Another salvaged frame

I got this frame/fork/crankset/stem from a friend for free. It sat in my garage for a while. After reading Scott's articles about his Schwinn Le Tour II, I decide to build it into a SS for casual rides/commutes.

I had to invest about $120 in a seat post, brakes, brake levers, cables, and bar tape, but everything else was stuff I had in the garage.

I think it turned out pretty good and that's one less bike frame in the local landfill.

 

 

 

Cranksgiving Omaha 2009

Bryan Redemske just posted details about the Cranksgiving 2009. Hope to see all of you there. Maybe I'll even race this time instead of pulling a trailer.

B.O.L.O. (Be On the Look Out)

Some jackass (white male, 40-55 yrs old, brown hair) in a early to mid 90's blue Dodge Dakota pick-up turning left across traffic, nearly clocked me yesterday around 5:30 at Pacific and the Interstate on ramp.  The fucker wasn't looking where he going, literally, and he didn't even stop or slow down after he finally did see me.  Very scary situation.  This guy has no idea and is gonna get some one hurt.

Spooks on Spokes

Cyclistas,

Check it. Last year I organized a cycling event called Spooks on Spokes. It's an adult (18+) cycling scavenger hunt /alleycat-style race (ride) that has participants following a manifest to find various locations where items are retrieved and/or tasks performed. Last year I had roughly 30 participants. I originally intended to have this event Oct. 10th but I wasn't able to pull it off due to a time crunch. After participating in Sean29'ers alleycat last Sunday I've decided to go forward with this event and try and have it October 31st, halloween day.

The entry fee is FREE, but donations are accepted to offset the expense of event insurance (a buck or two will help, but is not expected). Due to the nature of this event I have to have liability insurance.

There will be prizes (or awards) for top three finishers in geared and fixed/SS categories.

Stop by the Spooks On Spokes blog and feel free to comment and vote on a preferred start time.

dinner and the movie

If you are going to The waiting for the "Sunday in Hell" and you riding you bike. I have last minute idea. Meet at wohlenr's around 5:15 rollout to the hommy innn around 5:30 get some food and drinks at the hommy inn and head out to TWR.... See you there bring lights for the way back home. if you have question call me five ten nine nine nine 6. You can meet us at the hommy anytime... before we roll out around 7:00 pm... toodles

Oh what a day for an alleycat

So the weather looks amazing, with temps in the low 70's and sunny, Prizes have been donated by Bike Masters, The Trek Store of Omaha, and The Bike Way.  Thanks to "The D" it looks like we will have spoke cards as souvenirs.   Now I just need helpers to show up at 11 am and people to show up to participate at 11:15.

Hope to see y'all there.  And don't forget about A Sunday In Hell at The Waiting Room later that night.

Final Days for Oh What An Alleycat!

Just a reminder that if anyone is wanting to help out with the event, manning a check point, please show up around 11:00 am.  I have a few people but still could use an extra hand or two.

If you show up and we don't need your help, you are more than welcome to ride.

See ya there!

Last Minute Bike Ride (Tonight)

My Wednesday night activities got cancelled, so I'm going to get out and enjoy the lovely weather for a few hours. I thought some of you might want to join me.

If you would, be here by 5:30-5:45 tonight and we will head down town for some easy riding.


View Wednesday Ride in a larger map

Hope to see you there,
Bob

Cyclocross weekend. Anyone have an insight?

I'm kicking around the idea of entering my first cyclocross race the weekend of October 3rd and 4th. The Nebraska Cyclocross Weekend races. My question is for those who've competed in this race in past years. Firstly, how laid back is this race? Are we talking costumes, beer zones and shenanigans? Or is it skin suits and carbon wheels all the way? I ask this because I'm not interested in the latter. Beyond what the nebraskacyclingnews.com site shows, there is very little information out there.

Anyone got the skinny??? Mod?

Last bacon ride of the year

Well that time of the year is here no more bacon, technically last day for awesome mounds of bacon is the 27th of September but there is already full dockets of events for that day alley cat, Sunday in hell curing the Oktoberfest blues you name it. So that means the last ride out of Omaha for some bacon will be this Sunday 20th starting at 6 am @ wohlners roll out 6:10 am. Gravel glory and bacon await all are welcomed. see you there....
p.s. the lied pedestrian bridge is closed we will have to find an alternative way home. here the proposed route if you have any questions about the route leave a comment
p.p.s here is the queue sheet for the way home

Countdown Begins!

Let the two week countdown begin!  The weather looks pretty good.  I've been getting some good feedback from people talking about the alleycat.  I've also been getting in touch with some of the locations and everyone is being pretty cool about it.  Let's all hope for good weather.  I'm also lookin forward to Sunday in Hell afterward.  It should be an awesome day.

Omaha Kicks Ass!

