New Years Resolution

It appears a fair few people have made a New Year's Resolution to commute by bike. On Monday evening I saw four people on bikes commuting after 6:15PM (Sunset was 5:16PM). Except for one guy on Old Battleground, none of them had a head light. One had a tail light on the bike, another had a tail light on the helmet and one had no lights at all.

Excepting the person on Old Battleground, the guy with no lights appeared to be the brightest of the bunch though. He was walking his bike off the edge of Holden Rd.

The guy with tail light on the bike was the one that spooked me the most though--I encountered him shortly after pulling onto Lake Brandt Rd. I noticed him as I pulled level with him going in the opposite direction. Had he been faster I might have pulled out in his path because he was invisible from the front.

Helmet light guy was a similar situation (just about the same location except I was approaching from behind this time). The light mounted up high like that with no passive (reflectors) or active lighting on the bike made it appear he was around 200 yards further up the road than he actually was when he was in the black holes between street lights.

My point--If you need to ride when the sun doesn't shine, get a head light and a frame mounted tail light. The head light to reduce cut-offs by pull-outs and left-crosses and so people can find you in their mirror when they merge into your lane; a frame mounted tail light so you are recognizable as an SMV at the expected range. The vehicle code is written with safety paramount--flaunting it does no one any good.

On Yer Bike!

My Poor Bike!

Yesterday on my way to work I was accelerating off a start when I heard a loud "pang" (like a ping but more discordant) and the steering got a bit wobbly followed by some squeaking sounds I have always associated with the leather saddle especially when the humidity is high. I though the "pang" came from the drive train (slip gear or some such) and continued on to work.

At the end of the day I got back on the bike and started to head home. I came off the sidewalk to the parking lot and the steering felt sloppy again so I stopped to make sure the panniers were secure (a loose pannier will raise Caine with the steering). All mounts were solid as was the rack itself. Then I noticed this:

From Commuting in NC

Which led me to look at the other side of the downtube:

From Commuting in NC

Followed by a look from the bottom (eek!):

From Commuting in NC

I then very gingerly rode home becoming so very keenly aware of how poor the roads are in some sections of Greensboro. Fortunately the rear brake pad is fairly new so was stopping me well as I didn't want to use the front brakes and put more stress on the downtube.

Once I got home I moved the rear rack and lighting systems over to the trike so it could pinch hit as my commuter until I can resolve my diamond frame conundrum.

From Commuting Scenes

Now it so happens there is a new Trek dealer coming to Greensboro: Trek Bicycle Store. Unfortunately for me, they are not yet capable of servicing warranty claims yet but Chris Pieck of Greensboro's Trek Bicycle Store is passing on my info to "the territory manager for Trek". If I don't hear anything by this weekend I'll try the Trek dealer over in High Point to see if they can provide satisfaction.

If not then I'm developing a list of replacement candidates. To make the list the bike must be considered a loaded touring bike and have disc brakes and 700c wheels (700c wheels are a nice to have to preserve my investment in Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires of which I have three waiting to be used). So far the rides that make the grade are the Co-Motion Americano and the Salsa Fargo. If you know of any other candidates, let me know.

On Yer Bike!

Bike to Work Manual

Found this link through Bikebiz.com. It's a advertiser financed book on bike commuting. It's about 50% ads, 50% content but a quick look at the content indicates it is reasonable sound advice in the main.

On Yer Bike!

Bike to Work Week--Nothing Like a Challenge

This was the weather radar two hours after I arrived at work. The yellows and reds were directly overhead when I was cruising through Greensboro this morning. Nothing like waterproof panniers to keep your work clothes dry in a heavy rain.

On Yer Bike!

Next Week: Bike to Work Week

From Commuting Scenes

Next week is Bike to Work Week across much of the nation as well as here in Greensboro. The dates and locations for the GSO refueling stations are listed at the Bicycling in Greensboro website. I will be helping out at the Total Wine-Battleground location on Tuesday.

On Yer Bike!

NC DOT Doesn't Seem to Get It

According to this article in the News and Record, NC DOT is planning on surveying motorists on how they use Triad area roads. The problem is, motorists aren't the only road users. What about transit users? Pedestrians? Bicyclists? Their road use is just as valid as the motorists. Where is their survey?

