Spring Fling video: Entering Murdock, NE

Here is the second and last video that I took while on this year's Spring Fling cycle tour. The background noise is still present, and is likely caused by the plastic and foam mount for the camera. The video begins as Steve and I are approaching the south side of Murdock on Hwy 1. You can see a few raindrops on the camera lens as we approach Murdock.

Video of Spring Fling as I entered Elmwood

This is one of my first videos taken while cycling. There is quite a bit of noise in the background, probably due to the foam and plastic mount that I made for the camera. My next trial will use a different mount and hopefully reduce the noise considerably. The Spring Fling was enjoyable, but on the cold and windy side. My cyclecomputer registered 42 degrees F throughout most of the ride and the wind was 15-20 mph out of the north. The ride to Murdock was strenuous, but the ride back south was a breeze (literally!) Steve and I were the only ones from work to go on this ride.

Trek Incite ACH Removed!

I have officially given up on the Trek Incite ACH that I installed on my bike back in December 2008. It has given me nothing but problems. I wrote to Trek and they told me to replace the batteries. I did that for both the main unit AND the wireless sensor. It still wouldn't work in temperatures below about 40 degrees F. When I would roll the bike out of the garage in the morning in temps of mid 20's to mid 30's, it would immediately read 30 to 50 mph! (with the bike standing still!) It got better when temps were in the 40's and 50's. Another problem just discovered yesterday is that the Speed reading went to ZERO at any speed above 25 mph. What good is that??? I was at Scheels yesterday evening and bought the SERFAS wired 14 function cyclecomputer that was on sale for $20. Anyone want a slightly used Trek Incite ACH?

Celebrating Earth Day 2009

We had 7 bikes in the rack at work today! Congrats to Brad, Kevin, Cindy, Steve, John and Shawn for saving the earth today ;-)

Movie Monday

Forty percent of trips Americans make are less than 2 miles, which is a bikeable distance for just about anyone. Knowing how to prepare, ride in traffic, and what to anticipate is something we all need to know. There are things I wasn’t aware of when I first started riding in traffic. Sure, I’ve known how to ride a bike since I had my first set of training wheels as a child, but there were things I needed to become aware of. For example, I didn’t know the law says a cyclist can take the whole lane for safety’s sake. Before that I would cling to the side of the road wondering how I would survive when there was not enough room and cars came too close. Now I know, when I need to take the lane I can.

However, there are times when taking the WHOLE lane is downright selfish, and disasterous to the one who doesn't get the lane. Watch this cycling race the Tour of Turkey, and see what happens about 4 minutes into the video.

First Family Ride of the 2009 season

We had a nice turnout for our first family ride of the 2009 season! There was a total of 15 people, including baby Caitlin. We met at UPCO Park (40th and Adams) at 3pm and biked east on the Murdock Trail to about 98th St. Some of us made it all the way to 112th St before turning back. The weather was a little windy but the temps were great (mid 60's).

Chainless Bikes!!

Saw something interesting in a review of the Sea Otter Classic 2009 on BikeCommuters.com. Their Urban Commuter model goes for about $350, while their Urban Voyager goes for about $450. From Sonoma's website: "Instead of a traditional chain, the Sonoma Urban Voyager incorporates our exclusive D-Drive system, a self-contained drive shaft that powers the bike – but without the noise, mess or maintenance issues. People all over the world are already enjoying the benefits of the chainless evolution. And with the Sonoma Urban Voyager, it’s easy to start taking full advantage of them yourself." It also has an aluminum frame and 700c tires. They don't mention the weight, however. Check these bikes out at http://www.sonomabike.com/

Tell your State Senator to vote AGAINST LB 134!

A bill in the Nebraska Unicameral, LB 134, is under consideration as a priority matter. It will severely restrict our Natural Resource Districts from using eminent domain to develop trails and stop completion of the Mopac East trail near the Lied Bridge over the Platte River.

Please contact Senators that will be voting on this bill and ask them to vote against it.

Thanks!

Joyride Bikes opening near 14th and Old Cheney

According to the article in the Lincoln Journal-Star, it will sell Specialized and Raleigh bicycles ranging from under $300 to thousands of dollars. Kosark said Joyride will be the only shop in Lincoln selling Specialized bikes. The shop will also have a full line of bike accessories and will offer repairs and other service. The Rock Island Trail is about a block away, and Wilderness Park, which is a popular location for mountain bikers, is just a few blocks away.

I drove past it on the way home from our Friday ride last week. It sits NE of the intersection of 14th and Old Cheney, in a small strip mall near Snap Fitness. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it seems that all of the good bike shops are west of 33rd St. However, there is another new shop at 70th and Pioneers - a branch of Cycle Works and Moose's Tooth. It sits in the mall store just behind Culvers and is hard to see from 70th. Please visit these eastern bike shops so they don't disappear!

Four Day Weekend!

Normally, this is something to cheer about. However, in these recessionary times, when we take off several days and go back to work after a long holiday, it can be a little scary. Anyway, since Friday and Saturday are looking good for temperature, wind and precipatation, we are hitting the road with our bikes! Four of us are planning a 50 mile ride from Lincoln to Beatrice today. Actually, the destination is Rockford Lake SRA, just east of Beatrice. A couple of our group are camping, and the others are driving back to Lincoln. The forecast calls for highs around 57 degrees with a 10 mph tailwind today, so it should be fun, and good preparation for BRAN and NUMB later this year. Photos from today's ride are shown above.

Sign up to bicycle commute during Earth Week!

Register your team to spend a week reducing Lincoln’s carbon footprint by riding a bike, taking a city bus or carpooling to work the week of April 20th to the 24th. Any office or group of individuals can form 4-person teams to participate. Businesses may have an unlimited number of teams. Each team member will receive a t-shirt. Team members will submit the number of miles normally driven from home to work, and record the number of miles not used by utilizing an alternative mode of transportation to work. A carbon calculator will be filled out by each team and submitted. Each business and team will receive a tally of carbon savings for the week, and Lincoln's total will be announced.

http://www.lincolnearthday.org/greenwheels.asp

Amazing Race host to bike through Lincoln Apr 17

Phil Keoghan, 41, kicked off his “Ride Across America Presented by GNC” Saturday, March 28 in Los Angeles and will finish May 9 in New York City, the day before the finale of “The Amazing Race 14.”He will ride more than 3,500 miles, averaging 100 miles over 40 days. His tour will stop in more than 30 cities, including Nebraska’s capital city on April 17 — weather and legs permitting.

More info here:
http://journalstar.com/articles/2009/03/26/living/gz/video_games/doc49ca7e0f08ac3557541398.txt

and here:
http://www.philridesacrossamerica.com/

Another Winter weekend coming up

Yesterday I was able to get out on the MoPac Trail and log another 10 miles. My average speed increased to 14.4 mph. However, this weekend looks bad. Rain and wind is predicted for Saturday with 4 to 8 inches of snow possible Saturday night and Palm Sunday! If you can, get your miles in on Friday.

Now would be a good time to begin logging your average speed over your favorite course. My favorite course is the MoPac from 84th St. to 148th St. on weekday evenings. There isn't the 5pm traffic that you would normally get on roads that time of day. I like to set a goal for either time or average speed and see if I can beat it, or at least increase the speed over a few weeks. Let me know what your favorite course is, and what your goals are.