Just saw this today. Looks fun

Looks like it's going to be closed until maybe 2030 or so? Sigh, I know it's minor but the path/parkway from W River to S Minnehaha sucks and it was way better to go through Wabun and cross the bridge on the way to Fort Snelling. I guess I'll play myself a tiny violin song.

It's like 3.2 mi around the lake, and the Bde Maka Ska/Harriet/LotI parkways are craggy as hell in various places.

Many people (especially white suburbanites who like bicycling is inherently the most dangerous activity one can commit) have recently balked and felt “afraid” after seeing a recent trend called Lime @ 9, in which a huge cluster of people all rent a lime scooter and ride in a large group.

These types of large rides are not uncommon and have been around since the 90s, and are commonly called “critical mass” rides. They followed the exact replica of the new Lime @ 9, get a bunch of people on bikes and scooters and just block the streets in order to advocate for more bicycle infrastructure and build a better bicycling community.

Unfortunately, the popularity of the Lime @ 9 has a much higher percentage of BIPOC people than the critical masses of the past. This has placed this critical mass ride into a nasty category of police mass surveillance, and deep amounts of racism.

The city of Minneapolis has recently implemented a restriction on going to the next Lime @ 9 at the US bank stadium for lime scooters. This was done because the critical mass is working and the city of Minneapolis wants to ensure that BIPOC people are unable to protest. This is blatant racism and must be pushed back against.

The next Lime @ 9 meet up is at 9 pm this Friday at US bank Stadium, if you are able, you should go, your family should go, everyone should go to show the city that you support critical mass rides, since Minneapolis doesn’t want it to work, and wants to ensure that BIPOC people have a difficult time going.

You don’t need a lime scooter to go, bring a bike, bring a scooter, bring your feet, whatever, just go.

Facial recognition and advance tracking technology is likely to be used by the Minneapolis police (even though that is illegal, but Minneapolis can make Hennepin County do this tracking) bring a face mask if you don’t want to be tracked as easily.

Hello!

I'm looking to purchase an e-bike this fall, and I'm hoping this group can help me narrow down my options! I haven't ridden a bike reliably since childhood, but my 5yo recently took a spin on an e-bike with a friend of mine and LOVED IT. I think it's time to accept my south Minneapolis fate and buy one!

Some things I'm looking for:

• Fits a 5'4" person
• Prefer a step through since I'm a shorty with awkward balance sometimes!
• Has enough room for a kid in the back. Not looking for a full cargo bike, long-tail would probably be fine
• Under $2500 (I'd love a Tern, but I don't think I can afford it)
• Can be serviced by a local shop

Should I just bite the bullet and get an Aventon Abound? What suggestions do y'all have? Thank you! 💗

Hello,

I'm planning to visit Minneapolis for a cousin's wedding next May, and had the idea of seeing if I could do the trip car-free. I have Two kids that'll be 1&4 by time we take our trip, so I'm trying to find if there's a bike shop that does overnight rentals of cargo bikes. I'm comfortable on either a long tail or a bakfiets style bike, so I'm not picky.

Anyone able to point me towards a bike shop where this would be an option?

Thanks!

The protected two-way bike path that's being built in the next two weeks on Grant St will exist for two blocks and then becomes sharrows west of LaSalle Ave.

I found this out when I reached out to staff for timeline and details. I was so excited about this connection thinking it was actually going to go west to Willow St but nope.

I shared my disappointment with the kind staff who took the time to answer my questions, and this is the last response I received. It is so counterproductive to not close the gaps right now and then ask for funding down the line when enough people complain about the bike gaps - the city applied for grant funding recently to close the Bryant Ave and Hennepin Ave bike path gaps (not even a sure thing to receive the funding).

"Thank you for sharing your valuable feedback. 

The new protected bikeway is currently planned only between Nicollet and LaSalle for several reasons:

• This segment of Grant Street is part of the [All Ages and Abilities Network](), which guides the City’s prioritization of bikeway investments.
• Grant Street between Nicollet and La Salle has a higher number of reported crashes, which elevates its priority for safety improvements. You can read more about this on the City’s Vision Zero webpage.
• West of LaSalle, Grant Street becomes narrower, making it challenging to install a protected bikeway without removing existing elements such as parking. A change of that scale would require a longer engagement process and a larger project budget. 

That said, the City recognizes the benefit that a bikeway extension to Spruce Pl or to Willow St could provide. The team is evaluating the inclusion of this section in the upcoming All Ages and Abilities network update, which would help incentivize future opportunities to improve bikeway safety and connectivity in this area.

If you would like to share feedback related to the All Ages and Abilities network or to bicycle infrastructure outside of active projects, I encourage you to reach out to the City Bicycle and Pedestrian coordinator, Alex Schieferdecker, at [alex.schieferdecker@minneapolismn.gov](mailto:alex.schieferdecker@minneapolismn.gov)."

So this may be an unusual post but I'm a 44 yo married man living in the east metro and I'm looking for someone that wants to cycle & train together.

I'm training for the Headwaters 100 on September 25 in Park Rapids and would love someone to ride with me.

