Ice Beard, the Winter Bike Pirate?

Salem and I went out for a snowy ride on Saturday during the first real snow storm since Halloween.  We followed the Hockanum trails and several other miscellaneous trails on our way from Manchester back into East Hartford.  Four inches of snow really changes the trail dynamics and speed only exists in the amount of time it takes Tony to go horizontal, which I did several times.

Our ever growing ice beards reached epic proportions.  Snow shovelers and passersby couldn't quite process the bright yellow, ice bearded, abominable snow bicyclists.  We did spot a couple of tracks along the bike path and passed a couple walking their bikes down by the Connecticut River, with whom we shared a hearty greeting.

Oh yeah - I'm organizing a screening of Bicycle Dreams, a documentary on the Race Across America (RAAM).  The screening will be held downtown at the Wadsworth Atheneum Aetna Theater on March 7th at 7PM.  We're also planning a bit of a social hour at a TBD Hartford establishment prior to the movie.  A portion of ticket sales will go to Bike Walk CT, your favorite and only statewide bike advocacy heroes.  Personally I don't understand what would possess someone to race across the US in 10 days while being trailed by a support vehicle, but hey, folks don't understand why I like riding my bike with ice on my face.    Maybe I'll learn something, and in the meantime we'll notch some bike culture points for Hartford.  Help us spread the word with this Facebook invite.  Get your tickets here. Read more!

Ski free

True to form, I went skiing this weekend. There wasn't a ton of snow. Well, I guess there was way more than a ton of snow, but not a lot of snow. It wasn't enough for places with roots and rocks, but I tried going there anyway on Saturday. It was uncomfortable for me and the skis.

Today, Johanna and I went to a place with fewer rocks and roots and slightly more snow. It was great. It's supposed to rain and be warm this week, so perhaps we'll be mountain biking again by the end of the week. It was a really nice weekend for being outside, hopefully you were.

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A stolen bike

Someone stole a strange looking extracycle in East Hartford and now its owner can't haul things around anymore. Using something called crowdsourcing, I'm going to put a picture of it on this blog and the bike will be returned to its owner. I've never seen another bike that looks like this and I bet you haven't either. So, if you see it, it's stole. You can email us at beatbikeblog@spiney.com, because I don't know if the bike's owner wants his/her email published in this den of inequity. Also, the number of the East Hartford police is (860) 528-4401. I guess you could also call 911. If the dispatcher gives you lip, say the bike cost a million dollars or something.

Here's a picture:

And here's the movie:

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First tracks

I cannot overstate how pretty it was! 

We got a little bit of snow and it was a beautiful day. So, I went to Case and Gay City. There's about 1-2" of snow, but it's been cold, so I feared that there was ice under neath. Also, I have these studded tires that don't get nearly enough use. They may have been free, but they say "deserve them" on the sidewall. I want to live up to the sidewall slogan, so I used them. They saved me from two crashes, but not a third. Other people got out, too, mostly hikers whom I didn't see, but I saw two other mountain bikers and two other sets of tracks. I really can't stress enough how pretty it was today.

Tomorrow, hopefully there'll be a post about xc skiing. I'm still not very good at it, but I look forward to it.

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Red lights

In a car, I stop at stop signs and red lights. For many drivers around here, that isn't a very popular habit. I used to be against red light cameras, because I thought they were an invasion of some kind of privacy. I think it's mostly my opposition generally to surveillance cameras. I first gave this some thought when West Hartford foolishly installed them everywhere, while state law forbade their employment for issuing tickets. That might have been like 2004 or '05. I ride my bike a lot more than I did then and the threat of cars running lights is more existential. So, my position has shifted to favor stop light cameras. What do you think? There was an article about it, because the legislation is being reintroduced. See here.

On a bike, I'm much more of an Idaho stop kind of person.

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Hipster Ponies with Beards?

