tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4288464290612324692024-03-13T00:50:00.544-07:00Bicycle Commute HoustonSirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-78059445609578660702012-11-28T05:27:00.002-08:002012-11-28T05:36:02.985-08:00Bus came too close to bicycle rider today (Westchase)6:58 AM, Briarforest eastbound at Seagler, 11/28/12.<br />
<br />
No bus number or plate seen... the bus went by too fast for me<br />
<br />
I
was legally operating my bicycle eastbound in the Briarforest bike
lane, with two red rear lights, a front light, and a rear-facing safety
reflector.<br />
<br />
The bus came too close to me. The Texas CDL Manual
says buses, trucks and other large vehicles should give bicycles at
least five feet of clearance. This was more like three feet, which is OK
for a small vehicle like a car, but not safe for a school bus with it's
strong wind draft.<br />
<br />
Buses should at least give 1/2 a traffic lane of clearance.<br />
<br />
The
bus made a pick-up immediately after passing me. The fact that there
was a pending pick-up should never encourage the bus driver to take the
wrong lane position with respect to a bicycle or pedestrian. That's
"get-there-itis", where getting there is more important than getting
there<u> safely</u>.<br />
<br />
If he had a pending pick-up / drop-off, the
driver should have just waited behind me, I was moving at a good clip,
close to 20 MPH.<br />
<br />
We had a horrible bike / large truck fatality at
Briarforest and Wilcrest a few years ago, let's NOT repeat it, and not
with me, please. The bike in that case was overtaken too closely by a
large truck, and she got pulled under the wheels, crushed to death, and
she died in the street with bystanders holding her hand while she
passed.<br />
<br />
You can still see the memorial flowers and cross on the NE corner of that intersection.<br />
<br />
<br />
Peter Wang<br />
<br />
REPLY:<br />
<br />
"Graf, Nathan J" <ngraf houstonisd.org="houstonisd.org"> </ngraf><br />
<br />
Good morning. Chester Glaude is our operations manager, he will review
GPS for this area and see if any Houston ISD buses were there (all
district buses are equipped with GPS). Appropriate action will then be
taken. If anything further occurs please feel free to communicate
directly with Chester.<br />
<br />
We apologize that this occurred. Thank you for sharing this information with us.<br />
<br />
Sent from my iPhone Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-74021229836133971252012-11-18T14:11:00.004-08:002012-11-18T14:11:50.825-08:00Review of the Best Bicycle Taillights in 2012<a href="http://bicycles.blogoverflow.com/2012/03/tail-light-review/">http://bicycles.blogoverflow.com/2012/03/tail-light-review/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-56173434989695568502010-12-18T04:30:00.001-08:002010-12-18T04:40:26.711-08:00Get Paid To Bicycle Commute! (not B.S.!)You can get paid to bicycle commute... no, this is not a scam. This is real, and you can start today!<br /><br />Register at <a href="http://www.nuride.com/">NuRide.com</a>, which is the site officially approved by the <a href="http://www.commutesolutionshouston.org/commuters/nuride.htm">Houston-Galveston Area Council</a> for rewarding and encouraging alternative commutes; not only bike, but ridesharing, walking, and transit.<br /><br />You can log all of your bike rides on the ride calendar, and your earn points, which can be redeemed for discount coupons for many different businesses. It's real money; case in point, 20% off of dinner at Le Mistral French Restaurant on Eldridge. Given that dinner for two might run $100, that's a $20 value. I've enjoyed that one. Also free Kolache Factory, free Jamba Juice, Bike Barn coupons, HEB store credit, the list goes on.<br /><br />They take pains to protect your privacy. This is a professionally and well-run site. Give it a try, there is nothing to lose and you will get free stuff of your choosing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-84778229415389283512010-11-07T12:04:00.000-08:002010-11-07T12:47:24.658-08:00Check the batteries in your lights!Now that it's going to get darker earlier in the evenings, you need to make sure that your bike lights are working fine.<br /><br />Yes, I did say lights, plural. The law requires that we have a bright front white light and a rear red reflector, but a better practice is to have a red rear light and a red rear reflector. I mean... what if they guy behind you forgets to turn his headlights on? No light to reflect. And, if your light malfunctions, at least you've got a reflector as a back up.<br /><br />Personally, here is what I use in the darker months; a bright front light, a low mounted red rear reflector & non-blinking light combo device, and a seat mounted blinking red light (PlanetBike SuperFlash). Also, I wear an ANSI-approved highway worker's vest from AlertShirt.com, and reflective ankle bands. One of my bikes has two red SuperFlashes and an amber reflector in addition to the red reflector. Amber reflectors are 2.5 brighter than red reflectors of the same size, according to John Forester, but are not recognized by the law, unfortunately. So mine is there to provide additional support, it's not the "legal" reflector.<br /><br />Does this sound excessive? It all a lot less expensive than an MRI, emergency surgery, Life Flight ($25,000?) or a funeral.<br /><br />At the end of the day, I look at my lights before I turn them off. If they look dim, I check the batteries. I also check every 60 days on a schedule.<br /><br />By "checking" I mean I pull the batteries out and put them on a simple DC voltmeter. If the alkaline batteries are running below 1.4 volts, I replace them. The batteries are still good for non-critical uses, but I just don't like batteries lower than that on my bike. If they are 1.0 volt or below, they are too weak for anything, and get tossed out (new alkalines start out at 1.6 volts or so).<br /><br />Often, when a light is going dim, one batt is fine, but the other is dog meat. No need to toss both out, just replace the bad one.