Some people head to the gym.  Some people head to the park.  Some people head for the open road.  New year resolutions aren’t cliche, they are our free pass at a fresh start to do something positive with our life.  Riding your bike has a lot of those positives.  It can be social, it’s definitely fitness related and it’s also therapeutic for your mind as well.

In the past couple of years, there has been a great surge of cyclists in the Houston community.  Thank social media for the infectious spread of meetups and bike crawls.  Thank your local bike shops for their weekly ride initiatives.  Last but not least, thank your local cycling advocation groups and city affiliates for making a lot of the bike trails possible.  You can throw in food trucks, as well – thanks to their moving target, we wouldn’t have those random excursions on bikes to find where they are located for an exciting nosh.

Critical Mass rides – they get a bad rep but for a majority of the time, it’s a group of people who simply want to ride with their friends and have something different to do on a Friday night (every last Friday of the month).  It’s meant to be a message that cyclists are here and we aren’t going anywhere and we demand to be a part of the streets as well.  It’s all perspective and riding in a large group lets you be seen easier.  Practice safe riding (helmet, lights, ride defensively) and keep up with the group, otherwise pay attention to the signs and traffic lights.  Nothing makes you invincible out there so think smart.

There are plenty of things to do in the new year.  New social eateries always opening up, as well as bike-friendly establishments always looking to push a good social ride to stop by during or after their ride.  It’s amazing what things you see on bike that you wouldn’t usually pay attention to in your car.  A lot of people are intimidated to share the street with cars but you have to plan your ride out and ride safe routes.  Once you figure it all out, it’s smooth sailing and addicting.

Also helps to  look the part.  JK. Picture courtesy of teh interwebz.  Thanks Interwebz!

Who doesn’t like a little biking, a little mingling, a little not so wintery weather and a little brew?  If you live in Houston, it’s everyone!  BikeHouston is having their Holiday party at Karbach Brewing Co. Make some time for a brew and your fellow bike friends.

Hay Merchant is Pro-Bike, Pro-Beer, and Pro-Houston

HAY MERCHANT SUPPORTS HOUSTON BIKERS WITH “ONE LESS CAR, ONE MORE KARBACH” OFFER

This November, Hay Merchant is coming out in support of Houston’s biking community by offering a special on Karbach brews in honor of Houston’s bikers. On Monday, the fifth of November, Hay Merchant will be launching “One Less Car, One More Karbach,” a program offering a $3 Karbach from Hay Merchant’s great selection to anyone who bikes to the bar.

Hay Merchant is kicking off the program with a bike pub crawl in partnership with Karbach Brewery. Starting at Hay Merchant at 5:00 PM on the evening of November 5 and ending at Karbach Brewery (with a lot of great stops along the way), the ride will take in the unique sights and sounds (and drinks!) of Houston.

“Since it’s the day before the election, we thought this would be a great time to vocalize our support for Houston’s biking community,” said Hay Merchant owner, Kevin Floyd. “We’re all bike enthusiasts here at Hay Merchant. At any given time, there are more employees using the bike racks than the parking lot.”

Monday’s bike pub crawl is just the beginning–from Nov. 5 forward, those who bike to The Hay Merchant will receive the same offer. To receive the discount, riders just need to tell their servers that they arrived on bike. Whether you ride a half-mile or a half dozen to get to Hay Merchant, you’ll be able to enjoy one of Hay Merchant’s Karbach offerings for $3 for your entire visit.

The featured Karbach beer selection during the November 5 kickoff will be Karbach Hopadillo IPA. With its intense hops flavor and aroma, Pale, Medium Crystal, Dark Crystal, Munich, and Biscuit malts, and 6.3% ABV, it’s just the thing for thirsty bikers and beer enthusiasts alike.

“This is all about furthering Houston bike culture,” said Floyd. “At Hay Merchant, we’ve got bike builders, bike enthusiasts, and, in general, bike nuts. We want those in the Houston biking community to know that we salute you! And we’d like to get to know you, so come in for a Karbach!”

On November 10, 2012, the first annual HTX Bike Fest will take place in Downtown Houston. The venue hosting this one of a kind festival is Phul Court which will be providing food trucks and drinks all day. This festival is designed to bring cyclists from all over the city to one place for one day. The festival will boast a huge swap meet in the morning through Frankenbike and Gomez Swap Meets till 12pm. From 1pm – midnight, over 20 different bike industry vendors will be on-site. There will also be a variety of demos from various bike sports such as bike polo, bmx/fixed gear freestyle, various cycling contests and sprint contests hosted by Texas Gold Sprint’em. Music will be provided throughout the day by various local DJs.

The event is FREE to the public with the donation of bagged dog food or a cash donation in care of Barrio Dogs, a grassroots, non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas with an emphasis on education and in raising awareness on proper animal care in the low income communities.

More information can be found at www.htxbikefest.com or contact the organizers at hectorg@htxbikefest.com.

Just in case you haven’t seen it everywhere else or didn’t save the date yet, registration for the BP MS150 opens this Thursday!  The annual trek from Houston to Austin is just around the winter bend.  Tell your friends, your kids, your family, your pets, your neighbor…  Support a great cause and do something that you can say a lot of people haven’t done and do it for the people who can’t.

Link to register: http://goo.gl/yJcGM

Looking for something to do in this breathtaking weather?  It’s this time of the year that makes Houston shine, especially when you see cyclists around town.  There are so many trails and bike paths, so go out there and utilize them!

Well, the 7th Bike Rally and Scavenger Hunt put together by the Houston Heights Association on October 7.  It’s a casual ride.  One that goes for 5 miles or go the distance with the 20 mile hunt.  Safety first and bring your helmets!

Other up-coming events – Check the Calendar for all the info in the Details section:
9/16 – Tour de Pink
9/22 – Tour de Cure
10/13-14 – Bike Around the Bay
10/13 – FrankenBike at Alkek Velodrome - http://houston.frankenbike.net/?p=806
10/20 – Bike to Build
10/27 – BikeHouston Moonlight Ramble, Regstration is open! - http://www.bikehouston.org/moonlight-bicycle-ramble/

Because you don’t have enough to follow in your own life, we’ve got you covered in every aspect of social media.  All of them with their own special purposes.

http://goo.gl/p13xY
Google+ – A loose laid back version of local news, events, random bike links.

http://app.strava.com/clubs/pedalhouston
Strava – Got the Strava app on your phone? Add your rides here.

https://foursquare.com/pedalhouston
Foursquare – Find great check-ins for riding.

http://facebook.com/pedalhouston
Facebook – The default social media connection in addition to Twitter.

http://twitter.com/pedalhouston
Twitter – Hi, I’m Twitter.  Read my tweetables.

Registration is now open! http://www.bikehouston.org/moonlight-bicycle-ramble/

Packet Pick-up at the following place:

October 20 at REI at 7538 Westheimer from 12 – 5 pm
October 27 at BikeSport at 2909 Joanel St from 12 – 5 pm

Registration is $25 w shirt, $20 w/o shirt and $80 for teams of four including event shirts.  It’ll be one heckuva ride!

Locals being locals.  Just a glimpse of the Houston scene this summer.

It never helps to cut costs and do things on your own, especially when you know it was “easier than you thought.”  Bar tape.  Change it up.

Courtesy of Bicycling.com’s Maintenance page.