Kalamazoo Bicycle Club
Pedal Press

December 2014 President’s Letter

Elections and Appointments

It has been quite a month at the world headquarters of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club. After the whirlwind fall election campaign, club members who came to the November Monthly Meeting unanimously voted into office an Executive Committee slate consisting of Zolton Cohen, President; Doug Kirk, Vice President: John Olbrot, Treasurer; and Mike Boersma, Secretary.

I feel I can speak on behalf of the Executive Committee when I say we are pleased to serve the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club and look forward to our next year in office. You put your trust in us and we will endeavor to live up to your expectations as we move the club forward. On a personal note, I want to thank and recognize Doug, John, and Mike for agreeing to put in the time their jobs require. Without their input, insight, and advice the club would not be what it is today.

In addition to the Executive Committee, the rest of the Board of Directors consists of appointed positions, and I am pleased to list the names of those who have agreed to staff their posts for the upcoming year. They are:

Newsletter Editor: Rick Whaley
Membership Database Administrator: David Jones
Social Director: Kathleen Kroll
Director of Road Safety: Paul Selden
Webmaster: Cullen Stevenson
Education Chair: Renee Mitchell
Insurance Coordinator: Terry O'Connor
Awards Committee Chair: Bob Allwardt
Race Team Delegate: To Be Announced

Are you surprised at the number of people it requires to run our bike club? While it doesn't take an entire village, you could put together a pretty good sized peloton consisting of just our Board of Directors. Thank you to all of you; your commitment, energy and good will contribute greatly to the success of KBC.

Proposed Constitutional Changes

Immediately after the election was held at the November meeting, we all got down to work crafting and drafting two important constitutional change proposals. They consist of:

1) A Bylaw addition that would prohibit firearms from club rides and other activities.

2) An addition to Article 3 (Membership) in the Constitution that would give the club a mechanism to revoke the membership of an individual who chooses not to abide by the club's Constitution, its Bylaws, or the Michigan Vehicle Code as it pertains to bicyclists.

Here is the exact wording of the proposed changes:

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Article 11, Bylaws

8. Firearms are prohibited at Kalamazoo Bicycle Club rides, parties and all other activities, with the exception of firearms required to be worn by law enforcement personnel.

Article 3, Membership

Section 3-D

Membership in the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club can be revoked for a member failing to abide by the Club's Constitution, its Bylaws or the Michigan Vehicle Code as it pertains to bicyclists. Any Club member may petition any member of the Board of Directors and ask for the revocation of Club membership of any other member. Such a request must be in writing. A full explanation of why revocation is sought must be provided.

The Executive Committee shall meet in a special session to discuss the membership in question and allow the identified member an opportunity to present evidence before deciding whether to grant such a petition. A quorum of votes by the Executive Committee is needed for revocation of a membership. Upon voting for revocation, the member must be informed in writing that he or she has had membership, and Club privileges, revoked. Revocation, if it occurs, will be effective immediately following the Executive Committee's vote.

A membership revocation will be in effect for the period of one year, after which the revoked member may reapply for membership in the Club.

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These were not easy amendments to draft. But the process we went through was as thorough and thoughtful as it was passionate. Everyone in the room during the two-plus hour meeting had his or her say. At the end of the day, we felt these proposals best serve and reflect the club's long term interests. I was pleased at how well, and how respectfully, we were able to work with one another to delve into these tough issues.

Are the proposals perfect? No. Nothing ever is. But at least we now have a framework in place to deal with some substantial concerns that have come up recently and may do so again in the future. One important item that surfaced during the discussion is the fact that we expect these constitutional amendments to be invoked only exceedingly rarely - if ever. In general - and I say this from the standpoint of almost 20 years worth of experience with the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club - we are people who respect one another and the law.

But if these amendments pass membership vote and if something does come up, we will have a way of dealing with it that is fair, reasonable, well thought-out, and not arbitrary.

With all that said, I request that you come to the December meeting in order to vote for these proposals. Constitutional changes require a 2/3 majority of votes from members who attend the meeting at which the proposals are presented. I will point out that there will be no discussion at that meeting regarding the proposals; they have already been passed by the Board of Directors to be presented for membership voting at the December meeting.

Zolton Cohen, KBC President

KBC's Friend of Bicycling Award Nominee

Voting for the KBC's 2015 Friend of Bicycling Award will take place at the next KBC Monthly Meeting on December 9, 2014. You must be a member of the KBC and be present at the meeting to vote. We have one nominee for this year's award, the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study.

