Bicycle Renaissance

Obviously I'm not so great with updating.

Which doesn't mean I haven't been biking; it's just that I often can't think of a single thing to write about my favorite hobby.  I biked to the store yesterday; it was hot and windy. Who cares?

That, of course, is apparently the point of blogging, so here I go again.

I've had a bicycle Renaissance, and it's all San Francisco's fault.

In July, I visited a friend in San Francisco.  It's a glorious town for biking (aside from those monstrous hills for which the city is so famous), and so every day I would take the BART in to town, rent a bike, and spend the next eight hours or so (until my friend got off work) biking around town.  I biked the Golden Gate Bridge, I biked the Presidio, I biked every bloody thing in between.

It was a beautiful week for it--highs around 80 degrees, sunny & very little wind.  I got sunburned down to the knuckles simply because, unlike in South Texas, it didn't feel like I was going to spontaneously combust when I stepped outside.

And when I returned home, despite the heat advisories, I found I still wanted to be on my bike.

...and hopefully update this blog a little more often...

Planning for Bikes

This week I had the opportunity to attend a meeting to discuss the future of hike & bike trails and bike lanes in Corpus Christi.  It was a surprisingly large crowd, around 200 people, and we learned a lot about what the city is planning.

Of course, having watched the city "plan" things for a number of years, I'm not exactly holding my breath.  But it does look promising!

The sustainability report we worked off of can be found here; the planned hike & bike trails connecting Wooldridge & Holly to Ennis Joslin & beyond (which have technically been a part of the Corpus Christi Master Mobility Plan for nearly a decade) certainly played a part in my home purchase.  And if they can manage to restore the old railroad trestle across the Oso, bikers, runners, and walkers would have a route to Flour Bluff that doesn't involve crossing a six-lane, 65-mph traffic nightmare.

The real beauty of the plan, however, is the way they've couched the proposals.  When a street is resurfaced (which should happen every couple of years, though we've got notoriously bad roads), add a bike lane, swap a stop light for a roundabout, revamp the sidewalks.  It doesn't cost all that much more than the simple resurfacing, but can provide enormous benefit.

The main point of the meeting, honestly, was just getting the word out.  And thank heavens for Tom Neagli from Bay Area Bicycles for doing so!  I, for instance, had no idea that a hike & bike trail had recently been opened just a few streets over from me.  Or that there are mountain biking trails in the city now, the work performed completely by volunteers!

From the first Corpus FrankenBike to the Ride-In Theater to this talk of hike & bike trails, it's a great time to be a cyclist.

"Cold" Front

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Texas is on fire, here it's actually gotten cooler.

This is, of course, relative. It's amazing how much cooler 91 degrees feels after 107.  I set my mind to commuting Wednesday, and was delighted to find that the temperature as I left the house was in the 60s.

Have I mentioned that it's been in the 80s overnight for the last three months or so?

Like a kid on Christmas morning, I actually woke up early.  Made myself a good breakfast, and hit the road.

I rode quickly through town, smiled at the first shades of sunrise making their way across the bay, and even better: arrived at work, for the first time in recent memory, without being bathed in sweat.

And it seems to have kicked off a new health consciousness.  At the very least, I'm drinking water again instead of downing a 20 oz. Dr. Pepper whenever I feel the urge.  And I'm using my work breaks to walk around the block instead of surfing the 'Net.

The heat's creeping up a bit again, but my plan is to ride again Friday.  Perhaps fall back in to my routine.

And definitely hoping for another cold front!

Technical Difficulties

Well, a vacation (Europe for two whole weeks with Grandma & little cousin) and some technical difficulties (my computer absolutely DIED), but: I'm up and blogging once more. What's more: I have had a religious experience.

On a bike.

Barcelona is a city of bicyclists, but it's a city gone mad with bicycles. There are bikes in the street, bikes in the bike lanes, bikes on the sidewalks, bikes on the Metro. It was a perfect example of "why all bicyclists should ride in the street" instead of on sidewalks packed with pedestrians of all speeds, abilities, and powers of observation. Aside from the packed thoroughfares, Barcelona also has a beautiful bike share (which I couldn't use because I don't have a chip-and-pin credit card) and numerous bike rentals (though the sign we followed led to a store whose single employee said they didn't rent bikes).

