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Monthly Archives: May 2008

Bike to Work Week Begins

12 May

The weather was a bit chilly for the opening morning of Bike to Work Week, but this appeared not to be too discouraging, as many riders were out today in honor of this great event.

Jeff P arrives with Shelly Aldean
Jeff P arrives with Shelly Aldean

Jeff and Amy Potter rode out to City Supervisor Shelly Aldean’s house, and picked her up on a tandem mountain bike. The three rode from North Carson City to Lumos and Associates, where News Carson City and many more riders were waiting to greet them.

Jeff P with NewsCarsonCity
Jeff P with NewsCarsonCity.com

Right before the interview started, two cars sped down College Parkway. The following car had his horn full on, and was obviously in pursuit, following just a couple feet off the leading car’s bumper. I guess the Drive your Car to Work Week folks aren’t having nearly as much fun! We were informed later by News Carson City’s Dave Morgan that the road rager in the SUV was pulled over by the police! A fitting end to that event.

Heading up Long Street
Heading up Long Street

After the brief interview, a few of us rode with Jeff P and Shelly Aldean, escorting them on their way to her office. We took the freeway bike path to Long Street, South on Saliman, and then West on 5th Street. The route was quite pleasant, with light, slow traffic. A great way to kick off Bike to Work Week!

 
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Posted by on May 12, 2008 in bicycling, bike to work week, events

 

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Bike to Work Week Starts This Monday

10 May

Bike to Work Week starts this Monday May,12.

To help bring attention to Bike to Work Week, Carson City Supervisor Shelly Aldean will hop on the back of my tandem and we’ll pedal together from her home on the north end of town, to her office on the west-side of Carson.
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On the way we’ll stop by Lumos and Associates to meet up with other bicycle riders.

Lumos and Associates is a Bike to Work Week sponsor. They are donating the grand prize for the Bike to Work Week raffle (a KHS Urban-X commuter bicycle purchased with a very sweet “bro deal” from Big Dan at Bicycle Authority.Thanks Dan!) to be held on Friday, May 16 at the Firkin & Fox.
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Lumos has a long history of community involvement. Here is little bit about this great company:

Lumos & Associates is a multi-disciplinary consulting firm, providing civil engineering, geotechnical engineering, planning, landscape architecture, environmental, traffic and transportation, surveying, GIS, materials testing, and construction administration services to clients throughout Northern Nevada and Northern California. Lumos is headquartered in Carson City, with additional offices in Reno, Fallon, South Lake Tahoe and Chico.

Lumos has a strong commitment to the environment and to the communities where their employees live and work. Recently, Lumos employees volunteered their time to design a pedestrian bridge over the Mexican Ditch in Carson City to complete an important trail link. Lumos supports Muscle Powered’s efforts to make Carson City a more walkable and bikeable community.

Thank You Lumos and Associates!

Anyone interested in joining us for our fun spin to Mrs. Aldean’s office can meet us this Monday, May 12 at Lumos and Associates, 800 East College Parkway at 8:10 a.m.

From Lumos our route will take us on the Carson City Freeway Multi-Use Path to East Long Street-Saliman Street-East Fifth Street and ending at West Fifth Street.

To receive a raffle ticket you only need to attend any or all of our Bike Month activities.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2008 in bicycling, bike to work week, events, news, Uncategorized

 

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Safety Inspection/Bike Fit/Flat Tire Fix @ The Bike Smith + Movie Night @ Comma Coffee

08 May

the bike smith

To help kick off Bike to Work Week the boys at The Bike Smith are donating their time and labor to the citizens of Carson City.

On Saturday, May 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m, their annual Safety Inspection, Bike Fit and Flat Tire Fix will be held in front of the shop at 900 North Carson Street.

Your bike will receive a safety inspection and if any minor repairs are needed, they will do it for you. You will have to purchase the necessary parts if required, but all the labor is free.

Bike fit will also be checked. The single most important and often overlooked area of cycling is proper bike fit; this can make all the difference between an uncomfortable ride or an enjoyable commute.

There will also be a demonstration on how to fix a flat tire. A very easy skill once learned, though maybe a little hard to grasp until enough experience and confidence is gained to change a flat without assistance.

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“Bike Smith Mickey” fearlessly launched his Pugsley (above) off of “The Rock” (below).
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And that’s not all.

MOVIE NIGHT @ COMMA COFFEE

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Once again June at Comma Coffee is helping us make Bike Month a whole lot better. On Saturday evening, May 10 at 6:00, Comma Coffee will host Movie Night, sponsored by Muscle Powered.
This year the feature will be “Off Road to Athens”, a documentary that follows the top U.S. pro mountain bikers as they chase points to get on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.

Anyone who followed this race, via Velo News, may remember the eventual arbitration hearing that took place……….????

June recently switched coffee vendors and Comma Coffee now serves coffee from one of my favorite roasters, Alpen Sierra Coffee Roasting Company, based in
South Lake Tahoe.

