I rode from downtown into overland park (to JCCC) on Monday via Southwest Boulevard. Fun ride but there are some pretty crappy segments of the Boulevard.

I usually try to sneak in 15-25 miles on saturdays. Anyone feel like meeting up at 8:45 or so at the Indian Creek Trail access point near the SE corner of 119th and Quivira in Overland Park? Leave at 9:00? Saturday the 28th? Wouldn't want to interfere with the JCBC Spring Classic.

http://maps.google.com/maps?key=ABQIAAAAB7NSVq9E6VMBkCGrANhoKBRpyHWTR_Wmmcn3LXxtEHHU2EqrbxSOcF7JZZ4TqXiQaDU7IpIOfBtUSg&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=38.910187,-94.723177&spn=0.017699,0.040169&t=h&om=1

I plan to ride northeast-bound on the trail for about an hour, then turn around and be back around 11. Unless I have my new road bike by then, I'll be on a hybrid and probably run an average pace of about 10-12 miles per hour. Whoever shows up, we'll stick together for a leisurely stroll for anyone who feels like coming along.

If it's raining, I'll call it off. Indian creek trail gets ridiculously messy when it rains.

Doh, i'd like to join ya, but i have to be at Church by noon, and i'll have haul my behind from KCK back to Lawrence...

There are some nice rides around Pittsburg. Many different options where you can go out for 10 - 20 miles or 30 - 40 without much traffic. Also there are some nice DIY century routs that are fun.

Hey, anybody going for the Life Support Rally bike ride in Lawrence, KS this weekend??

I'll only have a few hours to ride, which is why I've kinda got my own thing going on. My wife and I are going fishing once she gets off work at noon.

Last saturday was our anniversary. Anniverary date? Fishing all until dusk, then heading to Powell Observatory to go look through their ginormous 30" Telescope and check out the celestial objects in all their magnificent glory. All of this was at her behest. I <3 my wife. This saturday will bring more cycling and fishing. What more could I ask for?

I mostly hang out in the Road / Mechanics / General forums

So how many people do we have here from the greatest state in the nation? :D I myself am from Newton, apx. 20 minutes north of wichita.

What about you guys?


Another Mennonite cyclist?:D

Woohoo! I'm back from the HeadQuarters Fund Raiser bike ride.....
Super weather out here in Lawrence! 37 miles on my Hybrid..my back hurts...and


I REALLY WANT A ROAD BIKE NOW!!!!!!!!!!
:)

I just sold my Escort and put most of the cash down on my new Trek 1200 (about 40% of the value as a deposit)

Hopefully, I should have the rest of the cash drummed up in the next two months, or I might get financed for it.

I'm in Kansas City, Kansas. Sorry to say i did not ride today. I have seen quite a few cyclist on Merriam Lane/The boulevard though. That road would be nice with a bike lane if kcks had any money to do such a thing. As is i ride out into JoCo were i think i might have a better chance of not getting hit.

Heh! I just road the boulevard into Olathe again last night. Well... I used the boulevard. It doesn't go all the way to Olathe.

Y'all probably go by my house when you ride down the Boulevard. So if you see a guy near Strasser Hardware walking 2 greyhounds, one small, one large, and he waves at you on your bike, its not just a crazy guy but a fellow biker.

I would agree that the further west you get on Merriam lane, the more narrow it gets. I used to commute to Foxridge Dr. via Southwest Blvd and I loved the variation of slight hills and curves, I called it my Time Trial, because it was 14 minutes and seemed just like the time trials that you see in the Pro Bike Races, just me against the clock. I would turn at the house of rocks and skirt under I-35 and then I'd be at work.

Representing Bike source!!! I'm in Overland Park. Gotta say my favorite ride is going out to lawrence, and having my girlfriend bring me back... ha. That or sante fe into olathe, turns into kc rode, on to poplar and out around gardner, 175th to pflumn and back home to 103rd and quivira. The latter is a little more flat, going anywhere out west gets a little hilly... If you want a good hilly ride, ride out by shawnee mission park, head north and west into bonner springs and back through desoto... thats a hell of a ride...

