Friday, January 07, 2011

Mid-Winter Dawdle

I took advantage of a warmish mid-winter day and took my Raleigh Super Course out for a solo ride. It was a bit of a dawdle in that I stopped here and there and just kind of looked around a lot. The kind of ride that would make Pondero proud.

I tried a new route to get into the city that took me through Westcreek Park. I'd never even been to the park before, but it has a trail that connects two neighborhoods divided by the creek. I set up the bike and took a few pictures, just as the Amtrak came through.



I got a new leather saddle for my commuter bike, so I put the old Wrights W3.N on the Super Course.





As I was writing this post, I got an email from Cameron at Old Ten Speed Gallery, notifying me that this Super Course was just posted as the current entry.



I rode to Fort Worth's near southside and had lunch at Shaw's Burger's Shakes (review here). It gave me an opportunity to use one of the new bike racks being installed around the city.



A few blocks away is Southside Bank. Their sign is my favorite anachronism- an old-timey sign with neon letters that neatly advertise the availability of their ATM.



I rode by Trinity Bicycles for a short chat, then headed downtown before heading west along the new bike lanes they put in on West 7th Street just west of the Trinity River.



Come ride with me! (I hope R A N T W I C K enjoys the sound track.)



I rode all the way out to University where the new lane ends, then cut back toward Foch Street which leads into Trinity Park. The bridge I'm leaning the bike against carries Lancaster over Foch.



According to the plaque, the bridge was put up in 1938.



The sea creatures seem interested in my bike.



From Trinity Park I headed southwest on the Trinity Trail





They've started the Clearfork bridge over the Trinity River. The plans that were unveiled showed a bridge for motor vehicles, with a smaller span suspended underneath for pedestrians and cyclists that will connect the Trinity Trail on either side of the river. It will open up more practical off-road bike routes in the city by providing another crossing over the Trinity River.



The sun was getting low and I hadn't grabbed a headlight, so it was time to get home. I got off the trail at Overton Creek and headed south toward home.

11 comments:

Big Oak said...

A very nice ride. I always enjoy seeing scenery from other places. I noticed in the video that the traffic lights were timed to your approach!

BTW, that Raleigh is a beautiful bike!

Steve A said...

Two observations - maybe more later. First one. It's good to see someone besides me that knows about Wright saddles.

Second one - that video was very useful. The still photo made that bike lane look pretty scary to me. The video provided context.

As you know, I'm not a big fan of the generic idea of bike lanes, but this one is not as bad as a single shot might suggest. I don't know if it is as good as doing nothing would have been (I've not scoped it out personally yet), but its a lot better than a single photo makes it look.

Anonymous said...

Wow! What is that...a 63cm frame?
I have a 1990 LeTour that size that I can ride only because the top tube is shorter than most other bikes I own. (Still, it's a little snug with both feet on the ground.

Pondero said...

Absolutely I'm proud! But it is well-established that you are quite the talented dawdler. I also know, however, you have a pretty strong turn of speed, as well.

Doohickie said...

First of all... I keep adding a music soundtrack to the video but then it keeps going away. Are you guys hearing music or the actual sounds?

Steve A... I personally am not a fan of using bike lanes, but at least in Fort Worth, bike lanes seem to have a positive effect in terms of getting more people riding on the road, and in raising awareness among motorists that there may be bikes about. Given all that, this area is just west of downtown and is an area of relatively high density housing (the older looking building on the right is Montgomery Plaza which is a retail-condo of a warehouse. The buildings on the left are new mixed-use retail. Significant younger population that might consider cycling, if encouraged. So overall, I think this is a judicious use of bike lanes.

jtgyk... yep, 63 cm. On my breakfast ride today a guy was riding a 1986 Miyata 912 with the original Shimano 600 gruppo, friction shifted, also in a 60+ cm frame. It was gorgeous.

Chris... to make it clear, I took 4 hours to cover 26 miles. That is dawdling for sure. :)

MELI. said...

love these posts. in particular the picture with the train and the one of the plate and the branches. something very winter about them
happy new year =) meli

Doohickie said...

Funny you mention the winter thing. At the beginning of the ride it was cool but it felt like it was getting warmer. By the time I headed for home, it was distinctly more winter-like, although still unseasonably warm.

Depending on how the fronts move through, though, we may get 3-5" of SNOW tomorrow!

Dottie said...

Reading this makes me want to jump on a road bike (that I don't own) and take a long ride in wintry Texas. I'm quite jealous of your weather from up here, although not so much in the summer.

Avus said...

Nice post, nice bike. Thank you from across the Herring Pond.

PennyCandy said...

We did not get that much snow but it is way to cold right now. Get pictures love.

RANTWICK said...

It might be 6 months later, but yes, I did enjoy the soundtrack!