Why? Well let me tell you. While riding home through Aksarben Village tonight I stopped at a red light, then rolled through when it was clear. Unbeknownst to me one of Omaha's finest was behind me and didn't even bat an eye about me rolling through a stop light. I thought I was busted for sure. Try doing that in Sarpy County.

Then I saw a guy bust out a full on hardcore right hand turn signal for him and his wife. Pretty sweet.

cycling caps

While spending some time at Black Hills I ran an idea of pedal-Omaha cycling cap by Mod and Lucas, they said hey sweet caps are always cool to have if they are cool looking and what not. Coincidentally half of snappy caps was sitting right there and was supportive of the idea. Snappy caps is local company (okay Lincoln local enough) operated by Skip and his wife. Lucas, defacto art/photo/graphic designer guy agreed to work up some logos for the design...
The question I have for you would you be interested in buying one of the caps if they were made. If so please leave comment...
Last bacon ride of the year is coming stay tuned.

Bike Rentals and Bike Sharing in Omaha

Most people reading and writing for Pedal-Omaha want to see more people on bikes hitting the streets of Omaha. One alternative to riding your own bike is to rent or borrow one.

Within the past couple of weeks, news of two new programs offering bike rental and bike sharing in Omaha has caused a buzz.

Starting with a soft launch a few weeks ago, the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau began renting six Trek Lime bikes and four kid's Trek M200 mountain bikes to visitors of downtown Omaha. Read more about the bike rental program here.

Today marks the start of a free bike share program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, using eight donated bicycles, including a tandem bicycle. Read more about the bike sharing program here.

If you rent a city bike, or happen to be a UNO student or faculty member and try out the shared bikes, please come back here and post a comment letting us know how it went.

Sigg Bottle Exchange

Apparently, Sigg aluminum bottles contained BPA until about a year ago. The company refused to talk about their liner materials until forced to just recently. If you've got an older one and want a new BPA-free one, check out these links for exchange information.

http://www.mysigg.com/bulletin/
http://mysigg.com/bulletin/august2008.html

These pages take a minute to load, probably due to heavy traffic.

Another great posting on craigslist.

Check out this posting for a bike for sale on craigslist.  I really hope this is a joke.  Enjoy.

put your mouth where your rack is

Hy-vee doesn't mess around nice new rack. Good job hy-vee. Sorry for crappy pic quality

CALLING ALL RIDERS...

Alright so here is the dish:   SAVE THE DATE OF September 27th, 2009.  I've been planning an alleycat event for about a month and I am officially launching the blog today. HERE is the blog.  I'm hoping for good weather and a good turn out.  I do need some help to pull this off so if you are not wanting to participate in the event please let me know if you can help. I have the start point listed and more details are to come.  There is a marathon going on downtown but we should be able to avoid it.  Festivities afterward such as Upstream (food and some tasty beverages) and then A Sunday In Hell at the Waiting room, Eh, MOD?

Manawa ride

Hey, I know it's last minute but if anyone is interested I'm going out to Lake Manawa tomorrow (Sunday Aug 30th), I should be out there by 10am. If anyone wants to meet up at the bridge and ride out there, I should be there around 9:30 and I'll wait for a few minutes just in case otherwise I'll hopefully see some people out at the trail. Should be a good day for a ride.

Mr. Furley style

34lb. load made for an interesting ride home after a New Belgium Abbey and Trippel.

BIG

WIDE

TURNS

Thanks

Thanks for all of you that showed up and rode yesterday. It was awesome day to spend on bike. Sorry about mechanicals for some people those always suck. Looks like the platte bridge will be closed for while. There will be more in future maybe not bacon but some food for sure... Stayed tuned.

Scott took pictures and wrote about his adventure... Enjoy.

Since we're on the topic of parking.

I was once again thrilled to arrive at Hy-Vee only to find the one available parking spot had been taken while the rest was reserved for Bar-B-Que parking.

If you're interested in getting one of the few bike racks in Omaha given back to bikes, write Hy-vee, the store is Omaha #1, 51st and Center. I thanked them kindly for providing a bike rack and asked that they allow it to be used for it's intended purpose.
Needless to say the trip was still a success. Fresh veggies from local farms (corn and bell peppers are looking good), chicken breast and a bottle of 10 year Speyburn Highland single malt.

RD, you might need to swing by after the ride Sunday.

Movie Night, 5 week countdown

There's talk floating around of a pre-movie mini-crawl. We're thinking, start in Dundee at Blue Line/Dario's, swing in the Homey, then the Sydney, etc. in Benson. Should be a fun night with some Lincoln lads coming up too. Oh yeah, James has made up some nice screen printed posters which he'll have a few of as well.

More and Better Bicycle Racks Please

Here's a nice little piece on a simple infrastructure improvement that could get more people to commute by bicycle.
Slate.

