Get Out and Ride-Indy Style

Yesterday  I spent the day with the folks at Indycog out at the Major Taylor Velodrome for the final race of the 2012 season for Ohio Valley Cyclocross.  I had volunteered to help out for an hour, and ended up staying all day.  When you have no social life such things happen.  It was my first cyclocross event and I had a blast (as a spectator-not a racer).  If you get a chance to watch cyclocross do so.  Even better, if you are so inclined, participate.  These races look like they are a blast--in a masochistic bike racing sort of way.

After I got back home one thought kept popping into my head.  Indianapolis has a LOT of opportunities to ride a bike.  Cycling in Indianapolis is not just about casual Saturday morning rides along one of the city's greenways, or commuting to and from work.  There are many opportunities for many kinds of riding. 

Indycog and other groups, including the Mayor's office, sponsor rides throughout the year such as the NITEride which allow cyclists to come together for fun group rides throughout the city.  Bike shops and clubs also hold group rides for training and camaraderie largely for road cyclists.  There are also numerous charity and fun rides sponsored by a host of organizations either in Indianapolis or within a sort drive (or ride) from the city.  One good place to find such rides is the Bike Rides in Indiana website which has listings of most every organized ride in Indiana and some from surrounding states.

If organized group rides aren't your thing there is also Bike Polo, Cyclocross, and BMX for the competitive at heart, or those who just want to play on their bike.  There are even mountain bike trails within the city at Town Run Park, Southwestway Park, and Ft. Harrison State Park.  There are also mountain bike trails in several State Parks within a hour or two of the city such as Brown County, and Versailles. 

I know I am starting to sound like some kind of tourism liaison, but when I first moved here, and for a few years after, I didn't realize just how much there was to do on a bicycle around here.  I am willing to bet that fro a lot of people who live around here this is the same case.  So, for any of you who live here or are just here temporarily due to school or work, I would suggest getting out and looking around.  Indianapolis has more opportunities to get out and ride than you might think.

Grocery Getter

In an earlier post I briefly mentioned having gotten Topeak's Trolley Tote for grocery runs.  Having used it a few times now I feel ready to give a basic review.

As you'll see, the Trolley Tote is essentially a milk crate with wheels and a handle.  It folds up when not in use, and locks down to the rack via Topeak's MTX trac system. 

To use the Tote for its intended purpose you must first unfold it which involves several steps:

You first loosen the clips on the handle end of the Tote,

then raise the sides up and unfold them. 

You seat a clip on the inside of both sides,


then put 'stiffners' which are stored inside the Tote over the side hinges and snap them in place.

Finally, you re-clip the clips on the outside and wah-lah--grocery tote. 

This can all be done while the Tote is clipped into the rack, and once you've done it a few times takes less time to do than it does to explain.  The handle telescopes out and locks in place to pull the Tote around with which is quite handy.  And the inline-skate wheels roll well.


Once opened and locked in place the Tote is quite sturdy and capable of performing its task..  I was worried that it would be a little flimsy, but it is quite solid--at least as solid as a real milk crate.

Overall the Trolley Tote works well for its intended purpose.  It wouldn't hold enough groceries for a typical family's weekly grocery run (though my Nomad would easily do so), but since I have a problem knowing what I want to eat more than a day or two in advance, I tend to go to the grocery daily or every other day, and the Tote holds a day or two's groceries for one person easily.  If your typical grocery haul is any larger I would recommend the Burley Travoy.  This option cost quite a bit more, but carries a lot more.  A friend of mine has one and she loves it (I am considering getting one for myself for errands and possibly overnighters--if I do I will of course give my opinions here)

When loaded with groceries you wouldn't want to make too many high speed maneuvers with the Tote in place because it does put the weight you are carrying up quite high and you can feel the difference, especially if you have something relatively heavy in the Tote; such as a gallon of milk, or a half-case of beverages.  But, if you keep at a casual speed the weight of the laden Tote isn't a big deal, so long as you keep it in mind when stopping and turning.

As for negatives--the handle doesn't lock when retracted, the whole thing is noisy, and a net should come with it.