<br /><br />For my bright white front light, I run rechargeable batteries, which I top off every week or two. My reason for not running rechargeables all the way around is that I don't want to spend my life charging batteries, yet I want to do something to cut down on battery disposal, so this is a compromise. Charging 4 cells at a time is OK with me. My charger, a Maha conditioning charger, holds 4. I do have some extra rechargeables so I could run the whole bike on them if I had to.<br /><br />Now you see why the "no batteries needed systems" like on the Breezer Bikes hold so much appeal. For the habitual night rider, they can be convenient. However... they are costly systems, if (when?) the dynamo hubs go bad, then you're out quite a lot of money. Also, you can't move the lights to another bike. Lights are getting better, and it's hard to upgrade a fixed system. Battery lights you can move from bike-to-bike, which I do all the time. I have matching mounts on different bikes, and I just unclip and reclip the lights.<br /><br />Even with all the lights, though, I don't burn through many batteries. Maybe 8 a year? That's not a big load on the environment, not compared to impact of driving my car.<br /><br />LED lights are the way to go for entry-level AA or AAA battery lights. Real "bulbs" are old, inefficient technology that will waste your battery money. Now, higher-end "HID" lights with dedicated batteries are not LED, but they are in another price category. They are very bright.<br /><br />The brightest rear taillight in the world is the DiNotte 140. I don't think I need that one yet. Definitely if gas goes to $15 per gallon someday and I have to bike commute all the way down SH6 with 50 MPH traffic. This one will keep them off my a**.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-83180606198579751962010-07-14T04:02:00.000-07:002010-07-14T04:03:29.063-07:00Please show up for this photo opportunity!We need ALL cyclists to show up at UH Downtown METRO train stop at 6:00 am on Monday 7/19 to take pictures in celebration of expanded bike hours on the train! METRO Board Member Christof Spieler will be there to meet us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-18959766285121070452009-12-31T17:49:00.000-08:002009-12-31T18:57:48.986-08:00Looking back on '09Another year is upon us and I'm reflecting. This time last year I had so much ambition for cycle commuting that I was looking forward to doubling my 2008 mileage. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. My milage for the past year was only <span style="font-family: Arial;">957.52 miles which is 1175.53 Miles short of 2008's total. <br /><br />What happened? Three things: Health, weather, and work. In 2009 I lost my race with type 2 diabetes. As much as I rode and exercised I could not get control of my blood sugar. Not until I was put on medication and a radical change in diet did it approach normal levels so for a time I just had no energy to ride. As for weather, the last half of the year had to be the wettest and coldest on record. Cold I can almost handle at least into the mid 50's; however, below that I simply don't have warm enough clothing and in sufficient volume to ride consistently. Add rain into the mix and riding became an impossibility. At work, around June I was given additional duty that stationed me away from my office and far across campus from the Rec Center were I have shower privileges. Plus, in order to ride I need access to a changing area before 6:30 am where I'm close to my bike and my temporary station did not open until 7:30 am. So my '09 ride season effectively ended at the halfway point </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><img hidden="true" style="border: medium none ; position: absolute; z-index: 2147483647; opacity: 0.6; display: none;" src="data:image/png;base64,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%3D" id="myFxSearchImg" height="24" width="24" />Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-15042103075246131162009-06-01T05:21:00.000-07:002009-06-03T07:06:00.811-07:0067° and dead routine.Shooting for a minimum of three rides this week, today (Mon), Wednesday, and Friday. This morning was rather cool at 67°, but I didn't mind because it kept the sweat down. I also made a rare stop on my way in. I didn't really have anything at the house for breakfast or lunch so I stopped at Kroger's at Wirt and Westview and picked up two Antone's Po'boys and Cokes. Unfortunately, I discovered later that compared to the genuine article the ones I picked up were incredibly dry and tough to chew on; however, they are better than going hungry.<br /><br />I didn't really come across anyone while transiting Memorial Park; however, just before making my turn on West Alabama I crossed paths with a young female bike ninja who went East onto West Alabama. The rest of the ride was pretty routine and enjoyed the sun rising and not needing to run lights.<br /><br />The ride home was uneventful also until I got back to the 610 loop and Memorial Drive. I discovered there that as I made a left onto Memorial I had turned into a very extended pace line as I could see a commuter about 3 blocks ahead of me and just beyond him by another 3 blocks I could make out yet another cyclist. I never caught either one as I exited onto Antoine and both were well beyond that intersection.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-7416662674320996342009-05-26T05:25:00.000-07:002009-05-26T05:28:13.221-07:005/26 Warm Warm! 76 DegreesIt was a balmy 76 Degrees. A hot weather kit day. Ride was routine and observed 3 Rec riders on my way in. One smoked past me as I got to the Memorial Expressway.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-70176624205384421822009-05-20T05:12:00.000-07:002009-05-20T05:25:08.670-07:00The 5/20 ride 69 DegreesI haven't been blogging much do to time constraints. Plus, compared to Noah in KC there just isn't much happening here in Houston. I can't really stop and take interesting photos and my bike handling skills in traffic requires two hands so so much for photos on the fly.<br /><br />I road in this morning and when I left the temp was 69 degrees. It was just warm enough to wear summer wear (Sugoi shorts, Old style polyester Performance jersey, sweat cap, cotton socks, Fingerless gloves) but it was a little chilly starting out. By the time I got to the office the mercury hit 61. The ride in was routine. On Memorial Dr. I got passed by two rec riders who I could tell were marveling over all the gear I was hauling.