From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
Many of you are familiar with the usefulness of Google Maps for planning bike trips. It’s designed primarily for use by motorists, but with a few tricks it makes finding your way somewhere by bike very easy.
Start planning your trip by clicking on the “Get directions” tab under the Google Maps search bar. Enter your start and end addresses, and Google offer you its best guess on how you want to get there, which will often take you over highways:
Luckily, there’s a checkbox called “Avoid Highways” that you can click to have Google Maps find the shortest route that doesn’t use highways:
But it gets even better. Many cyclists feel that traveling on back roads can be more pleasant and safe than sticking to high-capacity arterial roads. Google Maps puts you on the major arterial roads when it can, but lucky for us, the interface allows you to click and drag your route and find better ways to get to your destination:
This should take one-way streets and “no left turns” into account, so you hopefully won’t run into any surprises on your route. Click the “Link” button to generate a link to save or share. Click “Print” to print out a handy guide you can put in your pocket. And then get on your bike and try it out! Google Maps was quite useful in helping Caitlin and I figure out our morning route across Rochester.
There’s plenty of room for this web application to improve. Since it isn’t built for cyclists, it has no information on mixed use paths or bike lanes. Sites like byCycle.org and Bikely have built some interesting services on top of Google Maps, but wouldn’t it be cool if there was a “Bike There” feature as part of the Google Maps interface?
In fact, there is an online petition you can go sign right now (thanks, Nicole!) to ask Google to do just that! I don’t know how effective these online petitions are, but at the very least it lets the Google Maps team know that there are thousands of people out there who would love to use this feature.
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
You really can’t have just one. I’ve got a big empty apartment out here so I’ve been compensating by filling it up with bikes. I keep coming across sweet vintage rides begging to be cleaned, lubed, and ridden. I do what the bikes tell me. They have taken over.
I am particularly proud of last weekend’s find, the red bike in the lower left foreground. It was my father’s first bicycle, a Schwinn that has been hanging in a garage for decades :)
soon to be ridable again, as well as a couple others. Now I just need to find people around here to ride them with me… :/
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
I contribute to a Seattle “Zine” called DMFDP, and here’s one of my past essays on bike commuting:
Americans love their cars. Cars are rites of passage, status symbols, objects of affection, and utility vehicles. They’re protective moving cages with environmental controls and sound systems, suitable for both long trips or short errands. For decades, cars have been at the center of American life.
But our cars are without a doubt hurting us. Automobiles are a major cause of death and injury. They run on fossil fuels, which create both short and long term problems. They contribute to noise pollution and encourage infrastructures that fracture communities and lead to sprawl. We spend a large portion of our incoming purchasing, maintaining, and fueling them. And to many, operating a motor vehicle is a stressful and sometimes scary experience.
But automobiles are a basic necessity in modern America, right? Perhaps to some. But others are turning to vehicle that preceded the automobile, and which never development many of its vices: the bicycle.
The bicycle is the most efficient form of transportation ever invented. Bikes are far less destructive, takes up less space, and can often travel faster than cars in urban environments. Bikes can be quite inexpensive to own and operate, and cycling can be an effective workout without the cost of a gym membership.
Plus, riding a bike is an adventure. When you’re on a bike, you’re not isolated from the outside world and moving so fast you can’t take in the scenery. You can interact with pedestrians and other cyclists, notice things you may have not noticed in your car, and travel on paths and to places inaccesible by motor vehicles.
Utility cycling, while quite common in many parts of the world (and, in fact, the most common form of cycling worldwide), is still rather rare in North America’s middle class communities. But that’s beginning to change. Some American cities are seeing exponential growth in bike commuters. Bike manufacturers are starting to build specialized bikes for the new commuter market. Transportation planners are recognizing the positive benefits of bicycles and are taking cyclists’ needs into account in their projects.
People looking for ways to improve their life while reducing their impact on others are turning to cycling.