In September 2014, the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study (KATS) committee members and staff formally adopted the area's first metropolitan planning organization-wide Complete Streets Policy. Members of the KATS Policy Committee and Technical Committee worked from the beginning of the year to craft a workable policy. One of the main goals of the KATS Complete Streets Policy is to incorporate the needs of all legal users, including bicyclists, in the planning process for roadway, transit, and non-motorized projects when allocating federal transportation funds.

A lot hard work and thought went into the policy by many community-minded individuals. Thanks to KATS, local governments will be able to strengthen our transportation network so that it is more likely to meet the needs of all legal users, including bicyclists.

Bob Allwardt, KBC's Friend of Bicycling Awards Committee Chair

A Letter to the KCRC and Oshtemo Township - Stutter Bumps on 12th Street

Many of you have no doubt noticed that 12th Street south of Parkview was closed a few weeks ago for repaving. You may also have noticed that the repaving included stutter bumps carved into the pavement of both shoulders, exactly where most bicyclists want to ride.

The following letter was therefore sent to both the Kalamazoo County Road Commission and Oshtemo Township expressing our dismay. We plan to report to the KBC membership further on this matter once we hear from the road commission.

Ms. Joanna Johnson, Managing Director, KCRC
3801 E. Kilgore Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49002

Ms. Libby Heiny-Cogswell
Oshtemo Township Supervisor
7275 W. Main St.
Kalamazoo, MI 49009

November 19, 2014      Re: New Asphalt on S. 12 St.

Dear Ms. Johnson & Ms. Heiny-Cogswell

This letter is the product of a resolution approved by the entire Executive Committee of the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club as well as every member present at the Club's November 12, 2014 monthly meeting. If this letter would be better directed to another person or agency, please let us know. We take the matter set forth below very seriously.

As bicyclists, we were shocked and dismayed to find stutter bumps carved into the shoulders of the new asphalt just applied to 12th St. south of Parkview. We have no objection to stutter bumps under the center stripe (since we don't ride there), but in the shoulder these bumps are extremely dangerous to bicyclists. Worse, these particular bumps are placed exactly where bicyclists would normally ride, which is 6 inches to 18 inches to the right of the fog line.

KCRC's own signs admonish motorists on S. 12th St. to "Share the Road" with bicyclists, so we cannot help but wonder why anyone would carve these dangerous divots right where cyclists ride. Worse yet, this was done without taking the time to engage us, as Kalamazoo's primary non-motorized advocacy group, in the decision making process.

Frankly, with all the contact this year between KCRC and the bicycling community, particularly regarding KCRC's own non-motorized policy and KATS's Complete Streets Policy, we cannot imagine how the KCRC would decide to grind these bumps into the shoulder of a road you have already signed as a bike route without communicating with us about it in advance. Here are a few of bad the things about stutter bumps:

1. They fill with water, which freezes, resulting in a very dangerous condition for single-track vehicles. Water also trickles out the edges of the bumps and refreezes, creating dangerous little rivers of ice.
2. Sudden or unexpected contact with these bumps for single-track vehicles, even when dry, is a recipe for loss of control and a fall with an excellent chance of serious personal injury. This is especially true for new or inexperienced bicyclists.
3. These stutter bumps force bicyclists to choose between riding to the left side (where the road surface is cleaner, has less gravel and dangerous road debris, and generally is in better condition) or to the right (where the surface will break up sooner, always has more road debris, and generally receives inferior maintenance and plowing compared to the more travelled portion of the road).

In short, stutter bumps in the shoulder of any road open to non-motorized users, especially a road which you expect to be used frequently by bicyclists, is not only a bad idea, these bumps constitute the creation of a dangerous and defective road condition.

Please fill in these stutter bumps as soon as possible. Further, please take steps to open communication with the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club about matters such as this that directly affect non-motorized transportation users (and, in this case, have NO impact on motor vehicles that stay within their traffic lanes). Please, no more stutter bumps in the shoulder of a road. We trust we will hear from you about this promptly!

