A gentle nudge for my KC readers

Not surprisingly, most of my readership comes from right here in Kansas City. For those of you around here, I want to tell you about some cool things.

First off, is Choose2Bike. I've probably brought it up before and heck, it might even be one of the links off the side of my site somewhere. This Kansas City-specific site is for people to write about their miscellaneous observations and experiences in choosing to bike for little (or not so little) trips that most people would drive for. The goal is for cyclists to share their inspiration with others. Choose2Bike went a little bit radio silent over the winter, but it's SPRING now. If you're from KC, sign up and write. If you're not, go there and read. Talking to Mark from localcycling.com (Choose2Bike's parent site), it sounds like there will be some truly epic give-aways for writers in the pipeline if the site gets popular enough.

Next, I really have to give props to Family Bicycles, a new bike shop in Waldo that's got to be the most commuter-friendly of any in the area. Theresa Van Ackeren's soul is practically on fire for bicycling as a lifestyle. Rooted in the environmental, health, social, and financial benefits of cycling, Family Bicycles aims to be the shop for new or dormant cyclists, people who are looking to start running errands or commuting by bike, and people who are just looking to enjoy the bikes they have by riding them more often.

This is pretty much a paradigm shift compared to many other shops out here. You won't find $500 clipless shoes or full-carbon race bikes at Family Bicycles. What you will find is an abundance of competitively-priced, easy-riding cruisers and folders, and scads of accessories to help you turn a weekend fun bike into an all-purpose utility vehicle for running errands -- NOT stuff you'll find a lot of at most other shops around here. It's not quite Mellow Johnny's, but it's a big start and a great vision.