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-67609295642965377472009-04-07T18:57:00.000-07:002009-04-07T18:58:09.673-07:00Safe Passing Bill At Risk<span style="font-weight:bold;">EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET ON THE HORN TO THEIR SENATORS AGAIN, BEFORE 11 AM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 !!!</span><br /><br /><br />From BikeTexas:<br /><br />Safe Passing Bill At Risk<br />Contact Your Senator NOW!<br /><br />Today, Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) introduced the 2009 Safe Passing Bill (CSSB 488 / CSHB 827) on the floor of the Texas State Senate.<br /><br />In a dialogue with Senator Ellis, Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) raised concerns about several aspects of the bill. Senator Ellis chose to withdraw the bill, pending additional discussion this evening with Senator Patrick to address these concerns.<br /><br />BikeTexas had provided bill language and other information to all Senators' offices since the start of the session and had not been made aware of any concerns by Senator Patrick. BikeTexas staff are now preparing additional documents to submit to the offices of Senators Patrick and Ellis in preparation for tomorrow's session.<br /><br />What you can do:<br /><br />Please contact your State Senator no later that 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8th!<br /><br />Click here to find your senator, then:<br /><br />* If you live in the district of an "Unconfirmed" Senator, including Senator Patrick: Call or email his office immediately to ask him to support Safe Passing. The list of senators is below.<br /><br />* If you live in the district of a "Supporting" senator: Call or email his or her office immediately to express your thanks for his or her support for Safe Passing. The list of senators is below.<br /><br />As always, please be sure to be polite and professional in your communications, whether your legislator supports or opposes CSSB 488.<br /><br />Unconfirmed<br />Kip Averitt (R-Waco), Dist. 22<br />Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls), Dist. 30<br />Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay), Dist. 24<br />Chris Harris (R-Arlington), Dist. 9<br />Glenn Hegar (R-Katy), Dist. 18<br />Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (D-Mission), Dist. 20<br />Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), Dist. 3<br />Steve Ogden (R-Bryan), Dist. 5<br />Dan Patrick (R-Houston), Dist. 7<br /><br />Support Safe Passing<br />John Carona (R-Dallas), Dist. 16<br />Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth), Dist. 10<br />Robert Deuell (R-Greenville), Dist. 2<br />Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock), Dist. 28<br />Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), Dist. 13<br />Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler), Dist. 1<br />Mario Gallegos (D-Houston), Dist. 5<br />Joan Huffman (R-Houston), Dist. 17<br />Mike Jackson (R-La Porte), Dist. 11<br />Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville), Dist. 27<br />Jane Nelson (R-Lewisville), Dist. 12<br />Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo), Dist. 31<br />Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), Dist. 8<br />Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso), Dist. 29<br />Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio), Dist. 19<br />Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), Dist. 26<br />Kirk Watson (D-Austin), Dist. 14<br />Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio), Dist. 25<br />Royce West (D-Dallas), Dist. 23<br />John Whitmire (D-Houston), Dist. 15<br />Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands), Dist. 3<br />Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), Dist. 21Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-50175780329253076732009-03-30T04:43:00.000-07:002009-03-30T06:25:46.843-07:00March 30Morning Temp: 53 degrees<br /><br />Head: Headsweat skull cap & Helmet<br />Torso: Old style (Thick polyester) performance jersey and warm up jacket<br />Gloves: Fingerless (no liners)<br />Legs: Sugoi polyester shorts (heavier than normal lycra), leg warmers.<br />Feet: cotton socks<br /><br />Overall comfort: warm to warm enough to unzip the warm up near the end of the run.<br /><br />Ride was routineSirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-10437668938379719832009-03-22T15:52:00.000-07:002009-04-07T10:03:36.364-07:00Traffic Skills 101 coming up soon!The Traffic Skills 101 course is only taught a few times per year. This is the course that teaches you how to mix it up safely with cars on everyday roads, not on the law-enforcement-controlled pay-ride routes.This is the one that you really need to have if you want to be a bicycle commuter, for example. Even if you are an experienced cyclist, you are guaranteed to learn something in this class which will make your investment worthwhile... and maybe save you from getting hurt! $60 is pretty cheap as opposed to hitting the pavement, or a car.<br /><br /><br /><br />Peter<br /><br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Traffic Skills 101 (formerly Road I) / Willowbrook area<br /><br />Date: Sat May 16 10 am and Sun May 17 8 am<br />Instructor: <a href="http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/programs/education/instructor_detail/1372">Peter Wang</a><br />Location: REI Willowbrook, 17717A Tomball Parkway, Houston, TX 77064<br />Fee: $60 class fee (waived if hardship; family discount)<br /><br />Description: Do you want to learn to cycle confidently and safely in the Houston area? Then this class is a must! Learn to communicate effectively with motorists and enjoy the ride. We'll discuss proper lane positioning, basic rules of the road, how to avoid obstacles, scanning, changing a tire, emergency turns, emergency stops, basic maintenance, and much, much more! Saturday will be all lecture (no bicycle needed) and Sunday will include parking lot drills and a group ride.