Columbus Rides Bikes!

7th Annual HATTARICK - Hockhocking Adena Trail To Athens Date: Saturday January 5, 2008 Time: 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Location: Hockhocking Adena RailTrail from Nelsonville (Hocking Technical College) to Athens.....and back. Phone: Contact Rick at 740-654-5024 Notes: 9:30 AM Arrive at Hocking Tech Parking Lot 10:00 AM Leave the parking lot 10:05 AM Return to parking lot for heavier gloves, jacket, whatever. 10:10 AM Ride hard to catch the first group 10:20 - 11:00 AM Negotiations for warmer clothes 11:30 ish Brunch/Lunch in Athens 12:30 PM (give or take) Leave Athens 2:00 ish Arrive back at HTC. Negotiate for return of warmer clothes. 2007 HATTARICK #6 SUMMARY: For the seriously crazy rider... and once again, we proved it. The only thing louder than the falling rain was the sound of the cell phone as riders called and dropped out. Can't blame 'em. It was in the mid 40's, but the wind and rain made it feel colder. The kind of weather that separates the cream from the......

Did anybody make it? It was 23 degrees when I looked at the thermometer at 8:50PM. I cry like a little girl below 25 degrees. Let me know...

I ended up 27th with 208 points Check out the results...

It was a balmy 41 degrees at the start and the weather cooperated for the entire ride. We had the largest group in recent memory, 10 riders at the start. Since none of the usual suspects were present to lead, someone had a route planned and we headed out. North up High Street and then we turned onto a side street and then left onto Indianola. I was kind of hanging out at the back, when I noticed Alex was falling behind quickly. I yelled to him to see how he was doing and I kind of heard a mumble, mostly because my headband muffles most noises. As we headed north on Indianola I kept looking back, but I did not see him. We were moving pretty quick at that point. From there we headed northeast. I will need to look at the GPS to verify roads, although my batteries crapped out so it may be incomplete. I know we were heading south on Cleveland at one point. We ended up in Bexley where we looped through the neighborhoods. From Bexley we headed west on Livingston then turned south. The...

Ralph Antolino joins Rich Simpson and a cast of 70+ others to travel across the U.S.A. on The Great American Bicycle Adventure tour. The ride begins in Astoria, Oregon and finishes in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 50 days on the road to adventure. Follow Ralph on the bicycle adventure of his lifetime! I saw John recount his story at the Columbus Rotary meeting on Dec 10. Check out his blog

Check it out at America by Bicycle America by Bicycle provides organized, first-class, bicycle tours. We handle all of the details and let you focus on the cyling. Some of our daily features include: Beautiful cylcling routes with daily maps and cue-sheets Daily SAG stops with refreshments Mechanical Support A Rolling Bike Shop Luggage Transportation Friendly, Experienced Support Staff

Chris Luers of Restoration Bicycle is offering a fantastic opportunity to learn how to bike through the winter! With Chris, learn how to: keep your body safe, equip and maintain your bicycle, avoid danger on the road, and deal with accidents. Please bring your bike and any winter gear you may have. Junctionview Studios 12.15.07 1–4 pm $15 Registration is required and limited. RSVP to Chris @ chris@restorationbicycle.com or 614-937-7616!

View Larger Map I didn't know what to expect when I showed up to the Seagull Bags store. I conveniently parked across the street and the entire sidewalk in front of the store was filled with bikes and people milling around. Of course, I look like an outcast with full spandex compared to the jeans/jacket/courier bag look. But, I look like an outcast at every urban ride so I am used to it. I registered in the store and I was number 47. I got my map/manifest and spoke card. The basic premise of the Columbus Bum Shuffle is to ride to various points in the city where bums are known to hang. Your manifest is stamped at these checkpoints and you can get bonus points for the "crack" run cards. These cards given at the stops and at certain checkpoints they can be stamped for bonus points. Other bonus points could be gained by finishing in less than two hours (conversely points lost after two hours) and picking up aluminum cans. The start was in an empty parking lot a few bl...