Next we ventured to Narbonne, which was MUCH smaller and had an amazingly well staffed Tourist Information Center. While my companions took off for the Narbonne Plage, I plunked down 10 Euro and hit the road on two wheels. After cruising the city center for a bit, I happened across the "trail" along the canal--a lovely, idyllic little ride that produced a plethora of pictures--before coming to the end/beginning of my adventure. The paved path ended, but an obviously well traveled dirt path remained.

I've got hours before they're back, I reasoned, I might as well keep going! I rode along the canal, occasionally passing walkers, runners, or fellow bicyclists, but more often alone. The path was pleasantly shaded by huge trees, and as I got further outside of town I was riding along beside vineyards and terra-cotta-tile roofed cottages. I could see mountains in the distance. I was passed by a boat heading in to town, everyone waving merrily.

I came upon a large farmhouse that looked like it'd been there forever, and finally a map to help me get my bearings. A sign post proclaimed that Narbonne was 6,5 km back the way I'd come while Gruissan was 7,5 km from the fork. I left the dirt path for the first time and took to tiny roads surrounded by fields. I rode over a rickety little bridge, paused to snap a picture of a fairy tale tower rising from the trees, and felt utterly at peace. This is what a bike ride should be like, I thought; no glances over my shoulder in paranoia because I'm riding with texting drivers....just the breeze and the sun and the steady whirr of wheels over the road.

And now I have a new goal: to bike across France. Not, perhaps, the entire country. But starting with a trip through the Loire Valley. Or the Cote d'Azur. Regardless of what path I choose, I'm sure it'll be wonderful--though I don't know if anything can surpass my surprise Narbonnaise ride this summer.

The Spokespeople Weekly Wednesday Ride

Wednesday night I managed to make a Spokespeople ride for the first time, and it was just as fun as I thought it would be!

Around 20 of us started the ride at Seawall Food & Spirits, hauling our bikes down the seawall to the cafe and enjoying the breeze and minimal shade. We made introductions over giant (and apparently delicious) sandwiches and icy beverages, and banded together in keeping the seagulls from stealing each others' food. I had an ice pop in deference to the heat, folding and unfolding my Dahon for interested parties while in turn admiring their cutely painted cruisers.

We then had a nice, leisurely ride down the bayfront (we paused at the loading dock for the group photograph seen here), around the museums, and through the Watergardens to one of the Spokespeoples' gracious sponsors, Brewster Street Ice House. We sat out on the patio eating, drinking, talking, and laughing as the sun went down and it finally started to cool off. We also picked up a couple of latecomers, including the gal with shirts; of course I had to buy one to fit in!

The lights came on for our after-dark ride from Brewster's back across downtown. Our motley crew of well-lit cruisers, road, mountain, and BMX bikes wound its way to the House of Rock, where they even let us bring our bikes inside! We got free water and sodas to sip on while we chatted, and listened to a drum competition being held that evening before finally heading back out.

Since our next (and final) destination was just down the street, we took a much longer route: back through downtown, back along the bayfront, out on to the T-Head, and finally to Cassidy's Irish Pub.

By this time it was 10:30 so I headed home, but I'll probably become a fixture on at least the Wednesday rides. It is a fun, different kind of ride...more social than a lot of group rides are. And it definitely helps remind people in Corpus Christi that cyclists are here, which is always a good thing. PLUS it brings attention to downtown and is helping encourage activity there, too.

I expect the group will grow, and I hope it does! Everyone involved is so enthusiastic! Maybe one day we can take over downtown a la Sunday Streets!

Car Free Weekend

Had a lovely weekend by bike, despite the absurd heat.

Friday night I took a spin around the neighborhood, simply because I haven't yet since my move. I can bike straight down the main road to the bay, cruise along the parkway for a few miles, then turn around and come back. Part of the ride is even on a nice little hike & bike trail which (bless them) has water fountains here and there.

Saturday morning I slept late, then got up and biked to the bank. I also shopped a bit, but didn't find anything I couldn't live without (I'm searching for a dress for the upcoming trip to Europe), so headed home. I was then supposed to head out with the SpokesPeople at 2pm, but I (to my eternal shame) fell asleep in front of the TV. What a waste of a Saturday! I made up for it by biking to Target and Camille's for an ice cream bar, dropped by Lowe's for a bike mount, then home again to wrestle with getting the bike mount installed.