<br /><br />To register for this course, contact:<br /><br />David Sims<br />Phone: (832) 237-8833 x206<br />Contact Email: <a href="mailto:dsims@rei.com">dsims@rei.com</a><br />Signup required in advance? Yes<br />Special signup instructions: Please call the REI store to sign up for this class. $60 class fee<br /><br />Equipment required: SAT: paper, pen, lunch or $ SUN: pen, bike, helmet, water, lunch or $Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-85616170320156327512009-02-05T06:40:00.001-08:002009-02-05T06:41:41.941-08:00Sustainable Living Houston kicks off National Bike Month 2009!On Friday, May 1, 2009, residents of Cypress, Texas, will bicycle from the Coles Crossing subdivision to the nearby METRO Park & Ride and transit oriented development. By riding bikes to the Park & Ride, and then taking the #217 METRO bus to their work locations, the residents will complete a long-haul, suburb-to-city multi-modal commute without the use of private automobiles.<br /><br />METRO has recently installed bike racks at the Cypress Park & Ride, and these will be used to secure the bicycles. There is also limited space for taking a few bikes in the sub-floor storage compartments of the # 217 buses.<br /><br />Residents will assemble at 6:50 am on Friday, May 1, 2009 at the Coles Crossing Community Center parking lot and depart at 7:00 am sharp. Use of helmets, front & rear lights, red rear reflectors and articles of reflective clothing will be mandatory. Residents will ride on the sidewalk south on Barker-Cypress Rd. to Jarvis Rd., whereupon the group will transition to riding on Jarvis Rd. in a vehicular cycling mode. The total ride distance will be about a mile each way, and the time to the Park & Ride from the neighborhood will be about 6 minutes.<br /><br />The rain date for this ride is May 15, 2009.<br /><br />There will be a highly recommended pre-ride safety briefing at the Coles Crossing Community Center parking lot on April 25th at 8:00 a.m. where helmets, lighting, bike commuter clothing, and vehicular cycling will be discussed, as well as a test ride of the route. This briefing will be led by a League of American Bicyclist certified cycling instructor.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />SLH:pwUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-33313729636944492432009-01-28T22:11:00.000-08:002009-01-28T22:44:40.174-08:00The 1/27 Commute.On Monday I saw that we were going to have one more warm afternoon with temperatures in the 70s so I decided to commute Tuesday morning. I almost hate saying it, but the morning run was routine there really wasn't anything to report. As a first leg of the ride though I was seven minutes off my "average" of an hour and 20 minutes. Like I said before though not bad for being out of practice. I was just glad to get some mileage in before the weather changed.<br /><br />The ride home was truly wonderful as the temperature was right around 70 and I still had sufficient daylight left when I left the campus. This ride home was probably the most commuter filled I have ever seen to date. I know I saw at least three as I was coming down West Alabama. Two of those based on what they were riding in what they were carrying were true cycle commuters like myself. I even had the rare pleasure of bumping into a female cyclist as I was coming down Wesleyan; however, I did not have an opportunity to speak with her. As I arrived to Wesleyan I started noticing that the clouds were starting to build and the wind was starting to pick up. Consequently, I started picking up my own pace as the last thing I needed was to be caught out in the weather. By the time I got a third of the way down <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Tanglewood+Rd++and+holly+springs+Houston,+Texas+77057&sll=29.761566,-95.477396&sspn=0.012238,0.019398&g=Tanglewood+Rd+Houston,+Texas+77057&ie=UTF8&ll=29.758659,-95.474389&spn=0.012239,0.019398&t=h&z=16&iwloc=cent">Tanglewood Road </a>the cold front rolled in and announced itself with a nice hard gust against my front wheel and the temperature went from a nice balmy 70° down to 55 in the span of 15 minutes. Once I got onto Chimney Rock I started putting on the coal as it was then I started to lose daylight. I passed under I-10 and onto Wirt (same road as Chimney Rock, but gets renamed north of I-10)and somewhere around Wedgewood Lane I was passed by a southbound commuter who was riding on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, there was no time to really stop and chat, but we didacknowledge each other as we passed. I have no clue why he was on the sidewalk, but I'm guessing he was going to pull a left and did not want to contend with traffic. The remainder of the ride had nothing to report other than being a race against daylight. I did choose to use my NiteRider USB backup light instead of my primary Cyglolite for the ride down Westview. The Cyglolite is a bit of a pain to chargethat it has to be timed exactly to six hours due to a lack of power regulation/smart charging circuitry and I didn't feel like dealing with it when getting home. I found the NiteRider USB to put out sufficient light, but nothing to write home about. I definitely prefer the power of the Cyglolight; consequently that is why I use it as the primary headlight. I made it home right as it was getting completely dark and it felt good to have another 31 miles in for the year. The next couple mornings are to have morning lows in the mid 30s to upper 40s; consequently, I'm not feeling inclined to ride because I still lack good cold weather gear to contend with those temperatures comfortably.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-36996705854840668442009-01-26T06:56:00.000-08:002009-01-27T22:51:27.000-08:00The 1/23 ride report a couple days lateYeah I know I'm late and I should have done this back on Friday or even Saturday; however, life tends to get in the way and I was still digesting a bit of insight from the ride. Anyhow, on Wednesday I saw the Thursday and Friday weather was going to be passable. Unfortunately I had a meeting on Thursday that I wasn't sure I would be able to ride to due to time and security constraints, but Friday was in the clear. So even though Thursday night I was half in the tank I gritted my teeth and got my gear together to ride.