"The NYBMA is a worker's alliance of the messenger, by the messenger, and for the messenger. Our mission is to unite, represent and advocate for the bike couriers of New York City." We organize events, such as rides and parties, designed to be fun as well as give otherwise lone wolf couriers a chance to be part of a larger pack. Sometimes we even do some good with our events. Members of the NYBMA have organized various charity bike rides and fundraising parties, as well as volunteering our services after the World Trade Center attack of 9-11. We want to change the negative perceptions of messengers as well as improve conditions for ourselves. We are not asking for a handout. We are obviously hard workers. We just want the respect we deserve. The NYBMA has a limited number of its official T-Shirts to sell and we sometimes carry other related merchandise. If you are a messenger living in New York City join us. Website here...

I am still working on what this is about. Here is the website in the meantime...

Check out their site...

Still COLD outside. Wind was blowing every direction we headed into. I rode up from the bar to the start expecting only two other people to show. There were three. I was joined by Casey on the way up and a few others were at the start. We were going to ride to Alum Creek State Park as per Casey, but then he realized that we are ignorant of the Columbus area and he revealed it would be a 50 mile ride. Ha! Take that! So we rode through campus and headed west and then south. I believe we more or less followed Neil Ave. We threaded our way through the roundabouts and continued south. We ended up in the Arena district. We made a pit stop for a chain problem and continued into town. We crossed over High and ended up on East Gay Street and the T ip Top Bar . If you ride you bike to the Tip Top, or use another form of alternate transportation, beer (I believe it is PBR) is $1. After a round and some really good sweet potato fries we ventured back into the cold for the final leg of our ...

One word. COLD. I decided to ride the 48 mile route. The ride was supposed to start at at 8AM. At 7:30AM it was 24 degrees outside. We held off going outside until 8:45AM. It was still under 30 degrees. We got to the start around 9:10AM and Bob and a few brave souls had already left. We got started around 9:30AM. There was a headwind. And it was COLD. My face and fingers were frozen solid. We kept moving and started to warm up. I think the whole "sit on the couch and eat in preparation for hibernation" is detrimental to physical conditioning. We rode east, then south and ended up in Lancaster. We rode threw the northwest corner and proceeded to head south east. After we left town we headed out Duffy. We rode several miles and I had a catastrophic shotgun sounding blowout that blew the rear tire off the rim. After two failed attempts to pump up the tire withe Co2 and the pump, I succeeded with the third and final CO2. So after standing around for 20 minutes freez...

Photos http://randomprecisionphoto.com/?p=37 News http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_539376.html More videos

In today's NYT, a feature (with lots of great photos) about folks who build elaborate stereo soundsystems for their bicycles. It's not a new phenomenon, but it's neat to see it treated with such formal examination. Link , and pix here shot for the Times by Tyler Hicks. Thanks Jim for finding this story!

Bob is organizing another ride this Saturday. Distances range from 48 - 100. I am considering the 48. More info... http://ohiorand.org/bikinbob/winter_rides.htm

I was given a old Nishiki bike recently. I want to rebuild it as a single speed coastie. Any thoughts on parts?

We rode only 15 miles this past week. We had a tandem with us, but they dropped off past the halfway mark. We also lost about half the riders during the ride. I don't know if they were dropped or if they pealed off themselves. Toward the end of the ride there was a mutiny by about 10 of us. We decided to head to the High Beck earlier than normal. The route took us west, then south, then north again towards the bar.

Saturday November 17 I headed down to join a Bikin Bob Winter ride . There were three distances to choose from, 47, 58 and 100. I chose the 47 mile route. I wanted to get back to the house to watch football. There were about ten people for the ride. The route went started at Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester and made a loop south through Amanda. We averaged almost 15.5mph over 47 miles. Had a few short climbs but it was basically flat. There were only three of us who did the 47. Everybody else did the century. It was clear and in the upper 30's when we started and ended in the upper 40's.

I was told about this site by a night ride regular. Bikin Bob organizes rides throughout the winter. They usually start in Canal Winchester. He provides maps and cue sheets in PDF format and garmin GPS routes (which I took advantage). Check out his site...

