The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Saturday good time to learn about mountain biking

by: Phillip Barron - June 8th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
June 8th, 2006

MORRISVILLE — Do you have a mountain bike that just sits around while you say to yourself, “I really should go ride sometime?” Have you been looking for an event that will introduce you to the local mountain bike community? Or maybe you’re already tapped in and want to show off your skills to a local audience.

This Saturday, June 10th, says Camye Womble, is your day to ride.

The Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) are sponsoring their first ever Fat Tire Festival ? a day-long ode to the mountain bike.

From 9:30am until 2:00pm at Lake Crabtree County Park, TORC’s members and volunteers will host a series of events for every kind of local mountain biker.

The slate of events is a veritable cornucopia of two-wheeled fun. From your standard events, like group rides for all skill levels and helmet fittings and safety checks, to games a little more unusual, the day is packed with opportunities for everyone.

“It is definitely plannedto be a very kid and family friendly event,” says Bill Camp, president of TORC. Kids’ events include races, a bike toss, and demonstrations on how to ride the teeter-totters and skinnies of Crabtree’s skills zone. Later in the day will be an exhibition of balance and concentration as experienced “trials” riders demonstrate the gravity defying skills their sport requires.

Who should come to the Fat Tire Festival? “Folks who want to learn to climb hills, or make stronger turns; folks who want to learn how to ride in groups or meet new riding partners; folks who want to learn how to cross a log or ride a skinny; folks who want to see the bikes that the local bike shops are bringing as demos,” says Womble.

Advocacy and education are the two main reasons TORC’s putting on the festival. Mountain biking is just about the most fun anyone is allowed to have in the woods, but trails don’t build themselves.

Around the Triangle, singletrack doesn’t last forever either. “Hopefully,” says Womble, “the Fat Tire Festival will make folks aware of how often we lose Triangle trails to development. But what we really want is to tell them that we [TORC] are here to build more.” Though TORC is barely a year old, its efforts to work with land managers and build sustainable trails are already a model of success. They’re establishing trail systems backed by good relationships with park officials and municipal governments.

Helmets are required for everyone, and children under 12 need to be accompanied by their parents.

To play is free, but you may want to bring some money. There will be a swap-meet, a sort of garage sale of bike parts, as well as some wraps, cookies, and drinks for sale.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: New bike, pedestrian bridge has community backing

by: Phillip Barron - May 25th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006 Add Comment

DURHAM — “(The process) has enabled me to make some really wonderful connections with the people who make Durham work,” says Iona Hauser of Stewart Engineering, who has completed the design plans for a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over 147. The new bridge, a “graceful arch, framed by abutments that reference Durham’s historic and unique rectangular smokestacks,” will replace the existing pedestrian bridge linking Lakeland Street to the south and Gillette Avenue to the north.


Construction of the new bridge will begin this fall, and it may open as early as the fall of 2007.

The existing bridge was difficult to patrol because people couldn’t see onto the bridge from the street, and because it sits between two different police divisions. After the two neighborhoods linked by the span expressed concerns that the bridge harbored and facilitated crime, the city closed the bridge in 1995.

The consensus is that the failure of the first bridge was one of design.

In 2003, a municipal agreement to replace the bridge was signed, federal funds have since been secured, and Stewart Engineering won the contract to design a new bridge.

But given the failure of the old bridge, designing a new one — one that will satisfy everyone’s concerns — was no easy task.

Stewart Engineering met with community groups, city officials, bicycle advocates and anyone else who wanted input on the new bridge design. Hauser says she was “blown away by the commitment to the future of the city at every level — city staff, police, community volunteers, downtown developers, everyone.”

The new bridge features a well-lit, open design with good line of sight onto the walkway from both the approach and from 147. Entrance ramps on either end allow cyclists to ride right onto the 10-foot-wide path.

And then, Raleigh’s new pedestrian bridge over I-440 stirred up the imaginations of Durham officials.

Bull City boosters challenged Hauser to design the new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over 147 in such a way that it says Durham. The rectangular “smokestacks” anchoring the new bridge do just that, “but I’m partial to the crowning element — the ‘Durham blue’ LED lighting that traces the arch of the bridge” at night, Hauser says.

