Two Things

Where Do I Take My Bike Now?

The city I live in is called Waterloo, Iowa. It has a population of over 67,000 people and it has zero bicycle shops as of last week. The only shop within the city limits, Waterloo Bicycle Works, closed its doors for business. I was there last week and listened as the owner was asked if he was going to relocate, or re-open at some point, and the answer was not positive. I cannot say more since I do not speak for the owner there. 

So, it looks as though we're out of luck here when it comes to a local bike shop. There are other shops nearby in Cedar Falls. One just across the city limits and one on the West side of down town Cedar Falls. There is also a big-box Scheels bike shop, but yeah.... Not really a local bike shop there, per se'. This for a metropolitan area covering 170,000 plus people in the official metropolitan statistical area. 

I hear there is an eBike shop in Waverly, a mere 12 miles North of Cedar Falls, but yeah.... This does not seem good to me. With the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective being the only bicycle related business  in town now, I suspect I'll be hearing from more people about where to go for repairs, since we do not handle that need at the Collective. We defer to those trying to make it in retail, since we are non-profit. 

Strange days here. 

Goodbye Monstercross!

The time had come. The ol' 2011 Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross just wasn't getting any love anymore. 

Longtime blog readers know I do not like a bicycle sitting around which I don't ride, and the BMC Monstercross wasn't getting ridden at all anymore. It's too nice a bicycle to just let sit there. 

So, I think I found a 'good home' and I decided to pass it along to someone who was looking for a nice bike to get the single speed experience. I think this bike will fill this rider's desires nicely.  

Now, before anyone says, "I didn't know you were selling that!", you should also know I did not sell it. This simply was just an opportunity I found to make someone happy and help them get into a single speed who has been a very kind person to me of late.  

So, the Monstercross will get ridden, and I will remember with fondness all the adventures I had on this bicycle. The first Renegade Gents Race, the Moonlight Metric, and several gravel rides into headwinds, through melting snows, and across rutted Level B Roads. 

The bike owes me nothing. I got all the good out of it I wanted. It sold a lot of bicycles for Black Mountain Cycles as well, if what Mike Varley told me is true, and why wouldn't it be? So, old Orange Crush is off to a new life with a new owner who, hopefully, will share many a fun ride.  

Maybe I'll see it around here being enjoyed someday?  Hope so. 

Recon The Route

This isn't quite ready yet.

 I was passing through downtown Waterloo yesterday and noted that there was a lot of barriers to my commute route which cuts across an intersection underneath the expressway. This was going to present a challenge to me because there looked to be something going on with this formerly forgotten bit of dirt. It had sat looking the way it has for years, but apparently the 'powers that be' have turned their "Giant Burning Eye" of urban beautification upon this forlorn urban feature. 

This could be a situation where I fly the "Fickle Finger of Rebellion" to those Mordorites of Modernization and try to cut across anyway, or I could just, ya know, go a block over, around, and be on my merry way. 

I guess I'll just go around! 

I decided that I should explore my options though, given that this development had provided me a chance to check out some new possibilities. So I first went over to look at the 'really old route' which was the way I had commuted to my old shop job for 17+ years. I have noted that more work had been done over that way, but I hadn't been down to really look at it of late. So, I went the long way around and when I got to the barricades I peered over and saw that yes- indeed things looked closer to finished on the South side. However, I was going to have to check out the North side and that meant another long way around to see that.

On the way, I had to traverse the new roundabout at Fletcher and University. The dimwits!  You can cross going East-West, but North-South? fahgeddaboudit!  Not happening. I guess cyclists were not meant to go North-South in Waterloo, Iowa. Huh! Who knew?! 

Once past that mess, I went around down to the East side, dead end of Falls Avenue and what do you know? Nothing has been done where you cannot see it from the new road. Imagine that. Looks like it'll be quite a while before any cycling can be done through that tunnel. That fancy-pants tunnel that my son, when he saw the image here quipped, "Ya mean that hasn't been graffiti ridden yet?" He's not wrong, you know. It will be as soon as they open this up. Painted up, that is. Plus, they had troubles occasionally with people getting ambushed under the old bridge that I used to go under through there. I wonder how this tunnel will affect things in terms of that. 

Let's say I'm a bit skeptical that this whole deal is a very smart design. 

But when it gets done, I'll be using it for the commute. In the meantime, I'll be going about two blocks more out of my way to work. Longer bike rides! Hooray! (Only slightly sarcastic there.)

