October 2009 President’s Letter

The days are getting shorter and the leaves are turning color. The KBC riding season will continue through the last Friday before daylight savings time ends. Please keep abreast of the changes in ride times. Please also dress for these later season rides as brilliantly as the leaves in the area - bright colors are much easier for motorists to see. Please also use lights. Make it a point to be seen.

Keep an eye open for rides under the lights on the Kalhaven Trail.

As the ride season tapers off, it is time to start thinking about some of the off season activities of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club. Bike Camp, the KalTour, the BTR race, the Recovery Party, the Anniversary Ride, and the pre-season ride meeting all occurred because KBC members invested their time and energy into planning and executing these events. The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club needs your ideas and your energy to remain the vibrant organization that we are. Please consider working on one of the committees that plans and organizes these events.

If you have ideas on how the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club can do a new activity which advances the purpose of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club, please let the board know. Ideally a plan will address the who, what, where, and when, and also how much money will be needed. The most precious asset that the KBC has are its volunteers (many of whom volunteer for more than one activity), so if you can identify new folks who are willing to volunteer for this activity so much the better. The more detailed a plan is, the more likely it will be adopted.

All of the KBC leadership positions will be voted on at the November monthly meeting. The time between November and March is the time to plan next year's events, so please get involved. The KBC needs YOU!

Mike Boersma, KBC President

DALMAC 2009 Upper Peninular Bicycle Tour September 2-6

by Dale Krueger

It all began 39 years ago when Rep. Dick Allen, in an effort to promote cycling on the roads of Michigan, took a group of friends on a ride from Lansing to Mackinaw City. Three years later, the Tri County Bicycle Association took over the organization of this ride. These great TCBA volunteers keep everything going. Today there are five groups of about 500 cyclists, each who ride with Dick (yes, he is still riding). The UP group this year included KBC members Pastor Dale Krueger, Terry O’Connor, Charlie DeVries, Deb Gray, Al Cergol, Keith Little, and Ed Micalizzi. The following remarks summarize their Five Day 380 mile Upper Peninsular experience.

Highlights: We crossed the Mackinaw Bridge on our bicycles on Sunday between 8 and 10 A.M. The sky was blue, the water was blue, and there was a little breeze. This was an experience to enjoy in the moment and to never forget. A couple of riders used a camcorder to capture the view, which will be posted on the www.dalmac.org website site. On Saturday evening, right after the UP group acknowledged Pr. Dale as the oldest rider in their group, he drew the Grand Prize, a free tour in 2010.

Preparation: Considering the cold and wet weather the week prior to the DALMAC, we were challenged to pack what might be appropriate for a variety of weather possibilities. Pr. Dale, Terry, Al, and Deb used the Schuttleguy who provided the four of us with tents, air mattresses, towels, chairs, etc. This made life easier for us. And, of course, the most important preparation was the baseline road miles on the bike to prepare for the many miles and hills during the ride.

Day One, Wednesday: We drove to MSU in East Lansing to begin a 77 mile pleasant ride through farm country to Shepherd. We missed a road sign, but the excellent route map got us into Maple Rapids with no extra miles. Further north, we stopped at the Pennington VFW Hall, a favorite first day stop, for sloppy joes and veggies. Pushing north past mint, kale, and huge dairy operations gave the nose many smells to enjoy. It was beautiful fall Michigan weather with sun and a cool breeze. The BBQ at the Shepherd High School campsite was o.k.

Day Two, Thursday: On this day we rode 87 miles from Shepherd to Lake City. We enjoyed an early morning sunrise with the cyclists, all in colorful jerseys and orange bike flags waving, reminding us of a Monarch butterfly migration. The Lake George campground lunch stop with picnic tables and grilled delights provided an excellent spot for cyclists to enjoy a quick meal. At the Lake City High School, while doing a little preventive maintenance, Terry discovered a broken a spoke in Dale’s rear wheel. Barney, the on-site mechanic, managed to cobble together a spoke to keep the wheels turning. The Mexican food served by a catering company for dinner at the Lake City High School was very good.

