bike

May is Bike Month in Carson City, and that means more bike riders out and about, commuting, or riding for fun. In honor of National Bike Month, Muscle-Powered, Citizens for a Walkable and Bikeable Carson City has developed a full schedule of events for 2013, including the Tour de Carson May 5- a 30-mile bike ride for more advanced riders, along with two Family Cruise rides, one on May 15 at 6 p.m. starting at Telegraph Square, and a second Ride with a Vet on May 18 in conjunction with Chapter 388 of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Bike Carson-Tahoe will be doing a clinic at the shop on Wednesday night, May 1st, at 6:30 PM. Owner Chris Huber will cover flat repair, a lesson on gearing (numerical explanation, gear overlap, what gear to use, etc.), and also touch on group riding etiquette.

Carson City’s Muscle-Powered group and other organizations will tout safe walking and biking today at the Legislature, in part as a prelude to National Bike Month in May.

The plan for making downtown more pedestrian, bike, and business friendly was presented and voted on at the Board of Supervisors meeting on the evening of April 18. It was a special session that made it more for convenient for the public to attend. The Mayor chose not to hold speakers to a time limit, giving everyone a chance to speak their mind. And that they did.  The meeting began at 6:30 PM with an overview of the project from Public Works, followed by public commentary, and didn’t wrap up with the final vote until 10:30 PM.

The plan for making downtown more pedestrian, bike, and business friendly will be presented and voted on at the Board of Supervisors meeting this Thursday April 18, at 6:30 PM, in the Carson City Community Center’s Sierra Room.  Your attendance at this meeting is vital to ensure that this project moves forward!

(Story originally appearing on MusclePowered.org by Anne Macquarie)
Next month is Bike Month and there are plenty of activities planned in Carson City. We kick off on April 24 with Nevada Moves Day at the State Legislature.
Muscle Powered is organizing exhibits in the front foyer of the legislative building highlighting Nevada groups working for better walking and biking. Participants include the Reno Bike Project, Safe Routes to Schools, the Carson Valley Trails Association and more.

Elaine and I spent March 28-April 07 on a fun-filled, springtime return to Southern California for several reasons:
1. To celebrate our 11th Wedding Anniversary (March 30).
2. To visit my cousin Lorraine Scholes and her husband Bob, who have a winter home in Indio.
3. To attend our first-ever "Palm Springs Follies" show in Palm Springs.
4. To fly from Indio to Big Bear (our first-ever visit there).

Here are some of the highlights of our return to Southern California:

Thursday, March 28:

Arbor Day 2013 in Carson City will be on April 26, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Fulstone Park. This year's event will recognize Gardeners Reclaiming Our Waysides (or GROW for short) with its landscaping efforts along the Carson City freeway.

In November 2012 GROW was recognized as Carson City's "Organization of the Year" at the city's Parks and Recreation annual awards ceremony held in partnership with the Foundation for the Betterment of Carson City and the Carson City Historical Society.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (US Forest Service/LTBMU) and the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) have been working together for a couple of years to improve mountain bike trails all while protecting the natural resources of our local forests. Lake Tahoe is a special place, loved and used by millions of visitors each year from around the world. The local forest service has been at the forefront of working collaboratively with user groups and the public to ensure that protecting the environment of this special place, still allows for uses that are compatible and fun.

On March 14th I attended a workshop presented by the Carson City Public Works Department. The presentation outlined a proposal to create a pedestrian-friendly environment on Carson Street through the downtown area of Carson City between Fifth Street and Ann Street. This Road Diet, as they are commonly called, would include using striping to reduce travel lanes from four to two, and add on-street parallel parking.

UPDATE: 3:50PM: A motorcycle rider on a dirt bike was injured in a crash north of C-Hill in the Voltaire Canyon area. A Care Flight air ambulance was dispatched and landed near the site of the accident.

The injured 52-year-old rider told Carson City dispatch and a deputy who arrived at the scene that he was suffering from back pain, possible lung injuries and was having difficulty breathing. The accident happened at about 3 p.m.

The Nevada Highway Patrol has identified the Carson City man killed Saturday in a motorcycle crash in on Geiger Grade.

Kyle Banko, 24, was killed was riding his sport bike on Geiger Grade toward Reno from Virginia City on Saturday afternoon, the NHP reports.

The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal motorcycle accident south of Reno Saturday afternoon that killed a 24-year-old Carson City man.
The accident happened around 2 p.m. on Geiger Grade. Troopers tell KTVN the man was on a sports bike driving down the road heading toward Reno from Virginia City and clipped a car while on a curve in a no-passing zone.

A message from Patrick Pittenger, Transportation Manager, Carson City Public Works.
Carson City Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocates-
I am contacting you to request your support this week for a bicycle and pedestrian project in Carson City.

One of the most common accidents involving a bicyclist and a motor vehicle is the right-hook. This can happen a couple different ways. Sometimes a cyclist will ride along the right side of traffic, either in a bike lane or just in the narrow area near the curb, and take a front position at the intersection. In this case, the cyclist arrives last, and the vehicle that is about to go right hasn’t noticed the arrival of the cyclist. This is particularly dangerous when a big truck is involved due to the blind spots.