Recon The Route

This isn't quite ready yet.

 I was passing through downtown Waterloo yesterday and noted that there was a lot of barriers to my commute route which cuts across an intersection underneath the expressway. This was going to present a challenge to me because there looked to be something going on with this formerly forgotten bit of dirt. It had sat looking the way it has for years, but apparently the 'powers that be' have turned their "Giant Burning Eye" of urban beautification upon this forlorn urban feature. 

This could be a situation where I fly the "Fickle Finger of Rebellion" to those Mordorites of Modernization and try to cut across anyway, or I could just, ya know, go a block over, around, and be on my merry way. 

I guess I'll just go around! 

I decided that I should explore my options though, given that this development had provided me a chance to check out some new possibilities. So I first went over to look at the 'really old route' which was the way I had commuted to my old shop job for 17+ years. I have noted that more work had been done over that way, but I hadn't been down to really look at it of late. So, I went the long way around and when I got to the barricades I peered over and saw that yes- indeed things looked closer to finished on the South side. However, I was going to have to check out the North side and that meant another long way around to see that.

On the way, I had to traverse the new roundabout at Fletcher and University. The dimwits!  You can cross going East-West, but North-South? fahgeddaboudit!  Not happening. I guess cyclists were not meant to go North-South in Waterloo, Iowa. Huh! Who knew?! 

Once past that mess, I went around down to the East side, dead end of Falls Avenue and what do you know? Nothing has been done where you cannot see it from the new road. Imagine that. Looks like it'll be quite a while before any cycling can be done through that tunnel. That fancy-pants tunnel that my son, when he saw the image here quipped, "Ya mean that hasn't been graffiti ridden yet?" He's not wrong, you know. It will be as soon as they open this up. Painted up, that is. Plus, they had troubles occasionally with people getting ambushed under the old bridge that I used to go under through there. I wonder how this tunnel will affect things in terms of that. 

Let's say I'm a bit skeptical that this whole deal is a very smart design. 

But when it gets done, I'll be using it for the commute. In the meantime, I'll be going about two blocks more out of my way to work. Longer bike rides! Hooray! (Only slightly sarcastic there.)

Found It!

"Crossroads On The Cedar" by Clarence W. Baldwin.

 Quite some time ago now my friend, Tony, lent me a book he had which was one part history of the Cedar Valley, one part geography, one part geology, and one part about how humnas traversed this area from antiquity up until the 20th Century. 

I found its contents fascinating, because I live here, but also because I have become intimately familiar with the land in and around Black Hawk County. I knew vague tidbits and hints of the past, but this book unlocked the secrets of this area and made my eyes see why things have developed as they have over the past 200 years in this area. 

As I say, Tony's book was a loan, so I read it once, scanned some maps in it, and gave it back to him. I then started looking for a copy, but then one thing led to another, and well that idea got driven clean out of my head. That is, until I started digging around again recently concerning the plat maps of 1910 for Black Hawk County, and ran across more history of the area. 

There was a reference in one story about a really well researched book concerning the old trails in Black Hawk County and that the author's name was Clarence W. Baldwin. A little sleuthing revealed that this was a reference to the very same book Tony lent me. I found a single copy on Amazon, ironically a retired copy from the Waterloo Public Library, and bought it. It's a little beat up, and the maps are mostly missing, (fortunately I scanned Tony's copy), but I was stoked to get my hands on this resource over the weekend. 

It's got a lot of great information regarding where the old Native American trails ran, why they ran that way, and how those trails influenced immigration to this area. It tells the tale of where these trails were likely to have informed current highways, and why many faded away due to farmers not liking trespassing wanderers who were seeking ways to the West. It tells the tale of Waterloo and Cedar Falls early days and now I kind of know why the streets ran parallel to the river instead of along the compass points in the original plat. (This really screwed up subsequent additions and is partly why Waterloo is a nightmare to navigate for new folks.)   

So, between this and the 1910 Atlas of Black Hawk County I have found online I will be having a bit more interesting rides than I used to. Again, like I stated on Friday, I encourage anyone that rides in a rural area to dig into their local history. It is enriching, and enlightening, and you will have a treasure to pass on to future generations.

Found It!

"Crossroads On The Cedar" by Clarence W. Baldwin.

 Quite some time ago now my friend, Tony, lent me a book he had which was one part history of the Cedar Valley, one part geography, one part geology, and one part about how humnas traversed this area from antiquity up until the 20th Century. 