Day Three, Friday: It was cold during the night and our sleeping bags were put to good use! Waking up at six is no problem when you go to bed in the dark at 8:30 P.M. At 6:00 A.M., all snoring ends and one awakens to the sounds of zippers, alarms, and talking. After breakfast, when it was light enough, we headed off for a 66 mile ride through Kalkaska on our way to Central Lake. It was another sunny warm day. Our group stopped at a country church to purchase baked goods from the church ladies. The blueberry pie was declared the winner. That held us until we reached Alden at the southern tip of Torch Lake. A lunch at a local restaurant was outstanding compared to the canned corn, baked beans, and dried up burgers that were served at the Central Lake High School for dinner.

Day Four, Saturday: The 69 mile ride from Central Lake to Pellston is a "rolling" route with plenty of up challenges. At East Jordan we could either go right which led to the WALL (a 23% incline), or go left over the Seven Sisters Hills. A 58 year old man in our group had a heart attack going up the WALL. Another rider immediately dismounted, gave him first aid, and called 911. We heard that by evening he was recovering and breathing on his own in the Petoskey Hospital. We rode left over the hills on through Boyne City, Walloon Lake, and Petoskey to Pellston. At the evening event, the oldest rider (Dale) won the grand prize of a free pass to the 2010 DALMAC. The food at the dinner was chicken and fish and it was good.

Day Five, Sunday: On this final 82 mile day, the highlight of the tour was reached when we crossed the Big Mac in the morning hours. We were the only DALMAC group to have this privilege. The riders in the other four tours were all heading to Mackinaw City to catch their buses. The UP group rode through St. Ignace past the casino on Mackinaw Trail along the Lake Huron shoreline to De Tour at the eastern tip of the UP. Beautiful scenery, but Charlie had a flat, which created a flurry of activity, but the bicycle mechanic, Barney, was there in Cedarville to help. The worst part of the day, according to Terry, was to discover that the local coffee shop, "The Garage," was closed, so no "Chest Crusher" which is two shots of espresso, ice cream, chocolate, malt, and caramel with a bit of whipped cream. Sound good? You have to understand that coffee made by high school girls that do not drink coffee is not the best combination for coffee lovers. We got on our buses at 6:00 P.M. and were back at MSU by 11:15 P.M. and in Kalamazoo at 1:00 A.M. Five days up and seven hours back.

Next Year: The DALMAC registration opens in late February 2010 with five and maybe six rides available for all levels of fitness. We suggest that you check out www.dalmac.org for details. The dates are just prior to Labor Day and the cost is $210. Come join the fun on the 40th Annual DALMAC.

Day One, Mile One: Al, Dale, Terry, Deb, and Charlie, ready to leave MSU Pavilion for 380 miles to DeTour.


SHUTTLEGUY made camping easier for Dale, Terry, Deb, and Al


Charlie, Terry, and Dale ready to eat lunch in Alden


Day Five: Ready to cross the BIG MAC

Monthly Meeting Minutes

The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club’s monthly meeting took place on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at the YMCA on Maple Street in Kalamazoo. In attendance were Mike Boersma, Victor Van Fleet, Rick Whaley, Tom Keizer, Ed Micalizzi, Mike Krischer, Renee Mitchell, Jim Kindle, and Kathy Kirk. The meeting was called to order at 7:04 P.M.

Mike B. welcomed everyone to the meeting and Tom gave the Treasurer’s Report. In the previous month KBC had $132 in income and $177 in expenses.

Rick noted that the KBC Anniversary Ride will be on Saturday, September 26 and that there is an article about the ride in the September Pedal Press.

There was a brief discussion about obtaining volunteers for KBC activities. Kathy suggested that we consider tapping into high school groups, such as the National Honor Society, who are required to spend a given period of time performing volunteer work.