Brendan and I headed out for a mixed media ride on Saturday.  Starting out down Main Street East Hartford, some a-hole driving a Porche Cayenne (am I restating the obvious?) laid on the horn a couple of times before revving by and taking a fast right onto Riverside Drive.  I'm guessing it's because he never learned how to change lanes to pass.  We spent the next mile discussing the best way to communicate with courteous drivers while wearing ski mittens or bulky black gloves at night - fist shaking and the facetious parade wave.

The temp was just around freezing with a good hard freeze last night.  With the heavy rain this week, there was a sloppy mix of hard frozen mud, just barely frozen mud, and not at all frozen mud.  The ride headed south on the east side of the river, through the Glastonbury Meadows with an attempt to get all the way to Portland fairgrounds, but unfortunately the water was up - and we found oodles of mud - backtracked to Old Maids Lane and were roundly insulted by the digital speed detector.

Then turned up Isinglass to Meshomasic State Forest for some speedy dirt roads.  Brendan pulled off a spectacular endo trying to clear a downed tree.  Seems he WAY over lifted the rear wheel due to concern with jamming his big ring into the rather sizable tree.  Whatever caused it, I enjoyed watching the topple.  Had several over bar bike dismounts of my own when attempting to roll some ridiculous tree falls.  Hey, why not try?  Maybe someday I'll get better and they'll look less ridiculous.

On Coldbrook Road, one of the most fucking bucolic streets around, we found these odd little ponies with beards.  Left when one starting eating the other's shit.  Shit eating bearded ponies.

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For Rough Rides (that should not be)

When you nail a pothole that should have been fixed five years ago and wonder who to complain to (besides your friends and at The Beat Bike Blog) about the rim you just bent, there are now several options.

1. The Connecticut Department of Transportation is sponsoring a website which allows users to submit data about both bike accidents/crashes and unsafe biking conditions. The accident form is for any type of bicycle crash, whether or not a motorized vehicle was involved. The latter form allows users to provide the DOT with suggestions for how the situation can be improved.
2. SeeClickFix provides its users with the capacity for uploading photos of the issue in question. These concerns are published so that others in the community can view them, thus making a visible record of concerns. If an issue is reported on a particular topic or in a specific area, different entities are automatically notified. For items reported in Hartford, the 311 Call Center for non-emergency city services is contacted. Publicly documenting concerns is a way to cut through bureaucratic bullshit, or at least to prove that something requiring action has been reported on and consequently ignored by the City, State, or private entities responsible for fixing the problem.
   
3. Calling 311 is a third option from Monday-Friday, 8-5. There is a map showing 311 open/closed cases, currently available online. It has been yanked from the City website in the past without explanation. A case number is assigned so that you can follow up.
   

What other ways can cyclists report poor street conditions and get results?
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The Much Anticipated Bike Move

**** Bike Move rescheduled for Saturday, Feb 4th.  My closing got delayed. ****

Time to show what you're made of Hartford.  I've decided that the market is down enough, and rents conversely high enough, to double down on a condo in the illustrious South Green neighborhood.
Since the ex cleaned me out in the divorce, and I'm short on heavy furniture (cept for one challenging sleeper sofa), I gamely propose a 'Bike Move'.  The bike culture starved Connecticutian may need an explanation of the concept.  Basically, I'm going to attempt to move all my worldly belongings approximately 5 miles from East Hartford to downtown Hartford.  To do this I need help.  Lots of it.   Why, you ask?  Don't ask why, just come out and help me with something ridiculous.

Move date set for Saturday, February 4th.  We'll start bright and early at 8am for those that want breakfast and coffee.  Time to BS and survey the task at hand, then a bit of packing and securing, followed by en mass departure at around 9am.  Depending on numbers and how much we drop, might come back for a second trip.  Stick around, and I'll order a bunch of pizzas.

Bring your trailers and biggest panniers.  For those lacking cargo capabilty, I'll have some bags of clothes that could fit in a backpack.  We'll also benefit from spotters and corkers. 
More info will be forthcoming.  Wish me luck with closing and getting the utilities turned on.  Let me know if you're in so I can get an approximate count for breakfast.