Sunday morning I biked to lunch with my mom & sister, went BACK to Lowe's for a longer drill bit, and finally got that darned bike mount installed! It definitely frees up a bit of floor space in the garage, which I'm slowly but surely getting organized.

According to MyTracks on my phone, I biked 25 miles this weekend. AND I didn't even get a sunburn!

Paris, London, San Antonio...

A few years ago I went to Paris with my grandmother, and fell in love with the Velib idea: bikes available to borrow at locations all over the city, an easy ride from one to the next. I was also dismayed to find out that my American credit cards wouldn't work in the automated kiosks (you can now purchase a ticket online, however, which makes me want to go back even more).

It's spread both internationally and domestically, and has now spread to a city quite close to me: San Antonio.

This is a FANTASTIC idea. For one, San Antonio's downtown area is fairly condensed. The Alamo, the Riverwalk, La Villita, Hemisfair Park & the Tower of the Americas, are all pretty close to one another...though perhaps far enough apart that you wouldn't want to walk.

Nor would you want to give up your drove-around-the-block-three-times-trying-to-find-an-empty-parking-space steps from the Riverwalk.

So a bike share is PERFECT.

My last trip to San Antonio I was surprised by how many cyclists were whizzing around downtown. They continued steadily even after dark, as tourists stumbled back to their hotels, a stream of lights bouncing along on two wheels in front of the Alamo.

I can't wait to join them!

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."

The good news: more and more states are moving towards bike-friendliness.

The bad news: Texas still ranks #41. On bike to work day I had a car pull up next to me and honk for no reason except, apparently, to see if he could get me to react. A friend had a truck pass him, pull in the bike lane, and suddenly stop just to try & make him crash. A cyclist in Alice was hit Wednesday and left on the road.

Do I deny that there are cyclists who don't follow the rules as they should? Definitely not; they are, in fact, one of the main reasons I usually ride alone.

But I beg drivers to think of it this way: if I'm on a bike, it means I'm not another car on the road. It means less traffic, so you get where you're going faster--and without speeding! What safety for cyclists really means is safety for everyone.

Also: It's 2MC season again! I've kicked it off with 16 miles the first week, hoping to bike more this weekend!

Biking to Better Health

We had a health screening at work today, which I generally take part in because it saves me money off of my health insurance.

Since my health screening last year I've changed very little: I'm a big fan of eating junk, and that continues to be my largest problem. I'm not fond of fruits & veggies, I eat way too many big, greasy hamburgers, and I am known to drink Dr. Pepper like a fiend.

The only thing that's really changed is that I a) started riding my bike to work more and b) bought the "errand" bike for quick trips to the store, etc.

Granted, I've never really had a problem with my weight, but: my weight's gone down, my BMI is lower, and the only thing I can attribute this to is bicycling.

That certainly provides a little more incentive for me to train for the MS 150, too!

Hit & Run

A cyclist-ANOTHER-cyclist was killed this week.

STARRS and bekindtoCyClists have both posted rewards, since the driver who killed the man stopped to get the bike out from under the car but but left the cyclist in the street to die.

We don't know much. We know it happened about 12:25 a.m. We know it was a man named Stacy Palmer, who apparently biked darn near everywhere (not at all uncommon in Flour Bluff), we know he was riding with traffic, and we know he was hit by a green GM passenger vehicle.

But we don't know if it was intentional, we don't know if it was a drunk driver.

We do know that this wasn't the first cyclist hit-and-run, and it probably won't be the last. It's just a bike-unfriendly town, and it's a real shame. It's an even bigger shame that it takes tragedies like this one to bring attention to the plight of cyclists here.

No more Jesse De Leons. No more Barb Savells. No more Stacy Palmers.

Stay safe out there.

In the Bag

My original quest for a roomy, colorful rack trunk bag was so unsuccessful that I pounced on the first non-black one I could find.

It is great, but of course since purchasing it I've found a couple of intriguing options for my NEXT bag.

Terry Bikes' Juicy Rack Bag is adorable, unique, AND recycled. It doesn't have panniers, though, and I recently found them handy while trying to lug all my gear to soccer (I fit cleats, socks, shin guards, 3 bottles of water, wallet, bike lock, sunscreen and trail mix inside on Sunday).

And the Sherpani Vela, which is lovely, useful, and from a female cyclist-owned company...though sadly not being released until the spring.