Further discussions took place concerning how we could attract more spectators to the BTR Criterium Road Race. More food vendors and live music at the event, as well as more publicity prior to the event, were some suggestions. Mike B. pointed out that interviews concerning the 2009 race were conducted with WMUK. Ed noted that Deb Gray, KBC’s the head of KBC publicity, is looking into increasing the number of advertisements for this race. Kathy suggested that we tie in the race with the Tour de France, which will be going on at the same time. Mike K. noted that there were flyers distributed for this year’s KalTour and this race. Victor suggested that we should channel any advertising and PR work through Deb. Jim suggested that we could hold a party after the race and sell tickets for this party at the race.

Mike B. noted that the KBC Funding Request form is being worked on and the plan is to put it in the October Pedal Press for review by KBC members. (Ed. Note: This will appear in a later issue.)

Kathy stated that she would like to get new jerseys for the club. She knows a graphic designer who could design a new jersey for about $100 - $200 and she also noted that that Voler, the company that produced the previous KBC jerseys, could produce 100 or more jerseys with 3 colors, raglan sleeves, and a full zipper for $55 per jersey. Mike B. would like to get an estimate of how many club members are interested in purchasing a jersey. Jim suggested that we get the design first and then ask for pre-orders. Jim also made a motion to authorize Kathy to have the designer work on a jersey design, capping the cost at $200. Ed seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously. Mike B. would like to see some panels of the design and once the design is completed, it will be sent to the KBC board members for review. The design will be discussed further at the October meeting.

Victor would like to encourage members to invite other people to join KBC. He would like to start a program to promote bicycling, realizing that it will take a lot of work. He thinks that this should start during the winter. Mike B. noted that this is similar to what we do for Bike Camp. Renee noted that we not only need to get people on bikes, but that we also need to get them on bikes safely and that this is where Bike Camp is valuable. Ed stated that we are an advocacy group, so we should advocate riding bikes. Mike B. suggested that Victor get a PR plan in place.

Kathy asked if there was any interest in another trash pick-up, similar to the one that took place on May 23. She will investigate this further. Renee noted that the Portage Bikeway Tour is on Sunday, October 11. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 P.M.

The next meeting will take place at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at the Kalamazoo YMCA on Maple Street. All KBC members are welcome to attend.

Rick Whaley for Bill Figeley, Secretary

Masthead

The electronically-distributed KBC PedalPress comes out on or around the first of each month.

If you have an article or a notice that you want to go into the PedalPress, please email it to the newsletter editor, fswhaley@comcast.net by the 20th of the month before its intended publication.

For example, if you'd like an article to be published in the November edition (distributed on or around the first of November), have it to the newsletter editor by the 20th of October.

KBC Statistics

Active subscriptions:

281

New members:

London Crowley • John Green • Donald Miller • Smith Moore • Kyle Patchen • Allen Tans

September Expiring memberships:

Travis Bell • Mike Berry Family • Doug Brewer • Dave Dilno

Renewed memberships:

Lee Anderson • Kathryn Breese • Larry Kissinger • Nancy Vendeville •  David Jarl • H. Knute Jacobson Family • Pam and Doug McDonnell • John Idema • Mark Boese

Paul Bruneau, KBC Database Manager

October's Ride Captain's Report

Dear KBC Friends:

I continue to get phone calls and e-mail enquiries about our club from new riders, and I’m pleased to be able to tell them that our rides will be continuing this season until we switch from Daylight Savings Time.

As most of you are already aware, our October evening rides will all be beginning at 5:30 P.M. sharp.  Even so, it may be getting dark near the end of the longer rides, so please wear visible colors.  You'd be wise also to bring a small blinking taillight.

As I write this evening, the weather has gotten quite cool.  At this time of year, it's best to layer clothing, so that you can make a quick change, if necessary, in the parking lot.  In the fall, as in the spring, remember the ten minute rule: so that you won't overheat during the ride, you should dress so as to be a little cool for the first ten minutes or so of the ride. As temperatures may drop near the end of the rides during the fall, many riders bring arm warmers, which they can slide up their arms halfway through the ride.

Other than the need to remember that, with the low sun, it may be hard for westward heading drivers to see us, and we therefore need to be extra vigilant, there isn't a lot to report.

