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Bicycle Trails, Bike Stories, Cycling Articles, Bike Blog - Archive 1


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About Bicycles > Bike Trail Articles > Bike Trail Blog I

Bike Trails, Bike Stories and Articles - Archive 1
5/20/2003 - 2/28/2004

This page is dedicated to bike trail information, cycling articles and casual bike stories, comments and articles...

2/28/2004 - First Ride! Riding season starts...

Spring is in the air! Yep, it's getting much nicer out (here in Chicagoland) and today was one of those first beautiful spring days... (a little cool and wet, but still really nice).

Well, I had a break in the action today, and dug out the orange bat (my bike). I remembered that my bike was just about shot and figured I would need to replace it this year, but I forgot what was wrong with it until I dug it out and started riding... Well, the biggest problem is that the front derailer broke off (due to a bent pedal assembly)... I really don't think that it is worth fixing this time (I know... I've only gotten about 25 or 30 years out of the bike, but... :-) ) So basically, I now have a 5 speed (it may actually just be four, I'll have to check)...

Anyway, I did my maiden ride for the season today (11.2 miles) and it really felt great! (even on a 4 or 5 speed)...

11/15/2003 - Probably the End of the Bike Season...

I guess I've just about hung up the old bike pedals for the season. I am just not real inspired to get out in the colder weather and ride... besides, I've got a new record to beat for next year already. I'm back to the walkin/runnin routine again (just walkin so far).

10/26/2003 - End of the season FREE Ride!

Well, the time change (back to daylight wasting time) usually marks about the end of my bike riding season and since I am starting work again tomorrow (for 3 months anyway), I had to get in at least one last ride as a FREE man! I also just wanted to click past the 1300 mile mark, since I was so close... My front Derailer just broke on my last ride so that may be about it for the old Orange Bat... I believe that I may be raplacing the Bat for next season...

I may still do a few more late season miles if the we get another great indian summer day (on a weekend) or if I get inspired or something, but that is probably just about it for this year... It's been a great season!

7/25/2003 - Bike Horns vs Bike Bells

OK, this is just a follow-up to the bell article below. Some people actually prefer a horn... Personally, I am still looking for some small bike size electrical device that plays short tunes for a warning :-)


Article Contributed by: Dale Kiffel

Well after my usual ride this morning, I finally bought an ooga horn.  I was on the path in the park and an adult with 2 kids saw me but didn't move the kids, and I had to go off path.  I kept making noises but noone seemed to hear.  The kid was swinging his back pack and almost hit me.  I tried to grab it just to wake him up but missed...

So I went to Target and bought an ooga horn.  The deluxe model with the wrap in the bell that makes it look like a bugle or a french horn. $4.99.  The other cheaper kids model was $2.99.   

After using it for awhile, it has been working great.  I honk it about a 1/2 a block away and there's plenty of time for people to react.  Even little kids hear it and instinctively turn around and get out of the way. People stop with their dogs, turn around, grab the leash tighter and stand off to the side.  Some people actually appreciate the warning rather than sneaking up and scaring them.  In a populated area where there's tons of walkers with kids, it has been great.  As someone told me recently, loud pipes on a Harley equals safety.  Maybe a loud horn equals safety also, as long as you're not too much of a jerk.  

Actually the "incredibel" or one like it might be better, since it is lighter and less wind resistant, but I have not had the opportunity to test it out.

6/30/2003 - Vernon Hills Bike Paths

I have just recently found some nice bike paths in the Vernon Hills area (Illinois). Unfortunately, I did not bring my camcorder (for the still pics) when I took the bike path tour (with a friend of mine as the guide) and I don't have any real specific bike path, intersection and park names, etc. I am planning on doing an update before the season is over though.

Here's what I can tell you... There are some really nice bike paths in this area, if you know where to go and how to get around... Very wooded and scenic. We did about 12 miles, but this included a lot of legs off of the main trails.

The bike path that we were on borders the Vernon Hills golf course and also goes right to the Vernon Hills train station. there is a little underpass that connects to the Sullivan Woods bicycle path (which is right around the Sugar Creek subdivision).

If you go to the metra train station in Vernon hills, as a starting point, you will have a couple of options... Go through the underpass and do the Sullivan Woods bike path or cross the highway (60 or 45?) and go up to the Deerpath Park path and area. Both are very nice.

