MS-150 Packet Picked Up & Ready To Roll April 16 & 17Packet

MS 150 rider packet and goody bag

Went to Memorial Park and got my rider packet for next weekends MS-150 ride.  This year with Houston's petroeconomy in the tank raising the required $400 minimum was much harder.  I also heard ridership will be down to about 11,000 riders.  I''m looking forward to seeing if I notice a difference on the roads with less riders.  Also with the Waller County Sheriff announcing his deputies won't support the ride, and his new zeal for ticketing cyclists, it could make that part of day 1 interesting.  I'm not going to mention his penchant for losing machine guns or the very tragic death of Sandra Bland in his jail.

Waller Sheriff ready for the MS 150

Route map

BPMS150 Bike Inspections Free Until April 8th

If you are riding in the BPMS 150 ride this year, now is the time to get your bike inspected.  Inspections are free until April 8th at all official MS 150 Bike Shops.  After April 8th the inspections are $15.  Once your bike passes inspection they will put a sticker on your stem and the sticker entitles you to free labor on any repairs you may need during the ride.  Last year I didn't get an inspection and when the cleat came off my shoe a guy working a repair booth screwed it back in at no charge.  So I'm not sure how important the sticker is, but if you have some free time, why not get the bike looked at for free?

Yesterday I got my inspection at the shop where I bought my bike The Bike Route in Sugarland.  When I dropped it off I told them the derailleur was missing every once in a while when shifting and they went ahead and fixed it.  I have to admit I cringed a bit when paying $15 for them to tighten a cable I could have done myself.  But after riding today, my bike is so damn quiet and smooth, I would say it purrs but that's too loud.  It feels like a brand new bike again.  Greg at Bike Route does some damn good work and sometimes you do get what you pay for!  So get your inspection and hopefully enjoy a smooth ride.

Grand Parkway Ride Pictures

A friend passed along these photos of last weekends Grand Parkway Ride.  He said the road was smooth, uncrowded, and fun to experience sans cars.

Sheriff Hands Out Tickets At Bluebonnet Express

Last Sunday was the Bluebonnet Express ride that starts and stops in Waller, TX.   This is one of the most popular BPMS 150 recommended rides and hosts over a thousand riders. Unfortunately the Waller County Sheriff decided to brag on their Facebook page about issuing 25-30 tickets.  As a percentage of riders the ticket count is pretty low.  What I don't like is the the Waller Sheriff Office has decided to boast about writing tickets and basically play into the car vs bike tensions.  The comments on the page are dismal as expected.  This is how public officials are supposed to behave?

Grand Parkway Ride- Ride On Brand New Freeway!

Now is prime season for riding in Houston.  The weather isn't blazing hot and humid and there are a bunch of organized rides leading up to the largest charity bike ride in the USA the- MS 150, including the Bluebonnet Express and the Tour De Houston.  Bluebonnet Express is a really well organized ride run by the Northwest Cycling Club and the Tour De Houston is nice because the route changes yearly and allows for seeing areas of Houston from the perspective of your bike you may not otherwise see.  But I am really excited about the Grand Parkway Ride.  This March 19th the new Grand Parkway Freeway will be closed to car traffic on a 12.5 mile section between Hwy 59 and I45.  You know this road is going to be smooth and fast.  And having the option to ride your bike on a road that will be closed of the bicycles is a great opportunity.

Upcoming Rides:
MS 150

Bluebonnet Express 

Tour De Houston

Grand Parkway Ride

Draft Of Houston Bike Plan Released

The other day I passed a group of cyclists who were stopped at the end of George Bush Park and I heard one of them say, "I've heard that from the last 4 mayors".  I'm sure they were talking about the newly released draft of the Houston Bike Plan and the new mayor stating he wanted to make Houston a more bike friendly city.  The release of the plan has generated a good amount of publicity.  Bike Houston had their annual meeting last night and the release of the draft was a major part of the agenda.   You can read more at the following links:

The plan has it's own web site:  Houstonbikeplan.org

Bike Houston is a major driver of the plan: Bikehouston.org

Local papers have written about it:
Houston Press

Houston Chronicle February 23 article

Houston Chronicle  February 22 article

Houston Chronicle  February 21 article

Tribune.com

Local TV:

KHOU TV

And here is a report from January on PBS News Hour

Bike Houston "Why I Bike Houston" Campaign

Bike Houston has short video "Why I Bike Houston" where people discuss why they ride. They are encouraging everyone to add a video or photo of why they ride to their social media accounts.  I'm gonna have to think on what I post...check it out.


Why I BikeHouston from BikeHouston on Vimeo.