Beth Timson of Durham’s Department of Parks and Recreation adds that the 147 bridge is part of Durham’s extensive and growing greenway system. A trail was connected to the bridge until the span closed, at which time the city rerouted that trail over to nearby Bacon Street. When the new bridge opens, Parks and Rec plans to return the trail to connect with the bridge.

“I can’t wait to walk across it and see it at night on my way to a Bulls game,” Hauser says.

This column originally appeared in The Herald-Sun on May 25th, 2006

For more information on Durham’s greenways, visit http://durhamnc.gov/departments/parks Design photos compliments of Stewart Engineering.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Ride of Silence to speak loudly about bike safety

by: Phillip Barron - May 11th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
May 11th, 2006

DURHAM — The Ride of Silence on Wednesday will be the loudest statement of the year on bicycle safety and it will be spoken without a word.

The Ride of Silence is a Triangle-wide event, beginning at the Triangle Life Science Center (the former EPA building) at the corner of Alexander Drive and N.C. 54 in Research Triangle Park.

The second annual ride is for cyclists of all abilities and levels of experience. After a brief moment of silence and stillness, the assembled riders will take to the streets in hushed solemnity, proceeding slowly — using only hand signals for necessary communication — down Alexander Drive, completing a 5-mile loop through RTP, and returning to the Triangle Life Science Center. This is a no-drop ride.

The Ride of Silence honors and remembers cyclists who have been injured or killed on public roads. The goal is to raise the awareness of motorists, cyclists, law enforcement, and city officials that there’s more work to do to share the road.

The Ride of Silence is bigger than the Triangle. The local event is one of more than 190 concurrent events in the United States. Also on Wednesday, eight other countries will host silent processions, each in honor of cyclists who have died or been injured will riding.

The Ride of Silence is a simple, grassroots event. “There is no brochure, no sponsors, no registration fees and no T-shirt,” say event organizers Blanche and Larry Dean.

“The Ride of Silence,” says Pete Schubert, Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission member, “reminds us of the ultimate cost to cyclists when drivers fail to pay attention, ignore the rules of the road, disobey traffic laws, are not courteous, or otherwise do not respect their fellow drivers. We all know, in bike-motor vehicle collisions, the cyclist usually loses — sometimes his or her life — while the motorist usually lives to regret his or her experience.”

The Ride of Silence is focused on safety. The organizers require that all participants wear helmets. Since the ride will finish at or just after dark, bring lights (headlight and taillight) if you plan to ride home.

The Ride of Silence has new significance this year for IBM employee Brian Carver. He has a hard time forgetting the moment of impact, when he crashed into the car window, bouncing off and landing on the road.

“I try to keep my head clear and forget that each car that passes next to me can snuff me out in a second. All it takes is one moment away from the road to text message your friends and the next moment you’re explaining to a cop why you killed that rather obvious cyclist in the bike lane,” says Carver, recalling the story of a cyclist killed in Colorado earlier this year.

“It took a long time for me to get the courage to ride again,” Carver adds.

The Ride of Silence takes place this year at a time when soaring gas prices are encouraging some commuters to look for alternatives to driving and beautiful spring weather is turning some of those commuters to cycling. “We all must learn how to share the road and then practice safe driving every time we take to the road,” Schubert says.

The Ride of Silence will leave the Triangle Life Science Center parking lot promptly at 7 p.m. “Cyclists should arrive early enough to air up their tires and participate in a moment of silence before the ride,” Blanche Dean advises. “Daylight permitting, a second loop may be ridden.”

The Ride of Silence is a reminder that motorists and cyclists will always co-exist on the road. Whether we co-exist safely is up to us.

HS url: http://www.heraldsun.com/features/54-733187.html

NOTE: I learned only after writing this article that Chapel Hill and Carrboro are hosting another local Ride of Silence event. From the RoS website:
Carrboro/Chapel Hill
Contact: Michael Babbitt
Distance: 8 miles
Notes: Start and end in the parking lot of McDougal Elementary on Old Fayetteville Rd in Carrboro.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Bike couriers spur alleycats

by: Phillip Barron - April 27th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
April 27th, 2006

Remember the childhood fun of a scavenger hunt? You and your friends run around the backyard or school yard, gathering clues in corners or under rocks. Sometimes the clues stared you in the face, but the excitement of the game obscured them from view. And for some of them, there was a goal and even a winner. But that wasn’t really the point. The point was to have fun, right?

