Motorists... Please pay attention!

After another incident involving me on my bike and a vehicle (this time a truck), I feel compelled to say it again...

WE HAVE JUST AS MUCH RIGHT TO THE ROAD AS A CAR DOES!

I make a choice to commute by bicycle, if you don't, that's ok!  I won't stop you from driving, and I don't want to.  So why is it so hard for so many drivers to accept that a cyclist might not be an obstacle or a nuisance, instead of the part of traffic that we should be?

The incident that has prompted me to get up on my soap box again involves all the key ingredients for a disaster, no paved shoulder or bike lane (more on this later), a semi, rush hour, and a crash....

Riding on a stretch of road that has 2 lanes going in my direction, the right lane tapers out and merges into the left around 100 meters ahead.  There is no paved shoulder or bike lane, and the right edge of the road is curbed so I'm essentially in the lane with no place to go.  The truck comes up behind me, and next thing I know I have 2 options... crash into a curb, or crash into a rapidly moving truck... I chose the curb, and down I went.  After getting up and making sure everthing still worked, I got back on and continued my ride home, catching up to the truck a few blocks later.  I tried to catch a plate but could never get close enough.  I did catch the company name on the side of the truck.  When I get home I looked up the company, and sent off an email expressing my displeasure with the caliber of their drivers.

The next day I get a call back from the driver which I did appreciate.  He told me he was sorry but also said something that is the source of my anger over the situation... He saw me...  Which means:

• He knew I was there.
• He did nothing to go around me
• He did nothing to slow down until he could go around me
• He chose to continue with his truck inches away from flattening a cyclist.

On to the subject of bike lanes... the city of Charlottetown currently has 1 bike lane within the entire city....it is a few km of the road through Victoria Park on the waterfront.  Great for a leisure ride, but pretty useless as a route to commute.  However common sense has broken out at city hall and several construction projects in the city will be incorporating bike lanes, and several more will be added to other streets.  Unfortunately there simply isn't the room to add these to many of the important routes through the city, so motorists and cyclists will need to learn to get along.

Sadly, this is not my first and probably won't be my last incident with a car.  I just hope that next time I'm still around to complain about it afterwards.

Motorists, I leave you with one question.

Is the time spent slowing down to safely pass a cyclist more valuable to you than my life is to me?

EVENTS: West Prince sprint triathlon - May 15

http://journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=336810&sc=119

St. Edward's fitness enthusiast Paul Dalton wants West Prince residents to get hooked on cross training and he thinks he knows how to hook them.  


Dalton is one of the organizers of the West Prince sprint triathlon, set for May 15.

"I know once this is done the interest will catch on," he said.  The sprint triathlon, which is half the distances covered in the Olympics triathlon, consists of a 750-metre swim in the Mill River Aquaplex pool, followed by a 20-kilometre bike race starting and ending at the aquaplex,
followed by a five-kilometre run.

Anyone interested in registering for the sprint triathlon, or willing to
help out, should contact the West Prince Sport Council at 859-8856, the Mill
River Aquaplex or one of the organizers.

HOW-TO: 11 Routine Bike-Maintenance and Repair Tips

See the full article at bicycling.com

11 simple ways that routine bike maintenance and timely replacement will make your rides better.

These are things that you should either replace or at the very least take a close look at now that the season is starting.

1. Chainrings
2. Chains
3. Shoes
4. Saddle
5. Tires
6. Disk brake pads
7. Rim brake pads
8. Cable housing
9. Cables
10. Handle Bar
11. Cleats

For details on what to look for and reasons why you should be replacing these, check the full article out here

HOW-TO: Simple bike rack for home

This is a neat little bike rack, great for keeping your bike upright without having to lean it against a wall and hope it doesn't fall...  (obviously don't expect this to be a secure option... so don't lock your bike to it in your back yard.)



Bike Rack - More DIY How To Projects

HUMOR: Gas prices?

GEAR: Review of Louis Garneau Trail Grip Shoes

These are the entry level Trail Grip Shoes from Louis Garneau (msrp: $89.99 CAD).