Sincerely,

Zolton Cohen, Kalamazoo Bicycle Club President; zcohen@ameritech.net
Douglas Kirk, Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Vice President; dgkirk52@gmail.com
Michael Boersma, Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Secretary; m_e_boersma@voyager.net
John Olbrot, Kalamazoo Bicycle Club Treasurer; john.olbrot@sbcglobal.net
Cc: Chris Barnes, c/o City of Portage; Josh DeBruin, c/o MDOT

Doug Kirk, KBC Vice-President

2015 KBC Winter Recovery Party

The KBC's Social Director, Kathleen Kroll, reports that the 2015 edition of the KBC Winter Recovery Party will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the Eckert Wordell office in the downtown Haymarket Building, the same location as last year. More information will be provided in the January 2015 Pedal Press.

CMS Race Team Report

There Is No More Off Season

It used to be that after the final road races in early September the season was done. That is unless you were still training for Iceman in early November. And then cyclocross came along (and, yes, I know that cyclocross is an old discipline of cycling and it's not just a recent invention ... though it is a recent trend) and pushed the end of the season out until early December. And that wasn't good enough. Because in recent years with the explosion of popularity in fat bikes and fat bike races, the season is now pushed out until March with multiple race series happening around the region, e.g., www.funpromotions.com/events.html and www.greatlakesfatbikeseries.com/schedule. All of this, just in time for Melting Mann on March 8, 2015 (organized by our teammate Mark Write and sponsored by the team) and Barry-Roubaix on March 28, 2015. Then, the road season starts all over again.

All of these races beg the question, "Who needs recovery?" Recovery is a key part of the season. It gives time to undo all the damage done to your body over the previous season. Without this recovery time, burnout can easily strike. And for some of the more motivated cyclists, it can hit early and hard. To me, the answer is to have a prime race season and a secondary one. Cyclocross is fun ... Iceman is fun ... fat bike races are fun, though some may disagree with all of these. Depending on the day, I may disagree with all of these, as well. And to me that's the point. These events offer a fun distraction from riding endless miles on the trainer in zone 1 and 2. They're a fun way to get an intense workout in and hang out with some friends who, unfortunately, are rarely seen outside of the summer months. But, I can't make them my primary focus or I would be cooked come April. In the end, it comes down to this ... train hard ... recover just as hard ... and have some fun.

Iceman

Shortly after last month's Pedal Press was published it was time for the 25th annual Iceman Cometh Challenge, the country's largest point to point mountain bike race (3955 racers finished). It runs on single track and two-track in the forest between Kalkaska and Traverse City (29.5 miles). It was also my first time. It was in a word ... brutal. I stood at the starting line in the rain with a trash bag around me, my broken shoe covers in the garbage, my Lake MKZ-303 boots in the car, and my gloves already wet. I was nervous, not so much for the race, but rather for my extremities. The race started and I was actually quite warm. Warm enough to unzip my vest and leave it that way for the rest of the race. I felt awesome for the first 2 hours and found that my fat bike really helped to navigate (smash through) the seas of mud and muck, and to make my way around other riders by using the less desirable parts of the trail. The last 45 minutes was a slow decent (or maybe that was just my speed) into misery, as I slowly lost feeling in my hands and feet to the point that they were useless. The hills somehow got steeper, and though it felt like my brakes were rubbing, it turns out I was just that tired. It felt like a cruel joke to ride by the finish only to be guided back into the woods with another half-mile of riding to go. At the end I was a cold, tired, broken man. I collected my bag, rode to my car, and drove home. No hanging with buddies, no beers, no party. I vowed to never do it again. Until that night, when I decided I would totally do it again next year. Apparently time heals all wounds. If you haven't already seen this it's a great write up from Pinkbike.com at www.pinkbike.com/news/harbinger-of-winter-the-iceman-cometh-2014.html.

Lots of guys on the team had some truly impressive times.

Ray Fulkerson - 2:12:02 - 2nd Men Age 55
Henry Kuhnen - 2:17:08 - 4th Men Age 25-27
Tyler Weston - 2:17:09 - 8th Men Age 30-31
Jake Grevenstuk - 2:18:24 - 9th Men Single Speed (Age <39)
Pete Post - 2:19:21 - 5th Men Age 48
Joe Thomas - 2:21:48 - 67th Men Pro Cat 1
Jon Ballema - 2:48:20 - 25th Men Icebike
Jesse Kooistra - 2:51:15 - 28th Men Age 19-24
Steve Prendergast - 2:54:01 - 33rd Men Icebike
Jamie Clark - 2:56:07 - 37th Men Icebike
Dave Keyte - 3:13:32 - 50th Men Age 46
Tom Noverr - 3:43:23 - 46th Men Age 58-59
Andy Louwert - Mechanical

I'm sure I forgot at least someone, so if I did, then I apologize.

