Dealer Tour: Austin retailers seek niches in increasingly saturated market

by Val Vanderpool        www.bicycleretailer.com

AUSTIN, Texas (BRAIN) — Take away the perpetually sunny skies, year-round mild temps and the ever-present Southern hospitality, and it might be easy to mistake Austin for Portland, Oregon.
Striking similarities between the two cities include: a booming population of under a million, hip food trucks and new restaurants emerging on nearly every corner, a vibrant cycling culture that spans all disciplines, a large green space accessible from town, numerous bridges that connect the downtown with other parts of the city, a growing cycling infrastructure, a vibe that makes you want to stay awhile — and above all, the two cities are siblings in weirdness, with Portland having adopted and adapted the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan for its own use.
And the parallels don’t end there. Like Portland, Austin’s bicycle retail market is saturated, with anywhere from 50 to 60 bike shops and…

Trail Work Party At Cypresswood (Collins Park)

GHORBA.org

Event category: General
Trail: Cypresswood (Collins Park)
Saturday, October 25, 2014 – 8:30am
Cleaning up Cypresswood trails , from Collins park to the Cypresswood bridge, meeting Collins park 8:30 am Saturday Oct 25th

Cyclesomatic | Boo-Bike-Que, October 29th, 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

OCBC’s annual Halloween mountain bike ride is a fun, social outing for anyone interested in gettin’ some dirt and having fun!  This is a…

Keepin’ it weird in Austin

by Stephen Frothingham        www.bicycleretailer.com

The bike market in Austin has many similarities to Portland”s.
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Sounding Off: East Dallas readers discuss funding for bike-lane maintenance

www.dallasnews.com

RAISE YOUR VOICE: Share your own opinion online at dallasnews.com/sendletters. Sign up for Sounding Off or submit a guest column (and include your full name and contact information) by visiting dallasnews.com/voices.
Dallas’ city streets department devotes $500,000 a year to on-street biking improvements. But the money is usually spent on creating new lanes, not operations and maintenance. Is there a need for more money to be devoted to bike lanes? Are there improvements needed for lanes you see or use?
Mary Weir, White Rock: I am all for doing anything that helps bikers ride around Dallas safely. One of the improvements that needs attention is Winsted Drive, a…

Webberville Cross Race – Saturday, October 18, 2014

Violet Crown

This year’s Webberville Cyclocross Race was the ninth Violet Crown ‘cross race at Webberville and the largest, at 342 entries, bigger than last season’s State Championships held at Webberville last January. Thanks to the twenty five-plus club members who volunteered to set up and work the event. We also got great help from our major sponsor Mellow Johnny’s in the form of prizes and race infrastructure. Other contributors to the over $3,000 prizelist were Brad Houston Law, Dawson-Lipul Builders, Rol Wheel Works, Hops and Grain Brewing and Linda Craig Massage.
The course was a shorter variation of the usual course, taking out an asphalt section and adding a log run-up, to provide a little something for all types of ‘cross rider, hopefully. Unfortunately there…

Race Preview – Cross Houston – 10.25-26.14

by joeyTWOwheels        texascx.com

Back to the Velodrome!
Very excited to have this course on the #TXCX schedule. It’s straight out of Paris Roubaix, or in cross circles, Alpenrose in Portland.
If you’re looking for some past previews of the course, you know where to go. But for 2014, here’s what Race Director Frank Karbarz has to say about Cross Houston.
Tell me about the venue – what’s the best feature?
The velodrome has a lot of terrain change and is a hidden gem and you would not expect it to deliver a cross course. But Portland and Seattle run cross races every year at their velodromes. There’s even…

Saturday November 22nd Exxon to 211 Ride

Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club

Saturday, November 21st: Ride starts at 8:00  We will meet at the Exxon Station on FM 471 and travel down 471 to FM 211 (hilly) and then continue on to Rio Medina via FM 471 (flat) and then back to the Exxon station for a total of 34 miles.  Those wishing a longer 45 mile ride can ride all the way to Castroville.  Those wanting a shorter 18 mile ride can return to the Exxon Station instead of going onto…

