You, Too, Can Be Seen with a Flashy Taillight

Planet Bike Blinky SuperFlash Rear Bike Light

If you ride a bicycle in traffic, you've probably noticed that many urban drivers aren't bike-friendly. It's not (usually) hostility, it's distraction: they don't shift to attack mode upon seeing a cyclist, they simply don't see us. A wise rider does whatever it takes to be noticed by folks thumbing iPhones or wiping goo off Baby's chin while driving. Flashy jerseys are a passive method; but in enemy territory, by which I mean most urban settings, you'd better take active measures. My first rides in the city where I used to live (Houston) were nerve-wracking, so I dropped into my LBS for something that would attract attention before my rear wheel disappeared under a bumper. My choice? A Planet Bike Blinky SuperFlash Light for rear mounting.

The SuperFlash is a small three-LED light in a plastic housing with padded clamps for either seatpost or seatstay. Installation takes a couple of minutes and a screwdriver. The housing is about three inches high, one inch wide, and one inch thick; shaped like a keyhole. Two LED lights are located on the vertical, with a third, focused by a parabolic mirror, in the center of the round top. A pair of AAA batteries (included) power the light or you can buy one that recharges from a USB plug for about twice the price. Including the batteries, total weight is fifty grams. The light has is a three-position switch: off, steady, and flashing. When flashing, the bottom two LEDS blink at one rate, while the upper LED flashes at a different, faster pattern. Planet Bike says that batteries will last for 50 hours with steady use, and 100 hours flashing. Mine lasted more than two years before I had to replace them. Some users claim that the light can pop out of the mounting on rough surfaces, but mine snaps in place and stays there. It's not certified waterproof, so rainy weather may cause problems. This is a heckuva bright light: I wouldn't be caught dead (well, actually I probably would be) riding in most cities after dark, but I use this for daylight rides on "share-the-road" streets and marked bike "lanes" (the "dirty bike stripe"). I've had almost no close calls from the rear with it working (wonder if I can mount one on the front?), because even in bright light the irregular flash pattern and that super-bright red upper light get a driver's attention. I've seen these on bikes while driving, and even in broad daylight they're noticeable from several hundred feet away. On gray days, I've been known to mount mine on the back of my helmet to get it up level with drivers' eyes.

Overall, it's a fine safety device for urban riders. The eye-catching flash pattern and superbright light should catch the attention of distracted drivers, day or night. The light may be a bit expensive, but so's major surgery.

copyright © 2016-2017 scmrak

A Beginner's Guide to Houston's Terry Hershey Trail, Part 1

OK, so you're not one of the bony types who hang out in the break room at the office hitting up all their co-workers for a pledge to this year's 180-mile BP MS150 between Houston and Austin. You don't own a single item of Spandex®, and your bike weighs about the same as a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. That doesn't mean you can't get out on your bike and enjoy the fresh air while you get some exercise. If you live or work near Houston's Energy Corridor, you have a great opportunity right at your doorstep: the Terry Hershey Trail.

Managed by Harris County Precinct 3, the paved trail follows the banks of Buffalo Bayou from the foot of the Addicks Dam (at George Bush park) to a terminus at the Sam Houston Tollway (Texas 8), a distance of some 6.5 miles. In 2013, the county added an arm to the trail that provides access to the Addicks Park-n-Ride lot. The main trail is separated  into five more or less equal sections by major north-south streets: from the West, they are Eldridge parkway, Dairy Ashford Road, Kirkwood Road, and Wilcrest Drive.

Section 1 - Bush Park to Eldridge Parkway

The trail runs along the south side of Buffalo Bayou through a lightly wooded area. There are several bridge crossings at small drainages: watch for a "step" of up to an inch where the path meets the concrete pad (the precinct fills these occasionally, but they soon redevelop). At about one mile, a footbridge across the Bayou (see right) leads to the 500-acre Terry Hershey Park on Memorial Drive. That path loops back to meet the main Hershey Trail just west of Eldridge, about a one-mile loop. There are drinking fountains (human and dog) along the loop trail and even a shower to help cool down runners.