Henry Kuhnen, Pete Post, and Jake Grevenstuk

Ray Fulkerson

For the full results go to www.iceman.com/events/1965956-2014-iceman/event_scoring_results.

Stay warm, my friends,

Jon Ballema

November Monthly Meeting Minutes

Members present: Rick Whaley, Jon Ballema, Bob Allwardt, Marc Irwin, Tom Keiser, Gordy Vader, David Jones, Dale Krueger, John Shubnoy, John Olbrot, Kathleen Kroll, Michael Krischer, Terry O'Connor, Kathy Kirk, Zolton Cohen, Doug Kirk, Jeff Newman, and Mike Boersma.

1. Welcome and Announcements.
2. Officer Reports: Treasurer John Olbrot reported income of $89.00 and expenses of $23.06, leaving $9484.22 in the KBC checking account and $11, 141.14 in the KBC Certificate of Deposit.

   John Olbrot also reported that the KBC PayPal account is in the process of being turned over to him from Paul Bruneau.

3. Executive Committee elections: The slate of Zolton Cohen, President; Doug Kirk, Vice President; John Olbrot, Treasurer; and Mike Boersma, Secretary was elected.
4. Discussion of Constitutional change proposals dealing with firearms and membership: Zolton Cohen proposed changes to the KBC bylaws and Constitution related to the possession of firearms on KBC rides and the process by which KBC membership could be revoked for KBC members possessing firearms legally or otherwise on KBC rides.

   There was a discussion as to whether the bylaws change should be limited to firearms or should the change include other devices such as Tasers, pepper spray, or other non-lethal or less than lethal devices. There was also discussion as to other acts that might rise to the level of membership revocation other than legal or illegal possession of firearms on KBC rides. Mike Krischer, Marc Irwin, Jeff Newman, Jon Ballema, Mike Boersma, John Olbrot, and Zolton Cohen, Rick Whaley, and Kathleen Kroll participated in this discussion.

   There was a discussion as to the proposed Constitutional amendment and the process by which KBC general membership could be revoked. The discussion centered on whether the full KBC board of directors should be involved in the process or whether the KBC Executive Committee should be involved in the process. Jeff Newman, Mike Krischer, John Olbrot, Rick Whaley, Mike Boersma, Tom Keiser, and Doug Kirk participated in this discussion.

   Zolton offered to change the membership language to include safety practices. The language was posted on the KBC Facebook page for public comment.

   ACTION ITEM: Doug Kirk moved for the language changes. Mike Krischer seconded.

   Discussion: Rick Whaley inquired about the publicity and openness of the process and whether the person making the accusation of the violation of the KBC bylaw and the person accused of violating the bylaw would be made public. Zolton indicated that the process would be through the Executive committee. John Olbrot requested that there not be reimbursement of membership fees should a membership be revoked.

   MOTION PASSES

5. Old Business: Zolton read a letter to the editor from member Dave DeBack published in the Kalamazoo Gazette referencing the Van Burn County Road Commission's new policy of requiring parade permits for bicycling events.

   Bob Allwardt discussed the Awards Committee awards nominations.

6. New Business: Doug Kirk read a proposed letter to the Kalamazoo County Road Commission regarding stutter bumps on 12th Street and KBC's opposition to them.

   ACTION ITEM: Jeff Newman moved that this letter be sent.

   MOTION PASSES.

   Gordy Vader requested that Dana White be added to the KBC Facebook page.

   David Jones discussed e-mail bounces.

   Rick Whaley discussed Recovery Party dates.

Jeff Newman moved to Adjourn.

Respectfully Submitted,

Mike Boersma, KBC Secretary

Statistics

Active Subscriptions:
277

New members:

Expiring memberships:

Lee Anderson · Mike Birmann Family · Derek Dalzell · Rob Schell · Steve Stapleton

Renewed memberships:

Roger Behnke

David Jones, KBC Database Manager

Editor's Letter - The Not That Old Man and the Chain

A couple of years ago, I was having a conversation with our current KBC President and Vice-President, when the topic turned to the process of furniture building (by our club's President) and bicycle frame building (by our club's Vice-President). I thought about pulling my share of the conversational load by bringing up those times when I've engaged in the process of salad building at all-you-can-eat buffets, but I wisely remained silent. Lettuce remains (and romaines, so to speak) an inferior artistic medium in comparison with wood or metal.