If we do have a ride let me know. If you are not familiar with Pedal Pittsburgh it is an event in May for everyone with rides from 6 miles to 60. I rode the 60 a few years ago and it is quite challenging. You basically get to ride through many of the different neighborhoods and past major landmarks. I remember riding through most of the city parks, past the Igloo, and up to Mount Washington which overlooks the downtown. Check it out here...

Why do I know this? On this past week's ride I was handed a postcard announcing the announcement. The proclamation or bestowal even has a website. Check it out here...

To all of you who looked out the window and saw rain at 9:00PM. You missed out on a good ride. Weather was perfect. It was 60 degrees throughout the ride with only a few sprinkles. The ride was faster than normal (less people, around 30), because we had few mechanicals. We rode to the west and southwest of town before heading back. The final stop was especially nice. The view from the waterfront is beautiful. After that stop we raced to the High Beck. A little over 18 miles. No pics, I didn't want to carry it this week.

http://www.dannychew.com/dd.html This ride/race features the steepest urban street in the world. Canton Avenue @ 37%

I ran across this story a few days ago. This is the reason why bike paths don't get built, maintained, or support. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/09/14/bike_paths/index_np.html

If you lock up your bike but are concerned with someone walking off with your wheels or other components, you should look at the Pitlock products.

Nokian and Schwalbe offer studded tires.

They do during home games. You can ride your bike to the game and park your bike for FREE in a secure area. It is on Woodruff Ave and bike path. Within stumbling distance of the stadium! I rode down to the OSU-Illinois game to check out the bike valet situation. I spoke with a woman who was working. She gave me the lowdown. It opens 4 hours before the game and closes one hour after. They are looking for volunteers. I originally was going to head down to help, but I couldn't get moving early enough. More info... The Ohio State Police had an interesting mobile tactical unit parked near the stadium. I stopped to take a picture and chatted with a guy who approached the vehicle without be tasered or water cannoned. He said they told him it weighs 33000 pounds (great gas mileage) and it is used to gain access to second and third floors of building during raids. Why it was parked there, I have no idea.

I was offered a free ticket to a football game. I don't turn down free. Unfortunately it was a five hour drive to Happy Valley. I broke up the drive by heading to Wheeling on Friday night and rode with my brother, his boss and his boss' nephew the other 3 hours on Saturday. Beaver Stadium is the largest college stadium in the country. The attendance was announced at 108 thousand and some change. They also bill themselves as the greatest show in college football. It was a cool pregame show but I don't don't know about the greatest. The Nittany Lions football team is mediocre and they struggled with Purdue for most of the game. They did win 26-19. Then another 5 hour drive.

Jim posts comments on the blog occasionally. Check out is blog. http://pancakefactory.blogspot.com/

The scavenger hunt was pretty well organized. There were appox 36 people broken into 6 groups. I hooked up with John, Isaac Andre, Amber and Ellie. We were Team Yoshi. We had half a lizard/dinosaur (hence Yoshi), an old man (not me), St. Pauli Girl, and a dorky cyclist (me). We started out great. Then it went downhill. Down Walhalla. First piece of the skeleton was found under the bridge. Then it really went downhill. To campus. And then it fell apart. We split up to go back and find piece number 2, while the other three members of the group went for three and four. Good plan? Sure, on paper. But when the other teams or members of the public remove the pieces you are searching for it becomes frustrating. Here are the clues. Maybe you can figure it out. Ride 1/2 way down the viking heaven. Under the bridge. Holla! Enter the Gates of Hell. Spill some blood in the bowl. Be a Ninja Turtle under 5th Street. Start at the Tangy. Go down the steps into the darkness. North of Arcadia. Shit your...

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,152 groups with 4,026,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

We rode around for a while. Just kidding. We rode around for a while. Not kidding. We ended up in northeast Columbus. Casey had at least three flats from glass shards and a wire. We had a bumblebee, skeletons, and a lizard or mini godzilla. Total of 17 miles. When we started it was 50 degrees. When we stopped in the burbs it dropped to 39 degrees.