If anybody needs some work done/new bike/accesories/clothing/nutrition or anyhting else you need come to bike source and check it out!

Do you think you guys will get your Wednesday mid-day ride in tomorrow? I was planning on coming out and trying it, the weather looks to complicate it though.

wait, whats the boulevard route?

Anyone riding the crit tonight?

If anybody needs some work done/new bike/accesories/clothing/nutrition or anyhting else you need come to bike source and check it out!

Yeah..i need a New Bike. - Newer Bike...2006 2005 - they all work...
Only Sunflower & Cycle Works here...prices are way crazy...do you have employee discount??/ :D

Help a poor graduate student here! PLEASE...:p

I also have a question...
What happens to the older bikes that do not get sold. I mean, bike companies do not make exact bike numbers right? They get put into cold storage? Or they get stripped down, repainted, and re-fitted with new parts for the new season??

Yeah..i need a New Bike. - Newer Bike...2006 2005 - they all work...
Only Sunflower & Cycle Works here...prices are way crazy...do you have employee discount??/ :D

Help a poor graduate student here! PLEASE...:p

I also have a question...
What happens to the older bikes that do not get sold. I mean, bike companies do not make exact bike numbers right? They get put into cold storage? Or they get stripped down, repainted, and re-fitted with new parts for the new season??

1. I get a mad crazy employee discount, but i used alot of my employee purchases like frames and shimano on my new S-Works... ha
2. I'm on my way to becoming a student at ku, so i feel you.
3. We still have some 04 serotta's on the floor, maybe even an 03 i think... we just sell them, mark down, right now you can get one at BELOW cost i believe... we're trying desperately to get them out the door to make some room for new specialized stuff, so come ask about the serotta frames and what kinda deal you can get!

All 06's are on sale... We've got a nice allez i think with ultegra for $1,800 right now...

1. I get a mad crazy employee discount, but i used alot of my employee purchases like frames and shimano on my new S-Works... ha
2. I'm on my way to becoming a student at ku, so i feel you.
3. We still have some 04 serotta's on the floor, maybe even an 03 i think... we just sell them, mark down, right now you can get one at BELOW cost i believe... we're trying desperately to get them out the door to make some room for new specialized stuff, so come ask about the serotta frames and what kinda deal you can get!

All 06's are on sale... We've got a nice allez i think with ultegra for $1,800 right now...

1. Dude! - Can you be my friend?? :D So i can get some employee discounts from you?
2. You're gonna be a student at KU? You transferring? You're starting freshman? Grad school??
3. Hmm, you'll have to enlighten me on the Serotta's i've no idea what kinda bikes they are. All i see here are Treks, Giants, Specialized, Lemonds... shows you how ignorant i am about the biking market.
"Tell me more about the Serotta bikes you carry...., please..."

$1,800... hmm....outta my range...wayyyy out....poor student here! :p

1. Yes, i like friends.
2. Incoming freshman! whoop whoop!
3. Gotta be honest i don't know very much about them either. They didn't have me study up on them becaus elike i said, we no longer carry them, we just have left overs. I'll take a look when i'm in there next and get all the info i can for u.

Hey, so you know the Seaman's? You guys don't carry bebop pedals do you? I'm going to be getting some of those in the next week or so and would love to get them locally, well...semi-local ;)

But I'll need some new shoes ;) What brand of shoes do you guys carry over there? Looks like Sunflower only has Shimano, Specialized, Pearl...not that those are bad....just want to see as many as I can before buying.

Hey another Lawrencian! Greetings!!

1. Yes, i like friends.
2. Incoming freshman! whoop whoop!
3. Gotta be honest i don't know very much about them either. They didn't have me study up on them becaus elike i said, we no longer carry them, we just have left overs. I'll take a look when i'm in there next and get all the info i can for u.

SWEET!
So you're gonna join the Collegiate Cycling Team here? I think KU is hosting the NCAA championships again.. so you should come by Lawrence to check out the races here!

Thanks for helping me find out!

