Today’s weather is a repeated of yesterday with a few more clouds. The temperature was 79 degrees at the start and 85 degrees at the end. Humidity has went up a few percentage points with the light wind out of the south southeast at 2 mph. Thursday is still being forecast as the arrival of a “cold” front but it is still supposed to reach a high of 81 that day but with some threat of rain. So my riding later in the week may be iffy. In the meantime I will take advantage of the current conditions.
At the 24.1 mile point my average speed was 16.0 mph but it did drop to 15.6 mph by the time I finished. Riding the 50 x 15 gear combination helps me get the speed up and be able to carry it over to the part of the route with a lot stops and starts. I was looking at my Garmin Edge 500 while I was in the “big” gear combination and I was riding at 21 to 22 mph as long as I was headed north. Once I made the turn around at FM1485 the headwind was just enough that could not maintain above 20 mph so I changed to the 43 x 12 gears. My speed dropped to 17 to 19 mph so I was able to keep the average speed up. The route was 29.23 miles long so I am averaging over 29 miles for both days this week. I will try to match that tomorrow. Max speed was 22.4 mph and average cadence was 81.9 RPM, down just a little from yesterday. October miles are 595.03 and year to date is 4836.37 miles.
TRINITY BICYCLES ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR MOVE TO SUNDANCE SQUARE
Press Release
Award-Winning Bike Shop To Be First Downtown Since Departure of Cromer’s Ace Decades Ago
FORT WORTH – Trinity Bicycles announced today that it will move its business to a 1550 square foot space at 343 Throckmorton Street in Sundance Square.
“ This is a tremendous opportunity for us to move our business to the heart of downtown Fort Worth, Sundance Square,†Trinity Bicycles owner Bernie Scheffler said. “As Fort Worth’s premier shop for bicycle commuters, a downtown location is an ideal fit for us.â€
Trinity Bicycles has made a name for itself as one of the few shops in Texas promoting bicycle transportation through education and advocacy, but it sells more than just commuting bikes. Trinity sells and repairs all types of bikes, from high-end competition machines, to daily commuters, to various styles of comfortable bikes perfect for enjoying Fort Worth’s Trinity River Trail system or just cruising the neighborhood.
Trinity Moving to Downtown Fort Worth
bicycleRetailer.com
FORT WORTH, TX (BRAIN)—Trinity Bicycles will move to a new space in Sundance Square, a 35-block retail, residential, entertainment and cultural district in downtown Fort Worth, Texas.
The new 1,550-square-foot location should be open in mid-January 2012, with a grand opening targeted for March, said Trinity Bicycles owner Bernie Scheffler. Trinity’s current home is 2,100 square feet, but due to unusable space there, the business will have the same retail and service footprint at the new location—plus…
Years ago I was riding with another guy and he told me about an invention he was going to make that would put turn signals in the ends of the handlebars. I never saw that invention come along but this might be alternative you can make yourself.
Even if you’re fully decked out in reflective coating, riding a bike at night can be a dangerous thing, which is why Instructable user NEIN decided to rig up a simple system to add blinking turn signals to his bicycle.
It’s a bit of a process to outfit the bike, but it’s an inexpensive fix considering you’ll end up with a safe means of transport. Using commercially available parts, NEIN hooked…
Tour de Fat from the eyes of a 7 year old
by elliott         Austin on Two Wheels
When I get on a cargo bike with my children, I think about what effect bicycle transport will have on their future. Will they break the American wealth draining cycle of car ownership? Will they be better prepared for peak oil? I don’t know, but I do know riding with them is a supremely more enjoyable, relationship building experience than sitting in a car.
On Saturday, we rode our Xtracycle to the Tour de Fat for the opening bike parade ride. Coming in near Halloween, it is always a costumed affair and my kids love to see what people wear. This year, my son Miles…
Bike To City Hall Wed Oct 26th
by The Announcer Guy      Biking in Dallas
It’s that time of year again! Along with all the other cycling events going on this month, we can’t forget to show City Hall our continued support for our updated BIKE PLAN!
We all spent hours upon hours pulling together one heck of a Bike Plan for Dallas. Next Wednesday the 26th join Councilman Scott Griggs in gathering to demonstrate how stoked we all are to see our bike lanes, cycle tracks and…
Bent Wheel Bash draws hundreds of cyclists from across Texas
By Greg Kendall Ball    Abilene Reporter-News
About 200 mountain-biking enthusiasts met Sunday for the 2011 Bent Wheel Bash, an off-road race around an 8.5-mile course along the Buck Creek bike trails north of Abilene.
Kelly MacDonald, owner of Bike Town — one of the event’s main sponsors, said the race drew riders from…
Round Rock REI — Central Texas Mountain Biking Basics
Date: 11/8/2011
Event Location: Round Rock REI
Event Fee: Free
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (CST)
Presenter: REI Specialist
Group Size: 30
Description: Central Texas is a great place to take your bike off-road! In this free presentation, an REI mountain biking specialist will give an introduction to the basics of mountain biking. We will share tips on equipment selection, best trails to ride, needed skills, mountain biking resources and more. Whether you’re just thinking about getting into mountain biking or are looking to learn about Austin trails and how to meet other riders , this course will cover what you need to know before getting on your bike.
