AustinBike

I think that as long as a.) ARR is engaged b.) the city is acknowledging that mountain biking is an established activity already and c.) the city will rly on ARR to help with the trail plan, then I am fine with this proposal. In any project like this there are lots of opinions. I’d rather have the understanding of the process to move forward than concrete plans because those are too difficult to get agreement on with a broad plan. Patience, grasshopper (assuming that ARR is engaged because they are looking out for you.)

Bike share in Bordeaux. Note the back wheels on the bikes on the left. Pretty smart for bike share where maintenance can be an issue.

Spending a couple days in Bordeaux. Had coffee with a local who is training for the Paris-Brest-Paris ride, 1200KM in 3 days. As we were walking through the streets he pointed out the wood boxes on the back of everyone’s city bikes. They are all old wine crates. You don’t often see any other type of carrier on a bike, it is 95% old wine crates.

Yeah, I totally love those guys. I bought a second dropper (the 27.2) for my hardtail and it works great as well. Love it. Would definitely buy a third from them if my Lev ever dies.

Interested in the crank but out of the country for a few weeks. If it has not sold when I get back I will ping you.

We have yet to spend more than €5 for a bottle, getting some really good Bordeauxs so far. We’ll be in that town for a few days next week, that should step things up even more.

Oh, that one did post. Too much wine. I kept trying to upload it and it failed over and over. Assumed it was the iPad and went to bed, then I tried it again this morning and it worked, apparently for a second time.

Singlespeed artwork at Manor d'Eyrignac, in Salignac-Eyvigues, France

First, it was not me, as I am in Europe, roughly 6000 miles from the boardwalk. Second, you keep saying “you”, implying that somehow I am agitating your group. This is not the case. Finally, as I have said before neither your opinion nor my opinion matter, it is Austin PARD that matters. I continue to recommend that you work this out with them as they own the parks, not us. Hopefully you can get this all sorted out.

Pretty much singlespeeds. From Manor d’Eyringnac

Yes, and as I recall, I screamed like a little girl.

In 20+ years of Austin: 1 rattler on the greenbelt on an appropriately named segment 2 copperheads on a local private trail more coral snakes than I can count on the GB probably 1 water moccasin on the NWCT plus 1 million rat snakes that made me scream like a little girl

Mostly I feel it in my back. I rode an aluminum hardtail when I got my first SS. Loved it, but it felt like I was feeling every little bump on the trail. Then I got a steel SS and it was like night and day. If I was a 30 year old kid the aluminum would be fine, but as an old guy that creaks in the morning, steel is my best friend. It just feels smoother when I ride. Interestingly, I assumed that my full suspension bike would be more comfortable for my body, but when I ride the greenbelt on a steel SS I still feel great when I am done.

Yeah, afib is a real issue and could be more likely as most bikers tend to be pretty healthy, but afib has little to do with how healthy you are. The difference is pretty stark. Afib is like the wiring getting shorted out on your car, it can happen to a brand new one or one that is meticulously maintained. Other cardiac problems are the result of wear and tear, you can see them develop over time and watch their progress, like when your transmission fluid gets dirty and the car starts shifting roughly before it just stops altogether.

Yesterday morning in Sarlat-le-Canéda, France. Loosely translated- forbidden, except bikes. Yeah, I like that.

When I was heavier I used to max out at ~180 after a sharp climb. These days I will do a GB ride and my peak is ~135 at worst. It is worth knowing your numbers and tracking them, data is king.

Steel is the way to go. Just built a Vassago Verhauen HT. If anyone wants to borrow it to get a feel for that geometry ping me.

I stand by my original position: the OW community needs to get with PARD and get this sorted out. You Interpretation does not matter. My interpretation does not matter. PARD’s official position matters.

It would be helpful not to post with statements that say “you”, it is an unclear pronoun. I assume that the post meant “bikers” and not me specifically because the recollection of the events do not match anything that I was involved in to date. Again, all I am saying is that there is a lack of clarity and that we really need Austin PARD to weigh in on this officially. I don’t think that bikers are the best ones to tackle this as we can be seen as having a vested interest. I’d like to see a clear directive from PARD (and hopefully signage) so that we can all coexist peacefully. And, from a trail maintenance perspective, thanks for helping out.

Yes, you are correct, I was replying to the MCL post. Skills should not dictate access. After all, I have access and few skills. Access is driven by rights and rules, not opinions. If you want access, you need to work on the rules, not just reinterpret them for your own benefit as you see fit.

Yeah, every time I was there it did not work out. I had a bike connection once, years ago, but have lost touch with them. There is a good urban "ride to the ride" thing going on. We were there in October and there were plenty of fully kitted riders on the streets, looking like they were going to or coming from a ride.

Good job. There is a balance between power and thinking. If you can reduce the amount of thinking you are probably increasing the power.

Nice, I took the wife there last fall. If you need any recommendations on places to eat or things to do in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Shenzhen, ping me. Outside of those places you are on your own.

Mountain unicycles rock. They are badass and share the same skills as mountain bikers, only they essentially are fixies on a single wheel. That is good. One wheels and scooters (lime, bird, etc.) share the same skills as well, much of it driven by the fact that they are self propelled. If we were to do an SAT question it would be "Mountain unicycles are to mountain bikes as _______________ is to deckless scooters." I am not saying that OW don't have skills, because every mode of transportation has some degree of skill, even driving a car 😉 (I just did 130Km/hour in a Citroen C4 to get here tonight.) From a skills level, in my simplistic Venn diagram world, mountain bikes, road bikes and mountain unicycles are in one circle and one wheels, deckles scooters and motorcycles are in another circle. The intersection of the two is eBikes. The reason that eBikes sit in the middle is that there is some degree of self propulsion (i.e. pedaling) that happens for these vehicles, so they really sit in both worlds. I do recognize that one wheels require skills (balance, etc.) that I don't necessarily have - I went to special gym as a kid so my coordination and motor skills are limited. I don't want to imply that they are not skilled. Ultimately anyone getting off their ass and doing something outside instead of watching TV deserves praise. But, as the current laws are outlined, they don't all deserve a free pass on the trails. Just as there are places we are not allowed to ride that we must abide by, they fall in the same camp. They should not be allowed to interpret the laws as they see fit. The idea that they can just apply Segway rules is ludicrous at best and primarily self-serving, just as if a mountain biker showed up at a motocross-only motorcycle trail and tried to argue that "well, we both have two wheels and knobby tires so I am allowed here..."

There is always an excuse not to go, but never a good excuse not to go. So you should always default to going.