When I started using clipless again last season, I did not have the money, or the desire to invest in a high end set of shoes, rather I was more interested in something entry level.  The shoes do have some moderate weight, and are not waterproof but are quite comfortable, and breathe quite well.  I'm using mine with SPD cleats and had no problems mounting them, or using them with this cleat style.

The shoes come with a set of soccer style toe cleats, I found them to be more trouble than they were worth (walking with these attached isn't that easy (or quiet!), so I removed them (tool was included), and replaced them with some screws (also included) to fill the holes.  The only problem with this is you might want to use some lock-tight or something similar on them as they have a tendency to work loose and fall off (I'm down to 1).

Whoever designed the soles of these shoes was smart... they knew that if somebody was buying entry-level mountain shoes, they would probably be spending some time walking up hills with them, so the grips on the soles are simply amazing.  Walking up steep inclines with these gives you the confidence of a mountain goat.

The closures are simple Velcro straps, with no laces, so entry and exit are a simple exercise, as is on trail adjustments for comfort.

Conclusion:  While these shoes are not going to be as light and waterproof and breathable as much more expensive options, these are a great way to get switched over to clipless on a budget and I would highly recommend them.

HOW-TO: Tips traveling with your bike

From Bicycling.com

If you plan on taking your bike anywhere,read this first. From smashing up your bike on highway overpasses and parking garages, to cooking the rear tire with exhaust fumes, we've made all the mistakes so you don't have to.

Read the full article here


http://www.bicycling.com/bike_travel/home.html

RIDES: First ride in Brookvale - April 3rd

The trails in Brookvale look like they will be in great shape, the single track sections we hit were all good, nice and dry (mostly) but not soft so we were able to ride without causing any damage.  We cleared a few trees from the trails as we could, but there are a few trees down that will need some chain saws to clear.  The fire roads / ski trails however are still in rough shape... As you can see from the pictures below, they're still mostly snow covered and quite difficult to ride, I say give it another week of this weather and things will be good to go.

In either case, it was great to get out and get muddy...

HOW-TO: Tips for fixing flats

From Bicycling.com  




Shift to make life easier

"For rear-wheel flats, make sure you shift the rear derailleur down to the smallest rear cog before taking off the wheel. It makes removing and installing the wheel much easier."--Andy Gonazalez, mechanic, Bike Barn, Katy, TX

Prevent pinches and blowouts

"Inflate the tube a little before inserting it into the tire. Use just enough air to almost round it out. This makes it a lot easier to get the tube in place straight, and it helps prevent the tube from getting pinched underneath the bead of the tire, which can cause a blowout."--Marc -Divall, service manager, Contender Bicycles, Salt Lake City

Avoid the wire-bead headache

"Many riders have trouble dealing with tires that mount very tightly to the rim--people with less hand strength often have this complaint. So I recommend staying away from wire-bead tires and going for fold-ups. Wire models never get any easier, but once a folding tire has been installed, it stretches and is much easier to remove and reinstall."--Steve Williams, shop mechanic, Newbury Park Bike Shop, Newbury Park, CA

Remount that last bit of tire

"The hardest part is getting the last couple of inches of the tire back on. It can be daunting. Try squeezing the part of the tire that's already on toward the center of the wheel to make sure it's fully seated. That gives you just enough slack so you can get that last bit of tire over the rim."--Aaron Corso, senior mechanic, Belmont Wheelworks, Belmont, MA

Inflate smarter

"Be careful that the tire is properly seated when you inflate it--especially with high-pressure road tires. When you're pumping, stop every 20 psi and check: Hold the wheel in your hand, spin it, and look for a bulge or a dip. If you find one, let some air out and wiggle the tire into its proper place. If you ignore a bulge or a dip, 100 psi of pressure can blow the tire right off the rim."--Gareth Jones, service manager, Free Flite Bicycle, Marietta, GA