Spaghetti Warehouse Ride
Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club
Start:Â Â Â Â November 6, 2011 9:00 am
End:Â Â Â Â November 6, 2011 11:30 am
Venue:Â Â Â Â Spaghetti Warehouse
Address:Â Â 1226 E. Houston Stree, San Antonio, TX, United States, 78205
Sunday, November 6th: Meet at the Spaghetti Warehouse, located downtown at 1226 E. Houston Street. Ride will start at 9:00 a.m. We will ride for 20 miles through mostly deserted downtown streets and then go on past some of the missions. This ride is mostly flat to slightly hilly. Ride will be at a stop & smell the roses pace. Lunch afterwards at the Spaghetti Warehouse. For more information contact ride leaders Isabel Mendoza at (210) 771-8767, email rimmendoza@satx.rr.com or Karen Zipper at (210) 379-5268 or email kzipper50@yahoo.com
I may be ready to write a really funny book
by Gil Jones      Musings of Captain Justice
I think that I’ve now had enough pain which, according to some is necessary in order to write a funny book. The plan was hatched months ago when ace cycling-buddy and former high school classmate Don Bynum started laying out routes for a Century Ride. I didn’t pay much attention to the notion at first. I should have.
The Plan
Eventually the route from the West side of Lake Buchanan to Junction, Texas was determined and within a matter of days the plan was laid. Thursday saw copious quantities of water quaffed, chasing a spaghetti dinner. Friday saw electrolyte pills, more water and lasagna disappear down the hatch. Several large salads laced with green leafy vegetables mysteriously disappeared. My weight went from 188.2 to 190 by Saturday morning. All…
Trainer’s Tips: Indoor cycling class can heat up winter
by Michelle Zapanta / Guest columnist   El Paso Times
Chasing daylight. It is a favorite pastime of mine — during a morning ride as the sun begins to lift off the horizon or an evening jog as the rays settle down to let night in.
But now that fall is in full swing and winter is waiting in the wings, the temperatures are quickly dropping and the days are getting shorter. I guess it’s time to bid our glorious summer weather au revoir and bring those workouts indoors.
For many exercise junkies, taking the sweatfests indoors to a gym during the colder months can be challenging — at best, unappealing. Perhaps the lack of scenery (besides occasional eye candy) and a…
Saturday November 19
·        All Day Pre-Riding
Sunday November 20
·        6:30 AM Registration opens for Cat 1/Pro
·        7:30 AM Registration closes for Cat1/Pro
·        8:00 AM Pro/Cat 1/SS Cross-Country
·        8:15 AM registration opens for Cat 2
·        10:00 AM KID’S KRIT
·        10:00 AM Registration closes for Cat 2
·        10:30 AM Cat 2/Single Speed Cross-Country
·        10:45 AM Registration opens for Cat 3
·        12:00 PM KID’S KRIT
·        12:30 PM Registration closes for Cat 2
·        1:00 PM Cat 3 Cross-Country
RACE DISTANCES
·        XC Pro/Cat 1 Men and Women – 24 Miles
·        XC Cat 2 Men and Women – 16 miles
·        XC Cat 3 Men and Women – 12 miles
·        XC 10 to 12 – ~3 Miles
·        XC 9 & Under – ~3 miles
AWARDS/PRIZES
·        Pro Open: 100% payout
·        Cat 1: 75% Payout
·        Cat 2: Prizes!
·        Cat 3: Prizes!
*Based on total actual registration moneys received.
**Participants must be present to win.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Rowlett Creek Preserve trail is located in the city of Garland’s public multi-use park at the intersection of Castle and Centerville Roads. The trail is currently over 15 miles long and since it is built on a staked loop system a trail user can choose various loop combinations to obtain distances that vary from 1 to 15 miles. The direction of travel for all loops is CLOCKWISE. About half of the trail mileage is in the trees with some areas that are tight and twisty. The rest is out in open with some fast, straight field sections. Most of the trail is flat with only a few relatively short climbs. There are a number of areas of the trail that come close to an edge mainly along one of the three creeks that pass through the RCP greenbelt.
After resting my tired muscles yesterday today my legs felt strong and I was able to keep a strong pace. At the 25 mile mark my average speed was 16.1 mph. The first 5 miles was my usual sub-15 mph average speed because of the stops and starts while I get to the more open road. But starting there my average speed picked up. My average cadence was 82.6 RPM which also reflected my ability to keep a solid pace as well.
The weather was right because the wind was coming from the west which helped to get the average speed up before turning back into when my speed would drop down some. With the speed built up I had some cushion to absorb the wind slowing. The mostly cloudy skies kept the temperature to a nice 80 degrees at the start and 88 degrees at the finish. I also was able to use the different gear combination (50 x 15) that I used on Friday to help for awhile but going into the 6 mph west wind was a little too much so I changed to my normal 43 x 12 for the ride back home. There is a cold front supposed to arrive sometime on Thursday so I may not have weather like today for several days after Thursday.
Right bike is a reach to fit the 4 R’s but I truly enjoy my road bike. The ride is comfortable and the saddle is in the correct position. Since I have changed from the Look Keo pedals to the Ultegra 6700 pedals my feet are much more comfortable.
Traffic and road layout was conducive for the ride today with the stretches between traffic stops and the lack of vehicle traffic getting in the way. Twice I had vehicles let me cross the road rather than have to wait for it to clear. I rode 29.1 miles today with a couple of small adjustments to the route. October miles are 565.80 and year to date miles are 4807.14.