General Greensboro seems to have information not in the news article, in a statement on Twitter he said "GenlGreensboro @mplakus Don't know about alt trans. Seems like they are looking for how many people cross county boundaries. " That still has no bearings on transit, ped or bike, they can all cross county lines.

On Yer Bike!

Put the Onus on the Risk Bringers

Mikael from The Copenhagen Bicycle Culture Blog has got it right. So many times road DOTs design roads with only motorists in mind. They treat pedestrians and bicyclists as invaders who are left to fend for themselves if they dare to travel on right of ways designed for motor vehicles. The purpose of roads is to move people, goods and raw materials, that they are built out to support motor vehicles does not make their operators the sole "owners" of those spaces.

On Your Bike!

It's Bike Month!

So to start off the month, an article from the NY Times about stopping at red lights.

On Yer Bike!

Jury Duty

I had it. As a citizen of this democracy it's my duty to participate in it. That said, I have a few complaints on how it's handled here in Guilford County. The Courthouse in Greensboro is just a little uptight about security. Have you ever seen an adjustment wrench for a Brooks saddle? It's a piece of stamped steel about 3 1/2 inches long. That was deemed a large wrench. And a Topeak Turbomorph is considered a weapon. Just to compound this problem, the Courthouse website does not list what is not allowed beyond fire arms and knives. The security chief also copped an attitude about me being dressed in lycra at the security point. Apparently he didn't consider the fact I couldn't change into more acceptable clothing until I got past the checkpoint and into a restroom. When challenged as to what they expected me to do about my "weapons" they did back down a bit and secured them for me at the kiosk. Apparently they didn't want to contact the jury clerk as I was pressing them to do.

Now into the waiting room. Thumbs up for the free WiFi. Thumbs down for blocking Wordpress and Blogger. I'm sitting there cooling my heels and I can't surf the blogs, only the RSS feeds, not a problem if the feed is fat but there are a lot of good thin feeds you need to click through to get to the meat of the article. Also a huge thumbs down for blocking Yehuda Moon just as Rick is starting to publish the strip again. That strip if far more than entertainment, a huge amount of advocacy discussion transpires in the comments section. Finally, IMAP and POP3 mail clients do not work on the free WiFi. If you need your mail, you have to use some lame web client, and believe me, web clients running in Safari on an iPod Touch are truly lame.

Anyway, it turned into a day of nothing. Two groups of jurors were taken from the pool and I wasn't in either. We were released for the day at 4:00pm so I was able to get clear of the downtown area before the evening rush got rolling.

Final warning, eat breakfast before you get there...first break isn't until 11:00am with lunch at 12:30. The vending machines though well stocked are well stocked with junk albeit the prices are lower by a large margin than the vending machines on campus at NC A&T.

On Yer Bike!

Twice as Many

I was reviewing some polls on Greensboro Gas Prices and I found this one from a month ago that asked the user what their usual commuting method was. As expected the overwhelming majority of site users were single occupant car/truck users. What surprised me was the result of bike commuters--twice as many poll answers favored bike commuting over motorcycle commuting.

On Yer Bike!

Detached Bike Parking

I finally closed on my condo in central MD last week and immediately turned around and made an offer (which was accepted with some modification) on a nice home with a detached garage. This will put a bit of a crimp in my style regarding reporting on progress on the BRT as once I move it will no longer be along the way on my route to work but I still intend to go out of my way once in a while to keep up on the progress. Looks like major work on the Cone Rd tunnel is complete although they filled in the ends of the tunnel until the rest of the trail is ready, at least that's my guess as to why they filled it back in.

From Wrenwood Dr

On Yer Bike!

BRT in Progress

Here are my first photos of the BRT as it is being built.

From Battleground Rail Trail

This view is from about 50 yards south of Total Wine looking north. The trail will connect to the sidewalk just before the driveway for Total Wine/CVS. This looks to be a crash waiting to happen. In fact when I headed through the driveway intersection I had a ROW conflict with a right turning pickup. Fortunately we were both alert to the potential for problems and no harm done.

From Battleground Rail Trail

This shot was taken from the same location as the first but looking south. The crushed stone bed looks reasonably wide.