My 2 Mile Challenge Update is...not as good as last week, despite a solid 30 miles of biking this weekend. I missed my commute all week (as well as Tuesday of this week) AND didn't even get to the store, so my numbers are way down. Only 34.12 miles.

It's not looking likely to hit that 400 miles, but maybe I can turn it around!

Joining Politics

I was very excited this week to discover that the city has a Bicycles & Pedestrians Subcommittee that meets monthly.

I've added it to my calendar and, though it's in the middle of the work day, am going to go.

I'm not sure what to expect; I know that like so many cities right now, we're suffering a budget shortfall. But it will be nice to get in on the discussion, at the very least. Given that it's completely unpublicized unless you happen along that web page (as I managed to do), I doubt many people show up.

I'll have to remind myself to ride that day. Hopefully City Hall has a bike rack...

2 Mile Challenge Update

In the past week since starting the 2 Mile Challenge, I've biked ALMOST every day.

I did bail on my commute this morning as my cat did some things to make my life miserable this morning, delaying me to such an extent that driving was my only option. Am definitely hoping for better luck on Thursday!

ANYWAY! My Week 1 Total: 64.51 miles biked.

64.51 miles in one week.

Nearly 65 miles that I would've driven.

I don't think about it as I ride, but these miles--as few as 2 per day--really add up!

New goal: 400 miles biked by the end of October. And if I fall short...I'll pledge $100 to some sort of environmental charity (open to ideas in the comments). How about that?!

On the Inequality of Bike Lanes

South Texas doesn't much care for cyclists. Down here, you are expected to have a motor vehicle, even if it's one of those weenie little compact cars. The majority drive SUVs & trucks.

This may explain why we have so few designated bike lanes (I can think of only four streets off the top of my head: Holly, Kostoryz, Ennis Joslin and Ocean Dr.). What's maddening about these bike lanes is the varying sizes of the lanes (and the fact that they occasionally disappear altogether).

On my morning commute, I head a couple miles down a street with no bike lane to Ocean. At Ocean, the bike lane is EXTREMELY small--barely wider than my handlebars. It widens and narrows along the route, and by the time I hit Cole Park it's big enough to park an SUV in (because people park SUVs in it, of course). Cole Park is also where it disappears, so the rest of the ride is done in the street.

On my ride home, I'm largely on streets without bike lanes (though on-street parking lanes are sometimes present, and a nice buffer unless I have to go around a parked car) until I hit Holly. Holly is another road where it widens and narrows at random before disappearing at Staples and picking up again after the intersection--not the greatest situation.

The narrowness of the lanes in some spots is more than a little ridiculous--at Weber I was stuck awkwardly between the right turn lane and the traffic at the light. The first truck at said light had a side mirror that jutted out so far it actually blocked the bike lane; had I pulled up next to him it would've smacked me in the head when the light changed.

The problem, I think, is that the city never considered bike lanes until 2005, at which point they decided that any street being resurfaced or widened (Ennis Joslin, Kostoryz, and Holly so far) needed to include a bike lane. So they aren't really widening the street at all, just giving cyclists whatever's leftover after shaving a little bit off of the rest of the lanes. Not an ideal situation, but it's better than nothing!

Challenge!

I may be a bit late with this, but I just discovered Clif Bars' 2-Mile Challenge.

I've signed up and will keep a running tally on my miles here per week. It sounds like a great way to a) encourage more biking b) reduce trips by car and c) make money for a good cause!

Two miles isn't as far as you think; they have a handy tool that lets you input an address and get a 2-mile "bubble" from that address. There is a TON of stuff within 2 miles of my house!

Summer Absence

Well, as of early July I paused my bike commute. It was hot as all get out and the bus stopped the Southside Express for lack of riders. Most people have trouble with winter commuting, mine's going to be summer.

We did, however, get our first cold front in late September and it's now delightfully cool. I've also tweaked my route: my new route is slightly longer, but a much better ride. Less traffic, wider roads, and more shade.

But I haven't solved the problem I always have: cargo.

I currently wrap up my purse (with phone, ID, and entry card), plus whatever I'd forgotten to stock my work locker with, in to a small, soft-sided bag that came with my luggage. I then bungee it to the rack and off we go.

While I've been looking for a rack trunk, I've been disheartened to find that they're almost all completely, boring BLACK.