I'm not very good with my hands. I find them to be very useful when it comes to feeding myself or typing Editor's Letters, but actually working with them, not so much. This is probably why I'm not anyone's idea of a bicycle mechanic. But, occasionally, I get the chance to practice what little skills I have, although I sometimes regret it

As you may have noticed, it's been snowing lately, which means that the stationary bicycle training season has begun. And after hopping on my 1980 Fuji, my bicycle of choice for stationary bicycle training, I very soon discovered what I had conveniently forgot about after the end of the last SBT season; that my chain was sometimes skipping and also falling from time to time when shifting from the smaller to larger chainring. Neither of these issues was enhancing my SBT experience. And during my third indoor ride of the season, while watching and hoping that the Bears would actually play some football, my chain fell off numerous times, and I cut my ride short. "Goodness gracious, you naughty bicycle chain," I exclaimed, or words to that effect, "Why are you vexing me so?" Then answer appeared to be rather obvious; I had put on a new chain last SBT season, the chain had stretched, and there now was too much slack in it. I needed to remove a couple of links.

"I can do this," I thought. After all, I had put on a SRAM chain with a master link for ease of removal. (Spoiler alert: "Ease" should be in quotation marks. No, not that "ease," ""Ease"" would look pretty stupid. The previous "ease." Actually, the "ease" 6 eases ago. Unless "eases" is counted as an "ease," and now we're up to 10 eases ago. Okay, I think we're good.) I also had an old, rusted chain tool that had been rarely used, but not woefully underused. Oh, yes indeed, I can do this.

My first inkling that this was not going to be as easy as I thought was after 15 minutes of futilely attempting to separate the master link. So, I decided just to ignore the master link and remove a couple of links using my chain tool. I was a fool.

For those of you who have never had the opportunity or the desire to use a chain tool, the chain is placed in position within the tool so that the chain pin on a link is pushed out of the chain by what can be thought of as a mini-battering ram at the end of a screw. By turning the screw, the battering ram pushes against the pin until it is removed from the link. In theory. In practice, unless the battering ram is perfectly aligned against the pin as the pin is driven out, the pin will also will begin to separate the outer plate from the chain. That is not a good thing and I soon realized, unsurprisingly enough, that my skill set did not include lining up the battering ram perfectly against the pin. But I eventually removed a small segment of the chain, leaving a rather unsightly link at the end of the chain to be dealt with later.

However, because I couldn't bother to think this through, I discovered another problem. In a chain, the outer plates alternate with inner plates and I was now going to be attempting to attach two inner plates to each other when the time came to connect the chain again. So, I repeated the above process with the same repeated problems (who says you learn by doing) and removed one more link. I had now spent only 2 hours of my life on this project and it was time for a well deserved rest. At least the Bears had won, not that I had been paying much attention.

Shortly after getting out of my cycling clothes and taking a shower, I was back at it. At this point, I realized that I had yet another problem that I should have anticipated, but didn't. When separating a chain, it is important to not entirely remove the pin from the plate, but, of course, I had done so. Once a pin is removed, it is very difficult to put it back in, particularly when the chain is back on the bicycle. So, I decided that my best strategy was to connect the chain with it off my bike, again attempt to separate the chain at the master link, and then put the chain back on.

In theory, the best way to put the chain pin back in is with the chain tool. I found that the best way to put the pin back in was with a hammer. The right tool for the right job, that's what I always say. I also repositioned the outer plate that had been sticking out of the chain with the same wonder tool. Then I attempted to separate the master link again. And again. And again. Almost an hour later, I decided to call it quits for the time being.

The following Friday, I began Chapter 2 of my adventures in bicycle chain repair; a short story that had become a novella; a struggle of man again nature, defining nature loosely, of almost Hemingway-eque proportion, not that I'm one to overdramatize. A couple months earlier, I had started working 4 days a week with Fridays off, easing into retirement. Some people retire to spend more time with their family, but I had decided to spend more time with my bicycle chain. Before I began, I did some research, complements of the fount of all human knowledge, the internet. I found some instructions and some videos for removing a SRAM master link. Surely, these would guide my way.

The instructions and videos told me what I already suspected; that you squeeze the outer plates of the master link slightly while sliding each plate in the opposite direction. The instructions suggested that I should squeeze the plates with one hand while sliding the plates with the other hand. This also suggested that the author of these instructions owns the only bicycle in the world that uses a chain with links that are three inches long. The videos more reasonably showed the narrator removing the link using one hand, as I had been attempting to do. They made it look easy. These narrators also noted that the link should be degreased before attempting to separate it, something that I hadn't thought of before, so I did so. Victory was soon to be mine, I thought.