From Battleground Rail Trail

This view is from Martinsville Rd looking north. Hopefully that speed bump is not part of the design.

From Battleground Rail Trail

This shot was taken from Isaac Pl and Martinsville Rd. It illustrates two things:

1. Looking over the hood of the second car you see the beings of the next section of trail.


2. Due to the high traffic volume I had to shoot the shot with cars in the picture. Combine this with the 30-40 yard offset between trail segments and we have a significant conflict point. No pedestrian facilities means all trail users will be using the road to get between the trail segments.

From Battleground Rail Trail

This next segments have much work to be done at this point. Here is the segment that curves around the Toyota lot to begin running parallel to Patriot Way.

From Battleground Rail Trail

Same location as the last shot but looking west now.

I hope the designers have thought about the conflict zones I have highlighted here. It seem to me the money being spent to tunnel under Cone would have been better spent tunneling under Martinsville or Pisgah Church. On Cone a crossing pedestrian or cyclist only needs to negotiate with traffic from one direction at a time. They get to change their focus once the median is reached. Martinsville affords no such luxury and I have yet to figure out how the Pisgah Church crossing is expected to work but unless those high speed corners are squared back off I expect it can't help but be dangerous.

On Yer Bike!

Battleground Rail Trail

Kudos to General Greensboro for highlighting this article which led me to this article. I've heard rumor of this trail but nobody had been able to provide facts relating to it. Even armed with the name of the trail I am finding very limited information about the rail-trail conversion. GDOT had this but no one else appears to be talking about this project on the Internet which I find utterly amazing.

The current phase of the project will run the trail from the end of the Bicentenial Greenway next to Mt Pisgah UMC on Pisgah Church Rd down to Markland Avenue. A tunnel will be used to get around the traffic on Cone Blvd but I wonder how traffic will be handled at the Martinsville Rd and Pisgah Church Rd crossings.

A quick look at satellite photos overlaid on the old rail alignment shows the homes and businesses that adjoined the old rail bed have taken over the space of the old rail right of way. Where I to guess about the alignment of the trail I would expect it to use Isaac Pl from Pisgah Church Rd to Martinsville Rd. Then comes the challenge of crossing Martinsville Rd. Despite a 30 MPH speed limit a large number of road users appear to confuse this street with the speedway of the same name. Combine this with short site lines and substantial traffic (frequently and issue during the evening commute for me) and you have a very difficult crossing. Add to this the fact that following Isaac Pl puts one a hundred yards east of the rail alignment and the problems start to compound. Do you follow Martinsville to get back unto the rail alignment or follow Lane Rd to Patriot Way which eventually realigns on the old rail bed.

The other alternative that I can see is to follow Isaac Pl about 200-250 yards to get around the back of the mini-mall that sits squarely on the old rail alignment. At that point follow that property lines back to the alignment. Now this reduces some of the Martinville Rd conflicts as the crossing will be closer to Battleground and eastbound motorists won't have time to accelerate to uncontrollable speeds while the sight lines to the west are improved by the higher elevation.

There still are problems though with the Pisgah Church Rd crossing though. If it is made at the original rail alignment it will be nearly 100 ft wide and eastbound traffic exiting off northbound Battleground does not have a stop sign or red light. Given my experience in Greensboro marked crosswalks mean nothing to local drivers so crossing here would be extraordinarily dangerous. Crossing from the Bicentennial Parkway to Isaac Pl is only marginally better but could easily be improved with a concrete pedestrian island to afford some protection from eastbound motorists heading for Forest Lawn Dr who might cheat over to the turning lane without checking for pedestrians or cyclists trying to cross. I really don't understand why this isn't already in place given Isaac Pl is the northern end of Bike Route 9.

On Yer Bike!

Tax Holiday

North Carolina had its School Tax Holiday this weekend. The concept, as I understand it, is to help people save a little money as they prepare for the school year. That's all well and good. What I take issue with is the logic behind what is or isn't taxed.

How many grade school students have you ever seen wearing Lycra kit to school? I've never seen a one. Granted, just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean it does exist. Most students who would be permitted to bicycle to school probably live within five miles of school, a distance were Lycra offers no benefit. What's my point? On Saturday I purchased one Lycra jersey, one pair of Lycra shorts and one pair of cycling gloves and all of it was tax free.

