TAF

Some substantial footings are going in for a bridge across Walnut, and the pathway has been cleared under Lamar heading eastbound. I guess it will follow the creek east until the point where it crosses under I-35. This is a view pointing due east - that's the Lamar bridge across Walnut.

On 1/16/2022 at 6:17 PM, WatersPark said:

Here's a brochure from an early envisioning of the trail from the 1990s when I worked for the city.

https://milwoodna.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WC_GreenwayBrochure.pdf

I think the whole thing is a part of the 'Big Loop' concept, which if ever implemented, will allow riders to ride up/down/across/around Austin; and the way traffic is going, it'll be needed! This article is from 2017, and hey - the Shoal Creek bike lanes have been implemented. The concrete path currently under construction at Walnut will at least make some eastbound headway. I've been under that overpass on I-35 -- it wouldn't surprise me if they have to suspend the crosswalk underneath the freeway, there's not a lot of room on the banks of the creek to build anything which would last.

One small trail for North Austin, one giant loop for the whole city - Austin Monitor

10 hours ago, Charlie193 said:

The  only irritation so far is that I’m using my hitch rack while I decide how to get all the bikes in the truck, and it triggers a warning alarm every time I reverse. I feel like someone else here had that issue, possibly @AustinBike? Anyway, hopefully I can disable that somehow.

 

If there is no manual disable, plugging this into the wiring harness will disable the alarm: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Wiring/Tow-Ready/TR20141.html

On 1/18/2022 at 10:32 AM, WhoAmI said:

Here's the page for the Brushy Creek North Fork Trail and an interactive map that shows the planned route.  While I know some are bummed about this trail's effect in SN, I'm looking forward to the connectivity and the opportunities for trail flow changes it might allow.

Am I correct that this North Fork Trail is not the same as the Toro Grande extension mentioned at the beginning of the post? The North Fork Trail appears to be for recreational use - like the one at Walnut - and basically connects the Red Horn parking to the Brushy Creek Trails.

1 hour ago, ATXZJ said:

"We drug our girls"

This is exactly the sort of thing which gets us put on lists we don't want to be on.

I have a double 1Up rack, simply way more efficient than a tailgate pad, and allows to me to use a tonneau cover and keep coolers and so on locked down out of sight.

2 hours ago, Barry said:

Why not just get a nice tailgate pad?

https://www.bestreviews.guide/tailgate-bike-pad?origin=google&google_params

Tailgate pads are for the downhillers - it’s a part of their fashion statement!

6 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

if you have a good way to hide one, keep that secret for yourself!

The options for attaching one are really pretty limited, unfortunately. Interestingly, an Airtag is almost the exact size of a headset cap -- now if Apple would only produce one in matt black with a bolt hole thru the center, THAT would be a game changer!

7 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

ethical quandary:

sharing with us would make a better concealed Airtag an option for more bike owners.
however, sharing this info with the public also makes it easier for thieves to know how to beat it.

I usually lock my bike up in the garage. if someone does steal it, getting that POS back is probably not worth the effort.

Not sure I really understand your post. My bikes are kept in the house, which is alarmed. I'm really only concerned about a situation where some brazen thief hacks my Abus folding lock right outside the pub door, and makes off with it on the spot. I feel that having an Airtag might give me an edge before they got too far. Don't lose sleep pondering ethical dilemmas!

3 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

Air tags seem pretty obvious to any bike thief who takes 5 minutes on the internet to recognize one. Something would need to be designed to look like an ordinary part of the bicycle so that it can go undetected.

My Airtag is pretty well-concealed. If this bike were ever to be lifted, I'd probably know within about 15-30 minutes --- quite possible that an Airtag might narrow down it's location before it got taken apart. Worth the minor cost and effort, in my view, but you should certainly all do as you wish with your bikes!

8 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I think Apple Air tags are probably a good technology for bike security (after the big lock).  They are not GPS so they don't need a big battery.

I installed an Airtag on my pubcrawler - curious to see how long the battery lasts.

We have a couple of the Evoc Pro bags - highly recommend. We took the bikes to New Zealand, no issues. I think you will be happy with the purchase!