First I decided to make my own, using an adorable bicycle-themed fabric I scored on Etsy. My original plan was to waterproof it (either by having it laminated at $60/yard or via linseed oil for old school oilcloth). This looked to be expensive and time consuming.

And then I found this one. First off, it's YELLOW. Have you ever seen such a happy little trunk? It's also got fold-up panniers, which would come in handy in case I unexpectedly needed to carry more cargo. It also comes with a little waterproof sleeve (a raincoat!) to put over it in case of inclement weather; though the reviews say that it does a good job of staying dry even without it.

I did, however, leave Houston WITHOUT the adorable yellow rack (I decided that buying 2 jerseys, new cycling shorts, an "I <3 My Bike" T-shirt & a mini air pump was enough bike-related spending for the weekend)...but am now having my Houston-based friend buy it for me & send it back with her family. I can't wait to try it out!

Sewing Lessons

A lady at work is graciously teaching me to sew, and of course I first wanted to make something for my bicycle.

I have two bikes: my Dahon commuter "real" bike and my Huffy cruiser "errand-running" bike.

On the rear rack of the errand-running bike, I've attached a ridiculously roomy Wald basket. It can fit an amazing amount of groceries.

Sewing Teacher helped me design and make a liner/removable grocery bag to go inside of it (coordinated to match the bike's color scheme, of course, because I'm a big girl).

First we made the pattern by laying brown craft paper inside the basket & marking to get its shape.

Next we cut pieces from a coordinating fabric for the liner, and sewed it together (leaving the bottom open for later).

Now we cut pieces from the outer fabric & some buckram for stiffness. Sewed the outer cover & the buckram together along the bottom seams but left the top open.

We attached the handles to the bag before sewing the liner in to the top of the bag, making sure to get the liner, outer cover, and buckram all folded together with the liner hidden just under the top.

And finally we turned the liner inside-out, pulling the rest of the bag through the still-open bottom of the liner (so we didn't have a bunch of seams showing), before hand-stitching that bottom seam shut.

It fits perfectly in to the basket & is going to be such a delight to take to the grocery & farmer's market!

Why it's good to make friends with your bus driver

In the afternoons, at least until it cools down, I ride up the hill and catch the Southside Express bus. So far I've been the only rider all five times I've taken this bus, so the driver and I have time to talk.

The wonderful thing about our Regional Transit Authority is that they recently outfitted every single bus with a bike rack on the front--and they've gotten a lot of use! Suddenly commuting is no longer an 'all or nothing' deal--you don't HAVE to ride your bike all ten miles, or take the bus all twenty.

Which brings us to yesterday.

There's a big convention in town, so a lot of busses have been pulled to the routes surrounding the convention center. Two of them passed me while I was waiting for my bus, and the lady who takes the #6 chainsmoked nervously while we waited.

Finally a bus pulled up, and it was the smaller busses generally reserved for the handicapped/those needing special assistance. My driver, a generally smiling and friendly guy, looked sad.

The bus didn't have a bike rack.

Before the driver could say a word, I popped the lock on my bike, folded it in half, and carried it up in to the bus with me.

While technically against the rules, he explained, he'd fought for a bus with a bike rack since a cyclist was the ONLY PERSON who rode this route--but management had told him that I could just wait for the next bus. So he was more than willing to let me aboard anyway.

ALWAYS make friends with the bus driver!

There are times...

…When it sounds crazy to hop on a bike first thing in the morning.

Like all summer in South Texas. Technically, summer started today. It’s been in the 90s for weeks already, however, with heat indexes (indeces?) of 110-115. When I start out at 6am, I pass one of those rotating message boards, and the temperature has never once been lower than 82 degrees. At 6am.

Not so tough in the morning, but come afternoon I’m happy to hop on a bus. The $1.25 I pay for the Express Commuter shuttle from downtown saves me an hour in the sun (I am so terribly pale) and possible heat stroke, so it’s well worth it to me.

That being said, I’ll be overjoyed when it cools off enough that I can make the full 18-mile roundtrip commute by bike!

For the record, the bicycle I commute on is a 2006 Dahon Cadenza (seen to the left). It folds, which I love, so is easily stowed in a closet. It's got a mountain bike frame and road bike tires, which makes it comfy on the admittedly horrendous roads here.