October 2007

MS150
By the end of the second week of MS150 2008 registration is 100% full. The Urban Bicycle Gallery Team has 80+ riders, that pretty much caps our team.We hope that if you planned on riding the MS150 that you got in. If you didn’t get registered for the Houston to Austin MS don’t forget they have the Frisco to Fort Worth in May and The San Antonio to Corpus in October.

If you didn’t get registered for the MS and would like to be involved we would love to have more volunteers.  Email Judy if you would like to help out. If you’d like to make a pledge to someone on the Urban Bicycle Gallery Team  go to: http://www.ms150.org/ms150/donate/

Hotter Than Hell
I know it was a while back but here’s my recap: We rode the Hotter Than Hell this year for the first time and we loved it. We had great weather and the organization of the ride is second to none. They really have it dialed in. The route is great, the support phenomenal and the volunteers are incredibly friendly. I was stunned when on several different occasions the police officers who directed traffic in the various intersections said thank you to the passing riders for showing up at the ride. Everybody was so nice. There was a really positive vibe to the whole thing.

Judy and I were joined by Devon, Darrel and Kevin. We all rode the hundred miles with little difficulty and we stayed together throughout the ride. It was as close to a perfect ride as they come. The only thing that disturbed me at all  was the tendency of many riders to discard their empty Gu bags on the ground. I guess they thought that it was ok to toss all that litter on the ground because: 1.) It is inconvenient to simply put the empty wrapper back into your jersey pocket until you stop at the next rest area where there are numerous garbage cans or 2.) With all that support, someone is bound to walk the entire 100 miles picking up each little piece of trash after the ride ends or 3.) It is only a tiny little Gu packet (times 10,000).

I don’t like to be preachy, God knows I do a lot of stupid stuff myself, but all that litter on the side of the road for miles and miles really looked bad. Imagine how the residents of these little towns feel when thousands of cyclists invade their little quiet communities. Let's show them the respect we would like to receive from the cars passing us. RIDE FRIENDLY AND DON”T MESS WITH TEXAS.

Fox Clothing
We now stock Fox brand clothing, helmets and hydration bags. They have the coolest baggy shorts and one of the best-looking mountain bike helmets available. Fox jerseys are very stylish also. You should see Dime Bag Darrel in his full Fox ensemble. His wife can hardly
keep her hands off him he looks so cool. Come check this stuff out.

SAVE THE DATES

GPS Class
One of our regular riders is going to give a presentation on how to use the Garmin GPS. If you are interested please email tom@urbanbicyclegallery. The presentation will be held on November 5th at 6:30 PM and will take around 45 minutes to one hour. There is no charge for this class.

Moonlight Ramble
http://www.texasoutside.com/houston/bikeRides.htm
The Moonlight Ramble is a unique event where several thousand cyclists ride about twenty miles through Houston, some dressed in costumes, many riding unusual bikes. It is like a twenty-mile bike parade. It starts at 2am October 28th which is a full moon night.

We always get together at the store at 1am to get ready for the Moonlight Ramble and this year is no exception. Unfortunately Houston’s crime rate is on the rise and I feel a little uncomfortable telling people to park their car in our parking lot till 4am, however I am of the opinion that there is no safe place to park at that hour so I leave it up to you. I personally will ride to the store from my house and then ride downtown via Allen Parkway into downtown. If you want to meet at the store you could also park in the lot that is south of Mardi Gras Grill on Durham-it is more brightly lit than our parking lot. You can always park downtown near the George R. Brown starting line and just look for us at the start.

Halloween Night Ride
Our regular Wednesday Night ride on Oct.31 is on Halloween. I thought it would be cool to dress in a costume for that ride. Imagine a group of 10 or 20 riders on road bikes hauling ass around the city dressed like ghosts and vampires on Halloween night. We will post photos on our web site. Be a part of the spectacle. Be here in costume Wednesday at 6:30PM for the regular 20-mile ride. Bring your lights, it will be dark and scary.

2007 NovemberFest Metric Century
Saturday - November 10, 2007
http://www.novemberfestmetriccentury.org/
Foundation for the Retarded invites you to participate in the NovemberFest Metric Century on Saturday, November 10, 2007. Routes include 10, 27, 44, and 62 mile rides near scenic Stephen F. Austin State Park and the pastoral surrounding countryside. This fun-filled, pedal-pounding event is held in conjunction with NovemberFest 2007, a day of food, live music, live and silent auctions, a parade, and entertainment for the whole family.

One hundred percent of the entry fees from the NovemberFest Metric Century will be dedicated to the programs and services at The Center, serving persons with mental retardation.

Urban Bicycle Gallery will have a packet pick-up on Friday November 9th from 11am-6pm.

Durham Street Jingle Bell Bike Ride
Mark you calendars and watch our website for details on the 5th Annual Jingle Bell Bike Ride to look at Christmas lights on December 16th. We will have early registration this year; the ride is limited to 200 riders. One hundred percent of the entry fees from the Durham Street Jingle Bell Bike Ride will be dedicated to the programs and services at The Center, serving persons with mental retardation.

Mountain Bike Action
I rode Ho Chi Mihn for the first time in months yesterday and I have some observations. The trail had been closed most of the year due to the persistent rain. It really did some damage exposing roots all over the trail and causing one of the most fun sections to remain closed. It is ride able but it is now extremely technical in some sections. I would say that if it once rated a 6 on a scale of 1-10 in terms of difficulty, it now rates an 8. Imagine riding across the rungs of a ladder laid out on the ground in front of you. It is full suspension territory. If you have ever questioned the value of full suspension, one lap on a hard tail at Ho Chi Mihn will remove any doubt that it is the way to go. If you are inexperienced to mountain biking and/or riding a cheap hard-tail I have four words for you- Huntsville or Double Lake. Forget Ho Chi Mihn- it will only leave you frustrated and damaged. However for experienced full suspension riders, it is a lot of fun. There are new challenges and it is fun to pick a ride able line among all those roots. Twenty Nine-inch wheel bikes are well adapted to this kind of riding also because the larger diameter wheel rolls over the roots easier.

Vancas went to the Lake Houston trails that Ghorba has been building and came back with the following report. There is a lot of trail out there. I didn’t get to ride all of it, but we rode 14 miles. Much of it is double track but there is some interesting single track also. It is a really tricky trail. It is easy to get lost. Trails crisscross everywhere many of them are boar trails so you not want to follow those- they lead nowhere. Stay on the marked trails. There is a loop that is about 4 miles long. That part is fast and fun. It has a little elevation, some sand, and it runs along Peach Creek. It is a good trail for beginners.

Ghorba is still working on it so count on it to get more fun and interesting in the future. To get there take 59 north, take the New Caney exit and follow the brown park signs to Lake Houston Park.