just a reminder, bike clinic, fitting lecture and dinner

CHICKS HELPING CHICKS

March 29, 2009

3-5:00 pm bike clinic

5-6:00 bike fitting talk

6-7:00 dinner

pick one or pick all to attend,

get your bike ready for summer, meet new folks

rsvp to libby.maxim@gmail.com

Dreaming of Cargo Bikes and Car Free Days

by Brooke Johnson

Friday February 06, 2009, 11:42 PM

http://www.pennlive.com/green/index.ssf/2009/02/a_bicycle_made_for_five.html

I recommend the above blog for some cool stuff about living green in Pennsylvania

So, you want to stop driving a gas guzzling car and ride a bike. Only one problem; you have a few kids and lots of stuff to haul around. Solution? A cargo bike.

There are several different kinds of cargo bikes. What really makes a cargo bike different then an average bike is it's ability to hold lots of stuff. Most of them are extra long either in the front or the back. The Madsen pictured above is a "new" kind of cargo bike. Instead of having two wheels in the back or a cart in the front, this one is designed with a cart in the back, similar to a single wheeled bike trailer. The advantage of having a cargo bike over a bike trailer is that it is easier to control. Bike trailers have a tendency to pull a bike off balance making it harder to steer or turn.

The more traditional push-cart style bicycles or Bakfiets can be more then twice the price of the Madsen. Despite the price they are hugely popular in Europe and are gaining ground in Portland. I really love the Philadelphia made Haley bikes (trikes?) that are similar to Bakfiets but way cheaper and were designed to haul a drum set instead of children.

Another popular option is the Xtracycle. The Xtracycle frame can be attached to an existing bike or can be bought as a complete bike. The idea is a extra long bike that can hold everything from groceries to people on the back.

They are popular because they do not take up much space on the road.

All of these options sound awesome but are way beyond my price range. A friend is offering to look into building a cargo bike like the Haley bicycle for me so maybe one day I can ride around in style. Until then, I guess I will stick to my folding bike or look for a good used bike and just attach things to my bike rack. I also have a nice bike trailer I bought so I could take my daughter with me. It has a separate compartment for groceries etc. but not nearly as nice as having a cargo bike.

The hills and lack of bike lanes around here are not helping either.

Put yourself BACK on the Priority List in your house

Ride for Your Health

http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/why/health.php

Bicycling can help solve two of our nation's leading crises: skyrocketing healthcare costs, which are damaging every sector of our economy, and the obesity epidemic, which in 2000 caused 400,000 deaths, 16.6 percent of all deaths recorded, due to physical inactivity and poor diet. A study of almost 200,000 General Motors employees found that overweight and obese individuals average up to $1,500 more in annual medical costs than healthy-weight individuals. By getting people moving again, bicycling can help improve Americans lose weight and improve their physical fitness. This could not only save lives, it could help greatly reduce the total costs to society of obesity, estimated at $117 billion per year (including $39 billion a year through Medicare and Medicaid programs, which cover sicknesses caused by obesity including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several types of cancer).

Recreational bike riding is a safe, low-impact, aerobic activity for Americans of all ages. A 150-pound cyclist burns 410 calories while pedaling 12 miles in an hour-almost the equivalent calories of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder®. A 200-pound cyclist burns 546 calories while going 12 miles per hour-almost the equivalent of a Big Mac®.

Sources: Exercise and Your Heart -- A Guide to Physical Activity. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute / American Heart Association, DHHS, PHS, NIH Publication No. 93-1677 and McDonald's.

The President, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Surgeon General, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have all recently expressed concern over America’s overweight problem. According to the CDC, 61% of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese; 13% of kids aged 6 to 11 and 14% of kids 12 to 19 are overweight. Obesity is second behind tobacco in U.S. health risk factors, contributing to 300,000 deaths a year.

According to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, approximately 70% of US adults are sedentary. This includes 28% who engage in no leisure-time physical activities and 42% who undertake less than 30 minutes of physical activity (such as walking) each day.

The Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health said, "Physical activity of the type that improves cardiovascular endurance reduces the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and type 2 diabetes and improves mental health. Findings are suggestive that endurance-type physical activity may reduce the risk of developing obesity, osteoporosis, and depression and may improve psychological well-being and quality of life."

Get a bike and BIKE

Really, what could be more fun than riding the roads with other women on great bikes. Ya get good exercise, you see nice scenery, you feel good, you sweat, you build muscles and I could go on and on.

BUT, you need to get a good female saddle. Make sure your bike does not have a man's seat. You need a female dedicated seat for a comfortable ride. Buy a good seat, and buy from a place that will give you a 30 day money back guarantee cuz it is tough getting a seat you like.

Seat placement, and height are very very tough to get right. A good bike fitter can help in this area but you need to use your own brain and figure out what feels good.

Light Lane Lasers Make Instant Bike Lane

Click link to read cool articles on instant bike lanes.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/02/lightlanes-lase.html

how to put your wheels on and off

Where to buy bike stuff

Below is a list of places to check for bike gear. The first three are area bike stores.

All stores are live links and will take you to the homepage for each business. Just click!