I know of the Seamans, and as far as the pedals, i just sent a message to someone asking if we carry them. I've never seen them in there but tht doesn't mean they're not there, i find new **** everyday! And as far as shoes, we carry about the same: Specialized, Pearl, and Shimano. But dude, the Specialized shoes are bad ass, you should give them a shot. I dont know how you could want anything else.

I plan to ride for the collegiate team. I ride to lawrence every now and then to visit my girlfriend and on one occasion i ran into Christian Beer, the VP for the club. My step-dad helps run the NCAA race every year, I plan to be down for a little while, except I've gotta work that day I'm sure.

Hope to see you guys in the shop! I'll be there friday till 8, saturday 10-4, sunday 12-5... just ask for wacker if you come in!

wait, whats the boulevard route?

Southwest Boulevard. This is how I get home from downtown when I don't use the bus:

http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=528

And no Crit for me. I'm too fat to be a racer.

I also have a question...
What happens to the older bikes that do not get sold. I mean, bike companies do not make exact bike numbers right? They get put into cold storage? Or they get stripped down, repainted, and re-fitted with new parts for the new season??

This is how I got a few hundred off on my new '06 Trek 1200.

Which, by the way, I commuted on this morning. In the rain. *grumble*

I like your efforts to commute by bike axOn. I might know who you are if i see you. I live along Merriam Lane and try to ride for an hour before work a few times a week. I would try the commute thing again but i do service work out of a truck. I do a few errands now and then though and want to set up a beater appropriate for errands in my neighborhood.

I guess I don't get it,AxOn. I looked at your link with the KC to Olathe route. Are you riding on I-35? Forgive me but I do not know the downtown area so the map is very genral to me.

Southwest Blvd and Merriam Dr. run parallel to I-35 then there is a frontage road south of 75th that goes all the way out to 135th...

I rode home in the rain yesterday too...

my route, you have to zoom in to see it's a frontage road on the highway. It runs right along the highway down to around 75th street. I take Neiman though, and catch it to another set of frontage roads into Olathe (Marshall, Santa Fe Trail Drive, Kansas City Road)

I like your efforts to commute by bike axOn. I might know who you are if i see you. I live along Merriam Lane and try to ride for an hour before work a few times a week. I would try the commute thing again but i do service work out of a truck. I do a few errands now and then though and want to set up a beater appropriate for errands in my neighborhood.
FYI, I mostly use the bus, I've never commuted by bike all the way to downtown, but I've commuted home from downtown twice. You probably won't see me in the morning, but if the weather clears, I'm going to try to do the bike to work week using only my bike.

My usual schedule is to leave home around 6:00 in the morning, and ride 3 miles to the Olathe Express JO stop at the old Rhodes furniture park and ride. I take the bus downtown and either ride the last few blocks to work, or to one of the many hideous excuses for coffee shops in the downtown loop before going to work.

On Friday, I take the same bus back home.

On Monday, I either ride to the Trek store from downtown (via the aforementioned route, it's about halfway home, at neiman and SM Parkway), or I take the Antioch bus to the IHOP at Antioch and SM Parkway, then ride to the Trek store from there. The Monday night ride is usually 10-12 miles. Then I always ride home from the Trek store.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I take the Antioch bus to near JCCC where my wife works. After hanging out with her and eating supper, I either ride home (6-9 miles depending on route) or I ride to Daily Dose at 135th and Quivira, then home, or back to JCCC if my wife and I need to run errands together when she leaves work.

Did anyone see the article in today's Kansas City Star's Star Magazine section on commuting on bike in Kansas City? Its is a historical moment when so much space gets given to this subject in a town where 99% think cars are the only option.

The article talks about someone providing a service to find routes and ride the routes with people who want to commute in KC. It would be nice if that brought a few more bike commutes into the city.

Did anyone see the article in today's Kansas City Star's Star Magazine section on commuting on bike in Kansas City? Its is a historical moment when so much space gets given to this subject in a town where 99% think cars are the only option.

The article talks about someone providing a service to find routes and ride the routes with people who want to commute in KC. It would be nice if that brought a few more bike commutes into the city.