If you’re interested in getting into bike commuting, here are some useful tips to get you started:
1. Get a bike! Check out Craiglist and other local classifieds, garage sales, friends, or fix up that old bike you had in high school. Visit your local bike shop. Try to avoid bikes from big box stores, as they’re usually unreliable.
2. Grow comfortable with riding on the street in the same direction as motorists. It’s much safer than the sidewalk. The book The Art of Urban Cycling is loaded with tips on how to handle the road. Try social rides like Critical Mass to help build bike confidence.
3. Be safe! Find a good helmet. If you might be riding after dark, put lights on your bike! Be cautious about motorists, they can do just about anything at any time.
4. If you’re planning on riding to work, scope out the route on your day off before your first real ride. Plan your route so you avoid major roads for a more enjoyable ride.
5. Be prepared to fix a flat or weather a sudden rainstorm. Have a backup plan in case mechanical or meteorlogical problems arise — riding near a bus route is often a good idea.
And here are some web sites with in-depth info on commuting and safety:
http://www.runmuki.com/commute
http://www.kenkifer.com
http://commutebybike.com/
http://bicyclesafe.com/
Today was an awesome day for bike riding, weather-wise. And Joey was in town, which made being on a bike even more awesome. Here are some photos:
A bike commuter spotted on the way to Brian’s house! WOW! Although some nice panniers would take the load off this fellow’s back.
Joey was posing for a photo shoot when I got to Brian’s. The subject matter frightened me.
We rode around on back roads mostly. It was cold, but the sun kept us warm.
Traffic was light on this Sunday afternoon.
We tooled around the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s parking lot, just because we could.
And the obligatory timed photograph to finish the ride.
Joey’s left us for a career in Connecticut but Brian and I remain to carry the Wednesday Night Cruise torch. We agreed that it’ll be too darn cold to start those cruises back up until at least next month. But when we do, we’ll let you know about it, because we’d love your company. We’ll even spam you about it if you join the RocBike Facebook group.
Today one of my trusty toe clips, which was semi-fastened to a pedal not with trusty but very rusty hardware, broke and fell off as I was tooling down Mt. Vernon Ave. I just undid the strap, put the broken item into a pannier and moved on. Later, when doing errands downtown, I stopped at Full Moon Vista and bought a new pair of clips. And once back home, I put the new ones on – after resorting to cutting off the old bolts with a bolt-cutter. So now I’m good to go again.
Maybe you’re thinking I should just have taken the clips and straps off altogether and left them off. And there’s something to be said for that route. On short rides, especially around town, there’s no terrible need to be strapped in or otherwise be attached to your pedals. Pedaling efficiency, which surely is improved by clips and SPD/clipless systems, isn’t such a big deal for routine, everyday kinds of riding.
But I like old-fashioned clips for things other than efficiency. Indeed, I keep them pretty loose when I’m doing my commutes and errands, so the boost in efficiency is minimal. No, what I like about clips is how they make it easy and natural-feeling to position your foot just right on the pedal (assuming you’ve got the right size of clips and they’re installed right).
Even more important, I’ve found that clips can improve safety – crucially, once you’ve had adequate practice getting your feet in and out – by keeping your feet from slipping off the pedals. This is a real issue when it’s snowy, slushy or very rainy (and of course it also depends on the pedal style and the type of sole on your shoes or boots). You can imagine what kinds of accidents you could get yourself into if you’re pedaling like mad in traffic, your foot slips off the pedal and hits the ground, and your shin or calf is struck by the still-rotating crank. Ouch, and then some.
I do understand why people avoid using clips or similar devices. When you’re new to serious biking, they seem to just get in the way – very distracting, as you’re tempted to stare at your feet while trying to slip your toes into the damned things. Sort of like the questionable habit of staring down at your drivetrain as you go through the gears, which allows you to know precisely how many gear-inches you’re using in that dreamlike moment just before you slam into a parked car. But come to think of it, here’s one advantage to a recumbent, whose drivetrain is easily visible ahead of you, so you don’t lose sight of the road ahead, even if you’re not exactly focused on it.