<br /><br />The morning ride broke no records as I wasn't expecting to seeing that my last full on commute was over three weeks ago. It wasn't too bad though as I was about 7 minute off average and I saw some signs of cycling life as I made my way through Memorial Park. I saw a petalon of rec riders headed west as I had just cleared the park. Other than that the morning run in was dead routine.<br /><br />The ride home was routine up untill the turn from <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=w.+alabama+at+weslayan+Houston,+Texas&sll=29.736321,-95.441194&sspn=0.012241,0.019398&ie=UTF8&cd=1&ll=29.738185,-95.441666&spn=0.012241,0.019398&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr">W. Alabama onto Weslayan</a> about a block from there I was passed by a mouthy little high school dropout/kid and his girlfriend who were absolutely convinced that all bikes belonged on the sidewalk. As they passed me this stupid kid flipped me the bird and yelled "dude, get on the sidewalk!" Unfortunately for them the light changed to red and I was able to catch up with them. When I looked in the window I told them, "under state law I am a vehicle;" however, it was wasted breath because no sooner than I had uttered it it occurred to me that these two kids were just brain-dead. Their only response to me was, "dude, get on the sidewalk." It then occurred to me that no matter what the law might be these kids just wouldn't care. The only thing that mattered to them is being inconvenienced by having to go around me and the only way that they would learn the lesson was if their provocation lead to a horrible accident. In a way I'm thankful to them because I made the realization that there's just some people that have no redeeming qualities and deserve whatever horrible outcome that these qualities bring upon them. Somehow, I shouldn't be surprised that I had this altercation. Every time I wear a blaze orange jersey as I was wearing one this day. I seem to have a conflict with a motorist. The rest of the ride was pretty much routine.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-84003498281004346362009-01-06T17:18:00.000-08:002009-01-06T17:22:05.227-08:00BikeHouston Annual Meeting AnnouncementBikeHouston Annual Meeting-January 27, 2009<br /><br />BikeHouston’s invites you to attend the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, at 6:30 p.m., in the Houston Environmental Center, 3015 Richmond, 1st floor conference room. Please join them in their efforts to make Houston safe and accessible for cyclists. Food and refreshments will be provided by El Meson from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM with a meeting start time of 7:00 PM. The guest speaker will be Dan Raine, AICP LCI, who currently serves as the City of Houston Bicyclist-Pedestrian Coordinator. Dan will be speaking about the Houston Bikeway Program and the measures that the City is undertaking to improve our on and off street bikeway network. Dan Raine is a Transportation Planner with 15 years experience, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and a League Certified Instructor (LCI) with the League of American Bicyclists (LAB). Prior to joining the City of Houston, Dan was the former Pedestrian-Bicyclist Coordinator with the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). In addition, Robin Stallings, Executive Director of Bike Texas/ Texas Bicycle Coalition, Austin, Texas will provide a legislative update on bicycling initiatives pending before the Texas Legislature.<br /><br />BikeHouston is a local Houston organization promoting bike access, safe bicycling, education, and public awareness of the personal and community benefits of cycling.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-91401927361233778172009-01-02T05:29:00.000-08:002009-01-02T13:29:35.198-08:00The First 15 of '09Houston has had some mild weather for the start of the year. It was 64 Degrees when I left my house this morning. It was a thoroughly delightful ride to TSU. The only glitch (if you can call it that) is I believe I forgot to take my morning meds so I might not be very wakeful for the rest of the day. The ride itself could not be any better. Granted, it wasn't record time as I got to the back door of Hannah hall in an hour 20 minutes, but the senstations of the morning were worth the trade off.<br /><br />Either we had some morning showers or a lot of sprinkler systems had run long, but the last portion of Westview and the north portion of Antoine were well soaked and I enjoyed the wet earthy smell of the wet street and felt very grateful the I speced out the '07 Sirrus with Planet Bike Cascadias as I would have been well striped without them. I also kept hitting chuck holes or seeing road irregularities that just turnd out to be shadows. Other that that, I came across a bike ninja on Hazard St. just after crossing Westhiemer and after Greeting him I warned him, "Dude! Get some lights!" I didn't hear any replies, but I found myself annoyed at him for his unsafe practice. Hell Even if he road with a flashlight in hand would be better than nothing.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-51941708649054607292008-12-31T22:53:00.000-08:002009-01-01T00:52:05.854-08:00And so it begins.For 2008 my total mileage was 2,133.05 miles. My plan for 2009 is to either equal it or double it to 4266.10. This is based on commuting three times a week to my work at Texas Southern and my 4 mile commute to my Saturday fun job. I think it may be achievable if I can tough out the cold of January February and March.