Texas Bicycling News September 8th 2022

Texbiker.net Posted on by

HAPPENING NOW: Bicyclist hit by truck in south Abilene

by: Erica Garner | www.bigcountryhomepage.com

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – A bicyclist was hit by a pickup truck in south Abilene Thursday morning.

The accident happened near the intersection of S 7th Street and Barrow Street just before 8:00 a.m.

Police at the scene told KTAB and KRBC a female on a bicycle was crossing Barrow Street heading west on a bicycle when she was hit by the truck.

She was hospitalized with serious injures, and the driver of the pickup, who police say is a minor, is uninjured.

Bike thefts continue to plague campus, but remain below 2019 levels

By Lin Lu | www.ricethresher.org

Rice University has seen a rising amount of bike theft on campus since the start of this year, according to Clemente Rodriguez, the chief of police and director of public safety. Rodriguez said 36 bike thefts were reported so far this year, the highest number since 44 were reported in 2019.

“I think what we are seeing is, as more students are back on campus … post-pandemic, there is more opportunity for people to steal bikes on campus because there are more people on campus,” Rodriguez said. “So there has been an increase in [bike thefts].”

Rodriguez said that the highest number of bike thefts have occurred near Duncan College and Will Rice College.

“Both Will Rice and Duncan have reported five bike thefts between …

New North Texas Urban Gravel Loop Overview (Cypress Waters Trail) from GravelTexas

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Austin Bike Lanes PSA from BikingATX

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Saturday Morning Caffeine Cruise – September 10th, 2022 from socialcyclingaustin

Lend Your Legs is back! – September 12th, 2022 from socialcyclingaustin

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Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

No Flat Tire Drama. Just Listening To The Chain Talk

Texbiker.net Posted on by

I guess I wasn’t in a real hurry to start today’s bike ride after yesterday’s flat tire drama. Before the ride I replaced the cleats on my Sidi Alba shoes. The cleats had about 7900 miles of use and were getting hard to clip in and out of. I put the old cleats on October 5th, 2021.The ride began at 9:47 AM as my Cervelo Caledonia rolled out of the driveway. I decided to ride my Atascocita South – Walden – Huffman route. This would be the 5th time biking this route in 2022. The previous 4 rides averaged about 35.4 miles but today I added a couple of streets before leaving Kingwood boosting the ride to 36.34 miles and my week’s total to 157.92 miles when I finished at 12:39 PM. This positions me for a 200+ mile week with 3 days to ride.

9-8-2022 YTD Bike Rides Summary Atascocita South-Walden-Huffman
9-8-2022 YTD Bike Rides Summary Atascocita South-Walden-Huffman

As I rode north on Atascocita Shores Drive another cyclist passed going the opposite direction. Later at the church on Fairlake Lane two cyclists were putting away their bikes after riding about 44 miles. I stopped and talked to them. They said the headwind coming back from south of Crosby was hard. It’s always great to see other cyclists out riding.

Like yesterday’s ride on my Lynskey Helix bike, the Cervelo rode easier after airing the tires up to 80 psi. I think it is time to either wax the chain or use the Silca chain lube since it is starting to talk to me.

35 RD shifts during the bike ride. A couple of those were mistakes when I shifted to an easier gear instead of the harder one. The 35×13 gears were the popular one today with 1:41:11 riding time or 24 miles. Link to more data at AXS.SRAM ride report.

9-8-2022 Ride Data Summary Atascocita South-Walden-Huffman
9-8-2022 Ride Data Summary Atascocita South-Walden-Huffman

Texas Bicycling News September 7th 2022

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Downtown to be scene of bike ride, jamboree

By Travis Hairgrove | www.heraldbanner.com

Bright and early on Saturday, Sept. 17, hundreds of cyclists are expected to meet in Greenville and fill the square by the Hunt County Courthouse to begin the 26th annual Cotton Patch Challenge bike ride.

Though boasting seven different routes, ranging from six- and 12-mile “family friendly” routes to advanced 61- and 74-mile treks, the bike ride will only be one component of the festivities in Greenville that day. The Cotton Patch Challenge will be followed by the city’s third Lee Street Jamboree, which will feature a variety of vendors, food and musical entertainment.

The Cotton Patch Challenge will start at 8 a.m. by the courthouse, with check-in starting at 6:30 a.m. in front of Landon Winery. Participants can register the morning of the event and also ahead of time online at www.bikereg.com/cotton-patch-challenge.