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Downtown

Hartford's downtown is not that big. I think it's like two square miles or something tiny. I worked in it for awhile and would ride my bike there everyday. Now that I go to school in the West End, I don't get down there as much. But, I had some business at City Hall yesterday, so I rode down. After I was done, I rode on to Constitution Plaza, down along the river in East Hartford, back over in Hartford, again to Constitution Plaza, to Spiritus and home. I worked downtown for a long time and never though much of it, but Dario has always told me that he likes to ride there. In my absence from the built environment, I think understand what he means. It's actually kinda pretty at night. The darkness doesn't really make it easy to take a picture when pedaling, though.

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It's January? Riding in a t-shirt.

Global warming has its upside in Connecticut.  Was riding in a t-shirt today and got a full winter dose of vitamin D.  Meandered over to the Heublein Tower in Simsbury, via the Hockanum River path.  I picked up the path just off of Roberts Street by Rogo Distributors.  This is further east than I usually pick up the trail, and this portion of the trail is a bit newer and more technical than the rest of the Hockanum segments.  Since I was at full expedition pace, I noticed several great views that I'd missed on faster trips.  Someone did a pretty good job clearing the trail of fallen trees - thanks - and it looked like the trail was getting quite a bit of bike use.

Met up with friends and Heublein Tower and enjoyed the gusty views from the ridge.  First time I'd noticed the glass in the door.  I think Valerie rubbed off a bit and now I notice unique glass and windows more often.

While meandering back through Hartford I took Park Street, which is one of my recent favorites due to the hustle and bustle.  Hooked a right on Pope Park Highway since I'd never been down that way before.  The street runs past the ice house and Lyman kitchen store that are visible from I-84.  There is also an interesting looking nightclub - Divi Divi's - which the internet tells me is a gay dance club.  Will have to check it out, as I've found that gay clubs tend to have enthusiastic dancers, so I don't stick out like I usually do.  Across the street was a new little park with some unique sculptures, windy metal garden, a great spot to take in the sunset.  

Just a block from my place in East Hartford someone had put out a couple boxes of freecycle home goods.  Being the scrounger that I am, I circled back with trailer in tow and scored some excellent items to outfit my soon to be Hartford condo.  Check out the two Polish plates.  Score!

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Bike job

Want a job involving a bike, but don't want to work in a bike shop or be a courier? Be executive director of Bike Walk CT. See the press release:

Bike Walk CT Seeks Full-Time Executive Director
Bike Walk Connecticut, a 501 (c) (3) organization working for a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly Connecticut, is accepting applications for a full-time Executive Director who will work from its office in Hartford, Connecticut. Become part of this growing organization and help it achieve its potential as Connecticut's premier statewide bike/walk advocacy and education organization. The Executive Director is responsible for managing the overall affairs of Bike Walk Connecticut including the implementation of Board-approved projects, programs, policies, and procedures in fulfillment of its mission and strategic plan.
Details will be are posted at http://www.bikewalkct.org/resources/news-items/executive-director-2011/, or you can e-mail EDsearch@bikewalkct.org for information and job description. 

The above picture was taken when I threw a picnic for the 30th anniversary of Carl Andre's Stone Field Sculpture. It is entirely unrelated to riding a bike. Read more!

Racing

I like the Hockanum River. Its watershed has a website and I just realized that it also hosts a canoe and kayak race in April. I don't know much about canoe and kayak racing, but it sounds like a lot of fun and I have access to a canoe. Anybody want to race with me?

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New Year's Day 2

Like liquor stores, I got a second New Year's Day yesterday. So, I went to Nassahegan for the second time since tenth grade. I've become increasingly loathe to drive to a trail. A lot of the mountain biking within riding distance isn't too bad has a pleasant route, so I don't really mind. It's 18 miles to Nassahegan, so that makes for almost 40 miles round trip minus the intended ride. That's quite a bit and I do have a car to drive, so I drove there. I guess getting dark early is an excuse?

