Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 27th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Tomball people
by Chowell77        forums.mtbr.com
Call me crazy but I think Burroughs Park has a ton of potential to become a premier riding spot in north Houston area. How does one go about finding out if the parks system would let us build some fun technical features out there? They’ve got a ton of land and it seems they encourage riding out there but I’m wondering if they’d allow a group like GHORBA to come in and really revamp it? I know I’d gladly help raise funds and contribute to any work parties. Any thoughts?

Cinco de Mayo in Saint Jo
Corinth Cycling
On Saturday, 5 May, Corinth Cycling will return en masse to Saint Jo, TX for the first time since Scotty’s fabled Birthday Brr-thday Blowout of many winters ago. We’ll ride the hilly 65-mile route identified as “St. Jo Loop” on the Ride Maps page of this website, then limp over to the DQ for unhealthy food and other forms of cultural immersion. This is a…

Paradise Canyon Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring club
Start:     April 7, 2012 8:30 am
End:     April 7, 2012 12:00 pm
Venue:     Exxon Station
Address:  15355 W FM 471, San Antonio, TX, 78253
Come and enjoy this 35 mile ride in Paradise Canyon with its beautiful hills and scenic country side.  Ride begins at 8:30 at the Exxon Station, located on FM 471 (Culebra Rd.).  Bring plenty of water and whatever else you need because the only rest stop is at Rio Medina, which is at the 24 mile mark.  If you are seeking a longer ride, you can extend your route by going into Castroville…

New Belgium Brewing’s “Tour de Fat” announces national schedule
Bicycle Retailer & Industry News
FT. COLLINS, CO (BRAIN) Tuesday March 27 2012 11:52 AM MT— New Belgium Brewing will take its Tour de Fat events to Atlanta and Washington, D.C. this year for the first time. The 13th season of the events includes venues in 15 cities. The events have raised nearly $2 million for nonprofits. Funds generally go to bike advocacy organizations.

At each Tour de Fat, one person becomes the center of the show as he or she gets up on stage, hands over car keys, and pledges to live one year car-free. Tour de Fat is now seeking volunteers to accept the swapper challenge. Each car-for-bike swapper will choose a local bike shop to help them turn their $2,250.00 budget into…

…October 20 Austin, TX Fiesta Gardens

Helmet or No Helmet – Lets just ride a bike!
by minorbaker        Austin on Two Wheels

Just last week Mrs. B completed a video of myself and the boys out for a ride.  For her first attempt at making a video, I think she did a pretty darn good job.  Obviously I wanted to share this video with friends and family spread around the globe, so I posted it on Facebook.  The resulting comments led to an interesting discussion at home and on the web, which still has me grappling with my thought/philosophy on the issues of wearing a…

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff Hosts Ciclovia de Dallas 2012
by dickdavid        Bike Friendly Richardson
http://suburbanassault.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ciclovia_poster_web.jpg?w=336&h=528
There is an exciting event coming to the city of Dallas. Folks with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, the City of Dallas and Bikes Belong are hosting Dallas’ first ciclovia event. We’re thinking about putting together a ride down to the…

Safe Bicycling Route in Midland, Texas
The Fire Ant Gazette
Note: The overly precise and unimaginative post title is designed for maximum search engine-friendliness. This is more or less a public service article.

Several people have recently asked us where we ride our bicycle in Midland. They’re either new to the city, or new to our neighborhood, and they haven’t found a route that has the right mixture of safety, scenery, and mileage.

Debbie and I have found a route – with several variations – that provides that mix for us. It may not work for everyone, and it works best for those who live outside of Loop 250, but we’ve received enough questions about it that it seems worthwhile to create a post that will…

Persistent Tapping Sound – March 27th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

A little less sun today as I started my ride at 11:20 but by the end the sun burned some holes in the overcast sky. The mostly cloudy sky held the temperature lower than yesterday at 75 to 81 degree range during my ride. Wind from the southeast at 12 mph did not cause much of a problem.

I left earlier today so we could work in the yard in the late afternoon when the sun dropped low enough to shade our work area. This work project presents the usual challenges: pavers that showed in stock at the local building supply turned out to not be there. Because of the color and pattern of our existing pavers the problem means we must change the design. So I think I got that figured out. While we checked the yard after the tree trimming last week I found a sprinkler head broken off. It turns out the 1/2″ x 3″ nipple to connect the sprinkler head to the below grade water line are not so easy to find. But I located one after calling and/or visiting three stores. Ace Hardware to the rescue.

