Buffalo, Bikes, and Beer

A lot of you know that I'm originally from Western/Central NY State. Buffalo, despite being the butt of many a joke is the city that I often use to describe where I'm from geographically to elitist west coast types who only think about NYC when you say "New York." Buffalo, like Hartford, is a pretty gritty town. The population of the city is quite a bit larger than the city of Hartford (300,000 to 125,000) but when you compare the greater metro areas of each city, Hartford and Buffalo have very similar populations at over 1.1 million people (#45 and #46 nationally)

Perhaps this is more of a job for the CCBA, but I thought I'd point out an effort that has been established in the aforementioned Buffalo, NY that may be of interest:

Blue Bicycle has partnered with Flying Bison Brewery to launch a specialty brew; the “Rusty Chain”. This new amber ale will help to promote bicycle infrastructure in Buffalo. With over twenty restaurants and bars around the city on board, every time you purchase a Rusty Chain partial proceeds will go towards bicycle racks, signs, lanes, etc. Rusty Chain will quickly become the beer of choice for cyclists and beer aficionados alike.

And they had a fundraiser this week which went for the installation of bike racks and bike rings around the city. I honestly don't know if such an similar suds-spoke synergy effort is possible here in the 'Beat, but given our bike community's proclivity for the enjoyment of beer, I can't think of any better situation for bike advocacy than the purchase of beer going to help fund bike infrastructure improvements. It's just a thought.

I can't believe I'm saying it, but I'm jealous of Buffalo. Read more!

KAPOW! Car accidents

Monday evening, I got out of work a little after 6 pm and was riding my usual route on Tolland St. in East Hartford. I was thinking about how I should replace my blinkie batteries soon for the upcoming time change, and also how in the twilight it was difficult to see since it was still too light for the street lights to be very effective. All of a sudden, about 50 feet or so behind me, I heard some really startling sounds:

*CRACK!*
Crunch.
Scrrrraaaaaaape.

I quickly put on the brakes and spun around just in time to see the end result of a pretty substantial rear-ending of two cars. As far as I could tell, I think someone merged onto Tolland from the weird S-curve on Burnside and just didn't see the car in front of him. My first reaction was that oncoming traffic might not see the lead car resting in their lane, so I immediately used my corking skills and started signaling for those cars to slow down and use caution.

Being pretty mobile on my bike, I also realized I was the closest person on the scene to check on the condition of both drivers, so I turned back to do just that. The lead car's entire rear bumper was lying in the street. That driver was on her phone, and had a passenger who was also talking. Both people were wearing seat belts and signaled to me that they were OK. The striking car was about 30 feet or so in the other lane, and had a really smashed up hood. About this time, a woman in a 3rd floor apartment (corner of Tolland and Ann) started shouting out to me asking if everyone was OK. I shouted back that I was checking and that I had a phone to call the police. She responded by saying she had already called 911 and just wanted to let them know if anyone was seriously hurt. As I approached the 2nd car, I noticed that a tow truck had come up from behind and had parked (probably seeing a business opportunity) with its flashers going right behind, thus alerting oncoming traffic to the accident. The driver of the 2nd car was just getting out of the vehicle, and verbally told me he was OK. I stuck around until the police arrived on the scene...probably another minute or two. The officer asked me what I saw and I told him that I didn't see the impact because it was behind me, and he thanked me and told me it was OK for me to go.

So it wasn't a serious accident or anything, but a couple of things went through my mind: 1) being mobile on a bike is a pretty quick way to negotiate the scene of an accident and 2) wow, that was close. If those cars were 50 feet behind me, a little different timing or whatever could have had that sliding car completely taking me out. Being aware of cars which are in control of some strangers is one thing...cars coming at us when they are not in control of the driver is something else.

At first, the thought occurred that maybe the first car was reacting to seeing me and my reflectors/lights on the road, and the 2nd car didn't expect that reaction. Seeing where the cars ended up, I determined that this wasn't the case. I've never actually seen an accident happen in real life, but now I've heard one at close proximity, and it's pretty unsettling. Read more!