I was amazed at that article! I don't think that it will make much of a change in this city's opinion of biking though:(

I commute to work in Overland Park. I go from 139th Street to Metcalf, head north to 137th. Hang a right at Riley and left at Metcalf all the way to 132nd street where I go to the Southcreek Office Park.

I don't know if this link will work but here it is:
http://www.routeslip.com/routes/38617

I know that area pretty well. I did some consulting in that office park a few years ago, and my wife worked back in there at Gentiva for a little while.

I'm feelin' kinda BLAH today but if I feel better on Saturday, I'm going to be up for another stroll around OP/Olathe if anyone is interested.

I just did a pretty bomb training ride yesterday. took 103rd from quivira to pflumn, pflumn all the way out to 175th, 175th straight into gardener. stopped at the gas station right there and headed back, but on the way, around lackman, we saw two riders about a mile ahead so we decided to challenge ourselves to reel them in. averaged about 28 for that mile and a half but finally caught them. chit chatted a little bit, ended up being a guy from our team, then we headed down switzer from what was now 179th back into OP.

All in all we averaged about 20 mph if u take out the mile or so cool down at like 14. pflumn has some pretty good hills, nothing real bad, just alot of fun. I highly recommend this ride to anyone training to race. the way we went turned out to be 43 miles, but if we wouldnt have caught those two and just turned off it probably would have cut 6.



in other news, got a new ride yesterday... Redline Monocog 29er

havent got a chance to ride it really at all, and i need to pick up another pair of shoes so i can outfit my spd's on that mug.

anyone wanna take me out on my first ride on it, feel free to lay out an invitation.

Tomorrow looks to be a great day to go riding. Nice and sunny. I wonder what the wind conditions will be...

I'll be making my Lawrence > KCK ride (One way -unsupported, on my Hybrid) tomorrow. I'll take pictures of the route, and maybe post em here. FYI, i'm going 24/40(State) - all the way to Basehor, where a stoplight the "breaks" the 24/40. I'll turn north there, and go all the way to Leavenworth road, then go back East...

I'm still feeling pretty blah. Cold or post-nasal-drip allergies, I'm not sure, but after today's commute it's feeling like bronchitis. It sucks that I'm going to have to sit out a perfectly good weekend. :(

I tore my road bike apart and cleaned/waxed/lubed the hell out of it though.

I made it! I made it!!!
Lawrence to KCK!!
Yesterday was a super day for a bike ride! No crazy winds, no wild dogs charging me.
If anybody was driving down State Ave (Kansas Side - 24/40), between 8:30am - 10:00am, that would be me. :-)
Happy Sunday all! Today is a great riding day too! But i'll relax a little...(i didn't know you needed abs to cycle...my abs hurt!)

Abs are a must, and if you think they hurt now try spending a bunch of time riding in the drops!

I was sad to be sick yesterday. I'm going to do a shakedown run on my road bike today, and tomorrow I plan to ride Olathe to downtown, and back, INCLUDING the Trek Store recovery ride. Metric century anyone? :P

Glad to see all the posts from Kansas. Graduated high school in Lyons (about 30 miles NE of Hutchinson) and then went off to Lawrence for college.

The first new bike I ever bought was down on Mass Street (can't remember the name of the shop...Sunflower Bikes I think) and the salesman there talked me into a Giant DS9 for my commute to campus and back...I must have had SUCKER written all over me. Needless to say it was a slow commute to class although I had legs like a comic book hero after my freshman year.

Don't forget to ride your bike to work this week!

There are lots of events in KC to motivate you, including the afterwork meetup at McCoy's in Westport on Wed, the Tour de Cowtown -Alleycat downtown at Acme Saturday at 5 and the wrapup party at the Boulevard Brewery on Sunday, the 20th.


Log your miles and sign up your workplace here...

http://kcbike.info/bike2work/2007/

Full Calendar of Events here...

http://www.bridgingthegap.org/PROGRAMS/business/atworkCleanCommute_b2ww07.htm

Mike in KCK

McCoy's is on Tuesday after work...