My ride today did not have any drama like yesterday. I did encounter two other bikers along my route which surprised me being a Tuesday and around the noon time. My tapping sound continues to vex me. I tried a suggestion from Bill Wood to loosen and adjust the front derailleur. After doing that the tapping sound continues. So I am on to the next possibility. The tapping sound only appears when I am pedaling and if I try to get the problem to sound while being in my work stand or by holding the bike up and turning the crank it does not make the noise. My two suspects: bottom bracket and pedals. If I stand up to pedal the sound still happens but I think it is not so frequent but this could be caused by my not being able to hear it. The mystery continues. I probably will take the bike to the bike shop on Friday.

Some ride statistics from today:

  • 1:55:43 ride time
  • 29.64 miles today
  • 15.4 mph average speed
  • 22.8 mph max speed
  • 80.6 RPM average cadence
  • 59.27 miles this week
  • 523.16 miles in March
  • 1159.25 miles YTD
  • Garmin Connect data link

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/563537 98% 600]

3-27-2012 Home Weather Station End

3-27-2012 Home Weather Station End

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for March 26th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

This is like refueling a jet while in the air!

Source Universal Tap Adapter: Refill Your Hydration Bladder On The Go
bikereviews.com

Another accessory offering convenience is the Source Universal Tap Adapter.

The adapter allows you to fill up your hydration pack from the end of the tube you drink from, allowing its user to keep her pack on. A simple design for a simple job. …

Thanks for a great Trail Work Day!!
by Redmountainbike         Austin Ridge Riders
Great work day, very productive with 32 volunteers!

Lots of lopping, trimming as well as TLC on the berms on the BMX Loop. Also, FIX’D and crew gnawed through the two downed trees (very large branches that had broken off fairly high off the ground) on the side loop near the creek. There is one very large Y-shaped section of branch caught in another tree and…

Free Webinar: Empowering Women to Bicycle for Transportation
By Carolyn Szczepanski             www.peoplepoweredmovement.org

Last week, at the 2012 National Bike Summit, the Alliance and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals hosted the first-ever National Women Cycling Forum — and it was a huge success. More than 200 people attended the gathering, and the diverse panel of women from advocacy, history, diplomacy, racing, engineering and retail inspired and informed us with their unique experiences and…

FKS Revisit the Safety Pyramid
by Steve A            Dallas Point-to-Point

I posted about the Safety Pyramid once before, here. I’m prompted to revisit the topic by Fear, Khal, and Steve to illustrate how it applies to cycling.

If you will recall, the Pyramid suggests that crashes are related to the number of “near misses” or, commonly in cycling talk, “close calls.” And “close calls” are related to…

Teen bicyclist struck by car dies
Houston Chronicle
A teenager struck last week by a pickup truck has died. Roberto Lopez, 14, was riding his bicycle across the 4900 block of Louetta on Thursday when he was hit by a Dodge pickup truck, Harris County sheriff’s deputies said. Lopez was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital by Life Flight helicopter. He died on Saturday, deputies…

Manor Road Race Day 2 Results
Austin Cycling Team
Another great day of racing out in Manor for Team Seton Brain and Spine Cycling! Results:
Women Open: Kim Ciolli – 2nd, Nadia Barrera – 9th, Lindy Alton
Women Cat 4: Allison Floyd – 2nd, Kelly Martinez – 4th
P12: CJ Hebert – 24th
Men Cat 3: Jeromie Payne – 6th, Kevin Girkens
Masters 40+ 1/2/3/4: Mark Jansen – 7th, James Murff – 9th, Grant Woolf – 10th, Rob Eason – 16th, Larry “1 Break & Broke” Blanchard
Masters 50+ 1/2/3/4: Chuck Bippert – 9th, Jason Newman – 10th, John Collins – 11th
Masters 35+ 4/5: Bill Huie – 27th, Gary Obernolte – 33rd…

Sunday lake tour
by bikedenton

Riding up to Lake Ray Roberts is an OYB, Out-Your-Backdoor adventure. You don’t need to drive there, just pack some snacks, spare tubes, and roll out of the driveway. I do this route every year, and I’ve done it on all different kinds of bikes. Sherman Rd has a huge, smooth shoulder that’s not scary to ride.

Today, Remington and I cruised a 40 mile loop out Sherman, up the Greenbelt, over the dam, and we stopped at the Culp Branch free swimming spot where we met friends from Cardo’s Farm for a dip and some…

Happenings at Northaven Trail
by The Announcer Guy        Biking in Dallas
Friend of Northaven Trail have several important updates and invites for you this week.