More Bacon More gravel

Update, for those of you who want to ride a 100 here's what I was thinking please let me know if you are interested and comment on route
We will be riding out to Platte for some bacon on Sunday morning. The meeting place will be Wohlner's parking lot, Meet around 6:00 am leave 6:10 am. Here's the route . Will meet up with Lincoln peps and eat some bacon.
Anyone is welcomed the weather looks perfect we should be back noonish.
I know some people would like to ride more than 70 miles on Sunday. If that is the case please comment and I will find another 30 miles for us to ride. Couple of other things:

• Do you have to have cross bike? (No you can ride your road bike it will not be that pleasant)
• What if I don't live in Midtown ( You can meet us at Springfield that gives you several options of getting back home leave a comment if you have any questions)
• What if I don't want to ride more than 70 miles (Here is the cue sheet for the original route)
• Can I just go and ride MTB @platte (sure just meet us at the tower around 8:30ish or not that's cool too)

In case you didn't know the GLGA is 2 weeks away I'm driving there day of in morning with JP . If you need ride let me know we can coordinate something

More bits from Madison

New Fisher Lane CX/Commuter, sliding rear dropouts, budget price.

Triton gets new paint, the photo doesn't do the color justice

New Grity City, super raw, bmx parts, lock it to a pole when you're too drunk to ride home.

New paint for the T1, I think this bike is actually sold with brakes so you can use it on the street, not just the velodrome.

E-bikes, these were super sweet and will probably be the bridge to get people on bikes in Omaha. Giant has offered e-bikes for a while now. They're pedal assist so no throtle. Twenty mile per hour speed governor. The battery re-charges under braking. Guess it's like a Prius with pedals. Got hills? No problem.

My favorite bit from the show, Birki's for your hands. Cork and rubber on toes and your fingers.

Three new Districts, one new belt drive, two new chain drive. I like the drop bar version, I'm a sucker for gum hoods.

Completly Ridiculous

Yet utterly amazing

...here you go RD.

Bringing the townie to the town

Two years ago TREK launched their one world two wheels inititive. Since then, they've made some pretty impressive contributions to both IMBA and Bicycle Friendly Communities. At the same time Fisher launched their line of Simple City bikes. As soon as they came available I grabbed one and have commuted on it daily all summer. For 2010, Trek is introducing thier ECO line on commuter bikes dubbed the Belleville. The focus was to create a bike that was responsibly manufactured, durable and easy to recycle when it's life cycle ends.

The majority of the bike is either steel or aluminum. What little rubber bits remain are designed to be either recycleable or degradeable. Starting with the tires, TREK is producing natural rubber treads that will ultimately degard faster in the landfill. The grips and saddle are made from recycleable materials which leaves the inner tubes.

Bontrager has teamed up with Alchemy goods on this one. TREK dealers can now save old tubes, ship them to Alchemy where they produce a line of panniers and seat bags made from old inner tubes and recycled vinyl banners, each one unique based on the available materials. Pretty cool.

So what's makes this bike so cool? Front dynamo hub with internal wiring to a front headlamp that is mounted to the rack. Internal 3 speed rear hub. One piece handlebar and stem. I'm not a big fan of the grips and saddles but throw on a honey Brooks B17 and matching grips and you're in business.

Bike Omaha Route Officially Launched

Certainly, we all know that you don't need bike lanes to effectively ride a bike on the city streets. However, a civilized city should use bicycle routes and lanes to officially promote cycling as a transportation alternative.

Sanctioned routes may also draw out new riders, giving them first, the idea, and then later, the confidence to take to the streets and bike somewhere.

Monday, the City of Omaha officially launched Bike Omaha, the city's 20 mile bike route system linking Midtown and Downtown locations. You can see more, including a route map and photos and video from the event at the Bike Omaha blog.

A Trail of Two Cities - Bancroft Bayliss Loop Ride Featured in Omaha World-Herald

Omaha World-Herald

Published Saturday, August 8, 2009

Over the past few years, a farmers market and public art have cropped up near the Bancroft Street Market, a gallery that hosts art exhibits and events.

At the same time, the Bayliss Park neighborhood in Council Bluffs is emerging as a site for art and artists.

One bicycling group is taking it all in — and trying to bridge the distance between the two areas.

Since early May, about 10 bikers have ridden what they call the Bancroft-Bayliss Loop each Saturday, cycling from 10th and Bancroft Streets in Omaha to Bayliss Park. The group's organizers say the 12-mile trek is an effort to promote a cultural exchange between two developing communities.

Starting at the Bancroft farmers market, they travel through the Old Market, over the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and through Council Bluffs to Bayliss Park. Along the way, the group, which will ride until Oct. 3, stops at historical and cultural markers.

“It's a form of transportation and cultural exchange,” said organizer Jody Boyer, a Council Bluffs artist who teaches art at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

She met fellow leader Bill Seidler, who runs the Bancroft farmers market, at meetings for community and cultural groups this spring.

