I’m working on some fancy new features on this site. Currently I’m doing a roll-out of new post author icons. These are subject to change if the subject doesn’t like their photo:

Please welcome the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle’s new lifestyle site, RocEarth, to the internets:

In the D&C’s style, the site is awkwardly designed and serves as little more than a link farm to the newspaper’s main web site, but, there is a gem: a video currently embedded on the main page, called “Green Riders”:

The video series features a bunch of people who commute in different ways to reduce their carbon footprint, including one bike commuter, but also people who use gas-powered scooters, ride a gas-powered bus, and drive gas-powered cars. Brought to you by Hoselton Auto Mall, currently offering 2 models that get over 30 mpg. But I digress.

Here’s a direct link to the bike commuter profile. The vignette features Rochester resident Emily Lynch discussing her bikes, her bike-friendly community in the South Wedge, and her commute to the Rochester Public Market down busy streets.

As a gas-free purist, I took slightly less interest in the other 3 categories, but it’s good to see people making a difference in all sorts of different ways.

As any good bicycle safety resource will tell you, bicycles belong on the road. That’s where cars are going to see you, and it’s where pedestrians are going to hop out in front of you a little less. And although if you’re just getting into cycling you may find that riding street-level with cars may be a little unnerving, you’ll be much safer if you do.

That said, there are a few exceptions to riding on the road. I’m going to go over some of them here. Remember, if you choose to ride on the sidewalk for any length, be extra cautious. Anytime you cross a street from the sidewalk you should assume motorists aren’t looking for you. Be nice to pedestrians when you encounter them and don’t ride much faster than the speed they’re walking (here are some more tips for you sidewalk-using renegades).

OK, on with the list:

1. Momentary motorist distrust 

It’s best to assume, as a cyclist, that every motorist could go veering in any direction at any moment. In practice, this would make cycling on city streets prohibitively slow and paranoid. But it’s still good to have a handle on which cars are approaching you when. If a motorist seems unusually prone to veering, or if they are driving towards you in a way that indicates they have no idea you’re there, hopping up to the curb until they pass is the best idea.

You can, in part, rely on the sounds cars make (and perhaps the occasional head twist) to monitor traffic behind you. However, mirrors, invented 8,000 years ago, make a wonderful accessory to your bike and clue you in to approaching trouble you may not otherwise notice. They also allow you to do double-takes at other bikes out on the road without being so obvious about it. And they cost about $10.

Spot suspicious cars driving backwards towards you with a trusty mirror. 

2. Inclement weather 

You’re in an ice storm in the middle of winter, but no matter how big the metal studs on your tires are, you can be sure the motorist next to you is knuckling it on bald all-seasons. The best you can do when a 2-ton metal brick starts sliding around next to you is to put a curb between you and the brick.

Downpours can pose a different problem - potholes and poorly designed storm drains have their way of hiding underneath vast puddles. And as visibility drops, not only will motorists have a hard time seeing you, but vice-versa. Although you may be anxious to get out of the rain, playing it safer and slower up on the sidewalk may be the most prudent option.

3. Awesome shortcuts 

Part of being a safe city cyclist is using side streets when possible. Riding down the nearly-abandoned side streets in smaller cities like Rochester can be calmer, smoother, and often more picturesque.

The calmest of sides streets are that way because they aren’t open to “thru traffic,” but cyclists don’t always have to heed these traffic rules. Sometimes a pathway, a park, a footbridge, or a sidewalk connects dead ends to other roads and allows the street-smart cyclist to take these alternate routes.

Spend some time riding around side streets you otherwise may think you can’t get through, and you may be surprised at the options little footpaths give you.

My favorite shortcut in Rochester, which takes you from S Goodman and 490 to Oxford and Monroe. The numerous bike tire tracks in the snow indicate this shortcut’s popularity. 

4. Construction 

Construction often provides motorists with the terrible combination of sensory overload with confined shoulder-free lane space. Unless you’re prepared to take a lane and infuriate a motorist in standstill traffic because they need to wait 8 feet farther from their destination, it’s often a good idea to avoid construction traffic altogether.

Remember to be even more extra cautious if you choose to take the sidewalk. Motorists stuck waiting are prone to quickly turn off the main road and right into your path.

Henrietta + nighttime + construction = jump on the canal path as quickly as possible! 

5. Mixed use paths 

The long mixed use paths that may intersect your city like they do Rochester provide a great alternative to vehicular cycling. You’ll have to be aware of pedestrians, rollerbladers, unleashed dogs, woodchucks, etc. but oftentimes these paths are underutilized anyway. Unlike most sidewalks, mixed use paths are often specifically designated for bicycle use, but that doesn’t make them any more safe when you cross paths with motor traffic.

And in conclusion 

So those are my top five reasons for getting out of the way of cars and into the way of pedestrians. Like many things in the world of cycling, common sense and caution will go a long way. Do you have any good reasons for breaking the cardinal rule of vehicular cycling? Object to any of mine? Let me know in the comments.

