July 13, 20161 Comment on Clovis CA investigates fatality initially dismissed as “just an accident.”
The call came in to the California Highway Patrol dispatch at 6:12 A.M. on the morning of Wednesday, April 20, 2016. Patrick TeNyenhuis was riding his bicycle in the shoulder of Shaw Avenue in Clovis, CA when he was hit from behind and killed by the driver of a Toyota Camry.
1179-Trfc Collision-1141 Enrt 8501 E Shaw Ave, Clovis, CA 93619, USA (Bicycle Involved) https://t.co/Wr1wsCGDkB
— CHP Bike Incidents (@chpbike) April 20, 2016
July 12, 20162 Comments on Unpaving roads
I’ve previously joked that disintegrating roads contribute to the popularity of adventure bikes. Governments can’t afford to maintain our public roads, resulting in challenging rock gardens for cyclists and recurring front-end repair bills for the motoring public.
On this 100th Anniversary of the first Federal funding law for public roads, WIRED Magazine looks at the state capital of Vermont, which unpaved the half-mile long portion of Bliss Road in 2009 for roughly 20% of the cost of repaving this deteriorating road.
Bliss Road is highlighted at the far right of this map, while the town proper is located at the far left. The five large-lot homes located within city limits on Bliss Road contribute about $20,000 in property taxes to the city budget each year. Although a homeowner trying to sell his home was apparently the impetus for the unpaving project, Bliss Road serves more than these residents living on the edge of town. People traveling from other nearby cities such as East Montpelier use Bliss (and nearby Murray Road) as cut-throughs to bypass heavy traffic on Towne Hill Road. Students also use Bliss Road to travel to and from the regional U32 Middle & High School. Still, it illustrates the subsidy required for those who choose to live on the outskirts of town.
Unpaving projects are suitable for low-traffic roads on flat terrain. I live and bike in Santa Cruz County, which has many low-traffic roads, but they’re in mountainous terrain. The result can be teeth-chattering descents on broken pavement. We also have numerous “slipouts” — places where a portion of road “slipped out” and slid down the side of the mountain after a heavy rainstorm. The county can’t afford to repair this damage, so they put up a “one lane road” sign as a temporary fix. It’s … interesting to see a 20 foot chunk of asphalt several yards below as you cycle along the edge of the abyss. You can see an incomplete list of these slipouts under the “On-Going Traffic Advisory” section at the Santa Cruz County Public Works Road Closure web page.
H/T to Carson Blume, who also makes the observation about gravel bikes and bad roads.
July 12, 2016Leave a Comment
July 11, 20161 Comment on Convert your bike into a box bike
If you haven’t seen the zillions of posts about the LIFT cargo bike Kickstarter yet, here’s the gist: for $725 (early bird pricing), you get the front end of a bakfiets style cargo bike that hooks to the front of your existing bike in about a minute. Compare against $3,000 and up for low-end box bikes, and this looks like a pretty good deal.
I try to only mention Kickstarter projects that I think are truly useful, innovative and have a legitimate chance to deliver, especially when more than a few hundred dollars are involved. LIFT bike designer Scott Taylor is a small-business owner who’s well known to the cyclist community in Denver, Colorado.
July 11, 20164 Comments on Stinky jerseys + Win Detergent FTW
Those who follow me on Instagram know I’ve just returned from a road trip to visit family and friends in Colorado, where I managed to also sneak in about a hundred miles of road riding. A 50 mile ride on July 4 around Colorado Springs resulted in bike gear soaked with sweat, which went into a plastic bag before the trip home. I figure sweaty bike shorts, jersey and socks stewing for three days in the trunk of a hot car make a perfect test for my newest sports apparel detergent.
The short story: WIN Detergent works, and it works well. I’m very impressed with its performance, and at $10.95 for a 32-load bottle, it’s a decent value as well.
June 28, 2016Leave a Comment
Bicycles are frequently a part of American Independence Day parades, but the 2016 Rose White and Blue Parade will go all the way with a bicycle theme. Their parade takes place next Monday, July 4, 2016 just west of downtown San Jose, California.
