita, Walden and then Huffman. I did see another bicyclist going the opposite direction while I biked east over Lake Houston on FM1960. Mileage totaled 34.50 and thanks to the 19.6 mph gusts I averaged 16.0 mph. July miles stand at 499.83 and year to date miles are 3825.

Weather tomorrow will repeat today so I should be out biking if I can pull myself away from the TDF.

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup July 17th

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Rechargeable Helmet Light (electronics)
by narced133        www.instructables.com


I was tired of having clip-on bike lights stolen and decided to build a set of head and tail lights into my helmet.  The final helmet has bright white LED headlights, flashing LED taillights and runs off a rechargeable Li-Po battery.   For an extra challenge I decided to do the switching and flashing entirely with analog components and use SMD electronics where possible for a smaller form factor.

I’ll describe the process by which I designed and built the electronics.  The plastic enclosure I built…

Come to the Red Line Trail Ribbon-Cutting on August 2nd!
bikeaustin.org

Join CapMetro, Councilmember Chris Riley, Bike Austin, the Texas Rollergirls, and others to celebrate the opening of this new section of the Red Line Trail! This new urban trail connects the Crestview and Highland MetroRail stations, and continues south of Highland Station to Denson Drive. It’s a 10-foot wide concrete trail with landscaping, including 144 newly planted trees donated by Austin Energy.

From 6:30-8:00am, commuters will be treated to breakfast, and opportunities to try out the new Austin Bike Share bikes and CapMetro bus racks!
The ribbon-cutting will be at 10:00am, with some words from…

San Antonio B-Cycle
B-cycle ride to the Alamo at Midnight! Way to keep it awesome people! We love seeing people rock out on B-cycles so please and thank you

Bicycles for rent
UTEP collaborates with the city of El Paso to implement a bike-share program
By S. David Ramirez        www.utepprospector.com

The El Paso bike-share program has moved forward with funding and planning approval from the City Council. More than $2 million will be used to install bike-rental kiosks at various locations between downtown El Paso and UTEP.

“It is a good idea to have this option for a campus where people are either dependent on private vehicles or the bus for (transportation) around the city,” said Larry Morgan, sophomore history major. “It sounds like a healthy alternative that might allow more UTEP people to get around parts of town without worrying about…

Journey of Hope cyclists enjoy experiencing East Texas
By Angela Ward        www.news-journal.com

Almost two dozen young men from across America descended Tuesday on Longview, part of a cross-country bike ride to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities.

The mostly college-aged men are riding anywhere between 35 and 140 miles per day — with an average of 75 — as part of the Journey of Hope.

Their trip began June 15 in California and will…

Texas riders make case for conquering cancer
by Michael Dashiell, Editor        www.sequimgazette.com

The ride is long. For many, the battle against cancer is much longer and with much more at stake.

Students from the University of Texas are sacrificing much of their summer to help raise more than half a million dollars through the Texas 4000 for Cancer, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

About two dozen riders on one of Texas 4000’s three teams in the midst of a cross country tour biked in from Olympia to Sequim today, July 17, stopping briefly at 7 Cedars Casino for lunch before heading on to Lake Crescent.

The team, known as the Sierra group, will spend tomorrow, July 18, at the lake before heading on to…

Coleman Chevrolet to Sponsor USA Cycling Stage Race This August
Coleman Chevrolet is sponsoring the USA Cycling Stage Race in Douglassville, Texas on August 10 and 11, 2013.
www.prweb.com
Michael Coleman, owner of Coleman Motors, has announced that again this year, they will be a major sponsor of the USA Cycling sanctioned Coleman Chevrolet Stage Race. The sponsorship will be in conjunction with race promoters, Edge City Cycling. The event will be held in Douglassville, Texas on August 10 and 11, 2013. Over the two-day period, there will be three different types of races, each designed to test the endurance, strength and speed of cyclists from all over the country. The first race, the Coleman Chevrolet Classic, is scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 10. These events also help bring awareness to the sport of competitive cycling in the United States.

USA Cycling sanctions these stage events all over the country with 128 cycling events scheduled to be held in Texas this year alone. Stage racing is designed to emphasize the all-around ability of the participants on a variety of terrains. In stage races, the lowest elapsed time of all the races combined determines the…

Tweets

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for July 16th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Bike Funding Approved for El Paso
BikeTexas.org

Row of bikes at a recent Velo Paso ride. Photo courtesy of Velo Paso.On Friday, June 12, the El Paso MPO Transportation Policy Board approved $2.3 million in citywide bicycle infrastructure and programs over the next three years. Several bike advocates voiced their support for bike funding during the meeting, while countless others called and emailed their representatives ahead of time.

“Infrastructure and bike programs will not only help the [City of El Paso’s] new bike share program,” said Ben Foster, board member of Velo Paso, a bicycle-pedestrian coalition, “but it will also inspire people to dust off their bikes sitting in their garage and ride to…

Hotter’N Hell program seeks hosts
Registration open for homes, visiting riders
Orlando Flores Jr./Special to the Times Record News
The Hotter’N Hell Hundred committee has opened up registration for its host home program for hosts and riders through the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Maire Libby, chamber office coordinator, is in charge of registration and said the program will take participants up until the Friday before the race Aug. 24.