<br /><br />In other news, I accomplished my first human powered grocery run since I received my 07 Schwinn Town & Country trike back from the local Performance Bicycle back on the 27th of December. I originally took it in for repair just before hurricane Ike hit as I had succeeded in stripping out the axle for the second time; however, a lack of repair parts at Pacific bicycle's facilities in California prevented them from repairing it right away. With some irony they actually got the replacement axle fairly quickly, but prior to bringing the trike into them I had attempted to repair it myself losing the key (it's really a 1 inch by half inch rectangular cube of steel) to the rear sprocket keyway. So they had to get a new key to replace the one I lost. This part had to come from China (and my best guess is they either sent them by Windjammer or literally on a slow boat from China). The one major difference when I saw between the new and the old axle is the new one looks like it's all one piece and probably will not be subject to the same kind of breakage.<br /><br />Anyhow, I had stopped at Kroger's while on my way back from my fun job on 12/31. I had brought into the store with me my commuter bag which was filled with my Niterider Digital Evolution and sweat jacket as I did not want to leave them attached to the trike. I also had left it unlatched and wide open so that it could clearly be seen that the bag was full. No sooner that I had walked through the door and started to shop I was harassed by a cashier. She was one of those typical blue haired busybody types and she came up to me with a, "Excuse me sir, but we don't allow bags to be brought in. You have to turn that in to our courtesy area before you can shop." I just looked at her and said, "Sure, just soon as all the women in the store put their purses over there as well." This of course caused her to bring the manager over for reinforcement; however, when I mentioned to her that for me to do so without all the women leaving their purses at the front desk would be very discriminatory. My argument completely took the wind out of her sails because without me even saying so it became clear. The only reason this cashier came over to me is I was still pretty much in full cycling regalia as I still had my helmet and gloves on, I was male, and I had a bag about the size of a large purse. For me to have put my bag over with customer service would've been discrimination based on sex, as the only reason I would be forced to put my bag over there is because I was male. All the females would still be running around with purses about the same size as my bag and just as capable of shoplifting.<br />Secondly, the idiocy became clear if I had been a shoplifter I would not have gone running around in fingerless gloves and a piece of beer cooler foam festooned with reflective stickers strapped to my head. I also would be in a much faster getaway vehicle than a human powered tri-wheeler only capable of 12 mph max. The fact of the matter is if I was there to shoplift I would have none of those things on me as I would try to blend in and look like the rest of the sheep and not a helmeted "goat." I also would not shoplift at a store that was literally at my back door that I frequent and would be recognized at readily. The manager de-escalated sheepishly saying, " Well, I know that you've been here before and were only trying to prevent shoplifting." After that they pretty much left me alone; however, I did notice the security guard loitering when I was packing the trike to leave.<br /><br />Theoretically I could have complied with the nosy cashiers request; however, it just rubbed me wrong that because I was male and dressed as a cyclist I had to put my bag up with customer service when there were hundreds of women walking around the store with purses approximately the same size as my bag with more available space to hide something in them than what I happened to have. Plus, extending their rationale if they were out to prevent shoplifting then they should strip everyone who walks in of their clothes so that no one can hide anything in their pockets or in the clothes themselves. I guess the older I get the less I tolerate stupidity and this whole incident was both needless and stupid on the part of the store.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-59975659529235233602008-12-21T23:04:00.000-08:002008-12-22T05:57:35.179-08:00The 12/19/08 Report (A pure gravy Commute)I know this report is a day or two late; however,<br />I spend the greater part of every day behind keyboard so when I got home on Friday I did not feel like doing any writing.<br /><br />Friday's commute was wonderful with extremely mild weather I think the morning temperature was 68° which was perfect. Thursday night I was having one of those restless nights where I really couldn't sleep. So I wound up leaving an hour early (4:15 a.m.) which meant I'd basically owned the road from my house all the way to Texas Southern University. For the morning leg I posted a scorching one hour and 15 minute transit time this is nearly equal to my car commute in traffic it was really an amazing morning.<br /><br />The ride home was also pretty good because I left closer to five o'clock I chose my southerly route which basically has become my standard way home. As I was passing Main Street I felt a distinct "thunk" and my feet spun until the chain caught again and it became apparent that I was suffering a chain slip.<br /><br />For the past couple rides I have experienced one to two chain slips. Knowing that I was rapidly coming up to the 850 mile point on my odometer and I had no knowledge of how many miles the previous owner had put on the Sirrus (for all I know it could've been an additiona<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJz9sv2KJUhmhC-lTDaSXxjEVtfmRxthht3g5s6PdWLO8-3F2xgS9tgNWXTGXOAj6XqEU0OzE4EuPTceXjCEeRi4svuifWZfissb2eb8G1Yp5zBUSi4XcaagOU8BxaBcAg7MxdVmzqD-8/s1600-h/Tighter+gearing+on+the+%2707+Sirrus+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJz9sv2KJUhmhC-lTDaSXxjEVtfmRxthht3g5s6PdWLO8-3F2xgS9tgNWXTGXOAj6XqEU0OzE4EuPTceXjCEeRi4svuifWZfissb2eb8G1Yp5zBUSi4XcaagOU8BxaBcAg7MxdVmzqD-8/s320/Tighter+gearing+on+the+%2707+Sirrus+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282507366199682162" border="0" /></a>l 150 miles putting me right at a 1,000) I decided at about the halfway point to make a dogleg by Sun and Ski Sports to have the chain gauged for wear. The remainder of the ride was uneventful and I made it to Sun and Ski around 6:15 p.m. They checked my chain and sure enough I had worn it out. I also had done a fair amount of damage to gears three and four on my rear cassette; however, my front chain wheels were fine.