Attention Tables

This a funny, cryptic sign I saw in a deli window in New Haven. It has nothing to do with Hartford or bikes, but it is amusing (and I do ride my bike in New Haven often, and also in Hartford, so, you know, there's that to consider). Read more!

Concerning Bike Shops

Something I often bemoan is the lack of a gritty, old-parts-bin-having, evil-genius-mechanic-employing, old school bike shop in the Hartford area. When I lived in Boston, I was a frequent patron of Broadway Bicycle School, where you could rummage through old parts bins to your heart's content and, with some patience, find pretty much anything you might need to cobble together or repair whatever old bike tickled your fancy. They also had work stands and tools that you could rent for $9 an hour, which was extra-specially nice. And they seemed to look at every weird bike problem or repair as a happy challenge.

The shops around Hartford, though, are very much in a different mold. Now don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the folks who work at the shops - for example, I often stop into Pedal Power in Middletown for this or that, and the guys there are unfailingly nice and helpful. But their focus, as is the case with most area shops, is fancy road bikes, and my focus is ghetto-fabulous hacksaw-based engineering (see the previous post), so a fertile supply of fancy road bikes is about as useful to me as a reduction in capital gains taxes.

The result of all this is that I lately tend to turn to the internets for my bike part needs, which, while emotionally unsatisfying, usually gets the job done. But when I inherited the Special Tour de France, I found myself with a problem that even a system of tubes as vest as the internet could not solve: Will's bike came with a seatpost that was about five inches long, which may have been good enough for Will's short self, but was entirely inadequate for my 6'5" self. Unfortunately, the post did not have any markings on it to tell me its diameter, and I don't own calipers or even (as I discovered) anything with metric measurements on it. Could I measure in inches and then convert? Sure. I did. But it felt a little imprecise, and I was reluctant to order a new, longer seatpost from the web on the basis of my questionable measurements. (Strangely, despite being emotionally empty, e-commerce seems to require a lot of commitment.)

If I lived near a good old-fashioned bike shop, I would just head there and try lots of different seat posts until I found one that fit. But I live in West Hartford, so I did something else: I took the old seatpost, cut it on either end and down the length of it on one side, and made it into a shim. Lacking a post that fit neatly inside the shim, I took an extra straight handlebar with a slight rise and jammed that inside the shim, then cut it to size at the top. To keep the whole thing from turning all the time, I had to tighten the seatpost bolt on the Special Tour de France to the point where the housing got all mashed up, then use an extra seatpost collar around the protruding part of the shim and tighten that down with a spare quick-release lever. Not an elegant solution:





So inelegant, in fact, that on my Monday morning ride to work, it strted to come loose. It can't get lower, because the middle part of the handlebar-cum-seatpost is wider than the shim, and it won't come out of the frame because there is a 200-pound person sitting on it, but it rotates, and that is annoying. So on my lunch break, I zipped over to the REI in West Hartford to see if they had a seatpost that would fit, or at least if they could measure the thing properly.

I didn't know what to expect going into the bike area at REI. On the one hand, they don't sell used bikes there (obviously), so I couldn't hope for the greasy relic-repository of my dreams. On the other hand, they don't sell any stratospherically priced road machines made from the ground up hopes of orphans, either, so maybe they would have a middling, semi-utilitarian approach.

The mechanic was a nice guy and helpful, and he busted out the digital calipers and sundry other tools necessary for me to extract my monstrous post and shim so he could get a good measurement. But all the while, he seemed to be choking back disdain (or vomit), like a med student who wanted to become a cosmetic surgeon in Greenwich but was forced to do a rotation in the pustulent syphillis ward at apublic hospital. I had the feeling he knew in his heart of hearts he was meant to be diagnosing the tiny squeaks and frictions of carbon-fiber rigs, not helping some numbskull jury-rig an old road frame into a poor semblance of roadworthiness.

