/r/bikehouston
A place for cyclist of all kind to hang out!
/r/bikehouston
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Sam Houston Forest Conditions
I was thinking of doing some mountain/gravel biking on fire trails and single track in the Sam Houston Forest this weekend (coming in from Travis Co). Anyone know how to check the conditions with all the rain it's been getting? I hear about Lake Conroe flooding but most of that is east of 45.
I think I'm good on trails but feel free to drop your favorite as well!
17:16 UTC
Bike Tag #555
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Bike Tag 555
Previous
My bike at #554
location of Bike Tag #554 Just off Graustark St. & Branard St. - Uni of St Thomas
Rules
16:55 UTC
Picnic Loop
Anyone know when it’ll be reopened?
16:57 UTC
Bike Tag #554
10:32 UTC
19:28 UTC
17:44 UTC
Bike Tag #551
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Bike Tag #551 - There goes the neighborhood
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
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Location of Bike Tag #550 Alief Neighborhood Center
⊂((・▽・))⊃
20:17 UTC
Bike Tag #550
Current
Previous
Police Station at 13097 Nitida St, Houston, TX 77045
16:21 UTC
How did it go for you? MS-150 2024. Let's discuss!
Day one was INFIINTELY better than last year. Winds were much more favorable. Day two, the winds didn't pay attention to the forecasts and the last 10 miles were pretty grueling.
I started at the 96 mile route, Energy Corridor, but added 17 miles because I parked at a buddy's place and we rode in from near Pinemont & Wheatley. 112 milesfor Day One.
Even with much better winds, that's a lot of miles.
Didn't see any bad rider-down incidents. Saw ambulances stopped on the a couple of places so someone got hurt, but in years past I've seen riders down getting worked on, which is a little scary and sad. Not this year.
Law enforcement was really helpful. Pretty much every major intersection was covered and this year the cops actually did their job. In some previous rides, we've seen 'em sitting in their cars while we had to stop and wait for cars. This year was much better.
Day two, the winds didn't pay attention to the forecasts and we had tough headwinds the last 10 or 12 miles. Harder than last year.
The ride marshals did a good job, there was a lot of good SAG support, and the motorcycle guys really helped out.
I was very fortunate - I had no issues with my bike and none of my friends reported any major malfunctions.
The biggest problem I encountered was the train after the lunch stop on Day Two. This was in Somerville on 8th.
When I got there, others told me the train had already been there an hour. It would move about 8 cars to the left, stop, then move 8 cars to the right.
I was there about 40 minutes. I was not alone. I wouldn't be surprised if it had backed up all the way to the lunch stop.
Eventually the train did get out of the way, but it seems like something that could have been avoided.
For a guy in his 60s, I feel that this was a pretty good accomplishment. I did talk with a guy who's 73 and he was having a great ride.
This was my 7th MS-150 Houston ride, or 6-1/2 since my 1st MS-150 was in 2016, when Day Two was canceled due to stormy weather.
The cycling is pretty intense. Training rides go up to 60 miles but I never like riding more than around 40 miles. Doing 112 miles is really a LOT more than I recommend.
As mentioned in a comment below, yeah, the day one showers were an issue. It took about an hour to wait in line. Then the way these shower trailers worked, there was no place for changing or putting your clothes & bag down. There are two little hooks in the shower to let you hang stuff, and you can drape a towel over the curtain rod, but it isn't at all ideal.
At least the water temperature control worked for me. My shower water was perfect and it felt great to get that wash-down.
I think last year each shower stall had a little space and bench or shelf so you could manage your stuff better.
Plus, even though it wasn't hot outside, the shower trailer was extremely warm inside.
In years past, when the shower line built up, there was the option of riding a school bus over to a nearby school where there was a big prison-style community shower. Just a big tiled room with shower nozzles around the outside walls and a couple of shower posts in the middle. Some guys are not too comfortable with that arrangement, but I considered it the lesser of two evils. I'd rather get a shower relatively quickly and sacrifice modesty than wait an hour.
One of the volunteers told me they stopped doing the school shower because the school got vandalized during the event. Hard to imagine that tired cyclists would vandalize a place that's letting them take a shower.
The socializing and comradery is beyond compare. I have some really good friends because of cycling.
My favorite parts had to be hanging out with my friends, before, during and after.
The parts I liked the least included how difficult it was to keep riding after 60 miles each day.
