January Gear Review: Jet Black Trainer

Each month, our friends at Hawley share a review on the latest gear that is passing through their warehouse on its way to your local bike shop. As always, thanks to Ken Klatte, Production Artist with Hawley, for this sneak-preview and words of wisdom. For more from Hawley on the latest and greatest in bike gear, check out their blog or YouTube channel.

Let’s be honest, the only reason trainers were invented was to offer an alternative for those spineless cyclists who lack the meteorological fortitude to ride in cold or inclement weather. In the spirit of candor and openness, I readily group myself among the spineless and weak-willed. Riding outside when most other life forms are either buried underground hibernating or desperately trying to fly south to warmer climes is generally considered a pointless if not destructive activity but for many cyclists is the only way to stay in shape during the fall and winter.

This November and December, in an attempt to fight the scourge of holiday weight gain and keep my extremities frostbite-free, I decided to try out the Jet Black S-1 magnetic trainer. First impressions of the S-1 were positive. The Australian-made trainer comes pre-assembled. Other than attaching the magnetic resistance unit, you’re ready to take it for a spin in literally seconds. Made from a mix of alloys, the trainer is surprisingly lightweight so if you want to load it in your car to take to a spin class or cyclocross race, it won’t require any awkward straining.

With this trainer you can comfortably shed lbs gained from too many Holiday meals!

The S-1 being the base model trainer means there are few if any bells and whistles. The blue collar-styled fixed resistance roller uses a simple screw with a nice giant knob for turning. Once you fix the resistance to your desired level (I prefer “rolling downhill with a hurricane level tailwind”), hop on and start your ride. Unlike most base model and entry level trainers, the S-1 is surprisingly quiet which makes it great for using in front of the TV or listening to your favorite music or NPR podcast.

Other than the garish orange and black paint scheme, I couldn’t find anything functionally wrong with the S-1. Its strength is its simplicity and durability, which will please cyclists looking for an economical and straightforward way to start an indoor training regimen. MSRP $119.99

Statewide News Roundup

 12/16/11. Bike path project gets SCDOT approval (Post & Courier)

P&C photo of the Northbound Ashley River Bridge

12/16/11. DOT gives green light to bike lane on Ashley River Bridge. (Live 5 News) 

12/18/11. Letter to the Editor (by PCC Director!): Complete streets increase safety. (The State)

12/20/11. Letter to the Editor: Use Bike Lights (Post & Courier)

12/20/11. Opinion: Bravo for bike lane on bridge. (Post & Courier)

12/21/11. Council tables Walmart action until January. (WISTV)

Support Palmetto Cycling into the New Year!

As we dig out our arm warmers and shoe covers, we at the Palmetto Cycling Coalition want to thank you once again for your support and for helping us in our mission to make South Carolina a better place to ride a bike.

Over the past year, we have built up great momentum for a bicycle friendly South Carolina. We’ve welcomed a 5^th Bicycle Friendly Community with Hilton Head’s silver designation, toured the state with Mia Birk while she shared her insight and inspiration, engaged in a targeted initiative to grow our membership, and hosted complete streets workshops for South Carolina advocates. We launched our Safe Streets Save Lives campaign with BikeLaw and worked with the Alliance for Biking & Walking to hold a Winning Campaigns Training in Columbia.

Through partnerships with the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, AARP, Bike Law, the Department of Public Safety and Eat Smart, Move More, we have been able to accomplish a lot for our state, but our biggest supporters are you, our members. Your letters and voices helped protect federal funding for biking and walking projects, funding for our state parks and trails and to support our bicycle laws. While it may sound cliché, it is nevertheless true that organizations like the Palmetto Cycling Coalition are only as strong as our membership.

We have had big successes this year, and we don’t plan to slow down.

We have great plans for the future, and we need your support to accomplish them.Through efforts to unite aspiring bicycling friendly cities, to map bicycle routes statewide, and to better educate motorists and bicyclists to share the road, we want to make South Carolina a truly great place to not only ride a bike, but to call home. 

The Coalition is here to work for the rights of all kinds of bicyclists. Whether you prefer long endurance road rides, technical trails, urban commutes, a trip to a coffee shop or simply to know that your children can ride their bikes safely, we are here to fight for your needs- but we cannot do it alone.

There are many ways that you can support Palmetto Cycling as we head into the new year. You can give the gift of membership to a friend or family member (or yourself!), get a Share the Road license plate or make a tax-deductible donation to support our cause. If you have any questions about your membership status or that of your friends and family, please contact Cait at cait@pccsc.net. You can donate by either mailing a check to 141-F Pelham Drive Suite 116, Columbia, SC 29209 or visiting our secure online program at Razoo.

Your past support had been the backbone of our many accomplishments, and we must continue working together to keep moving forward. Thank you for a great 2011 and what we hope will be an even better 2012!

