Author: RideCoordinator

Multi-Day Tour Planning

Posted on by RideCoordinator

The GEARs Bike Tour Committee is planning a multi-day GEARs tour and we need your input. If you’re possibly interested in a GEARs multi-day ride next summer, please complete the BRIEF 4-item survey at the link below by Sunday, Feb. 6. We will use the survey data to help us create a ride you will enjoy! More information about the Tour will appear in future news pieces & in the GEARs newsletter. Thanks for your help: GEARs Tour Survey Link

If you have any questions, or would like to help plan a multi-day tour, please contact Sue Wolling at sue@eugenegear.org

GEARs Advocacy Committee Gearing Up

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Only two weeks into the new year, and already an incendiary bill that would outlaw children riding on bikes has been proposed.  This is exactly the kind of legislation that the GEARs Advocacy Committee needs to watch and comment on, to make sure that the collective voice of the bicycling community is heard.  Since being appointed chair of the Advocacy Committee at the November 2010 Board meeting, I and a few other folks have been working on policy issues at the local, state, and national levels.  I am writing not only to give an update on activities so far, but also to see who else might want to contribute to the effort.

First, some context.  In Oregon and nationally, the budget outlook is not hopeful.  At home, we are faced with a $3.5 billion dollar budget shortfall that is going to have to be closed.  This means we are going to be spending 20% less on education, Medicaid, public safety, and transportation – asking for funding for new bike paths is that much harder.  At the same time in congress there is an intense focus on cutting federal spending, and particularly from the discretionary budget, which includes transportation spending.  Basically, programs are being scaled back or eliminated at all levels of government, which means we need to work that much harder just to preserve what little we have. Continue reading “GEARs Advocacy Committee Gearing Up” →

January General Meeting- Tour Presentation

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Don’t miss the January GEARs General Meeting:

Bob & Linda’s Tour Presentation
Tuesday, January 18th, 6-8 p.m.
Countryside Pizza & Grill (645 River Road)
Have you ever contemplated a long distance cross-country bicycle tour? Did you ever wonder what gear was necessary and if you had the mental and physical stamina to succeed? Bob and Linda Metzger share “dos and don’ts” of their 2700 mile 2010 bicycle tour from Chicago to Eugene at the January General Meeting. The one hourpresentation (with plenty of time for questions and answers) will focus on planning your trip and route, choosing the right bicycle and equipment, clothing selection, physical conditioning prior to your trip,mental preparedness, and how to fuel your “engine” (nutrition / hydration). A host of other valuable resources will be provided along with trip photographs. Plan on attending, and perk your interest in bicycle touring.

Bob and Linda recently moved to Eugene, after selling their coffee business in the Midwest. Bob is a retired petroleum geologist. Linda teaches fitness at the University of Oregon

2011 Education Schedule Announced

Posted on by RideCoordinator
via Flickr: RussRoca

Are you thinking of doing more bicycling this year? Do you want to become a better rider, a more confident and safer commuter, or learn more about traffic laws or bicycle maintenance? Or do you know someone that wants to learn more about bike riding in Eugene?

GEARs is announcing our 2011 Confident Cycling class schedule.
http://edu.eugenegears.org/classes

Our classes teach people the laws, skills and technique, giving riders the
confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic and on the trails.
The courses cover state laws as they pertain to bike riders, bicycle safety
checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques
and include a student manual.

Our Adult Traffic Skills class is recommended for adults and children
above age fourteen. This fast-paced, nine-hour course prepares cyclists for
a full understanding of vehicular cycling and is a great resource for cyclists
from beginners to experienced. This 9 hr. class, endorsed by the League
of American Bicyclists and sponsored by GEARs, is offered in 2 sessions.
Materials Fee $10.

Our Family Traffic Skills class is shorter 3-hour – designed for parents and children – course that includes traffic laws, confidence building techniques and on-bike skills as well as bike maintenance. Parents that would like to ride bikes as a family are strongly encouraged to attend this class. Materials fee per family is just $5.

This years we’ve also introduced a class called: Riding with Leaves – where
we will spend 3 hours learning the laws which affect bikers, safety measures
and on-bike skills and techniques to get you safely through leaf pick-up
season in Eugene.

All GEARs classes are led by League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructors
with many years experience. GEARs wants to see more people riding bikes
and doing it safely.

We encourage you to please pass this on to anyone that you think would
be interested.

Learn more and Register online at:
http://edu.eugenegears.org/classes

An “Adventurous” Offer for GEARs Members

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Are you a GEARs member? I certainly hope so. At only $12/year it’s a steal!  By being a member you  not only help our work, you also receive our newsletter, e-mail alerts, invitations to events, and discounts at an increasing number of bicycle friendly businesses (Bike Rewards) around the greater Eugene area.

As another bonus of GEARs membership we are excited to offer 50 free Adventure Cycling trial memberships to our members.

Adventure Cycling has been dubbed “America’s bicycle travel experts” and is a great resource for thousands of cyclists. Adventure Cycling Association’s nonprofit mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. Founded in 1974 as Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with 44,500 members nationwide.

For a limited time Adventure Cycling is offering complimentary trial memberships (a $40 value) to members of select clubs, and GEARs has been chosen as one. Sign-up now!

Your free membership will include:

This free trial membership is valid only to new Adventure Cycling members and must be sent to a U.S. mailing address.

Use this special link to sign up for the free trial membership: http://tinyurl.com/ACGEARS

If you’re not a member of GEARs yet and would like to join and take advantage of this great offer you can sign up here first.

Downtown Bike Parking

Posted on by RideCoordinator

With the removal of over 200 parking meters downtown GEARs has been working with the City of Eugene to improve the bike parking situation in the downtown area. Richard Hughes and Sue Wolling did a walk about survey of parking issues to determine the bicycle parking needs in the area and have been working with Jeff Petry, the Parking Services Manager.

New bike hoops that arrived last week will be installed on posts that previously held meters. The bike hoops will be installed after the city determines locations for the new hoops. The 2 hour parking signs placed on several old meter poles already serve as a locking location.

The City is also working with the South University Neighborhood on a big project to convert unregulated parking in that neighborhood to 2 hour permit parking. The unregulated parking pockets in the area are hunted for each day by UO visitors, creating more vehicle miles traveled south of 18th and more opportunity for bike/ped – vehicle interactions.  Once that project is complete the Parking Program will start work on the downtown bike hoops as well as on three different bicycle corrals at Morning Glory Cafe (450 Willamette St.), Cornucopia (207 E. Fifth Ave.) and the Kiva grocery store (125 W. 11th Ave.).


Eugene's meter rings will look like this, but in black (and less fuzzy)

This article originally appeared in the Dec2010/Jan2011 GEARs Newsletter. Become a GEARs Member to receive your copy.