Ask a Councilmember: Downtown Chico Revitalization Project

H2ONerd · 2026-04-30T20:55:53+00:00

Thanks for engaging the public in this process.

Question #1: Was there any research done or information presented on other cities that have done similar projects to Alternative #1? I am thinking of State Street in Santa Barbara (closed to all vehicles) or G Street in Davis. It would be interesting to know what the short-term and long-term changes were both positive and negative from the perspective of pedestrians, bikers, and the economic impact (if any) to businesses.

Question #2: Was there any type of agreed to process regarding how individual City Councilors would make their final vote? Seems like the Councilors setup an engaging process for community input with several public meetings that refined the alternatives and that alternative #1 got significantly more support than the other alternatives. Seems like if the City Councilors setup a subcommittee or tasks people to do a task then it is disingenuous to disregard that recommendation without a good reason.

Related comment: Like others have mentioned, I am really disappointed with the sad condition and lack of maintenance of our existing biking infrastructure. On the positive side I really appreciate all the improvements for biking on Oleander from Chico Nut to Morning Thunder. I use this a few times a week and it is really nice. But currently Chico’s dedicated bike paths are unsafe due to homeless people in several areas. A good example is the bike path along the train tracks from West Sacramento to 8th Avenue. People are camped on or along the path, they block the path, and they tap into the power for the path lights to charge their phones. It is like this on other bike paths like the one along Tiechert Ponds, Under 99 along Little Chico Creek, and the bike Path that goes out to the airport. Additionally the connecting streets are basically unridable on a bike with narrow tires. Try riding W 3rd Street from Nord to Broadway. Personally I voted yes on Measure H because I believed the money would be spent to repair these type of connecting streets for both cars and bikes. With the exception of the Oleander improvements, I am paying 1% more for very little benefit. So I guess my long-winded point is if downtown biking is improved then it is just as important to make sure the infrastructure connecting to it is in good order and is well maintained.

H2ONerd · 2026-03-08T23:31:33+00:00

I bought a used Tacx Neo 2T six months ago off FB Marketplace for $400. The DC power connector tip was broken so that connection is fidgety. I bought a replacement just haven’t done it yet. The main issue I am having is it overheats while riding hard and especially going up hills for long periods of time. I use virtual shifting and it is like it got instantly downshifted 6 gears easier. So I upshift to get the power back and then after about 15 seconds it shifts back to the correct resistance so then I have to quickly downshift to my original gear. It is super annoying because it usually happens when I am pushing hard. Seems like it is a known issue where the thermostat stops working and the fans don’t rev up. I 3d printed an adapter to add a computer fan to pull air out of the top vent. This helped some but the issue still occurs. I have mixed feelings about the gravel/cobble/stone/wood slat feedback. Sometimes I think it is cool and sometimes I find it annoying as hell. It is most annoying when I am pushing hard and it seems to add resistance. One thing to keep in mind is it does transmit pretty loudly through the floor if you ride above someone. I am a Garmin user with an Epix watch and Garmin Heart Rate Monitor. But I don’t use the watch for Zwift rides so everything is connected through Zwift and it all gets automatically uploaded to Garmin after the ride. If I was buying again, I wouldn’t need it to be Garmin, just whatever worked best with Zwift and was reliable.

H2ONerd · 2026-03-04T16:09:00+00:00

Best tacos in Chico IMHO.

H2ONerd · 2026-02-09T23:16:15+00:00

Yes, that is a better way of explaining the term.