Keep just one tire lever

"Usually you don't need more than one lever to remove a tire. Just pop a lever under the edge of the tire and pry the bead over the side of the rim. Then just slide the lever around the rim--it should peel the whole side of the tire off."--Shane Meadows, service lead, Bicycle Garage, Indianapolis

Inspect your rim strip

"When you have the tire off, inspect the rim strip. Rubber strips can migrate to one side, which can expose a spoke end and cause a flat. The cloth kind of rim strip is much better--it's adhesive-backed, so it stays in place. Reinforced strapping tape (with filaments running the length) works great, too. Just find it in the right width for your rim."--Mike Chapman, shop mechanic, New Mexico Bike and Sport, Santa Fe, NM

Find the puncture culprit

"After you remove the tube, pump in a little air and hold it up alongside the tire to align the valve with its rim hole. Look for something sharp--a thorn, glass--in the tire at the spot where the tube was punctured. Sometimes whatever caused the puncture has fallen out, but it's good to check. Just remember which direction the tube was facing."--Dean Whipple, mechanic, Pedal Power, Middletown, CT

Boot your tire to get home

"Check the tire and look for cuts. Anything more than a quarter-inch long needs to be booted--reinforced with a patch. If you don't do it, the new tube is going to bulge out and pop right away. You should always carry a tire boot in your seat bag--Park Tool makes adhesive-backed ones; a dollar bill is the old trick. You can ride it home, but then take it to a shop. If it's cut badly, it should be replaced."--Tyson Myer, service manager, Penn Cycle and Fitness, Bloomington, MN

Use your spokey poke

"People come in all the time with multiple flats in the same week, so we always say to be very careful to check the tire for embedded pieces of glass. We use a rag to sweep the inside of the tire. Then we pick any bits of glass from the outside of the tire with a spokey poke, which each mechanic has. It's just an old spoke with an end sharpened to a point, but a paper clip or tweezers works too."--John Teske, mechanic, Gregg's Greenlake Cycle, Seattle

HOW-TO: How to do trackstands

RACING: Whitten wins 2nd gold at track cycling worlds

Canada's Tara Whitten has secured her second gold medal at the track cycling world championships, winning the women's point race final on the last day of the event at Ballerup, Denmark.
Whitten, of Edmonton, earned 36 points to beat second-place Lauren Ellis of New Zealand by three points. Tatsiana Sharakova of Belarus took the bronze.
Whitten also won the omnium event on Saturday, and said she was surprised to get a second gold.
"I didn't think I had anything left after winning the women's omnium yesterday, so I'm thrilled," she said.


Read the full CBC article: HERE

EVENTS: Biking for Breakfast

A 5 leg tip to tip race across the island in support of Breakfast for Learning (PEI).

The money is used to (a) support current school breakfast programs as well as (b) to start new breakfast programs on P.E.I.

NEWS: Bicycling will get space on University Ave. upgrade

The Guardian

A wide shoulder specifically designed and labeled for bicycling has always been part of an expansion now underway on University Avenue, says Terry Bernard, chair of Charlottetown’s public works committee.
Media reports to the contrary, bicycles will be welcome when the Avenue expands to four lanes between the main entrance of UPEI and Enman Crescent, says Bernard.
The shoulder will be one metre wide on each side, he said, and will be marked with signage for bicycling.
“We have been working with Cycling P.E.I., consulting with them all along and they are OK with this,” said Bernard.
There is a chance that construction variations may allow the shoulder to be even slightly larger than one meter and the hope or aim of Cycling P.E.I. is to try and get the shoulder out to 1.5 metres, which is the national guideline for an official cycling lane.
Still, the one metre is just fine, says Mike Connolly, executive director of Cycling P.E.I.

SECURITY: 2 Bikes 1 Lock

It's spring, and theBIKE is back with a simple way to lock 2 bikes with 1 small lock.

Tricks of the Trade: episode 1 from Tim Lillis on Vimeo.

This won't work so well to keep you wheels from getting stolen unfortunately, but still a slick way to do this.

Share the road