“Bike Snake” Spotted in the Wild

Posted on 10. May, 2009 by carlos.

A 60ft snake driven by 6 cyclists found it’s way to last night’s Full-Moon Cruise. It never made it on the entire ride with us, but we had about 30 minutes to ogle it beforehand. The “Snake” was constructed by the Austin Bike Zoo crew.

The Austin Bike Zoo mission: 

Inspiring the Austin community with bicycles and other alternative forms of transportation by creating unique human powered vehicles, bicycle-based theatrical performances and educational programs for youth.

Image: bookgrl

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Biking 100 miles from Austin Tx to Shiner Tx

Posted on 03. May, 2009 by carlos.

Yesterday, I pedaled for 100 miles with nearly 1,500 other cyclists (Great Austin to Shiner Pedal).  Noteworthy attractions included  fancy bikes, skin-tight clothes, and calves the size of pineapples. For the entire ride we battled a 15-30mph headwind, cursing <insert wind-god here>.  I rode with a full pack which meant an extra 25lbs to lug uphill.

Every 10 to 20 miles well-organized rest stops offered water, oranges, Powerbars, crackers, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the riders.  Thank you to Shiner Brewery and to all the sponsors and volunteers for running an incredible event!

What I Learned:

• Headwind will be one of our toughest challenges.
• Drafting (when cyclists ride very close to each other in a line) is the best defense.
• Some cyclists are jerks, and some are not.
• Our bike’s weight and aerodynamics matter in the long run.
• A ‘long ride’ is as much mental as it is physical.  One altered thought can give the body much-needed energy.

Congratulations to @perks and @stretch_aye (the only fixed gear to finish) for riding!

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Should Cyclists Yield or Stop at Stop Signs?

Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Today the debate about the safest, most ‘friendly’ way for a cyclist to go through a stop sign came up. I had no idea this was even a debate, but this video below makes sense to me after spending a few months on a bike. The driver’s viewpoint also makes sense: that if you (the cyclist) want to act like a car, do so in every way.

Here in Austin TX, the University of Texas police are ‘cracking down’ on students who do not stop.

“You ran a stop sign. Are you familiar with the state bike laws?” asked UT Police Officer Joseph Silas, still wearing his helmet as he inspected the advertising junior’s ID card. via (The Daily Texas)

Cyclists in the video are not arguing that speeding through busy intersections should be legal, but they are suggesting that stopping is unnecessary under some circumstances:

As a cyclist or car driver, what do you think?

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Lassie Wanted Blood (Dealing with Dogs)

Posted on 21. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Luckily, it only got my rear pannier.

This Sunday I went out for a solo 67 mile ride from Austin, TX to Bastrop, TX. The scenery consisted of beautiful farm country and huge family-owned plots of land. To keep myself entertained, I made animal sounds at every farm creature I passed: I’d bark at most dogs knowing they were safely fenced in. It became a game – all the dogs gave friendly ‘hello-barks’. Except this dog.

About 10 miles into my return ride, I came to a hill. The hill screamed at me, “turn around, you should not have done this.” To which I replied, “your mom.” I put my bike in the lowest possible gear and decided this hill would either make or break my ride. One pedal-turn gained me only about 4 inches of road: a challenge I gladly accepted.
Making it to the top gave me this huge sense of satisfaction. I had not walked that bike up the hill. I was tired, worn out, and not ready to ‘Hulk smash’ Fido.

The hill-top was not as imagined…

After climbing that hill, I expected girls in bikinis to hand out water, fellow cyclists to pat me on the back , and Mufasa to smile down from the clouds.

After passing 15 fenced-in dogs along the ride, it took me a few moments and some of my own barks to understand that a pack of three (#16, #17, and #18) were charging full-speed from a non-fenced house. I pedaled like a cartoon character, finding myself still in “granny gear,” and went nowhere.

The snarling badass-of-the-pack smashed headfirst into my rear pannier, jamming my bag into the spokes and sending me into a small ditch on the other side of the street.