I suppose I shouldn't complain, because at the end, the mechanic guessed at the right post diameter (I had crushed the seat tube to the point where it was no longer round, so we couldn't be sure) and ordered a post for me. But somehow, the whole thing left me a little cold. And he didn't even compliment me on my incredibly awesome 26" wheel dropout adapters! Read more!

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever: My New Bike

So, upon the departure of our dear Chillwill, who has repaired to the welcoming climes of Northern California to work in the agricultural sector, many of us were graced with cast-offs from his large stuff collection. I was lucky enough to get his Mercier "Special Tour de France" road frame. How awesomely beautiful is this frame? Just click on the photo above for a larger view of its orangey goodness. Plus, "Special Tour de France" sounds like a multi-stage bike race for people with cognitive disabilities (like the Special Olympics), and I like that.

Will gave me the frame with a five-speed rear wheel and matching front wheel, but no saddle or handlebars. Clearly, this elegant beauty needed to be spruced up and put on the road stat. I had some three-speed coaster brake wheels in the garage and really wanted to used those (because derailers are lame but internally geared hubs + coaster brake = bringing the ruckus). However, I long ago learned from hard experience that when you put 26" wheels on a frame that is accustomed to 27" wheels, everything is lower and your pedals will hit the ground when you make turns, and this phenomenon, known as pedal strike, can lead to events such as spectacular wipeouts on crowded downtown Boston streets at lunchtime, which suck. Now, a reasonable person might cut the three-speed hub out from the 26" rims, cut the five-speed hub out from the 27" rims and lace the one to the other. But three factors militated against that approach:

1. I wanted to get this business done and get to riding;
2. I didn't want to spend any money, even on new spokes; and
3. I don't know how to build bicycle wheels and didn't want to pay someone else to do it for me (see # 2, above).

Instead, I devised what is, I humbly submit, a really neat solution. I bought a piece of steel at Home Depot ($6.99) and used my trusty hacksaw to fashion the adapter you see below (two of them, actually), which bolts into the bike's dropouts and lowers the rear axle by about an inch.



I am absurdly proud of myself for this feat, and you should be proud of me too. It really works.

Why am I telling you all this? Because after you take time to congratulate me on my engineering acumen in devising the adapters, you should reflect on how nice it is that this lovely old frame has been passed along from one member of our beat bike crew to another to continue bringing joy to me and (hopefully) to anyone who sees it plying the streets of the capital area. Good friends, old bikes, and sharing are all things this world needs more of (along with love, sweet love, of course). Read more!

To Broad Brook!

Before Sunday, I had never heard of Broad Brook, let alone ridden my bicycle there. But thanks to Rich's strong desire for Grandpa Tony's unpasteurized apple cider, his ability to print a map from Google, and his kind invitation, all that has changed.

On Sunday at around 12:30, Rich, Julia, and I set out from Rich's swingin' Hartford bachelor pad on our bikes, full of vim and visions of cider, donuts, and New Englandy, autumnal goodness. We took Windsor Street north into (wait for it . . .) Windsor, and after a few wrong turns that led us to strange, quasi-agrarian backroads teeming with disaffected local youths, we found our way onto the bike path of the Bissel Bridge. Once we'd crossed the river, the industry/farm/suburban mishmash of Windsor gave way to the stone-walled, birthplace-of-historic-people charm of East Windsor. We thought it was beautiful, but based on what was written on the pavement, some people were nonplussed (click for a bigger view):



Honestly, I don't know how anyone could be bored by a stretch of road with the Porch Horse, the Pumpkin-Butt Gardener, and the birthplace of the "first American theologian and philosopher."







(We liked that the only notable thing about Aaron Burr, as far as the people who made this plaque were concerned, was his having been the third vice president.)

After consuming much cider, and many cookies and donuts (and yummy pumpkin fudge), we took a longer way back, via the I-91 bridge, and I shortly realized I was running late and had to ride at full speed from Windsor Locks home (and when I say "realized," I mean "received a phone cal from my justifiably angry wife, wondering where the hell I was to take the kids so she could go to a 4:00 engagement"). As a result, I only took one more picture on the way from the farm:



So who's coming with me next Sunday? Read more!