To show the riders proper hospitality, the routes will feature eight rest stops providing snacks, bottled water, music and the …

Stolen bike brings community together to make things right for teen in Kingsville

By: Shane Rackley | www.kristv.com

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — 16-year-old Michael was riding his bicycle outside his mother’s apartment complex Monday night when he was called inside.

Covered in mosquitoes, he dropped the bike outside and ran into the house.

When Michael’s mother went back out to retrieve the bike, she noticed her autistic son’s bike was gone.

This left Michael heartbroken, so his mother reached out to the Kingsville Police Department, and the Facebook community about the bike to see if she could get it back.

Immediately, R.N. Gutierrez and …

Conquer the Coast: Your guide to the 20th annual cycling event

John Oliva | www.caller.com

Conquer the Coast, a yearly cycling tradition, is set to return for its 20th year in the Coastal Bend Saturday, Sept. 17.

The premier cycling event of South Texas will have riders choose from three different scenic routes of the Corpus Christi area with views of Ocean Drive, Port Aransas and upper Padre Island.

Proceeds generated from Conquer the Coast will benefit the Corpus Christi Chamber Foundation, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islander Athletic Fund and various cycling organizations throughout the Coastal Bend, including the Corpus Christi Cycling Club and Corpus Christi Triathlon Club and its "Bikes for Kids" program. …

Pineywoods Purgatory Brings Bike Riders To Lufkin, Texas

Dan Patrick | ksfa860.com

The East Texas Cancer Alliance of Hope’s event, the Pineywoods Purgatory, is coming back to Deep East Texas. If you are a rider there are many very challenging courses to choose from.

The pitches and thickets in our area of Texas are just like being caught between heaven and hell. You are there enjoying the beautiful scenery, but it’s still almost 100 degrees and you must climb yet another hill.

Thus the name Pineywoods Purgatory is very fitting. There are all kinds of different routes at 27, 54, 70, and even 100 miles if you want to really push it.

Be On The Lookout For Cyclists On October 1st In Lufkin, Texas

This event has been going on in Lufkin for three decades. I can’t tell you the number of times driving around …

2 friends bring passion project to Bayou City through Planetary Cycles

By George Wiebe | communityimpact.com

Houston’s cycling community has seen the city evolve over the years from a place known for its poor pedestrian infrastructure to one with a growing reputation for biking.

Friends and business partners Adam Potter and Danny Savitzky were able to see much of that evolution firsthand as owners of bicycle retail and repair shop Planetary Cycles, which they opened together in 1994.

Originally located along North Braeswood Boulevard, the store has moved twice to accommodate an increase in business, eventually settling at its current location across from the Meyerland Plaza in 2013, along the Loop 610 feeder road.

“The first location was 1,000 square feet, then we went to 3,000. This current one is about …

Proposed $123M TxDOT project would double the lanes on one of Texas’ most treacherous roadways

Claire Goodman | www.houstonchronicle.com

The strip of FM 529 from FM 362 to Grand Parkway is one of the worst in Texas for traffic congestion and crashes, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation. To address the problem, TxDOT has proposed a $123 million construction project.

On Aug. 30, TxDOT hosted a public hearing on their proposed projects, detailing the scope of the work and how it might improve driving conditions.

Here’s what you need to know about the project. What is the FM 529 improvement project?

The project will span 12 miles on FM 529 from Grand Parkway to FM 362, crossing through both Waller and Harris counties, project consultant Daisy Orona said. …

… TxDOT also plans to install raised medians and left-turn lanes, widen existing bridges along the corridor, and add pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, Orona said.

Specifically, TxDOT will add a 10-foot-wide shared use path along both sides of the roadway, TxDOT documents show. …

40th Annual Full Moon Cruise Bike Ride 09/11 1:30am (Saturday night!)

dougmc | bicycleaustin.info

t’s that time of year again, and the ride you’ve been waiting for is coming … the 40th Annual Full Moon Cruze bike ride!

This year, the ride will happen on Saturday night/Sunday morning, September 10/11th, 2022. We shall assemble at about 1:30 am (actually, some will probably be there even earlier) at the James D. Pfluger Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge and we’ll ride out at about 2:15 am to 2:30 am.

DO NOT BE CONFUSED BY THE DATE! This ride happens on Saturday night/Sunday morning, the night of the 10th and/or the morning of the 11th! Take a nap if you need one, but set an alarm so you don’t forget!

If you only make one bicycle ride a year — this is the one to make!