I found its contents fascinating, because I live here, but also because I have become intimately familiar with the land in and around Black Hawk County. I knew vague tidbits and hints of the past, but this book unlocked the secrets of this area and made my eyes see why things have developed as they have over the past 200 years in this area. 

As I say, Tony's book was a loan, so I read it once, scanned some maps in it, and gave it back to him. I then started looking for a copy, but then one thing led to another, and well that idea got driven clean out of my head. That is, until I started digging around again recently concerning the plat maps of 1910 for Black Hawk County, and ran across more history of the area. 

There was a reference in one story about a really well researched book concerning the old trails in Black Hawk County and that the author's name was Clarence W. Baldwin. A little sleuthing revealed that this was a reference to the very same book Tony lent me. I found a single copy on Amazon, ironically a retired copy from the Waterloo Public Library, and bought it. It's a little beat up, and the maps are mostly missing, (fortunately I scanned Tony's copy), but I was stoked to get my hands on this resource over the weekend. 

It's got a lot of great information regarding where the old Native American trails ran, why they ran that way, and how those trails influenced immigration to this area. It tells the tale of where these trails were likely to have informed current highways, and why many faded away due to farmers not liking trespassing wanderers who were seeking ways to the West. It tells the tale of Waterloo and Cedar Falls early days and now I kind of know why the streets ran parallel to the river instead of along the compass points in the original plat. (This really screwed up subsequent additions and is partly why Waterloo is a nightmare to navigate for new folks.)   

So, between this and the 1910 Atlas of Black Hawk County I have found online I will be having a bit more interesting rides than I used to. Again, like I stated on Friday, I encourage anyone that rides in a rural area to dig into their local history. It is enriching, and enlightening, and you will have a treasure to pass on to future generations.

Streets Of Danger

Read the article HERE

Perusing Twitter yesterday I came across a Tweet by the Kansas Cyclist about how dangerous it is to commute by bicycle in Iowa. I guess my city of Waterloo came in 7th on the list of the Top Ten Worst.

My response is seen in the image of my Tweet to the left there. I guess what I was trying to portray is that- yes- commuting by bicycle here is dangerous, but it is everywhere. 

Supposedly there was a study and all, but look, when it comes down to it, things are just as bad or worse most everywhere in the USA. I mean, Waterloo, Iowa isn't that great to ride around in but we aren't especially bad. Distracted drivers are everywhere and they do not discriminate in who they mow down by region, state, or town.

And that's the thing, really. Distraction. That's the problem. Three foot passing laws and whole lane passing laws are fine, but who cares if those laws exist if people are distracted and don't see what they are hitting. I mean, that is something that is happening in Waterloo (just last week, as a matter of fact), and all over the nation. The problem isn't that we don't have laws and bicycle lanes, or that we do have those things. The problem is that people are distracted.

Period.

Fix that, and you will have solved the problem without the other stuff. Yeah, so Waterloo is a bad place to ride a bicycle. Big whoop. Nothing new about that and nothing unique about it either. Articles like this don't help anyone.

Streets Of Danger

Read the article HERE

Perusing Twitter yesterday I came across a Tweet by the Kansas Cyclist about how dangerous it is to commute by bicycle in Iowa. I guess my city of Waterloo came in 7th on the list of the Top Ten Worst.

My response is seen in the image of my Tweet to the left there. I guess what I was trying to portray is that- yes- commuting by bicycle here is dangerous, but it is everywhere. 

Supposedly there was a study and all, but look, when it comes down to it, things are just as bad or worse most everywhere in the USA. I mean, Waterloo, Iowa isn't that great to ride around in but we aren't especially bad. Distracted drivers are everywhere and they do not discriminate in who they mow down by region, state, or town.

And that's the thing, really. Distraction. That's the problem. Three foot passing laws and whole lane passing laws are fine, but who cares if those laws exist if people are distracted and don't see what they are hitting. I mean, that is something that is happening in Waterloo (just last week, as a matter of fact), and all over the nation. The problem isn't that we don't have laws and bicycle lanes, or that we do have those things. The problem is that people are distracted.

Period.

Fix that, and you will have solved the problem without the other stuff. Yeah, so Waterloo is a bad place to ride a bicycle. Big whoop. Nothing new about that and nothing unique about it either. Articles like this don't help anyone.