Both are longtime cyclists who saw developments taking shape in their own communities. Public art and other programs, such as a new media festival, have sprung up near the Bancroft Street Market. In the Bayliss Park area, Second Fridays were started this year to promote area art, shopping and wine. And the Harvester Artist Lofts — a housing development geared toward artists — is under construction and scheduled to open next September.

At community meetings and through e-mail, Boyer and Seidler discussed forming a bike route between the two areas. They mapped out a path, created a Web site and contacted local cultural and biking groups.

Boyer said she enjoys showing the bikers around Council Bluffs, especially cultural markers, such as the Golden Spike, and the neighborhood streets Omahans don't usually use.

“It's a completely different experience than being in a car,” Boyer said.

Such initiatives can lead to more development in a neighborhood, said Teresa Gleason, program manager for Omaha By Design, a privately funded group that advocates for better urban development.

Biking or walking “heightens your awareness of what you can see, hear and feel, which can lead to great discussions about what could be done to make a place better,” she wrote in an e-mail.

For now, group members — who range from Boyer's 6-year-old daughter, who rides along in a Burley bike trailer, to women in their 60s — are enjoying the rides, the views and new people. It's informal: Cyclists simply show up at 10th and Bancroft at 10 a.m.

Some arrive early to purchase radishes, potatoes and peppers from the farmers market. Boyer and her husband circle the market's parking lot, warmly greeting new riders and making introductions.

Anne Medeiros, who used to live near Third and Bancroft Streets but now resides in Bellevue, said riding through neighborhoods in the two cities is pleasant.

Medeiros prefers longer rides — she participates in RAG- BRAI, the annual seven-day trek across Iowa — but said the loop lets her see local shops and developments. She had never been to Bayliss Park before riding the loop, and enjoys cycling across the pedestrian bridge, which opened last fall.

“If I do a short trip, I want it to be interesting,” she said. “I like seeing a lot of different parts of the area.”

Source: http://www.omaha.com/article/20090808/LIVING/708089961

Resources:

• Bancroft Bayliss Loop Web Site
• Bancroft Bayliss Loop on Facebook
  

View Bancroft Bayliss Loop in a larger map

Mark the Calendar

September 27th, that's a Sunday, fitting really, the Waiting Room, Benson, 7:30 PM.
"A Sunday in Hell", 1976 Paris Roubaix

Bike owner back in saddle

By Josefina Loza
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Photos by Rebecca Gratz

Published Tuesday, August 4, 2009

From: http://omaha.com/article/20090804/LIVING/708049849

Omahan Brady Murphy rides Old Yeller six miles to work each day — even during the winter months.

Twice a week he joins a group of lunch cyclists for an additional 18 miles.

He probably has put 10,000 miles on that bike, a hand-me-down from his younger brother.

To them, Old Yeller is more than just transportation. It has a name, after all. And it was their steppingstone to fitness.

The brothers vowed to become more physically fit after their father had a heart attack a few years back. Murphy went from running marathons to competitive triathlons. Old Yeller was faithfully there for every grueling mile.

Murphy's Old Yeller is every bit as precious as the dog Disney made famous, so you can imagine Murphy's panic when Old Yeller disappeared.

Two weeks ago, someone took it from a downtown rack.

“I should've moved it,” Murphy said. “Why didn't I move it?”

The 10-year-old road bike was parked a half-block from his office. The day it disappeared, Murphy rushed in for an early morning meeting and didn't check on the bike until late afternoon. It'll be fine, he thought.

It wasn't.

At just after 5 p.m., Murphy broke for coffee. As he walked to a local java spot, he noticed that Old Yeller wasn't latched onto the bike rack. Someone had cut the Kevlar cable, removed the lock and grabbed the bike.

“No!” the 39-year-old said. “I can't believe this is happening.”

Murphy immediately dialed 911 to report the bike stolen. He started a missing bike campaign the same day. After work, he hit the pavement with fliers offering a cash reward.

Does the story sound familiar? You betcha.

An eccentric man-child named Pee-wee Herman posted a similar stolen bike flier some 25 years ago in the movie “Pee-wee's Big Adventure.”

Pee-wee becomes distraught after his nemesis, Francis Buxton — a fellow man-child and neighborhood rich kid — steals his beloved shiny red bicycle.

Pee-wee's wild cross-country adventure happens after a fortune teller says his bicycle is in the basement of the Alamo. Along the way, Pee-wee meets an escaped convict, a waitress with wanderlust and a jealous boyfriend, and a mysterious female truck driver.

Murphy chuckled at the comparison. He's a lean guy, but not a 98-pound weakling like Pee-wee.

“Who knew?” he said. “Who knew we'd share the same story line?”

Well, minus the convict, waitress, jealous boyfriend and female trucker.

Although Murphy didn't have help from a mystic, Old Yeller was known in local biking circles. And that helped.