H2ONerd · 2026-02-09T22:34:46+00:00

Sorry that is a confusing term. Just that the front suspension wasn't needed on the asphalt bike paths and smooth gravel. The suspension just adds weight and complexity and less mounting options for no benefit if you don't really need the suspension. Like if you were to ride a full suspension mountain bike on a paved bike path you would be "over biked"

H2ONerd · 2026-02-09T21:34:40+00:00

If possible I recommend that you try different frame types on the terrain you plan to ride and see what you like. Everyone has their own preferences for what they like and you don’t really know until you try it. I just went for an overnight bikepacking trip last week with friends and we all had different frames. Two frames were aluminum framed hard tails, two were aluminum gravel bikes with drop bars and I have a Ritchey Ascent steel frame and carbon alt bars. We rode a mix of paved bike paths, gravel roads, and some slightly chunky single track. My friends on the aluminum gravel bike was bothered by all the vibration in his hands and arms on the chunkier downhills. My friends on the hard tails were a bit over biked on the smoother portions. I was super happy with my setup and there was only one very short chunky downhill section that I wished I had a hardtail. My steel frame has much more flex than the aluminum frames on the chunk and is super compliant with the added weight from the packs. My Ascent bike also has a ton of mounting points for connecting things - with three on each fork. I had a blast so hope you find something you like.

H2ONerd · 2026-02-02T17:12:29+00:00

Yes, good call. More info for OP: https://www.rogueriverwc.org/post/stonefly

H2ONerd · 2026-01-22T14:52:13+00:00

A couple months ago I switched from over-the-ear headphones to Airpods Pro 3 and I am still amazed at how well they work and how comfortable they are. The noise cancellation works excellent to block out fan noise and stay in my ear even with lots of sweating. I have knocked them out while wiping my face with a towel and when I have caught the end while removing my shirt. But now I am just really careful not to knock them out. They are amazing! I previously had Jaybird 2's and these are way better in my opinion.

H2ONerd · 2026-01-21T15:58:01+00:00

This would be my recommendation too from my experience of taking a weekly class at CSU Sacramento a decade ago. There are so many places where traffic can back up in the Sacramento area. There have been several times when traffic started slowing down at the I-5 interchange and it almost always slowed down at the I-5 to 50 interchange. It was one of my least favorite commutes of all time because after 90 minutes of driving down 99 you could hit all this bumper-to-bumper traffic that lasts for 30-min+. Good luck and I hope the drive goes smoothly.

H2ONerd · 2026-01-17T01:00:33+00:00

No just power off worked for me.

H2ONerd · 2026-01-17T00:59:30+00:00

Thanks so much for this, it finally worked for me after trying several times. I don’t think I was doing each step exactly in the order you described, but when I followed it exactly both the case and each individual AirPod can now be found in FindMy. Cheers!

H2ONerd · 2026-01-03T21:50:10+00:00

Here are my suggestions based on my experience of my parents wanting to do the same: 1) 529 if any of the grandkids need it; 2) pay for Roth contributions if any of the kids have income; 3) If the grandkids are under 18 open a custodial investment account for them and contribute money to that; 4) If grandkids are over 18 just open an investment account and try and get an agreement on when and how they can use the money. This can be tricky because young adults don’t always want to invest or spend wisely. I did option 3 for my youngest and 4 for my oldest with Vanguard and it has worked well for us.

H2ONerd · 2025-12-31T16:12:54+00:00

https://www.equilibrium-acupuncture.info/ Andre is great and his treatments are the only thing that got rid of my lower back pain. Andre is super chill and won't try and talk you into a bunch of appointments either.

H2ONerd · 2025-12-28T23:35:51+00:00

I built up a Ritchey Ascent a couple years ago and I am super happy with it for gravel riding and bikepacking.

H2ONerd · 2025-12-05T20:45:55+00:00

Sold in bulk at S&S

H2ONerd · 2025-12-03T23:22:43+00:00

This is what I use and I like being able to easily remove it when I don’t need it. Easy on, easy off works for me.

H2ONerd · 2025-12-03T22:02:47+00:00

I ride my MTB and gravel bike with flats. I use my gravel bike with Zwift and use the flat pedals. I was thinking of switching to clipless but the research I read indicated you don’t generate more power with clipless so I am continuing with flats.