I don’t think the target for Bicycle Photo Tag #11 is that hard to find, but it’s been months since I posted it, so here’s a refresh:

Maybe too many people have left Rochester to play Bicycle Photo Tag anymore. Prove me wrong, folks!

Caitlin and I started bikepooling together last summer, back when we both had jobs on the other side of the city. Now that I work out of my home, I ride with Caitlin for the pleasure of her company.

Bikepooling rocks.

Tonight’s bike cruise was unbelievably awesome. I’ve put some pictures up on Facebook. We ended up with 22 people, 5 Down Low Glows, 2 LED-based glow systems, about 2 helmets, and one tinny sound system. There was an amazing vibe during the ride. A lot of new people, who were really into it. And we grabbed some brews at Lux Lounge afterwards.

A number of people remarked how exciting it is that Rochester is really starting to feel like it has a bike culture. In fact, at one point in the ride, we got mistaken for the Tuesday Night Urban Assaulters - amazing that Rochester has enough bike cliques for people to mix them up.

Please join our clique for the next ride. We usually leave from Dogtown at 8pm on Wednesdays. We have a Facebook group if you enjoy receiving spam about upcoming rides. See you out there.

Darryl rides the RocBike Cruiser

UPDATED BELOW

I recently went on a nice little trip to Canada via Amtrak train, and decided to get to the station via bike. I took my “backup bike,” a Trek MultiTrack I picked up at an anti-war garage sale for $20 to use while my main bike was in the shop. I locked it up to a sign with a medium-quality cable lock and nothing else, and wished it luck.

While I was in Canada, I imagine a pair of bolt cutters made quick work of the cable, and when I returned I was greeted with this sight:

It was only a $20 bike, and I was un-stranded by Rochester’s reasonable public transit system, so I’m not too saddened by the loss. I had added an odometer, bottle cage, and kickstand to the backup bike, but nothing fancy like a new seat or an array of lights. The lock and helmet actually had more sentimental value than the bike itself, but I’ll always have the memories behind them.

I figured the bike would make its way to some other city and I’d never see it again. However, this post on Craigslist gives me hope that we’ll soon be reunited:

Wish us luck.

UPDATE: Unfortunately for me, “backup bike” was sold to a new buyer this morning at R Community Bikes. The group doesn’t buy bikes, they only accept donations, which makes this story all the more puzzling. Did a bike thief have a change of heart? Who knows! More if it develops . . .

UPDATE 2: RUDY! says in the comments: “Ah, maybe your bike was removed for being illegally parked (is there such a law) and subsequently donated?”

I had the same thought. I’m trying to get a hold of the manager at the Amtrak office - I may have to drop by in person if Amtrak headquarters doesn’t give me the contact info. Before I parked my bike, I asked the staff on hand about where to put it, and they recommended that spot. Who would steal it and go through the trouble of donating it - an Amtrak groundskeeper? The city? The feds?

Hoss and I went on a fun journey to the lake today, retracting the path that Jack, Jason, and I took during the RocBike Review podcast #1.

When we got there we enjoyed delicious sushi. Cyclists were out like crazy today. The weather was perfect for cycling.

So some of us RocBikers and Wednesday Night Cruisers ended up pooling our money together for about 10 fancy glowsticks, a.k.a. Down Low Glows (DLGs). If you have self esteem issues, strap one of these to your bike and bask in the complements of strangers. They turn your bike into a mobile coolness generator. If you do any night riding, they are probably one of the best investments you can make for bike safety and street cred.

The package recently arrived here in Rochester, and on Wednesday night this week, Brian, Nick, and I got together with non-glowers Brandi, Lindsey, and Eric for an inaugural DLG cruise. We started cruising in daylight, so the class warfare didn’t start until the sun went down.

Heading down Park Avenue

This was the first time I’ve seen Brandi on the cruise - Welcome!

Waiting at Oxford and Monroe

Locking up at Dog Town to eat and wait for the dark

It’s now dusk enough to fire up those lights!

There wasn’t as much light variety this ride as there will be on future rides - there are people in Rochester with Red, Green, and Pink DLGs as well. But the blue and orange played well together, and we got plenty of shout-outs from impressed people as we rode by.

Impressive, but if everyone showed we’d have a lot more glow!

Lighting up the streets

I already have a Green DLG on my commuter bike, so for now I’ve put the Blue model on the Official RocBike Cruiser. I used the Cruiser on Wednesday but it is now available for anyone to borrow, especially on Wednesday nights. Send me an e-mail at adam.durand@gmail.com and let me know if you’d like to take it (and the Down Low Glow) for a spin.

Some downtown riding

Viewing the Falls in close quarters

Hanging out at the playground in Manhattan Square Park

It was a great cruise. We’ve decided that April 30th will be the first officially promoted Rochester cruise of the season. Spam your friends! We hope to see you there!

Come one, come all, to the first officially promoted cruiser ride of the season!

