Texas Biking News March 12th 2021

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Pearland makes strides to build cross-city trail system

Carissa Lamkahouan | www.houstonchronicle.com

Although the city of Pearland’s 21-mile Clear Creek Trail System may take another decade to complete, the city is close to completing approximately eight miles of hike-and-bike paths that run alongside the area’s most prominent tributary.

The city is gearing up to open a new trail segment from Shadow Creek Sports Complex to the Lower Kirby District in the western part of the community. Once installation of a pedestrian bridge along the pathway behind the area’s …

Frisco Taychas Trail finally completed under 121 from dfwbike

Update: Geolocating Austin Bike footage from 1977 from BikingATX

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Not What I Planned On Today’s Bike Ride. Wind Gets Sassy!

Texbiker.net Posted on by

My morning started like the last several days with me watching the Pairs – Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico races before heading out on my bike ride. I decided to ride a route I haven’t biked this year yet. The last time biked the “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road” route was October 19th, 2020. I didn’t realize it had been so long. After yesterday’s flat tire I checked the patch kit on my Lynskey R300 since that was the bike I was going to ride. The kit was good and the glue unused. I rolled out at 11:13 AM thinking I might have time to stop for an apple fritter at Pat’s Donuts. That didn’t happen. One reason I chose this route was the length. I wanted to get close to 200 miles for the week in case a cool front passed through Sunday before I got home from church. Today’s 37.27 miles accomplished that putting me at 175.34 miles for the week. Saturday’s planned ride should get me there. The October ride was slightly longer at 37.33 miles. Today’s bike early in the ride.

3-12-2021 Today I Rode the Lynskey R300

For a change the wind didn’t include gusts but it was strong at 17 mph from the SE. The temperature was warm enough that I didn’t need a jacket. I wore shorts, a long sleeve jersey, and a short sleeve jersey. By the time I finished at 3:26 PM the inched up to 18 mph from the south. Weather conditions: start 76 (72% humidity, 66 dew point), mostly cloudy, wind SE 17 mph; finish 81 (57% humidity, 63.9 dew point), partly cloudy, wind S 18 mph. With all of the wind and from the south or southeast the humidity is building up to normal for Houston.

The ride moved along thanks to the strong wind as I rode north. Making the u-turn under US59/I-69 north of FM 1485 gave me the first exposure to how strong the wind was as I rode back to FM 1485 to go west. I knew once I got into that headwind around FM 1314 it was going to be tough pedaling.

When I turned onto Gene Campbell Blvd. I saw a new sign warning of road construction ahead. Just passed the new school construction site a flagman waved me down to let oncoming traffic through. I chatted with him until he told to go ahead. I rolled away. Not too long after that I felt my rear tire going soft and pedaling getting harder. Since I was in the one way traffic section I kept riding until I could turn right onto a side street (no name). The tire had enough air that I wasn’t riding on the rim. I turned left onto Christopher Way and found a pile of utility poles to sit on while I fixed the flat.

Inspecting the rear tire it took a couple of urns of the wheel to find the tiny piece of glass or rock. I wasn’t sure that was the cause until I got the tube out, pumped it up and looked for air escaping. Good thing I checked the patch kit before the ride. Two days in a row with a flat on different bikes. Not what I planned for. It took about 35 minutes until I got the wheel back on the bike with the hole patched. It took a little longer because I answered several text messages from my son-in-law. That was when I noticed the rear disk brake rubbing, enough to make a noise and pedaling harder. I had no idea how to adjust it so I tried removing the rear wheel and fiddling with the thru axle. It didn’t help. I did this several times after that but nothing helped. Later at home after the ride while the electricity was off I watched a YouTube video to learn how to adjust it. (I used a business card on one side of the disk for clearance and now the wheel tuns without rubbing).

Back on Gene Campbell Blvd. I ran into the headwind and my legs were not up to pedaling fast into it. On FM 1314 I struggled to keep my speed at 10 to 11 mph. Sometimes I stood up to pedal and added a few more mph. The ride home was exhausting but I made it. The wind must have blown some electric wires together and a few minutes after getting home the electricity went off for about an hour. What a welcome home!

Ride data from Golden Cheetah tells some of the story about today’s bike ride.

  • 3-12-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Data-1
  • 3-12-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Data-2

Texas Biking News March 11th 2021

Texbiker.net Posted on by

WF Cyclists Hosting Seed Bombing Fun Ride March 20th

Dave Diamond | newstalk1290.com

There’s a bicycling event coming to Wichita Falls that sounds … intriguing.

The Bike Wichita Falls bunch and their friends in the Midnight Riders are hosting a Fun Ride Seed Bombing event on Saturday, March 20th.