1. The handle locks in place when extended, but not when retracted.  This isn't really an issue when the whole thing is folded because the handle faces the bike's seat, so you don't have to worry about it extending out behind you, but it does rattle around a bit while you are riding, which adds to the already annoying amount of noise this thing makes.  
2. Whether folded or unfolded the Tote makes quite a bit of racket.  This seems to be from the way it loosely sits in the trac system which allows the Tote to steadily clang up and down against the rack.  It seems to me that the Tote could be made to sit tighter in the trac and therefore make much less noise.  I've taken to using some soft Styrofoam between the Tote and rack to deaden the noise.  This fix is working quite well, but it always bothers me when I have to come up with some kind of  'user-designed after-market device' for something I pay for.
3. A cargo net is needed if you are carrying groceries across any less-than-perfect surface, which is 99% of the surface I travel on.  If you don't use a net your groceries will bounce around in the tote and could easily bounce out of it.  I already have a small bungee net that I use to fasten things to my rack, but it seems to me that something so integral to using the Trolley Tote should be included with it.  Topeak does sell a net separately, so this is probably an issue of economics, but come on guys.

So, overall I would say that I am satisfied with what started as an impulse buy (it was on sale, and I was buying a compatible rack), though I would caution others to be aware of the Tote's limitations, and take some time to consider how he/or she plans to use it, before laying down his/ or her's cash.

Cycling Friendly Indianapolis

In some of my posts I occasionally make remarks about or take jabs at the drivers here in Indianapolis in relation to cyclists, and while there are a lot of idiots on the road here, I don't mean to imply that this is the fault of the city itself.  So, I want to take a moment to talk about cycling in Indianapolis in relation to what the city does to promote or deter it.

In the seven years since I moved to the city I have noticed that bike lanes and paths have started to pop up all over the place, and Indianapolis has gotten easier to navigate by bicycle with every passing year.  According to the city government, Indianapolis has 70 miles of bike lanes and plans to create over 200 miles of such lanes over the next twelve years through its Connectivity Plan. In the past year the city government also passed an ordinance mandating the inclusion of things such as bike lanes and trails into any road construction projects.  And, Indianapolis has the 'three feet rule' for passing cyclists on the street (though most drivers don't know or follow such rules).

I recently found out that the Mayor's office even has a "Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator" who answers questions and concerns about cycling in the city, and who has assured me that there is an ongoing effort to coordinate with the BMV (bureau of motor vehicles) to educate drivers on the rules concerning cyclists.  The Mayors office also has a website dedicated to this subject of cycling in Indianapolis which is quite well designed and informative.

In partnership with Indycog a local cycling advocacy group, the city recently published a "bicycle friendliness map" called the Indy Ride Guide which shows all of the current bike lanes, paths, and trails within the city, and uses a color coding system for city streets to rank them  on a scale of 'bikeability."  I have used this guide quite a bit lately and have been extremely pleased with its usefulness.  So far, my only issue with the guide is that it doesn't cover the communities to the north of Indianapolis proper like Carmel, Fishers, and Geist which due to the attitude of many of the drivers in these areas are among the most dangerous places in this area to ride on the streets, or for that matter, drive.  However, I fully understand that these areas are somewhat out of the control of the city government, and the guide is for Indianapolis.  It would be nice if these other communities would partner with the city on this, or even take steps to produce a guide of their own.  But, I digress.

The Indy Ride Guide is free and distributed through bike shops, breweries, and some retailers throughout the city.  You can even get a waterproof version, but for that you have to pay.

All of the city buses have bike racks on them so a person can incorporate a bus into their bike-commute.  There are some free bike lockers spread though downtown, and quite a few standard bike racks.  And, there is a YMCA "bike hub" near the center of the city that has secure bicycle parking, as well as showers, and bicycle mechanics.  You have to pay a membership for the bike hub, but for frequent bike commuters this would be worth the money.  There is even a program to provide free cab-rides should there be an emergency for bike and/or bus commuters.

In all, Indianapolis is a relatively decent and safe place to explore and commute by bike.  Hopefully over time it will become safer with drivers becoming better educated and getting more exposure to more bikes being on the street.  For now, in my experience, the worst areas are the northern sections where there is a high percentage of expensive cars, and the southern edges where there is a high percentage of "redneckish pick-ups."  It seems to me that these two areas will become safer only through increased pressure from the police on their pocket books--something that the local Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator has assured me will happen.  For my part I have printed off some of the pamphlets and documents available from the city's cycling website to hand out to drivers who are obviously unaware of the rules and laws regarding their driving and my riding.  This probably doesn't help much because I can't give these drivers the same "incentives" that a police officer could, but I believe it couldn't hurt.

Indianapolis has a way to go before it could be considered truly the "bicycle friendly" city it claims to be, but at least it's heading in the right direction, which, considering a lot of people's opinions on the matter throughout the city, state, and country is an extraordinary step.