Oh, and camping in the big team tent had consequences. Around midnight, the wind picked up and one of the big door flaps began to blow around. That allowed outside floodlights to create a kind of surreal environment. And then the tent's metal structure began to rub against itself, making a screeching sound that my earplugs didn't stop at all.
Fortunately by 1, someone tied down the flapping door and the winds eased up.
Some of my friends who got an early start ended up riding through rain on day two. I rode through some very wet roads, so I knew people ahead of me had ridden through rain, but I was lucky and only ever felt a few raindrops through the whole ride.
The ending at Kyle Field is a good one, compared to the racetrack. Downtown Austin was the best, but it's not possible anymore because all the parking lots and space where it used to happen is all built up now with new buildings.
Personally, I liked it a couple of years ago when the route brought us into the actual inside of the stadium and we did one loop inside, then went outside to end it.
The ending now just has you ride outside around the stadium but the crowd cheering when you ride in is really fun to experience.
Edit/Update: Added comments about showers and TL;DR
TL;DR - 2024 MS-150 was a LOT of hard work but a LOT of fun and I'd say it was worth it.
02:20 UTC
District F "Tour de West" - May 4th
00:43 UTC
Anyone by Katy/Richmond and have an extra bike that's no longer used?
04:23 UTC
Space City Weather Summary for MS-150 Ride - Generally good.
From their web site :
Saturday looks fine for the ride from Houston, which generally follows a western route. The day will be rather warm, with partly sunny skies most likely.
Winds will generally be from the south-southeast, with some fairly strong gusts. While these won’t be tailwinds, they should be cross-tailwinds, so they’ll help rather than hinder. (By contrast, if you’re planning to ride your bike from Houston to Galveston on Saturday, good luck). Rains will not be an issue.
On Sunday, the MS 150 bike ride generally turns more north-northeast. Winds on Sunday will not be as pronounced as on Saturday, but they’ll still be blowing at 10 to 15 mph with stronger gusts.
These south-southeasterly winds won’t be perfectly be at your back, but they should be more of a tailwind than a crosswind. So that’s all good. My concern is precipitation, especially beginning in the late morning hours.
Showers will definitely be possible near places such as Brenham and College Station. Right now these don’t look too much like thunderstorms, but it’s something to monitor.
11:50 UTC
Bike Tag #549
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Previous
My bike at #548
3538 W Fuqua St, Houston, TX 77045
20:23 UTC
Bike Tag #548
Current
Previous
Sims Bayou hike & bike trail near Glenbrook Park
15:07 UTC
Doing the MS-150 this weekend? I LIKE the forecast for wind direction this year! (Last year was AWFUL on day 1)
14:30 UTC
Bike Tag #547
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Bike Tag #547
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Bike Tag #546
my bike at #546
Location of Bike Tag #546 https://maps.app.goo.gl/psysuJdPxgRu4ban9
Under railway bridge at Mason Park
18:35 UTC
18:16 UTC
Bike trail with lots of shade
21:55 UTC
Bike Tag #545
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Bike Tag #545 - Note the big hint in the background.
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My bike at BT 544
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cLALmYS2ZQz2qai97
19:32 UTC
Best Flowing Single Track?
Hi Guys, I’m just wondering where the best flowing single track MTB trail is in Houston area. I’ve been out to 100 Acre Woods a few times now. I’ve had a fantastic time, but there are definitely a lot of features there that are still a bit beyond my newb skill set, even while sticking to the green and blue trails. A lot of them I can go around, but there’s many places where I’ve just had to hit the brakes and walk my bike down. Still have a blast there though.
So is there anywhere that is a little more consistently rolling through the woods with less jumps or steep climbs? And maybe fewer spots where I might plummet 20 feet down to the banks of the creek if I lose it…. (Not that that will stop me from going to 100 acre)
23:57 UTC
Bike Tag #544
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Bike Tag #544 Note: Made from recycled wind turbines
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Our bikes at #543 Have a cow, man….in Weiss Park
15:58 UTC
Tour de Houston 2024
14:47 UTC
Bike Tag #543
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Bike Tag #543
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My bike at #542
Location of Bike Tag #542 Location of Bike Tag #542
29.782416, -95.456674
Post Oak Rd, Houston, TX 77024
22:15 UTC
Good paths or trails to log a lot of miles
Kinda want to train and do a 100 mile or so ride.
Where are the food spots to log a lot of miles??
01:49 UTC