Take a scavenger hunt, mix in a little punk culture, anti-authoritarian politics, and a taste of danger, spread the course out over town, and make it a bike race. Now, you’ve got what’s called an alleycat.

Although only a handful of people showed up to Durham’s St. Patrick’s Day alleycat, they came from as far away as Hillsborough, Raleigh, and New Haven, Connecticut. OK, Mark didn’t come to Durham just for the race; Yale Divinity School was on spring break and he was in town visiting old friends. But Eric Owens, organizer of the event, isn’t surprised that folks came up from Raleigh for the ride.

“It’s really growing at an exponential rate right now. Many small towns the size of Durham are now hosting alleycats, whereas a few years ago no one had heard of them,” says Owens. So, where did they come from?

Alleycat races are an outgrowth of the bike courier scenes of major metropolitan areas. In cities like Chicago, New York, or San Francisco, the downtown centers are so densely packed that frequently the fastest way to get a letter, memo, filing, or other parcel from one side of town to another is by bicycle. Courier companies employ bikers to navigate through car, bus, and truck-filled streets, and because the courier is paid by delivery, efficiency is key to being a successful messenger.

Efficiency on a bike in a dense urban area, however, often translates into speed, disregard for traffic laws (it might be more convenient to ride the wrong way on a one-way street, for example), and a significant element of risk-taking.

The risks of the job, thinks Owens who spent a year as a bike messenger in Manhattan before coming to Duke for graduate school, bond the couriers together. Bragging about delivering this many packages over that big an area is something he heard regularly after work.

And an alleycat race is the place to settle the bragging rights, to see once and for all who is the fastest or who knows the city the best. “They grow out of a culture of work,” says Owens.

An alleycat is a unique sort of race. It’s designed to recreate the day-to-day challenges of messengers. At the Durham alleycat, each rider received a manifest made up of checkpoints throughout town. To complete the manifest, each rider had to visit each checkpoint and document somehow that he or she had been there.

For instance, to prove that they’d been to Cookout on Hillsborough Rd, riders had to write down the number of milkshake flavors the restaurant offers. Hand-written signs hung near the top of several parking garages downtown, and racers had to scribble down the signs’ messages. And one checkpoint was simply to write down what’s at 1825 Chapel Hill Rd. Riders had to go there to find out.

Unlike other cycling races, alleycats are not held on closed courses. They’re held in the streets, where riders mix with other traffic. Nor is there a prescribed route; riders complete the manifest in whatever order they want. So in addition to being a test of speed, an alleycat tests how well riders know local landmarks and streets.

But, without a bike messenger scene in the Triangle, why are there alleycats?

“Now that skateboarding culture has been completely co-opted, is mainstream, and you can find everything you need at the mall, I think people are looking for the next underground thing,” says Owens. Since alleycats are not sanctioned bike races, they have a certain chic factor to them.

So, did the St. Pat Alleycat bring together an emerging Triangle urban-bike scene? I’m really not sure. But it was fun, a little absurd, and no one got hurt.

For more urban-bike scene absurdity, check out bike polo. Meet at The Bicycle Chain, Durham on Thursdays at 8:30pm

A little post-alleycat video… complete with crooked-crank racing, bike tossing, and a brief night ride.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Bike Patrol volunteers great asset for growing sport

by: Phillip Barron - March 24th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
March 23rd, 2006

DURHAM — Many mountain bikers love their sport so much they look for ways to give something back.

Week after week, some volunteers dig in the dirt; they build the trails we all love to ride. Sweet singletrack doesn’t grow like kudzu, after all.

Some volunteer to attend meetings and hash out memoranda of understanding with land owners and property managers. Without these tireless lobbyists, we’d have no place to build trails.

Some organize beginner workshops to bring new riders into the fold. Some host races.

And skilled Triangle mountain bikers with an interest in helping other riders one-on-one just gained another way to give something back to their sport.

The Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) has the newest chapter of the Mountain Bike Patrol.