Two Carson City brothers were arrested and stolen property recovered from home burglaries reported earlier this year. Kyle Canyon Curtis, 25, and his brother Matthew Blair Curtis, 21, face felony charges involving burglary and possession of stolen property.

Matthew Blair Curtis was arrested Feb. 19, 3:02 p.m. in the 1000 block of Carson Street. Kyle Curtis was arrested at the same time at the corner of Washington and North Carson streets.

If you’re new to tubeless bicycle tires, you may not be aware that they need periodic maintenance. Although a tire may continue to hold air indefinitely, flat protection can diminish after just a few months as the sealant drys up. In addition to adding fresh sealant, it’s best to remove the old sealant for best performance. The old sealant can pool and stick to a specific location in the tire, or form into strange rubber crystals. If not removed, the dried sealant adds excess rotating mass to the tire, and can throw the wheel out of balance.

Last August, construction of bicycle and pedestrian facilities began on Roop Street between Winnie Lane and Northridge Drive over Lone Mountain. The work has been done for some time now, but today was the first day I got to ride the new bike lanes for myself.

Today was my first bicycle ride since my shoulder surgery back in early November. This has been the longest period of being off my bike in more than a decade, time enough away that riding seemed foreign and unfamiliar.  The cold weather and icy streets didn’t exactly keep me longing for two-wheeled travel either. But after nearly three months of healing and physical therapy, and with temperatures breaking 40 degrees, I decided today was the day to get back in the saddle.

It’s turning out to be one of those winters that isn’t very mountain bike friendly. Freezing temperatures are keeping the roads icy in town, and there is bicycle-stopping deep snow in the nearby mountains. Thankfully there is another way to enjoy our local trails if you’re willing to let go of the handlebars and grab some poles.

For the first time since 1987, Lake Tahoe has a new regional plan for development and land use.
Twelve of the 14 voting members of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's governing board voted in favor of the new plan, with one member voting against it and another abstaining, according to TRPA spokesman Jeff Cowan.

Business interests say the plan is an overdue overhaul of regulations that will jump-start Tahoe's tourism economy while also protecting its environment.

Regular readers of BikeCarson.com may have noticed that there have been far fewer postings lately. I suppose an explanation is warranted, because I don’t want you to think that I have lost interest in cycling, as this is not the case. I haven’t been riding my bike though, and it’s awfully hard to write about something I’m not actively engaged in.  After years of tuning-up my bike, it was time to tune-up my body.

Are you looking for some good shopping deals this weekend, but want to avoid the crowds? Here are a couple big sales two of the local bike shops are having this weekend.

BMX bikes on sale at the Bicycle Authority

About a year ago, a few of us participated in the making of a promotional video for Carson City. Our segment was to promote our city’s recreational trails, so Ash Canyon was selected for the location. For about an hour, we all pedaled up and down the dirt road, and back and forth on the trails. Nearly two seconds of the footage made it to the final cut.

In the aftermath of the super storm that battered the Northeast, many have found themselves with no transportation. Cars were destroyed, roads were washed away, subway tunnels were flooded, and due to interrupted supply lines and power outages, many gas stations are now without fuel or simply unable to run their pumps. Long lines are forming at the stations that are open, and rationing is even being enforced in some places.

With all the latest news of widespread doping and cheating in professional bicycle racing, it really got me thinking of how much racing has influenced today’s cycling. Most of us have never even raced, or have only dabbled in competition.  Yet I find it interesting that we that call ourselves cyclists have probably at one time or another been influenced by racing, whether it be a bicycle purchase, new parts, a flashy jersey, or an uncontrollable urge to go tackle a mountain pass after watching a stage of the Tour de France.

Not able to ride today, or need some motivation to get on your bike? Here’s a fun Go Pro video from Marcus Marchegger, riding his bike above Vicee Canyon on Carson City’s west side. Great Fall colors, cool temperatures, and smooth fast singletrack along the small canyon’s rim make for some exceptional mountain biking this time of year!

Once again, the Gonads -n- Strife Bicycle Club is doing their Fall Poker Run. This fun ride takes you from the Great Basin Brewing Company in Sparks, through Victorian Square, along the Truckee River, through downtown Reno, and then back again. There are many fun stops along the way as you collect your poker hand. The highest hand at the end wins an Electra cruiser! There are many other great raffle prizes as well, and they always donate the money to a good cause.

In late July, more than 500 women from throughout North America rolled into Carson City, Nev., to celebrate their shared passion for motorcycling. The 2012 American Motorcyclist Association International Women & Motorcycling Conference featured presenters from around the globe and drew a healthy share of cruiser riders, with a splash of sport bike, sport touring, dual-sport and off-road enthusiasts mixed in for good measure.

The Bike Habitat is hosting two events this month.  First up is a Women’s Bike Maintenance Clinic on Tuesday evening September 25th at 6:30pm. The clinic is FREE!! During the Clinic you will learn to fix a flat, perform a safety check, lube your chain and much more.  Refreshments and snacks will be provided.