Suburban Assault

Yet another reminder that no matter what your route – road or sidewalk – you’ve got to stay alert for the nut jobs in cars. Here is a traffic/pedestrian walk light that was taken out last night by, what I would assume, somebody losing control of their vehicle and rolling onto the sidewalk.

The dose of reality for me is that I’ve stood behind this pole many times, watching traffic spin around that corner at great speeds. I remember tucking myself behind it with the false sense of security that I was safe from those cars. I mean, what were the odds of a car getting over the curb and through a huge metal pole? Right? Stay safe. Keep an eye out for traffic around you.

The cool thing about the city of Richardson is that they were out there fixing it the next morning – much faster than it’s taken them to fix the burnt out bulb that was in the “walk” sign.

Rain – I don’t mind. Cold – is not a problem. Rainy and cold – just sucks. If I had some better, winter rain gear, I wouldn’t mind so much.

I suppose that there are days like this so that I can get things done around the house.

In addition to all the new bike lanes and multi-purpose trails that are available in Richardson, Texas – there are now some new bike signs going up.

Maybe it’s because they’re new or maybe because they do a better job at visually communicating to road users, but I feel these are working harder to promote cycling awareness than the old signs seen around Dallas (see below).

Aside from stating the obvious, these signs are letting folks know that Richardson is a bike friendly city and that they recognize that there are all types of riders, that use all types of routes.

The following image is of a Dallas bike route sign (worn out and lost in the clutter):

I’m always on the lookout for bike related movies. Since Premium Rush got delayed from January to August, I thought I would write about another movie. While flipping around Apple’s Trailer site, I ran across a movie called The Kid With A Bike.

From their site:
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the deeply moving new film by the Dardenne brothers (L’enfant, Rosetta) delves into the emotional life of troubled 11-year-old Cyril (newcomer Thomas Doret). When his father (Jeremie Renier) abandons him, Cyril obsessively tries to find his bicycle– after all, his father must have cared about him enough not to sell that off, he reasons. Almost by accident, he becomes the ward of a kind hairdresser (Cecile de France), a woman who seems surprised to find herself so determined to help him. With his wild, unpredictable behavior and his disastrous search for father figures, Cyril risks losing her–though she refuses to give up without a fight. Full of heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected grace, THE KID WITH A BIKE is a film about a child, abandoned to the elements, learning to become good.

Obviously, this is not a movie that’s truly centered around a bicycle, like it’s title might imply. It still looks like it will be a good film to watch with some great storytelling and touching drama. If anything, this is going on my Netflix queue.

You should be able to find the U.S. release of this film on March 16.

The better trailer can be found here. You can also watch the Youtube version:

We stopped by the Dallas Bicycle Cafe last Sunday. I had a blueberry muffin and White Rock Trail Latte, which was really good.

I’ll do a full review, once I’ve visited a few times. For now, click here to see some pics.

I’ve been needing a new u-lock. My cheap-o lock u-lock from college was showing some serious wear and tear, and I was down to just one key – which happened to be the old, easy to pick, barrel kind. As a temp fix, I picked up a simple cable lock. It did the job, but as we all know, could easily be compromised by some cable cutters. It was basically used to keep the honest folks, honest.

Of course, there are lots of great products on the market from companies like Kryptonite, OnGuard, etc. I was going to pick one up for this year, until I saw the Blackburn locks featured in Bicycling magazine. To me, Blackburn is known for their air pumps, cyclometers, tools and trainers – I never expected a bike lock in their lineup. I was intrigued by their hexagonal shackle concept – so I picked up a Sing Sing from Amazon.

Here are the specs from their site:
• Hexagonal 14mm alloy steel shackle with anti-scratch liner
• Maximum resistance to cutting and leverage attacks
• 12 tons of cut-strength
• Bump-proof, pick-proof dual-bolt lock mechanism
• Three laser-cut keys with key replacement program
• Mounting bracket included
• $2500 Theft replacement guarantee
• 159mm x 76mm
• Security Rating: 10

The hexagonal shape of the shackle is a pretty cool concept. It prevents the it from spinning, effectively doubling its resistance to cutting and leverage attacks. The pick-proof dual mechanism engages the shackle at both ends, also adding to the security.

I got a good, first impression of the Sing Sing. It’s feel heavy and substantial, with a pretty good build quality. My only complaint would be is that the plastic cladding around the base doesn’t feel as substantial as some of the competitors out there. However, the cladding does do a good job at keeping my bike free from scratches.