The Mountain Bike Patrol is a collective of volunteers focusing on education, safety, and peer assistance. Soon, you’ll see members patrolling local trails in their green and yellow jerseys. Proficient in first-aid for both people and bikes, patrol members are trained both to respond to emergencies and just to represent the sport in a positive light.

The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) supports more than 60 volunteer patrol groups in the U.S. and around the world. TORC’s is one of the newest.

Daniel Elzey, IMBA’s southeast regional Patrol coordinator, says “I see the Bike Patrol as probably one of the greatest assets to advocacy work. Patrol members are out on the trails providing a presence for the local club/organization, they are primarily out there to help new bikers find their way around, to provide advice and experienced insight, as well as emergency medical care if needed.”

“I like helping people, and I love the mountain bike community,” says Spencer Horn of Garner. “Now having completed the training, I’m very excited to get started.”

Mark Smith, who’s heading up TORC’s new Mountain Bike Patrol chapter, envisions Patrol members working closely with land managers to be the “eyes and ears on local trails when park managers are unable to observe” the trails in their area.

Local response has been positive. Drew Cade, Park Manager at Lake Crabtree County Park, is excited about working with the Mountain Bike Patrol. He thinks having volunteers on the 5+ miles of trails will be a big help.

You’ll see the yellow-and-green-clad ambassadors of the sport out on local trails sometime this spring, says Smith. And when you do see them, whether there’s an emergency or not stop and say hello. The Patrol is out there for you.

If you ask Patrol members about the rules of a particular trail, about the reasons to wear helmets, or about trail riding etiquette in general, they’ll be happy to talk. But don’t expect them correct anyone’s behavior or kick anyone off trail. The Mountain Bike Patrol leaves law enforcement to the local park managers.

If you’re a skilled mountain biker with an interest in helping others, think about joining TORC’s chapter of the Mountain Bike Patrol.

What do patrol members get in return for their service? Elzey sums it up saying “I think being active in the Bike Patrol instills a sense of stewardship of the land and the trail in much the same way that building and maintaining a trail does. Besides, there’s nothing more rewarding than spreading the love of the bicycle.”

See TORC’s website for contact information.
http://www.torc-nc.org

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Area parks get features to challenge mountain bikers

by: Phillip Barron - March 9th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
March 9th, 2006

WAKE COUNTY — The only time it’s fun to play on a see-saw by yourself is when you’re on a mountain bike.

You ride up one side slowly, crest the apex, the board flops down, and you ride down the other side.

Between the see-saws (known to mountain bikers as teeter-totters), balance beams (called skinnies), ladders, and picnic tables used as stunts these days, some mountain bike trails look and feel more like playgrounds than nature paths.

So why are outdoor enthusiasts building hand-made creations on the trails? Unfortunately, some of the interesting and challenging natural features that exist in mountainous regions just don’t exist locally, says John Whitfield, an officer in the Triangle Off-Road Cyclists. The man made structures [sic] help riders develop the same balance and bike control skills needed to master natural technical features.

Pisgah National Forest, just south of Asheville, is one of the closest regions to offer the highly technical natural terrain, says Whitfield. But, Pisgah is too far for most riders to frequent more than a once or twice a year.

As Lake Crabtree County Park’s Trail Stewarship Coordinator, Whitfield oversees maintenance of the existing trail system and construction of any new trails or features. And to help mountain bikers hone their skills, Whitfield and others have installed two teeters and two skinnies on the new Loop 5 of Lake Crabtree’s popular trail system.

And the stunts are bringing new riders to Lake Crabtree. I can hear the kids and even their parents laughing from my office, says Drew Cade, Park Manager at Lake Crabtree County Park. Cade has seen a 10% increase in ridership of the trails since the stunts were installed last year.

Mountain bikers tend to crave challenge, constantly looking for the next skill to learn. Handmade obstacles add a new challenge to our trails, and mountain bikers always like to try new things, says Cade. The stunts bring new riders and also new volunteers for trail workdays, he says.

Trail designers at Orange and Durham County’s Little River Regional Park have used wooden structures to elevate the trail in places where drainage is an issue. These wooden structures are not only fun to ride, they keep tires from carving ruts into wet soil.

