Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for October 20th

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Bicycling Growing Form Of Transportation
by KTXS
The city says making Abilene more bicycling friendly will benefit our community, and that’s what they’re planning to do. The League of American Bicyclists ranks Texas as only 41 out of the 50 states for being the most bicycling friendly. Bicycling around Abilene isn’t always the easiest either. Getting around…

Bike around the Bay starts in Anahuac
by Anahuac Progress
More than 800 bicyclists descended upon Anahuac early Saturday morning as they gathered for the Bike Around the Bay event. Anahuac was the first leg of the 150-mile journey where cyclists travelled south to Bolivar, west to Galveston and north to Baytown on Saturday and Sunday.

The event benefits the Galveston Bay Foundation. Bike Around the Bay is a fully supported two-day, 150-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay showcasing the natural beauty of Galveston Bay and benefiting…

Cycling – Tour de Longneques – October Edition
Posted on October 21, 2010 by donbynum

The Tour de Longneques October Edition is this Saturday.
Tour de Longneques
Rumors abound that there will be a good turnout. As a reminder, it is not an “organized ride”. Just a bunch of cyclists get together and go for a very nice/fun/relaxed ride ending up with a soak in the Llano river, a couple of Lone Star Longnecks, and some BBQ. …

Indoor Cycling
from Cooper Institute
Get ready for a whirlwind 1-day course! November 19, 2010. This course provides instruction on implementing one of the latest activities being taught in fitness centers and recreation centers today – group stationary indoor cycling/spinning. Gain all of the skills and knowledge needed for your own training or to create fun, exciting, and motivating indoor cycling classes!
Topics:
* Safety
* Instructor Guidelines
* Class Design
* Cycle Choreography
* Technical Aspects of Cycling
* Accessories and Enhancements

A Full Moon and My Headlight – October 20th Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

That is what I had to light my ride this evening. I got a later start than I had planned so the daylight was fading as I started the ride. The Raleigh M800 is fitted with light for this reason. With daylight savings time ending in a couple of weeks this was an early taste of riding in full darkness when I start before 6:30 PM when the DST ends. One thing I can count on is no other bikers out and a few joggers/walkers. I try to stay in areas where street lights are to help with seeing unmarked people.

The weather continues to be rather warm but clear skies and light wind or no wind. This evening it was 85 degrees when I started and 79 degrees when I finished.

Today’s ride data:

  • October miles 377.18
  • YTD miles 4378.77

10-20-2010 Ride Data

Additional charts.

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Thule Passage 2 Bike Carrier Unboxing and Installation

Texbiker.net Posted on by

In August 2010 I purchased the Thule Passage 2 Bike carrier from Amazon.com. The carrier fits on the rear door of my Jeep Grand Cherokee. We were going on an extended driving vacation and there would not be room to put my bike inside. As I was getting ready to test the carrier on our trip to the Hotter’n Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, TX, I thought it would be interesting to video the unboxing and installation. My wife, Hazel Marie, is the camera person.

The first video is the unboxing. I am wearing a jacket with ride patches from the League of American Wheelman that I earned back in the 1980’s. Sorry for the bare feet since I recorded this after my evening bike ride.

After the unboxing, the next day as we were getting ready to leave for the Hotter’n Hell 100 my wife videoed the installation on the rear hatch of our Jeep Grand Cherokee. The video is pretty self explanatory but I was injured during the installation when I pushed one of the carrier arms into its opening. Due to the length of the video there are two parts.

Now for the conclusion of the install. The carrier performed perfectly for the trip to Wichita Falls and the 4,200 mile vacation trip we went on during the month of September. By the end of our vacation I could put the carrier on the Jeep in a matter of minutes. I think taking the front wheel off of the bike was a good idea for traveling purposes.

I would highly recommend this carrier. It fits a large number of vehicles (but not my Jeep Wrangler) and the instruction sheet details the arm settings to fit each vehicle. The price was reasonable at $86. This was what attracted me since the hitch mount ones cost over $200 or more. The mounting straps are long to accommodate the wide variety of vehicles but I figured out how to wrap the excess around the carrier frame so that flapping straps would not mark the Jeep’s paint.

Daily News Roundup October 19th – Texas Bicycling

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375 cyclists show for Crazy ride
by Mineral Wells Index
Saturday’s weather couldn’t have been better for the sixth annual Kiwanis Crazy Kicker bike ride. According to coordinator Lyn Butcher, 375 cyclists showed up for the ride, which started in West City Park.
Crazy Ride
“It probably went the smoothest of any we’ve had,” said Butcher of the ride and registration and picture-perfect weather.

The ride began with a “paralyzing” canon blast, courtesy of…

Challenge to Conquer Cancer cycling team embarks on 1500-mile bike ride
by Spartanburg Herald Journal
Challenge to Conquer Cancer
The Challenge to Conquer Cancer cycling team embarked on a 1,500-mile bike ride Sunday from Greenville to Austin, Texas, to raise funds for cancer research. The group, recruited by the Palmetto Peloton Project, is made up of 30 cyclists – five of whom are cancer survivors – and 15 support people. …