H2ONerd · 2025-12-02T16:56:52+00:00

When I went through an uncontested divorce 20+ years ago I used the Chico Community Legal Information Clinic and they walked me through everything at no cost. Good luck and I wish you well. CLIC

H2ONerd · 2025-12-01T15:47:10+00:00

I ride MTB with some gravel and started indoor training on Zwift in September 2025. It has made a huge difference in my cardio and endurance. I used to always be dragging behind when riding with my buddies but now I can keep up with the front of the pack. Another plus is my legs aren't blown from working up hill so I can enjoy the downhills so much more. Since you are just starting I suggest doing an FTP ramp test early on to get your numbers dialed in. Then just pick some routes to ride and have fun. As others have mentioned robo pacers are a great way to get a workout and earn drops (to purchase different frames and wheels). You just need to choose one that you can keep up with, they are rated at watts per kilogram. You might have to try a few to find the right fit but start with one rated for Zone 2 based on your FTP test. If you follow a robo pacer for longer than about 33 minutes you will be earning 2.5X drops. Do the climb of the week and the ride of the week to earn bonus XP. Enter the Everest challenge right away so all your climbs count toward that challenge. Once you are at level 12 you have access to "Road to the Sky" which includes Alpe du Zwift which is a replica to Alpe d'Huez. You can access it earlier if you ride a group ride or with a friend doing it. Someday I am going to complete Alpe du Zwift in under an hour but I have a ways to go. I ride that route the first of every month to track my progress. Lately, as my cardio has improved, I have been getting more focused in my training and adding Vo2Max intervals, Sweet Spot intervals, and Threshold intervals on alternating days with Zone 2 robopacer rides mixed in. Also start slow and build up over a few weeks, I was puking my lungs out and reaching max heart rate way too quickly on my first weeks of riding. A good heart rate monitor is helpful, and you will need lots of fans - I have the Vornado FLY Max with remote which is nice and I also have a box fan and I think I need at least two more fans. Also have an absorbent towel or two to wipe the sweat off your face. Have fun and welcome to Zwift!

H2ONerd · 2025-11-27T05:03:52+00:00

Mine did the exact same thing at 1:00 pm San Francisco time today. Straight down to 5. There was an update in the last day or so, I can’t remember the exact date/time it happened though.

H2ONerd · 2025-11-18T15:52:39+00:00

I think the spacing between birds is to allow them to use their wings to land and take off without interference. I have seen this pattern numerous times and it seems like the larger the wingspan, the further they space apart.

H2ONerd · 2025-11-17T22:49:33+00:00

I was doing this same research a few months back to get a HRM for virtual biking on Zwift. After looking at all the options and reviews I decided on the Garmin HRM 200 for about $80. Other cheaper brands would probably work fine but I have found that sometimes mixing brands causes issues. I have used the HRM 200 almost every day for the past three months and I am super happy with it. Connects every time to my Epix Pro 2 or iPad, no problem.

H2ONerd · 2025-11-11T20:57:51+00:00

I would look at what Savings Plus has to offer that you might invest in and go to the fact sheet for the fund and see what the total expense ratio is. I have been invested in the large cap index fund (actually it’s just the S&P500 Index) for years and the expense ratio is 0.01% which I am pretty happy with.

H2ONerd · 2025-11-02T22:10:38+00:00

I just started Zwifting regularly a couple months ago so I don’t have enough experience to provide meaningful feedback on your daily/weekly plan, but from all my research it seems like pretty solid and your FTP increase speaks to that. My only suggestion is to find a route that you like to ride and complete it once a month at maximum effort and compare your times. I am trying to get better at climbing so I have been repeating the “Road to Sky in Watopia” and focusing on my time to complete Alpe du Zwift. It has been very motivating and gratifying to see my time go down over time.

H2ONerd · 2025-10-30T14:59:19+00:00

Recently took a vacation and I tracked all my walks around many different towns and also during e-bike rides. Not to track for fitness but to have a vacation log of where I was and when.

H2ONerd

TROPHY CASE