TORC volunteers have recently installed stunts on the Hog Run, the mountain bike trail system at Harris Lake County Park. But the most extensive set of local handmade mountain bike stunts open to the public is at Legend Park in Clayton. Allen Tutt, LegendPark’s Trail Stewardship Coordinator, is known for the long, tireless hours he’s spent making sure that Legend’s Skills Zone is both challenging and safe.

Whitfield adds that man made structures also offer a safer way to learn to ride technical trail features. ‘Fall zones’ that are cleared of other obstacles and padded with mulch reduce the risk of injury. Man made structures also offer more consistency thenatural features.

If you’d like to try riding a teeter-totter or a skinny, TORC offers beginner rider workshops once a month from March through October. Clinics that take place at Lake Crabtree always include a session on the stunts.

To learn more about the next beginner rider workshop visit TORC‘s website. For more information about the Triangle’s local mountain bike trails, visit TriangleMTB.com.

For an example of just how elaborate teeters can get, check out this brief video of a teeter in New England.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Drivers, bikers must share responsibility for safety

by: Phillip Barron - February 23rd, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
February 23, 2006

DURHAM — Some in the Triangle suggest that recent bicycle-related fatalities, one in November and another in January, highlight the inherent dangers of cycling. There is an undeniable risk to cycling in traffic, but more soundly these deaths serve as a reminder that the privilege of driving an automobile and the right to ride a bike on North Carolina’s roadways are each coupled with corollary responsibilities. Those responsibilities have to do with safety.

Sometimes accidents happen. The very nature of the word ‘accident’ suggests two things: first, it suggests that no one is at fault, and second it suggests that these unfortunate incidents are unavoidable.

When you look at statistics, fatal bike accidents don’t happen too often. Although every year Durham county sees an average twenty-eight bicycle accidents involving automobiles, rarely is there more than one fatality per year. Nevertheless, one is too manyfor me.

So while it might be the case that (actual, unavoidable) accidents happen, it might also be useful for us to believe that all accidents are preventable, whether or not this is strictly true. That is, if thinking that accidents are avoidable leads us to adopt better habits (while driving or riding), to don more safety gear, or to be more patient on the road, we might all share the road with more confidence and respect for our fellow travelers.

And that may make the roads safer places for you to be, whether you’re in the driver’s seat, in the passenger seat, or on the saddle.

For a cyclist, safety begins with what we wear.

Growing up, at some point you probably reached an age when you wanted to take the factory-issued reflectors off your bike. That illuminescent red disk on the back of your seat post might slow you down, or the clear reflective mis-shapen rectangles claspingyour spokes might off-set the balance of your wheels so you argued with your parents, anyway. Really, you took them off because they weren’t cool.

Cool or not, reflectors are an inexpensive way to make your bike more visible on low-light or night time rides. If you have to ride in the dark, and many commuter cyclists do, then your number-one concern is making yourself visible. Think about putting those reflectors back on your bike. Reflectors don’t weigh much and don’t require batteries to light you up as you cruise down the road. If you gave them to the kid next door, you can pick up a set of new ones at your local bike shop for about $10.

Bright orange reflective vests ($15), with neon orange mesh and safety-yellow reflective strips, brighten up your torso. But keep in mind that a vest won’t do much good if you wear a backpack.

The local bike shop is also your source for bike-specific headlights and tail lights. Not only are adequate lights (front and rear) required by N.C. state law, they really do make a difference in your ride.

Geoff Martin of the Bicycle Chain thinks that the single most important piece of safety equipment a bicycle commuter can have is a blinking tail light. Whereas reflectors work only when a beam of light hits them, the battery powered, blinking LEDs scream I’m here, I’m on the road too all the time. This means that even before a car’s headlights shine on you, a good blinkie can be seen from a hundred yards away.

LEDs, the light emitting diodes that most blinkies are based on, require very little power, so the batteries powering them seem to last forever. However, if you ride in the dark often you may want to consider investing in a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger. Recharging your own batteries produces far less waste than relying on disposable ones, and it ends up saving you money in the long run.

When looking for a blinking light or other commuter accessories for your bike, look for components made by Planet Bike. Planet Bike makes a range of quality add-on products for your bike from fenders to lights to speedometers and donates 25% of their profits to bike advocacy organizations. They sell blinking red tail lights and blinking white handlebar-mounted lights for $15 each.