Personally, I had hoped to be able to offer the Fall Color Ride and the Cyclo-Cross Clinic again this fall, but my October schedule is much busier than I anticipated, and I will have to be traveling some, so I regret I will not be able to organize those rides this October.

Hopefully, the weather will remain good enough that all our other rides will have good turnouts, and we can continue to enjoy cycling many more weeks before the snow flies.

Best regards,

Knute Jacobson, KBC Ride Captain

Editor’s Letter –Taking Stock, then Riding a Brevet

A few weeks ago, I decided to review my goals for the 2009 riding season, goals that I boldly committed to print in the April Pedal Press. I suppose that this was bold only in the sense that someone might actually hold me accountable for them, but, nevertheless, I feel a certain amount of self imposed pressure to achieve most of them. Unfortunately, I had to admit that, other than continuing to resist the temptation to spread Orange Burst GU on a bagel (be strong, Rick, be strong), many of these goals still remained unfulfilled. So, I decided to travel to Columbus, Ohio to do a 300 kilometer randonneuring brevet ride on the Saturday before Labor Day.

"Just what is a randonneuring brevet ride?" you might ask, and let's assume that you are actually asking this. According to the Randonneurs USA website (www.rusa.org) "Randonneuring is long-distance unsupported endurance cycling. This style of riding is non-competitive in nature, and self-sufficiency is paramount." A brevet (pronounced bruh-vay) is typically a ride of 200, 300, 400, 600, or 1200 kilometers. While these rides are non-competitive, they do have to be completed in an allotted period of time; 20 hours for the 300 kilometer brevets. The most famous of these brevets is the Paris-Brest-Paris ride from Paris to Brest, France and back, which takes place every 4 years, the last ride in 2007 and the next ride in (…. and carry the one ….) 2011. I guess one could say that this is the “Le Kahuna Grande” of brevets, if one wants to sound like a French speaking halfwit. Like all 1200 kilometer brevets, the time limit is 90 hours. As a result, sleep is not a high priority, which could be why Rip Van Winkle has never completed Paris-Brest-Paris, but more likely because he is fictitious. The ride began at 6:00 A.M. in the predawn darkness of the Motel 6 parking lot in Grove City, Ohio, conveniently located less than 100 yards from the room where I spent the night. There were 15 of us, all male, including one rider on a recumbent and one rider on a folding bike. We rode through the southern fringes of the Columbus metropolitan area and into the country together, where we were greeted by a pretty sunrise after 20 miles. About 10 miles later, 4 riders slowly and then not so slowly rode off in front of the rest of the group, which was now riding at an 18 to 20 mph pace. This was a little too fast for me, so at the first control point in Washington Court House after 43 miles, I decided that I’d have to start riding my own ride. This turned out to be quite easy to do, as almost all of the riders took a very brief break and were off on their bikes while I was still finishing my bottle of Gatorade. Then, after applying some sunscreen, I began riding to the next control in Hillsboro at mile 74 with the 2 remaining stragglers.

My two riding companions were contrasts in ages, bicycles, and brevet experience. Jonathan was a young rider from Cleveland on the folding bike and had only completed a couple of 200 kilometer brevets. Dave was a 67 year old from Columbus, who had been the former Columbus Randonneuring Brevet Administrator (RBA) and had ridden many brevets over the years including Paris-Brest-Paris. As the flat terrain turned hilly (the fact that we were riding to a town called Hillsboro was a subtle clue that this might happen), Dave told us that he wasn’t a strong hill rider, and Jonathan also began to drop back, so I began riding alone, passing another rider along the way. The last few miles into Hillsboro were a series of moderately long rollers, hard enough to get my attention, and on the outskirts of Hillsboro, I got an extra rest break, as I was stopped by a funeral procession. I had a hard time finding the control stop in Hillsboro, but Dave, Jonathan, and Ron, the rider that I had passed, caught up to me and helped me actually find the control.