The bike gained its reputation because of its bright hue. When Murphy rode trails, people often asked about it.

Some wondered if the bike had anything to do with Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation. It doesn't.

Some wondered if it had something to do with the Yellow Bike Project in Portland, Ore. It doesn't.

To be honest, it's yellow by default.

The 1999 GT ZR-4000 aluminum road bike was originally metallic green. It needed a lot of maintenance. The paint was scratched. The chain was stretched, and the index shifting was worn out. So Murphy stripped the bike down to the frame's aluminum finish and took it to R&R Powder Coating for a new paint job.

Yellow was the color of Murphy's very first bike. And, coincidentally, the paint shop where Murphy took Old Yeller painted tools for Union Pacific Railroad.

Which color? The company's signature yellow, of course — the shade you'd find on a railroad locomotive. It was fitting, because Murphy is a senior project engineer at Union Pacific.

With a bike that bright, Murphy had to believe that someone had seen it after it was stolen. Rather than rely solely on the Internet to spread the word, Murphy went the Pee-wee route. He called it his “old-fashioned sneaker-net.” And he prayed it would work.

He posted fliers at downtown businesses and on bike racks. He handed them out to friends and strangers. Over lunch, he canvassed the Gene Leahy Mall seeking tips from outdoor diners and homeless people. After work, he visited local bike shops, pawnshops and homeless shelters.

He also followed a tip that led him to a cache of stolen bikes under the Missouri River train bridge. He didn't find Old Yeller, but he did discover parts of Omaha he never knew existed.

“It was a sad story, because he literally built the bike up from a frame,” said Scott Redd, a co-worker and an Omaha cyclist. “Everyone knew Brady's bike, and how much Brady loved it. I was always encouraged to see his yellow bike on the racks, even as fall and winter set in.”

“There were some days when I would lock up to the racks,” Redd said, “thinking I was the only one who braved the snow and ice, only to see Brady's bike show up later in the morning.”

Most people refer to their bikes by what they are: “This is my road bike” or “This is my Trek bike.”

“Brady's bike has an actual name, and perhaps even its own personality,” Redd said. “I was off the day that Old Yeller was stolen. I was browsing at the bike shop when one of the employees announced that Brady's bike had been stolen. Later, I saw Brady's Twitter messages.”

Murphy blogged about his bike adventure: “Just like with a missing child ‘Amber Alert,' this ‘Yellow Alert' demands a quick distribution, hence the blog post with picture.”

He tweeted on Twitter. “OLD YELLER STOLEN!” and “Keep an eye out for my bicycle — its kevlar cable was cut and stolen in front of the downtown public library.”

Within minutes, a friend retweeted the message. Others did the same. In a flash, hundreds of people across Omaha knew of the theft.

Lonely hours turned into lonely days. Finally, last Thursday, Murphy received a call.

A man eating at a local sandwich shop saw his poster and phoned in a tip.

The man said he had seen Old Yeller wheeled into a downtown pawnshop the day it was stolen. Murphy was skeptical, but he followed up the call with a visit.

It took a lot less time to find Murphy's bike than Pee-wee's. In the shop's back was Old Yeller, waiting to be processed. Murphy had to pay $20 to retrieve it. That hurt, but not as much as Old Yeller's disappearance.

“I was as shocked in getting Old Yeller back as I was in its theft,” he said. “Old Yeller's been through a lot in the past 10 years.”

And, thankfully, more adventures await.

Contact the writer:

444-1075, j.loza@owh.com

What is with this crap

So it would seem that Iowa is trying to ban cyclists from county roads. Wouldn't that put an end to RAGBRAI? Check it out.

Some good shop humor

This is a very good article to read if you do or ever have worked at a bike shop. Please enjoy.

Sunday Bacon

JP and I will be riding out to Platte for some bacon on Sunday morning. The meeting place will be Wohlner's parking lot, Meet around 6:00 am leave 6:10 am. Here's the route . Anyone is welcomed the weather looks perfect we should be back noonish

Safe?

YOU...might feel safe in your big ass SUV, but it hardly gives me the same sense of security.

side note...Just heard Dan Patrick say "grown men shouldn't wear bike shorts". I always knew he was a moron. Sport talk radio, it's for meatheads, YAY! And no, I don't really listen to that crap, Paul had it on when I got to the shop, I changed the channel now.

Recycle consumption.

Aluminium (0r Aloominyum for you Brits) is down on price.

50 + rims, stripped cranks, a couple of cheap full-suspension frames and chopped kick-stands - We from the shop took this metal and didn't make enough to support our thirst habits. I pitched in to cover two dirty dozens of Pig's Eye (I don't know how it is, but I am sure it's been that Bush Water). All that work for very little. At least it cleaned up the shop a bit.

EB's thrashed Velocity Deep-V is sitting right there on top.