Exton Bike Store

HotFoot Cycles

Bike Line

Performance Bike Store


Online

Performance

REI

Nashbar

Terry, dedicated to women cyclists ONLY

Bike Tires Direct

Necessary Bike Gear

While you do not need a milk crate to carry all your bike stuff, you do need some bike stuff!

For anyone looking to get into biking, I suggest some of the following equipment:

1. Bike bag - fill it with 2 extra tubes, tire levers and an inflation system, either CO2 and or a pump. that attaches to your bike. Most pumps that come on bikes are not very good. So check out your pump and make it works.

2. ID - use Road ID, carry an extra insurance card or an old driver's license.

3. Cell Phone - a fully charged phone and put a contact in called ICE (in case of emergency) and put a number there of someone who is gonna answer the phone.

4. Money - carry some money in your bike bag for drinks or food.

5. Drinks and food - two water bottles, you can put water in or once we hit the really hot weather, you will want a rehydrating type liquid such as Gatorade in at least one bottle. Carry some snacks, cookies or any easy snack you have in the house.

6. Bike Gloves

7. Optional road bike shoes and cleats

8. Good bike pants

9. Sunglasses and a rear view mirror that attaches to glasses or helmet.

10. Some good common sense of how to ride a bike with traffic and some idea of where Chester County is and some of the main roads. If you do not live in Chester County, get a map and look at it. As anything can happen and you may get separated and need some idea of where you are if calling for help.

11. Cue Sheets, print these up from the WCCC ride page and bring them to the Biker Chick rides.

March 29 clinic and lecture and dinner

Seems to be a little confusion on the March 29 clinic, lecture and dinner. Everything takes place at my house, 206 E Virginia Avenue WC PA 19380.

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm- Bike Clinic which will include maintenance and what to carry on bike, how to bike in a group and anything else that involves biking.

5:00-6:00 pm Victor Atkins of Hot Foot Cycles will talk about bike fit and how to get a good fit with your bike.

6:00-7:00 pm dinner

You can come to all or any part of the day, so when RSVPing

make sure to tell me what you are attending.

Looking forward to meeting some new chicks

Attention Chicks and Future Chicks

Upcoming Events for Chicks for March and April of 2009

1. Bike Clinic, meet and greet dinner party and lots of information on bikes, how to buy, size and fit and how to maintain your bike, tentative date is March 29 3-7pm. Hope to have 2 WCCC guys to run the clinic and a guest speaker on bike fit. If you do not know how to buy a bike or how to change a tire or what to carry on bike to be safe, this clinic is FOR YOU!!!!

YOU MUST RSVP for this event. EMAIL me. libby.maxim@gmail.com

You can do just the clinic, or just the dinner or BOTH.

2. First ride of the season, April 4, Saturday, 9:30 am, we will either do the Schyulkill River Trail(SRT) or a short route in West Chester. And of course it is weather dependent.

3. Bike often and come out and do as many rides as possible. This year Biker Chicks is going to have a goal and that is to improve. If you are interested in riding, YOU CANNOT show up once a month and expect to be able to keep up with chicks who ride often. You must make plans to get a ROAD BIKE, or you will struggle on the hills in Chester County.

4. If there are women who want to ride hybrid bikes and bike slower, hopefully someone will come forward and be willing to lead these rides. If our group was large enough I could offer 2 different levels of rides.

5. Lots of area rides to look forward to:

a. French Creek Iron Tour - June
b. Dog Daze in August
c. Lancaster Covered Bridge in Aug

I would like to take large groups of Chicks to some of these rides. The ones above are the best in the area and not too far from home. I did all 3 of these rides last year and they were all FABO.

6. Saturday Club rides, every Saturday morning at 8:40 am leaving from the HotFoot Cyles Parking lot, we will start slow but work up during the season. If you never ride all summer and show up in August, expect brisk rides as the Chicks will have been riding and getting better. We cannot offer slow rides in late August unless someone is willing to step up and lead a second group. Hint, hint!!!!

7. Learn how to find places using Google Maps, please, do not email me for directions to places, learn how to use the WCCC webpage to check rides and learn how to check the blog for upcoming information.
I will publish information on the WCCC ride page and the blog. SO CHECK THEM!

The CALENDAR on the upper right corner of the blog will be kept up-to-date. Learn how to use it, all directions are on the actual calendar, just click and follow links. This is not hard stuff.

DO not call me and ask about rides. I rarely remember to check messages on my phone. Best to get me by email.

8. COME to the clinic, meet chicks and learn about bikes. Learn about how to ride on the road, how to signal others when riding in groups, and what you need to ride SAFE.

Crutch Free ZONE

Well NO more crutches, but got PT for the next 4 weeks and then revisit dr. I also have arthritis in my knee so eventually that will take its toll.

But UNTIL then, I am ready to rock and roll.

Surgery is OVER

my surgery is over and went well, on crutches for a week and then possibly some rehab and that should be it

little or no pain and hope to be back on the bike in March

look for a Bike Clinic in March

and a Biker Chick party at my house as well.

Details to come

Libby