Comma Coffee is also one four Commuter Stations on Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 16. From the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. bicycle commuters will be able to pick up a free cup of coffee and a Carson City Bicycle Route map.

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2008 in bicycling, bike to work week, events

 

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Commuters Forum

07 May

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On Friday evening May 9, Denis Coyne, owner of Bike Habitat in south Carson City, is hosting a Commuters Forum in his shop at 911 Topsy Lane #238 (next to Best Buy).

Refreshments will be served from 6:00-6:30 p.m., with the forum commencing at 6:30. This will be a terrific opportunity for people who are considering commuting by bicycle, or already do so, and would like more information.

You’ll be able to mingle and check out a few different commuter bikes brought in by our experienced panel members. Our panel will talk about their commuting experiences and will answer audience questions. We look forward to seeing you there.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2008 in bicycling, bike to work week, events, news, Uncategorized

 

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Roadside Repair Clinic

06 May

Bike Habitat
Giant Tran Send

Flat tire, broken chain, a rim so out of alignment it rubs the brake pad. As those of you who have been cycling for a while know, it’s not if it will happen, it’s when.

All bicycle commuters should know a few basic repair skills to get their bicycle home (or to their local bike shop) in the event of a mechanical breakdown.

Those interested in learning a few of these necessary skills are in luck as free ‘Roadside Repair Clinic’ will be held at BIke Habitat this Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Please call ahead to reserve a spot. 775-267-5053

 
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Posted by on May 6, 2008 in Uncategorized

 

Corporate Challenge

05 May

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This year we’re going to try and centralize city-wide participation for the Bike To Work Week Corporate Challenge.
There are four categories for the Corporate Challenge: Carson City School District, government (city,state & fed), private and individual.

What you need to do:

Tell us how many employees you have.
Tell us how many are participating.
Appoint an employee to gather the information and send it to us daily (how many employees rode their bicycle to work & how many cumulative miles).

I will upload the information as I receive it. Check the daily results to keep track of the competition.

What will you win? Bragging rights, and a trophy that you will keep for one year.

To sign up use our comments area below.

http://musclepowered.wordpress.com/corporate-challenge/

 
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Posted by on May 5, 2008 in Uncategorized

 

Do I Have Time to Commute by Bike?

04 May

Bicycle Commuting Series – Chapter 2

Do I Have Time to Commute by Bike?

You may be wondering if you have enough time to commute to work by bicycle.

If your commute just takes you across town, you may not save much time at all by driving. A car will always be faster on long straightaways, but for stop and go traffic, bicycles can keep up, or even be a faster transportation method. Stop signs, traffic lights, speed bumps, turns, school zones, parking lots…cars always get backed up in these situations, and this is where the bicycle makes up for lost time.

Foggy Commute

Cars and bicycles can be fairly close in elapsed time from door to door, but this is only part of the time equation. Once you’re at work, how many hours do you have to put in to pay for your car?  Expenses like rising fuel costs, car payments, extended warranties, car insurance, registration, taxes, servicing, parts, and possibly even collision repair. It takes hours, if not days to earn enough money to pay for all this stuff!

What about exercise? Everyone is looking to get a little exercise, but it can be hard to find the time when you’re driving everywhere trying to “save time”. You could join a gym, but then that’s just more time you’ll have to spend at work paying for the membership! Using a bicycle to get to work combines two activities. Why not get your exercise while doing something you have to do anyhow?

So as you can see, the question now becomes, “Do I have time to commute by car?“. Think of how much time you could save by riding a bicycle to work, and what you could do with that extra time. Who knows? You may find that you really enjoy riding your bike, and may want to use your newly found time to take the long way to work.

Did you miss Bicycle Commuting Series – Chapter 1? Jump to: What to Wear for Your Bicycle Commute

For more articles on Bike to Work Week, click HERE.

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2008 in bicycling, bike to work week

 

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Flat Tire Repair Clinic

02 May

The flat tire repair clinic held last night at Bike Habitat was a big hit. Denis gave expert instruction on how to remove the rear wheel, how to scan the tire to find the culprit of the flat, and how to replace the wheel on the bike.
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Tasha and her husband Jason rode their very cool BMX bikes to the clinic, and along the way she picked up a goathead in her tire. This made for a perfect opportunity to learn a new skill, and she proved to be a quick study by rapidly changing the flat.

Kristy, who surprisingly has never changed a flat before, was very confident with her new ability when the evening was over.

Jodi, who mostly rides her road bike, did a great job changing the tire on a mountain bike wheel.

Jared ripped right through his flat tire fix. Good job Jared! I think he will now have a new chore to do at home… repairing his Dad’s flat tires.
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Even the riders’ in attendance who have extensive cycling experience
(or over-inflated egos) learned some new tricks.

Thanks Denis, for kicking off Bike Month, and for teaching a very informative clinic.
Clinic for next Thursday: Roadside Bicycle Repair.

For more articles on Bike to Work Week, click HERE.

 
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Posted by on May 2, 2008 in bicycling, bike to work week, events, news, Uncategorized

 

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