Anyway, enough apologizing. Why don't I ride here more often? It's great. I used to drive out to Nepaug occasionally a few years ago, but most of the trails there are for people who like to spend all their time jumping off things or driving ATVs. This is all twisty, narrow and complicated. I wish the maps were slightly better because I wanted to ride further, but instead sent myself back towards my car. Despite not riding as far south as I would have liked, I still got a solid 2 1/2 hours in. Anyway, I'm going to go back despite all the car guilt. Too bad I don't know anyone who lives over there.

These pictures kinda suck, but when I'm having a good time I guess that I just don't want to pull over and take a picture. Read more!

Denouement

I bought a folding saw last week, because I want to become beloved for my trail maintenance. I started clearing the trail that runs through Goodwin Park for practice. The next day, Dario proposed that we go fix the trail from the Bissel Bridge to Loomis. It sounded like a good idea, so we set off along river, passed the dump, cross the train tracks and headed for the newly paved thing in Windsor. Surprisingly, we had the misfortune of doing this in view of an Amtrak cop. He stopped us, but didn't write tickets. I've ridden through there dozens of times, but I guess you're not supposed to. Interestingly, he didn't ask about my bag of saws.

I also went for a ride with Tony and found this cabin.

Happy New Year! Read more!

I needed a reminder.

Much of my Christmas week was spent in a rented Toyota Corolla driving to Michigan to visit family, including a trip “Up North” to see Gramma.  Car driving is a novelty these days since I haven’t owned a car in over a year, although I do drive a rental once a month or so when I travel for work.  Being car free and spending much of my time on my bicycle commuting around metro Hartford, I gather up a bit of vitriol directed at motorized road users.  Some of that vitriol spills into blog posts and discussions with friends.  With evil, heartless car drivers running over defenseless cyclists, pointed up by the recent deaths on Burnside Avenue, I’ve been spouting some pretty vehement stuff regarding distracted drivers.

Sometimes it takes something scary to bring you back to earth and remind you that crashes and road deaths can happen to even the smug, self-righteous bicycle commuter and supposedly enlightened transportation advocate.  The following episode reminded me, who should know better, that it’s critical while driving to minimize distractions and act in a predictable manner.  The reminder is important enough to me that I decided to capture it in a blog post and subject myself to the public scrutiny of my action and mea maxima culpa - sort of like locking myself into the pillory on the town commons, in electronic perpetuity.

I was heading across northern Ohio, and found myself off route due to missing an exit.  My GPS was on the blink and I was trying to figure out which way I should be heading.  It was a long driving day (~12 hrs) and adding an extra couple hours was not something I was keen on.  I had my Bluetooth earpiece in, and was answering some phone interview questions for of all things an article on the Burnside Avenue ghost bikes and distracted driving - yes the irony is painfully obvious.  This was not an appropriate time for me to be talking on the phone – and it will not happen again.

Upon hanging up, I noticed a rest area exit fast approaching – almost immediately on my right.  There are highway maps at rest stops and I needed to figure out if I was headed in the right direction.  I could just make it, but I was in the left lane of the two lane highway.  A quick glance in the mirror and I swung for the exit, a stupidly rash decision.  The quick glance wasn’t good enough, as there was a car in my blind spot in the right lane.  It was such a close call that the driver behind me had to take the rest area exit with me and rightly stopped and complained, “Are you having a baby or something?”  I couldn’t apologize profusely enough, and staggered with embarrassment into the building.  What an idiot! 

I made a conscious decision to sear this episode into my consciousness, and not bury it with other embarrassments that I have accumulated.  This was a personal "near miss" that fortunately didn't have major repercussions.  By writing it down and sharing it with others I hope to use this as an indelible life lesson that drives my driving decisions for the rest of my life.  One stupid decision or several compounding stupid decisions while driving a 2-ton missile can quickly result in severe injury or death.  Maybe my dirty driving laundry may even help others skip the hard lessons that distracted driving can bring.

