Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for February 20th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Traffic Skills 1010
PedalHouston.com
Traffic Skills 101 class, REI Galleria, February 25-26, 2012.
Do you want to learn to cycle confidently and safely in the Houston area? Then this class is a must! Learn to communicate effectively with motorists and enjoy the ride. We’ll discuss proper lane positioning, basic rules of the road, how to avoid obstacles, scanning, changing a tire, emergency turns, emergency stops, basic maintenance, and much, much more! Saturday will be all lecture (no bicycle needed) and Sunday will include parking lot drills and a group ride.

ARTCRANK
by minorbaker            Austin on Two Wheels
I don’t know when I first heard about ARTCRANK, but I expect it was some combination of friends in the Minnesota artist/bike communities and Twitter (those “people you should follow” suggestions may actually work).  I have spent the last couple of years following the Flickr feed and ogling all of the cool posters from other cities.  At one point a couple of years ago, I even emailed show creator Charles to see if there was anything I could do, to get a show in Austin.  So a couple of months ago, when show producer Kate emailed me to talk about her upcoming scouting mission for Austin’s first Artcrank, I was beyond excited.  Charles and Kate were gracious…

Safe Passing signs
by bikedenton

In 2010, council member Dalton Gregory proposed the Safe Passing ordinance. In 2011, the council unanimously approved the ordinance. Pictured above is a new sign on W. Hickory to educate the public that cars must give 3 feet when passing, and trucks must give 6 feet. Since it protects far more than just people riding bikes, it’s…

New Bike Plans for Denton (video)
Denton City Council expected to vote on bike and pedestrian mobility plan
By Sara Story            www.nbcdfw.com
The City of Denton is expected to make a big decision that could make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. The council will consider a new bike and pedestrian plan on Tuesday.

Bicycling is a mode of transportation for the Briggle family, but Amber Briggle said traveling around Denton on two wheels can be difficult. “There’s a lot of work to be done,” Briggle said.

She is just one Denton resident pushing for bike-friendly streets.

“If my child lives 3 or 4 blocks from her elementary school, she should be able to bike there or walk…

Checking in at Frostbike!
by djcurtin                bicyclesportshop.wordpress.com
Cycling trade shows.  Most cycling gear fanatics know about Interbike.  But those really in the know want to know what’s up at Frostbike.  Frostbike is an open house of sorts for Quality Bicycle Products, also known as QBP—or more accurately, Q—arguably the retail cycling industry’s most important, if not biggest distributor.  Serving over 5,000 independent bicycle dealers, Q is a standout model not only in terms of dong business, but also in being good community stewards.  Frostbike is a chance for staff members from dealers that work with Q to head to their headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota and get some tips on industry best practices—and see some new product!

Bicycle Sport Shop’s bike buyer, Scott Linville, and our parts and accessories buyer, Kelly Oden, packed up some cooler weather attire and headed out for Frostbike, which ended yesterday.  Here’s a brief look at what they had to say, and what they saw. …

1990 Fort Worth Cowtown Classic – February 20th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Overcast sky and 64 degrees waited for me to pull out of the driveway. I hoped the promised 66 degrees would show up but it didn’t. With these conditions I dug around in my bike ride T-shirt drawer for a long sleeve shirt to wear under my long sleeve jersey. I pulled out a 1990 Fort Worth Cowtown Classic T-shirt. Obviously this one goes back in

Cowtown Classic 1990 T-shirt

time (almost 22 years). The shirt sports long sleeves which few rides furnish nowadays. With the overcast skies I opted for my   mountain bike again so that the route would not be too far from home or shelter. It turned out I did not need them even though the temperature dropped a degree and the wind shifted slightly to the southeast from the south-southeast.

The trails still have water over some places but not quite as deep or frequently as yesterday. I got stopped at one point by loggers cutting a tree down and blocking the trail. A quick detour got me back on the trails.

The goal was to get the February miles up to 200 and with today’s 18.85 miles February miles total 203.72. Over the years my February averaged 249 miles. YTD totals 470.97 miles. So I need another 46 miles to get to the average. With 9 days left the opportunity exists if the weather cooperates. The weather forecast says 70’s Tuesday through Friday.

Garmin Connect data link

RideWithgps.com data link

 

2-20-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

2-20-2012 Home Weather Station End

 

Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for February 19th

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I have experienced the verbal abuse Steve writes about but not from the same person. Around where I bike the high school students like to yell out of the school bus that I should be on the sidewalk, as if they are some driving law experts.