I composed myself, took stock of the situation, and grabbed my frame-pump in an effort to look bigger. Two of the three dogs backed off, but the head of the pack stayed for a fight.

A car passed by, the driver no doubt wondered why I was in a ditch holding a frame-pump in the air.

I tried to look big, and failed miserably.

I pulled the pannier out from my spokes and, careful to keep the bike between myself and the dog, walked to the next house. Though that hill had taken all the energy out of me, I had enough adrenaline for the next 15 miles.

Lessons learned:

• Don’t bark at dogs unless you know they can’t get to you.
• Looking bigger works for some dogs, but not insane ones.
• Walking away may be the best bet for territorial dogs. 
• Dogs do not know that roads are public spaces. Someone should tell them.

Preparation for our long distance ride:

• Picking up a small can of Mace.
• Getting an air-horn.
• Not barking at dogs (as much).
• Working on the whole looking bigger thing.

Tips and tricks for dealing with dogs:

• Outrun the dog. If you already have a good speed, putting a good burst of your own energy will tire that pup out quick and it’ll realize you are the cheetah in this race. I did this with one dog, and it gave me a nice little ego boost as well.
• Air horn or ‘doggy-horn.’ Picking up a small air horn will not only scare the kibbles and bits out of the dog, but will bring attention if you are in true danger. There are some ultra-sonic dog repellents out in the market which send sound waves only dogs can hear.
• Mace the face. We are keeping mace on our bikes for dogs that get too close for comfort. Make sure you are not on private property before spraying; this will help avoid the inevitable legal issues if you attack a dog in its own yard.
• Move from their territory. Most dogs will lose interest once you pass by their territory. Use this to your advantage and just move away from their domain.
• Call the cops. If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation, such as being cornered by a pit bull or doberman pinscher, we suggest keeping the bike between you and the dog and calling the cops right away. Not only is your own safety at stake, but the owner needs to take responsibility and face repercussions.

The tips listed above are how we plan to deal with dogs. Feel free to choose your own “weapon” from any of these resources: Crazyguyonabike.com, Pearlandcyclingclub.com or by searching Google for “dealing with dogs, cycling.”

For the fun of it, here is the house where the dogs came from:

View Larger Map

Image Credit: Milqito and hand-nor-glove

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Ride Updates – April 16, 2009

Posted on 16. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

• All main sponsorship is finished! Time to focus on training and planning events!
• We still need a few lunch sponsors and hosts, think you can help?
• Joe has moved to Big Bear California, leaving Hawaii for a while. (For good?)
• Carlos is preparing for a 100-mile ride on May 2nd. He will be doing it with all of his equipment (fully loaded.)
• A huge thank you to Dave Barrientos from Tsunami Cycles for helping to prepare the geeks.
• ThinkGeek.com is providing custom t-shirts for our ride! Available soon!
• WatchMyRace.com is letting us borrow a SPOT messenger for real-time stalking tracking.
• Garmin is lending us an Edge 705 GPS unit for the ride. Special thanks to Where.com for making that introduction!

Highlights from past few weeks:

Meeting Trevor Wright

After hearing Trevor’s story, it’s only human to be jealous…and inspired. Trevor entered Tsunami Cycles to put together his recently purchased touring bike – naturally, the topic of our bike tours came up.

Trevor has been saving up for the past 2 years to tour South America by himself. He speaks fluent spanish and has frequented these countries on business trips. Now, he will be camping and couchsurfing for the next 10+ months, which he says may turn into years. We have been hanging out and training together, though he has a huge jump on me with his physical stature.

Trevor will be documenting the entire way on his site (not up yet) MeBobandSurly.com. Check him out on his brand new twitter account, @mebobandsurly.

Last Place in Alleycross Race

Jim from Tsunami Cycles somehow convinced me to race in an alleycross race with him. An alleycross race involves hike and bike trails, urban areas, and unforgiving terrain. Though coming in dead last place (of those who actually finished), I can say I finished my first race! After the race, the bike was full of dirt and I was told I was the first person to do the race with a rear bag. I don’t enjoy competition, so the spirit of the racers after the race was a bit distancing. The night time race with a dozen entrants even got an article from the Austin Chronicle.

