29ner.com & iBike.us

National Park Service will work with Norwalk River Valley Trai

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:41:00 +0000

Norwalk to Receive Assistance for River Valley Trail

The National Park Service announced today that it will work with the Friends of Norwalk River Valley Trail, Inc., to build a trail along the Norwalk River connecting the Long Island Sound to Danbury. The assistance comes as part of the agency’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program.
This 27-mile, multi-use trail will provide a scenic route for cyclists, hikers and walkers and connect rail stations, schools, offices and the Weire Farm National Historic Site. The RTCA will help a Steering Committee prepare early actions to be implemented as soon as a routing study has been completed.
Under the RTCA program, the National Park Service helps communities and neighborhoods to preserve valuable open spaces, revitalize nearby rivers, and develop trail and greenway networks in order to reconnect Americans to nature. This year’s projects were selected from the most competitive field of requests ever received by the agency.
To read more about this and other Connecticut projects benefiting from federal assistance, click here.

Visit to NYC DEC 30th 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:16:00 +0000

NYC Dec 30th 2011

Apple Store from the Core

Berg Dorf Window

Great deal on cycling socks. $2.50 a pair. No minimum

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:23:00 +0000

I ordered these on Wednesday and they came Friday. I saw an advertisement on www.mtbr.com. They had a coupon for 75% off . Its now 70% ( still a great deal but on the NLZ Wear website you can still order in quantities at 75% off. With shipping I paid about $60.00 for 20 pairs. I have not found a better deal anywhere.They will also make custom prints ( $150.00 one time charged being waived right now)
Just make sure you ad the Coupon Code on check out. They take CC cards and Paypal.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is studying whether to add a multi-use trail to the Merritt Parkway.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:06:00 +0000

The Connecticut Department of Transportation plans a $1.3 million study to decide if a Multi-Use Trail alongside the Merritt Parkway makes sense.
The proposed trail would stretch 37.5-miles from the New York State border in Greenwich to the Sikorsky Bridge and Housatonic River in Stratford. It would follow the undeveloped highway right-of-way and use the already existing wooded buffer between the roadway and abutting properties, according to the department.
“One of our goals is that it celebrates the Parkway and isn’t just a means to go from point A to point B,” said Will Britnell, a principal engineer with the department’s state highway design unit. “It’s a very different viewpoint when you walk along the road. There is the potential for exploration of the Parkway you don’t get at 50 or 60 miles an hour.”
David Kooris, of the Regional Plan Association, lauds the study. The nonprofit urban planning research and education center said a trail could create needed green space.
“This study marks a sea change in the DOT. For decades, they refused to contemplate the trail because of an adherence to the idea that they would one day need to expand the parkway,” Kooris said. “Finally, they realize that this will never happen and the creation of transportation alternatives near the county is a more essential and less intrusive strategy that will add far more value to our communities than two more lanes of highway.”
ConnDot will hold information sessions during the next 18 months where trail advocates and opponents can offer suggestions. But first the department will meet with town officials from the eight towns along the Merritt Parkway.
Britnell expects residents living along the parkway to be wary about a trail that abuts their backyard. Other concerns will likely have include security, in particular access to the trail and nearby roads.
It’s a highly trafficked road, and not just by cars.
Deer and coyote have been spotted along the Parkway, and even a mountain lion. The department will therefore document environmentally sensitive areas and come up with ways to avoid them. If the plan goes forward the department will coordinate with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the State Historic Preservation Commission.
Aside from conservation, cost is of concern.
“I expect it will be very, very expensive. I don’t even want to put a price tag on it,” Britnell said
If the project eventually wins approval the department will seek grants to help defray the costs. A National Scenic Byways Program grant covered 80 percent of the current study. State monies are funding the rest.
For those asking why ConnDot chose now to launch the study, Britnell said the concept actually dates back to the Parkway’s construction. However, it got sidelined and sidetracked over the past several decades. Then, in recent years greenway advocates resurrected the trail concept.
“It’s been kicking around for a while,” Britnell said. “Bike advocates have brought it up if not forever, for at least the past 10 years.”
If done correctly, the trail would feed into the county's growing trail system, Kooris said. It could complement the East Coast Greenway running from Maine to Florida. And, as Kooris dares to dream, the Merritt trail could someday connect the Mianus, Rippowam, Norwalk, Saugatuck, Pequonnock and Housatonic greenways.
“Many of the north-south trails are under construction to some degree so this future is not so far fetched,” he said. “In short, the trail will be a phenomenal asset to the county and state which suffer from a lack of greenways and off-road trails.”