Here’s the plan. Participants on the Seed Bombing event will arrive at the Downtown Wichita Falls Farmers Market by 10:00 a.m. on March 20th. Once you’re there you’ll be instructed on how to build a seed bomb. Then everyone will hop onto their bikes, go for a ride, and …

Golden Rollers Ride along Boggy Creek Trail

Ghisallo Cycling Initiative | ridespot.org

Golden Rollers is a collaboration between the Ghisallo Cycling Initiative and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department that provides an opportunity for adults aged 50 and older to engage in low-impact, bicycle-based recreation, exploration, and transportation. …

Looking for Saturday morning group ride from BikingATX

Study examines barriers keeping cycling from being more inclusive

www.bicycleretailer.com

BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Engaging and encouraging marginalized communities and investing in infrastructure will grow cycling and make it more inclusive, according to a new study commissioned by PeopleForBikes.

The study, Where Do We Go From Here? Breaking Down Barriers to Bicycling in the U.S., was led by Charles T. Brown of the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. His team wanted to identify the factors preventing people from bicycling and identify the infrastructure improvement and incentives that could encourage them to start.

"Even without the recent upsurge brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, bicycling has increased in popularity in many U.S. cities over the last decade," the executive summary begins. "However, even as the number of bicyclists and bike trips steadily grows, many …

… Two focus groups — one with community members, the other with local business representatives — were formed in 10 cities: Austin, Texas; Baltimore; Denver; Fort Collins, Colorado; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans; New York City; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; and Tucson, Arizona. …

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY OVERNIGHTER

By June Bug | austinmountainbiking.com

This was just posted on Bikepacking.com. It’s a overnight ride that includes an overnight stop at Castell for supper and camping at the nearby Leifeste Campground. The ride starts at a campground on a private ranch on FM 16 between F-burg and Llano.

I’ll note that four years ago we did two rides starting at Castell and had planned to camp at Leifeste Campground. It was October — I think this must have been just after the three-day Columbus Day weekend — and the place was completely beat up; portapotties were overflowing.

It was so unappealing we went to the Castell Store and found a little cottage rental with no kitchen. So — we had beds to sleep in but we used our camping set up and cooked outside.

Anyway, Leifeste Campground is right on the banks of the Llano, so a lovely setting. On facebook, they are Leifeste Campground in Castell and the phone is 254-717-3305. Sounds like they have some electrical hookups now and call ahead to check on reservations.

Texas Hill Country Overnighter

Maxwell Johnston | bikepacking.com

The state of Texas has so much beauty to offer, but there’s something uniquely captivating about the Texas Hill Country. Located 90 miles west of Austin, this overnighter takes you through the rolling hills of limestone and granite, past prickly pear cactus, and fields of livestock. Riders can camp under the stars on the Llano River and test their luck with some of the state’s best fly-fishing spots…

Chats with Strangers Whilst Bicycling in Austin, Texas

A Dude Abikes | adudeabikes.com

A guy driving a truck is about to turn into the bike lane. ADAB stops to avoid getting hit.

ADAB: (Yelling.) “Hey, I’m right here in front of you!” Guy: (Looks left and right, doesn’t see me.) ADAB: (Slaps hood hard; yells louder.) “I’m right fucking here, motherfucker!” Guy: (Surprised. Says nothing.) ADAB: (Leaves in disgust, hoping he doesn’t follow, veer into him or shoot.)

ADAB is doing 30 miles per hour downhill in an area where the bike lane starts then stops several times. A guy delivering something is …

Texas Biking from Twitter

New Events Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

Flat Tire In Strong Wind On The Way Back From Tavola

Texbiker.net Posted on by

March wind is not letting up. I watched two road races from Europe before leaving on today’s bike ride, Paris – Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. They rode some hills but no wind like I did today. I chose a northerly route which meant a tailwind for the first 17 miles as I biked my “New Caney – Tavola – Valley Ranch” route for a total of 35.31 miles. My week now totals 138.07 miles and the month 264.3 miles, all road miles. I rolled out on my Canyon Endurace CF SLX bike at 10:53 AM and finished at 1:58 PM.

Not all was smooth biking though. As I headed south on the US59 southbound frontage road approaching the Montgomery County Courthouse Annex my front tire started losing air. I pulled into the parking lot and spotted a bench to check for the problem. I found a small piece of sharp rock, plucked it out and got the tube out of the tire. I found the hole and prepared it for the patch. That’s when I found out the glue was almost all dried out with just enough to cover the patch area. The glue dried and I applied the patch. Waiting a minute or two before stuffing the tube back in the tire for the glue to cure it looked good. I pumped the tire up and it held pressure. This took about 20 minutes which somewhat fast for me. Back on the road I battled the headwind some more. This photo is after I fixed the flat.

3-11-2021 Bike Ride Fixed Flat Tire

Weather conditions: start 75 (72% humidity, 65 dew point), overcast, wind S 15 mph gusts 23 mph; finish 77 (68% humidity, 65.6 dew point), overcast, wind S 16 mph gusts 24 mph. The wind was strong helping me get to Tavola but extracting a price on the return. It was warm enough for me to wear shorts, a long sleeve jersey and a short sleeve jersey without a jacket.

  • 3-11-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Data-1
  • 3-11-2021 Golden Cheetah Bike Ride Data-2