02/23/2012
Okay, just mounted a bell on my bike. Now it is the complete commuter bike.
Paul
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A good W/E for bikes
02/19/2012
Even though it was raining yesterday I did get to mix in some bicycling stuff during my errands. I heard from someone that the bike store in Allen already opened. They said they have been open a few months already. I was amazed since I did not hear about it until last week through an e-mail from a fellow cyclist in Allen. While I was there I bought a bell (yes a bell) for my commuter that should go well with the fenders :)
The new store is a Bicysles Plus store in the Villages of Allen just a door or two north of Mooyah burgers. Now that is a great combo! When you get a chance go say hi to them and welcome them to Allen! Oh, and buy a couple things while you are there so they can STAY in Allen.
On my way home I got to see the new Sharrow lane markings along Malone so that was a very nice day.
The rain stopped late Saturday night and once it warmed to the 50's Sunday afternoon I was able to get out for a nice ride up to (and around) McKinney. It is strange to be able to free wheel after being on the fixie all week. Well, the gears made for a good 40mile ride and got me ready for a good week of commuting ahead. With the rain done it looks like I will be able to ride to work most (if not all) week.
Get out and enjoy the streets and trails of Allen!
Paul
Even though it was raining yesterday I did get to mix in some bicycling stuff during my errands. I heard from someone that the bike store in Allen already opened. They said they have been open a few months already. I was amazed since I did not hear about it until last week through an e-mail from a fellow cyclist in Allen. While I was there I bought a bell (yes a bell) for my commuter that should go well with the fenders :)
The new store is a Bicysles Plus store in the Villages of Allen just a door or two north of Mooyah burgers. Now that is a great combo! When you get a chance go say hi to them and welcome them to Allen! Oh, and buy a couple things while you are there so they can STAY in Allen.
On my way home I got to see the new Sharrow lane markings along Malone so that was a very nice day.
The rain stopped late Saturday night and once it warmed to the 50's Sunday afternoon I was able to get out for a nice ride up to (and around) McKinney. It is strange to be able to free wheel after being on the fixie all week. Well, the gears made for a good 40mile ride and got me ready for a good week of commuting ahead. With the rain done it looks like I will be able to ride to work most (if not all) week.
Get out and enjoy the streets and trails of Allen!
Paul
Monday, February 13, 2012
Some cities really have a jump on the cycling thing...
02/13/2012
A visit to Austin, TX lets a cyclist know it is possible for cars and bicycles to co-exist. As so many other cities ranked in the "top biking" locations alreay know, if you work at it, you can make it happen. In Austine I saw cyclists everywhere. Why is that? Well, there were bikelanes, sharrows, bike paths, bike racks, and on and on with awareness for cyclists being around you everywhere. I am getting excited to see the start of this here in Allen with the sharrow paintings starting to appear in our city. Way to go Allen for moving forward wth this!
Paul
A visit to Austin, TX lets a cyclist know it is possible for cars and bicycles to co-exist. As so many other cities ranked in the "top biking" locations alreay know, if you work at it, you can make it happen. In Austine I saw cyclists everywhere. Why is that? Well, there were bikelanes, sharrows, bike paths, bike racks, and on and on with awareness for cyclists being around you everywhere. I am getting excited to see the start of this here in Allen with the sharrow paintings starting to appear in our city. Way to go Allen for moving forward wth this!
Paul
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Why I ride my bike in the street
02/07/2012
Last night reminded me of why I ride on the street (most of the time). Riding home at about 8:30pm I thought I would spare the cars the need to work around me. I stayed on the sidewalk which I hate to do. Especially along areas that have no 'sidewalk'. Somewhere in the grass / dirt I got a flat. I had to jog the bike to an area with lights to change the flat.
I had a similar problem last week on a sidewalk area. The concrete is settling differently and the tire hit a high spot just right to cause a pinch flat. I normally ride on the street and now I remember why: Fewer flats!
This Spring the City of Allen will begin working on marking some streets as bike routes. That will be very welcoming to those of us that enjoy riding on the streets.
