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Jason Roberts Could Use Our Help

April 15, 2013 – 8:45 pm |

Jason Roberts is one of the most dedicated and well known cycling and neighborhood activists around these parts.  As one of the founding members of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff he was pressing for improved cycling …

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Biking with Xina Jones

May 21, 2013 – 11:12 am | One Comment

One of the best things about biking in Dallas is the people. Dallas cyclists are not just one type… we are all shapes, sizes, styles, colors, ages, and lifestyles. We ride big bikes, small bikes, fat tires, thin tires, one tire, three tires, sitting up, sitting back, leaning forward, fast, slow, and everything in between. To highlight and celebrate the variety of the people of the Dallas cycling scene, we are launching a brand-new feature series called Biking with… We hope that you’ll enjoy meeting the folks that are Biking in Dallas.

Xina Jones

Xina Jones is a quiet legend. She has been a bicycle messenger in Dallas since 1999, lives car-free, and she currently helps lead the weekly Time In The Saddle rides from Whole Foods in Lakewood on Tuesdays. I met her a couple years ago at a get together at The Gingerman and recently reconnected with her on a few social rides. She’s always willing to help new cyclists, and loves exploring Dallas city streets. I enjoy picking her brain about Dallas roads, buildings, and landmarks; rarely do you meet someone as knowledgeable about Dallas (in particular, East Dallas) history.

When she’s not busy making deliveries around downtown, Xina has started working at Eden’s Farm (community-supported agriculture) in Balch Springs south of Dallas.  ”I see Eden’s members, their families, and other farmers there, so it’s a true community. I love doing whatever I can there because everything is grown sustainably. (They can’t use the term ‘organic’ because they’re not certified by Texas or the FDA. Certification is expensive and more paper work than the owner, Marie, can devote time and resources to; she’d rather dedicate money and energy to farm work and food.)”

On Sunday mornings, you’ll probably find her riding through “various neighborhoods to glimpse what other people are doing, leisurely taking in the many sights and sounds, snapping photos of places and buildings before they’re gone or demolished.”

Xina

On her bike fleet… For work, I ride a Marin Sausalito that’s been transformed into what one mechanic called a ‘psychocross’, a hybrid that desperately wants to be a cyclocross but just isn’t. The original frame wasn’t a Sausalito, but a bladed, brushed aluminum Point Reyes, but after it, and its free replacement cracked, the Sausalito was the last free one Marin sent. (These aluminum frames cracked every two years after heavy daily [mis]use of carrying file boxes on handlebars, rolling off curbs, etc.) The current one is probably only holding up because it’s been rotated with my other two bikes, a Santa Cruz Roadster (road) and a Klein Palomino (trail).

Xina on her Marin Sausalito

Xina’s advice to new cyclists… Know that you have the right to ride on streets and roads that motor vehicles use: be confident, friendly, smile, use hand/arm turn signals, stay in your lane, be predictable, use lights at night, wave ‘Thanks!’ when a driver is courteous- positive reinforcement goes a long way. It’s too easy to get angry with drivers who don’t know or understand, and it doesn’t help at all to vent at them.

Xina’s reminder to motorists… Because motorists took a test with the following information to get licensed, it should be known that cyclists also use streets and roads at all times, that biking is also transportation, that we need only 3-6 feet of space to drive around us if we’re on a two-lane road, and, if there are multiple lanes, simply signal and change lanes. Although most of us travel slower than motorists on city and rural roads, we’re easy to pass and we really don’t slow you down as much as you might think.

Xina

Thanks to Xina for sharing a little bit about her life! In case you missed the first profile in this series, meet Máthews Faza.

Photos courtesy Chris Curnutt.

Bike Month 2013

May 6, 2013 – 10:56 pm | 2 Comments

Are you ready for Bike Month? Shockingly enough… it’s already here! (Where did April go??)
There’s some great local activities being lined up to celebrate this annual event. The biggest one, of course, is Bike to …

Fresh Updates on the Dallas Bike Plan

April 25, 2013 – 9:29 am | 3 Comments

Dallas bike politics came under the microscope at two recent events. Guest contributor Tamar Wilner provides a first-hand account.
City Council Bike Plan Update
On April 3, the City Council gathered to hear a long-delayed update on …

Lee M. Kleinman for City Council District 11

April 22, 2013 – 1:32 pm | 4 Comments

Due to redistricting I now live in District 11 which has been represented by Linda Koop for several years now.  Koop is well known to cycling advocates for her work in transportation and support for …

Dallas Cycle Style Cyclist Census Party April 27th 2013

April 19, 2013 – 9:56 am |

 

There are two events, one on Saturday the 20th, and the big party on Saturday the 27th:
Cyclist Census
Saturday 4.20.13, 5pm to dusk

Have your photo taken this Saturday 4.20.13, or submit your own photo to be …

Jason Roberts Could Use Our Help

April 15, 2013 – 8:45 pm |

Jason Roberts is one of the most dedicated and well known cycling and neighborhood activists around these parts.  As one of the founding members of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff he was pressing for improved cycling …

Riding the Sante Fe Trestle Trail

April 10, 2013 – 9:44 pm | 4 Comments

You may have never heard of it… but there it is, quietly connecting the Cedars to Oak Cliff. Sitting next to the DART line and crossing over a failed kayak park is the beautiful Sante …

Bike Tour of District 14

April 4, 2013 – 12:05 pm |
D14BikeTour

Bike Friendly Greenville Avenue is hosting a “meet the candidates” bike tour this weekend.

 
Come meet the District 14 Candidates and discuss bicycle infrastructure in Dallas.
When: Sunday, April 4, 2013 at 2pm
Where: Randall Park (map), which …

Deep Ellum Fixit Station

March 28, 2013 – 6:14 pm |
fixit

Have you noticed Deep Ellum’s new bike fixit repair station?
The Fixit includes all the tools necessary to perform basic repairs and maintenance, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes and derailleurs. The tools and air pump …

Kidical Mass Dallas – March 30, 2013

March 28, 2013 – 10:04 am |
Lake Cliff Park

The ultimate family friendly group ride, Kidical Mass Dallas is hosting it’s first group ride to Lake Cliff Park.
Here are the meet up details:
When: Saturday March 30
Times:
Meet at Bolsa Mercado; 614 W Davis St, Dallas, …

TITS Sunday Launches

March 26, 2013 – 11:25 am | 2 Comments

This week, TITS Sunday is launching a new weekly female-guided social bike ride. As Xina reminds us in the comments, TITS = T.ime I.n T.he S.addle.

Information from the new Facebook group (show up to the ride …