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Showing posts from January, 2015

Great places to ride in and near the Tri-State

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Tunnel Hill, for which Illinois' Tunnel Hill State Trail is named. The trail runs from Karnak to Harrisburg, Ill., along a former Norfolk Southern rail line. A recently- built extension to Eldorado adds about 10 miles to the 45-mile original trail. ( National Recreation Trails photo ) If you're looking for great places to ride that don't involve being out in traffic, dedicated trails are perfect for you - and both Evansville and Owensboro now have trails that are open.  Owensboro's is a good deal longer (15 miles versus 6.75 miles), but both are attractive and enjoyable. Owensboro's Adkisson Greenbelt Park stretches around the west, south and east sides of Owensboro beginning at the Joe Ford Nature Park near U.S. 60 West and ending at the Miller's Mill Road trailhead, a short distance south of Kentucky Hwy. 54. You'll find walkers, skaters and cyclists out using the route, particularly in the easternmost stretches where more of the newer neighborhoo

Riding in cold weather - you can!

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Netplaces.com image As you've probably gathered by now, I ride my bicycles year-round - and if you're willing to accept a little cold, you can do it, too. It's really not difficult, nor is it as taxing on your body as you might think. You do have to dress for the weather - wearing layers is important, particularly the right layers. And if you ride in snow or ice, there are other precautions you need to follow, such as route selection and making yourself more visible. In my search for help with ideas on winter riding, I found a great tip sheet from the University of Kentucky , which you can download and print by clicking here . It may well be one of the best resources you'll find. I know it's a welcome addition to my bag of tricks. See you on the road!

Getting Electra-fied with The Cardinal

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Me with my new Electra Cruiser 1 , a/k/a "The Cardinal" I've been riding bikes for a looooooooong time.  Well, let me be honest: I started riding a long time ago, and then I quit after I sold my 1973 Schwinn World Voyageur in 1999. And then I started again about three years ago when I bought my 2011 Magna Rip Curl . And since the summer of 2012, I've put 2,250 miles on the Rip Curl, and several hundred miles more on a 1986 Huffy Bay Pointe that I refurbished and sold last year and two new mountain bikes (a defective Roadmaster Granite Peak 26 that I returned, and a good Magna Great Divide for which I found a new home). But deep down, I wanted something of higher quality. Last Friday, I got it. "It" is a  2015 Electra Cruiser 1, delivered   in the new-for-'15 and very eye-catching Red Metallic, which, along with my long-time love of the St. Louis Cardinals, led my son to name the bike "The Cardinal."  I ordered it based only on what

Welcome to the BRB!

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Welcome to the new Jake's Bike Route Blog , which I'm calling the BRB ! Here at the BRB, we'll discuss bikes and bike riding around the Tri-State.  I hope you'll join me! To start things off, where are your favorite places to ride?  Add yours in the Comments section!