6 hours ago, The Tip said:

I frequently ride trail that is lined with barbed wire fence along the property line. I don't understand why some trail builders seem so hell bent on using every single inch of land by running the trail so close to the fence. I wouldn't mind having a little less mileage of trail to be able to ride 10 feet away from the fence line.

Like that section which runs along Slaughter to Circle C Metro Park. I'm so terrified of washing out on the rocks on the trail and diving straight into the barb wire fence 12 inches to the right, that I mostly ride the sidewalk.

This Saturday is the last chance to ride the back trails out at Rocky Hill, before they are forever lost.

https://www.bikereg.com/fat-chucks-revenge

Weather doesn't look to be great, but hey - it wouldn't be a Rocky Hill race without mud, sweat n beer!

2 minutes ago, Tree Magnet said:

I think it's great how the start/end brewery changed based on the service they provided to the group.  That's voting with your wallet.  Well done!

Heh - cept now you have to drink Celis ....

1 hour ago, Yeasty said:

There's plenty of shops between the river and Research. You could visit The Peddler, Clown Dog, East Side Pedal Pushers, Cycleast, Cycle Wizards, Mellow Johnny's or even Cycle Progression you deride (maybe even more I forgot). All of those with the added bonus of supporting actual locally owned small businesses instead of Trek...  🙄

I wouldn't want most of the shops on that list working on my bikes. Also, they are nowhere near as convenient as the Guad location was. My $$$, my choice.

Housed in the former Ozone location, this little service-only shop was a real savior for many of us in the Midtown neighborhoods. Sadly, they are closing the doors tomorrow, leaving us with the option of Cycle Progression (er, no) or driving either south of the river or up to Research.

1 hour ago, June Bug said:

Finally got this sorted out via NextDoor Gracywoods from someone who lives across the street from the trailhead. 

 

Nice work, Miss Marple! 🙂

4 hours ago, WLemke said:

I guess it’s subjective. With all the trail work that has gone on in 2021, I think that 80% of the changes are awesome. Windy is a great example of some positive changes. 
 

For the 20%, yeah, shit. One example that comes to mind is the sanitizing done at the end of BMX. I personally feel it was unnecessary. 
 

At the end of the day, the good far outweighs the bad. Most of Walnut is beginner friendly anyways. For an advanced rider, the changes made, in my opinion, have not dumbed the trails down, but have made them more fun to go fast. 

To honest, I was talking about general trail erosion - exposed roots, soil levels wiped out, etc. Not critiquing the work of the trail crew. It doesn't bother me to ride em, but I enjoy the flow and solitude up at SN. Not a single bag of dog crap, either!

12 minutes ago, Shinerider said:

R&I is dead!

The trails at Walnut have really gone to shit -- so much over-use. It was worth the extra drive up to Cedar Park -- 90 min ride without seeing a soul, and a good crowd at Red Horn after.

14 hours ago, WhoAmI said:

Come to think of it, I think they even had the name of their group on the map.

Edit: Yep, they did.  Check the highlight (mine) at the bottom of the page.  I hope my answers have been satisfactory. 🙂

 

I goggled them, out of interest - don't seem to be active any longer. 

15 hours ago, WhoAmI said:

he and his Austin area christian mountain biking friends named the trails on their map.  

Is it somehow significant that his friends were Christians?

9 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

 

Maybe two separate things?  Seems like a body would be a serious thing.  Not sure what the North Star Greenbelt is.

If you head out of the park onto Shady Springs (EB route), it's that green area with a pathway up it that you cross. It think it dead ends into the power substation near Mark's Art.

1 hour ago, RedRider3141 said:

My daughter and I tried to ride Sat PM. Trails were still tacky. No Ruts but collected on tires. We bailed after 1/4 lap of peddlers and rode the Brushy Creek Fishing Trails and H&B to 183 and back. I think the heavy dew and cool nights are really slowing the final bit of evaporation. I have a spot in my yard that I use to gauge the trails because my dog gets muddy paws going through it and it hasn't dried out either. It's like those rope weather stations:

Rode SN yesterday and every low spot is either wet, very wet, or muddy. Needs a couple more days.

5 hours ago, CBaron said:

They didn't have Irwin Park as a part of 'Judgment Day'???  Irwin is a quality trail for the area and was a staple when I lived there.

-CJB

Don't they load up the bikes and drive between trails -- what's up with that!