Kidical Mass Invites You to First Night

Kidical Mass Tacoma invites you to ride along in the World's Shortest Parade on December 31st! The parade is part of First Night, Downtown Tacoma's New Year's celebration, and kicks-off a full evening of activities and musical performances.

Meet at South 7th and Broadway in front of the Graffiti Garages at 6pm. The parade route is downhill a mere 4 blocks along Broadway and ends at the Pierce Transit park just past the Pantages Theater, which is where the main outdoor stage is for the celebration.

View Larger Map

Helmets are required. Lights are recommended. Costumes, noise-makers, and bike decorations are certainly encouraged. 

Visit www.firstnighttacoma.org for more details on the other First Night activities and to purchase event buttons. 

P.S. Mark your calendars for the Junior Daffodil Parade on April 12, 2014. The theme is "Ready, Set, Grow!" and it seems like the perfect way to kickoff our 2014 Kidical Mass Tacoma season.

Bike Racing in Tacoma This Weekend

Our city doesn't often host bicycle races, which is why the Tacoma Twilight Criterium is a must-see event. There will be races all afternoon on Saturday starting at 4pm with the fastest races taking place near dusk.

Previously held in downtown Tacoma, the race moved to the Proctor District last summer with a short and intense 2-block course that was excellent for spectating. Local legends battled head-to-head as fans and neighbors cheered them on to victory. It was awesome.

There are plenty of spots nearby to grab a bite to eat, including two grocery stores, but you'll need to get there early if you want a window seat at one of the restaurants that are on-course. Remember that roads will be closed 1-2 blocks around the event, so plan accordingly. Dust off those cowbells!

Freedom Ride

The Tacoma MOB Riders are taking over the Tacoma streets once again...

via lordrocktober

Another Tacoma MOB Ride!

Watch out! These Tacoma MOB Riders are getting organized...

Cabin Fever Grindout - April 24

A cryptic message was received on the wires today:

CABIN FEVER GRINDOUT

Bicycle Booze Cruz

Saturday, April 24th

7:00pm

Meet up at: MAGOO’S

Spread the word! 

We Own the Streets!!!

I think by now you all know what to do...Get Thy Velosteeds Ready!  Meanwhile...

Joy Ride

This should be fun.  Find a sitter.

Hat tip to SPEW for the heads-up.

Bike Dates...

After dropping the kids with the in-laws, we planned to start the evening at the Tacoma Art Museum. It was on the way home so, rather than backtrack with bikes, we parked at the Tacoma Dome P&R and took the Link Light Rail downtown. They were closing in five minutes, so we decided on cocktails and dinner at Indochine instead. We hadn't been there before; it's far more hip and swanky than the one in Federal Way that I was raised on. After dinner, we walked along the Thea Foss Waterway and then back to the P&R over the new D Street overpass, which neither of us had ever used. It's a very pedestrian-friendly area with some nice views of the marina and the 21st Street Bridge. Sarah wished she'd brought her camera.

After running the dogs and catching up on some chores, we were ready to head out for Part II of the evening by bicycle. The 6th Avenue District is full of restaurants and bars, so we have plenty of options for nightlife. Sarah picked E-9 as our first stop, since they were still serving food from the kitchen at that hour.

From bike date 1

We spent a considerable amount of time trying to lock our bikes to the gate around their courtyard. Once inside, the bouncer immediately asked for ID.

Bouncer: Did you know that your license is expired?
Sarah: WHAT?! Oh no, I can't beleive I missed that!
Bouncer: I'm sorry, but [I'm a jerk and] I can't let you in.
Sarah: Are you kidding? I'm almost 30!
Bouncer: I'm sorry [but I'm a jerk.]

So, we left E-9, unlocked the bikes, and rolled across 6th Ave to The Red Hot (which is really where I wanted to go anyway.) The owner asked me about my Xtracycle on one of my first visits and I've been hooked ever since. Tap selection is second to The Parkway, but still top notch. Plus, the bike rack is right outside the front door!

From bike date 1

Sarah is not a huge fan of their food menu, but I think it rules. It's all hot dogs and nachos served up steam tray style from behind the bar. No pretty kitchen and no fancy tableware. Some nice patron has even donated a hot dog mosaic stepping stone and a paper-mache effigy hotdog from the dia los muertos celebration on the Ave. I asked my server if he though a Rainier beer can hat would be worth anything and he recommended that I come back and talk with the owner next Saturday. How I would love to have my wares on display at such a fine, upstanding establishment.

From bike date 1

Hales Kolsch and Elysian IPA washed down the Nacho Cheese nachos and a vanilla Moon Pie. We also entered to win a bike in the "Recycle a Bike" raffle that is now being held monthly. This one is a hand-me-down from the owner's brother.

From bike date 1

I decided that it was too warm (32°F) and I was too full of bar food to call it a night, so I took Sarah on a tour of my frequent night-ride loops. Once around the UPS campus...

From bike date 1

Then down to my favorite lookout point. It was so much fun to ride around cracking jokes and ringing our bells at the cars and pedestrians. A great night to be a Tacoman.

From bike date 1

How's it lookin' back there?

I usually do my big grocery shopping trips at night after the kids are in bed. There's less traffic, both on the road and in the isles, so I can usually get more done in less time.

From Xtracycle

After returning home from a recent trip, I began to wonder about my night-time visibility to cars approaching from the rear, since I can at least see what's coming at me from up ahead. I always wear a reflective vest at night as well as a blinkie on my Bell Metro helmet. The Xtracycle also has a bottle-dynamo driven light set, but it's the many added reflectors that seem to be doing the most good.

Day...(notice LED standlight)

From Xtracycle

Night...

From Xtracycle

I think adding some reflective tape to the corners of the H-racks would seal the deal...

Upright Cross Checking: Initial Thoughts

I took the Cross Check out for a few miles this evening, quickly zipping through the neighborhood to my favorite look-out spot. The conditions were not unlike those of many other short jaunts, but the ride was far more fun and enjoyable. Why?

1. Responsiveness. It's easier to start and stop with the upright position, the long-pull mtb levers give more stopping power to my cantis than the Tiagra aero levers, and the down tube shifters eliminated two loops of cable housing that were keeping my front wheel virtually locked straight making the bike feel more nimble.

2. Stability. Riding with no hands is much more stable. Up hill, down hill, slow, or fast, the bike tracks much better. This may be related to the lack of derailleur cable housing in the front, or that the weight of the bars has shifted towards the rear of the stearer tube. Either way, I like it. On a few hills, I easily stood out of the saddle and rocked the bars back and forth, which took me back to my BMX days. I wrapped part of the bend of the bar so that I could lean forward on climbs and stay in the saddle, a trick that works wonders with my Albatross bar on my Xtracycle.

3. Visibility. I am now constantly looking up and rarely looking down. The grip area is slightly below level, but the bar could stand to be tilted down a bit more to increase hand comfort.

Down tube shifting isn't as awkward as I had anticipated, though I did find that I track better when I use my right hand to shift both the left and right levers. (I'm left hand dominant.) It's not built for top speed, but will be a great bike for errands and day rides where the added cargo capacity of the Xtracycle is unwarranted. I've left the clipless pedals on for now so I still look somewhat legit to The Pros. (You know who you are...)

Next test: Trailering.