LEDs have made their way into headlights as well, and there are more than a few models to choose from at your local bike shop. Cateye makes a headlight ($40) that throws a beam more than twenty-five feet in front of you; its mounting system stays with the light, so you can easily move the light to another bike or reposition it to a better spot on your handlebars.

Finally, although not required by state law, wearing a helmet is never a bad idea. Helmets start at $40 and the prices climb pretty steep. Differences in price have mostly to do with the aerodynamics and comfort features integrated into the helmet. Which ever style you’re most comfortable with, just make sure your helmet is ANSI certified.

For more ideas on how to ride safely on the road or just to caffeinate on your way to work, stop by Mad Hatter’s Café and Bakery tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Durham’s Bicyclist Breakfast.

–
Bikers Breakfast
7:30 9AM, drop-in
Mad Hatters Café and Bakery
1802 W. Main St.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Ottawa pros offer advice

by: Phillip Barron - February 6th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

for lease
OTTAWA — Feeling trapped inside by the cold weather? Are you taking a break from cycling until the spring thaw?

Winter cycling has an allure all its own, but to be sure it also has its challenges. I recently spent some time in Ontario and saw how truly dedicated cyclists make their way through the streets of Canada’s frozen capital.

So, for some advice on cycling through the winter, I turn to the hardest working professional cyclists in Ottawa: the bike messengers. Like year round bike commuters, couriers have no choice when to ride. They ride every day they’re working, and most of them are working every day.

The capital city’s couriers offer four nuggets of advice to wintertime cyclists.

First, don’t fall for thinking that knobby tires make good winter tires.

A lot of people think, “because of wintery slush on the roads that knobby tires are in order,” says Crazy Dave, a long time Ottawa messenger. But knobbies won’t help, he says. “The snow packs in between the knobs and actually makes it worse.” Your traditional narrow road tires, or “slicks,” actually cut through the snow and find pavement to grip.

Sure enough, as I glance around at the couriers’ bikes congregating at the World Exchange Plaza, almost all of them are bear the slick road tires.

But the Triangle area is known more for its ice than snow, so which is the best for one of those glazed over days? Well, neither slicks nor knobbies are going to grip the ice. Studded tires are about the only things that work, but chances are if you need the studded tires, you don’t need to be out on the roads.

Second, Dave “Rambo” Besharah suggests using fenders over your tires. Roads dry out more slowly in the winter, and Durham’s greenways are often wet in the mornings. A nice set of fenders will keep your rear tire from slinging all that water on your back and your front tire from soaking your pants legs.

Planet Bike sells supposedly indestructible sets of shiny, polycarbonate mold-injected fenders for both mountain bike frames and road frames. They come with mud-flaps and all the hardware necessary to mount them on your bike. Or, you could take a more do-it-yourself approach, like Rambo. His fenders are pieced together from lengths of plastic, cut-up tubes, and a combination of duct and electrical tape. He’s even gone so far as to wrap the stanchions of his suspension fork in tube rubber to keep the corrosive salty slush out.

Third, all the extra water on the roads will demand more time for maintenance if you want to keep that drivetrain running smoothly. But for many of us, bike maintenance is the last thing you want to do after a cold ride. The wheels will be wet, the frame freezing, the chain and cogs greasy. The risk is that if you don’t put in the time to dry and lube the drivetrain, you’re letting parts of your bike rust. And rust is the last thing you want to see developing on your precious ride.

Allen Grier, a self-identified rookie with just four years experience on the streets of Ottawa, says there’s no way he’s going to put in the time needed to take proper care of his nice bike during the winter. So, each winter he picks up a “beater” — a cheap bike that he converts to a single-speed and rides into the ground. Cheap frames are usually steel or chromoly, both of which are fond of rust. With no maintenance, a beater will do well to last one winter in Ottawa; there’s just so much salt a bottom bracket can withstand before cracking.

Fourth, whether you pick up a “beater” or not, make your winter bike a single-speed. Grier’s not the only one riding with just one gear in the rear – most of the couriers’ trusty steeds are single speeds. And many of them are fixed gears.