What you need to be doing on Nov. 8

Don't confuse this with November 4, that's when you need to be voting.

The Eel! November 8! 3pm!

It's gonna be awesome!

Maybe prizes beyond the cash sort!

Come race!



Also, they opened that South Branch Greenway last week. Read more!

Sharrows Explained

Karma's recent post along with his excellent photos of the new road markings in West Hartford got me wasting a perfectly good Monday evening scouring the intrawebz looking for some information on that pattern that I remember seeing sometime before. Rather than bury the results of my research in the comments section of his post, I thought this information would better serve the community as a separate post.

I've never seen such a thing actually implemented in person until they appeared in West Hartford, but the new markings aren't just a result of someone in the WH government smoking crack. They're called "Sharrows" (which I'm guessing is the result of some fan of mashing words together got when they looked at "shared" and "arrows") and they have become implemented in just the manner that we've seen in West Hartford in an increasing number of bike savvy cities: San Francisco, Portland, and Boulder, for example.

The brief history is that this particular design and use was started in Denver in the mid-90s. Generally, they were ignored elsewhere, until a 2004 study released by the city of San Francisco recommended sharrows be implemented to mark shared-use roads. Caltrans (the CA state DOT) adopted the markings that same year and use has expanded. In 2007, the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices unanimously voted to endorse the marking in federal manuals of traffic control devices.

The two main purposes of these markings are: 1) to alert motorized traffic that the road is to be shared and 2) to correctly position cyclists outside of the "door zone" of parked cars. This also serves to correct the bad habit of bikes traveling on the wrong side of the road, as well as encourage not-so-experienced cyclists that it's OK to take the lane. We'd probably see fewer a-hole drivers screaming at us to get out of the road, too. It's important to point out that in general, they aren't preferred to a dedicated bike lane, but rather recommended in areas where the streets are too narrow or dangerous to have such a lane.

The only problems I see with the markings in West Hartford is the previous designation of the side stripes as being a "bike lane," and the absolute lack of communication about these markings. We've all seen how cars are often in that side lane, and we've complained about it a lot on this blog. I think someone somewhere made a mistake at calling those things on the sides of Boulevard "bike lanes" and it was decided to make these routes "shared roads," and the sharrows were eventually laid down. The sharrows are even defined in the West Hartford Master Bike Plan. (see page 19). However, the fact remains that there has been NO COMMUNICATION by the town or state government about these markings and how to use them. When some of the most experienced cyclists I know in the region seem confused by these markings, you would think that some form of public announcement, or press release, or some mention in the newspaper would be in order. At the MINIMUM, a mention on the town's website. Nothing. When SF implemented them, they put PSA signs on city buses as part of their educational campaign.

There's some great reading on the sharrow movement, and I'll throw a list of links down in order of usefulness:

• Christian Science Monitor 2005 article (interviews advocates and critics)
  
• Bike Pittsburgh Shared Lane Markings FAQ (brief & informative)
  
• Bike Commute Tips Blog
  
• SF's 2004 Shared Lane Markings Study (very interesting) - .pdf
  
• SF-MTA presentation on Sharrows (Sept. 2008) - .pdf
  
• Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams (mmmm, beer)
  
• Proposal for shared markings in Ithaca, NY (my college town! ITH represent!)
  

After consuming all this, I'll say I'm in favor of sharrows, as long as cyclists and drivers get educated about them, what they mean, and how to properly use them. Read more!

Roads: The New Bike Lane.

I took this picture shortly after composing this post which discussed an incident in which a bicyclist was hit at the intersection of Boulevard and Whiting Lane in West Hartford. As can be seen there are newly painted bicycle images in the middle of both lanes! I had never seen such a symbol in this area of the road and spent a few moments trying to figure out what they meant. This is a section of Boulevard between Troutbrook and Prospect but I have also seen them further along Boulevard, past Main Street, and along Quaker north of Farmington Ave. Most of these are areas where the oft-discussed shared bike/parking lanes have been created. So while the city has stopped short of painting bike symbols in the lanes they have painted these new images directly in the road! What does this all mean? My argument is that it confirms the fact that the road IS the bike lane! The images are a subtle suggestion to drivers that bikes and cars share the same infrastructure and a quiet reminder to motorists that bikers may be in the road. However if one looks at the picture below the reality is that much of the time the bike/parking lane is more of a parking lot and the road is our travel lane.