About this column: Metro-North, Merritt Parkway, I-95 and all other things transportation in the area. Related Topics: Bicycle Trails in Fairfield County, Connecticut Transportation Department, Hiking Trails in Fairfield County, Merrit Parkway, and Merrit Parkway Trail

Cannondale Super Six Ultegra looks like a nice bike !

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:53:00 +0000

I am looking to get a carbon framed bike to replace the Giant TCR Ultegra.

Please Support NEMBA and Donate to NEMBA's Annual Fund

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:50:00 +0000

Amazon Shoppers: Begin Your Shopping Using NEMBA Amazon Link to Support NEMBA

We urge Amazon shoppers to use our Amazon affiliation link. We also have affiliations with over 700 online stores through iGive.com. Your online purchases help us to help create more places for us to ride! Use this link to find many other online stores that will support NEMBA as you shop. Shop Amazon now ....

NEMBA New Riding Jersey

Just in time for the holidays, we present our newest riding jersey. Order now ...

Donate Your Change to NEMBA

How about a little change for NEMBA? We're participating in a new program that will round up your credit or debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the amounts to the New England Mountain Bike Association. The easiest way to do good every time you buy! . Learn More and register with SwipeGood ..

Be carefull in the woods !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:24:00 +0000

900-Lumen LED Bike Light Set Price: $79.99 free shipping

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:59:00 +0000

DX official video of this product:	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6uNn3SlSXc
Model:	MJ-808
Emitter Brand/Type:	Seoul Semiconductors SSC
Emitter BIN:	P7-C-SXO
Color BIN:	White
Total Emitters:	1
Battery Configurations:	Powered by a separate rechargeable battery pack with 0.8" LCD display digital indicator (4 x 18650 lithium batteries inside)
Voltage Input:	8.4V max
Switch Type:	Clicky (Clickie)
Switch Location:	Tailcap (Tail-cap)
Modes:	3
Mode Memory:	-
Mode Arrangement:	Hi 900LM > Low 500LM > SOS
Circuitry:	Digital Regulated 1000mA Current Output
Brightness:	900 lumens maximum brightness (manufactuer rated)
Runtime:	Hi:3 hours; Low: 4.5 hours (manufactuer rated)
Lens:	Coated Glass Lens
Reflector:	Aluminum Textured/OP Reflector
Special Function:	With Circuit Protection
Carrying Strap:	-
Accessories Included:	100V~240V AC charger (US plug), 2 * Rubber rings

Steve Jobs has passed away

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 23:50:00 +0000

Kenda is awsum. Defective tire- replaced after showing them a few pics and a video.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:36:00 +0000

WOW, great deal on bike team shorts and jersey bundle $35.00 free shipping

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:29:00 +0000

Garmin Cervelo Team Short Sleeves Bicycle Bike Riding Suit Sports Clothes Set

(Size-XXL/175-185cm)

Many sizes and team colors available.

Engin Cycles ! Look at these sweet Bikes........

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 01:19:00 +0000

About Us

Mission

WHY CHOOSE ENGIN CYCLES?
A love of the bicycle is at the heart and soul of Engin Cycles. Our mission is to build bicycles that appeal to people both as a work of craft and as a machine that can be ridden and ridden often. Thanks for visiting the site and we hope you like what you see.
Each bicycle is built one at a time with a specific rider in mind. People are different, so each frame is different. Design, fit, tubes, construction method and aesthetics are all taken into consideration when building your bicycle.
If you choose to have us build your new bicycle, our passion for the craft and sport will be apparent in every detail...and you will have the pleasure of riding a bicycle unique to you.
Drew Guldalian, Builder and Designer

Construction

We are not limited to any one form of construction. We TIG weld, fillet braze and custom make lugs. If you browse our gallery, you will see that this versatility allows us to mix all of the joining methods in one bicycle and enables us to utilize different types of construction to our and your advantage. We feel our process is strong and effective and always takes you, the end user, into consideration.