At this point, I should mention one of the reasons why “self-sufficiency” is important while riding a brevet. Brevets are not your typical tours with brightly colored painted road markings to direct your way. What you get at a brevet (at least in Columbus) is a cue sheet that a rider uses to negotiate the course. Since a rider needs to consult the cue sheet frequently, I tape a butterfly clip on the stem of my bike and then fold up the cue sheet and place it in the clip so I can read the cue sheet while riding. However, what this doesn’t enable me to do is to read the cue sheet accurately while riding. In the spring of 2006, I rode another 300 kilometer brevet from Columbus on a different course, and various misadventures in cue sheet reading turned a 187 mile ride into a 212 mile ride. So, my experience in Hillsboro confirmed that my cue reading skills had not diminished with age, mainly because I had little cue reading skills to begin with.

Dave began riding to the next control at mile 97 in Greenfield a few minutes ahead of us and Ron started slightly before Jonathan and me. Riding with Jonathan proved to be a good thing, as a few miles later, just past the congestion of Hillsboro, a small town with a surprisingly large amount of traffic, Jonathan shouted out that I needed to make a left turn that I was not about to take. However, Ron was about 100 yards ahead of us, having missed the turn, so I managed to chase him down and get him back on course. We started hitting some hills again, and I passed Jonathan, and eventually caught up with Dave. Dave and I rode a few miles together before he decided to stop and take a rest break at the top of a sneakily tough hill a few miles from Greenfield. This turned out to be the last time that I rode with anyone else during the brevet.

Once I got to Greenfield, I found Bob, the current Columbus RBA, who was doing the ride, and his wife Patti, who, unfortunately, was not doing the ride due to a foot injury, sitting in front of the local Subway, so this became our control stop. The turkey sub and chips that I ate, washed down with a Coke, was what just what I needed to celebrate my almost Century ride. As I was eating, Dave, Jonathan, and Ron showed up and Bob left to begin the next section of the ride to the control at mile 137 in Chillicothe. Soon afterwards, I also began riding again. One of the reasons that I decided to do this ride was because I had ridden this brevet in the fall of 2006 and I knew that it was a scenic ride, particularly the sections between Hillsboro and Chillicothe. While there were some portions of the course that were hazy in my memory, one portion that was crystal clear was Potts Hill Road, which is called Potts Hill Road, as opposed to Potts Valley Road or Potts Flat as a Pancake Road, for a reason. The “Hill” in Potts Hill Road appeared at mile 115 and it is a nasty hill, about a mile in length, with an undulating grade that ranged from moderately steep to extremely steep. I had to walk up the last 1/4 of the hill in 2006, and I vowed to do better this time. I had a score to settle. But, first, I had to ride off course for a couple more miles, just to savor the anticipation of this experience just a little bit longer. However, this only delayed the inevitable, and soon I began to enjoy the Potts Hill riding experience, once again. As I gasped my way up the hill, standing on the pedals in my lowest 39x27 gear, I saw a bend in the road in the distance and knew that if I could get to the bend, the grade decreased and the top of the hill was only a couple hundred yards away. However, I also knew that the grade kicked up quite a lot just before the turn. And I also knew that this was the moment when heroes are made. Unfortunately, the only heroes made that day were the ones that were eaten 18 miles previously, as I couldn’t quite manage the last steep grade. I guess I now have two scores to settle.

Patti was waiting at the top of the hill with water, but, alas, no bottled oxygen, to provide to each suffering rider. She was a secret control, which are unannounced controls to help ensure that a randonneur doesn’t take any shortcuts, such as not actually riding (or walking, as the case may be) up Potts Hill. After a brief stop, I continued riding on a series of moderately long rollers for the next 15 miles, which weren’t exactly doing my body any favors, but followed by an enjoyable and restful gradual downhill on smooth pavement for the last few miles into Chillicothe.

Bob, Patti, and another rider were at the Chillicothe control, when I arrived and Bob and the other rider were just getting ready to leave. Here, I made the decision to forgo a bottle of Gatorade in favor of a Big Gulp of Mountain Dew. Not the smartest decision that I’ve ever made, especially since the temperature had warmed up to the low 80s, so I’ll blame it on effect of Potts Hill. And I paid for it.