“It’s like fishes and loaves,” Libby said. “Sometimes I get a burst of homes, and sometimes I get a burst of riders. I never turn anyone away when they…

Couple supports MS150 Bike Ride: She rides toward finding a cure for his MS
by Ed Todd            www.mywesttexas.com
Danette Beals not only welcomes but seeks challenges of the high-minded sort, such as a spirituality she terms “compassion.” It is evidence of a mother’s love of family and, especially in Danette’s case, love of her ailing and gentle husband.

The greater the difficulty, though a joy in the trials, the more appealing the task.

“I like a good challenge,” Danette said, be it perfecting a marriage and ministering to her beloved husband, Ray Beals, or honing her bicycle-riding skills, building strength and increasing endurance. “I will do it or die trying.”

Her husband, a former avid mountain biker, motorcyclist and rodeo cowboy, once pursued and…

Fundraising Texas cyclists give cancer a rough ride
By Kristin Annable, Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON – After cycling from Saskatoon in the pouring rain Sunday, fundraising rider Nick Muston said Tuesday he couldn’t believe his eyes when he arrived in Edmonton.

“Driving for hours in prairie and farmland, then suddenly we see this big city pop up,” said Muston, business relations co-ordinator for Texas 4000, the longest annual charity ride in the world.

On June 1, nearly 70 cyclists from the University of Texas began a 4,000-mile (6,400-km) trek from that state to Alaska, hence the name Texas 4000. The Livestrong Foundation is their main sponsor and the…

BMX racing opportunities in El Paso
16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Spc. Jarred Woods        www.dvidshub.net

EL PASO, Texas – Soldiers of Fort Bliss and the surrounding community are never at a loss for something to do off the clock. For those who relish the idea of combining both physical endurance and a need for speed, bicycle motocross offers thrill seekers just that opportunity.

BMX racers ride specially designed bicycles on dirt tracks built of sharp banks and steep hills used for jumping. Anyone looking for a new way to get or…

ARR August Club Ride at Lake Georgetown
The Austin Mountain Bikers Meetup Group
Saturday, August 10, 2013        9:00 AM
Lake Georgetown – Russell entrance
2101 CR 262, Georgetown, TX (map)
Look for the Austin Ridge Rider Banner

August Club Ride at Lake Georgetown
Meet Up location: Russell Park (look for us outside the park ranger gate.

Riders will break into groups based on skill level, length of ride and whether one wants to rip up the trails or ride at a social pace and smell the flowers. “No Drop” policy in effect so no one gets left behind or lost. Bring plenty of water and don’t forget your helmet!!

CARPOOLING is strongly encouraged and everyone is invited to bring a dish to share. (Cookies, chips, dips, salads, fruit, drinks, ICE!!)

You do NOT have to be an ARR member to attend most club ride but we do ask that you sign a waiver, properly wear a helmet when…

PBA Thanks to First Responders…
Plano Bicycling Association

New Anthills Kiosk and Trail Armoring
GHORBA.org

We had a great turnout for the Anthills trail work party on Saturday, July 13th. The photo shows 9 of the 11 trail gnomes that worked on armoring the trail, installing another kiosk and trimming the trail. The second kiosk was installed at trail level near Dairy Ashford. Plans are to install two more, one at Eldridge and one at Kirkwood so that there will be one at each major street crossing. We also armored the section of bench cut on the east shoulder of the Dairy Ashford bridge to…

Group Ride at Anthills on July 6th
GHORBA.org

There was an awesome turnout for the Anthills group ride on Saturday July 6th! There were nearly 50 people including the ride leaders. Some attendees were first-timers but many said they rode the Anthills regularly but had never been on some of the sections they rode which made the ride even more fun. Thanks to the six ride leaders for a great job and for…

Tweets

https://twitter.com/COABikeProgram/status/357285781364162560

Where Did the Heat Go? – July 16th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I need to check my calendar to see if this is really July. How can it be 88 degrees in the middle of the afternoon and 84 when I start a ride at 11:10? Part of the answer is the heavy clouds that look threatening when viewed from an angle but when you ride under them you can see some blue. By the time I got to the Stripes station on FM1314 the clouds thinned out some and blue sky shone through. As I write this at 4:00 rain is falling at home which is okay now that I am back from biking. Our yard needed the rain too.

It’s been several days since I biked the New Caney – Gene Campbell Road route and nothing has really changed. I did vary the starting streets a little and when I returned to Kingwood I biked through Forest Cove to not backtrack on the same streets I went out on. The route totaled 37.54 miles at a 15.8 mph average speed. There were times when I rode into the 12 mph NNE wind that slowed me down but as soon as I was on FM1485 the wind generally was favorable and I started improving my average speed.

My tires continue to behave themselves after yesterday’s front tire flat before I even got out of the garage.

The new seat bag holds all of my stuff and should hang there for many miles. I bought a Park multitool to replace the rusted one that still is stiff after I treated it with rust penetrating oil and then some chain oil. I opted for the Park tool with a plastic frame thinking this would survive the moisture from when I get caught by rain and forget to dry out the bag contents.

July miles now total 465.33. Year to date I biked 3791 miles.

Tomorrow has a 50% chance of rain so I will ride where the 50% dry is.

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