Materials

Steel is our primary material of choice. It allows almost limitless design and has a great ride quality that is used as the benchmark for all other materials. The current tubing being made for bicycles is at an all time high for quality and strength to weight ratio. We use tubing from True Temper, Reynolds, Dedacciai, Columbus and other aircraft quality material. There is no one magic tubeset and each bike can have tubes from one or all the above manufacturers. The process of designing the bike includes using the correct tubing diameter, butt profile and gauge, the end goal is a lifetime frame that is made light and strong.
The use of stainless tubing (now KVA Stainless) is available but requires the lugs made from scratch. It is our signature design and we are very proud of the fact that this bicycle has won "Best Off Road" twice at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (2008 and 2010).
We are currently working with KVA Stainless to eventually offer a completely stainless MTB. The goal is to have the project complete by the end of 2011.

Once again I did not get to ride Sundance but I did get to admire..........

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:31:00 +0000

You don't need to rent a bike when you travel. $99.00 SS / Fixed gear

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Fat tire Fixed / Single Speed flip flop with dual brakes.

cool design seen on Gizmodo !

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:53:00 +0000

Bike’s Round Booty Makes for a Smooth Ride

Even without the occasional shot to the squishy bits from potholes, the vibration from riding on rough roads alone will be enough to ruin a ride. The Tortola RoundTail aims to negate road quality with a frame design that reduces vibration 50x.

The Tortola RoundTail frame features a prominent circular rear end instead of the traditional twin triangles. This design allows the frame to better dissipate the force of an impact as the rear tire bottoms out by transferring the force into the a spiral rather than straight up—into your groin via the saddle. In addition, the composition of the fame—built from a special steel comprised of manganese, chrome, nickel, molybdenum and niobium— provides additional frame strength over other alloys. This spine-saving technology does come at a price, however, as the frame itself retails for $2000. [RoundTail via Inhabitat]

Thule Rack and 2 Bike trays for trade or sale.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:27:00 +0000

VOLVO V70 XC V50 V40 850 Cross bars Thule Roof , Honda Pilot ,Volkswagen and many other factory rack systems. The feet and load bars are all in one solution. No tools required to clamp down. The End cap is the wrench. These came on my Volvo XC wagon but fit perfect on my 2007 Honda Pilot.
The trays are 2 sizes. One standard fits all cycles and the other is extra long and designed for a tandem or recumbent bike. Make offers for trades - anything you have that is worth over $250.00 will be considered. Bike related- anything sports-electronics-Kayak-canoe-

Legnano Track Bike picture. Paul Super Spokes Sackett, Princeton University

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:47:00 +0000

SACKETT, PAUL

Published: March 20, 2008

SACKETT--Paul. 70, resident of Stamford, and until 1983, of Wilton Connecticut, Mr. Sackett attended Princeton University, where he was a founding member of the Ivy League Cycle Racing Circuit in 1955. He was a graduate of The Choate School and CW Post College. Paul had a passion for engineering and electronics, and was a lifetime member of The National Association for Amateur Radio. Lafayette Electronics in White Plains, NY employed him for many years as an electronics sales specialist. A member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Social Registry of New York. He is survived by nephews Alan and John Borst, a niece, Anna Benson Borst Henry, and seven grandnephews and grandnieces who will hold Paul's wit and beautiful nature forever in loving remembrance. A funeral service will be held at Wilton Congregational Church on Thursday at 1:00pm followed by interment at the Hillside Cemetery.