Bike Lanes In

Anyone else notice the beautiful new bike lanes down on sixteenth street north of downtown?

Omaha to Lewis and Clark

Hey does anyone have any good routes to get from Omaha over to the Lewis and Clark Monument via two wheels on the pedestrian bridge?

Bike Theft Alert - Brady's Bike Stolen

Be on the lookout for "Old Yeller," stolen today from downtown Omaha after 2pm.

Just like with a missing child "Amber Alert," this "Yeller Alert" demands a quick distribution, hence the blog post with picture.

I had been perusing the Trek Omaha store with my daughter and was just about to walk out the door when Bryan called out the news from a Twitter message from Brady. The news:

OLD YELLER WAS STOLEN! (link)

and

Keep an eye out for my bicycle - it's kevlar cable was cut and stolen in front of the downtown public library today after 2pm (link)

I think of this collaborative blog as one of the voices of Omaha's diverse cycling community. Given its wide readership and number of people out on the streets cycling, it's my hope that getting this news out quickly to the local community might help Brady get his bike back.

It's easy to spot. It's the color of a yellow UP locomotive, or yellow like a school bus. Also, the little triangle under the seat made by the GT frame where the seat stays join the top tube make the frame easy to recognize.

If you see Old Yeller, call 911. Then call or message Brady.

This theft is so very unlike Omaha. I wonder if, with RAGBRAI, the professional bike thieves are in town.

Party with Barley's and 42 Below Vodka, Support Cycling Advocacy

Barley's Bar is known for its Tuesday night "Barley's to Barley's Ride" where 40-60 riders ride from their Council Bluffs location, across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, to the Omaha location at the Tip Top.

Saturday, July 18th, a cycling team sponsored by 42 Below Vodka is showing up at the Barely's in Omaha. The Barley's group will ride from Council Bluffs to the Omaha bar to hang out with the 42 Below group and some RAGBRAI teams, before pedaling back over to Council Bluffs for both the Sheryl Crow concert at Stir Cove and the Barenaked Ladies concert at the Mid-America Center. Barely's will also offer its shuttle service to provide some SAG support for people needing a ride that evening. The distance between bars is about eight miles, and runs along trails for most of the ride.

42 Below Vodka is sponsoring two teams to cycle across the US to drum up support for cycling and cycling advocacy. Read more about the 42Ride at http://www.welikebike42.com/

In the words of Barley's manager, Matt Johnson, "it would be an easy way for someone to experience part of RAGBRAI and still sleep in their own bed that night."

Learn more:

• http://www.barleysbar.com/
• http://www.welikebike42.com/

Coffee tomorrow morning anyone?

I'm going to head over to Crane Coffee at 78th and Cass tomorrow morning around 7:30am. I need to pick up some Bike Omaha Commuter Challenge buttons for my team and Activate Omaha will be there. See

Nothing formal. Just show up and drink some brew (of the coffee kind) before heading to work or wherever.

Boozing and Bad Behavior Bring Trouble for The Taco Ride

Council Bluffs, IA- Every Thursday night, you'll find hundreds of cyclists riding the 10 mile trek from Council Bluffs to the Mineola Steakhouse on the Wabash Trace Trail. But last week, more than 2,000 riders showed up. Many complaints about drunk riders and others using drugs on the trail came into the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Department. Sgt. Duane Richie says,"There were numerous requests that we be here."

Deputies showed up on the trail on bikes, ATV's and a brand new RTV to enforce the law of open containers. A half mile in, they found a couple of cyclists sipping on a brew. Because many of the riders are unaware of the law, they gave out warnings and asked riders to dump out the beer.

Regulars on the ride say last week's drunken party with thousands of people was not the norm and deputies agree. One rider says, "With that many people and many of them inebriated, there is potential for an accident. But I am not going to let some inexperienced riders spoil my fun."

Deputies say leave the beer at home.

- - - - - -
After being at the taco ride the last few weeks, there needs to be some Ride Right Education on proper bicycle behavior and etiquette…Rule #1 is to never stop in the middle of the path.

Please add your rules in the comments section…

Keystone Trail Robbery

WOWT reports that at 2:30am, Friday, July 10, an Omaha man was beaten and robbed while cycling on the Keystone Trail near 68th and Q.

Personally, I wouldn't ride any trail during these hours (technically, these trails are operated as "parks" and are subject to hours of operation), but would rather ride the streets. With street riding, there are more eyes out, plus a cyclist has more opportunities for escape routes should the situation turn foul.

Just remember, if you are riding the streets at night, you need lights to see by, and more importantly, to be seen by. It's also the law in Nebraska to have a forward facing white light if you ride at night.


View Keystone Trail Robbery, 2009-07-10 in a larger map

Frustrated on Dodge? Ride a Bike!

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the two-lane restriction on the busy Dodge Street corridor could last two weeks. This construction is to repair the subgrade underneath the pavement that was damaged during a water main incident earlier in the year.