Please Be Kind to Cyclists, Davis Phinney Foundation fund-raisers set for November

By Pam LeBlanc        fitness.blog.austin360.com

Two fund-raisers for really good causes are coming up in November …
* Don a costume (or don’t) and head to the Please Be Kind To Cyclists 2014 Masquerade Social Soiree, set for 7-10 p.m. Nov. 8 at the 410 Speedshop, 410 Pressler Street. The event celebrates Austin’s biking community, and honors those who have been injured or killed while cycling. It also raises funds used for educational programs, to help injured cyclists and their families, and to support public campaigns such as the Safe Passing initiative. The event, sponsored by Pure Austin Fitness, will include live music, food, drinks, dancing, a raffle and a silent auction. (A couple of years ago I bid on – and won! – a cool baby blue beach cruiser at the event.) Masks provided at the door. Tickets are $60 for members, $75 for non-members and $500 for a table for eight. For more information go to http://www.bekindtocyclists.org/2014-fundraiser.html.
* “Gear Up for Victory: A Freewheeling Gala Benefiting People With…

New Event Added to Texbiker.net Calendar

New Bike Event: Guided Mountain Bike Ride – Smithville, TX: When: Sun Nov 30, 2014 10am to 12pm 
CSTWhere: Bue… http://t.co/QmWBSPy3cD

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 24, 2014

Tweets

A great night with 400 friends at the @drivewayseries wrap up party. Thanks Austin! http://t.co/iArtgJ9gYg

— Castelli Cycling (@CastelliCycling) October 24, 2014

Familyfun @DWNTWNElPaso @VisitElPasoTX @twittyboyd @sbwhite @AtomCyclist @GoGreenElPaso @MCADElPaso @CrazyCatCyclery pic.twitter.com/W3PRegJpUJ

— VeloPaso (@velopaso) October 22, 2014

Hey trail users- a reroute will be in place until Sunday at @PantherIsland access will be continuous, just follow the signs for the detour

— Panther Island – Central City (@PantherIsland) October 23, 2014

Dallas Cyclocross! @Spinistry @TexasCX @cyclocross pic.twitter.com/Hl0bsf2Fnf

— Festive Scotty Doesn't Know (@sscottholmes) October 23, 2014

Racing this weekend @crosshouston. Get all the details here: http://t.co/Y066zuDlMc #TXCX #cantstopwontstop Tell your friends.

— the ghost of TexasCX (@TexasCX) October 23, 2014

Event Reminders

2 Day Alert: No Country for Old Men – Alpine, TX, Oct 25, 2014 07:00AM – Kokernot Park, Fighting Buck Ave.,Alpine , TX(CST) http://zpr.i

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014

2 Day Alert: Kiwanis Sealy Fall Classic – Sealy, TX, Oct 25, 2014 08:00AM – Sealy Business and Professional Women's Park,1008 Main Stree

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014

2 Day Alert: Tour De Pecan – Seguin, TX, Oct 25, 2014 08:00AM – Seguin City Coliseum, 950 S Austin St, Seguin, TX, United States(CST) ht

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014

2 Day Alert: Ride for Kids-Gear Up To End Childhood Hunger – Fort Worth, TX, Oct 25, 2014 08:00AM – Sundance Plaza, 201 Main St, Fort Wo

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014

2 Day Alert: Trick It Up Bike Ride – Farmersville, TX, Oct 25, 2014 09:00AM – The Historic Onion Shed, 154 S. Main Street, Farmersville,

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014

2 Day Alert: Tour de Nac – Nacogdoches, TX, Oct 25, 2014 09:00AM – Mike Moses Middle School, 2801 Park St, Nacogdoches, TX, United State

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014

2 Day Alert: 2014 MDA Ride for ALS – San Angelo, TX, Oct 25, 2014 09:00AM – 4160 W Houston Harte Expy, San Angelo, TX 76901, USA(CST) ht

— Rick Ankrum (@texbiker) October 23, 2014