I am honored to own this bike since the 1970's. Paul Super Spokes sold my brother this Legnano track bike.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:34:00 +0000

October 23, 2002:

Tiger two-wheelers through time
A history of cycling at Princeton
By Kate Swearengen '04
Competitive cycling took hold early at Princeton, and the first bicycle race promoted on university grounds came in 1879. In those days, track meets and cycling meets were held concurrently, and the same cinder loop did double duty for spikes and spokes.
A series of Princeton-Columbia races were held until 1896, when the rivalry became so extreme and the racing so anarchical that the two colleges feared someone would be seriously injured and called off the competition.
Cycling at Princeton continued at a high level into the first part of the 20th century. The Tigers were an outstanding team, winning the national championships three years in a row and setting the national record in 1911. A team photograph from that era shows five young men in turtleneck sweaters, posing alongside their bicycles and mugging coolly for the camera. This was to be the last Princeton cycling team for the next 48 years.

In 1959, Paul “Super Spokes” Sackett ’60, famous for racing buses to Trenton and pedaling to Yale, orchestrated a minor renaissance by bringing back competitive cycling to Old Nassau. By 1960, however, only one member of Sackett’s crew remained. Academic responsibilities had caught up with the other riders, and they had been heaved out for nonperformance. Enter Leif Thorne-Thomsen ’63, a track cyclist from Lake Forest, Illinois.

“My parents were quite opposed to me being a cyclist at Princeton.” Says Thorne-Thomsen. “They wanted me to study and get good grades.”
Although he began his term at Princeton with no bicycle and with the best of intentions, Thorne-Thomsen eventually succumbed to the sport’s irresistible draw, and picked up a $15 bike from Kopp’s Cycles his freshman year. Shortly thereafter, he began putting together a new team.
“Leif had a great affection for old equipment,” says Oscar Swan ’64. “He taught everyone how to build their own wheels and how to sew up tires. He was the one who got us started, and he was the one who kept us going.”

During spring break, the Tigers rode 100 miles a day. They pedaled down to the Delaware River, over to New Hope and Washington’s Crossing, and into Pennsylvania. “Back then the traffic lights on Route 1 were timed for 50 mph, and we’d slip-stream behind trucks.” Says John Allis ‘65. “In retrospect I’d never let my children do that. It’s dangerous because you can’t see what you’re going to run over, tucked away about two feet from the air brake sign.”

In the winter, the team trained indoors on two sets of wooden rollers Thorne-Thomsen had brought down from the wilds of northern New Jersey. The rollers were bumpy and unwieldy — 15 inches across, and lashed together with leather straps — but easy to ride.
For entertainment, the team competed in the roller racing tournaments that amateur bicycling enthusiasts held in the front rooms of bars and taverns. Two racers would be set up side by side, and the first one to chase the needle around the dial the requisite number of times was the winner. After the race, the barkeep gave each contestant a beer.

The hard work paid off. From 1961 to 1964, the Tigers did not lose a team event, and received substantial coverage in the Prince, especially when the football or basketball team had lost that weekend.
Support from the university administration was less generous. The team was given a room — “Some sort of cubby hole, with a light bulb hanging from the ceiling,” says Swan — and a key to the gym. For transportation to races, they replied first upon Thorne-Thomsen’s ancient GMC carryall, and in later years upon Allis’s Volkswagen bus, which could carry 16 people and six bicycles.
“This was in the days when there was a big commercial featuring the Exxon tiger,” says Leighton Chen ‘66. “We found a giant cardboard cutout of the tiger, and every time we passed a car that had some pretty girls in it, we’d wave it and yell. That’s what it was like at a men’s college.” The Tigers pooled their money to pay for the gas, and everyone brought along food, or money to buy food. Sometimes the host team would sneak them into their cafeteria, and the Princeton riders would eat on the other college’s nickel.

The Tigers were unique at the time because of their use of group tactics. The team worked with each other, setting the field up and putting its riders in the best possible positions. “A lot of the other schools had riders,” says Swan. “But they didn’t really have teams.” The Tigers were so far ahead of their competitors that by the end of the race they usually ended up sprinting against themselves.
“At a race at West Rock Park in Connecticut, the MIT riders used inclinometers and slide rules to calculate the optimum gear to use on the hills,” says Allis. “We didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to that. We just went out there and raced.”