Even if you’re not adverse to the cold, chances are you won’t be able to spend as much time riding in February as you can in June. Riding a single speed allows you to get in a pretty intense workout in a shorter period of time. Because a fixed gear bike won’t let you coast, riding one of these cadence masters offers the most return for time spent on the bike. And as Angelo Sarrazin, an eight-year veteran of Ottawa’s streets, reminds me, “if the brake cables rust through and snap, you’ve still got brakes on a fixed gear.”

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Personalized fitting key to comfortable, efficient ride

by: Phillip Barron - January 12th, 2006   Filed under: columns 2006

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
January 12, 2006

CARRBORO — If there’s an ideal Platonic form out there for everything that exists in this world of imperfect approximations, then there’s got to be an ideal bike for you and me. Now, how are you supposed to go about finding that bike?

Nestled in an upstairs unit of a converted warehouse in Carrboro may be the first step on the journey. Cycling Specifics is not your average bike shop. In fact, it’s not really a bike shop at all. “We’re more of a cyclist’s resource center,” says co-owner Laurin Stennis when she invited me in for a fitting.

When you walk in, the warm colors of the exposed brick walls and the smooth, worn hardwood floors welcome you and your bike to two-to-four hours of the most attention you’ll ever receive together. What CS does is make sure that you’re riding a bike that suits your body and your cycling needs.

“Most of our clients come in for a fitting,” says Lori Hoeffer, the other half of the CS team. She’s referring to a process built around bicycle manufacturer Serotta’s philosophy that the bicycle can and should be built to the body that will be riding it. A personalized fitting at Cycling Specifics yields enough details for Hoefer and Stennis to do one of two things: order for you a custom built bicycle or properly configure the components on your existing bike.

In the course of a fitting, Stennis and Hoefer measure your body, they record the current configurations of your bicycle, and determine your current strength and flexibility. They take into consideration what kind of riding you do and plan to do. It’s the most thorough, scientifically sound, and technologically savvy bike fitting you’ll experience.

Hang on, it gets complicated.

sizecycle.jpgOne of the essential tools they use in the fitting process is something called the SizeCycle.

“The SizeCycle helps us find your ideal points in space,” says Hoefer. “It’s Serotta’s infinitely adjustable sizing tool.” A stationary bike where every angle is adjustable and each clamp is a quick-release, the SizeCycle can mimic the frame geometry and size of just about any upright bicycle.

Using it, Stennis and Hoefer can find your ideal seat height, handlebar position, and top-tube length among other details. As we’re dialing in the size of my Platonic bike, we’re making adjustments down to the millimeter.

If you visit CS to get help adjusting your own bike, they are able to chart these ?ideal points in space with X/Y coordinates, and carry them over to your bike,? says Hoefer. They’ll adjust the seat and seat post, stem, and handlebars as much as they can. If your frame is close enough to your ideal, something as simple as replacing your stem or adjusting your seat post can make could make a big difference to your riding.

“Two or three years ago I began to experience neck and hip problems from cycling and was considering going to a more upright bicycle or finding another form of exercise,” says CS client Mary Sugden of Carrboro.

“During peak cycling season for the past two years, I was making weekly trips to either a massage therapist or physical therapist,” she adds. “But after making the necessary adjustments to my bicycle based on the measurements from the fitting, my cycling efficiency immediately and drastically improved. Best of all, my neck and hip problems associated with riding are now almost non-existent.”

lori_laurin.jpg

While the price tag of an Independent Fabrication (steel or titanium), a Serotta (steel, titanium, or carbon fiber), an Orbea (aluminum), or a Parlee (all carbon-fiber) may give you reason to pause (a true custom frame starts at around $1700 and complete bikes can top $8000), Stennis invites you to think about this. ?A custom bike is one you keep forever,? she says. ?People get the new bike itch every two or three years for a reason, and that reason usually has something to do with your comfort on the bike. When people get a custom bike, they keep it.?

Sometimes, after all is said and done, they have bad news. Like the fact that my commuter bike is just too small for me. Well, I really can’t complain about a 1970s frame I bought used for a whopping $10.

But the bad news can be good news. They helped me diagnose the recurring pain between my shoulders. And, perhaps the best news of all is that I have professional advice backing me up when I say I need a new frame.

Hmmm, and you say the Indy Fabs come in whatever colors you want, right?