The west end of the so-called "anthill," used by fat-tire enthusiasts, parallels the paved trail off to the right (south) through this section. After a rain, be wary of heavy mud coating the trail in spots where the off-road trails veer to the side and uphill.

Parking is available north of the Bayou on the west side of Texas 6. To reach the trailhead, you must cross the Highway 6 bridge on a narrow, one-lane sidewalk. Parking is also available at the park on the north side of Memorial as well as along Memorial Mews south of Memorial. Restrooms, water, and picnic tables are available at the park; only picnic tables can be found at the western end and a water fountain near the zero mile marker.

Section 2 - Eldridge Parkway to Dairy Ashford Road

The trail runs along the north side of the Bayou from the east side of Eldridge to the other end. Eastbound cyclists can reconnect with the main trail by crossing the Bayou on the Eldridge bridge (only wide enough for one bicycle!) and turning left to loop under the roadway. A restroom with drinking fountains sits just east of Eldridge, and you can also connect with a bicycle route that follows Enclave Parkway. This section of the trail is also mostly flat, though there are a few slight inclines and several sharp turns. Parking is available at Dairy Ashford on the south side of the Bayou; to reach the trail you must cross the bridge either on the road surface (not a good idea) or on an open sidewalk. At the west end, some folks park in the Kendall Library lot on the northwest corner of Eldridge and the Bayou (preferably when the library is closed). There are no restroom facilities in this section, nor is there water. Benches and picnic tables can be found all along the paved trail.

There is access to the Robin Trail, a 1.8-mile loop (mostly crushed granite) at the east end of the Dairy Ashford parking lot. The Robin Trail connects with a city bicycle lane on Briar Forest Drive, about half a mile south. If mud's your thing, you can connect with the dirt trails through the woods on the south side of the Bayou by dropping down the banks on the east side of the bridge.

Trail Etiquette

Cyclists must yield the right of way to everyone, even if they're hogging the trail. Watch for loose dogs (in defiance of park rules) and new moms weaving around with strollers while texting. Be safe: announce your presence to pedestrians and other cyclists before passing, and never stop and stand on the trail.

Coming Next: The rest of the trail...

copyright © 2016-2017 scmrak

Flat Tire on Your Bike? Comparing Four Patch Kits

Flat Tires are an Inevitability

Explorers in the new world, history would have it, spent years questing for the fabled Cibola, a city whose streets were said to have been paved with gold. They never found it. If those same explorers were to come to the city where I used to live (Houston), they might think the streets were paved with diamonds because of their sparkle in the rays of the morning sun. The glitter isn't diamond-studded pavement, though: it's acres of broken glass, the legacy of a city that owns no street sweepers and depends on torrential rains to wash debris from the local roadways.

Road Bike Essentials, Part 1: Comfort and Safety

So you just bought a new road bike? Well, congratulations! Now that you’ve brought that new toy home from the store, you probably think you're ready to ride. Whether you plan to ride out in the country, on neighborhood streets or on the city trails; the addition of some accessories will make your ride safer and more comfortable. So you might want to head back to the store: here are five (or so) items that are guaranteed to enhance.

Always Ride with a Helmet

I've been heard to say that cyclists can show their brains one way or another, by wearing a helmet or not. Helmets are the number one item of safety equipment for anyone on a bike. Don't be fooled, though: the number one safety rule is to ride smart.

A road helmet is lightweight and has plentiful openings that allow flow-through ventilation. A helmet with a visor isn’t suitable for road cycling, because the visor may block a rider's vision when bent over the handlebars. Because of that, some helmets have a removable visor. Either way, choose a helmet that fits well and is comfortable, one that can be adjusted so it fits over a headband in summer and a heavier skullcap when the weather turns cool.

Hydration: It’s Essential

Combine an inexpensive water bottle cage that mounts on the bike frame with a plastic water bottle, and you'll be set for short rides. For a longer ride, you may want to invest in a hydration pack such as the one shown here, manufactured by CamelBak.

