We’re going on tour

We’re planning a 3 day bicycle tour. It will be light touring/credit card touring. We’ll be roughing it in hotels. Look for us on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/bikeedinburg or visit the event page @ https://www.facebook.com/events/386127158077286/.

Just another canal ride

Got together this past Thursday with a fellow cyclist who lives a mile down the road from me. We’re both lucky enough to live very close by to canal systems here in South Texas, so we decided to go on one of our usual canal rides to UTPA. The ride is about 40 minutes of steady canal biking with a quick pedal here and there to cross busy roads. Once you’ve hit the area between 23rd St. and McColl Road you’re in paradise. Oh, and the canals have a reputation to show you something new and cool every time. So yeah.

Bike Rodeo October 1, 2011

The Edinburg Police did a great job explaining the rules of the road to the children at the October 1st Bike Rodeo. They used visual aids, they asked the children questions, and they explained the skills they needed to bike safely. At each station, the officers and volunteers were patient and engaging, making sure every child was able to complete the course. The kids were having so much fun they didn’t want to get off the bikes the city had provided for them to do the course. Thank you City of Edinburg and Edinburg PD for a fantastic event.

View the pictures from the event here

Profile: Jose Noe Valdez

Name: Jose Noe Valdez

I’ve been riding since: Since I was a kid. I stopped riding in my early 20′s; I now wish I never stopped riding. I started riding again a few years ago, mostly for fun. I have recently tried long distance randoneuring and I loved it. I hope to continue to do more of that type of riding.

About my bike: I ride a folding bike. It’s not for everyone, but I like it. I found it in New York, and I thought it was the coolest thing. It’s made in Brooklyn and torture tested on New York’s toughest streets. It’s a great commuter, and with a few mods and inginuety it can be an everything bike. I rode my first 200k (128 miles) rando ride on it.

Why I ride: It is just plain fun. It is healthy, eco-friendly, great sport – all that, but for me it boils down to just plain fun. Riding a bike should be, above all, fun. Whether you race, tour, mountain bike, whatever, it should be fun for you. If you are not having fun you are on the wrong bike.

Places I go on my bike: Anywhere I feel like it. Because its a folding bike, I have even taken it inside office buildings and stores (when I have forgotten my lock), and no one has ever asked me to leave it outside.

Early Monday dry cleaning run

I’ve been entirely too busy lately. I haven’t even had time to get my shirts over to the dry cleaners, which is less than a mile away. Now that the bike rodeo event is over, I feel like I have more time. So I woke up a little early this morning and decide to head over there on my bike.

I would normally throw all my clothes in a side pannier, but with my trunk bag and u-lock on my rack, that just wasn’t an option. (As you can see, clipping another bag would be nearly impossible.)

I could have hooked up my trailer and thrown my laundry bag in there, but the trailer seemed like a little overkill. Instead, I opted to throw my 14 dress shirts in a backpack, even though I normally don’t like to ride with a one – It makes me sweat more and I was on my way to work. But the morning was cool, so even with a full backpack I rode pretty fast, and I didn’t sweat at all.