Which is not to say that the team did not have its share of shenanigans and close scrapes.
“I have a story about a race at Brandeis,” says Mikk Hinnov ’66. “The race got started, and I was up front, going up the hill, when I saw a rather shapely woman walking up the side of the road with her back to us. Being a rather insensitive sort of guy, I reached over and tapped her on the fanny, and kept pedaling. Two more laps, and suddenly police cars with flashing lights were blocking off the road. The woman was standing there livid; the police wanted to know who did it. I stepped up, walked to the front, said: ‘It was me.’ I was told this wasn’t the kind of thing to do. The woman was the chief rabbi’s wife. Once I understood the nature of the game, I apologized profusely, and I took a lesson from it. I never did that again. We Princeton people, we get our education in many different ways.”

“I also got a little lesson in racial integration through bike racing at Princeton,” says Hinnov. “At that time, Princeton was a single-sex school, which set up some tensions and problems of its own. One day I was in the library, and a very pretty young black woman was sitting across the table from me. I had 40 cents in my pocket, and I figured that would cover two cups of coffee at the student center. She was the first black person I’d ever spoken with or ever known. The Somerville bike race was coming up, and I invited her to come with us and watch the Princeton team. I came in fifth. The next time I met her, she told me she had been ripped up one side and down the other by her family for having spent her Memorial Day with a white boy. I felt some of what black people felt — a rejection based upon nothing more than the color of my skin. So I learned a little more of a life lesson through the intermediary of bicycling. That lesson has stayed with me.”

Lessons also came by way of Interstate 91. In order to get competition that the college races could not provide, the team took to traveling to New York City for the Sunday morning races in Central Park. The racers there were blue collar and often foreign-born, and they looked askance at the college boys from New Jersey. “We dominated collegiate races,” says Chen. “We didn’t dominate the races in Central Park.”

In 1963 the Tigers swept the collegiate road racing national championships, taking the top four places. “We were together as a team and nobody else was within 100 yards of us,” Hinnov says. “After that, we did what we had done so often in training: We started to work as a team, switching pace at the front and moving as fast as we could. Everybody did his share, and we just lengthened our lead.” Back at Princeton, the question arose as to whether to give the cyclists letter sweaters, technically the province of varsity athletes. It was eventually decided that they would be given black letter sweaters, rather than the white sweaters typically awarded to national champions. “At least they gave us something,” says Thorne-Thomsen.

That same summer, the Tigers successfully petitioned to race in the World Road Championships, held in Renaix, Belgium. In the 1960s, American bicycle racing was not up to world-class standards, and the Princeton team represented one of the U.S.’s earliest forays into the international scene. The European press, astonished that the Americans were fielding a team in the first place, was even more surprised by their jerseys — red, white, and blue woolen shirts, with button-down breast pockets — which went against the unspoken sartorial dictates of the sport. “We were total neophytes, and we pretty much got blown out of the road race,” says Allis. The team fared better in the team time trial, where it finished with a better time than the Americans had in the 1960 Rome Olympics, setting a U.S. record.

After Worlds, Allis decided to stay over in Europe to get more racing experience and to gain a shot at qualifying for the Olympics. There was also the matter of a junior paper, which had gone unwritten.
“I made the 1964 Olympic team, along with Bill Bradley ’65,” says Allis. “Here I was, having come back to Princeton on academic probation, classes may have already started when I had been riding in the trials, and I went into the dean of students and said, ‘Hey, I’ve made the Olympic team. I’d sort of like to take three weeks off and go to Tokyo.’ The dean said, ‘Absolutely not, no way; you’re on academic probation...Okay, we’ll take it up in faculty meeting.’ It was taken up in faculty meeting and I got called back in. The dean said, ‘We’re going to let you go.’ It seems that Harvard and Yale each had two people going, and Princeton would only have had one with Bill Bradley. The dean said, ‘If we don’t let you go, we’re going to get a lot of flack from the alumni.’” Allis went to the Olympics, albeit with some textbooks, where he placed 66th, the top American finish.