Julie’s Horse of Many Different Colors was found a while back by Brian Killmore, Nick Fiocca, and Rob, but they hadn’t been able to get it posted to the site. Brian sent me the pics tonight along with this note:
“The old spot was Monroe High School on Alexander ave. Fiocca and I rode over there a long time ago with a new wednesday night rider Rob and came up with another shot that I’ll use for a later tag I guess, I cant seem to find it.”
So here’s their picture of Monroe High School:
And here is the NEW Bike Photo Tag target:
Better hurry, I think that those plows are a seasonal installation that may disappear once the snow is gone. Fortunately I think the train engine truck behind them is there year round. Happy hunting!
People often ask me “How do you do grocery shopping on your bike?” It’s as simple as this:
This is the way I do it, but you could always get racks, baskets, panniers, or even an xtracycle like Jason’s. But I can get a week’s worth of food in my backpack and I don’t have to get any bags at the store. How do you do your grocery shopping on your bike?
I’m re-posting, with a hint, to see if we can get this game up and rolling again before the snow and ice melt!
Here’s my blurry cell phone picture again…
And the hint–my bike is not in the picture because this horse is on the second floor of the building, and the building is a school on the route of the previous Team Rocbike trip to the market.
It’s the middle of winter, and our neighboring city of Syracuse, NY has been hit hard as always with inclement winter weather. It’s the perfect time for a newspaper to run — an article on bicycle infrastructure and three bike commuter profiles?!
That’s exactly what the Syracuse Post-Standard did today. The main article focuses mostly on bike lanes:
Since 2004, [Syracuse] has designated portions of six roads mostly on the city’s East Side as lanes reserved for bicyclists.
Holstein praises the city’s efforts but says more can be done to make the community friendlier for bicyclists. One thing it could do is put more bike racks downtown for people who want to use their bikes to commute to work, she said.
“We could always do more,” she said. “We’ve just dipped our toes in the water.”
Syracuse’s mayor has some really good ideas:
Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll, an avid cyclist, said the city plans to create more bike lanes to encourage people to ride for recreation and to commute.
He said he would like to see bike lanes in all four quadrants of the city create connections with downtown. Not only will it encourage more people to get out and exercise, creating bike lanes is good for the environment, he said.
“It’s a great way to cut down on traffic and air pollution,” he said. “It would be nice to see people, even for just one day a week, riding bikes to work.”
The paper profiles three year-round bike commuters: John Murray, who bikes to stay healthy after quadruple bypass surgery in 2003, Richard Breyer, who does a good job comparing winter bike commuting to skiing, and Don Hughes, an environmental scientist who knows a thing or two about the benefits of biking:
“It has no environmental impact hardly at all,” he said. “Cars are just terrible for the environment. The impact of driving is just astronomical. Hybrids are nice, but they’re no match for a bike.”
My friend Kristen in Syracuse (who let me know about these stories) actually works with Don. She says her office is amazed by his dedication.
It’s wonderful to see an upstate paper cover bike commuting in such a positive way. The main article argues that biking improves the quality of life for city residents, benefits the environment, reduces traffic congestion, and even leads to job creation. Let’s get to work spreading similar enthusiasm for the bicycle lifestyle here in Rochester!
I rode my bike over to my ex-commuting-buddy Caitlin’s tonight to do a bit of brainstorming on Bike to Work Week. Our routes to work might change, but our mutual love of biking will never die. Ted and others joined us and we feasted on vegetable soup and vegan cake as we talked, in part, about bikes.
Ted works on a craft while Caitlin eats the soup he brought.
We decided that, for those interested in biking to work during that week and beyond, it would be a good idea to have an article about bike commuting in Rochester (or at least, they agreed with my idea). So I started writing it, and I’ve posted what I’ve written to a RocWiki page.