An estimated 50,000 motor vehicles pass along this section of Dodge Street each day.

If you've got a bike, and you need to move between midtown and downtown, I think now would be a great time to start riding it. Just watch out for frustrated motorists trying to detour along the auxiliary through routes that cyclists are already using.

The picture to the right (credit, Alyssa Schukar/The World-Herald) shows traffic crawling along in two lanes where there are normally five. Though I am not a proponent of sidewalk riding, I can imagine just how fun it would be to organize a bike ride up and down the sidewalks, passing people multiple times at they take 10 minutes to move 10 blocks between 52nd and 62nd Streets.

BikeWise.org - Registry for Crashes, Hazards and Thefts

Wouldn't it be cool if you could share reports of bike crashes, hazards, and thefts online? You can at Bikewise (http://www.bikewise.org/).

Bikewise is offered as a public service by the Cascade Bicycle Club, based in Seattle, Washington. This online service, leveraging the Google Maps API, offers a place for cyclists all over the world to log bike related incidents including:

• bicycle crashes
• bicycling hazards
• bicycle thefts

Their mission is to begin collecting data that may be of use in trending bicycling issues and providing a method for cyclists to communicate safety issues to public officials.

While the web interface is very useful, I did find a few cases where navigation between certain features is not as intuitive as it should be. Make sure you set you default location (unless you live in Seattle) or you won't see anything on the map.

Visit Bikewise, create a profile, and start submitting your incidents. Let's put Omaha on the nation's bike map.

Bring Your Own Lane!

Whether it’s San Francisco, New York, or any bicyclistic city in between, you’re destined to witness biker after biker dancing with danger, especially at night when visibility is uncomfortably low. Many cars, trucks, and buses, like immature kindergartners, don’t like to share and subsequently choose to ignore bikers’ rights to the road.

In addition to a high price tag, new bike-lane inhibition is promoted by arguments on a legislative level, such as one in San Francisco that accuses the city’s large bicycle population of creating more pollution than automobiles because they supposedly impede the flow of traffic. In spite of these roadblocks, cities across the country are beginning to get the picture, slowly and seemingly reluctantly adding more lanes here and there, but what are cyclists to do in the extended meantime? Alex Tee and Evan Gant’s LightLane device was recently just a concept but is soon to enter reality as a much-needed visual declaration of personal biking space. The two Altitude, Inc. designers know that any amount of panicked shouting or bell-ringing are no match against prevention when it comes to bicycle safety. With a dire shortage of dedicated lanes, LightLane provides urban cyclists with a solution that adapts to them and any route they make take. The compact projector mounts easily to the rear of a bike frame and projects a bike lane-inspired linear pattern that provides great visibility and a familiarity that helps catch a driver’s attention.

Originally presented as a losing design competition entry, LightLane has continued onto a path to production thanks to widespread public interest and encouragement. The patent-pending device features preliminary design specs like high-visibility DPSS (diode-pumped solid state) green lasers, super-bright red LEDs, a 3-hour runtime on its rechargeable lithium-ion battery (but how cool would it be if it was pedal-powerd?!), a universal frame attachment bracket, and compatibility with universal mobile phone charger standards. Although it is currently only in its production engineering stages, LightLane has speedily made the jump from a design concept to a real product-in-progress. Upon its anticipated release, it will most definitely receive an overwhelming welcome by safety-hungry bike riders ready to brave the night.

july 2nd aka (america heck yeah)

Mod Productions and Pedal-Omaha would like you to invite you to spend a night on bicycle Thursday July 2nd. The ride will start in South Omaha. Ride out from My house ( email rafald1 at yahoo dot com) if you need directions. We will then proceed to Taquería las Esmeralda in south Omaha for some sweet tacos. After the tacos we will roll down either to South Omaha Bridge or Bellevue bridge and make the way to Wabash trace and head down to mineola. The way back will be by BK bridge. Anyone is welcome

• Modified taco ride...
  
• Here the route (FYI we might take the south omaha bridge instead of Bellevue)
  
• Gravel, Pavement, Limestone, Drunk College kids
  
• Milage about 50 -60 plus
  
• Bike of choice any bike ( well maybe not 23c road bike and no P.O.S. Bikes)
  
• Tac0s y cervezas
  
• You are responsible for your own bike and safety be smart
  
• Bring a light this will go on until night time
• You can join us @ trailhead but I'm not making any predictions for what time we will be there.
  

So if you are interested please comment on the blog
Toodles

Riders cheer city’s 1st steps in bike routes

Published Jun 22, 2009
Published Monday June 22, 2009

Riders cheer city’s 1st steps in bike routes
By Maggie O’Brien
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


Bruce Johansen, a professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, rides on Happy Hollow Boulevard near Cuming Street. The City Council has approved construction of a bike lane on 32nd Avenue between Wright Street and Woolworth Avenue as part of a 20-mile bike route the city is creating in Omaha.


