LCI Seminar a Success!

Wow!  What a weekend.  Last Sunday afternoon saw the end of a successful League Certified Instructor Seminar here at our Charlottesville Community Bike Shop.  I have the highest accolades for Preston Tyree, our seminar coach for the weekend.  He is the Bike Education Director with the League of American Bicyclists, and has put together much of the curriculum himself.  His expertise and professionalism is out of this world.  We all could tell how fortunate we were to have him as our coach.  Thank you Preston!  

This seminar seemed meant to be.  First of all, the weather was perfect and provided much comfort for all of our activities indoor and out.  We had people from Northern VA, Richmond, Roanoke, Warrenton, Fredricksburg, and a large group even came all the way from Morgantown, WV!  In a whirlwind of intense presentations, study, and on-bike drills, everyone moved quickly from complete strangers to dear acquaintances in just a few hours.  

What is a League Certified Instructor Seminar?  It is a weekend long session that certifies experienced cyclists to become educators of the League of American Bicyclists education curriculum.  This material can be taught to virtually anybody.  Educating our children and general public about cycling is one of the best forms of advocacy we can do in our country.  You can learn more about it at www.bikeleague.org.

To check out photos from our weekend, please visit my flickr page.

My new Mechanic shop shirt

Thanks to Thomas, I have a new, very professional looking shirt to wear when I am at our Community Bike Shop.  He had it done through Crazy Horse Studio, a local embroidery shop (and more).  Hopefully this will help patrons and volunteers identify a person "in charge" as well as encourage others to support the shop by purchasing a 'Community Bikes' shirt of their own.  

Just Scootin'!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter has been riding her 'skuut' bike pretty well lately.  We've taken it out to the park down the street twice this week now that the weather is warmer.  I found myself getting a bit jealous.  The neat thing about MY scoot bike is that it is of course a fuji frame.  More specifically, it is a fuji sports 10 from 1977.  When I first got into cycling in 2006, I found  our community bike shop, and this is the first bike I built up to learn the mechanics.  It is too small for me, but in scoot bike form it is perfect!  I'm happy to have it back in the stable.  The cooler thing is that my daughter can now learn by watching me on a scoot bike.  She already was copying how I was lifting my feet more.  Her next step is to start gliding with it.  Check out the video of us scootin' on my flickr page. 

Lil' Fuji

http://cgi.ebay.com/fuji-vintage-girls-bicycle-banana-seat-tires-need-air_W0QQitemZ350252254803QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item518ca94653#ht_500wt_956

I'd love to get this little bike for the girls as they learn to ride.  But it is pick up only, and Connecticut is just too far to drive.

My Current Fuji Fleet...

I've created a new set of photos on my flickr page containing my current fuji bicycles.  The one above is the Fuji Opus III.  This bike fits me perfectly, and rides like a dream.  I didn't exactly know what I was getting when I purchased it off of ebay a few years ago.  I consider it a gift.  

Headlight Fix...

Last Friday night I rode the Del Rey to hear Fugimundi play at UVA.  As I was turning left from Monticello Ave onto Main St. I thought I had run over a can, but when I got to my destination to lock up, I noticed that my headlight was gone.  I realized what I thought was a can must have been my headlight.  So I booked it back to that intersection, and found it.  Unfortunately I couldn't find the cap that kept the batteries in place.  But I did find a solution!  The cap of a spice container in our kitchen cabinet is the perfect replacement.  It actually fits snug, and should suffice. 

LCI Seminar here in C'ville...

In a little less than two weeks, we will have a League Certified Instructor Seminar here in Charlottesville.  I am serving as site-coordinator for it.  Remember that I received my certification last June at a seminar in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.  It is interesting that my family and I will be moving to that area at some point this summer.  Five local people will become certified to teach the League's bicycling education curriculum, and even a large group from Morgantown, West Virginia will be coming down for it!   Others are coming from Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Maryland.   Preston Tyree (scroll down) himself (Education Director for the League) will be coaching this one!  It promises to be fun-filled, action-packed, time of networking bliss toward the goal of bicycle education and safety.

Charlottesville Community Bikes Open House

Our new lighted shop sign courtesy of Thomas.  It's awesome.

James chillin' at the shop open house with Major Taylor memoribilia.
Jennifer with the first shop mural, which she created with local kids.
Me with a fledgling cyclist at the shop open house yesterday.

Charlottesville Community Bikes held its first open house yesterday.  We think it was a fair success, seeing about 30-40 people come through in 3 hours.  If you don't know about the shop, please check it out at one of the links, and even better come on by when its open.  Chris made some excellent chili and cornbread.  There were plenty of cookies, fruit, drink.  Will made a very informative tri-fold full of our history, present, and future.  The biggest challenge for Community Bikes at present is going to be to remain open and continue being able to pay rent beyond this August.