Now I suspect this all came under the overarching category of clothing so I'm not going to complain about law makers trying to keep a law simple. What I will complain about is the purchase that was taxed.

Juveniles in NC are required to wear a helmet while operating a bicycle. Guess which purchase was taxed? The helmet--Not a high end unobtanium feather weight model which would clearly be a luxury, but a middle of the road Bell Ghisallo. If the NC legislature wants to show they are serious about promoting transportation methods other than single occupant motor vehicles then they have some serious work to do.

On Yer Bike!

Fair Weather Rage

From the Guardian newspaper in the UK we get this interesting bit of reporting about how the sun brings out the worst in people. I was struck by how true the bits about cyclists and joggers rang out. If only people would put a little research into etiquette of a sport before trying them out.

For cyclists on multi-use trails:

• Ride right, pass left.
• Signal when you are overtaking both other cyclists and pedestrians. I know some people plug their ears with headphones but at least if you try to signal then you have a defense in the event of a crash. As near as I can tell "On your left" means nothing to the general public though it should mean something to cyclists with any significant experience. I would recommend calling out "Passing, on your left" instead. The comma is to indicate a pause in the call to allow the person time to register that someone is talking to them.
• Keep your speed down especially when passing pedestrians--if you want to push the edges of your envelope then take it on the road. Use the trails for recovery rides and aerobic training. Ideally you should be coasting when going around pedestrians, this will create a continuous noise from your cassette (unless you're riding a fixie in which case you just got launched off your bike by the pedals) that will tell the overtaken where you are. Obviously this won't work when passing large groups or going up hill.
• Use some common sense in passing, if there is oncoming traffic when you desire to pass someone in front of you, wait for a safe gap. Don't try to split the space between the traffic. You wouldn't want motorists doing the same to you, would you? Remember, most of the pedestrians have cars too.

For pedestrians:

• Walk right, pass left. Don't walk on the left on right of ways not used by motor vehicles. The only time you should be walking left is on roads without sidewalks. Don't confuse this exception with the rule from common law. Walking down the center makes you particularly difficult to overtake--from my experience there is about a 60/40 split between center walkers the split right or left respectively when the realize they are being overtaken (except those who hold their line).
• Check over your shoulder before turning around in the middle of the trail. Nothing is causes more anxiety in cyclists then joggers that pull a sudden button hook turn in the trail as they are preparing a pass.
• If you hear someone trying to overtake you, hold your line. An overtaking cyclist has been trying to figure out how to pass you for some time before they get to you. If they signaled they are just letting you know they are coming, they are NOT saying get out of the way (unless you are a group that is covering the whole trail). Dodging suddenly to one side is a great way to get run into. No cyclist will intentionally hit you unless they are insane in which case they will likely make another run at you if they missed you after the dodge.

On Yer Bike!

Friends in High Places

There's a bike commuter in the the White House.  James L. Jones is the current National Security Advisor.

James L. Jones, looks for rare opportunities to ride his bike from his McLean home to work at the White House. On occasion, he has pedaled back across the Potomac River for lunch.

Thanks to Washcycle for the scoop.

On Yer Bike! (That's an order)

Summer

As a cyclist I have numerous reasons for enjoying summer even in the south.  My main reason though is summer vacations.  Not mine, the vacations everyone else is taking.  Once Memorial Day passes there is a marked decline in motor traffic volume.  This was VERY true when I lived outside the District of Columbia and is appearing to hold true here in Greensboro, NC.  With the lighter traffic motorists generally become a bit more tolerant of delays (of course there are always exceptions) and are not inclined to "buzz" cyclists and make other less than safe manuvers to get around them.  Most of my mileage accrues during the early hours of the day when it is relatively cool so when I am finishing up I am mixing it up with other commuters like myself.  

BTW--If you want really quite roads, try riding at 3:30AM.  I had to do that last week for work, over a 8.5 mile route through the middle of Greensboro and through downtown I saw a grand total of four moving motor vehicles, none overtaking me.

Yehuda Moon Returns!