Advocates? Irrelevant!
by Steve A            DFW Point-to-Point

Looking at the Bedford Road/183 Junction from the South – My View in the Afternoon. In the Morning, I’m Headed South Towards the Camera. And There is Construction so the Freeway Can be Widened for MORE Motorists

I do not claim to be a bicycle advocate. Instead, I ride my bike from point to point. It’s why I named this blog what I named it. Mostly, advocates from the one extreme of “The World Would be Paradise if We Only Spent on Bikes” to “This Stuff is the Spawn of Satan” miss the point that NONE of this has the slightest relevance to any cyclist that has determined to ride from one point to another. Instead, we have a continuing series of choices involving things ranging from clothing, to equipment, to route choices and what to do about our fellow road (or other facility) users.

Last week, I encountered a situation I have never encountered before in 50 years of cycling. It is not something I…

8:00am – Cup o Joe
Corinth Cycling Club
by Scott Franklin
When: Sat Mar 10, 2012 8am to 9:30am  CST
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
Event Description: The Cup o’ Joe is a beginner level ride of around 15 miles. The ride heads south to Hickory Creek and stops for drinks at Starbucks on the way home. The ride leader for this ride is Bob Troyer. The route can be found by clicking on the link

Black Tie Ride to Who Knows Where!
by UrbanPedal
Bicycle Tsunami has planned a bicycle flash mob Sunday Feb 26th. We’re not sure where we’ll all be converging (it’s very hush-hush till we get the email the day before) but we’ve been assured it’s within a 30 minute ride north of downtown Dallas.

So we’re planning a themed ride from Main Street Gardens to the location! And since it’s Oscars night, its only appropriate that we dress to the nines for a bicycling pre-Oscar Party ride! (Yes, I’ll be…

Kelly Island Breakfast Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Start: March 31, 2012 8:30 am
End:  March 31, 2012 10:30 am
Venue: Port San Antonio
Address: 143 Billy Mitchel Rd, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78226
Saturday, March 31st: Ride starts at 8:30 a.m.  Meet in the large parking lot located on the corner of General McMullen and Foulois St. in Port San Antonio. Join us for an easy ride on a flat course for 18 miles.  (A shorter option is available.) This ride is timed so that we will be able to enjoy a late breakfast at Kelly Island.  Directions:  Traveling east on Hwy 90, enter Port San Antonio via the 36th Street exit.  Go to Billy Mitchell, turn left, and take Billy Mitchell to General McMullen and turn right, go one block, then right onto Foulois St.  The parking lot is on left.  Traveling west on Hwy 90, exit General McMullen and go south, proceed through traffic lights until you pass Billy Mitchell.  Take the next right onto Foulois St. and turn left into parking lot.  For more information contact ride leader Amanda McCoy (210) 422-8039

HBC Chappell Hill Ride
Distances: 35(B), 46(C), 55(C) miles
One of the prettier rides for wildflowers in the spring, it’s also a very nice fall ride. The short route heads north on FM 1155 for about 7.5 miles to the stop sign at FM 2193 then heads east on FM 1155 another 12 miles to Washington on the Brazos State Park.  There are bathroom facilities and water/soft drinks available at the park. Watch that one big hill just a few miles north of Chappell Hill on FM 1155. It’s not called “Chappell Hill” for nothing. Eat outside at Bever’s after the ride (corner of Providence and FM 1155), one block from the start.

Moving from El Paso, should I bring my bike?
Forum at Austin Ridge Riders
someguy456
Hi guys, what kinds of bikes are you riding out there?
I’m a pretty active mountain biker here in El Paso. We have some rough, rocky, gruelling trails over an actual mountain that cuts through the middle of the city. I love the sport so much, I invested in a Trek Hifi Deluxe.

However, I’m now thinking of moving to Austin. I haven’t biked there, but I don’t expect the hills will be as tough as the mountains here. Would you say there are enough long, challenging trails for a 29er dual-suspension like mine? Are they close enough to the city to be able to visit them regularly? …

Happy Trails for me – February 19th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

After yesterday’s rain storm I wondered about the bike trails condition. At first I almost took my road bike but grabbed my mountain bike shoes and rode the trails. After the rain and clouds on Saturday today’s clear sky, 67 to 68 degrees and light 4 mph wind brought a grin to my face. Not riding since February 16th I needed to get back on a bike. Once I started on the trails the water covered some places but the trails are concrete or asphalt in the older sections. Generally the water covered places consisted of a short stretch but one must have been 30 to 40 feet and several inches deep. The number of people on the trails indicated other people needed sun and exercise.

I ended up biking 16.79 miles when I thought I might only go 15. With the water and traffic I managed a 11.3 mph average speed. There was someplace I got up 26.9 for a max speed. My average cadence ended up at 71.7 RPM, rather low from pedaling slowly through the water to keep the mud down. February miles total 184.87 and YTD 452.12. After Monday the weather forecast shows temperatures in the 70’s for several days. Great biking weather.

2-19-2012 Bike Ride Data and Route Map

 

2-19-2012 Home Weather Station End