Houstonia Magazine Cyclists Guide To Houston

Back in July Houstonia Magazine published their Cyclists Guide To Houston and it is a good read.  They have articles on What's Next for B-Cycle, a guide to various bike rides that hits the major points, a style guide for the best bike for you, an article on Bike Houston and the 3' safe passing ordinance, and an essay on the unexpected joys of being a bike commuter that I enjoyed.  Here is a quote that I can relate to:  I’ve become a connoisseur of Houston’s street art, my knowledge of the Montrose rental market is encyclopedic, and I see history everywhere. Yes, history. People who think this is a city without one just aren’t looking very hard.

Check out the article.  It is worth your time.

Problem With You Ten Speeders

Today we did our usual Sunday morning ride out of the Katy Mills Mall only the ride got quite a bit more interesting.  As we were riding back to the mall we had a confrontation with a guy in a pickup. We were heading North on Spring Green Blvd and approaching Falcon Landing Blvd where we would make a right turn.  I should note that both roads have two lanes in each direction and this was Sunday morning around 10 AM.  The light was red at the intersection and we were riding two abreast.  The pickup behind us honked his horn at us just before we got to the red light.  We then made the right onto Falcon Landing and the truck followed us.

Our route from Katy Mills Mall goes through Katy into Richmond and Fullshear then back

The truck then went into the lane next to us and started yelling at us while going the same speed as us.  At first I couldn't tell what he was saying and tried to ignore him, but it was obvious he wasn't going to just have his rant and speed off.  I looked over at him and he yelled, "you need to stay within three feet of the curb" and then he said "you can't ride side by side".  I yelled back, "that's not the law.  We can take the lane" at which point he yelled back "that's the problem with you ten speeders...(something I couldn't hear)... I know the law!"  It went back and forth with my riding partner saying "have a nice day" and me repeating "we can take the lane" and the truck driver telling us he knew the law and was going to call the police.  The truck driver then proceeded to get in front of us and slow to almost a stop.  We slowed and, when the other cars that were being slowed down by the truck passed, we swung around and passed the truck on the left.  At that point the truck came up along side us again, passed and stopped in front of us at an intersection.  He got out of his truck holding his cell phone and said he had the police on the phone.  I told him, "great you don't know the fucking law" to which he said "don't you cuss me and you need to get away from me".  Unfucking believable! I need to get away from him!  I walked my bike around his truck and waited for the light to turn green without looking at Mr. Truck.  Finally the light turned green and he drove off.

Blue Dodge Ram 1500 single cab license BT4 6743  out to educate them ten speeders

When I got home I called the Fort Bend County Sheriff and two deputies came out and talked to me.  Turns out one of the deputies was actually on the phone with the truck driver when he got out of the truck.  The deputy said that he told the driver not to do something like that again.  He told me what the driver did wouldn't get him cited for harassment since "harassment needs multiple incidents".  The one thing that ticked me off, and I have to say the two deputies were professional and couteous, they didn't just blow this off and took this with seriousness, but the deputy said that the law was ambiguous.  Here is the relevant law (551.103c) quoted directly from the Texas Transportation Code:

(c) Persons operating bicycles on a roadway may ride two abreast. Persons riding two abreast on a laned roadway shall ride in a single lane. Persons riding two abreast may not impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic on the roadway. Persons may not ride more than two abreast unless they are riding on a part of a roadway set aside for the exclusive operation of bicycles.

This area of Katy, Fullshear, Richmond in Fort Bend County gets a lot of bicyle traffic and in the last two years I have never had an incident beyond the occasional "faggot" call out or the time a guy in an older pickup pulled out his choke as he passed so we got carpet bombed with black smoke. I do my best to wave thanks or give a thumbs up when drivers give right away or show courtesy but today was rattling for sure.

Bike Lanes Don't Increase Passing Distance

Bicycling Magazine's blog has an interesting story on a study conducted in the UK showing that bike lanes don't cause motorists to increase their passing distance.  This is something I think many bicyclists feel intuitively.  Often times I feel the only value bike lanes offer is after a crash.  If my bits and pieces are in a dedicated bike lane the driver won't be able to say they couldn't avoid me.  The take away for riders is, even if you are in a bike loan you need to be aware of your surroundings and aware of traffic.

