So, as the emails suggests and if you’re a resident of Chicago,  contact your alderman and let them know that appropriate replacement bike parking provisions are needed. Unanimous “rock star parking” for all cyclists is not the goal here, but just enough to fill the void that meter-less streets will create.

I have to cover a lot of ground in the city. Of course, this is because I choose to ride for transportation so often. The reason Chicago’s trail and certain bike routes are ridden so often is that they’re effective. However, this means they are crowded when warm months roll around.

While I am occasionally guilty of hopping on the trail on weekends, possibly late for something, and riding at a pretty fast rate, it’s really not practical to do this. Yet, I encounter unsafe riding all the time. There is absolutely no sense in arguing that other trail-users need to get out of the way — there’s far too many of them so it will never happen. They also have the same right as anyone to be out there. But when I’m out on the trail just trying to get home and other riders are attempting hard workouts too many dangerous variables are created. I find it’s pretty simple to remember not to take the path in a hurry during peak hours, workout in the early am on the southern sections and slow down if you end up on it having had a lapse in judgment on your route planning. It’s not worth getting hurt.

The streets also get more crowded as the temperature climbs. There are enough things cyclists have to worry about while commuting, so when other cyclists become a problem it can be very disheartening. Simple acknowledgment of other cyclists and how they’re  riding can virtually eliminate any potential conflicts.

Far too often riders I pass in the middle of a block will blow right by me while I’m stopped at a light. If a rider passed me it would seem pretty obvious that they’re traveling at a higher rate of speed. So, why must riders have to pass again, almost certainly causing the other to venture out into the flow of traffic that is much heavier having just left a stopped intersection?

Even racing, now that forecasts are much more tolerable, has become a bit more dangerous. There’s really nothing that can be done about this except to stress to the utmost racing within ones ability. Saturday was the first of several criteriums that are held in the city each summer. No doubt, with the shape of the economy and gas-prices, the race attracted many that would not otherwise take part in this style of racing. I witnessed several crashes during my race, and while again — there is really nothing that can be done to avoid crashes in races, racers can take precautions. Myself; I will probably only attend this latest race as a spectator in the future. I have no shame in that. I, like all racers, am extremely competitive but I value my safety above any potentially successful result.

So, hopefully it won’t take being in and/or witnessing a crash to raise riders consciousness this season. Riding bikes is way too much fun to have to forego it due to preventable injury. Sure, things will happen but we can all take steps to minimize the risk. Ride safe!

First, it was so much easier to install the rear deraileur. Shimano RDs would often take me panifully long to get shifting properly. The SRAM one worked so well almost right out of the box that I was nervous that something was/would go wrong. Not the case. from my understanding, it is much more ‘forgiving’ due to the amount of cable SRAM shifters pull as opposed to Shimano. anyway…

While my first uses of it were on the trainer indoors, I was impressed very early on by the stiffness of the crankset — especially given the price. The chainrings are also hard-anodized which is a nice feature and seems to make shifts up and down the two rings in the front very smooth. they also look very durable, but time will tell… one thing to note if you’re in the market: you may need an adaptor (my older frame required one) for your front derailleur if you do not have a braze-on mount, as they only offer a 31.8 and a 34.9 clamp size.

the “DoubleTap” control levers are really the highlight of the entire group — visually if nothing else. i did have a few instances of attempting upshifts by pushing in on the brake lever, coming from all Shimano, but having gotten used to it i almost dislike riding my “beater” w/ Shimano on it now. however, i have missed shifts. none while racing (despite a fast and rainy crit last night), but while on training rides in the rain, etc…the shift lever’s ability to be pulled inwards (for better shifting from the drops, etc…) occasionally allows my hand to slip between the brake and the shift lever. mostly this has occurred in the rain w/ gloves on, but once or twice just wearing gloves on a dry day. i would consider this, pretty much, a blessing and a curse. being able to “knuckle” your way down the cassette while sprinting from the drops is awesome and can’t be done on Ultegra, yet. so, i can’t really complain about it because it’s pretty much a push regarding benefit/drawback.

the brakes stopped me on my way down this. enough said. having to replace shiftercables is a bit difficult w. the control levers due to a awkward bend the cable needs to turn, but once you get past that it’s smooth sailing. all the other aspects, and diffrences from Ultegra, seem to work favorably and –like I said–just nicer. i highly recommend making the leap.

We already have SRAM here in Chicago. Less than 200 miles northwest we have Trek, Planet Bike, etc. in Wisconsin.  And, in possibly one of the most unassuming zip-codes imaginable, we may have the most cycling industry product distributors per-capita.

Move over California?