Oh, how those videos mocked me. Another hour later, with irritated thumb and index fingertips to show for my effort, I surrendered and took the chain to a bike shop, so that they could separate it. At the bike shop, an employee easily separated the chain using a master link tool. It was amazing. I had to have one.

I returned to my house with my own master link tool in hand and a decision to make. I could either continue to work on my chain or go riding outside in the cold and slushy, albeit sunny, 30 degree weather, and wait until the next day to work on my bike. It was an easy decision. Off riding I went.

The next morning, it was time for Chapter 3 of what was becoming my epic novel. I put my Fuji on the stationary trainer, connected the chain on the bike, and observed that there was still quite a bit of slack in the chain when it was in the lower chainring. I got on the bike and rode through all of the gears, and while the bike shifted well between chainrings, it did not shift well in the smaller cassette sprockets while on the smaller chainring. When the bike was in the larger chainring and in the largest cassette sprocket, the guide pulleys were horizontal to each other. This indicated to me that taking more links out of the chain was not the solution, so I turned my attention to the derailleur.

To my uneducated eye, it appeared that the attachment of the derailleur to the bicycle frame was not as tight as it should have been, so I loosened it, tightened it, tested the chain, and repeated the process ad nauseum with the help of some degreaser. At one point, I thought that it would be helpful to remove the chain and so I did, using my new master link tool. The chain separated immediately, proving to me, as if I needed any more convincing, that the master link tool is a worthy addition to the pantheon of the greatest labor saving inventions of all time, such as the cotton gin, the washing machine, and the Clapper. Two hours later, the chain was still slacker than I would have liked, but at least it now ran rather smoothly; and I like to think of it as a job half done, as opposed to a job half not done.

However, in the course of doing even more research, I discovered that there is an item called the "rear derailleur chain tension screw." Who knew and don't all raise your hands at once. Could this be the key to my problem? Maybe I should find out. In any case, it's good to have a hobby that will keep me occupied this winter.

Rick Whaley, KBC Newsletter Editor

Classified Ads

TWO CoMotion Nor'wester touring bikes with couplers (frames split in half for easy packing) AND matching factory "suitcase" bags (for air travel/shipping).

(1) 60 cm (brown) and (1) 56 cm (blue). Bikes are otherwise identical. We purchased these bikes new in 2002, but upgraded in 2012 to Shimano 105 10 speed drivetrains (34 x 50 chainwheels and 12 x 27 cassettes).

Bikes include King headsets, Avid cantilever brakes, and Continental 28 mm Gatorskin tires on nearly new hand built wheels with Shimano hubs, Mavic Open 4 rims, and DT spokes. These are great bikes, not a thing wrong with them. Screw on your pedals and hit the highway! Asking $2,000 each, or let's wheel and deal for the pair!

Contact either of us and come take a look:
Doug Kirk @ 269 370 9990; e-mail dgkirk52@gmail.com.
Kathy Kirk @ 269 388 5045; e-mail klkirk617@gmail.com.

2009 Greenspeed GT3 Series II Trike.

Less than 100 hours on this trike. Like new condition. Stored in a heated basement. Toe clips, integrated Vetta odometer, and several other upgrades. Pictures available at www.recumbentriders.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14356. Also included is a 2011 Kenetic trainer for this trike with the optional flywheel. $1500. NO SHIPPING. Contact Terry Horwath (616) 855-6211 or terry.horwath@live.com.

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
www.custercyclery.com

Gazelle Sports

214 South Kalamazoo Mall, Kalamazoo, (269) 342–5996,
www.Gazellesports.com
It's here at last! Gazelle Sports' customer rewards program called MyGazelle Rewards.
Learn how to earn points toward money off your future Gazelle Sports purchases at http://www.gazellesports.com/mygazelle.

Kzoo Swift

445 Forest St, Kalamazoo, (269) 929-8053.
www.kzooswift.com

Pedal

611 W Michigan Avenue, Kalamazo, (269) 56–PEDAL
info@pedalbicycle.com and www.pedalbicycle.com
"Everyone sounds stoned, because they're e-mailing people the whole time they're talking to you." - Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad

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
www.zoocitycycle.com

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.