Houston, America's Most Improved Cycling Town

Bicycling Magazine just released their 2014 Top 50 Bike Friendly Towns in America.  Texas had two cities on the list- # 11 Austin & #48 San Antonio.  I have to admit I am a little surprised by the San Antonio selection.

All is not lost for Space City however.  The editors at Bicycling did acknowledge the great progress Houston has made and named us America's Most Improved City They cite our large Critical Mass ride, 3 feet- it's the law!, the $215 million going to creating a bike network out of the bayous and flood control canals, and active Bike Houston group.  A nice quick read indeed and recognition of the progress Houston is making.

Advice On Starting Riding Road Bikes

The other day at work I was in the elevator with one of our executives and he said he was thinking about doing next years MS 150 with his daughter.  We had a quick chat about training and bikes and he asked if I could email him some information.  I thought I would share here.  Let me know your thoughts...

Next year’s MS 150 ride is April 18 & 19^th.  If you and your daughter started riding one day a weekend in January, and towards the end of March did a couple back to back weekend rides, you would both be in great shape for finishing the MS 150.  We had people who only rode a couple training rides and still managed to finish the ride.  Finishing shouldn’t be an issue. I think it is more about being comfortable and enjoying the ride which is easier with the more training time you get on the bike.

As for the bike, I always tell people cycling is a lot like golf in that as you get more involved, there is always a new gadget or better piece of equipment you will want.  And it is never cheap.  An entry level road bike from one of the big manufacturers like Fuji or Giant will run you about $650.  If you go with Specialized, Bianchi, Trek, or similar it is probably around $800.  I know people who swear by carbon fiber bikes; but personally, I don’t think they are good $$ spent for beginning road riders.  Chances are you are going to bang the bike around a bit, maybe even fall over while trying to get out of your  pedals, and an aluminum bike will handle that better. 

When I decided I would buy a road bike (I had been commuting on my mountain bike) I knew I would use it a lot, so I bought a more upgraded bike and spent $1,400.  I focused on the group-set (brakes, shifters, crank, derailleur, etc).  If you decided to buy above the entry level that is what I would suggest instead of focusing on frame material.  I’ve ridden my bike just over 1,000 miles since I bought it in January and haven’t had to fix or adjust anything.  The other teammates that bought entry level bikes, and used them a lot, are now having to fix parts on their derailleurs or brakes, etc.  To me not having to mess with the bike is worth extra $$.  If you are going to spend above entry level I would say go with a 105 groupset or better (chart below).  Of course the entry level bikes are just fine- see the golf analogy?

Intended Use	Shimano Models	SRAM Models
Entry level	Sora
General use level	Tiagra	Apex
Mid-range level	105	Rival
High-end enthusiast level	Ultegra	Force
Pro race level	Dura Ace	Red

For the basics, you will need:

Bike                                                       $650+

Helmet                                                 $50+

Clipless pedals                                   $50+

Shoes                                                    $80+

2X Water bottles                              $20

@x Bottle cages                                $20+

Shorts                                                   $50+

Jersey                                                   $60+

Gloves                                                  $20

Saddle bag w/repair kit                 $60

Back warning light                            $15

                                                                $1,075 + tax

Nice extras:

Bike computer                                  $40+

Floor pump                                         $40+

I could go on and on but I think this should cover the info you were looking for.  Feel free to ask me any questions.  I love this stuff.  I hope you and your daughter decide to join the team.  We had a great group last year and all 15 members said they would do the ride again next year.

 

Some National Attention For Houston

Bicycling Magazine's blog The Hub has some positive things to say about the city's bicycle master plan, safe passing ordinance, and undercover sting to catch menacing drivers.  They also give nice props to Bike Houston.  To quote from the blog:

One is simply about size: Houston trails only New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago in terms of population in this country, so this has the potential to benefit a lot of people.

It's great to see the positive press on Houston and the progress the city, mayor, and bike community have made. Again here is a link to the post:  http://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/2014/04/01/cycling-police-sting-drivers/?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Blog-_-police-sting

Chilling Houston Cycling Cartoon

Cartoon by Nick Anderson of the Houston Chronicle. The numbers on the back of the vehicle are accurate for the City Of Houston and chilling.

Here is a link to the site: http://blog.chron.com/nickanderson/2014/01/cycling-in-houston/?cmpid=opedhphcat