Bike week

Kalamazoo Bike Week kicked off with another addition of the annual Bike Camp.  49 new and returning riders signed up for the 4 Saturday classes to reintroduce them to cycling.

Volunteers from several bike shops as well as the club were on hand to give bikes a mechanical going over as well as provide an expert fitting and adjustment.

After which they were lead through a safety riding course and supervised rides of 5, 10 or 15 miles on the city streets.    

In another area of town the Vintage Bike show and swap was going on at the Old Dog Tavern downtown.  I arrived kind of late and didn't get to see some of the wares for sale,but did get to see the excellent New Belgium city bike being auctioned off.  The only thing this beauty missed is a decent dyno hub and lights, but with the nice steel frame, accessories and the Nexus 8 speed gears it was a real deal for the winner.

I was late in the day and a few of the vendors had packed up but there was still a large selection of bikes hanging around and people enjoying the courtyard bar with with a brew.

There were bike events and rides scheduled throughout town for the week and I missed most of them.

At the end of the week the Bike Camp continued with an hour and a half of maintenance tips and training for the 49 campers who signed up.

For our local club, this has become a great growth mechanism.  The campers get four Saturdays of instruction about various facets of the sport as well as membership to the club and the benefit of our supplemental medical insurance.  The club has gained new members year as a result of this program.

Each classroom session is followed by another ride of various lengths and speeds to help the new riders acclimate themselves to different traffic situations and riding techniques.  It's a little scary for those of us who are instructors and are constantly reminded of all the problems, techniques and solutions we take for granted.   

         One great event that fell below most people's radar was the implementation of the signage for the new Bikeway being developed.  The first of the new signs were put in place along the commuter route being developed throughout the region.  I have mentioned this before but this is an integrated route developed by the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study for the the Bike Friendly Kalamazoo group.  Based upon mapping by KATS it will provide the largest and only designated regional cycling network I have heard of, at least on this continent.