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Cost to Bring Your Bicycle on Different Airlines

Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Joe and I will be flying to New York to start our ride on May 20th. We expected a reasonable fee to bring our bikes on the planes. Unfortunately, some airlines hate the ‘wheeled’ kind of people and want you poor. Hopefully this chart helps some new commuters pick the best airline for taking your bike to the relatives for a long weekend.

Many of these airlines will not charge you if the box that you ship your bicycle in is under ~62 linear inches (which most bicycle boxes are not.) These fees were taken as though we were shipping a ‘normal’ size bicycle. This chart is not for people who have foldable bikes (which it appears many airlines will carry for free, or simply the excess baggage fee.) Lastly, these are fees for domestic airlines and domestic flights.

Every airline requires that your bicycle be put into a box, or hard case. There is no need to list the many variations of the same exact thing from each airline. Please visit the provided airline link to make sure the packing of your bicycle is correct.

Update 1: It is worthwhile to mention that Amtrak only charges $5-$10 per bike. This may be something to take into consideration if you have more time than money to kill. (Thanks @amodernbird )

Up to date as of April 15th, 2009

Credit: Image

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Get Involved with RgR Events Across the USA

Posted on 08. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Real Geeks Ride is setting up events/mixers/parties at many of the stops. We want you to come! These events are still being worked out, but here is a rough outline.

Mark your calendars and set aside these dates!

When and Where?

Pittsburgh, PA (Saturday – May 30, 2009) organized by Lindsay Patross of I heart PGH
Fort Wayne, IN (Saturday – June 6, 2009)
Chicago, IL (Thursday – June 11, 2009) organized by Tim Jahn
Omaha, NE (Sunday – June 21, 2009)
Denver, CO (Wednesday, June 1, 2009)
Boulder, CO (Friday – July 3, 2009) organized by Lijit.com and Metzger Associates
Portland, OR (Friday – July 31, 2009)

*For the smaller cities we will be exploring on our own, spending time with our hosts, and having random tweet-ups. If there is enough interest at other stops, more energy will be put towards them.

What?

• Events will aim to bring together cyclists, geeks who bike, and geeks who do not bike.
• Events will range from small tweet-up/flickr meetup style dinners, to larger sponsored events.
• We want you to have a good time, meet people, eat dinner, and feel part of our ride.
• Seaside (Oregon), our last stop, will be a unique event. More on that…

Can I help?

Between two people, organizing these events (and ride) will be tough. We need your help! If you have a business or organization that wants to get involved at any of the stops, please send us an email. Help can be simple, and require just your knowledge.

If you would like to help organize, send us an email at contact(at)realgeeksride.com!

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5 Cross Country Bike Rides to Follow this Summer

Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Other tours, past and present, have given us great ideas and tips for our own planning. Real Geeks Ride is the ‘geek ride’ of this year using technology as its main idea, but others are doing the ride for amazing causes as well. We even have potential to cross paths with one of the other rides!

Joe and I have spoken to most of the guys below and we are honored to be on a list with them.

Check out these 5 unique cross country bike rides that are leaving the Summer of 2009:

1. Real Geeks Ride

Cause: To get 1,000 geeks to bike to work.
Dates: May 20, 2009 – August 2, 2009
Website: RealGeeksRide.com
Bikers: Carlos Urreta and photographer Joe Philipson
Follow: Blog : Twitter : 12seconds : Youtube : Brightkite : Dailymile Training (Carlos | Joe)

Thats us! Unless someone rips off this post, the site you are on is for Real Geeks Ride. We started this project not knowing about cycling and this is the story of our transition from geeks to ‘geeks on bikes.’ Join us for the interaction, pictures, videos, and our own quirkiness along the way.