Trail Clean-up – Saturday, March 31, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
On March 31, we will host a trail clean-up project in conjunction with Dallas Park and Recreation Department’s “It’s My Park Day”.  We plan to meet at Dealey Park behind Dealey Montessori on Royal Lane at 9:00 am and then disperse in a few teams to clear brush under several large shade trees along the trail.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to help. Please dress appropriately (bring gloves) and bring yard tools if you have them – no…

Cyclists roll in to Amarillo to promote Veteran awareness
by Betsy Goldin            www.connectamarillo.com

AMARILLO, TEXAS — Two Iraqi veterans rode their bikes into Amarillo Sunday as part of the Wall to Wall Bicycle Ride. They started their trip in Bakersfield, Calif., and after 100 days on the ride they will stop in Washington, D.C. Both men are riding across the country to promote veteran awareness. …

Tunis Roubaix (Texas A&M) Race Report
by Nicole        cyclesharp.com

The South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference (SCCCC) schedule began this year with Texas A&M’s road race, the Tunis Roubaix at William Penn, semi-affectionately nicknamed, “The Hell of the South”. Some background for those who don’t know pro cycling: one of the most famous and difficult European one-day races is the Paris-Roubaix, which takes place in northern France early in the spring. It is famed for its difficult weather and rough cobblestone sections. Texas doesn’t do cobblestones, but A&M’s race always features unpaved…

The Ronde von Manor Races, 2012
by Ken            Texas Racing Life

Time and time again, I have noticed in races how a little team tactics goes a long way towards ensuring results on your team. There are some great teams this year that are showing their might, all for one, one for all. The best examples this last weekend at Manor were SuperSquadra, 787, and WoolyMammoth.

Manor is a fun course that can be easy, if the field will let it be easy. It can also be pretty hard. It has one punchy climb that is more of a sprint each lap, followed by a false flat that can take it out of you if you go too hard on the short climb. It is the perfect place to make selections if you can. This year due to drought and…

Austin Fit Magazine (@AustinFit)        via Twitter
Just got back in from riding, felt good to get back out there!  Retweeted by @BSS_Austin

Motorcycle Driver Down – March 26th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

This morning my wife and I worked in our front yard flower bed. After that I wondered how my bike ride would go and if the muscles would respond. The bike muscles answered the call but the yard work muscles may not be so good tomorrow afternoon when we work some more. With the yard work I did not start the ride until 1:54. I needed to activate my new cell phone before the ride as well but that did not take too long.

Once I got biking around the 6 mile mark I looked ahead of across Northpines Drive in the Harley Davidson of Kingwood parking lot just in time to a motorcycle fall over as the driver made a left turn. I sped up to get there and as I almost got there a man ran over from the west side of the parking lot. The driver just bought the HD last week and he was learning how to ride it. The other man turned out to be his son. I asked if I should call an ambulance but they said not yet. Shortly another man arrived who helped shade the driver from the sun as he lay on the concrete. Next another man arrived. He was an off-duty EMT. Now the son agreed to call 911. So he called 911. Because this was in an area close to the Houston city limits the 911 call got switched from Montgomery County 911 to the Houston fire department. While the call was in progress two women stopped to see if they could help. They were nurses from the medical offices in the center across from the Harley Davidson lot. BY now there were plenty of people so I said my farewell and resumed the ride. The driver did not look too banged up with some road rash and blood on his right elbow and complaining of left shoulder pain. His helmet had some mean scratches on the left side. He said he was relieved he had it on and it probably saved him from a bad head injury.

The weather today started off great and by the time I started the temperature hit 86 and landed at 88 when I finished. If I looked hard I could spot a few small puffy clouds in the bright blue sky. The wind almost did not seem to blow but it was 7 mph from the SE.

My bike developed a tapping sound some time back and it does not want to go away. I am not sure what the cause might be but my guess is the bottom bracket has something to do with. The tapping sound only happens when I pedal and it sounds at the same point in the pedal rotation. I tried a different rear wheel in case that might be the cause but the tap persists. Looks like a trip the bike shop is the next step.

Some numbers from today’s ride:

  • 29.63 miles
  • 1:57:19 riding time
  • 15.2 mph average speed
  • 22.0 mph max speed
  • 80.0 RPM average cadence
  • 493.52 miles in March
  • 1129.62 miles YTD
  • Garmin Connect data link

[iframe http://ridewithgps.com/trips/562365 98% 600]

3-26-2012 Home Weather Station End

3-26-2012 Home Weather Station End