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Negativity

The world makes little sense to me. But, a nice Christmas Eve (and Hanukkah) bike ride to Berlin Bike and back through Watrous Park (the best place to ride a bike in America), the meadows, etc makes things seem much more positive.

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I think this is really cool

Go Stybar! Read more!

Hooker Boots and ATV's - My New Neighborhood

Nothing says welcome to Hartford like a hastily abandoned pair of white hooker boots (size 11!) and an ATV on the sidewalk.  This morning I rode down to my soon to be home on Alden Street for the mortgage appraisal (fingers crossed) and found these unexpected bonuses while walking around the block.  The boots were right across the street on Alden and the ATV further down on Congress.  A call to the Hartford Police Department resulted in a personal call from the South Green community officer and an impounded ATV.  My respect for the HPD just ticked up a notch.  My respect for the barefoot (possibly trans) hooker is through the roof.

On a bicycling note, I finally timed my commute from P&W in East Hartford to the condo on Alden.  20 minutes with a stiff headwind, on the Huffy.  A bit more than my current 8 minute commute, but totally reasonable.  The Huffy might fall down in the rotation to a backup bike, replaced by something a bit more sprightly - perhaps that SS Schwinn I just built? Read more!

Courant hears us out

Tony & Ken's ghost bikes have received a big response (in a somber way) and the Courant wrote a thoughtful editorial about it. See it here. The Courant has always been pretty supportive of cycling, unlike its commenters.

Happy Hanukkah! Read more!

Bike Walk Connecticut's Annual Dinner at CCSU

The ride from Hartford to New Britain for the annual Bike Walk Connecticut dinner could have been worse.

But, it could have been much easier.

Imagine a direct route, one that does not involve speeding motorized vehicles with their operators honking for everyone to move out of their way. Imagine not having to constantly weave around smashed bottles, tree limbs, chunks of asphalt, and potholes.

According to James P. Redeker, the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, the route will soon be easier. Part of the oft maligned* New Britain-Hartford Busway will include a bike path, allowing cyclists to make this very trek without wondering when the shoulder is going to suddenly drop off or which driver is going to back out of his driveway without checking his rearview mirror first. Though this will not be completed overnight, having a reduced risk route between these two cities increases job options for many, including myself.

The New Britain-Hartford Busway development was not the only change Redeker mentioned in his keynote address at the Bike Walk Connecticut Annual Dinner. His Powerpoint showed improvements and proposed changes to infrastructure statewide, from closing gaps in bike trails to installing bicycle racks at train stations. He noted how resistant Metro-North has been to bike racks on trains, even when others were willing to foot the bill.

He said that sometimes a bit of public embarrassment is just the ticket to getting others to do the right thing.

For years, the CT DOT has had a reputation for dismissing the needs of cyclists and pedestrians outright. Redeker's speech Tuesday evening intended to assure the public that the DOT has begun to move in a new (or very retro) direction by supporting the need of all residents to safely move from place-to-place.

Professor and author, Mary Collins, in her welcome speech, spoke of the importance of movement and how our youth yearn for it. She is the award-winning author of American Idle: A Journey through our Sedentary Culture.

When she had her own students at Central Connecticut State University consider movement in our culture, it became clear to her that gaming and virtual reality could not replace the need that many have for moving around outdoors, whether that happens on a frozen lake or on a basketball court.

Ray Rauth, the first chair of the CT Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, was the recipient of the President's Award.

Supporters, particularly those who were silent auction winners, left the event in high spirits, maybe energized by Redeker's urging for advocates to remain in touch with him and stay on the DOT to continue making more people- and earth-friendly decisions about our state's infrastructure.

Again, as with last year's fundraiser, very few people rode. Though there was rain last time, the weather was ideal for riding last night: clear and crisp.

One can only speculate the reasons for this-- no time after work? Fair enough. Afraid of riding at night? Be more visible. Uneasy with riding in an area that is not exactly bicycle friendly? Good point. Too far? There were plenty of folk in attendance who live within ten miles.