Purists like to scoff at any rider wearing a hydration pack, but more often than not those same purists end up scrounging for water at convenience store prices. Hydration packs carry not only several liters of water from home (plus ice, if you like), but they also provide additional pockets for carrying cell phones, identification, cash, tools, tubes, patch kits and the like. Models designed for cyclist use like the CamelBak Lobo (right) and CamelBak M.U.L.E. are form-fitting and lie close to the back, which cuts down on wind resistance.

Gloves Provide Comfort and Protection

When you're in the proper riding position, up to one third of your weight is resting on your hands; so doesn't it make sense to put some padding between you and your handlebars?

A pair of well-fit cycling gloves is padded at several pressure points around the palm of the hand and on fingers and thumbs. The padding should let you shift your hands around in several positions on the handlebars and shifter hoods and still stay padded. Modern gloves use gel for shock absorption, which helps prevent keep your hands from falling asleep mid-ride. Road gloves for warm-weather use leave the fingertips exposed. Full-finger gloves are more common for mountain biking and/or cool weather. Good gloves come with an absorbent patch on the thumb so you can wipe sweat from your brow while riding.

The Long and Shorts of It

You may be of the opinion that those Spandex® shorts look silly, but your butt – not to mention neighboring bits – will be thankful when you wear padded bike shorts on longer rides. Tight-fitting, sleek bike shorts don’t just pad your hiney, they reduce wind resistance and the form-fitting cut reinforces quads and hamstrings on extended rides. Bike shorts come in men's and women's styles, and are intended to fit tightly -- very tightly. For your first pair, you'd be wise to visit a good local bike store to find some that fit properly and are comfortable. They're expensive, but they're worth it and they also last more than one riding season, so you can amortize the purchase over several years.

Don't wimp out and buy a pair of baggy shorts like mountain bikers: these will flap in the wind, and other road bikers will point and laugh…

Light it Up

Day or night, flashing lights will alert oncoming motorists that a cyclist is ahead (assuming the driver isn't answering an email). Battery-operated lights typically feature blinking strobes front or back and flashing red lights on the rear for daytime use, and can be changed to a steady white headlight and steady red or combination of flashing and steady tail lights at night. Many are available with rechargeable batteries and a USB charging cable. The cost of lights is a small investment to cover your rear.

copyright © 2016-2018 scmrak

Next time I'll visit some road-bike essentials for improving your ride and for taking care of the most common roadside emergency: a flat tire.

Rails to Trails from Muncie: Mile 80-100, Cardinal Greenway

Our first-ever Indiana Rails to Trails ride took us to the Cardinal Greenway, a planned 140-plus miles following abandoned Chessie System (Chesapeake and Ohio, now CSX) tracks. As of this writing, the trail reaches 65 miles from mile marker 62 in Richmond to 127 in Marion. We started in Muncie's Mansfield Park, just north of Mile Marker 100, and traveled south to 80.5, a tad short of the little village of Economy.

What Cyclists Wish Drivers Knew Number 2: The Math of Safe Passage

As a road cyclist who travels country roads and city streets almost every time I leave the house, I'm justifiably concerned about impatient drivers who endanger me, not to mention themselves, because they're determind to get on down the road. So what's your hurry, folks? Is the time you save by zipping past eighteen inches from my elbow (instead of waiting to pass safely) worth it? I thought this might be a good time to take a look at some simple math to see how much time you save by your maneuver.

What Cyclist Wish Drivers Knew Number 1: Riding on the Left Isn't Safe

In all fifty U.S. states, traffic law defines a bicycle as a vehicle and/or grants cyclists both the rights and responsibilities of a motor vehicle. This means that legally, cyclists are expected to travel in the same direction as the motor vehicles with which they share a road.

Maybe riding on the left is OK in the UK, but it isn't in the parts of the world where we drive on the right. It just doesn't work! Image credit: George Redgrave,  flickr.com