Holidays....Biking and some Tree Cutting.

Well, It's the holiday season.  What does that mean for you?  For me it's meant everything from some cold weather biking at night, hiking on sunny days to find a Christmas tree, and a few bicycle advocacy meetings (Sutro Street this time around).  Other than that....life has been low key.  Hope your holidays are treating you well!

Some street somewhere....biking....not warm!

Yep...we cut down a Christmas tree and we're two miles from the truck!

A decent crowd last week at the Sutro Street Bike meeting.

Post-Turkey Day Biking Adventure.

What can I say....we were fat and happy and full of turkey.  Just the thing to spawn a mini in town bikey adventure.

Since we now live over by Hidden Valley, my adventure started with a pleasant 6ish miles up the river path!  Pleasant if you have good bike lights that is!  It also gave me the chance to ride the newly improved 4th street with some great lighting of its own and very plush bike lanes.

The ride ended up bringing us to the Reno Home Brewer, right next door to an old favorite building (the previous home of the Reno Bike Project).  There, warming commenced with a couple of pints of beer at a discounted rate for those who arrived by bike!

Bicycles are welcomed right inside!

Although, since the new customized bike racks have arrived and should be installed on the beautiful sidewalks outside the front door....you might not need to park inside!

So while perhaps not much of an adventure overall, it did give us a reason for riding, beers with good friends, and another blog entry for the books!  So get out and find your reason to ride over the holiday season!

People for Bikes!

Last night there was a second talk organized by TMBA and People for Bikes.  It was out at a new(er) Giant bike shop in Sparks that I hadn't been to before (out on Disc Dr. if your interested in a visit).  The previous talk was hosted at Patagonia and was a packed house (~100 people)!  Our turn out last night was a little reduced (maybe 25 people) but it was a good time regardless.

If you're wondering what People for Bikes is and what they're trying to accomplish, the platform works a little something like this.

Step 1.  By whatever means necessary gather all types of cyclist in your community together (aka at Patagonia or Giant Bicycles).

Step 2.  Provide said people with free beer (Battle Born Beer in this case) and free food (Eclipse Pizza, yum).

Step 3.  After a round of community announcements / ride announcements / etc., give 3 or 4 short (5 minute limit) talks about biking and biking related topics in the region.  For last night it was an update on the Center Street Cycle Track, a review of Lime Bikes (from Lime bike staff), and a talk on a new bicycle based business that happens to be a custom bakery that delivers by bike!  Each talk get's an additional 5 minutes of Q&A.

Step 4.  More beer and social discussion / make a new bikey friend.

All in all it was a fun gathering and I'm encouraged that it will be taking place 3 times a year here in Reno thanks to John McCann of TMBA.  So keep your eye out for the next one in the spring of 2019.

Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway Closure

So....somehow I've never ridden the new(er) sections of the Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway and I decided to have a go of it this weekend.  I even did a little homework to make sure I remember where Quilici Ranch Rd and Crystal Peak Park were.  No problems there.  However, once we charged into the Sunday morning headwind and approached the beginning of the actual trail / fire road we were greeted with this.

Not a big deal....trail closures are a part of life.  However, you have to ride about 2 miles out just to find out the trail is closed!  No sign in Crystal Peak Park or the extra parking area where the trail starts from.  That's just irresponsible road closure!  It's the only non-paved route from Reno to Truckee....which in my mind makes it the bicycle equivalent of I-80.  Imagine if we closed I-80 with no warning or appropriately located signage (not to mention realistic detours) and how people would react!

So, since it was Sunday and no one was working I did something that I don't recommend.  I rode it anyway.  It was great and I enjoyed exploring.  However, they are doing real work to the flume and they are using large haul trucks (40 ton) that would squish a cyclist like jelly.  So don't repeat my ride until the closure is over.  And yes, I know by not honoring the sign I run the risk of making cyclists look bad....but I'm also tired of being treated like a 2nd class citizen with respect to construction projects.

Also, I don't hate this project because while it's tearing up the road/trail right now, I'm hopeful that TMWA will make the trail that much better after the project wraps up!  A few pics to show that it's still a nice ride construction or not!

Reasons that Fall is the Best Season for Cycling!

Here's six reasons (stolen from bicycling.com) that make fall riding great!

#1  Riding thought the leaf fall!

#2  Finally getting to pull the warm riding gear out of the closet!

#3  Not being a sweaty mess when you finish a ride!

#4  It's Cyclocross Season!

#5  Biking around Apple hill for cider, beer, and fall festivities!

#6  Pumpkin / Oktoberfest Beer!

For the Love of God...Ride your Bike to Drink Beer!

Folks....this is just terrifying!  Climate change is now threatening our beer supply.  The only clear solution is to ride bikes....to drink beer.  Save the planet one pedaled to pint at a time!

**Clearly....it's a slow bicycle news day.  Sometimes you have to find something to post!**

New Bike share in Reno!

It might be a limited offering for people who live (or work?) out of a certain building, but offering more transportation options that aren't single passenger vehicles is always a great idea!

Click the image for a video link

From KTVN News:  A new bike share service is in town, but the bikes are not lime green and only about 200 residents can use them. It's called Zagster.
Zagster officially launched in Reno, Tuesday. It's in partnership with Basin Street Properties, who wanted to offer the service specifically to its business tenants. They're starting out with six bikes, but could grow to more.
Similar to Limebike, you have to download the app to use it, or you can rent by texting.  However, the general public isn't allowed to ride them.
Users also have to return the bikes to the single docking location on West Liberty Street. Employees get the first four hours of riding for free, then pay two bucks an hour after that.
Basin Street Properties implemented this service to promote a healthy lifestyle for their tenants. Judy Villagomez, Senior Property Manager says, "It's all about sustainability, you know keeping the environment clean, keeping people in shape, getting outside and enjoying the weather we have here."
The pilot program is expected to last at least six months, then they'll evaluate the service. If it's been successful enough, Basin Street Properties could expand Zagster to their other two properties in town.
Villagomez says Zagster did get their business license approved with the City of Reno. We reached out to Zagster but never heard back. A representative with the City of Reno says the company is playing by the rules.
If you'd like to learn more about the service, click here.