Meet at 8:00pm at Monty’s Krown, or join us an hour earlier at Dog Town just down the street. To learn more about the cruises, visit the RocBike Cruise section!

On my cruiser ride today I was able to stop for a moment and take in the view of Bicycle Photo Tag #10:

This next photo tag target is kind of easy. These distinctive gates were at the last stop on last night’s Critical Mass:

Have at it, Rochester crew!

Towards the end of last year, Joey picked up a red cruiser off of Craigslist on behalf of a Mr. Jason Crane. At that point, Jason had already split town, but Joey said he’d hold it for Jason. Jason’s actual interest in picking up the bike has been in question, so Joey dubbed the bike “The RocBike Cruiser” for the time being.

Next it was Joey’s turn to split town, and friend-to-RocBike Brian was holding the cruiser for Jason. He’s doing a bit of relocation of his own this weekend though — and thankfully staying in town, but he figured if I took the RocBike cruiser off his hands, I would be a great help.

Brian drops off the bike — thanks, dude! 

I was more than happy to take the cruiser - I’ve been eyeing it since I first saw Joey riding it around on the Wednesday cruises.

OK, can I get this fixed up in time to use it for the day? 

The cruiser itself is a real beauty, but it had always had a bit of a problem. The seat post was slightly loose, but the bolt could not be tightened or loosened because its head was round. And although it’s still ridable with a loose, low seat, it’s not comfortable, and what’s the point of cruising if you can’t cruise comfortably?

Do you notice the pliers? They may be hard to see - it’s a bit of an optical illusion. 

Brian dropped the cruiser off about 20 minutes before I planned to leave for a day of errands and direct action, but I still decided to give fixing it my best shot. I grabbed a wrench and some needle-nose pliers. At first I tried to use the pliers to grab on to the head, but I soon found that strategy completely useless, and instead tried wedging the pliers between the bolt and the bike. A little bit of effort and the bolt came right off! I popped a quick release skewer on in the bolt’s place and could
then raise the seat to a comfortable height.

That other bike is owned and operated by a fellow named Mike. 

I took the RocBike Cruiser to all sorts of places today, including a couple banks, a music store, a fur protest, and a hot dog restaurant. It rides very well, though I was yearning for some lower gears as I headed up hill, or something a little stronger than a coaster brake as I headed downhill. It’s a bit squeaky but Joey says I should just apply some tri-flow to the squeaky bits and see what that does.

The Cruiser handles pretty well one-handed. 

Until Jason reclaims it, I’m excited to see what I can do with the cruiser. It might make a fine bike for commuting, though it would really need a nicer seat and some fancy baskets to be something I’d be able to use daily. I’m thinking about strapping a Down Low Glow to it and offering it as a Wednesday night cruiser ride, whenever we decide to get those going again. Brian recommended some steel wool on the chrome to shine it right up.

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.

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/bikepages/commute/

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.

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.

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 love riding my bike to the gym. Let me be clear – any place is a worthy destination for a bike commute. But the gym is one of the best places to ride a bike, because when you get there, you’re already ahead of the game with your 10 minutes of cardio. No need to run on a silly treadmill, or even worse, a stationary bike (!), because you got your warm-up in during your trip.

Even if you don’t count the warm-up time, bike commuting has cut my gym routine in half by eliminating the need for lower body workouts. There’s absolutely nothing I could do in an evening at the gym that would come close to matching a weekend’s worth of riding.

As I exited the gym after tonight’s workout, I was shocked to find the city – including my bike – covered in a thin layer of ice.

My lovely gym, with super-slippery steps. 

Lucky me, no windshield to scrape. 

The sidewalks were insanely dangerous, but there was enough automobile traffic on the roads to keep them mostly unfrozen. Still, there were many moments tonight when I wished that motorists would drive a little slower around me and give me just a little more room, considering that they were driving on ice.

I experienced an interesting malfunction tonight. And this may happen to every external-geared bike when it’s covered with a thin layer of ice. My rear derailer didn’t work at first. I could click to a higher gear without it actually shifting up, and I could downshift back to where I started but no lower. After a bit of riding the mechanism melted enough to work fine. But I should give it a little bit of love one of these nights and make sure everything is in good working order.

Riding in an ice storm is not always smart, but it can be fun. Sometimes rare weather conditions can make a bike commute extra memorable. Tonight was one of those times.

Back home, at the base of my driveway, safe and sound. 

Today Joey spilled the beans about leaving Rochester with the world’s longest paragraph, and last night we celebrated Joey’s new life with a Cruiser Ride!

It was a very cold cruise, and bikes were malfunctioning left and right. Bike seats were wigging about and literally falling off, wheels were making strange noises, and Joey nearly crashed the official RocBike cruiser into my Down-Low-Glow-equipped commuting bike! But all was well, and even though I skipped out a little early I took some photos and video to share:

The video features two minutes of silence at the end in remembrance of Joey:

Joey’s Last Cruiser Ride from Adam Durand on Vimeo.