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14th Annual Tour de Palm Springs

Join over 10,000 other cyclists as they navigate the Coachella Valley from Palm Springs. This a truly festive environment and incredibly family friendly. With rides starting at 5 miles all the way up to 102 miles, there is something for everyone. The finish hosts a large expo along with entertainment. SO bring the whole gang and join many of your fellow RWBTC members in the warm SoCal desert.

North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Ever needed a bike that will also sharpen your knives, well here go. Just give Winter Bicycles a call. Winter Bicycles along with over a hindered other custom builders will be at the NAHBS in Sacramento this year. In the coming weeks leading up to the show we will feature posts about some of the builders at the show. Hopefully it will wet your appetite to go to the show.

Volkswagon teams with Bikes Belong and People for Bikes

This just in from People for Bikes

Our movement is taking a major step forward today. Leading auto company Volkswagen of America announced its sponsorship of Peopleforbikes.org and our parent organization, the Bikes Belong Foundation. VW will donate significant funding to support our key initiatives to improve bicycling in the U.S., including the PFB movement and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, which is dedicated to getting more kids safely biking and walking to school.

We are working with VW as part of its Think Blue initiative, which encompasses all of the company’s efforts to promote eco-friendly mobility and encourage environmentally conscious behavior. VW has a history of working to improve its sustainability. Its factory in Chattanooga is the only auto manufacturing plant in the world to be LEED Platinum Certified. The VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany has 5,500 bikes for employees to use for transportation.

“Volkswagen’s commitment to environmental sustainability extends beyond our fuel-efficient vehicles and company practices,” said Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “We are extremely proud to be partnering with Bikes Belong to encourage biking and ensure that people of all ages can safely share the road, saving fuel and reducing pollution and traffic congestion.”

This sponsorship will considerably increase the reach of our efforts to make bicycling better and safer in the U.S. We’ll be able to unite more bicyclists through the PFB movement, help more children safely ride or walk to school, and increase the number of innovative bicycle facilities in cities across the country. Mainstream support like this is huge for bicycling in America.

Right now we are nearly halfway to our goal of uniting 1 million bicyclists. Thanks to VW, we might even reach our goal by the end of the year. We’re truly thankful to be working with a forward-thinking company that recognizes bicycles as a solution. Look for great things to come from this partnership in 2012.

 Promoting Cycling

Above you see the three premier national bicycle advocacy organizations. They promote cycling through every way imaginable. It would be a good idea to check in wiht them every once in awhile to see what's going on in the advocacy world. For you Facebook users, you can like them and get lots of great info all the time. These organizations have lots of events taking place throughout the country and the rumor is that they are a blast. Links to each can be found on there picture above. Now go ride your bike.

Santa Ana River Trail Closure!!!

A section of the Santa Ana River Trail, between La Cadena Drive and Riverside Avenue, will be closed starting Monday, January 23, 2012 and continuing through Friday, January 27, 2012.  The full closure of this segment of the Santa Ana River Trial is being done to perform permanent repairs to the asphalt surface and subsurface damaged during past winter rain storms.    

A 70 foot section of the SART will be completely removed, and the area will be excavated to a depth of 10 feet.   Due to the nature of the repair; equipment needed and material to be excavated, and for public safety, bicycle and pedestrian access to this segment during the construction period will be prohibited.

Construction/information signs will be posted on the SART effective January 9, 2012 with the closure dates and times at La Cadena Drive (west bound on the trail) and at Riverside Avenue (east bound on the trail).  The closure will take effect at 7:30 a.m. on January 23rd and will end at or after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 27th.

I would greatly appreciate your efforts in getting the word out in this regard.  Trail status can be found at the two web sites:

www.sbcounty.gov/Parks  and     www.santaanarivertrail.org

PHIL KRAUSE

Park Planner III

San Bernardino County Regional Parks Department

777 E. Rialto Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415

Office (909) 387-2588     Fax (909) 387-2052

pkrause@parks.sbcounty.gov

                Groupo Wars- Shimano, Campy and SRAM up the ante

As the new year shapes up, the major players in bicycle components are releasing details of their upcoming upgrades. From ergonomic changes to adding another cog, the selections will get more enticing.

Today SRAM "leaked" a complete overhaul of there flagship "RED" groupo.  A new DoubleTap lever body shape, which will supposedly sprout a more pronounced knob up front to provide a more secure handhold – similar to what Campagnolo does with its Ergopower levers based on what we've been told – along with customizable gel padding beneath the hoods that will allow riders to tune the feel of their controls. The front derailleur is apparently a total departure from convention, ditching the standard parallelogram layout in favor of a pseudo-rotating configuration that not only actively lifts the chain up on to the outer ring but also tweaks the angle of the cage throughout the travel for smoother running. Other tweaks are expected.

Earlier this week Shimano announced that a mechanical 11-speed would be available for 2013 with Di2 in the near future. Waiting to find out if the current 10-speed shifters can be re calibrated for the upcoming 11. Also a mechanical disc brake for road and cross bikes.

Last month Campangnolo announced that their Electronic Power Shift system will be available next year. The pro peloton got their shot at it last year for final refinements now you can have your chance. Campy will offer both Record and Super Record in EPS and price has not been finalized. With Campy you know you will need to get a second job though they claim it will be competitive to Shimano Di2.

Well let's see how this all pans out the next few years. SRAM has yet to throw it's hat in the electronic market and will the average customer be willing to flip the bill for it.

                                2012 Tour of California Returns to the I.E.!

The route for the 2012 Tour of California has been annouced and now we have two stages in the IE. First will be a return to a Big Bear Lake finish on Friday, May 18. The second is the Mt. Baldy finish with the start in Ontario on Sat. May 20. So save the dates and read more about it HERE