The Austinot

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Cyclist’s Guide to Austin’s Hike and Bike Trail Around Lady Bird Lake

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Cyclists Guide to Austin's Hike and Bike Trail

Credit: Christopher V. Sherman/Over Austin

People always say to me, “Hey Jonas, you’re always riding your bike around Lady Bird Lake. You must be an expert.” Flattering? Sure. But the truth is, anyone can do it. I’m just a normal guy. A normal guy who, after not owning a bicycle since childhood, rekindled an old love and hasn’t looked back.

What follows is my answer to the question of how to have the best cycling experience on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, a 10-mile trail of dirt paths, bridges, and boardwalk that wraps around Lady Bird Lake. Locals know it as [Read more…]

Bike Austin Takes Action to Achieve Friendlier Streets

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Bike Austin

Every day while I sit in my car pushing through Austin’s traffic like a salmon in spring, I stare out my window and watch helmeted figures whiz by on their bicycles.

From my steel confinement, I initially experience vicarious anxiety: Yikes! To bike past these crazy drivers, you’d have to be pretty brave.

Next comes awe: Ugh, trekking up those hills in this humidity would be a pain.

And finally as these bicyclists ride off into the distance and I’m left in the same gridlocked position I was in five minutes ago, I feel sheer jealousy. I want nothing more than to abandon my car, feel the wind in my hair and actually reach my final destination. [Read more…]

Step by Step Guide to Austin’s Long Anticipated Violet Crown Trail

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Shaded path on Violet Crown Trail

A large part of the beauty of Violet Crown Trail is its varied landscape – While some sections are smooth and shady, like this, others are rockier and hilly (Credit: Hanna Cofer)

How’d you like to hike, run and bike your way across 30 miles of pathway connecting central Austin to Hays County? Thanks to Violet Crown Trail, local nature lovers will soon be able to do just that. [Read more…]

The Complete Guide to Austin Greenbelt Access Points and Trails

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Austin Greenbelt at Barton Creek

Barton Creek Greenbelt (Credit: Shawn Thomas via Flickr CC)

There are multiple greenbelts in Austin, but the Barton Creek Greenbelt is so beloved that locals commonly refer to it as “the Greenbelt,” as if it were the only one. Located in south-central Austin, the Barton Creek Greenbelt contains 12.68 miles of gorgeous trails, with the main trail spanning about 7 miles. This particular greenbelt is considered one of the top hiking trails in Texas. [Read more…]

Buy, Repair, Ride the Ramp at Austin Bike Farm

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Shawn Bonifay Austin Bike Farm Employee

Tattooed Shawn Bonifay assists a customer with a single speed mountain bike

Here’s a little something about me: I love two wheeled vehicles. Motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, etc. So when a buddy told me about Austin Bike Farm, my ears perked up and I had to check the place out. It was right up my alley.

Leaving Dallas for North Austin

After working in bike shops for 13 years, Owen Weber — with the support of his wife, Christie — opted to start his own bicycle business.

He did, but he added a twist. The cool thing about Bike Farm is that it mixes bike sales, repair and salvage yard. When the Webers moved the business from Dallas to Austin five years ago, they settled on the corner of Brentwood St and Shirley Ave and have no plans to move. (In case you’re wondering where Brentwood is, it’s just north of Threadgill’s North and intersects Lamar Blvd.)

Since planting roots in our bike friendly city, the Webers have added [Read more…]

Clown Dog Bikes: Giving Business Away Is Good Business

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John Chisolm Clown Dog Bikes Repair

Owner John Chisholm happily works on a customer’s wheel – Clown Dog Bikes does 500 repairs a month

Fifteen years ago, hardcore Austinite and McCallum High School grad John Chisholm and his business partner Bryce Holt opened Clown Dog Bicycles in a small shopping center at 2821 San Jacinto.

Flanked by a pub and a restaurant, Clown Dog Bikes is a stone’s throw from the northern end of UT’s campus, equidistant from I-35 and Guadalupe, and just south of 30th St. On top of the centralized location, parking is pretty convenient with a mix of free and paid parking. They aren’t planning on going anywhere soon.

Customer Focus

John Chisholm and his crew made a number of commitments when they opened the shop: never alienate customers, never make a customer feel substandard because of their choice of bicycle, and help anyone who walks into the shop. [Read more…]

Austin B-cycle Brings Bikesharing to Austin

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B-Cycle by La Bqrbecue in Austin

Ideal location for B-cycle, across from la Barbecue. Bike in, BBQ out.

Ah, springtime in Austin. It’s a magical time of year. Lady Bird Lake is overflowing with all manner of water craft, bar and restaurant patios all around the city have a one-hour wait, and bikes reclaim their status as a viable form of transport around town.

About five weeks later, the brutal heat starts smoldering our fair city, but what a glorious five weeks! The Austinot has written several articles on how to beat the heat, and even a few others on how to get around town. But this spring and summer, Austinites will have another option to add to the list. In characteristic Austin fashion, it’s a thinking “outside the box” kind of approach.

Want to get around town quickly and cheaply, but don’t own a bike? No problem! Austin’s new B-cycle program, part of a nationwide network spread around over 20 cities, quietly launched late last year. They have just completed their initial 40 station roll-out and are more than ready for the inevitable onslaught of new riders. [Read more…]

Austin Veloway Provides Looped Trail for Cyclists and Skaters Only

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Austin Veloway Bike Loop

Austin Veloway bike loop in South Austin

There’s no denying that Austin is a bike-friendly city. We’ve got the Hike and Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake, plenty of bike lanes and even one of the few defensive cycling courses in the nation…just in case you end up with a big, fat cycling ticket.

But even in such a friendly city, sometimes cyclists just need their own space. Luckily, Austin provides that too with the Veloway. [Read more…]

Longhorn Bikes Will Steer You Straight

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Bike with Longhorn Handlebars

Bull horns for handlebars is one of the things that makes Longhorn Bikes unique

We all know that Austin is a cycling city. We’ve all seen the pedicabs downtown, the fixed gear riders slicing through traffic and that one dude riding his daughter’s pink mountain bike back from the corner store in the wrong gear, with lotto tickets hanging out of his back pocket. So far, I’ve written two articles centered on the cycling culture in Austin and, to some folks, it may seem that there’s a bicycle shop on every corner. But how many shops can boast that they replace handlebars with bull horns?

The Shop

When Rene Martinez opened Longhorn Bikes in 2007 in the Plaza Juan Raul shopping center on E. Cesar Chavez, he decided that he needed something to set him apart from the competition. So he started to replace bicycle handlebars with a set of bull horns for a paltry $150.00 (that includes the cost of the horns). According to [Read more…]

3 Reasons to Get Lost at Walnut Creek Park This Summer

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Walnut Creek Park

Walnut Creek Park

Though you couldn’t tell by the heat, summer is officially here in Austin. The colleges have closed their doors and the river is filled daily with kayaks and stand up paddle boards. Since the Austinot has already given you some tips about how to beat the heat in Austin, I’m going to tell you about my favorite park in Austin: Walnut Creek Park.

Walnut Creek Park is a spot of wilderness among Austin’s sprawling northside. Just shy of 300 square acres, the park’s spiderweb of trails criss-cross for miles.

I feel like the protagonist from Heart of Darkness every time I enter the trees. Sometimes I half expect to see Marlon Brando and his skulls upriver when I play fetch with my dog in the water.

There are a million reasons why I love Walnut Creek Park. To save you some time, here are my top three. [Read more…]

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