Ultimately, it was a confluence of factors that contributed to the success of the Princeton cycling team: its talented athletes and the individuals who were committed to making them better. The ranks of the 1960-1964 teams included many gifted riders — among them John Taylor ’65, Peter Waring ‘66, and John Mitchell ’67 — who were not interviewed for this article. The Tigers benefited from the instruction of Al Povey, an Englishman who coached lightweight crew in an official capacity and the cycling team in an unofficial one. In the spring, they trained with Alan Bell, a telephone lineman who had gained international fame as a track cyclist. Fred Kuhn, the former owner of Kopp’s Cycles, taught them how to care for their equipment and provided them with tires at wholesale. Then, too, there was the matter of good old-fashioned determination.
“Bicycle road racing is a hard sport and it is very difficult to get in shape and move up to increasingly higher levels of competitiveness unless you train and race regularly with others who are at least as strong and dedicated as yourself,” says Hinnov. “We had that at Princeton.”

Today, the Princeton cycling tradition is still going strong. Cycling remains a club sport — because riders have the opportunity to win money or prizes, it is not NCAA sanctioned — and is subject to the budgetary woes that plague nonvarsity sports. “You can tell this is the classiest place we’ve stayed in all year,” said Elliot Holland ’04, in response to the team’s accommodations for one race. “It’s the only one that hasn’t had a condom machine in the lobby.”

The team, which currently numbers 20 active riders, competes in the spring, a change from the 1960s, when there were fall and spring seasons. Races are held on the weekends, and the Tigers travel in vans rented from the university, or by car. The typical race weekend consists of a road race on Saturday and a criterium on Sunday. The distance for a road race usually ranges from 30 to 70 miles, depending on the gender and race class of the participants. Criteriums are shorter, and generally last between 30 and 60 minutes. Team time trials, which consist of two to six riders pedaling as quickly as possible for a prescribed distance, are also a common fixture.

Although the team functioned without the benefit of coaching until the arrival of Patrick Kennedy, Peter Betjemann *02, and Bob Ellis ’79 this fall, it has been successful. This past spring, the Tigers took first place among Division II schools in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference. Tyler Wren ’03, a former co-captain who won the criterium and the road race at Eastern’s, has tallied solid finishes on the professional cycling circuit this summer. Former co-captain Carolyn Henry ’03 and graduate student Scott Rickard are also standouts. The team’s motto: “Study to pass, ride to win.”
Kate Swearengen '04 joined the bicycle circuit last spring. This fall she is studying at the American University of Cairo. You can reach her at kswearen@princeton.edu
Princeton cycling: http://www.princetoncycling.com

51% OFF Day Pass - Bike & Roll NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:35:00 +0000

51^% off

Bike & Roll NYC

$24 for a Day Pass of unlimited Hop On/Hop Off bicycle rental ($49 value) at Bike & Roll NYC

Hop On at 8 locations, Hop Off at 11 locations
A 1,500-strong fleet of Trek bikes
All rentals include a free helmet, bike lock and map
Discounts at NY Water Taxi, museums and more
Perfect for tourists and locals alike

Redeem

Jul 16, 2011 - Oct 14, 2011

Buy now - $24 $49

terms

Limit 2 per person. Not valid for Hop On at Columbus Circle, Tavern on the Green or Governors Island. Valid for Comfort Bikes only. First-come, first-served; no reservations accepted. Helmets are required for riders 18 and under. A credit card deposit is required; the hold will be released when the equipment is returned. See the rules that apply to all offers »

Road Bike ! Giant TCR M/L Ultegra -Mavic K-SSC custom build ....

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:25:00 +0000

Not a great pic of me and my DUNLOP !! I am wearing my Team FATTY Jersey. I need to ride a lot more ....

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 02:39:00 +0000

photo credit

Happening at Huntington video taken from the Fairfield County NEMBA Website

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:34:00 +0000

Fathers Day at Huntington Park !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:01:00 +0000

Sunday was a great day.

Happening at Huntington
Kona Bicycles/Fox Shox Mountain Bike Adventure

Sunday, June 19, 2011
Redding, CT
Registration: 9-11 am

FOR SALE SPOT LONGBOARD 29er Frame - Size Large

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:51:00 +0000

Like new Frame with seatpost, headset, stem. Size Large. I ordered the bike custom built last year from Colorado and used it mostly on the road. This is the geared frame not the SS or Belt drive setup. Very light steel construction. Make me offers to trade for other bike related hardware or electronics, kayak!