As you can see the bike lanes are full and riders are forced into the street. So are the new images a positive move to warn drivers of the presence of bikes or are they a failure to properly execute the bike lanes? Of course when I look at the pictures above I think delusionally of a time when the cars are relegated to the fringe parking/travel lanes and bikes take the primary center lane as the spray-painted alabaster icon suggests.

Read more!

X-Room Mystery Solved!

I actually own this book.

I know people who've attended meeting at the Main Branch of the Hartford Public Library are usually wondering why the x room is called the x room. It's not very exciting. The supports for the ceiling have x-shaped trusses between them and the library staff decided to name the room accordingly. Read more!

Teenage Bike Jacking

A disturbing report caught my eye in the Courant today:

Teens Sought In Theft Of Bicycle

October 15, 2008

HARTFORD - City police are seeking five Hispanic teenagers, one believed to be armed with a handgun, in connection with a robbery Monday afternoon.

According to police, about 5:50 p.m. outside 147 Franklin Ave., a 14-year-old boy was approached by the teens, who demanded his bicycle.

The victim told police that one of the teens, who he said were ages 15 and 16, pulled a pistol before they took the bike and headed south on Franklin Avenue. The victim was not injured, police said.

Now, I can't be sure that the victim is completely telling the truth in his report to the police. But if his story is true, that's cold, man. Read more!

Bike-to-beer-fest: Images!!

Without further adieu a few shots from the festivities. Ill spare the complexities of the "Read More" and let them roll.


Love the sight of bikes lined up along an iron fence. Nice parking spots!


More bikes. Nice space maximization folks.


Walls of marble. Rich is a high roller.


Ten people in an elevator and space for all. Not sure how I got the angle on this shot as the back of my head made it in the picture. Odd.


Oooooooo mirrors on the ceiling and everyone is captivated.


The laundry cart, my legs, and a packed elevator. Little can you tell a human is trapped beneath us. Fortunately the plastic held and no one was hurt.


Group shot. Check out the moon and the Capitol on the left! Awesome view.


More nightscape views from the top!


The Traveler's.


Its kind of hard to see but here you can make out the lines of the walks through Bushnell Park. Looked like a perfectly manicured model in miniature from the skyline.


A rooftop group shot.


Getting cozy at Krash's place. Joel you took Brendan's spot on Shoupy's knee and he looks angry!


Everyone is enjoying the comfy couch, beers, and a nice fireside (fire not included).


After the ride to Joel's we all locked up in the carriage house. Gorgeous architecture but not a lot of places to lock up. I grabbed a lawnmower and threw a can of gasoline on the U-lock to discourage any thieves. Guess what, it worked!


Argyle socks, who doesn't like argyle.


Down, down, down the stairs. Thanks for the mini-bags of cheese puff Joel, hits the spot.


The previously promised blurry photo!


The last stop, warm food, another comfy couch, and great hospitality.


Joel getting into his story. I forget the punchline. It was not long after this shot that everyone headed their own ways and headed out into a cold yet beautiful night.

A great time, thanks to all. Cannot wait for the next event! Read more!

Legs

Photo credit to someone who actually ran the marathon.

This weekend was Columbus Day weekend as well as the running of the Hartford Marathon. It also was a weekend of beautiful weather. I'm sure the marathon runners loved that. My neighbor, Val, ran the half marathon. I think that's pretty impressive, as I have no idea how to run 13 miles, let alone 26. Some how that morning, Johanna convinced me that I should go running. I'm not sure how that happened. I hate running and I always have, but next thing I knew we were at Sports Authority buying running shoes and before long we were at the Reservoir. I've been the reservoir a million times, but I've never actually run around it. Now, I have. It wasn't so bad while I was doing it, but man I was unhappy the next morning.