Patrick Brennan has biked more than 100 miles through the Pyrenees on an amateur leg of the Tour de France — twice.

The Iowa RAGBRAI and Nebraska BRAN cross-state rides? Piece of cake.

In other words, the 42-year-old Omaha cyclist isn’t afraid of much when it comes to riding his bike — except for some of Omaha’s busiest streets.

Bike enthusiasts in Omaha “have to know where to go, instead of trying to ride on a busy street and getting nosed by cars,” Brennan said Sunday.

He was pleased to hear that the city’s plan for a 20-mile bicycle street route is moving along. The project will create designated bicycle lanes on certain streets to allow more people to safely ride to work, the grocery store and other places to which they might normally drive. The lanes will be marked with a white line and will be on the right side of the road.

Several of the streets along the planned routes are secondary roads that once served as streetcar routes and thus are wider, offering a place to install a bicycle lane without having to widen streets.

The City Council last week unanimously approved construction of a bike lane on South 32nd Avenue between Wright Street and Woolworth Avenue. That route should be done next year.

The plan calls for a commuter route through Benson to be the first one done; it’s scheduled to be completed this summer.

That route will start at 60th and Maple Streets in the Benson business district and snake southeast. It will go south of the Holy Name neighborhood, through Bemis Park and run along a stretch of Burt Street past Creighton University, and end downtown.

“This is really Omaha’s first step toward commuter traveling,” said Todd Pfitzer, city traffic engineer. “It’s very cool.” Currently there is only one bike lane in Omaha, running for a few blocks on Happy Hollow Boulevard.

The roughly $600,000 project is being paid for mostly through private donations from the Peter Kiewit Foundation and an unnamed source. However, some federal stimulus money will be used to help fund the lane along 32nd Avenue and other improvement projects in the area, said Marty Shukert, former city planning director.

Brennan said more people will feel braver about riding their bikes alongside traffic once the commuter lanes are completed.

“Instead of taking your car to get a bite to eat, you can ride your bike,” he said. “It would definitely make people not so concerned about getting hit by a car.”

Contact the writer:

444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com



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Copyright ©2009 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.

Demo Days!

http://www.ridethebesttour.com/region.php?region_id=3&type=7

Omaha, Ne. Demo
Council Bluffs, IA
Sun. Jun 21st, 2009 @ 11:00 am—4:00 pm
Your Omaha Trek and Gary Fisher dealers will we the host of this demo at Lake Manawa. Lake Manawa S.R.A. is one of the newest riding spots in the Area. Developed by local IMBA club, Trails Have Our Respect (T.H.O.R.), it is both beginner friendly yet challenging for even the most skilled riders. Soil conditions are generally sandy but a few of the loops tend to hold water a bit longer than others. The trail is approximately 5.5 miles long with multiple loops.

Location:
Lake Manawa
1100 S Shore Dr
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
How to get there: From I-80 take the Lake Manawa exit #2 (S. 24th St.) in Council Bluffs. Take a right from the exit. Go South on 24th St. to Hwy. 92 (2nd light). Follow HWY 92 east to the park entrance and turn right (11th St.). Take a right turn and Follow the road around the west side of the lake for about two miles. Turn right at the river boat ramp sign and follow that road to the boat ramp parking lot.

FSBO: Bianchi S.I.S.S

My good buddy Chris is selling his Bianchi single speed.

The Low Down: Cars'R'Coffins Edition. Rigid steel, 19.5". Avid BB5s Mechs. Dark. Mean. Solid. Titec H-Bars, Stem, & Seat. WTB saddle. WTB Single Speed Disc Wheels. Truvativ Cranks. I believe it's set 32x16 for total destruction.

The Hype: This thing is a dang tank. It's a fun bike to ride, and would beat Mother Nature at horseshoes when things get cold. It's not flashy, but it could probably shoot sabot rounds. If you are looking for a solid whip for fun smash and go pedaling, or a trusty ice steed, this is your way to go. Low maintenance, easy customizability.

Mechanic owned and operated. $400. Post your interests or question.

Some Ideas for Omaha

Walkable and Bikeable Community Ideas Here:

http://www.walkable.org/assets/downloads/BL0509MyCause.pdf

Taken from Best Life

These are all really good ideas

Happy Friday Enjoy L'Eroica

All i have to say is sweet stache

Get your belts on. It's the Trek District

I had the lovely opportunity to build our first Trek District yesterday. It's Trek's hip little belt drive vehicle powered by legs.

Slick paint scheme, decent components, and high dish orange as kindergarten wheels that actually feel pretty dang solid. The District was a special order, so it's already out the door, but more are on the way.

I guess I can keep posted when we get more. It's worth trying out. In the mean time, here's a small gallery I shot before the customer came in all giddy and took it from my grasp.