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Cycling Specifics ? (919) 933-4831 – moved at the beginning of January; their new location has less exposed brick but more space for titanium and carbon fiber eye-candy and fewer stairs to climb.

 
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The Outspokin’ Cyclist: Extension of greenway hours a win for commuters

by: Phillip Barron - December 22nd, 2005   Filed under: columns 2005

Phillip Barron
The Herald Sun
December 22nd, 2005

DURHAM — One reason Lars Trost took his current job is that he knew he could bike to work from home. His office is about six miles south Forest Hills West, and it was important to him to find a route he could ride safely at night, since he often leaves work in the dark. After months of riding, he feels that the American Tobacco Trail is the safest and most direct route.

Ever since Daylight Savings Time ended in October, Trost, like most bike commuters in Durham, finds himself riding home in the dark most of the time. Trost says that after dark he’s not comfortable riding in the traffic of Fayetteville or Roxboro streets, his only alternatives to the ATT. So, he chooses to ride Durham’s most popular greenway instead.

One evening a little more than a month ago, he left work around 6pm. The sun had set, but his path was lit by a headlight mounted to his handlebars. Near the ATT’s intersection with Cornwallis Rd, a Durham Police Officer patrolling the trail pulled him over and issued a warning for trespassing.

The officer pointed to a sign near the intersection and noted that the American Tobacco Trail, like all parks in Durham, closes at dusk. The officer advised Trost that the next time he is caught on the trail after dark, he could be issued a $135 fine.

This incident brought to light a problem for Durham’s greenways. If users rely on greenways to get to and from different sides of town, then why should the trails close at sunset? Doesn’t closing greenways at sunset limit their utility, especially in the winter months when the sun sets as early as 5pm?

While greenways are parks, they are parks of a different sort. Linear parks double as transportation corridors, and transportation is more than a daytime activity. Whereas recreational cyclists have more flexibility to arrange rides at convenient times, commuters are at the mercy of their work schedules and mother nature.

Trost isn’t alone. “I see the same people every morning on my way to work”, he says. “If I had to guess based on my experience, I’d say close to a hundred people a day use the trail.”

Through email, Trost initiated a conversation with the Durham Police Department, City Council, and the City’s Transportation and Parks and Recreation departments. A meeting was arranged, at which the City acknowledged that it would be squandering a resource if a transportation corridor is unavailable to those who need to use it.

Bike commuters in other cities also face the problem of dusk trail closures, so Durham was able to look to other places for solution models. While some municipalities, such as Baltimore, Maryland, address the problem simply by exempting commuters from the trail closure, how to enforce this exemption creates a new problem for law enforcement. The idea of establishing a permit system was also looked at. But requiring cyclists to register with the city in order to lawfully use a greenway after hours would prevent folks from spontaneously using Durham’s greenways to bicycle to and from a Durham Bulls game.

After hearing from Trost as well as many other commuters who use Durham’s greenways as transportation routes, Darrell Crittendon, Director of Parks and Recreation, decided that extending the hours that the trails are open is both the simplest and most democratic solution.

As of Monday, December 5th, the Parks and Recreation department extended the hours of the American Tobacco Trail from dawn until dusk to 5AM until 10PM.

Crittendon also notes that The Durham Police Department (DPD) will continue to monitor the ATT for safety throughout the extended usage hours. He encourages any commuters who use the trail at night to consider using a buddy system. The more traffic there is in any area, the safer it tends to be from a public safety perspective.

None of Durham’s greenways are lit and the City does not plan to install lighting along the trails. So, if you’re going to ride the trail at night, be aware that it will be dark. From sunset until 10pm and 5am until sunrise, Durham police will be enforcing the state laws concerning nighttime cycling.

All cyclists riding at night must be equipped with a headlight visible from at least 300 ft. and a red tail light visible from at least 200 ft. All local bike shops carry these lights, which can be attached to either your bike or your clothing.

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NC General Statutes
20-129. Required Lighting Equipment of Vehicles.
(e) Lamps on Bicycles. Every bicycle shall be equipped with a lighted lamp visible up to three hundred feet in front when used at night and must also be equipped with a taillight or rear reflector that is red and visible for up to two hundred feet from therear when used at night.

 
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