Also, yesterday afternoon, as I had the day off, I went over to Case Mountain. I was having a good time and didn't get lost for once. On my way back I ran into these two kids who were partially lost and it was starting to get dark. I told them to go back the way they went, as it was the easiest return trip for them. I also told them to follow me, but realized I was going a lot faster. So, I kept on ahead and returned to my car to get my headlamp. When I got there, I ran into the father of one of the kids and told him that I was going to go retrieve them with my headlamp. I went back and found them. Things were going ok, until I was riding slowing down a drop and did a nasty endo. I temporarily got that I-bashed-my-knee-so-hard-I-feel-like-I'm-going-to-puke feeling, but I persevered and didn't want to look like a wuss. We made and it back just fine until the gate a very end, where I almost did the exact same thing and managed to tear my shorts but not crash. I'm uncertain as to how I tore my shorts. But, everything turned out ok. Also, I managed to grow another knee cap on top of my old one.

In the event of this much water, the race'll probably be canceled.

Also, on Saturday, Johanna and I rode The Eel. I think it's going to be a sweet race. Two laps shouldn't be a big deal and hopefully no one gets scared of 20 miles. I need to figure out how to make a map of it so people don't get lost while racing. Maybe I could spray paint arrows... Read more!

Sandpit Con't

You know, if you do a google image search of "sand pit of death", the first picture is of a cyclocross race.

On my way to work this morning I noticed that our feared sand pit behind the Armory was creeping back as of late. But lo! I saw a man with a broom this morning stem the tied of silicon danger. Praise be to those who work at the Armory.

----

Also, you may have noticed "THE EEL" on the right hand column. I've never thrown a race before, so please help me by racing in it. I think it's just going to be cash prizes, because sponsorship seems like too much work and I'm bad at begging. None the less, I think it'll promise to be awesome. We don't have races around here that leave the road very often, so this will bring variety. I'm going to work on a flyer today.

----

Oh, and gay marriage is now legal in Connecticut. :)

Read more!

Pure Autumnal Joy

Saturday, Oct. 4 was a day of special events for the writers on this blog. Not only did many of us lend a hand to the greatness of the Source-to-Sea cleanup of the Park/Connecticut confluence, but that evening we all kicked back and enjoyed our own celebration of the season: a fun, fall-filled festival of frothy frivolity. An event that became dubbed:

Beat Biketoberfest 2008!

Or Beat Bike-to-beer-fest! Or Beet Bike-tuber-fest, only neither of those vegetables were actually present.

Our concept of what Beat Biketoberfest should be, other than avoid trademark infringement on something else called "Biketoberfest (tm)" (which involves loud, annoying combustion engines), was an Oktoberfest-themed apartment bike crawl where we could enjoy each others' company as well a sampling of the tasty brews of the season. Since we all live in the Hartford/West Hartford corridor, it wasn't very difficult to plan a route, and there was only one part of the ride that had any type of distance to it at all. Each host was kind enough to supply the hardy revelers with a case of beer and some snacks along the way!

I'm not sure who has photos they'd like to post, but I know I only remembered to take 3 lame photos, and I saw various flashes going off all evening. So maybe we'll continue our 2-post tradition of events where one person describes it, and one person dumps the pics. I'm obviously here to do the former.

photo credit: WTIC

Just about everybody but Brendan got to the meeting point under the Founders Bridge near downtown Hartford quite a bit late. But this was actually a good thing because as the sun went down, we got to see the Bulkeley Bridge light to life! Last week, the bridge was lit with new-fangled colored LEDs in order to mark its 100th anniversary. We got to see it change from red to blue before we headed out on the tour. The weather was simply perfect as we climbed the stairs to start the party! The stops were as follows:

1) My place first, where the group got a chance to look at the city from a different angle whilst enjoying an assortment of beer I brought from exotic Upstate NY. We also got creative in the elevator when we had to return a utility cart back to the lobby. As we were unlocking our bikes from the front fence of my building, we had the unfortunate opportunity to hear the words "spike" and "testicles" in the same sentence. Thanks for that, Shoupy.