Booze Cruise/Scavenger Hunt 6pm Weber and Olentangy bike path Saturday, November 3 More details at octopusincorporated.com

I was given this flyer at the Oct 29 ride. Oct 31, 9:30PM, Maynard Park (Summit and Maynard). Bring Flashlight, Backpack, One Dollar.

The Van Dessel Country Road Bob was reviewed in the latest issue of Bicycling Van Dessel site

There were 61 entries in the Red Bull Soap Box Derby Race. We watched about 15 of them race down the College Hill. Rockchewer from Never Ending Story Ice Cream Sundae RoadKill Shark Attack - Notice the guy on the back taking a picture of me as I am taking a picture of him Viking Boat

If you are a Family Guy fan you will appreciate the photos from my trip to Rhode Island. We headed down to the Narragansett to Iggy's for some Quahogs or Stuffies. They are Quahog clams that are chopped up and mixed with stuffing, onions and other ingredients. We ate a bunch and they were great. http://iggysdoughboys.com/ http://seagrant.gso.uri.edu/factsheets/fsquahog.html

No report. It rained. I went to bed at 9:00PM. Sorry I am a loser.

I was in Providence RI last week and went out to Provincetown on Cape Cod. There is a rail trail that extends from Dennis to Wellfleet for a total of 25 miles. It is relatively flat and beautiful scenery. I did not get a chance to ride this trail, but if I ever get back up there it is something that I want to do. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ccrt.htm

Green Columbus is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living in Central Ohio and globally. http://greencbus.org

7:30pm Bob Marley's son just left the stage. 8:10pm Van Halen blimps are flying around the inside of the Q S shaped stage - see pics You will also notice that we were seated at the farthest away from the stage in the highest point in the arena. We had a courtesy billy goat help us to our seats. 8:25pm Band on stage Played 26 songs 01. You Really Got Me 02. I'm the One 03. Runnin' With the Devil 04. Romeo Delight 05. Somebody Get Me a Doctor 06. Beautiful Girls 07. Dance the Night Away 08. Atomic Punk 09. Everybody Wants Some 10. So This Is Love? 11. Mean Street 12. Pretty Woman 13. Drum Solo 14. Unchained 15. I'll Wait 16. And the Cradle Will Rock 17. Hot for Teacher 18. Little Dreamer 19. Little Guitars 20. Jamie's Cryin' 21. Ice Cream Man 22. Panama 23. Guitar Solo (incl. "Women in Love" intro, "Cathedral", "Eruption") 24. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love ------------------------ 25. 1984 26. Jump 10:35 VH has left the buildin...

On the ride I was talking to John and his friend about "The Flying Scotsman". He was wondering what other bicycle related movies are out there. Of course, Breaking Away comes to mind first. Let me know what else is available on DVD. Breaking Away American Flyers Pee Wee's Big Adventure

http://www.jorgandolif.com

The COMBO Mission To create, enhance and protect quality mountain biking opportunities for mountain bikers in central Ohio, by actively promoting responsible mountain biking through education, supporting volunteer trailwork, assisting land managers with trail management issues, and improving relations among trail user groups. http://www.combomtb.com/

Blacklick Park is south of where we live. It was hot in the sun, over 90 degrees. Another gnome sighting when my wife stopped for a drink at one of the many benches throughout the park It has a crushed limestone path that makes a loop at one end. It is nice scenery. After the ride in the park I rode back by way of Palmer, Mink, Havens Corner. It was 22 miles total, traffic was heavy on Palmer. View Larger Map

I got free tickets from my boss (Thanks Judy) for the Crew Game. We were winning in the first period. Then we stumbled and lost 3-1. Here are some photos.

I ended up riding the short route with my friend Bob. It was supposed to be 35 miles, but ended up being 33 miles. We rode most of the roads that are used in the Millersport Corn Ride. The start/end point was at Bloom Carroll High School. We rode in a loop to the northeast toward Buckeye Lake. The other group rode the 65 mile route which headed south into the hills before hooking up with the shorter route in the north. The gnome sighting is from a corn field, which was indicative of the scenery for most of the ride.