As always, the schedule for Austin’s full moon rides can be found at http://cycling.frenzied.us/full-moon-rides …

Detour Garden Ridge Dinner Club

Francisco Simas | strava.com

Wednesday

more photos at the link

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

First Time Event On My Lynskey Helix, Preferred To Skip It

Texbiker.net Posted on by

When I started today’s bike ride the last thing on my mind was having a first time event on my Lynskey Helix bike. I pumped up the tires on both of my bikes to about 80 psi before leaving on the ride aboard my Lynskey Helix at 9:02 AM. That is what probably delayed the ride starting before 9 AM which I was trying to shoot for. I was going to ride my Community Drive – Valley Ranch -Gene Campbell Blvd. route for the first time since July 13th. Since then I have been riding the shorter Community Drive – Cumberland – Oakhurst route. I could feel the Lynskey rolling a little quicker and easier with the newly inflated tires when I began the ride under a nice blue sky.

The ride was going smoothly as I made my way north along US59, over US59, through Valley Ranch, and NW along FM 1314 until the turn onto Fatheree Road so I could ride in front of Porter High School. As soon as I made the turn onto the street in front of the school I heard a swoosh of air. Not sure which tire made the noise I stopped and looked at the rear tire first and then the front. It was the front tire that was flat. This was the first flat on my Lynskey Helix since got it in May. I rotated the tire to look for the cause but couldn’t find anything sticking out or in the tire. I moved to a shady spot, too the front wheel off the Lynskey and looked again to see if I missed anything, nothing stuck out or in. Now I was concerned because the only other time I worked with the Continental Gatorskin tire was to mount it when the rim was new after receiving the Lynskey bike. It was almost impossible to get the tire on and I thought how would I get the tire loose enough to get the tube out. Using my Pedro’s yellow plastic tire tools I got one side of the tire off the Alpha 46 rim without too much of a problem. Now to find the hole. I moved the tube around from the valve looking at the outside of the tube for the hole. Nothing. I tried pumping up the tube to listen for escaping air but the air went out before I could locate the hole. I folded the tube up as pumping it and finally narrowed the location to near the valve. A little more searching and I found the hole on the inside of the tube about 6″ away from the valve.

This meant something on the inside of the rim probably caused the hole. I looked on the inside of the rim under the tire and found the rim strip folded over and not covering a few spoke holes. I think the tube extruded into a hole from my airing up the tire and hit a spoke end. Why this didn’t happen earlier than 1097 miles on the Lynskey I don’t know. While I was fixing the hole a man pulled up in a Chevrolet Suburban and asked if I wanted a ride home or someplace to fix the flat. By then I was comfortable with getting the tube patched and thanked but said I was doing good. A little later another man in a pickup with a trailer stopped and asked if I was okay or needed a lift. I told him I was good and thanked him.

I patched the tube using an unopened tube of glue in the patch kit (thankfully the glue had not dried out), pumped it up to check my work and began putting it back in the tire wondering if I would have as much trouble as I did before. Carefully pushing the tube up into the tire and using the tire tools I got the tire almost back on the rim except for about 8″. I thought that was going to be where I couldn’t get the tire all the way but using the end of Pedro’s tire tool the tire slipped onto the rim. Relieved I attached the pump and started airing the tire up. After what I thought was a lot of pumping the tire wasn’t getting firm but a few more pumps and it firmed up. I pumped it until I couldn’t squeeze the tire, my substitute for an air gauge. I put the wheel back into the fork being careful to not squeeze the brake lever and mess up the disc brake. Tools back where they belong and I got back on the bike to ride to Gene Campbell Blvd.

Now I could enjoy the ride weather and put that first event in the past. There was a slight headwind on the way to Gene Campbell Blvd. but I kept the speed up around 18 mph improving my overall average speed to 14.3 mph. Making the turn at Gene Campbell Blvd. I headed back to the SE on FM 1314 now with a light tailwind. I made a short ride into Cumberland to be sure the ride miles would be at least 36 and then back on FM 1314.

While it was hot the weather has a fall feel to it. Maybe lower humidity and dew point help with that. Weather conditions: start 79 (humidity 84%, dew point 74), a few clouds, wind calm; finish 88 (humidity 61%, dew point 73), a few clouds, wind NW 6 mph.

I changed gears whenever I approached a traffic light going from 35×13 to 35×15 which made starting up again easier on the legs. Highlights from AXS.SRAM.com ride report: 2:00:39 using 35×13 gears or 28.5 miles. Almost a 50 minute difference between moving time (2:51:51) and total elapsed time (3:41:52).

9-7-2022 YTD Bike Rides Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell Blvd
9-7-2022 YTD Bike Rides Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell Blvd
9-7-2022 Strava Ride Data Summary Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell blvd
9-7-2022 Strava Ride Data Summary Community Drive-Valley Ranch-Gene Campbell blvd