As I rolled out of the control and through Chillicothe about 4:20 P.M., to the sound of roaring motorcycles (apparently there was some sort of motorcycle convention going on, lucky us), I knew that my goal of finishing the last 50 miles before the 7:58 P.M. sunset was doable, but I didn’t have a lot of time to spare, since my pedaling furiously miles had long since past. This point was driven home to me soon after I climbed up the last major hill of the ride, several miles north of Chillicothe, when the inside of my left leg began cramping from the back of my knee up through my hamstring. Standing on the pedals helped quite a bit, but it didn’t stop the cramps for reoccurring and I also realized that I hadn’t drunk enough useful fluids at Chillicothe, nor did I have enough water to get me back to Grove City. So, at this point, I came up with two plans. Plan A was to find a place to get water in either Williamsport or Darbyville, two very small towns that I would be riding through on my way to Grove City. Plan B was to knock on someone’s door and beg for water. Fortunately, about 15 miles after the cramps began, I found a grocery store in Williamsport, where I got some water and bought some low calorie Gatorade, because we all know how important it is to watch our calories after riding 160 miles, or perhaps it was because they didn’t have any 20 ounce bottles of regular Gatorade.

Having refreshed myself, I began the final part of the ride. The Gatorade and water took care of the cramps, but since I had lost another 10 minutes in Williamsport, I knew that I was really going to be cutting it close if I wanted to finish by sunset. So, for the last 27 miles of the ride, I kept a close eye on the sun and my watch, as well as the road. Fortunately, I was able to pick up the pace a little bit and the suburban Columbus stoplights were kind, so I was able to roll into the Motel 6 parking lot with 3 minutes to spare at 7:55 P.M. Upon my arrival at the room that was serving as the ride headquarters, I was greeted with a trash can/cooler filled with Blue Moon Ale and I was invited to have one. Now, I should point out that I’m a near teetotaler who consumes about 4 beers a year, but the temptation to drink gourmet beer after a 191 mile bicycle ride (the 4 extra miles due to my aforementioned cue reading skills) was too great to resist. So, as I sat on one of the hotel beds, drinking my reward for the day’s effort, I discovered that the potency of beer appears to increase after riding 191 miles. Fortunately, I resisted the urge to put a hotel lampshade on my head, mainly because it wasn’t worth the effort to actually get up and get one. Soon after drinking the beer, I went back to my motel room to take a shower and came back to eat some pizza that Bob and Patti had kindly bought and to wait with Bob, Patti, and another rider, for the arrival of Dave, Jonathan, and Ron. They appeared together at the hotel room at about 9:45 P.M., riding under the light of a beautiful full moon for the last 25 miles. Soon afterwards, we said our goodbyes and I headed off to bed.

But this was not the end of my brevet adventure. At a little after 2:00 A.M., I was awakened from a sound sleep by a loud knocking at my door. I yelled out “Who is it,” and heard the reply “The front desk.” Getting out of bed and peering out of the keyhole, it was indeed a person wearing a Motel 6 polo shirt, but the more interesting sight was the policeman off to one side behind him. I thought to myself, “Oh-oh, Ohio law requires a rider to turn on a headlight and taillight 30 minutes before sunset, and I turned mine on about 5 minutes too late. It looks like they’ve tracked me down, and now they’re going to take me to The Big House, which in this part of the country most certainly does not mean Michigan Stadium.” I opened the door, but instead of arresting me, the Motel 6 employee asked “Do you have a baby in here?” Since I’m not in the habit of collecting small children when I travel, I answered “No,” and he explained that a women thought that she left her baby in one of the motel rooms, but wasn’t sure which one. So, apparently, they were going from room to room and waking people up to find the missing baby for the Mother of the Decade. A few hours later, I got up again, checked out, and drove to my brother’s house in suburban Dayton to spend the day, before driving back to Portage on Labor Day.

I never did find out if they found the baby, so I guess I’ll have another mystery to savor, just like the taste of an orange Gu’ed bagel.