From the Yehuda Moon blog:

Yehuda Moon returns June 17, 2009. Dailies will run Monday through Saturday featuring Yehuda and the whole gang at the Kickstand. A fuller Sunday strip will run as well, featuring Joe King. More details shortly. 

I will likely fill in the blank dates if I find time along the way (and maybe even a few before the restart date).

On Yer Bike!

No Ordinary Seamen

We've all heard the tales of Capt Sully landing his crippled bird on the Hudson last January.  Here's a story about more heroes from that day that helped the good Capt keep a blank slate on the death tally.

It's Bike Week

And here in the Piedmont Triad region we have a full slate of events.

• Monday, May 11
• 7am – 9am
• Bicycling in Greensboro Refueling Station
• Where: Spring Garden Bakery, 1932 Spring Garden St.
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
• www.BikeGSO.org
• 9am – 11am
• Fallen Law Enforcement Ride
• Where: Stop at Greensboro Governmental Center at 9:30am
• Description: A group of Charlotte area police will ride over 400 miles to Washington, DC, to recognize fallen law enforcement officers. Route passes through Asheboro, Randleman, Greensboro, Burlington and north to Virginia.
• www.biketoDC.com
• 7:30pm – 9:30pm
• Beginners Bike Repair Workshop
• Where: Cycles De Oro, 1410 Mill St., Greensboro
• Description: Beginners bike repairworkshop to include changing flat tires, proper inflation, lubing chain, basic gear shifting theory & practice, and road side emergencies.
• www.cyclesdeoro.com
• Tuesday, May 12
  
• 7am – 9am
  
• Friendly Bike Refueling Station
  
• Where: Friendly Bikes, 2823 Spring Garden St., Greensboro
  
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
  
• www.friendlybike.com
  
• 7:30pm – 9:30pm
  
• Moderate Skill Level Bike Repair Workshop
  
• Where: Cycles De Oro, 1410 Mill St., Greensboro
  
• Description: Moderate skill level bike repair workshop that includes gear and brake cable replacement & adjustment, bearing play adjustment, more extensive varieties of lubrication.
• www.cyclesdeoro.com
  
• Wednesday, May 13
  
• 7am – 9am
  
• PART Refueling Station
  
• Where: UNC Greensboro Traffic Circle, 1400 Spring Garden St.
  
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
  
• www.partnc.org
  
• 7:30pm – 9:30pm
• Bicycle Movie Night
• Where: Cycles De Oro, 1410 Mill St., Greensboro
• Description: Bike Movie night in vacant space next door. Free with popcorn & lemonade, door prizes from vendors, bring a lawn chair.
  
• www.cyclesdeoro.com
  
• Thursday, May 14
  
• 7am – 9am
  
• REI Bike Refueling Station
  
• Where: REI @ Friendly Center, 3334 W. Friendly Ave, Suite 140
  
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
• www.rei.com/stores/108
• 7am - 9am
  
• Bryan YMCA Refueling Station
• Where: Kathleen Bryan YMCA, 501 W. Market St, Greensboro
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
• www.bryanymca.org
  
• 7:30pm – 9:30pm
  
• Advanced Bike Repair
  
• Where: Cycles De Oro, 1410 Mill St., Greensboro
  
• Description: Advanced skill level bike repair workshop that includes spoke replacement and basic wheel truing, replacing bearings in hubs.
• www.cyclesdeoro.com
  
• Friday, May 15--National Bike to Work Day
  
• 5am - 11:59pm
  
• Discounted Bus Fare on Greensboro Transit Authority
• Where: Any GTA Bus Route
  
• Description: Secure your bike to any GTA fixed route bus then board and receive a half-price fare: just 60 cents!
• 7am – 9am
• Downtown Burlington Bike Refueling Station
• Where: J and L Bicycle 216 E. Front St., Burlington
  
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
• www.JLBicycle.com
  
• 7am – 9am
• Downtown Greensboro Bike Refueling Station
• Where: Governmental Plaza @ Greene St.
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
• www.tinyurl.com/gdotbikeped
• 7am - 9am
  
• Bicycling in Greensboro Refueling Station
  
• Where: Total Wine, 2976 Battleground Ave.
• Description: Stop for juice, water and snacks to fuel yourself for your bike to work. This event is free.
• www.bikegso.org
  

On Yer Bike!