<br /><br />Unfortunately, they did not have any 12-25T cassettes in stock which would have kept the bike in stock configuration; however, they did have a 12-21T which would work acceptably well in Houston's nearly flat terrain. So the '07 Sirrus is now tighter geared then even its '88 granddaddy and for a heavily laden 700c hybrid it moves like a scalded cat.<br /><br />Saturday I did my usual Raleigh Twenty commute to my weekend job which gave me another 4 miles and then Sunday I stopped by Performance Bicycle and much to my surprise my Schwinn Town & Country was finally ready for pickup! My best guess is they sent that replacement axel key by Windjammer because I had brought the trike in shortly before hurricane Ike struck in late August. So now I have my grocery/TFW commuter back in the fold. I might lighten it's duty a little bit as I've enjoyed the in store maneuverability of the Raleigh Twenty. (The Schwinn Town & Country tends to take over whatever space it resides in. It's the equivalent of a 55 Cadillac trunk in square footage.)<br /><br />My work at Texas Southern for Christmas shuts down after two o'clock on Monday 12/22 so whatever riding occurs prior to the new year will be utility/TFW commuting, or pleasure/fitness riding. As it stands I've ridden 2, 119 miles for the year which is 82 miles over my yearly goal so far.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-11404667523185329172008-12-21T10:07:00.000-08:002008-12-21T10:15:16.434-08:00We've failed to get bike racks on trains; this is the end-gameFor over a year, BikeHouston and Citizens Transportation have worked to get bike racks installed on the coming METRO light rail trains, which would've made bikes + light rail an unbeatable intermodal combo.<br /><br />Despite letters from Judge Ed Emmett, all four Republican and Democratic Harris County Commissioners, and other public officials, METRO is going to place orders for the new trains on Christmas Eve 2008... without any in-cabin racks for bicycle. Our contact at the FTA, the funding agency for the trains, is extremely concerned, but FTA cannot compel METRO to order trains with bike racks.<br /><br />It looks like we've failed at this point.<br /><br />If the cycling community cares enough about this, then you can make one final effort on Monday or Tuesday next week. Call METRO CEO Frank J. Wilson's office at (713) 739-4832. Don't send an email. Make someone pick up the phone and spend the energy to talk to you. Also call the VP of Procurement, Paul Como, at (713) 739-4887. Tell him to not order the trains without bike racks.<br /><br /></span></span><span><span>The agency which has just put racks on its trains, Phoenix, goes live with its trains on December 27, 2008. We put a picture of their equipment on this blog. I'm happy for them, and I'm disappointed that we have such entrenched and unresponsive people in charge of our public transit agency. But, I'm not the only person to make that observation; just go to any METRO board meeting, and listen to the public complaints.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-45504848099282871772008-12-15T22:22:00.000-08:002008-12-22T06:02:33.073-08:00The 12/15 "Frozen Chosin" commuteSunday night it looked like Monday morning would be nice mild 65° weather so I decided to go ahead and commute in. First problem, although I checked the weather on weather.com I was not aware that a cold front was moving in. So even though I checked it throughout the morning up until I left I did not see any dramatic change being shown. In fact, the afternoon temperature was supposed to be 75° and the overall forecast was assuring enough that I did not feel the need to bring warmer cycling clothing. I wore what I normally wear which would be hot weather gear in any other climate.<br /><br />The actual morning ride was quite pleasant and very much routine. There was a little humidity in the air which made the ride a little cold but it was still tolerable. I have definitely ridden in worse even my last ride was colder than what I was facing this morning. I arrived at work and do the fact that my office is near the middle of the building without any windows I had no idea that the thermometer around 10 o'clock had dumped and was hovering around 43° Fahrenheit. when I finally did make the connection I was sweating it out for a lease 30 to 40 minutes until I figured out what I could wear to stay warm on the way home.<br /><br />One of the biggest breaks I had was I had left an old sweat jacket there in my office (Hannah Hall is an old building and central heat and cooling is pretty much an afterthought and inconsistently applied and I often get cold). I figured if I kept on my work clothes with my cycling jersey on top of it underneath the sweat jacket I should be able to keep my core warm. And I pretty much did the same with the bottom half of my body. I put my cycling shorts on underneath my dockers and then put my cuff/ankle straps on to keep the pants out of my chain.<br /><br />The return trip home started a little chilly, but as I warmed up my clothing arrangement turned out to work quite well in keeping me warm all things considered . The one thing I was reminded of is not to expect a great amount of speed wearing long pants. I also found that starts and stops were rather annoying as the ankle straps pulled down on the pants and tugged at my belt whenever getting off and on the saddle. It also had the tendency of stalling me out.<br /><br />I also delayed as long as possible and turning on my lights with the exception of my rear blinky. I figured it would be a smart move under the gray skies that I was traveling to have the blinky be running. Doing so was a time saver because I did not have to stop to either take off my Camelback or reach back and fumble for the button. Not having the headlight run saved its runtime for when I needed it the most.<br /><br />Other than the extremely cold temperatures and the early darkness the ride home was more or less routine with the exception of when it came time for me to take my right turn off of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=E+Briar+Hollow+Ln,+Houston,+TX+77027&sll=29.750055,-95.448646&sspn=0.013078,0.023732&ie=UTF8&cd=1&ll=29.748935,-95.448618&spn=0.013078,0.023732&z=16&g=E+Briar+Hollow+Ln,+Houston,+TX+77027&iwloc=addr">San Filipe onto East Briar Hollow Lane.