2. Tumble Weeds Tour

Cause: To raise money and awareness for Project Rwanda.
Dates: TBA
Website: Tumble Weeds Tour
Bikers: Ben, Ryan, Dan, John
Follow: Twitter, Blog

If Project Rwanda or any of these fantastic guys spark your interest, make sure to keep tabs on what they are doing. We may be crossing paths with these fine lads somewhere in the midwest. If we do, we challenge them to a spontaneous-video-taped-on-the-spot-dance-battle! Do you accept?

3. Bike the US for MS

Cause: Funding Multiple Sclerosis research & supporting the MS community.
Dates: June 1st, 2009 – ?
Website: Bike the US for MS
Bikers: List of cyclists here
Follow: Twitter, Blog

This great group of people was the first touring organization to find us and start chatting. We’ve been discussing routes and encouraging each other from the start. Make sure to follow if you know anyone with MS, or interested in helping their cause.

4. Follow Nathan

Cause: Raising awareness for land and nature conservation.
Dates: May 10th, 2009 – ?
Website: Follow Nathan
Bikers: Nathan
Follow: Blog, Twitter

Follow Nathan and support nature conservation. While RgR may be the geek ride for this summer, Nathan is doing a nice job at bringing attention to his cause through social media. He’s going at it alone which is extremely admirable, and RgR is very excited to interact with him while all on the road.

5. Phil Rides Across America

Cause: To bring awarness to MS, promote riding, and “share the Ultimate Food.”
Dates: March 28, 2009 – May 9, 2009
Website: Phil Rides Across America
Bikers: Phil Keoghan
Follow: Blog, Photos

If you like reality shows and big budget events, this is a good ride to follow. Any fans of Amazing Race or of Phil himself will see another side to the television personality. There are plenty of big sponsors on this ride, and he’s doing it for a great cause.

Image: Flickr

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The fuel we receive from you.

Posted on 01. Apr, 2009 by carlos.

Like most campaigns of this style, there is a business side with regards to sponsorship and help from organizations. The other side, of people’s selfless assistance, is becoming clearer each day.

The messages, vibes, and in today’s case an actual package, are giving us an incredible amount of motivation to keep pushing towards May 20th, the start of our ride. We have yet to begin, and I already get chills from the thought of your collective support.

Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has even smiled when we talk about the ride. We know this is a small reflection of how important you will be to us when we are pushing 500 miles a week.

More fuel than he thinks…

Sometimes things happen early in the morning that give you enough energy to go through the day. Today, we received a package from Keith Liberto. A tiny orchestra started playing in my brain and the support from ‘normal folk’ is becoming clearer.

Keith said after RgR thanked him:

“I’m member of MetaFilter and a road cyclist…saw y’all’s details, and just wanted to give back, since I can’t commute to work like I wish.”

He then asked for a small link to his Twitter account. Here you go, boss, you fantastic person: @fijiwriter

Lunch sponsors start coming in…

In the beginning of our planning stage, people asked how they could help on a micro level. Many asked if they could feed us. We set up lunch sponsors so that everyday people can sponsor a meal for us. In return they will be that day’s post sponsor.

With every new donation, a new box of fuel arrives for both of us. We sincerely thank you.

If you are interested in helping us with lunch for one of our 75 days on the road, please visit our Lunch Sponsors section. Each day is $30 and goes straight to fuel for the road.

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Ride Updates – March 30, 2009

Posted on 30. Mar, 2009 by carlos.

• Carlos has started working at Tsunami Cycles and his transition from geek to geek on bike. He currently is in Austin, TX.
• Joe will be moving to Big Bear, California from Honolulu, Hawaii in early April.
• Carlos’ bike is a Surly Long Haul Trucker and named Hermes.
• Our training is available on dailymile.com. (Carlos | Joe)
• The RgR Twitter account has 1,167 followers!
• Zapatag.com has joined as our latest gear sponsor. We will be using his site during the ride.
• We have 41 of 63 hosts covered. Do you know someone in the last few needed places?
• We are looking for Lunch Sponsors. Want to buy a day for $30?

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