Rick Whaley, KBC Newsletter Editor

Some Upcoming Area Rides of Interest

Saturday, October 10 – Colorburst, Lowell. 17, 30, 62, and 100 miles (dirt options). (616) 245-3341 or www.rapidwheelmen.com/colorburst.

Sunday, October 11 - Portage Bikeway Color Tour. 6 and 11 miles. (269) 329-4522.

Classified Ads

NEW: For Sale: Somec Time Trial Bike. Very well cared for 1999 Somec 54 cm time trial “funny bike.” 54 cm seat tube (c-c) and 26 inch (650) front wheel. Makes a really quick time trial or tri bike. Bladed front wheel (sew up) and rear wheel covering. Cow horn handlebars with aero bar attachments. The equipment is as follows:

• Campy Nuvo record shifters/shimano brake levers
• Campy Chorus Crank (55-46)
• Campy Nuvo record front and rear derailleur
• Campy side pull brakes
• Mavic bars and cinelli stem
• Campy Record pedals and straps
• 7 Speed 12-19 rear freewheel
• Campy Record seat post

If you are interested give us a call – Chris Barnes 327-8972 or barnesmc@charter.net.

For Sale: 2009 Trek 7.6FX hybrid road bike, 57cm frame, ridden 550 miles. Aluminum frame, carbon fiber fork and seat post, 700 x 28c wheels, 50-39-30 triple, 11-26 (9 speed) rear cassette. Welgo clipless SPD pedals. Includes Bontrager Interchange rear rack, expandable rack bag and bar ends. Asking $875. Call Mike at 269-365-8425.

Wanted: Looking for used "starter" tandem bike and also a used adult 3-wheel bike. Call Teresa Arndd at (616) 862-4769.

For Sale: Early '60's Schwinn bikes, Men's Collegiate 5 speed, Women’s Breeze 5 speed, all original including Schwinn tires! No rust, chrome is immaculate! Some paint blemishes. Collectors would love these; I'd rather sell them to someone local. Call Mike at 385-0196.

Tri-bike, Titanium LightSpeed Catalyst, 56 cm frame, aero bar shifters, 105 Shimano components. $800. Call Mike at 327-0387.

Rockymountain 56cm Solo 30AC, aluminum and carbon (rear-triangle). The bike has 105 10-speed components throughout and Easton EC90SLX carbon fork (330gr); wheels are Richey DS Pro. The bike is in great shape with less than 500 miles on it. Looking to get $1200 or best offer. Call Jeff at 269-965-3560.

Shop Notes

Alfred E Bike

320 East Michigan, Kalamazoo, (269) 349-9423
www.aebike.com

Billy's Bike Shop

63 East Battle Creek Street, Galesburg, (269) 665-5202 www.billysbikeshop.com

Breakaway Bicycles

185 Romence at Westnedge, Portage, (269) 324-5555, www.breakawaybicycles.com

Custer Cyclery

104 North Augusta, Augusta, (269) 731-3492

Gazelle Sports

214 South Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo, (269) 342-5996,
www.Gazellesports.com

Daylight Saving Time ends November 1. Do you have all the reflective items you need for low light running, walking, or riding? Gazelle Sports has reflective and LED driven vests, bands, tape, and lights. Be safe. Be seen.

Team Active

22 W Michigan, Battle Creek, 1-800-841-9494
www.teamactive.com

Village Cyclery

US 131 in Schoolcraft, 679-4242
www.villagecyclery.com

Zoo City Cycle & Sports

4328 South WEstnedge, Kalamazoo (269) 552-3000

Bicycling Safety Disclaimer

Important: Riding a bicycle is an inherently dangerous activity. There are risks of injury or death. You could ride over something and fall, or get hit by an automobile or strike or be struck by another bicyclist. There are many other dangers to bicycling as well.

While nothing can eliminate all risks associating with bicycle riding, to minimize the danger, make sure you and your bicycle are in good riding condition. Know the rules of the road and also of the group you’re riding with, and ride in a manner consistent with the protocols of that group. Always wear a bike helmet, use bike lights if riding in the dawn, dusk or dark, and consider purchasing and riding with additional safety equipment such as reflectors and rear view mirrors.