LA Bikes charter meeting: Wednesday June 6, 6pm

Bike to work day was great, but I'm going to pass the buck to Scott to blog about it. I'm holding a meeting on June 6 to create a group to represent county cyclists:

Hot on the heels of another successful Bike To Work Day, I am going to get in motion the Los Alamos County Cyclists Coalition. This group will plan future Bike To Work Days, and represent cyclists to county government and businesses. Think bike to work day, bike racks at the hospital and other businesses, more bike lanes, good access to trailheads, safe routes to school, stuff like that.

Please read the announcement for more details.

Bike to Work Day 2007 - May 18th

Bumped to the top for timeliness

Friday May 18th is National Bike to Work Day.

A number of Los Alamos businesses and organizations are supporting bike to work day and encourage employees to ride to work safely. We are working on arrangments for a bike-to-work reception hosted by Hot Rocks Java Cafe at the Los Alamos Research Park.

Experienced cyclists will be available at strategic locations to ride with less experienced cyclists to and from work (schedule and locations coming soon). We are looking for experienced cyclists to help with this.

If you would like to help with anything, please contact Carrie at cdittmer_at_vla.com

Further details will be available at http://tuffriders.losalamos.com/btwd.asp

Single-speed fixed gear

Looking for a way to liven up your commute? Are you a masochist? Do you have money burning a hole in your pocket? If you answered all these questions "yes", then a single speed fixed gear might be the bike for you!

A single-speed fixed gear (also known as a "fixie") is a bike with most of the useful parts taken off: no front or rear derailer, no freewheel or cassette on the back, only one chainring on the front, typically only a front brake (or no brakes at all if you're the sort who likes the inside of hospitals), no drop bars, etc. The key idea here is "minimal".



These are show bikes, in the "ooo look at the pretty bike" sense, but also the "check out how hard-core I am" sense. Not being able to coast or shift gears means you'll be really grinding up hills and pedalling like a maniac when you go back down. But without all the cables and
derailers it weighs a lot less, so it's not such a big deal.

I rode my fixie in to work today, and it was a lot more fun than I remembered. While it's possible to go fast on these, that's not really the point. The point is going in *style*. Unless you're a bike courier, and then the point is going fast in style. Other cyclists will almost certainly realize you're never coasting or changing cadence; the lack of a rear derailer and clean line of the chain is eye-catching too. Riding one requires enough new skills that it's almost like learning to ride all over again, and there are tricks you can do on a fixie that are impossible on any other bike, like downhill track stands, or the Sheldon Brown Fixed-Gear Dismount. If you're insane you can do all sorts of circus tricks on a fixie.

Interested? Check out Sheldon Brown's Fixed-Gear Page for more information!

Open House on Diamond Project May 23 at Fuller Lodge

Cyclists! A chance to weigh in on Phases II and III of the Diamond Drive Rehab Project:

The County will be hosting an Open House on Wednesday, May 23, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Pajarito Room at Fuller Lodge. County staff will be on hand to present the design drawings for Phase II and the design direction already provided by Council for Phase III of the project.

(As a reminder, Phase II is between 35th St and North Rd, and Phase III is between North Rd. and the Los Alamos Canyon Bridge.)

From the Diamond Project Website (linked in the sidebar on labikes.blogspot.com)

Please see the following link for a summary description of the project:

http://labikes.blogspot.com/2007/01/quick-description-of-diamond-drive.html

The Santa Fe Century

The Santa Fe Century is Sunday, May 20.

I encourage everyone to consider riding this century. There are 25, 50, 75, and 100 mile routes. Great food, water, and potty stops every 16-20 miles. Great sag support from the National Guard, and a fun time all around.

You can see more information here:

http://www.santafecentury.com/

Valles Caldera Mountain Bike Days

Thanks to contributor Greg for this info:

The Valles Caldera has just put up their dates for the Mt. Bike tours this summer.

Go to their reservations page to check the dates at www.vallescaldera.gov

Bicycling Street Smarts

Sometimes people will ask me for tips on riding safely. Of course I always advise taking a Road I course. But if you like reading, there's a ton of great information in the free online pamphlet Bicycling Street Smarts.