It comes with a bike attachment, but  Sing Sing is just the right size to just toss in my bag. The trade off is, that it’s heavier than my cable lock – a compromise I have to make to have more security. The inside space of the lock has just enough room to lock my frame and one wheel (removed) – depending on what I’m locking it to. The Blackburn locks do come larger sizes like the San Quentin, Leavenworth and Folsom (yes, all prison names – those clever marketing guys) for those who need the space.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the Blackburn Sing Sing. Is it actually better than any other u-lock out there? That’s a question I hope I never have to answer. The $2,500 Theft Replacement Guarantee, does add to my confidence. The suggested retail is $69. You can find it a lot less if you shop around like I did.

Like with a lot of cool bike things that I learn about, I found out about this on Urban Velo. Young bike rider, Ryan Stamerro, will be riding his bike across country this summer. Sure, there’s really nothing special about that. Folks do cross-country bike rides all the time (it’s one of my personal bucket list items). What makes Ryan’s trip a bit different is that he’s going to do it on a fixed gear bike. The entire trip is also meant to bring awareness to Half United.

He’ll also be recording his ride with 35mm photography and through his blog, One Country, One Gear. It sounds like a great challenge and adventure, and I wish him a safe journey.

If you are interested in following his journey and would like to help him get started, click here to see his Kickstarter page.

Last Sunday, local bicycle group – Bike Friendly Deep Ellum – hosted their first el Tour de Taco. The idea for the run was simple: meet up for a bike ride, log 20 or so miles, find a taco stand and enjoy. You can’t plan a better ride. However, as the size of the group got larger, they opted for a slower, shorter more scenic ride – perfect for dragging my son along on the trailer.

The group met up at St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin on Commerce, and the ride was a really nice tour of some great Dallas destinations. We started through Deep Ellum, took a lap around Fair Park, then back into town to ride through the Arts District. From there, we rode to Main Street Garden Park, cut through downtown Dallas, then headed south into Cedars. There, we stopped off at a really cool, urban skate park. After that, we rode by the Dallas Farmer’s Market, then back to Deep Ellum where La Grange had half priced tacos and a happy hour for us. I was amazed at how much we saw on such a short ride. The total ride was about 10.5 miles – perfect for a dad and his son on the tandem bike trailer.

My son had a blast and wants to do it again.

Here are some pics. Click here to see the entire set. You can also go to Biking In Dallas and Dallas Cycle Chic to read more about the ride and see more pics.

Meet Up At St. Pete's

Starting Through Deep Ellum

A Loop Around Fair Park

Detour Through The Dallas Arts District

Cutting Through The Main Street Gardens Park

Cutting Through Downtown Dallas

Skate Park In Cedars

Finish With Tacos at La Grange

My son and I will be attending el Tour de Taco tomorrow, and because he doesn’t ride yet, we’ll be rolling with the bike trailer. This thing spends most of its time hanging in the garage, so we thought decided to dust it off and take it for a test spin around the neighborhood.

I think I might be breaking him down. His reluctance to learn is starting to get replaced by comments like “I feel like I’m flying!!!”

Soon.

I got a preview of the new RADIOSHACK NISSAN TREK team bike which is going for the low price of $11,686.48. It’s their ‘flagship 6 Series that embodies all the qualities a pro-tour rider demands: precise steering, instant acceleration, long-ride comfort, hand-built quality, and personal customization.’

I thought to myself, I could buy a fleet of regular retail bikes (no custom builds) for this much money. I started to put together my fantasy garage list if I had that kind of bike budget. I was surprised at how quickly I reached it.

Here is my current (ever-changing) list:
Raleigh Record Ace – MSRP: $1,799
Redline Metro Classic – MSRP: $1,100
Cooper Bikes T100 Sebring - MSRP: $1,175
Redline Urbis - MSRP: $550
Civia Loring – MSRP: $1,395
Dahon Mu Uno – MSRP: $600
Rivendell Sam Hillborne - MSRP: $1,500
Hampsten Travelissimo II – MSRP: $3,200

TOTAL: $11,319 

Yes, it’s an odd list that doesn’t show much variety. And sure, there are lots of handmade and custom bike options out there – that’s a completely different blog post for me.

What about you? What bikes would you get if you had a $12,000 budget?