Statewide News Round-up

12/7/11. Creative Bike Racks Will Double as Street Art. (Free Times)

12/11/11. Hilton Head bike group pedaling toward gold designation. (Island Packet)

12/12/11. Schools' safety projects derailed. (Post & Courier)

12/12/11. With 5 pedestrian deaths already this year, authorities escalating enforcement efforts. (Times & Democrat)

12/13/11. Jesse Gamble, Teen Killed on Blossom St. Bridge, Honored in Rose Parade. (WLTX)

12/13/11. Jesse Gamble to be honored in the Rose Parade. (WISTV)

12/13/11. Midlands teen leaves his legacy through organ donation. (Midlands Connect)

12/13/11. Transportation group wants DOT answers. (Post & Courier)

12/14/11. Beaufort leverages penny sales tax with $12.6 million federal grant for Boundary Street redevelopment. (Beaufort Tribune)

Rendering of how Boundary Street may look (Beaufort Digitel)

12/14/11. Boundary Street improvements coming with $26.3 million in federal and local dollars. (Beaufort Digitel) 

12/15/11. Study complete on bike lane over river; findings withheld. (Post & Courier)

Jesse Gamble honored in 2012 Rose Parade

While our goal at the Coalition is to reduce bicycling related deaths, we also must ensure that we do not forget those we have lost as we work for a safer future.

Jesse's floragraph

Yesterday, we had an opportunity to again pay tribute to one of our own, Jesse Gamble. Jesse was killed by a drunk driver in August 2008 while riding his bike home from work over the Blossom Street Bridge. Today, the bike lanes on the bridge are named "Jesse's Way" in his memory- but his impact on the community did not end there. As an organ donor, Jesse was able to save the lives of seven people, and for that gift, he will be honored on the 2012 Donate Life Rose Parade Float.

Donate Life's parade presence has been a tradition since 2004 and brings awareness of organ donors' kindness and generosity to over 40 million spectators and television viewers. Jesse is the first Columbia resident and fourth donor from South Carolina receive this honor. The opportunity to celebrate Jesse's life and gift was made possible by Bridge to Life, a Columbia-based biotechnology company dedicated to improving the process of organ transplantation.

This year's float, "...One More Day," was designed to give the donors' families one more day in remembrance and show the value of the donors' gift of many more days to transplant recipients. It will feature "floragraphs" from across the country to be honored on this year's float, 28 float riders- transplant recipients and donor families- representing the millions touched by organ donation and a Dedication Garden filled with roses and unique, personal messages from all over the country.

If you would like more information on how to become an organ donor, or how to confirm that you are one, please visit Donate Life SC. Broadcast coverage of the Rose Parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 2. The Donate Life Rose Parade Float is entry #41. If you are interested in watching, the parade will be shown on NBC, ABC, HGTV, Hallmark and Univision.

Protect the Biking Experience on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Rachael was lucky enough to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway back in June with BikeLaw and a group of fellow bicycle advocates, but your voices are needed to ensure that future bicyclists get the same opportunity.

The parkway is attempting to gain National Historic Landmark status which would make it prohibitively difficult to make any changes to the road to better accommodate bicyclists, and the Draft Management Plan does not look any friendlier to two-wheeled transportation- part of which lists promoting the "driving experience" as a goal. The parkway is overwhelmed and underfunded, and is unfortunately taking a very short-sighted view of the problems they face.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful piece of road that should certainly be preserved. However, we think this particular approach would be particularly harmful to both the riding experience and the economic benefits the area sees as a result of frequent bicycle tourism. If you agree, please take a moment to submit either written or online comments on the parkway's draft management plan. Please hurry, the deadline for comments is on Dec. 16th.

Statewide News Roundup

A few news headlines from around the state, new and old(er).

11/20/11. Update: Child Hit By 2 Cars Dies. (WYFF)

11/21/11. Who will ride away with bike path funds? (Post & Courier)

12/4/11. Globalbike entourage visits Cape of Good Hope. (Go Upstate)

12/4/11. New map offers area residents options for active lives. (Greenville News)

December Gear Review: Evo Thunder Gloves

Each month, our friends at Hawley share a review on the latest gear that is passing through their warehouse on its way to your local bike shop. As always, thanks to Ken Klatte, Production Artist with Hawley, for this sneak-preview and words of wisdom. For more from Hawley on the latest and greatest in bike gear, check out their blog or YouTube channel.

A lot goes through your mind when you're trapped in a torrential downpour on your road bike when it's 50 degrees. Apart from the usual abject hopelessness and thoughts of "just ending it so I don't have to endure this anymore!", the mind turns to what to wear for future bouts with rain and cold.

I thought of this as I rode down an extremely cold and wet mountain decent 2 weeks ago. As my hands were pummeled by a stinging rain and stiff headwind, I ruminated on how completely awesome my sample pair of Evo Thunder gloves were doing. Made from sturdy yet flexible neoprene, the gloves were like miniature scuba suits for my hands. After an hour of steady precipitation, my hands were dry and somewhat warm. Warm is a relative term when descending a mountain so I'll qualify it with this: my hands weren't stinging, throbbing or completely numb. The thermal lycra lining worked wonders! The resulting dexterity in my hands made the descent manageable and significantly less terrifying.

The Thunder gloves have a thin silicone palm pattern for increased grip on the handlebars and the extra long wrists meant moisture and wind stayed off the skin and out of the sleeves.

If you are looking for wet ride gloves that manage to keep hand warmth in and repel Mother Nature, the Evo Thunder should be on your short list. Available in the always fashionable black. Suggested MSRP $32.99