I really must get better info to explain this... Like I said I'll try for the pictures and better directions on my next update...

6/10/2003 - Mile 419 (for 2003) Major Repairs...

I just did a little 15 mile trip yesterday and had a major breakdown at about mile 14! Wow, was I lucky that I was almost back home... One of the major bolts on my crank shaft assembly broke! The whole pedal assembly was just wobbling back and forth... It was partially rideable but the chain kept coming off and after a while it just wasn't worth it anymore.

I did discover though that if your tires and wheels are still OK, you can glide along or use the bike as a scooter! It is actually quite a bit faster than walking and is great down hills, of course. The only problem with this is the leg that you use to stand on the pedal with can get pretty tired after a while (it's a good thing I was about a mile from home when this happened).

OK, now it came to the point where I was wondering if it was worth it to repair this old antique (10 speed) bike or just go out and get a new one. As for myself, I have already pretty much decided that a hybrid bicycle would be my next purchase. I do more distance than off the road riding, but I will occasionally go off the road on to some pretty rough trails one in a while. I like the mid sized tires and comfortable ride.

Anyway, I shopped around a little (online and off) and have found the kind of bike that I would select and the features that I like, but finances are a little bit tight right now, so I decided to hold off a little (maybe I can get a great end of the season deal...). The hybid bikes that I liked the best (with the 700 mm tires, front and rear anti shock suspension, etc) were $250 to $300 and the parts to fix my crankshaft assembly were $6.00... I choose the $6.00 option for now and am pushing ol faithful (my batavus bike) a little longer...

5/20/2003 - To Bell or Not to Bell...

OK, I'm going to kick this off with a little note (just my own opinions, observations and preferences) on bicycle bells. This is mostly bike trail related, although it really applies to biking in general.

I bought daughter a bike bell last year and picked one up for myself while I was at it. As you probably know, most (but not all) bicycle bells are really pretty cheap (you can find a good selection online and cheap)... Anyway, I got the bell mostly because on bike trails you are often passing people and, when coming up from behind, it is usually a good idea to let the people that you are passing know that you are there.

When passing people on a trail (or where ever...), you have a couple of options... If the trail is wide enough, and it is an individual person (walking for example) there is usually no problem... just ride on by. If you have two or more people walking side by side and possible taking up much of the trail, you need to let then know that you are coming, which usually means a vocal warning (i.e. yelling out "on your left"... or "excuse me"... or "get off the *$#@!"... :-) or whatever your favorite notification is...), using a bell or in some cases just trying to make a little noise so you are noticed (stop pedaling for the clicking noise, switch gears, etc.)

Anyway, I'm kind of a quite person myself and just prefer a friendly ding on the bell. This can actually be a little bit of a skill to develop... kind of like honking a car horn (you can lay on the horn for a few seconds to make an irritated sounding honk or just tap out a friendly beep beep sound)... anyway, with the bicycle bell you can do a little ch-ching back aways or wait until you are a few feet behind them and lay on a bunch of chachings... (OK, I know that I am rambling on about this... but I wanted to make the point and there will be some of you out there that know what I mean :-) ). I always prefer the friendly way, but you need to be sure that you are heard... which is actually the trick... being heard and not scaring the @# out of the people that you are passing.

Bicycle Bells for Safety

OK, enough on the art of bicycle bell ringing, the other important point that I really wanted to make is that a simple bicycle bell can really be a good bicycle safety device.

The big advantage here with bike bells (for kids and adults) is that you can use them when you are approaching a blind corner or speeding down a steep hill. I do this very often. It is just common sense to let people know that you are coming. Yes, if you are on a low traffic trail, 99% of the time no one will be there anyway... BUT... it's that 1% (just like seat belts in a car). It just takes that one time, and if you avoid a problem or accident... well there you have it...

If you are a parent, don't forget to mention using your bike bell while going around tight corners, or down steel hills, to you kids.

It's pretty easy to do a few rings on the bike bell speeding down a hill, whereas most people would probably feel pretty stupid trying to yell out a notification (although, I'm sure that some people may really like yelling "yip, yip, yippie!", "kowabunga" or something like that in that situation.

OK, I guess that I have made my point and kicked off this page... As you can see this is intended to be a casual (but possibly informational and helpful) forum.

Thanks for dropping by... stop by again...

 



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