If bicycle and pedestrian advocates are not willing to ride to their own events, what hope is there for getting others on board?

*I suspect that much of the Busway hate is mainly not because it involves a bus instead of a train, but because of the deep fear off all things urban. What would happen when Hard Hittin' and Hartford are linked up more easily? There goes the neighborhood!

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Eat Bike Walk

 Blood sausage will probably not be served at the BikeWalkCT annual dinner, but you can always bring your own.

Like to eat? Like to advocate about your feet? Tomorrow evening has both those things happening at the same time in the same place.

See:

CT DOT Commissioner James Redeker to Keynote Bike Walk Connecticut Annual Dinner Event, TUESDAY, December 13.

“I can’t give a complete answer that question because I have to save my fire power for delivery at Bike Walk CT’s Annual Dinner next week,” said the Commissioner at the recent CT League of Conservation Voters Environmental Summit in response to an audience question about CTDOT’s commitment to bicycle and pedestrian transportation.  This annual event that includes a dinner, awards, and a silent auction is taking place at Central CT State University, Memorial Hall, Constitution Room.  Members of the media are invited to attend the speaking program that gets underway at 7:45 and concludes by 8:30 pm.  For more info, please contact Georgette Yaindl at 808-224-0219.  Ride On.

More info if you want to enjoy yourself not as a member of the press? See bikewalkct.org
.

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Chill

My torts professors, Prof. Chill, had advice for exams, which I have next week. Actually, it's Sunday, so now it's this week. His advice was to get lots of sleep and exercise. I though that was excellent advice and adhered to it closely this weekend.

On Friday, I took the quasi-singlespeed thing out into the woods. At present, it's a fixed/free rear end with one brake. The free is 32:16, to get to the trail slowly, and the fixed is 32:19, as to ride awkwardly and slowly through the woods. Upon arrival in the woods, I ran into Jeff of Central Wheel and another guy I've run into in the past with Jeff whose name I don't know. They rode away when I stopped to change gears, whereupon I realized that I had left my wrench in the basement (very zen). So, I decided to ride my over geared, single braked thing into the woods, which is where I broke my chain on the first climb. I had thought maybe this chain wasn't the best choice, since it had frozen solid with rust since the last time I rode this bike last winter. However, I'd spent considerable time, degreaser, WD-40 and chain lube trying to make it work again. And, when it snapped it was looking quite clean and moved freely. So, I walked back to the bike shop, borrowed a wrench and put the new chain on. Undeterred, I rode around in the woods for awhile overgeared and without my full stopping capabilities. It was fun.

During the race, I wasn't sure what that guy in the blue jersey was doing either.

On Saturday, the Silk City Cyclocross salvage edition happened. It was great. It was extra great that after the Halloween snowoctoberolopyse canceled it, the Expo Wheelpersons still put it on. The course was difficult, weird and very economical in its use of space. I can't recommend it highly enough for next year. Lots of off camber stuff, which just makes any race great. I even took some pictures of the 1's. See! Also, for finishing fifth, I get to take three people to a hockey game in Hartford with me. Excellent quid pro quo. That's a lawyer term about eating squid.

This means that I'm assured all F's and I'll have even more time to ride my bike in the Spring. Read more!

Hike a Bike - I fell in a creek.

Dario and I headed north along the riverfront trails, when we could find the trails underneath all the felled trees.  Lots of opportunities for trying to roll over trees, and some interesting tree piles.  Dario was a witness to lots of entertaining tip overs and tangles, the most humorous being a dip in the creek by Loomis-Chafee.  More time off bike than on and we did our part to clear some segments.  Recommend a group ride with saws to do a bunch more clearing.

Found some excellent graffiti along the train tracks under I-91.

After the hike-a-bike we grabbed some coffee at Jo-Jo's and then I scooted over to Food Not Bombs to help cook.  Another full day.  Glad I'm moving to downtown Hartford.

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