My wife and I headed over to the Haunted Hoochie haunted house at Dead Acres in Pataskala on East Broad. If you like haunted houses this is a pretty good one. It was rated in the top 13 haunted houses in the country. Check out their website . It could be a little extreme for some so take a look at the site for some of the "attractions" before you head over. We saw several people who freaked out. Hauntworld’s 2008 Top 13 Haunted Attractions 1. 13th Gate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana - www.midnightproduction.com 2. The Darkness, St. Louis, Missouri - www.scarefest.com 3. Netherworld, Atlanta, Georgia - www.fearworld.com 4. Haunted Overload, New Hampshire - www.hauntedoverload.com 5. Scarehouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - www.scarehouse.com 6. House of Torment, Austin, Texas - www.houseoftorment.com 7. Bates Motel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - www.thebatesmotel.com 8. Headless Horseman, Ulster Park, New York - www.headlesshorseman.com 9. Dead Acres, Columbus, Ohio - www.deadacres.com...

Title: COP 22nd Fall Hoot Date: Saturday October 6, 2007 Time: 8:00 am - 9:30 am Location: Bloom Carroll High School Rt. 33 between Canal Winchester and Lancaster Notes: 8-9:30AM. Bloom Carroll High School Rt. 33 between Canal Winchester and Lancaster. Longer Route of 65 miles with lots of hills may remind you of CFC. Flat to rolling route of 35 - 40 miles. Plenty of food stops available. Budget tour. Dave Roderick 614/836-3106 droderick (AT) greenapple.com

There we were, ruminating on just what gizmos creative minds will dream up to win fame and glory (plus cash and bike) in the Specialized Innovate or Die competition , and in a totally unrelated web search, happened upon the 'B.O.B. Mower,' which looks like a customised Sunlawn mower, attached to B.O.B. bike trailer linkage. All the fossil-fuel-free goodness of a push (reel) lawnmower with the superior strength of legs over arms in a bicycle. Genius! Whether it works or not we don’t know. But just the idea makes us feel better. And, of course, all good design is just evolutionary so it stands to reason the idea has been developed before. And boy, has it ever. Take a peek, after the fold, at the plethora of bicycle-lawn mower combos we've dug up. Image above from ::Planet Natural, though it seems the originals are from Lawnmower Bob. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/the_cutting_edg.php

I will be in Providence on the weekend of the race and we will be visiting family only four blocks awa from the race. Woohoo. http://www.redbullsoapboxusa.com/default.aspx

Agora Returns October 13, 2007 Art, Music, Community 889 Williams Ave. Grandview Heights, OH 43212 www.agoracolumbus.com

The primary goal of The Third Hand Bicycle Co-op is to promote cycling as safe and environmentally responsible transportation. The non-profit organization provides community members with the facilities and tools, as well as the skills and knowledge to help make cycling an essential part of their everyday lives. Third Hand Bicycle Co-op 174 East Fifth Ave Columbus, OH 43201 E:info@thirdhand.org T:Teddy Reese (614) 783-6968 783-6968 www.thirdhand.org

I rode over to the Walhalla Race on Sunday. This from the organizer - Everything went smooth, we had 12 participants and even more spectators watch the battle for the $24 in prize earnings. No police showed up and everyone we encountered (other cyclists, dog walkers, motorists, those riding scooters) were all friendly and enjoyed catching a glimpse of the race. Some pics follow in this and the next posting

I watched "The Flying Scotsman" on Saturday night. This autobiography covers the life of Graeme Obree who challenged the status quo by fabricating a bicycle with washing machine bearings and custom tubing and ultimately beat the hour record. His design was so revolutionary that the WCF outlawed two of his designs/positions, the Flying Scotsman and Superman. Graeme battled despression throughout his life but the movie insinuated that he overcame it later in his life. It is a very inspirational movie and I recommend even the non-cyclist to watch it. Official Movie Site

The meeting was attended by about 50 people. The results of the surveys were set out before the meeting in chart format so the public could review. Then Alta Planning discussed a general overview of what bikeways can do to help cities. The slideshow gave examples of the possibilities that exist with current bikeways and city street navigation techniques. Then they took comments from the general public about the plan.