Thank You Allen!
Paul
Last night reminded me of why I ride on the street (most of the time). Riding home at about 8:30pm I thought I would spare the cars the need to work around me. I stayed on the sidewalk which I hate to do. Especially along areas that have no 'sidewalk'. Somewhere in the grass / dirt I got a flat. I had to jog the bike to an area with lights to change the flat.
I had a similar problem last week on a sidewalk area. The concrete is settling differently and the tire hit a high spot just right to cause a pinch flat. I normally ride on the street and now I remember why: Fewer flats!
This Spring the City of Allen will begin working on marking some streets as bike routes. That will be very welcoming to those of us that enjoy riding on the streets.
Thank You Allen!
Paul
Monday, February 6, 2012
Just a few hickups...
2/06/2012
Well it was a good commute day on the bike. Off to the Chiro in Plano after work, Then right from there back to Allen to discuss some items at Two Rows then to a city meeting at the police department. Somewhere along the way I lost my long sleeved jersey from my back bike rack. Then on the way home (cold without the jersey) I tried to ride off the road and got a flat. But I was prepared and got it fixed (note to self: that a fender on the back tire makes it harder to change a flat). Nice to know you can get by without the bike (even though it is not always easy). Oh, then i got home and pumped up the tire all the way. It blew out about an hour later. So, i just put another tube in and hope it lasts until I get more! This time I made sure I had the tire well balanced all the way around!
Ready for what tomorrw brings (and by now tomorrow is almost here).
Paul
Well it was a good commute day on the bike. Off to the Chiro in Plano after work, Then right from there back to Allen to discuss some items at Two Rows then to a city meeting at the police department. Somewhere along the way I lost my long sleeved jersey from my back bike rack. Then on the way home (cold without the jersey) I tried to ride off the road and got a flat. But I was prepared and got it fixed (note to self: that a fender on the back tire makes it harder to change a flat). Nice to know you can get by without the bike (even though it is not always easy). Oh, then i got home and pumped up the tire all the way. It blew out about an hour later. So, i just put another tube in and hope it lasts until I get more! This time I made sure I had the tire well balanced all the way around!
Ready for what tomorrw brings (and by now tomorrow is almost here).
Paul
Sunday, February 5, 2012
What color is your bike?
02/05/2012
My wife tells me I am a #1 personality on the Enneagram. Yes, I do like to go by the book and follow the rules. Not only do I want to follow the rules but I expect others to do the same. And that is where problems can start.
When I ride my bike I am making an effort to stop at all intersections and follow the rules and I expect automobiles to do the same and give me my space. So how does a rule follower take it easy and let the world flow naturally around him without getting hung up on the “he should have”, “she should have” details.
The problem begins with me. You see, I am colorblind. That means I see things in Black and White, Yes or No and Right or Wrong. I have to keep reminding myself that the World is not black and white but full of endless color. The World is so colorful because it is made of people that are so different and colorful in their own way. You just can’t be black and white; you need to see the full breadth of the color spectrum to understand and be compassionate to people around you.
For me I guess it will start by looking for more shades of gray in everything I do. I have to try and understand that everyone has some reason for doing things the way they do. They are not necessarily mad at the bicyclist; they just don’t see him/her. Sometimes I don’t pay enough attention to what is going on around me when I am driving so I can start by doing that before I criticize others.
I will again try to be more open minded out there on my bike. When I start thinking “You are doing that wrong” (which means I must know what is right), I will have to realize I am once again seeing black and white when the goal is to see all the colors!
Here is looking forward to a great rainbow in the sky!
Paul
Good commuting start
2/05/2012
It has been a good year for bike commuting this year. I am at a 71% commute rate. Unfortunately this is at the expense of our water supplies as we have not had rain as often as we would like here in Texas.
Paul
It has been a good year for bike commuting this year. I am at a 71% commute rate. Unfortunately this is at the expense of our water supplies as we have not had rain as often as we would like here in Texas.
Paul
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