Caitlin said she’d check out the posted version and see if there’s anything to add, but it’s a free country and Wikis are part of that freedom, meaning you’re free to edit it too! If you see something in the article that can use some tweaking, just sign up at RocWiki.com and have at it.
The ride home was super chilly. I have an enormous amount of respect for those in climates much further north who don’t hesitate to brave the cold on their bike. I consider my gloves reasonably thick, but I could hardly feel my fingers when I got home.
It doesn’t get much colder than this. At least, I hope not.
Moments before my bike and I duck into our well-heated home
This Bike to Work Week thing is getting rather exciting. I hope three months of hype doesn’t make you grow bored of the idea.
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
The blogs are abuzz over this year’s Bike to Work Week. Do you think Rochesterians can get fired up about biking to work? Can a weblog like RocBike.com fan the flames of the bike commuting movement in our fine city? I say we find out!
Want to help? We’ve got three months to pull this off! I’ll go about building a little section to this site explaining the purpose of Bike to Work Week, what bike commuting is all about, and featuring businesses, government agencies, blogs, civilians, and other organizations that help us out. We’ll want to start talking to local businesses — from bike shops to smoothie bars — about holding special events or free giveaways for bike commuters during the week. We’ll also want to think about promoting a couple rides that week to get people interested in the social aspect of bike riding.
The League has some great materials on their site, including an organizer’s kit and various brochures. Take some time to look things over, think about what you’d like Bike to Work Week to be like and what you’d like to do to promote it, and if you’d like to help, leave a note in the comments or e-mail me at 
.
I loved reading Adam’s post on, shall we say, spontaneous ice-biking. It can happen to anyone: the evening begins with a warm breeze, but then comes the rain, which soon turns to sleet; and as the temperature keeps dipping, the whole visible world becomes as slick as a “greenwashed” ad from Big Oil. And there you are, the intrepid bicyclist, faced with riding when even walking is a challenge.
The scenario is one of many arguments in favor of studded tires for winter riding. I’ve been using a pair of Nokians this year, after an apprenticeship in past winters with some cheaper but less durable Innovas. The Nokians are peerless (well, maybe equaled by Schwalbe, about whose studded tires I know very little) and well worth the price (the model I have runs about $60 apiece).
When the latest ice storm struck the other day, I had to do my usual commute to the RIT campus, about seven miles one-way from my place, through varied conditions: level streets, a couple gentle hills, some parking-lot-shortcuts, and a good length of untended multi-use trail. After the ice had landed, these surfaces were slippery as all get-out, and worse, textured by a wind-driven splattering effect (the elements as a sort of environmental Jackson Pollock) that added a little bounce to the ride. Still, the tires worked nicely. There were a few times when I felt a bit insecure, as when I went up and then down a steep pedestrian bridge over the Erie Canal. But for the most part, the tires kept me upright and going forward on ice that would have stopped a pedestrian cold.
I’ve got a lot of winter riding under my belt, and the experiences have included more than a few wipe-outs on unexpected or unseen ice. I remember one afternoon a few years back on the Genesee River Trail: it was about 10 degrees F, sunny and clear, and the ground and trail were almost bare. But as I swooped down and around a curve under a railroad bridge, I “encountered” a patch of black ice maybe 20 feet long that covered the full width of the trail. By the time I understood what was ahead, it was too late to take evasive action – or even let out a good ole Tarzan yodel. Down I went, sliding along on my left side as various add-ons from my bike tinkled and scattered on the cold, cold ground. (I instantly recalled an earlier fall on ice, this one at night, when it took me a while to find and reassemble all the little pieces of my headlamp, some of which had skittered under a parked car.) But my bike and I escaped without real injury. And I was glad nobody had been around to witness a most uncool maneuver.
Now cycling life is boring: my studded tires keep me from having more experiences like the above. So what stories am I going to tell my great-grandkids? Surely if you embellish it enough, you can make an absolutely uneventful ride into a heroic journey. I’ll give it a try.
