February
1992

Participation in Earth Day discussed at January meeting
by Ralph Fertig

• Benjamin Sawyer, a member of the Santa Barbara Earth Day Steering Committee and an avid bicyclist, came to our January 8th SBBC meeting.
• Benjamin expressed enthusiasm for our participation at the annual event to be held along State and De la Guerra Streets this April 26th. About 20,000 people will probably be there. Everybody agreed that the bicycle is the epitome of healthy, non-polluting transportation, and should be prominently promoted at the day-long event.
• Trisha Davis of the County Rideshare Program said that we could have part of the 11'x12' booth space that they are going to have. But we immediately started thinking of how a display of bicycles would really attract attention. Passing out literature by itself is boring, but having something to look at and talk about can lead to a pretty exciting exchange.
• Les Drake suggested that maybe Specialized would exhibit their commuting bicycle. Since the meeting, he has talked to both Specialized and Schwinn representatives, and, while things are open, there is a possibility of having more than one commuting bicycle there.
• Ralph Fertig suggested that maybe the Santa Barbara Bicycle Police could be there as well. Or maybe Les Drake could show the bike that he rode the 760-mile Paris-Brest-Paris challenge last summer.
• At an Earth Day planning meeting that I attended January 15th, everyone seemed pleased that the Bicycle Coalition would be involved. It was reported at that meeting that two of the electric cars that they had hoped to exhibit were unavailable, so some extra space might be free. I have the feeling that if we come up with a good proposal, they might waive the booth fee.
• Come to our evening meeting January 29th to discuss Earth Day participation.

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Can our Bicycle Coalition help Igor Nalimov?
by Ralph Fertig

• An intriguing notice in a recent California Bicyclist caught my eye. "Experienced Russian cycle tourist, male, LAW member. Looking for companions to cycle California in February-April. Easy pace, emphasis on acquaintance to American culture, presenting slide show Cycling in Russia in bicycle clubs, colleges on route.î
• I was curious. There was a fax number in Russia, and a phone number in Capitolia. I tried the latter and reached Betsy Schwarts. Betsy had just returned from a bicycle tour around the world. In Russia, she met Igor Nalimov who led them bicycling. She described him as a wonderful scientist who quit to lead bicycle tours, and is now visiting the US to promote Russian bicycling.
• A half hour later, I was talking to Igor Nalimov himself. He is in Capitola until mid-February, when he will bicycle to San Diego. Indeed, he is looking for organizations to pay him for his slide presentation, free places to stay, and fellow bicycling enthusiasts to meet.
• So do we wish to do anything with this opportunity? I explained to Ivan that we don't have any money, and suggested UCSB. But maybe we could get together with other clubs. Any ideas?

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Human Projectiles

• The following appeared in February 1992 Men's Fitness, an excellent magazine with articles on health, diet, and exercise:
• "Quick-release bike hubs can present a serious problem...for the cyclist who forgets to lock the lever fully before hitting the trail. Warns The Physician and Sportsmedicine, unlocked levers can be especially problematic for mountain bikers who lift their handlebars to jump an obstacle, only to watch their front wheel head for the high road without them. So be sure to lock it right, or risk becoming an injury-bound human projectile.
• Some people, however, want to be in-control projectiles, high-speed, aerodynamic roadsters who glide through the air with the greatest of ease. Thus they opt for aero handlebars, the sleek, new inverted design that forces the body to assume a streamlined crouch—like a downhill skier's—to lessen wind resistance. But this can send the inexperienced rider gliding along too fast for his own good.
• Magnifying the hazard potential is the limited maneuverability that comes with steering with your forearms, the way these bars require. They also increase the potential for falling forward and for hyperextending your neck. If you go for this design, use special caution in traffic, during turns and on rough terrain, warn the experts. Coauthoring a letter to The Journal of the American Medical Association, Michael P. Resnick, MD, provides sage advice to aero-bar enthusiasts: Practice in a parking lot or other safe setting before riding the roads."

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$30,000 CREF money goes to study Santa Maria bikeway

• The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently approved recommendations for funding that include $30,000 to examine the Santa Maria River levee as a bikeway.
• The money committed at this time is half of the $660,000 yearly total supplied to the Coastal Enhancement Resource Fund (CREF) by the offshore oil industry. The remaining $330,000 will be spent next year under CREF rules to acquire coastal land for preservation, open space, or recreation.
• Gary Wissman reports that the funding cycle begins in September 1992, and that he would be glad to handle any projects on behalf of the Bicycle Coalition. He will be out of the country until June, but in the meantime, try to think of what type of projects we want.
• Back to the Santa Maria River project, does anybody know anything about it? Since the funding is just for a study, what about the actual implementation if the report is favorable? Would this be part of the next CREF cycle? Who can we contact?

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Local bicycle clubs serve varied Santa Barbara County interests

• The purpose of this section is to acquaint SBBC members with bicycling clubs within the County.
• If there are any special upcoming club-sponsored events that you believe others would be interested in, please submit them for publication here. Also, this is doubtlessly incomplete and possibly out of date, so send the right information to Ralph Fertig, or bring to a meeting.
• Bicycle Touring Club of Solvang. Phone: 688-3330. Address: c/o Don Henry, 1669 Maple Avenue, Apt 21, Solvang, CA 93463.
• Equipe Goleta. Phone: 967-9669. Address: Coastline Cycles, 286 South Fairview, Goleta, CA 93117.
• Goleta Valley Cycling Club. Phone: 684-6060. Address: P.O. Box 1547, Goleta, CA 93116.
• Santa Barbara Bicycle Club. Phone: 967-2813. Address: P.O. Box 91717, Santa Barbara, CA 93190.
• Tailwinds Bicycle Club of Santa Maria. Phone: 925-7269. Address: P.O. Box 48, Santa Maria, CA 93456.
• UCSB Cycling Team. Phone: 968-2424. Address: c/o Trevor Thorpe, Activities Planning Center, Room 3145, Box 21, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106.

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National Bike Day

• National Bike Day is going to be celebrated on Thursday, May 21. Do you have any ideas about how we can promote ourselves and bicycling on that day?
• Can we get press coverage in the Santa Barbara News-Press a week before? Maybe we can talk prominent some local people into bicycling to work on that day. Maybe we can get TV coverage of bicyclists? What can you think of us doing?