2) A quick ride through Bushnell Park got us to ChillWill's pad in Frog Hollow. It was very chill of course, and various swag was handed off to people as chillwill was just dumping his crap on us prior to his move. There were also festive tatoos that worked well to give most of us some rockin' street cred. I don't think anyone used them on their knuckles. There was also the first harvest of delicious candy corn.

3) A hop over the tracks and highway got us to Krash's apartment, where we had to actually go in the front door, due to the fact that his back porch had just been whitewashed. Probably by ol' Tom Sawyer himself. We kicked back with some Harpoons and gorged on what was either Cheez Itz or Nips. I think Itz.

4) The shortest ride of the night got us to Joel's, where he provided us not only with some Sam Oktoberfests and fun-sized Cheetos, but also luxurious bike parking in his historic carriage house. Luckily, Joel was also proactive at providing the party some toilet paper, courtesy of stop #2.

5, 6) Finally a ride! A real ride. The overall Beat Biketoberfest peloton split up into several groups, with some of them even knowing where El Prez lived. The Karma krew split off to pick up some more party supplies, and eventually we all arrived at El Presidente's manor in West Hartford. By the end of the this leg, you could really feel the chill of the fall night starting to settle in. The master of the house himself greeted us with a hot grill already cooking up some delicious chow. The Magic Hat was cold, and the various meat and veggie products were hot. The hit of the evening was the squash soup! Absolutely delicious. Karma biked in the final beer-stop of the night (finally, the beer biked to us! What a scrumptious turn of events!), where I finally got to enjoy my first bottle of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale. Yum!

What a fantastic night! Thanks to all who were able to ride, drink beer, and enjoy the city. Special thanks to my fellow bloggers for opening up your homes. I'd also like to thank some form of a higher being for making bikes, beer, and fall. It was probably Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison who invented all three, so praise be to him. This was truly one of the most enjoyable nights I've had here in the 'Beat. Not only would I like to try to put this on the calendar again in 2009, but I think this has laid the groundwork for a casual series of bike pub crawls coming up in the future. Advance notices for them will appear on this blog.

Sure, go ahead and Read More.

El Prez's house was the end of the official Beat Biketoberfest, and as we basked in the glory of full gullets and good times, an overwhelming tiredness seemed to smack just about everyone in the face simultaneously. The friendly buzz of the beer, taste of soupy-goodness, and smiles on our faces made everyone realize how good that night's sleep would feel. Slowly, we all trickled out in spurts. Brendan & Johanna were first to sneak out. ChillWill's posse left next. The bulk of the group still remaining saddled up not long after. I wiped a nice, fresh layer of dew off my seat and as we hit the road to head home, it was absolutely striking to me how starkly empty the streets of West Hartford were. No cars to be seen, as about a half-dozen of us completely owned the road. The only sounds I could hear were the cranking of our own gears, the whoosh of that welcome autumn air, and our own laughter as we spread out across the lane.

Karma and Meg peeled off first, and the few remaining pedaled on and hit the Hartford city limits in no time at all. Joel was next to veer off to his place, and soon I was saying my good nights to Shoupy. All alone, with a big, stupid grin on my face, I rode on silently into the night. Into Fall.

Read more!

Bike Benefits in Bailout Bill?

So while some of us are tried to follow the political maneuvering related to the $700 billion bailout, or rescue package recently passed, many of us (myself included) were equally confused as to the many legislative implications of the bill. In researching the legislation in an attempt to educate myself I came across a little bit of pork patched into the bill that aroused some curiosity for my bike-commuting self.

While im neither a fan of the bill, nor am I of pork (literal or legislative), Sec. 211 of the bill (H.R. 1424) has interesting potential for individuals who regularly ride their bike to work.