My average pace is about 18 mph on flats, 16.5 - 17 mph on hills. I just completed a 50 at Bridge the Valley with a moving time of 2:58.

Note that this page is primarily used for Lifestyle activities hence most of my posts.

Took my first 100 mile ride this weekend. Trail through Pine Bend Bluffs had a severe wash out, next rainfall it will likely be completely gone. And the trail into Hastings via the dam was blocked by construction, which was passable during non construction time (aka the weekend). Very nice ride otherwise

https://strava.app.link/DJEsr1Gpv5b

Made a post about this a couple days ago. Here's the finalized itinerary for the day, from my Strava post:

There's reportedly no Taco Bell century this year so I'm hoping to get people together for a day of riding while supporting a bunch of local taquerías around the metro. This should be the final route for Sept 19, meeting up a Lito's Burritos at 10:00a, rolling out at 10:30a, and ending there as well.

Stops included:

1. Lito’s Burritos – 901 W Lake St, Minneapolis
2. Mi Pueblo Express – 2281 Commerce Blvd, Mound
3. Aurelia’s – 16388 Wagner Way, Eden Prairie
4. Texatonka:
   1. Brito’s – 8114 Minnetonka Blvd, Minneapolis
   2. Bodega Taco Bar – 8005 Minnetonka Blvd, St Louis Park
5. Taquería Victor Hugo (Truck) – 4086 Lake Dr, Robbinsdale
6. Los Cactus – 4905 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights
7. Tacos El Primo – 3909 Minnehaha Ave S, Minneapolis
8. El Charrito Taquería – 168 Cesar Chavez St, St Paul
9. Lito’s Burritos

14-16 mph is the intended average pace throughout the ride. Some will inevitably split off from the group by themselves or in groups, which is entirely okay, so I encourage everyone to download the route onto a bike computer or smartphone. Think of this as a self-supported ride, but with sticking together as much as possible highly encouraged.

Bring lights, flat repair kit, plenty of water for in-between stops, and as many friends as who are willing to give it a try. I'll add the msp.bike link once it's on there.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/56566893

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bqrf3klkc3a2w2226a21a/COURSE_500467025.gpx?rlkey=csgkqsifxojpnxnzx075p9opw&dl=0

The Rice Creek trail that exists in the northwest quadrant east of the Mississippi actually goes to places of interest like Long Lake and the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park Reserve (camping destination!)

However, the trail conditions are SO BAD. What's even worse is that it's quite hilly and that along with how bumpy the trail is due to the cracks - it's a hazard.

Any idea at all on how there could be dedicated funding within the region to keep our trails well-maintained? I get so frustrated that there seems to always be money to construct and expand highways and yet there's never enough money to go around to keep our bike trails in decent shape, and we keep expanding them. The Bassett Creek Trail is thankfully going to get a trail extension along Golden Valley Rd that's in construction right now, but I worry about its condition ten years from now.

With the DFL trifecta in 2023, the state legislature was able to fund Metro Transit in perpetuity. Is it possible to do the same for our parks trails? Can the Midtown Greenway east of the Sabo Bridge finally get some much needed attention???

Advocates who know more than me, tell me the orgs I gotta get with!

For what it's worth, here's my response to the email sender:

"Thank you so much! Yes, please forward my message to the city in charge of the local trail.

That's a bummer about the lack of funding to address key resources like these given that there are no other alternatives that bicyclists and mobility scooters users can use. How can I help you advocate for more funding so that we can hopefully address these gaps within the next few years?"

I am a woman in my 20s and I would love to meet other ladies around my age who also like cycling! I’m happy to join any women’s cycling group but it would be a bonus if I could make some friends who are in a similar stage of life. I ride around 16mph solo but can flex up in groups or down for more social rides. Does anyone have any recs of groups to check out?

Saw a cyclist get hit by an SUV that ran the red light going westbound, the cyclists were travelling north. He tapped on his brakes and then proceeded to blow the light, sending the cyclist flying back 15-20 feet into the median.

It sounds like the cyclist was conscious at the scene (a miracle, considering how far they went and the speed of the suv). It looked like they were wearing a helmet.

I'm so sorry for all of the people that were there that witnessed this. So many other cyclists were right there.

I hope they are okay. And I hope we can see a pedestrian bridge here in the near future. And I hope for less distracted drivers.

Just saw a ghost bike by the U. Corner of River Rd where it T’s into Fulton, just south of hospital. Anyone know what happened.

Just a very brief philosophical investigation. A little eye-rolling, perhaps, but no genuine ire.

Mine and my partner’s Townie Go!s were stolen when someone broke into our garage last Wednesday in the St Anthony West neighborhood of NE.

Pics attached. The pink/orange one had white and striped fenders, the blue basket, the phone holder, and a cup holder on it when it was taken. The black and brown one looked pretty much as it does in the photo.

$500 reward for the return of both, $250 for one.

I’ve reported them to the police, various FB groups, and Bike Index, but hoping to get the word out as many places as possible!

If you see either of them, please let me know! Thank you!