See Craigslist for listing

A look at the next steps in developing the widely anticipated Norwalk River Valley Trail.

noreply@blogger.com (Peter) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:16:00 +0000

Someday, when cyclists, hikers and walkers take to the Norwalk River Valley trail, they just might want to thank an off-road enthusiast or two.

So with warmer weather coming, The Hub takes a look at the long-anticipated project where non-motorized vehicles will be the only mode of transportation allowed. The 27 mile-long trail will stretch from Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk along the Norwalk River valley to Danbury.

In many ways, the NRVT project owes its existence to exasperated dirt bikers and snowmobilers.

Because these hobbyists buy gasoline, they pay the gasoline tax. Many felt cheated because the tax to supports federal and state highways, not off-road paths. After intense lobbying, Congress passed the Sims Act several years ago, which authorized the Recreational Trail Program, an arm of the Federal Highway Administration. The program helps develop and maintain trains and trail related facilities for non-motorized and motorized use.

“Thanks to them a small percentage of the money used for off highway trails,” said Laurie Giannotti, of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s Recreational Trails and Greenways Program.

Last year, the state DEP awarded the NRVT Steering Committee a $180,000 grant toward finishing the project, which is projected to cost $225,000. The grant will fund a routing study to define the best route for the trail as it passes through five towns: Norwalk, Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield and Danbury.

The grant comes with a matching component. However, that can come from in-kind services.

“There is no expectation that the town’s will have to put in any money for this,” said Pat Sesto, Wilton’s director of environmental affairs. “All of the volunteers’ time goes toward this. And that’s recognition of the value of volunteerism.”

There are about 22 people on the steering committee alone, Sesto said. And the number of volunteers likely will increase as the project moves forward.

The 80-mile long Farmington Canal Trail, which extends from near New Haven up to Massachusetts, is the closest relative to the Norwalk River Valley Trail, Giannotti said.

However, unlike the Farmington trail, the NRVT presents more topographical challenges. The terrain from Norwalk to Danbury is decidedly hilly, Sesto said.

If, as John Muir once said, in every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks, then area residents will be greatly rewarded. But like Muir’s beloved trees, the project won’t be completed overnight.

“I don’t want to say it’s anybody’s guess, but it’s anybody’s guess,” Sesto said.

The trail will link two existing trails. The first in Norwalk now ends at Union Park. The second, the Ives Trail, is located in Danbury. Along the way other trails can join it like tributaries on a river.

This year, the NRVT will also get technical assistance from the National Park Service's Rivers and Trails Program. This program helps community groups and municipalities to conserve rivers, preserve open space and develop trails and greenways.

John Monroe, an outdoor recreational planner with the National Park Service, said he looks forward to the planned series of workshops next month. Residents from the towns are invited to offer their ideas and ask questions about the project.

Next month, residents from all five towns in the Norwalk River corridor are invited to attend a series of community workshops to help to plan the trail. They’ll work in small groups to decide how best to connect the trail to schools, town centers and train stations. Monroe will be on hand to answer questions.

“I’ve mostly taken windshield tours of the area because it’s been such a tough winter,” Monroe said. For now he’s only worked with Google Maps and Google Earth.

A complete 3-mile loop around Norwalk Harbor is nearly finished.

“Trails will help increase economic development and raise quality of life. There are a lot of economic benefits to developing trails. It’s a great time to be doing this,” said Monroe who has worked on trail projects throughout New England for 19 years. “There is still funding out there because trails are seen as an economic benefit.”

The Connecticut Greenway’s research shows that businesses are attracted to projects such as NRVT and homes along such trails see an increase in property values.

Sesto seconded that notion.

“It’s kind of funny, people express a lot of the same fears at the start of these projects,” Sesto said. “They worry the crime rate will go up that property values will come down. Then, when the trail is built they realize it’s a huge asset.”

When the NRVT is finished it will connect to rail stations, schools and offices and offering clean, green transportation as well as recreational opportunities, Sesto said.

The project now has a Facebook site with 123 "friends." That number grows daily.

"We've been cruising right along, people are enthusiastic," Sesto said. "Momentum has not been a challenge for us."