Tuesday, May 15

4:30 PM Rendezvous at McCoy’s Public House
Ride your bike to McCoy's and meet up with other cyclists to enjoy a pint and share your bike commuting stories! (Remember to drink responsibly)
McCoy’s, Westport Rd. and Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Missouri

Well, I did it! I got all the way downtown on my bike from Olathe. Now I'm at Scooter's relaxing before the Bike2Work Monday Night Trek Store ride. My dad will probably show up for this one, too :)

i decided to bike into downtown today for fun, so if u saw a kid on a tarmac E5 wearing an skc kit, it was me.

rainbow boulevard hill blows.

btw, got a new Redline Monocog 29er, anyone wanna hit the mud?

There is a study going on by the city of Overland Park concerning what they will do with Metcalf Ave area. Thats what all those vision Metcalf signs are all about. I don't know what difference it makes but I filled out the survey since there was questions concerning bike lanes in it. Incase it does make a difference here is a link.

http://opkansas.org/_Gov/Vision_Metcalf/index.cfm#Survey

The Greater Kansas City Bicycle Federation presents:

833rd annual Tour de Cowtown

alley kat races
and the Everything Bicycle Swapmeet

Saturday May 19th

hosted by

Acme Bicycle Company 412 East 18th Street
KCMO

816 221 2045
or
acmebicycle@kcnet.com

swapmeet starts at sunrise

alleykat at 5p

http://www.acmebicyclecompany.com/tourdecowtown.htm

Repping the dub-K(wichita). I am not much of a leader type, but I would like to organize a critical mass in Wichita or at least be part of it. We need to show these people here in town wassup! I saw a group of riders on Maize road a few sundays ago, but I think they are in a bicycle club. Our city should become the Portland of the midwest.. I wish there was a bicycle lane that runs across town on central.

Anyone else hope the weather here in KS straightens out in the next couple of days? I haven't been able to ride without either rain or a 20 mph wind in the last week!

Don't laugh, but I just bought a winter home in Conway Springs, southwest of Wichita.

I was just online, trying to see what it was like to ride the highways out in farmland. Apparently you get a lot of things thrown at you. I don't know what to do about it. There's often no shoulder, traffic goes 80, and they're not expecting to see a bicycle. I'd be traveling alone. I'd probably end up in a wheatfield.

The back roads are at least noisy so I can get out of the way of a semi or Mobile Home mover, but I don't know the area well enough to know what the small roads are like. I suppose I can drive a route first, to check it out, but that seems pretty lame.

Anyone else in that area? I'm not good enough to ride with you, but at least I'd know you're there...

Don't laugh, but I just bought a winter home in Conway Springs, southwest of Wichita.

I was just online, trying to see what it was like to ride the highways out in farmland. Apparently you get a lot of things thrown at you. I don't know what to do about it. There's often no shoulder, traffic goes 80, and they're not expecting to see a bicycle. I'd be traveling alone. I'd probably end up in a wheatfield.

The back roads are at least noisy so I can get out of the way of a semi or Mobile Home mover, but I don't know the area well enough to know what the small roads are like. I suppose I can drive a route first, to check it out, but that seems pretty lame.

Anyone else in that area? I'm not good enough to ride with you, but at least I'd know you're there...

I'm from a little further north, but have you considered trying MTB or cross? Another suggestion is to hook up with the local club there so you can have someone show you the ropes. Here are a couple of links:

A MTB trail nearby: Horizon Trail (http://www.dirtworld.com/trails/trail.asp?id=12882&trail_name=Camp%20Horizon%20Mountain%20Bike%20Trail)

Oz Bike Club (http://www.ozbikeclub.com/)

Best of luck!

Hey everyone. I'm originally from Overland Park, but am in Manhattan attending KSU at the moment. I've decided to pick up cycling again after a long haitus after a series of accidents and over sea 'vacations.'

Sounds like some on here have a good idea of where to go in their city. If anyone knows good routes in Manhattan, let me know. Thanks.

Derek