On the final day of the tour we rode on scenic multi-use trails and paths (right when we thought that perhaps cyclists in this sprawling metro area were relegated to sharing the road with cars on unmarked streets) as we visited shops in central Dallas. We took the White Rock Creek Trail and a portion of the White Rock Lake loop, riding past swanky waterfront homes on our way to Dallas Bike Works.
We biked through middleclass and high-disposable income neighborhoods including Highland Park and University Park, comprising the Park Cities, en route to Wheels in Motion. We stopped in at Bicycles Plus, just steps from the Southern Methodist University campus. Then we zipped through University Meadows and onto the Katy Trail on our way to Transit Bicycle Co., a colorful fixie and single-speed shop in Uptown.
We stripped off some of the layers from earlier in the week as the sun finally showed up, bringing up temperatures to a crisp 60 degrees by midday. The pleasant weather was a welcome change, as we racked up the most daily mileage—46 miles out and back—of the three-day tour.
Here are some final shots.
Formerly a strip club, the building where the second Dallas Bike Works store resides went through a complete transformation that took five months. “At least twice a day people walk in and say ‘Boy, this looks different than what I remember,’” said owner Boyd Wallace. He removed the dancing poles and installed showers and lockers so commuters can ride to the shop, clean up, stow their belongings and take the nearby train to work.
Wallace, who started a local ‘cross racing series, sets up a tight ‘cross racecourse in his backyard—a grassy area behind his store’s parking lot.
Robin Stallings, executive director of statewide advocacy group BikeTexas, takes a short nap on a comfy couch inside Wheels in Motion. A big Texas thank you goes out to him and Bob Murdoch, our ride leader, who filled us in on bike infrastructure in Dallas.
Thanks to her smartphone, ASI marketing director Karen Bliss didn’t miss a beat while out of the office for the BRAIN Dealer Tour. The former pro racer also showed how commuting can be done in style, rocking skinny jeans and stylish tennis shoes. Chamois and clipless pedals not needed.
Bicycles Plus doesn’t look like it could be much from the outside. But when you walk in you realize its space is deep. Though an odd-shaped retail floor that’s busting at the seams with product, store manager Dallas Perry said they’d be fools to leave. He described the Snider Plaza store as prime real estate.
Though we noticed a lack of bike lanes, we found these blue signs with the Pegasus on wheels along streets that are designated as bike routes--low-volume roadways that parallel major thoroughfares throughout the city. The Dallas bike route system, which is a numbered grid of East/West and North/South routes, was designed by Dallas area cyclists working with the city DOT.
Transit Bicycle Co.’s Micah Horton enlists the help of Joe Breeze to help determine the brand and maker of an old steel bike a customer brought in. The shop often fixes up vintage Schwinn, Motobecane and Peugeot bikes, converting many into single speeds or fixies.
Photos by Jake Orness