</a> Right at that moment some obnoxious driver came by honking his horn. I loudly told him where he could go; however, in fearless cager fashion he drove off at a high rate of speed. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of courage the terminally stupid have. The only other thing of note was prior to this incident I had come across some stupid woman driver who was sitting halfway in in the bicycle lane. I purposely got her attention and pointed out where her car was sitting. She made like she was dreadfully embarrassed and made a conscious effort to move her car. Of course, if she'd been paying attention to the road and not picking her nails she may have been more aware where her car was.<br /><br />From East Briar Hollow Lane onwards the ride was dead routine. When I got home my yearly mileage was now up to 2081 about 40 miles better than I had planned for the year. I am hoping that I might be able to get at least one more long-distance commute before the end of the year. (Or maybe more?)<br /><br />Other lessons learned: It might be wise to invest in a set of larger Panniers for winter cycling in order to carry cold weather cycling gear to cover for similar situations were the weather starts as passible and then goes freezing.Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-22679495372035654512008-12-09T08:44:00.000-08:002008-12-09T08:45:46.022-08:00Who is commuting on Thursday, 12/11/08?Polar Bear Club time! Temperature will be at freezing, windchill in the 20s. Who's with me?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-57788032179997758542008-12-08T19:15:00.000-08:002008-12-08T19:17:55.947-08:00Great deal on a commuter tireI bought a Performance Bike house brand "Gotham" city tire today, in 26 x 1.85, for my son's bike, looks like it will be a tough city tire, and I think I paid $14 for it. That's in stark contrast to what they want for premium city bike tires these days, like the Armadillos, which are more than double that price.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-61190810234028974192008-12-07T00:16:00.000-08:002008-12-07T01:02:35.272-08:00The December 2008 wrap up.Well it's finally the end of the year. The mileage goal for the year was 2,037 and I surpassed that handily on Thanksgiving. Knowing that I was going to indulge in massive calorie on load and overload I opted to ride to my family's Thanksgiving get-together which gave me the 15 miles I needed to break the record for the year. When I arrived home on Thanksgiving I had 2040 miles and I estimate that I might have 2,080 by December 31.<br /><br />What were the things that I learned cycling and cycle commuting this year? Well for starters, I discovered that I prefer to have my cycling have a purpose. As much as I enjoyed the camaraderie of cycling the picnic loop in Memorial Park early in the year I found spinning aimless mile-long circles boring. The second thing I found out this year is the MS 150 is grossly overrated. It might have been something back in the late 80s early 90s when there were fewer riders, but I found it to be too full of "Sunday riders" People that only pull out their bikes for this event and have no clue how to ride long distances or in mass start events. <br /><br />If I ever decide to ride the MS 150 again it will have to be in the team that I happen to know people who are riding. I did not enjoy being a walk-on for the Sun & Ski team. True I did know quite a few of the employees of Sun & Ski sports so I was not without anybody to talk to, but on the road I had nobody to ride strategically with to cope with all the two and three abreast riders and other idiots.<br /><br />The third thing I discovered for the year was the advantages to a flat bar 700 C hybrid. Although I love my Alpine Monitor hybridized MTB I'm not so fond of its low gearing for a daily rider particularly when passing through Memorial Park. When I won a 2007 Specialized Sirrus off of eBay it became the surprise bicycle of the year. I logged more Lifetime mileage to the tune of <span style="font-family: Arial;"> 832.6 miles </span>on this bike than on any other bike. The bike that is second to it is my racing bike the 1988 Sirrus it has <span style="font-family: Arial;">635.8 miles for the year.<br /><br />Why did I take such a shine to this new bike? It's simple. It felt fast like the racing bike, was stable like the hybridized MTB and carried almost as much. I also suppose it fit a little better too. The Alpine was always a little big and the ' 88 Sirrus had classic road bike geometry that although made it feel agile it was also a touch whippy on the road. What I liked about the 07 Sirrus most is when I was passing through Memorial Park it didn't feel like I was taking as long compared to the Alpine. so naturally I wound up taking it more and more.<br /><br />What are the goals for next year? I want to continue to use more human power and less car. Although I did not clock my car miles I've made the intelligent guess that my bicycle miles are roughly about 20% of the total mileage I traveled to and from work for the year. I know I can get more mileage if I focus on it. I know I missed several weeks where I would oversleep or find other reasons to cop out. I also need to work on my cold weather capability because I missed at least two weeks last month when the temperature got down to near freezing and I did not feel like competing with the thermometer.<br /></span>Sirrus Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04831167730361057374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-428846429061232469.post-83172034697724823552008-11-30T16:42:00.000-08:002008-11-30T16:44:21.408-08:00Would cars treat you better if you had a visible gun?Do you suppose if we could openly carry sidearms in Texas, as in Arizona, that the incidence of harassment by cars & trucks would go down? My guess is yes, and therefore <a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/texasoc/petition.html" target="_blank">I signed the petition today</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7