Kansas Cyclist - Kansas Bicycle Guide and Reference

Bicycling-related news from here and there around the heartland:

Kansas:

• Salina bicyclist Giang Ta of Salina, Kansas was hit by a car and injured on May 2nd. The motorist was ticketed for inattentive driving.
• The El Dorodo Times has coverage of last weekend’s Great Escape Bike Ride.
• Micah learned that Hills make you strong, wind makes you mean, and gravel makes you patient.
• An editorial in the Topeka Capital-Journal asks drivers to watch out for bicycles.

Arkansas:

• The National Trails Symposium is coming to Little Rock in November, and organizers are looking for volunteers to help make the event a success for the state.

Colorado:

• A motorist-cyclist conflict in Woody Creek, Colorado leads to a disorderly conduct charge for the cyclist, and an unsafe passing citation for the motorist.
• Allen Overton suffers from multiple sclerosis, but that doesn’t stop him. He’s riding his recumbent three-wheeled hand cycle from Longmont, Colorado to Illinois, planning to cycle 100 miles every day. “If you have MS, it doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy,” he said.
• Bicycling is dangerous in Greeley, Colorado, “home to hundreds, if not thousands, of the 8-mile-per-gallon behemoths we call Chevy Suburbans or Ford F-350s. Biking in Greeley is dangerous because nearly no one — outside of basic transportation necessity — does it.”
• Tim Blumenthal hopes to showcase bicycling at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August.
• The death of Denver cyclist Shahram Moghadamnia, who was killed on April 19th, is leading to calls for improvements to West 32nd in Denver, a popular route for cyclists heading to Lookout Mountain and other rides in the Golden area.
• TransAmerica cyclists helping Ordway, Colorado “Trail Angel” Gillian Hoggard after her home was destroyed by a wildfire in April.

Iowa:

• A group Iowa cyclists is raising money for clean water in their Waters of Hope tour around the state.
• The Des Moines Register features a profile of bike shop owner Kyle Robinson of Kyle’s Bikes in Ankeny, Iowa.

Missouri:

• Bikes, Buses and Feet - How to Make Alternatives to the Car Work for Kansas City from CampKC.
• Columbia, Missouri cyclist Judy Knudson travels to New York to ride as a marshal in the Five Boro Bike Tour. Knudson is one of the founders of Bike, Walk and Wheel Week in Columbia.
• In Columbia, Missouri, GetAboutColumbia gives away 100 free bicycles at the 7th annual Cycle Recycle.

Nebraska:

• 22-year-old Bryan Backhaus, co-owner of Bike Pedalers in Lincoln, died suddenly after experiencing flu-like symptoms. Bryan’s mysterious death leaves behind a grieving family and many unanswered questions. Friends from the shop are putting together a Ride for Bryan.
• Newly bicycle-friendly Omaha, Nebraska is adding bike racks to Metro Area Transit buses.

Oklahoma:

• John Paul Miller, the caretaker at Ron Stephens Stadium in Lawton, Oklahoma, rebuilds bicycles in his spare time, and has given away hundreds of them, mostly to children.

• Chris from Olathe is ticked off because his son was hit by a car while riding his bike to school, and the driver took off (the boy’s OK, thankfully).
• Greg French, a rider for the SKC Racing Team, was hit by a pickup while on a team training ride.
• Steve Tilford is sticking to the sheets.
• Eric Rogers is enjoying his new Dahon folding bike.
• About 80 college students built hiking and biking trails at Melvern Lake as part of a new “Kansas Corps” program that uses student volunteers to serve the state of Kansas.
• Sockrider from Lincoln, Nebraska wants drivers to stop talking on cell phones and pay attention!
• “Trail Angel” Gillian Hoggard’s home was destroyed by fire in Ordway, Colorado. Gillian opened her home for touring bicyclists on the TransAmerica Bicycle Route, and was honored with a Trail Angel award in 2006.
• Tom Ezell from Arkansas discusses why he wears a helmet.
• Voters in Maryville, Missouri approved a bond for developing a network of trails.
• Kansas City, Missouri is running a contest to name the new citywide trail system and design a logo.
• One child killed, another injured in St. Louis, Missouri after the two children were hit by an SUV and then thrown into the path of a metro bus. More from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MyFox St. Louis.
• In Norman, Oklahoma, students from the University of Oklahoma parked their bikes in metered parking spots for a full day in an effort to raise awareness of bicycles as a viable form of transportation.

It’s Spring in the Midwest, which means rain and mud. Even if you’re not mountain biking on wet trails (which should be avoided due to the trail damage it can cause), you’re liable to encounter mud on your routes due to runoff, flooding, muddy shoulders, or simply from taking a break alongside the road.

In Arkansas and southeastern Missouri, they’ve been hit particularly hard with rain and flooding this year. An article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette discusses dealing with mud:

• “You can fall … like about 14 people who have called and told us,” Richard Machycek, owner of Arkansas Cycling & Fitness, said last week. “That stuff is slippery-er than greased moose poop.”

• Mud interferes with stability, with braking, with shifting gears, and in the long run, it encourages rust. If you can’t brake efficiently, it would be smart to stop and clear your brakes. This river gunk doesn’t fly off by itself after your wheels hit dry pavement.

• Survive your ride and then clean that bicycle right away, Machycek said. “You’re really best off, if you can, to get mud off while the bike is still wet. When mud is wet, it’s most easy to take off and less likely to harm your paint. There’s little rocks in it that can scratch your paint.”

• Once mud dries, you’ll probably need to brush or scrub. “You can use an old toothbrush,” he said. Bike shops also sell brush kits with soft and hard bristles for working on different parts of the bike.

• If your brakes squeak after you’ve cleaned them, try wiping them with sandpaper.

• The mud must go; leaving it in place leads to rust. A chain will rust overnight. Chains aren’t instantly worthless the minute rust appears. You can oil a lightly rusted chain and get more service from it. But the chain won’t last nearly so long as a solid one would. Rust also grinds down gear teeth.

• Frames made of steel suffer more than bikes made of noncorroding materials like aluminum or carbon fiber, but plenty of rust-proof bike frames are outfitted with attachments that will rust. Rain washes lubricant off, and lube protects the moving parts from wear and tear.

Hopefully you’re not seeing flood-born “river gunk” where you’re riding, but you’ll still need to be careful riding in the rain. Slick streets and slimy dirt can bring you down just as quickly, and cause just as much damage to your bicycle’s frame and components.

Be careful out there.