Sec. 211 is an amendment to previous transportation fringe benefits found in Section 132(f) of the tax code. The bill allegedly attempts to spread the benefits received by bus and train commuters from Sec. 132(f)(these include supplementing payment for bus and train passes and for parking fees) onto bike commuters. Supposedly the individual who regularly uses their bike to get to and from work would be eligible for $20 in monthly compensation from their employees (if they participate) up to a total of $240 per year. This would include as the bill states,

"reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage."

So we as bike commuters would be able to write off (or perhaps charge our employers for) tubes, tires, lube, chains, perhaps even portions of the cost of new bikes if we ride to work regularly. As far as my research shows, the expenses would be a tax write-off for participating companies although im not sure if it would be a direct financial benefit to employees, or simply a deduction from their pre-tax earnings. I'd be curious to see how you all read into it, particularly the lawyer types among you. While some arguments ive read have stated that this benefit only equates to $1 per day, or $0.50 each way, and as such is not much of an incentive to commute by bike. My argument, as someone who rides regardless, is that this is $20 in maintainance I might potentially not have to pay for.

While I have read numerous discussions regarding the application of this legislation, its intended effects, and the probable benefits to be had by commuters, im still left largely confused. The funny thing is this bill was added to the bailout to appeal to a Representative Earl Blumenauer from Oregon who voted against the bill its first time around. The hope was this addition would bring him on board to support the bill. While the bill passed Blumenauer failed to approve its second ride around!

If you want to read up a bit more check here, here, and here.

For you law junkies ive included the transcript of Sec. 211 after the break!!





SEC. 211. TRANSPORTATION FRINGE BENEFIT TO BICYCLE COMMUTERS.

(a) In General- Paragraph (1) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(D) Any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.'.

(b) Limitation on Exclusion- Paragraph (2) of section 132(f) is amended by striking `and' at the end of subparagraph (A), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting `, and', and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:

`(C) the applicable annual limitation in the case of any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement.'.

(c) Definitions- Paragraph (5) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(F) DEFINITIONS RELATED TO BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT-

`(i) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement' means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee's residence and place of employment.

`(ii) APPLICABLE ANNUAL LIMITATION- The term `applicable annual limitation' means, with respect to any employee for any calendar year, the product of $20 multiplied by the number of qualified bicycle commuting months during such year.

`(iii) QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING MONTH- The term `qualified bicycle commuting month' means, with respect to any employee, any month during which such employee--

`(I) regularly uses the bicycle for a substantial portion of the travel between the employee's residence and place of employment, and

`(II) does not receive any benefit described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1).'.

(d) Constructive Receipt of Benefit- Paragraph (4) of section 132(f) is amended by inserting `(other than a qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement)' after `qualified transportation fringe'.

(e) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2008.

Read more!

Confluence V 2.0

We rode through the Park Rd. parade on the way to the river and saw this sweet bus!!

Brendan has already summed up our clean-up of the confluence of the Park and Connecticut Rivers this last Saturday so I won't add to that but I thought I'd post a few more pictures, because everyone loves pictures!!

Hit them up after the break!




Here is the culvert from whence the mighty Park River flows into the Connecticut. From here volunteers spread North and South along the river cleaning a stretch of about half a mile. Plenty of good bike parking spots here along the railing.


Up the hill everyone is loading up Joel's truck as we finish up.


Joel's truck filled to the brim with our finds. As you can see we managed to haul in quite a catch. If you look carefully you can see the red fiberglass canoe that Brendan alludes to in his blog.


My proudest find, too bad it was a XXXL. Im hoping someone nabbed it off the pile we left for DPW.


The crew picking up the pile.


Joel showing us his best trucker's face.


Oh glorious pile, anyone missing a bumper?


Afterwards some of us grabbed a late lunch at the Hook and Ladder. Not a bad joint, beer selection isn't great (sadly what is in the Beat), but the food was quite good. Brendan even scored one of their rare CBS-branded onion rings!

And finally...

...our beautiful Capitol on a beautiful day!

Thanks to everyone who came out and to those who did not, we shall see you next year.

Read more!