Mitch's Btown Blog
Bikes, Hikes, Music, Mushrooms
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Retired boomer, out to walk my dogs, ride my bike, and hike the forest paths around Monroe County Indiana. Recently found ADHD runs in my family, and apparently gallops in me…
Category: Biking Bloomington
About Biking around South Central Indiana, rides and routes around town and in Monroe County
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Ultimate Cargo Ebike This beautiful cargo ebike came in yesterday for a quick checkup, what a great machine! It had top quality parts all around, plus this super kid package up front with seating for 2 with seat belt, plus a bunch more room for groceries, picnic gear, whatever. The colorful paint job is a…
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Charlie Bird (& Jojo) came by the shop the other day for a brake tune-up on their Espin Nesta, new pads in front, and a new caliper/pads in the back. We are contemplating an upgrade to hydraulic brakes in the rear, they really do work better and easier, though they cost considerabley more, and are…
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A research study for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics focused on the number of daily trips taken in the United States. “In 2021, 52% of all trips, including all modes of transportation, were less than three miles, with 28% of trips less than one mile. Just 2% of all trips were greater than 50 miles.”…
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What is up with motorists hating on bikers? Anyone who rides in Bloomington knows that unkind/unsafe motorists will met on every journey around town. On those long journeys in the county I’ve been openly threatened a few times (a litre of Coke thrown at me while being passed, rolling coal while climbing a hill, and…
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Our way of life (where cars have primacy in city planning) makes biking dangerous. As pointed out in the video, biking is not dangerous, being hit by cars is dangerous. Separated biking infrastructure makes cities better for everyone, motorists included. Here in Bloomington we have the new 7-Line separated bike lane along Seventh St, and…
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I wrote the post below back in 2007, when I first started riding my Rans Stratus, the long wheel base recumbent that you may have seen me riding around the county. I had been riding “Long Green”, an older Rans that I got from Kevin Atkins, (thanks Kevin, you changed my life!). I had been…
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A recent study from researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico, found that protected bike lanes bring down fatalities for both bikers and motorists (at least in the large cities they studied.) So thanks City of Bloomington for the new protected bike lanes on the 7-Line downtown! And I…
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One of the main trade-offs in owning an ebike is that changing tires and tubes is harder, and with most rear wheel motors, it best to adjust the deraileur and disk brakes at that time. So what to do if riding in the city, with metal and glass everywhere? I looked around at the various…
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This is a great video about Dutch bikes (Omafiets) from a Canadian point of view, he lists many of the advantages that I cite to folks as the advantages of ebikes for transportation, not just sport. Here are a few of the fine points that make this style of bike so useful as a day…
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After a couple of years mostly town riding, Jojo (& Charlie) and I went out for one of the finest loop rides in Monroe county. This route tours our three large valleys on the eastside, Kerr Creek, Getty’s Creek, and Brummett’s Creek Roads. Our map is below, 90% of the ride was through quiet countryside,…
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