Secret to biking in your skirt!

Ever throw on a skirt and wish you could bike in it? After all, skirts are way, way comfier and less confining than pants. But with the breezes caressing your face and hair, odds are your skirt will catch a lift as well, meaning — eek — a parachute of unintended exposure.
Penny In Yo Pants from Johanna Holtan on Vimeo.

So how can you avoid this while biking in your favorite liberating skirt? Put a Penny in Yo’ Skirt. All in takes is a penny or similar object, a rubber band, and a skirt! With the penny at the back of the skirt, push it forward, through your legs, so that it is wrapped with both the front and back fabrics of the skirt. Twist the fabric around it to make a sort of button, and wrap the rubber band to secure. It’s that easy! Now, go enjoy an entirely new world of skirt freedom without fear of public indecency! Or, watch the awesome “Penny in Yo’ Skirt” video above.

Port Gamble news

Straight from the North Kitsap Trail Association's July newsletter:

Kitsap County applies for 3 Port Gamble Trails grants

"NKTA is working closely with Kitsap County and County staff to help with three applications for state and federal grants to acquire Port Gamble land for trails. This spring 35 community members from 17 organizations helped create the Conceptual Site Plan for Port Gamble Trails in a series of three workshops. Thanks to all of those who participated and our professional volunteers (Wenzlau Architects, Fischer-Bauma , Sean Parker & Doug Maraist) ! You can find the "Conceptual Plan" and the accompanying goals online.

Kitsap County is already using that work to seek grant funds. One of the grants is focused on acquiring the Sound to Olympics Trail corridor and the other two are to buy land on the Babcock ridge for a 200 acre Mountain Bike Ride Park. Our partners, West Sound Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance (EMBA) plan to invest lots of volunteer hours to turn that dream into reality. Providing the right location for the most active recreation (further away from sensitive areas) is a goal that many of our partners support. Our community rallied around this grant effort and we were able to get 26 letters of support, including Washington Bikes, Congressman Kilmer, Senator Rolfes, Representatives Hansen and Appleton, Visit Kitsap, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, Kitsap Audubon, Kitsap Public Health district, all our local bike organizations and partners in Poulsbo, Kingston, Suquamish, Bainbridge and the non-profit community.

Special thanks to Kitsap County and the land owner, Pope Resources who have given us this next opportunity. County Commissioners Gelder, Streissguth and Garrido, plus Parks Director Dunwiddie all supported the grant effort and put their stellar staff to work on the project. The grants have been submitted, presentations will happen in August and the projects will be ranked this fall. We won't know the final outcome until mid 2015, after the state budget is approved. Read Commissioner Gelder's article on the Ride Park projects.

It's important to remember, even if all 3 grants succeed, we still have a LONG way to go. The great majority of the Port Gamble trails and land still have no identified funding source. With 534 acres of the shoreline in County ownership, the County now owns about 14% of the Port Gamble land and trails. If we are successful with all three of these next grants, we'll have secured trail access to just under 30% of the Port Gamble trail network."

See more at:  northkitsaptrails.org

Pedal in Style With the 18 Best Bike Baskets + Panniers

Looking for a few pannier options?

Have an eye for art and fashion, a British gal posted a few of her favorites.

Just thought we'd share: www.brit.co/chic-bike-baskets-panniers

Bicycle rentals always available

Visiting Port Townsend and hoping to ride a bike? The Broken Spoke, located 4 blocks from the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry in the center of downtown, has wonderful new rentals bikes. Prices are half day, full day and week long rates, and dependent on which model you prefer: town cruiser, dual suspension mountain, aluminum road. All bikes are less than a year old, and in tip-top condition.

Please see our rental rates page for full details: http://thebrokenspokept.blogspot.com/p/bicycle-rentals.html
All rentals come with a lock and helmet.

We have children's bikes, tandems and children trailers available upon request.

Good luck and happy tailwinds STP-ers!

July 12th marks the 2014 Seattle to Portland bicycle ride!   
For all you Broken Spoke supporters, we wish you a marvelous trek.

If you don't know much about the STP. Full details are found on their website. 
cascade.org/ride-major-rides/group-health-stp 
"This 200-mile bicycle ride is the largest multi-day bicycle event in the Northwest, with up to 10,000 participants riding from Seattle to Portland in one or two days. The route takes you through the scenic valleys, forests, and farmlands of western Washington and Oregon. Come ride what Bicycling Magazine has listed as one of the best cycling events in the nation!"

PeopleForBikes is teaming up with pro road cycling team Trek Factory Racing for the remainder of the 2014 international race season, with a special emphasis on the Tour de France, in an effort to make riding better for everyone, everywhere.

http://www.peopleforbikes.org/pages/watch-the-video-trek-factory-racing-peopleforbikes